Thirty-two, Sister-in-law

Late Twilight’s eyes were dark and cold. “Call all our men—everyone. No matter what, we must find Wan Jun and bring her home.”

In an instant, everyone who did business with the Chi family deployed people to search for Chen Wan Jun and Wang Luo. All over Cloud City, teams were scouring hotels, searching every corner.

Wang Luo hurried home with Chen Wan Jun, who was still in her pajamas. As they took a shortcut, Wang Luo noticed three men on motorcycles parked by the roadside, sizing up every passerby. He immediately realized they were sent by Late Twilight. Quickly, he turned around, pulling Chen Wan Jun with him.

Chen Wan Jun was barefoot, struggling along the gravel-strewn path. Her feet ached unbearably, but with Wang Luo holding her hand, she felt an unprecedented sense of security. Compared to the days she spent locked away, deprived even of sunlight, this was infinitely better.

She clung tightly to Wang Luo’s hand, silently grateful: Thank goodness, thank goodness he didn’t give up on me.

They made their way back into the city. Wang Luo took Su Wan to the small rental house where he had lived during his school days. The house was next to a cemetery, long abandoned, with not a living soul nearby and a landlord who rarely appeared. Fortunately, Wang Luo still had the key—he’d thought he’d lost it once and had made a spare.

Inside, the place was a mess, cobwebs everywhere, rainwater and mud pooled on the floor. Wang Luo grabbed a broom and swept away all the webs, then used a shovel to clear out the soggy mess. Only when everything was clean did he let Chen Wan Jun enter.

There was only a bed and a desk in the room. Chen Wan Jun, still barefoot, didn’t know where she should stand.

“Wan Jun, I’ve made you suffer,” Wang Luo said, his face filled with guilt.

Chen Wan Jun shook her head quickly, gripping his hand. “No, as long as I can be with you, I’ll endure any hardship.”

After a tender moment together, Wang Luo went out to buy supplies. Chen Wan Jun stayed behind, tending to the smaller details—tearing old sheets to clean the desk and floor, fetching water to wash the windows. When Wang Luo returned, he repaired the roof and laid out fresh bedding. At last, the dilapidated house became a home again.

With joy in their hearts, the two embraced tightly in their little love nest.

Meanwhile, Su Wan was still being chased by the burly man, running nearly three miles. Gasping for breath, she snatched a wooden stick from the ground, ready to fight back. But the man, as if he’d seen something terrifying, stopped dead in his tracks. Seeing his fearful expression, Su Wan was puzzled: Does he think I know kung fu?

“Scared, aren’t you? I’m telling you, I’m trained. If you don’t believe me, I’ll pound you to a pulp with fists as big as casserole pots!” she threatened.

Instantly, the burly man ran for his life. Su Wan, delighted at the sight, couldn’t help but gloat. “Well! I didn’t know I was this impressive!” She waved her stick like a martial arts hero. “Villain, you can’t escape!”

Just as she was about to give chase, a hand seized the stick in midair. Surprised, Su Wan turned to see Jiang Mochen standing behind her, looking at her with helpless amusement.

“It’s you!” Su Wan exclaimed joyfully, throwing her arms around his waist. “Did you come to save me?”

Jiang Mochen wrapped an arm around her as well. “Grandfather sent me. He was worried when you didn’t come home for so long.”

So that was it. Su Wan took the opportunity to run her hand along his slender waist. Tsk, such muscles—remarkable.

But the burly man was too much of a coward. No matter how formidable Jiang Mochen was, there was no need for the man to be so terrified. So much for being a tough guy—he was just a paper tiger.

“Let’s go home. Grandfather’s waiting for you.”

Su Wan nodded, and the two headed home together.

After they left, dozens of muscular men in black, holding steel rods, slowly rose from the roadside undergrowth. A wiry young man eyed Su Wan’s retreating figure with curiosity. “Hey, so that’s the boss’s wife?”

The leader punched him. “Don’t look where you shouldn’t.”

“I wasn’t—really,” the youth protested, stretching his neck for a better view. “She’s impressive, though! Managed to escape from all those guys.”

Before he could say more, he got punched again.

The leader grabbed him by the collar. “Are you looking for trouble?”

The young man quickly waved his hands in surrender.

“Go. Follow the guy who was chasing the boss’s wife. Find out exactly what happened.”

Accepting the order, the young man led his group in pursuit of the fleeing burly man.

After returning home, Su Wan was still uneasy, afraid that Late Twilight and Chen Tianyu might come looking for her again. But several days passed without incident. Only the Wang family’s house was smashed up by a few thugs one night.

Wang Luo’s mother sat in the center of the village, crying for a long time before returning home. She thought it was some villager’s doing and swore to make the culprit pay dearly.

The following night, Wang Luo’s father came home drunk and broke his leg on the way. From that day on, Wang Luo’s parents became utterly subdued, hiding at home and not daring to step outside.

Su Wan, of course, knew exactly what was going on, but she chose not to interfere.

Another week or so passed. One afternoon, as Su Wan was sunbathing at home, a fashionable young woman appeared at her door. Dressed in a camel-colored leather jacket and flared trousers, she rushed up the moment she saw Su Wan, grabbing her hand.

“Finally, I found you! I asked so many people before I got your house number,” she exclaimed excitedly, holding on and chattering nonstop. “Those lipsticks you sold me are fantastic! I got several orders—when will you have another batch?”

Su Wan nervously covered her mouth. “Shh!” She quickly glanced back over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of the old man standing on the balcony, watching them closely.

“What lipstick?”

Su Wan’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly pulled the young woman in front of her. “Grandfather, this is a new friend. She wants to give me a very popular lipstick.”

Old Mr. Su clearly sensed something was off but said nothing. “If she’s your friend, invite her in for tea and stay for dinner before she leaves.” With that, he turned and went back inside.

Su Wan quickly agreed.

They sat down in the main hall, and Su Wan poured her some herbal tea.

“Your grandfather doesn’t let you do business?” the girl asked in surprise.

Su Wan nodded. “Yes, he thinks it’s unseemly for a girl.”

The young woman sighed. “My father’s the same—he’d rather hand everything over to my good-for-nothing brother than let me try my hand at it.”

Su Wan had already guessed as much but sensibly said nothing, just listening.

“It’s tough being a girl,” the young woman went on. “Still, I’m lucky. My dad promised that if I can bring good profits to the shop, he’ll put it in my name. But even so…”

Su Wan smiled throughout, listening as the girl poured out her heart.

Suddenly, the young woman turned to Su Wan. “So, what are your plans for the future?”