Chapter 2: Husband, You Have Terrible Taste
Just as the girl had resolved to fight to the bitter end, Cheng Yuan’s somewhat doting voice sounded in her ear, "Honey, what are you spacing out for? This is our stop. Let’s get off."
As he spoke, Cheng Yuan wrapped an arm around the girl’s slender waist, pushed Brother Gou and Old Hei out of the way, and protectively ushered the girl off the subway in a very dominant manner.
This feeling of being saved from a desperate situation nearly melted the girl’s heart.
’So much boyfriend power, right?’
The girl snuck a glance at Cheng Yuan’s chiseled side profile. He was quite handsome.
’If only he were really my boyfriend!’
The thugs were about to go crazy with rage. ’How dare this punk?!’
Their eyes glinting menacingly, they followed Cheng Yuan and the girl.
Cheng Yuan deliberately slowed his pace. After leaving the subway station, he headed toward a more secluded corner.
Before long, the thugs caught up and surrounded the two of them.
Brother Gou and Old Hei brandished daggers. "Kid, we’ll give you one last chance. Scram! Or else we’ll let you have a taste of this blade!"
The girl’s face turned deathly pale. She clutched Cheng Yuan’s hand tightly, terrified he would abandon her.
Cheng Yuan suddenly smiled, a strange, eerie smile. "As it happens, I was in need of a few test subjects. Since you’ve delivered yourselves to my doorstep, I won’t be polite."
With a flick of his wrist, Cheng Yuan produced a handful of Silver Needles as if by magic.
PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!
The thugs were hit!
As if they’d been electrocuted, the thugs suddenly collapsed to the ground, convulsing and even foaming at the mouth.
"It hurts! It hurts so much!"
"Boss, we were wrong! Please spare us!"
Cheng Yuan looked down at the young men coldly. "I used a unique acupuncture technique that no one can undo. My number is 159-XXXX-XXXX. If you don’t want to die, call me as soon as possible."
With that, Cheng Yuan took the girl’s hand and left.
The girl was utterly stunned. The human shield she’d randomly picked turned out to be an expert!
The girl hugged Cheng Yuan’s arm tightly, her watery eyes gazing at his side profile. "Hey handsome, my name is Lin Ruoxi. What’s yours?"
"Miss Lin, the trouble has been dealt with. I have something important to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave."
Lin Ruoxi didn’t want to let such an excellent "human shield" go. She pleaded, "My troubles are far from over. Could I trouble you to take me to the airport after you’re done with your business?"
"Well... alright."
「Five minutes later.」
Cheng Yuan brought Lin Ruoxi to the cafeteria at Luocheng University.
Cheng Yuan said gently, "Miss Lin, please wait here by yourself for a bit. I need to go see my girlfriend."
’Girlfriend??’
Lin Ruoxi felt an inexplicable wave of irritation, a tight and uncomfortable feeling in her chest.
Lin Ruoxi struggled to control her emotions and forced a smile. "Mr. Cheng’s girlfriend must be very beautiful."
"She is."
Cheng Yuan turned and went up to the second floor.
After greeting Xu Ke, Cheng Yuan scanned the surroundings and immediately spotted Wang Shanshan in the crowd.
He hadn’t seen her in two years, but Wang Shanshan was still just as beautiful.
She was about seventy or eighty percent as stunning as Lin Ruoxi.
Cheng Yuan quickly walked over to Wang Shanshan and said in a trembling voice, "Shanshan, it’s been two years. Are you... doing okay?"
Wang Shanshan looked as if she had seen a ghost, her face draining of all color in terror.
"You... you... weren’t you sentenced to five years?"
"I was released early for good behavior."
As he spoke, Cheng Yuan opened his arms for a hug.
To Cheng Yuan’s surprise, Wang Shanshan didn’t throw herself into his arms. Instead, she dodged backward.
"Shanshan, what’s wrong?"
Just then, a familiar figure appeared in Cheng Yuan’s line of sight.
It was Jin Pengfei!
Jin Pengfei pointed a finger in Cheng Yuan’s face and cursed, "Cheng Yuan, I’m warning you, stay away from Wang Shanshan! If you don’t, I’ll beat you every time I see you!"
When enemies meet, their eyes burn with hatred. Cheng Yuan shot his hand out and grabbed Jin Pengfei by the throat.
Wang Shanshan stood up and shouted, "That’s enough! Cheng Yuan, stop making a scene! Let go of Pengfei!"
With that, Wang Shanshan shoved Cheng Yuan away and looked at Jin Pengfei with great concern.
"Pengfei, are you okay?"
Jin Pengfei put on a brave face. "Shanshan, there’s no need to be nervous. Even if you gave him ten times the guts, he wouldn’t dare touch me. Otherwise, I’ll make sure he rots in prison!"
Cheng Yuan couldn’t understand why Wang Shanshan would help Jin Pengfei.
"Shanshan, you and him..."
A look of finality flashed in Wang Shanshan’s eyes. "Cheng Yuan, I admit, I’ve wronged you. But I hope you can understand me! After you went to prison, everyone I knew pointed fingers at me, calling me the girlfriend of a convict! And if I actually married you, our future children wouldn’t even be able to take the civil service exams! I can’t possibly marry a convict!"
Cheng Yuan stumbled back several steps, unable to believe that Wang Shanshan could say such heartless words.
At the side, Xu Ke cursed loudly, "Wang Shanshan, how can you be so shameless? Who do you think Cheng Yuan went to prison for? And what about when your mom was hospitalized? It was Cheng Yuan who raised the money for her surgery! How can you just turn on him like this? Besides, even if you had a change of heart, you could have picked anyone! Why did you have to pick Jin Pengfei? Weren’t you the one who couldn’t stand him back then?"
Wang Shanshan said calmly, "I was too naive back then. Only after being ground down by society do you realize that all dreams are illusions. Only money and power are real!"
Xu Ke was practically seething with rage. He grabbed Cheng Yuan’s arm and said loudly, "Brother Yuan, a bitch like that isn’t worthy of you! Let’s go!"
Xu Ke’s words infuriated Wang Shanshan. "Me, a bitch? I’m not worthy of Cheng Yuan? Are you kidding me? Go grab any woman off the street and ask her who’d be willing to marry a convict! I’ve only been with Pengfei for a week, and he’s already bought me a car and several pieces of jewelry. And Cheng Yuan? I was with him for a year, and all he bought me was a pair of white sneakers! Any woman would know who to choose! Xu Ke, you listen up! It’s Cheng Yuan who’s not worthy of me!!"
Wang Shanshan’s words made Cheng Yuan tremble with rage. His lips quivered, but he couldn’t get a single word out. Betrayed by the person he cared about most, his heart felt like it was seizing up.
Just as Cheng Yuan was on the verge of collapse, about to explode, Lin Ruoxi walked over with graceful steps. She hugged his arm intimately and, like a proud swan, looked down on Wang Shanshan.
"Darling, is this your ex-girlfriend? Your taste used to be terrible. How could you have fallen for such an ugly woman?"