Chapter 122: He Takes Her Away
"Who are you?" Zhang Fengxia asked rudely.
But after she spoke, her gaze swept up and down Xu Jiaming.
This man was quite good-looking, a pretty boy type.
He was a bit thin, but not the kind of thin that came from being poor.
After all, he had a casual air about him, looking down on her with the arrogance of someone in a superior position.
As for his clothes...
She didn’t know the brand, but based on the fabric, they looked quite high-quality.
He was most likely a rich man.
She hadn’t expected to find a rich person in a place like the Northwest.
He was probably here as a tourist, right?
"I’m taking her with me," Xu Jiaming said, pointing at Su Zhaozhao.
Zhang Fengxia froze and turned to look at Su Zhaozhao.
’Do they know each other?’
When she turned, she saw that the veil covering Su Zhaozhao’s face had fallen off at some point.
Most of her face was exposed.
Even without her entire face showing, her delicate features and fair skin were breathtakingly beautiful.
Even though her clothes were plain and drab, her face made them look much better on her.
Zhang Fengxia was stunned. She had no idea when Su Zhaozhao’s veil had fallen.
At that moment, the three passengers sitting across from them were also staring at Su Zhaozhao in amazement.
The woman from before said, "Oh my, your girl is so pretty, just like a movie star."
Beside her, her husband laughed. "I’d say even those movie stars aren’t as pretty as this young lady."
Zhang Fengxia was furious. She reached out and yanked Su Zhaozhao’s veil back up.
Her crude action made Xu Jiaming’s eyes narrow.
His brow was tightly furrowed, and a hostile aura slowly spread through his light-colored eyes.
’Even I’m careful when I touch her. I couldn’t bear to treat her like that.’
’How dares this ugly woman?’
Moreover, he also noticed that something was very wrong with Su Zhaozhao’s condition. She was completely still, and her face was excessively pale.
Just then, the scent of blood spread through the air.
Xu Jiaming was all too familiar with this smell, and his gaze fell upon Su Zhaozhao.
’She’s injured.’
Realizing this, Xu Jiaming pressed his thin lips together and said to Zhang Fengxia, "I’m taking her with me."
"Who do you think you are?" Zhang Fengxia said with a cold expression.
She had originally thought they knew each other, which had scared her to death.
But now it seemed he was probably just attracted by Su Zhaozhao’s pretty face.
’Men are all shallow, only caring about looks. Otherwise, how could her previous bride price have been so high?’
But she figured that once they got to Shencheng City, where there were more rich people, she could probably sell Su Zhaozhao for an even higher price.
Xu Jiaming couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words. He pulled three hundred yuan from his wallet and slapped it down in front of Zhang Fengxia.
"Will this do?"
Zhang Fengxia’s eyes widened as she stared at the large bills.
Su Dashan also gasped. They had just left West State and already run into a buyer? Wasn’t this a bit too fast?
He felt that something wasn’t right.
He wanted to warn Zhang Fengxia, but she had already snatched up the money and turned to Xu Jiaming with a completely different expression. "Comrade, you’ve taken a fancy to my daughter? Alright, then! This will be the bride price. You can take her. Take good care of her, you hear?"
The surrounding passengers were utterly shocked by this scene.
Was this marrying off a daughter or selling one?
She took so much money just like that, and the man didn’t even seem to know the girl.
Was it just because the young woman was beautiful?
Zhang Fengxia then pulled Su Dashan up from his seat. "Do you want to take her now? Or should we wait until you get back to your home to discuss it?"
’This man in front of me is so rich; he’s most likely from Shencheng City.’
’His accent sounds like it’s from there, too.’
’Tsk, Shencheng City sure has a lot of rich people.’
’If I knew where this man lived, I could show up on his doorstep later if I ever need money.’
Thinking of this, Zhang Fengxia shot another sideways glance at Su Zhaozhao.
’This damn girl is so lucky. Instead of some pot-bellied old man, she gets picked by a man this young and handsome.’
"I’m taking her now," Xu Jiaming said.
Zhang Fengxia pulled Su Zhaozhao out of her seat.
"Where’s your seat?"
"That’s not necessary. I’ll just take her with me and leave," Xu Jiaming said, his gaze fixed on Su Zhaozhao, his brow furrowed.
The moment Zhang Fengxia let go, Su Zhaozhao’s body slumped against Xu Jiaming.
Xu Jiaming quickly caught her.
’What on earth did they do to her? Her body is so limp, without a shred of strength.’
"She’s not feeling well, so you’ll have to support her. Be careful," Zhang Fengxia said, feigning a worried expression.
But in the next moment, Xu Jiaming’s venomous, snake-like gaze made Zhang Fengxia drop the act.
’That man’s glare is terrifying.’
Xu Jiaming looked away from her.
He lowered his gaze to the girl in his arms. Her limp body rested obediently against him, unmoving.
But Xu Jiaming felt no trace of romantic or lustful thoughts.
He turned and left with Su Zhaozhao.
Clutching the money, Zhang Fengxia sat back down, delighted. She said to Su Dashan, "Let’s get off at the next stop and take a train back to Jiang City. My, I didn’t expect this deal to go so smoothly."
Su Dashan nodded. "Alright."
But he still glanced in the direction Su Zhaozhao had gone. The man had already left with her.
’I don’t know if this is the right thing to do... but it’s for my son.’
’Besides, it’s her own fault for being so disobedient.’
’She stole so much money from home and even ran off with her mother’s belongings.’
’But now we have this extra sum of money, and that’s enough.’
...
"Zhaozhao, are you alright?" Xu Jiaming asked after they had passed through a train car.
He had his arm around Su Zhaozhao’s shoulder, his eyes lowered to the girl in his embrace.
She was so weak, it felt like she was about to collapse.
They had only walked through one car, but she already seemed exhausted.
If the aisle wasn’t so narrow, he would have carried her.
Su Zhaozhao shook her head.
Xu Jiaming’s expression turned colder. ’She can’t even speak.’
"When we get to the next stop, I’m taking you to the hospital."
The next stop was still an hour away.
Xu Jiaming could only take Su Zhaozhao back to their soft sleeper compartment.
He had actually only just remembered where he had seen Zhang Fengxia before.
When he had been investigating Su Zhaozhao, the files someone sent him had contained their photos.
He had a photographic memory; once he saw something, he never forgot it.
He just hadn’t made the connection at first.
Once he did, he thought back to the strange gaze he had felt earlier and instantly knew that Su Zhaozhao was in trouble.
He had searched car by car and finally found Su Zhaozhao.
And as a result, he found her tormented into this state.
Xu Jiaming felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if someone were squeezing it. A feeling of suffocation spread along with the ache.
He rarely felt this way; he was usually cold and indifferent to everyone.
But now, feeling Su Zhaozhao’s pain, he wished he could suffer it all in her place.
’I won’t let those two get away with this.’
But he wasn’t in a hurry to deal with them.
’Handing them over to the police would be easy, of course, but I can’t just let it go at that.’
When Xu Jiaxin saw Xu Jiaming appear, she immediately called out, "Bro, so you do remember how to come back! Where have you been for so long?"
Her gaze fell on the girl in Xu Jiaming’s arms, and she couldn’t help but be surprised. ’Has my brother finally seen the light? Does he have a girl he likes?’