Translator: CinderTL
"50,000?" Huai Yi cursed. "Why don't you just rob us?"
"I don't care," the old woman cackled, baring a few large gold teeth. "We can just sit here all day. I'm in no hurry." She looked completely confident.
Just as Jiang Cheng had suspected, the old woman had been hired by Xue Jinhua. Everything that had happened earlier had been filmed by Xue Jinhua's people.
The photographer had been highly professional, choosing perfect angles to make it look as if Jiang Cheng and the others had run into the old woman.
"Girl, that hairpin in your hair is quite nice. Let me borrow it for a couple of days," the old woman said, then, without waiting for Lin Wan'er to reply, she immediately reached out with a dirt-stained hand and snatched the hairpin from Lin Wan'er's hair.
Jiang Cheng glanced at the old woman without saying a word.
With her hairpin gone, Lin Wan'er's long, raven-black hair cascaded down her back. Her expressionless face remained unchanged as she instructed Huai Yi to turn at the next intersection and drive the car behind a walled enclosure.
Fatty blinked, recognizing the place. It was the abandoned park where he had been abandoned before.
The old woman examined the hairpin in her hand, growing more fond of it with each passing moment. Though it was made of wood, the craftsmanship was exquisite, making it appear quite valuable.
"We're here," Jiang Cheng suddenly said with a smile as the car came to a stop.
"Alright, go get the money. After I've taken it, you can drive me back. I'm in a hurry today, so don't waste my time." Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Cheng grabbed her collar and dragged her out of the car, then tossed her onto the ground.
Seeing the desolate surroundings, the old woman panicked. Her hairpin fell to the ground. "What are you bringing me here for? I'm warning you, harming someone is illegal! Be careful or I'll sue you until you're bankrupt!"
"Why would we harm you?" Jiang Cheng chuckled. "We're here to pay you compensation, aren't we?"
"Fine, I won't ask for too much. Twenty thousand will do, just like before. Once I have the money, I'll leave, and we'll be done. I promise not to bother you again."
As soon as she finished speaking, several stacks of cash were thrown out of the car and landed at her feet. "Here's the money," Lin Wan'er said, looking out the window.
The old woman's heart leaped with joy. There were four stacks of money, all crisp, red hundred-yuan bills—a full forty thousand yuan.
Twice as much as she had asked for.
"You little girl, you're the sensible one. I won't hold today's matter against you," the old woman said, wrinkles crinkling around her eyes as she picked up the cash and her hairpin. Just as she was about to leave, Fatty and Huai Yi, the driver, also got out of the car.
"Leaving already?" Jiang Cheng asked. "Old woman, you seem to have forgotten something."
"What?"
"20,000 for one leg. That's what you said. Now you've taken 40,000 from us, and we still haven't gotten our legs!" With that, Huai Yi and Fatty immediately rushed forward, dragging the old woman to a muddy depression in front of the car and positioning her legs directly in front of the wheels.
Jiang Cheng slowly walked to the driver's seat, started the engine, and watched the wheels inch closer to the old woman's legs. Her face turned pale with terror. "No! No, don't do this! I don't want your money anymore!"
"Old woman, you mustn't say that," Fatty said, clutching her legs tightly. "This isn't about money. It's about integrity."
"Brother Huai, make sure you hold her down tight. We agreed to only crush her legs. If we crush anything else, the old woman will try to extort us again," Fatty said sarcastically, looking up at Huai Yi, who was pinning down the old woman's upper body.
"Brother Fugui, you can rest assured. We won't let the old woman get away with this, will we?" Huai Yi cackled. "When the car comes, we'll let go together. We don't want blood splattered all over us."
"I was wrong! Please, don't do this! I'll never dare to do it again!" The old woman had never encountered such a situation before. She realized these men were no ordinary people—they weren't honest, law-abiding citizens. She had made a grave mistake in provoking them. She had always targeted only honest, law-abiding people for her scams.
Jiang Cheng periodically revved the engine, the car emitting a restless growl. Throughout the entire ordeal, Lin Wan'er remained silent in the back seat, scrolling through her phone.
"Brother Jiang!" Huai Yi shouted at the top of his lungs. "That old hag's left leg was broken before. Let's crush her right leg first, then use our arms to pin her left leg down. Otherwise, she'll try to take advantage of us again!"
The old woman rolled her eyes at this, her face pale and her breathing shallow. Tears and snot streamed down her face as she gasped, "I was wrong! I won't do it again! I'll report them! Someone paid me to cause trouble! They gave me 20,000 yuan and promised another 20,000 after!"
As if fearing Jiang Cheng couldn't hear her, the old woman wailed desperately.
Finally, the car stopped a split second before its wheels could crush her body.
The old woman was barely clinging to life, her eyes still rolling back in her head, her body convulsing intermittently like someone suffering from epilepsy.
Jiang Cheng opened the car door and looked down at the paralyzed old woman. "Pick her up. Let's get her statement at the police station while she's still warm."
(End of the Chapter)
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