“I was seven months pregnant when my undercover identity was exposed.
The young master of the gang, who had always doted on me, knocked out my teeth with the butt of a gun, broke my ribs with a kick, and locked me in a dark prison.
I had a miscarriage in the dark prison. The gang young master took away the still – born baby, and I never saw him again.
Five years later, a little girl climbed into the dark prison and said to me,
“Mom, Dad is drunk. He’s crying and saying he misses you.”
1
Five years ago, Ming Feiyuan beat me up severely, carried away the still – born baby I gave birth to, and I never saw him again.
Day and night, I was locked in the darkness, with four walls and a chamber pot.
Sometimes, when I was too lonely, I would talk to a rat I caught for a long time.
It’s a miracle that my spirit didn’t collapse in the past five years.
But my health was gradually deteriorating.
I couldn’t get any sunlight for a long time, the environment was damp, and I ate spoiled food. Every part of my body ached.
The little girl was the first living person to talk to me in five years.
She said –
“Mom, Dad is drunk. He’s crying and saying he misses you.”
I didn’t understand. Why did she call me mom? And who was her dad?
I wanted to talk to her. I opened my mouth but found that I had forgotten how to speak after not talking for so long.
In a hurry, I started coughing violently.
A mouthful of blood spurted onto the girl’s white dress.
She was scared and ran away.
Oh no, I’ve brought trouble on myself again.
Sometimes, when those people were in a bad mood, they would come in and beat me up.
Because five years ago, it was me who provided the information to the police, causing them heavy losses.
Many people died, and their stronghold was destroyed. The boss, Ming Feiyuan, had to take me and some of his confidants and flee abroad.
Afterward, when they investigated, they found out that I was an undercover.
Since then, I became a thorn in their side.
They called me a traitor.
Hehe, I’ve never betrayed my beliefs. How could I be a traitor?
Ming Feiyuan used all the means of torture on me.
I begged him to kill me.
He said, “I’ll keep your worthless life. As long as you’re alive, Liang Junze will come looking for you.”
Liang Junze, my husband.
He was a police officer and also my teammate.
His head was what Ming Feiyuan wanted most.
2
Clang, clang.
The iron door outside opened.
Heavy and steady footsteps tapped on the stone road.
Someone was coming.
Judging from the footsteps, it wasn’t Ah Hui, who usually brought me food.
I huddled in the corner, looking at the person coming with fear.
He was holding a wine bottle in his hand, and the strong smell of alcohol filled the small cell.
He took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.
He lit the lighter.
The flame illuminated his face.
Well – defined features, a chiseled outline, and wolf – like eyes shining with a cold light.
After five years, I recognized him at a glance.
My once “lover”, Ming Feiyuan, the leader of the Zhongdao Gang.
He leaned against the iron railing, smoking. It was very quiet all around, only the sound of the cigarette butt flickering.
“Qingli, long time no see.”
He said in a low and hoarse voice.
I didn’t speak. I wasn’t used to speaking anymore.
“We’re leaving.” He continued on his own. “This place is getting more and more unsafe. We plan to go far away. Anyway, we’ve earned enough money. But they don’t agree to take you with us. They all ask me to kill you.”
Kill me? That would be great. I was living a life worse than death.
“But I hope you can die with some value. So, before you die, you need to do something for me.”
He walked closer to me, pinched my chin, and forced me to look at him.
The smell of alcohol sprayed on my face, and there was a deadly sense of oppression.
“I need you to lure Liang Junze out.”
I was very calm, neither humble nor arrogant, without any joy or sorrow.
He was irritated.
In a fit of rage, he slapped me.
Suddenly, blood gushed out from my nose.
He was stunned for a moment. “I didn’t use much force…”
He really didn’t use much force.
This nosebleed wasn’t caused by his slap.
It was because of my illness.
I felt that I was very sick.
Death should be coming soon.
Anyway, I was going to die. Why should I help Ming Feiyuan hurt my husband?
Ming Feiyuan wiped the blood for me with the sleeve of his white shirt and hugged me into his arms.
I struggled, but he held me tightly, putting his chin on my head.
“Qingli, listen to me, listen to me.” His voice was seductive. “Did you see that little girl just now? Her name is Xinnai. She’s your child. The baby you gave birth to that year wasn’t still – born. She survived. If you help me get Liang Junze, I’ll spare Xinnai’s life. If you don’t cooperate, I’ll make you hold her and jump into the sea together…”
I stopped struggling.
3
This was the first time I was taken out of the dark prison in five years.
The moment the sunlight shone on me, I was so scared that I screamed and fled like a mouse.
Ming Feiyuan grabbed me and dragged me into the villa.
On the spacious sofa in the villa, several women with heavy makeup were sitting.
“Master Ming…” They stood up to greet Ming Feiyuan. One of them even came up and kissed him.
Right in front of me, Ming Feiyuan was affectionate with her.
“Nongnong, take her upstairs to take a bath and clean up.” He said to the woman.
The woman named Nongnong gave me a sideways look. “Come with me, bitch.”
It took Nongnong and several other women the whole afternoon to clean the dirt and fleas off me.
Hot water rushed over my emaciated body. My ribs were clearly visible one by one, and I was like a mummy.
After five years of wasting time, Xia Qingli, the bright and charming policewoman back then, had become a walking corpse.
Nongnong was combing my hair and said softly, “Don’t have any wild ideas. Master Ming is no longer the Master Ming of the past. If you want to live one more day, be honest.”
“Nongnong, you can go out.” Ming Feiyuan appeared at the door.
Nongnong gave me a warning look and then left.
Ming Feiyuan stood behind me, looking at me in the mirror. His long and thin fingers stroked my sideburns, neck, collarbone, and then went into my collar, slowly moving down.
I frowned slightly, and my disgust could no longer be hidden.
His movement stopped.
Suddenly, he grabbed my hair and forced me to raise my head.
“Look at your ghostly appearance now! No one would even want to look at you if you were naked!” He said viciously.
“Dad!” A little girl’s voice came from the door.
Ming Feiyuan paused and let go of my hair.
“Dad, you finally brought Mom out!” The little girl ran over and looked at me seriously with her head up. “Mom is so beautiful, but she’s too thin. Mom should eat more meat.”
I looked at her, and my eyes became wet.
Was this my child? Was she really my child?
“Xinnai, how about Dad taking you and Mom out for steak tonight?” Ming Feiyuan said.
“Great!” Xinnai jumped and laughed.
I didn’t know how she could grow up to be so naive, lively, and lovely in this den of devils. On the way to the restaurant, she was laughing all the time and was interested in everything outside the car window.
Ming Feiyuan talked to her very gently, and there was no trace of his usual fierceness in his eyes and brows.
I looked at this “father – daughter” pair, and my thoughts went back more than twenty years ago.
That year, I was also five years old.
4
My father was a police officer. He was often on business trips and was away from home for more than 200 days a year.
Every time he came back, I was very happy and pestered him with questions.
That day was my fifth birthday. My parents said they would take me to McDonald’s.
I sat on the back seat of my father’s bicycle, holding a windmill in my hand. The windmill spun round and round.
The gears of fate also began to turn.
I only remember a few intense “bang bang” sounds.
I fell off my father’s bicycle.
In front of me, there was a sea of blood.
My parents fell in a pool of blood.
I don’t know how long it passed. An uncle ran over, picked me up, and covered my eyes:
“Girl, it’s okay. Don’t be afraid.”
…
The uncle took me back to his home.
At first, I didn’t eat, talk, or cry. I was like a walking corpse.
The uncle’s family had a little brother named Junze. He talked to me every day, tried to make me happy, and played the game of cops and robbers with me.
Later, we went to school together, did homework together, took the high – school entrance exam together, took the college entrance exam together, and got into the same police academy.
After graduating from the police academy, we passed the exam and became criminal police officers in the same public security bureau.
We handled many big cases together, shed blood and sweat together.
One year, I was injured in a mission. Before I was pushed into the operating room, Liang Junze held my hand and cried, saying he loved me.
“Qingli, you must live. I want to marry you.”
Neither of us had a relationship with others during school, and after work, we tacitly didn’t talk about getting married. We knew we were waiting for each other.
After I recovered from the injury, Liang Junze took a day off specifically on Valentine’s Day and took me to Jingning Temple to see the red plums.
It had just snowed that day. The snow pressed on the red plums, and behind them were the upturned eaves of the temple. It was as beautiful as an ancient painting.
Under the red plum tree, Liang Junze proposed to me.
We hugged each other and swore to always protect each other for the rest of our lives.
5
When we were going down the mountain from Jingning Temple, a young man in a black suit passed by us.
My heart skipped a beat. I grabbed Liang Junze and asked him in a low voice, “Do you think he looks like someone?”
Liang Junze said, “I noticed him too. He looks like Ming Feiyuan.”
Ming Feiyuan, the eldest son of Ming Zhen, the leader of the Zhongdao Gang. We had been investigating this gang for the past two years, but they were so secretive and left no traces that we couldn’t find a chance to act.
And this Ming Feiyuan who came to our door, how could I let him go easily?
I said to Liang Junze, “You go back first. I’ll follow him and see what he’s doing here.”
Liang Junze knew my temper. Once I made a decision, it was hard to persuade me back. He could only say, “I’ll wait for you at the foot of the mountain. You must be careful and never come into direct contact with him!”
I followed Ming Feiyuan into the temple.
I saw him kneel down in front of the Buddha statue, devoutly burn three sticks of incense, and mutter something.
What? Did he want to put down the butcher’s knife and become a Buddha?
Impossible.
Ming Feiyuan was the leader of the Zhongdao Gang, with a ruthless and cold – blooded, crazy character. Such a devil wouldn’t be accepted by the Buddha.
After he finished burning the incense, he got up and left.
I couldn’t follow him anymore. So I also bought a few sticks of incense and pretended to ask the monk casually, “Did that handsome guy come here often?”
The monk replied, “Yes, he comes two or three times a month at irregular times.”
I had a bold idea: get close to Ming Feiyuan and infiltrate the Zhongdao Gang.
Liang Junze strongly opposed it. I threatened him that if I couldn’t do this mission, I wouldn’t marry him, forcing him to agree.
I said, “Brother Junze, this is the last time. After eliminating the Zhongdao Gang, I won’t be a criminal police officer anymore. I’ll work at the window to register household registrations and marry you and have children, okay?”
Liang Junze didn’t speak. He was still angry.
I waited at Jingning Temple for half a month and finally waited for Ming Feiyuan again.
When he was burning incense, I stood not far away looking at him.
After burning the incense, he got up, turned around, and his sharp eyes shot straight at me.
Our eyes met for a moment, and then he walked towards me.
Good, woman, you’ve successfully attracted his attention.
“You seem to have been looking at me. Do we know each other?” He asked me loudly.
“Can we get to know each other?” I said generously.
“Why?”
“You’re very… handsome.” I must have blushed when I said this.
“Weird.” Ming Feiyuan turned his head and left.
After that, every time he came to burn incense, I would strike up a conversation with him.
Finally, one day, he said, “Beauty, can I invite you to dinner?”
6
I became Ming Feiyuan’s “girlfriend”.
He took me to secret clubs and underground casinos.
I secretly provided the important information I noticed to the police.
The leader was very worried about my safety and asked me to leave as soon as possible. Ming Feiyuan was too dangerous.
Three days later, Ming Feiyuan was going to take me to an important event. There should be some valuable information to dig up. I promised the leader that after this job, I would stop.
As I wished, I got valuable information.
I witnessed Ming Feiyuan’s gun deal with a foreign gangster.
After the deal, Ming Feiyuan was very happy and drank some wine.
He looked at me, and there was a wild surge in his eyes.
“Li, you have a great figure.”
I felt something was wrong.
I had been with him for two months, and he hadn’t touched me yet. He probably didn’t trust me enough.
But today, I followed him to participate in the core task, which meant he completely trusted me.
And I had to prove my “loyalty”.
He pulled me over, made me sit on his lap, and started unbuttoning my clothes.
I held down his hand.
His eyes narrowed.
He picked up the gun on the table and pointed the muzzle at my forehead. “Take it off.”
…
I wrapped my coat tightly and walked in the light rain.
Liang Junze kept calling me. He called eight times. Finally, I answered.
“Brother Junze, let’s break up.”
I provided all the information about the Zhongdao Gang and Ming Feiyuan to the organization, then submitted a resignation report and left.
Seven months later, when Liang Junze found me, I was already heavily pregnant.
I was seven months pregnant.
He hugged me. “Qingli, the Zhongdao Gang has been destroyed. You can rest assured. Marry me and let me take care of you for the rest of your life…”
We chose a restaurant in a neighboring county and held a simple wedding.
The people who attended the wedding were mainly relatives of the Peng family, and Liang Junze’s captain officiated for us.
The weather that day was bad. Dark clouds rolled in from the afternoon, and it was windy and rainy at dusk.
“Liang Junze, do you want to marry Xia Qingli as your wife, love and protect her from now on, and be with her through all the good and bad, difficulties and happiness in the future?”
“I do.”
7
My thoughts were pulled back from the distant past. Liang Junze was no longer by my side.
Ming Feiyuan’s car was still driving. The scenery outside became more and more desolate. This didn’t seem like a place to “eat steak”.
Finally, the car stopped in front of a dilapidated factory building.
Ming Feiyuan asked his subordinates to watch Xinnai and took me into the factory building.
“Before we eat steak, we have a little job to do.” He said to me. “The police caught my second brother. I agreed to exchange hostages. Use you to get him back.”
He turned on the walkie – talkie and ordered, “Snipers get in position. Once the hostage exchange is over and the police take Xia Qingli away, shoot immediately. Leave no one alive.”
He grabbed my hair. “Do you think Liang Junze will come to exchange the hostage? The Liang Junze you’ve been thinking about day and night?”
I laughed. You’d better not hope it’s him. He’ll make you pay.
My smile made him angry. His face turned fierce. “You damned traitor!”
Strange, how could I be a traitor? I had never betrayed my beliefs.
Twenty minutes later, the walkie – talkie reported, “Master Ming, they’re here!”
Ming Feiyuan and his men loaded their guns.
The factory door opened, and three people walked in.
I recognized the person in the middle. It was Ming Feiyuan 7
My thoughts were pulled back from the distant past. Liang Junze was no longer by my side.
Ming Feiyuan’s car was still driving. The scenery outside became more and more desolate. This didn’t seem like a place to “eat steak”.
Finally, the car stopped in front of a dilapidated factory building.
Ming Feiyuan asked his subordinates to watch Xinnai and took me into the factory building.
“Before we eat steak, we have a little job to do.” He said to me. “The police caught my second brother. I agreed to exchange hostages. Use you to get him back.”
He turned on the walkie – talkie and ordered, “Snipers get in position. Once the hostage exchange is over and the police take Xia Qingli away, shoot immediately. Leave no one alive.”
He grabbed my hair. “Do you think Liang Junze will come to exchange the hostage? The Liang Junze you’ve been thinking about day and night?”
I laughed. You’d better not hope it’s him. He’ll make you pay.
My smile made him angry. His face turned fierce. “You damned traitor!”
Strange, how could I be a traitor? I had never betrayed my beliefs.
Twenty minutes later, the walkie – talkie reported, “Master Ming, they’re here!”
Ming Feiyuan and his men loaded their guns.
The factory door opened, and three people walked in.
I recognized the person in the middle. It was Ming Feiyuan’s second brother, Ming Xiaohu.
The other two, I looked at them carefully but didn’t recognize them. Judging by their demeanor, they should be my former colleagues.
Ming Feiyuan narrowed his eyes. “Where’s Liang Junze? Why isn’t Liang Junze here?”
“Ming Feiyuan! We’ve brought the person you want!” The plain – clothes policeman on the opposite side said. “Let’s start the hostage exchange!”
“I said I want Liang Junze to come in person! Are you fucking kidding me?”
Ming Feiyuan roared angrily, raised his pistol, and cocked it.
For a moment, the situation was tense.
“Mi… Ming Feiyuan.”
I spoke for the first time in five years.
“Le… leave Ming Xiaohu behind and let the two po… lice go.”
He gave me a cold glance. “Why should I?”
“I won’t leave. I’ll stay with you.”
He ignored me.
I slowly knelt down and pleaded, “Don’t let me go. I want you, and I want Xinnai. The three of us, let’s go far away, okay, okay?”
The icy expression on his face softened a bit, and finally, he lowered his eyes and put down the gun.
“Leave Ming Xiaohu behind. The two policemen, get out!”
On the way back, Ming Feiyuan’s face was livid and he didn’t say a word.
Xinnai also stopped making noise and played with her toys obediently.
Her toy was a replica gun.
Back at the villa, Ming Feiyuan said, “Nongnong, take Xinnai upstairs!”
Nongnong came and led Xinnai away.
As soon as Ming Feiyuan turned around, he slapped me.
“You want to be Xinnai’s mother? You don’t deserve it!” He grabbed my neck. “If Liang Junze doesn’t show up, I’ll kill you, you witch!”
I just laughed. Blood flowed out of my nose, into my mouth, and stained my teeth red. I probably did look like a witch.
Ming Feiyuan let go of his hand, and I fell to the ground.
I was taken back to the cell again.
The familiar darkness, the familiar dampness, and the familiar silence. Strangely, I found a bit of a sense of security.
I huddled in the corner, in a daze.
After being locked up for five years, I learned to spend countless days and nights in a daze.
When I was in a daze, scenes of the past floated, interlaced, overlapped, and tore in front of my eyes. Liang Junze, Ming Feiyuan, my parents, my adoptive parents, all appeared in front of me, so real that it was hard to tell the truth from the false.
Clang, clang.
The iron door outside rang again. This wasn’t the time for meal delivery. Who could it be?
The beam of a flashlight shone in, and behind the light, I could vaguely make out a woman with a pretty figure.
It was Nongnong.
“Xia Qingli, come here.”
She waved to me.
I got up and walked to the iron railing.
She stuffed a plastic bag into my hand.
“These are some painkillers. Maybe they can help relieve your pain.”
I didn’t understand why she suddenly showed kindness to me.
Before Nongnong left, I asked her to leave the flashlight with me.
I took out a photo from under the pillow. By the light of the flashlight, I looked at the person in the photo.
This was the only photo he left me.
A handsome police uniform, a handsome face, bright eyes, and a sunny smile.
Brother Junze, I haven’t seen you for a long time.
My thoughts went back to five years ago again.
8
At the wedding, the emcee asked,
“Liang Junze, do you want to marry Xia Qingli as your wife, love and protect her from now on, and be with her through all the good and bad, difficulties and happiness in the future?”
“I do.”
There was a faint “whoosh” sound, and a red dot appeared on the master of ceremonies’ forehead.
The emcee fell straight backward.
Before I could figure out what was going on, Liang Junze suddenly blocked in front of me and pushed me down.
The glass of the restaurant shattered with a crackling sound, and the guests started screaming.
Only then did I realize that there was a gunfight.
“Qingli, go, run quickly!” Liang Junze grabbed my hand and ran towards the kitchen.
I looked back. Liang Junze’s parents, who were also my adoptive parents, fell in a pool of blood. And more than a dozen of his relatives and friends became targets.
Liang Junze opened the door from the kitchen to the basement. “Qingli, you go down from here. You can get out. I’ll guard here for you.”
“Brother Junze, let’s go together…” I cried.
He shook his head with a bitter smile and turned his back.
There were two bullet holes in his back.
He took the bullets for me.
I was devastated.
I pulled him into the basement, found a storage room. “Brother Junze, don’t worry. I’ll help you stop the bleeding and take out the bullets. Hold on…”
Liang Junze couldn’t speak anymore. He kept spitting blood. The blood choked back into his lungs, making it hard for him to breathe. His face turned purple.
I could do nothing. I could do nothing!
God! Don’t take my Junze away!
Don’t leave me with nothing!
…
He didn’t suffer for too long. After about a minute, he stopped breathing, and his pupils dilated.
Those eyes that always looked at me tenderly became a turbid and cold pool.
I didn’t have time to cry. I was in a daze. I only remembered covering his body with a cloth and locking the door of the storage room. I couldn’t let Ming Feiyuan get his body. He would play with his head like a football.
When I walked out of the kitchen, Ming Feiyuan’s gun was pointed at my forehead.
He hit my jaw with the butt of the gun, knocking out two teeth.
Then he punched me, knocking me to the ground.
He kicked me again, hitting my waist…
But I didn’t feel the pain.
My heart was like dead ashes, only numbness left.
9
So, Liang Junze died five years ago.
And Ming Feiyuan didn’t know about it.
The police arrived quickly at that time. Ming Feiyuan didn’t have time to search the scene and took me away.
I guessed that the police hid Liang Junze’s death to use Ming Feiyuan’s revenge mentality and make him show his flaws.
For example, this time, they used Liang Junze’s name to exchange hostages, luring Ming Feiyuan out for arrest.
But Ming Feiyuan was too vigilant. Plus, he had me as a hostage, so the police finally didn’t act.
When Ah Hui came down to bring me food, I said, “I want to see Master Ming.”
Ah Hui looked at me suspiciously and left.
After a while, Ming Feiyuan came.
He was reeking of alcohol again.
I remembered that he didn’t like drinking before. Only once, after he was drunk, he raped me.
So, as soon as I smelled the alcohol, I felt something was wrong.
At this time, he was irritable, emotional, and likely to hurt me.
But every coin has two sides.
When he was drunk, his judgment was impaired, and he was more likely to be emotional.
“What do you want from me?” He asked coldly, with a world – weary look.
I walked up to him, gently and carefully, hugged his waist, and put my head on his chest.
I heard his breathing pause for a moment.
“Don’t be angry with me, okay?”
He let me hold him without struggling and asked me, “What’s the reason?”
“What?”
“What made you do a 180 – degree turn and start begging for my forgiveness?”
“Because… I saw our daughter. I thought she was dead before, and I was completely disheartened. But this time, when I saw her, she was so cute. I want to be a good mother to her and give her all my love.”
“What about me?”
“You?” I said seriously. “I will… I will love you too.”
Ming Feiyuan’s features softened. He hugged me, holding me even tighter, as if he wanted to crush me into his body.
“Xia Qingli, it’s been five years. I think about you and hate you every moment. I really want to kill you. But if I really kill you, my life seems to have no hope left.”
Good. Since he was willing to confide in me, it meant he was wavering, and I had a chance.
I continued to press on. “Then, take me and our daughter and go far away.”
He didn’t speak for a long time. His heart was beating strongly. I wondered what he was thinking deep in his heart.
“Xia Qingli, you’re daydreaming.” His tone changed, and he grabbed my neck.
“In this life, we can never get back together. Why do you look so confused? Don’t you know why? Do I need to tell you again?”
He leaned close to my ear and said word by word, “Your beloved Officer Liang killed my father, my eldest sister, my brother, my niece… My whole family was destroyed by him. And he used the information you provided. Between you and me, there’s a deep – seated hatred. If I forgive you, I’ll be struck by lightning and go to the 18th level of hell!”
His tone was desolate, painful, and full of hatred with no way to vent.
10
He was right. There was indeed a deep – seated hatred between us.
In the gunfight on the wedding night, the Zhongdao Gang killed Liang Junze’s relatives, who were also my relatives. Liang Junze died in my arms, and his blood soaked through my clothes.
If it wasn’t for the support of hatred, wanting to see Ming Feiyuan punished, I wouldn’t have wasted five years like a ghost.
Ming Feiyuan said, “We were so in love once, but now we’ve come to this. I just feel like a complete failure. What, Xia Qingli, why do you have that expression? Dare you say you never loved me?”
I wanted to say, Ming Feiyuan, my parents were killed by your father, Ming Zhen. How could I love you?
“Brother Fei, I did love you.” I choked. “But later I found out that your father killed my father. I didn’t know how to face this feeling…”
Ming Feiyuan closed his eyes helplessly, and two lines of clear tears rolled down his face.
When he opened his eyes again, his gaze was fierce. He pushed me away. “If it wasn’t for your betrayal, which led to my father being killed by Liang Junze, how could we have ended up in this life – or – death situation!”
There was one thing I didn’t understand. Ming Feiyuan said that his father was killed by Liang Junze? But Liang Junze was seriously injured at the wedding. He didn’t have a chance to fight back.
I felt a headache. It was very confusing. My thoughts were all jumbled up, and the truth was hidden in the fog.
Suddenly, my stomach hurt like a cramp. I covered my stomach and groaned in pain.
Ming Feiyuan asked me what was wrong. I spat a mouthful of blood on his face.
I had eaten all the painkillers Nongnong gave me in advance, which led to severe gastric bleeding.
Ming Feiyuan carried me out of the dark prison and rushed to the infirmary in the villa.
The doctor examined my physical condition and shook his head.
“Master Ming, without a CT, we can only judge from the symptoms: multiple organ failure, possible cancer, and it’s in the terminal stage. She needs to be examined and treated immediately.”
“Which hospital can treat it? I’ll prepare the car right away!” Ming Feiyuan was in a hurry.
“Master Ming…” The doctor said. “Local hospitals can’t treat such serious illnesses. Besides, outside of Sendangzhou, it’s the police’s territory… It’s better to send her to Europe for treatment. There’s no time to waste.”
“Master Ming, aren’t we going to go far away?” Nongnong, who was beside him, said. “Take her with us and treat her in Europe.”
A flash of fierceness appeared in Ming Feiyuan’s eyes.
Then he smiled.
Suddenly, he turned around and slapped Nongnong hard.
“Who said I’m going to Europe? Do you think I’ll take you with me? Bitch, what’s this?”
He picked up a plastic bag, which was the one Nongnong used to hold the painkillers for me.
“Master Ming!” Nongnong panicked and immediately knelt down. “I just saw that she was in so much pain and felt sorry for her…”
“You feel sorry for a traitor? See if the traitor will feel sorry for you!”
Nongnong looked at me, her eyes full of despair. I looked away expressionlessly.
“Drag her down and beat her!” Ming Feiyuan said.
Nongnong’s cries for mercy gradually faded away and stopped abruptly.
11
The doctor prescribed some medicine and left. Only Ming Feiyuan and I were left in the room.
Ming Feiyuan stood by the window, smoking. The warm yellow sunset shone on half of his face, half – lit and half – in shadow.
“Do you want to come with me?” He asked heavily.
I was taken aback.
I said, “Yes. But where are we going?”
“You’ll know when you get there.”
“When are we leaving?”
“In three days.” He exhaled a wisp of smoke. “I still have some assets to deal with here.”
“Three days is quite urgent.” I said carefully. “But I don’t have a passport. I’m afraid I can’t leave.”
“You don’t need a passport.” He crushed the cigarette butt and turned to look at me. “You better hold on. When we get there, I’ll find the best hospital and the best doctors for you.”
“Why?” I asked him. “Why do you still want to save me?”
He was silent, thinking for a long time. It seemed that he finally came up with a reason. “Xinnai can’t grow up without a mother.”
“Although you, this bitch, don’t deserve to be her mother.” His tone became fierce again.
Anyway, I got important information –
The Ming Feiyuan gang planned to leave the country in three days. He said we didn’t need a passport, which meant we weren’t leaving through the regular airport customs.
I guessed that we should be leaving by private plane or ship. But Sendangzhou is far from the dock, so it’s more likely to leave from a nearby airport.
“Mom.”
The childish voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
Xinnai was wearing a pink dress with braids, standing cutely at the door.
I waved to her. “Xinnai, come here. Let mom give you a hug.”
She ran over and obediently nestled in my arms.
“Mom, don’t make Dad angry anymore. If Dad isn’t angry, I can be with you all the time.”
“Okay, mom knows.” I was a little choked up. “Mom loves Dad, just like you do.”
I hugged Xinnai tightly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ming Feiyuan standing on the second floor, looking down at us.
After standing there for a while, he left.
I whispered to Xinnai, “Can you help mom with something?”
“Sure, sure.”
“How is your Aunt Nongnong?”
“She was injured and is lying in bed.”
“Go and bring Aunt Nongnong some hot water. And tell Aunt Nongnong that in three days, we’ll leave here by private plane. Ask her to get ready.”
“Okay, I’ll remember.”
She was about to leave, but I pulled her back. “Xinnai, this is a secret between us. Don’t tell anyone, okay?”
“Not even Dad?”
“Dad is still angry with Aunt Nongnong, so don’t let him know.”
12
At night, I was sleeping vaguely when I suddenly felt someone lying beside me, hugging me.
There was a strong smell of alcohol.
“Xia Qingli, what should I do with you…” He said hoarsely.
“Brother Fei, I’m yours. Do whatever you want with me.”
“Xia Qingli, it’s been five years. I haven’t seen you. But I hate you and think about you every day…”
“Brother Fei, give me a 12
At night, I was sleeping vaguely when I suddenly felt someone lying beside me, hugging me.
There was a strong smell of alcohol.
“Xia Qingli, what should I do with you…” He said hoarsely.
“Brother Fei, I’m yours. Do whatever you want with me.”
“Xia Qingli, it’s been five years. I haven’t seen you. But I hate you and think about you every day…”
“Brother Fei, give me a chance to atone for my sins. For the rest of my life, I’ll stay by your and Xinnai’s side and be a good wife and a good mother.”
He didn’t speak for a long time. His head was against my nape.
“Okay, I’ll give you one last chance.” He said.
Suddenly, his hand grabbed my neck. Although he didn’t use much force, it still made it hard for me to breathe.
“Are you still thinking about Liang Junze?” His tone suddenly turned cold.
“No… I’ve already forgotten what he looks like. It’s been five years, and he hasn’t come to save me. He doesn’t care about me at all… Cough, cough, Brother Fei, I can’t breathe…”
Ming Feiyuan let go. “Okay, it’s okay. Go to sleep.”
After a while, he fell into a deep sleep, but I was still scared. This man was even more moody than five years ago.
Three days later.
It was the day Ming Feiyuan said we were leaving.
However, the villa was unusually quiet. There was no sign of getting ready to leave at all.
I was a bit anxious.
It wasn’t until it got dark that there was finally some movement.
Ming Feiyuan came to the bedroom, picked me up and carried me outside.
Outside the villa, there were five Hummers parked.
Ming Feiyuan and I got into the middle one. Xinnai was already sitting in the back seat, playing with her toy gun.
I asked Ming Feiyuan, “Are you sure it’s okay to let the child play with a gun?”
Ming Feiyuan said, “She’s my daughter. She has to be brave from a young age.”
At this time, Ming Xiaohu rushed over and knocked on the car window.
Ming Feiyuan rolled down the window. “What’s the matter?”
“Nongnong is missing. I haven’t seen her all day.”
Ming Feiyuan said, “Never mind her. Announce it and let’s set off immediately!”
The motorcade drove out of the compound and sped forward.
The direction of travel was west.
The more we drove, the more open it became. There were fewer trees and fewer buildings.
I realized that there should be an airport here where small private planes could take off and land.
If Ming Feiyuan left the country from here, without anyone knowing, he could easily escape from the police’s control.
The motorcade stopped in an open area. I got out of the car and, sure enough, saw a Gulfstream plane not far away. Around the plane were guards carrying machine guns.
Ming Feiyuan picked up Xinnai. “Baby, let’s go. We’re going to Italy.”
He took my hand and looked at me eagerly. “Qingli, do you like Italy?”
I smiled with narrowed eyes. “I like it.”
He sighed. “I haven’t seen you smile for a long time. Smile more often in the future. The storms are all over.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ahui, who was walking in front of us, suddenly fell to the ground.
There was a bloody hole in the back of his head.
“Police! There are police!” Ming Xiaohu shouted at the top of his lungs.
Ming Feiyuan pulled me and Xinnai and hid behind a Humvee.
“Hide well and don’t come out!” He pulled out his gun from his waist and ran out.
Immediately, gunshots rang out continuously.
13
When I was in the dark prison, Nongnong gave me a bag of painkillers.
I didn’t understand why she suddenly showed kindness to me.
She looked around, lowered her voice and said, “Sister Qingli, I’m Liang Junze’s subordinate. Code word: Red plum blossoms.”
I was shocked.
Then I was excited.
“Are you alone here? It’s too dangerous! You should leave quickly!”
“I’m alone. But don’t worry, I’m very cautious and won’t show any flaws.”
“What if something happens? Look at me. Do you want to end up like me?”
“Sister Qingli, this isn’t the time to talk about this. I need your help!”
Nongnong said that the police had already been eyeing this stronghold of the Zhongdao Gang in Sendangzhou. But Sendangzhou was under the jurisdiction of the local military, and Ming Feiyuan had a good relationship with the local military, so it was inconvenient for the police to come in and make arrests.
“Ming Feiyuan is about to leave. We want to intercept and arrest him. But we don’t know when he’ll leave, where he’ll leave from, or where he’s going. Sister Qingli, I want to ask you to help find out this information from Ming Feiyuan.”
“How can I find out? He hates me to the core…”
“Sister Qingli, I’ve been an undercover beside Ming Feiyuan for two years. I know something about his feelings for you. As long as you make good use of his feelings, you can win his trust. He definitely won’t have the heart to kill you and will take you with him. We’ll rescue you.”
I got the information from Ming Feiyuan and asked Xinnai to pass the message to Nongnong. Based on this, the police inferred that Ming Feiyuan would leave from this airport and set up an ambush in advance.
Justice has long arms.
However, Ming Feiyuan had many people, and they were all desperadoes, with excellent weapons, and there was even a vehicle-mounted heavy machine gun. The police were suppressed for a while.
At this time, I saw the toy gun in Xinnai’s hand.
“Xinnai, lend mom your gun for a while.”
“What does mom want to do…”
I snatched the toy gun from her hand, stood up, and fired at Ming Feiyuan’s back not far in front.
The plastic bullets flew out and hit the back of his head.
He turned around, and I fired again, hitting him in the eye.
His formation was disrupted, and he was exposed to the police’s firepower.
He was immediately shot twice in the chest.
He leaned against the Humvee, trembling, and took out a round black object from his pocket.
The police were approaching.
Ming Feiyuan looked at me and suddenly grinned.
“Qingli, are you happy that I’ll die with Liang Junze?”
I thought, he’s really crazy.
Suddenly, I realized what he was going to do.
The thing in his hand was a bomb.
He wanted to die with the police.
The police were getting closer and closer. Among them, there was one person who looked familiar to me.
Ming Feiyuan pulled the pin of the bomb and was about to throw it.
“Don’t!” I rushed forward and hugged him tightly.
He was seriously injured and couldn’t break free from me. So he smiled in my arms.
“Qingli, it’s good that we die together.”
Well, he was right.
I didn’t die with Liang Junze back then. I survived alone for so long just for this moment, to die with Ming Feiyuan.
At that moment, I seemed to see Liang Junze running towards me.
Brother Junze, come and take me away. Under the Yellow Springs, I’ll still be your bride.
14
Officer Xia and his wife were lying in a pool of blood. Their five-year-old daughter stood aside blankly.
Ming Zhen blew on the muzzle of his gun. This gun had just shot the couple of police officers.
He pointed the gun at the little girl. He had always been cautious in his work and never left any loose ends.
Suddenly, he thought of his son, Ah Fei. He lacked a playmate and had always been lonely.
Ming Zhen put away his gun, walked over, picked up the girl, and covered her eyes. “Girl, it’s okay. Don’t be afraid.”
Ming Zhen took the girl home. Ah Fei ran over happily, touched her head and rubbed her face like he was playing with a little animal.
“What’s your name?”
The girl wasn’t shy at all. “I’m Xia Qingli.”
“I’m Ming Feiyuan. From now on, you’re my sister.”
Ming Zhen always thought that the girl had forgotten about her parents being killed because of excessive fear. She quickly adapted to the Ming family and got along well with Ming Feiyuan. They ate together, played together, went to school together, practiced shooting together, and learned how to kill together.
When Ming Feiyuan was twenty-five years old, Ming Zhen handed over the leadership of the Zhongdao Gang to him and retired behind the scenes.
Ming Feiyuan was shrewd and capable, even more cold-blooded and ruthless than his father.
He also had a capable assistant, Xia Qingli, who was twenty-three years old.
The two of them were called the “Male and Female Demons” in the underworld.
Ming Feiyuan had a habit. Before every big operation, he would go to Jingning Temple to burn incense. It seemed that he could find peace of mind in this way.
Every time he went up the mountain to burn incense, Xia Qingli would accompany him. But she never knelt down to worship the Buddha. When he burned incense, she would stand on the cliff and look at the scenery.
On that day, when the red plum blossoms were in bloom, she saw a man proposing to a woman under the plum tree.
She had an excellent memory and recognized the man at a glance. His name was Liang Junze, and he was a police officer.
When they were young, their families lived in the same compound and were neighbors. He was a cute and handsome little boy, and all the little girls in the compound liked him, including Xia Qingli.
However, she had never talked to him.
After her parents died, she was abducted by the gang and never saw Liang Junze again.
Until a year ago, she found out that he had become a criminal police officer and was in charge of investigating the case of the Zhongdao Gang.
She inexplicably took an interest in him and began to observe him secretly.
Once, she saw a report on a meeting of the public security system on the Internet, and there was a photo of Liang Junze in it. She printed the photo and hid it under her pillow.
Of course, she couldn’t let Ming Feiyuan know about these things.
Recently, Ming Feiyuan’s attitude towards her had become more and more ambiguous. There was always a fire burning in his eyes when he looked at her.
She felt very uncomfortable. Growing up with him, he was just like an older brother to her, and she had no other feelings for him.
But obviously, he had other thoughts about her.
He had always respected her wishes. But that day, after finishing a gun deal, he drank some wine and looked at her hazily.
“Li, you have a great figure.”
He pointed the gun at her forehead. “Take it off.”
She pursed her lips stubbornly and didn’t move.
He smiled. “Are you saving yourself for Liang Junze?”
She was shocked. How did he mention Liang Junze?
“You’ve been observing him every day and put his photo under your pillow. Did you think I didn’t know?”
That day, he hit her for the first time. He hit her hard. After that, he raped her, beat her again after raping her, and finally, her spleen ruptured and she was sent to the hospital.
Before she was pushed into the operating room, Ming Feiyuan held her hand and cried, saying that he loved her.
“Qingli, I’ll take responsibility. I’ll marry you.”
Xia Qingli slept for a long time. When she woke up, she ran away and hid.
Seven months later, Ming Feiyuan found her in a remote village. She was already pregnant with a big belly, seven months pregnant.
He hugged her. “Qingli, marry me. Let me take care of you for the rest of your life…”
She nodded numbly.
The wedding couldn’t be held in a grand manner. They chose a restaurant in the county town and held a simple wedding.
The people who attended the wedding were mainly relatives of the Ming family and the leaders of the Zhongdao Gang.
The weather that day was bad. Dark clouds rolled in from the afternoon, and it was windy and rainy at dusk.
“Ming Feiyuan, do you want to marry Xia Qingli as your wife, love and protect her from now on, and be with her through all the good and bad, difficulties and happiness in the future?”
“I do.”
15
Then a fierce gunfight broke out.
The powerful firepower of the police was like rolling thunder, advancing steadily. The people of the Ming family and the Zhongdao Gang resisted stubbornly and were all hit by bullets.
Xia Qingli saw with her own eyes that her adoptive father, Ming Zhen, fell in a pool of blood with his eyes wide open.
Just like her parents back then.
Ming Feiyuan pulled her to hide in the storage room. The reinforcements of the Zhongdao Gang arrived later, and the police didn’t have enough manpower and retreated.
Ming Feiyuan escaped.
Afterwards, Ming Feiyuan learned from an informant arranged by the police that on the wedding day, someone had made an anonymous call to Liang Junze, telling him that the leaders of the Zhongdao Gang would gather at a certain restaurant.
After further investigation, it was found that the person who made the anonymous call was his “new wife”, Xia Qingli.
Ming Feiyuan went crazy. He brutally beat her and tortured her to death. “Traitor! Bitch! Traitor!”
The seven-month-old fetus was beaten down.
He grabbed the fetus by its legs and threw it into the trash can.
But then he heard a weak cry, like a cat’s meow.
He took the child out and grabbed her soft and delicate neck.
Finally, he let go of his hand.
She was locked in the dark prison, day after day, year after year.
Such a situation drove people crazy and made them lose their minds.
Perhaps it was the brain’s self-protection mechanism that made her memory change in the direction she hoped for.
She thought that she was adopted by the kind Liang family, and the person who grew up with her was Liang Junze, whom she had a crush on since childhood.
She thought that she became a just police officer instead of the second-in-command of the gang.
She thought that the person Liang Junze proposed to under the red plum tree was her.
She thought that she was injured during a mission and had to have an operation.
She thought that she was an undercover beside Ming Feiyuan.
She thought that the man who came to find her when she was seven months pregnant was Liang Junze.
She thought that the person she made a vow with at the wedding was Liang Junze.
She thought that Liang Junze died to protect her.
She thought that she had never been a traitor.
…
Only in this way, with the belief in justice and the memory of Liang Junze, could she endure the darkness and loneliness.
However, everything was just a dream, a lie created by her brain.
…
After the violent explosion, the airport was in a mess.
Ming Feiyuan, the leader of the Zhongdao Gang, and Xia Qingli were left with only broken limbs. A head was blown to the feet of Liang Junze. Although it was charred, Liang Junze still recognized that it was Xia Qingli’s head.
All he knew about her was that she was the orphan of the sacrificed police officers, the adopted daughter of Ming Zhen, the second-in-command of the Zhongdao Gang, Ming Feiyuan’s wife, and that she had been imprisoned for five years.
He didn’t even know that the person who called him anonymously on the wedding day was her.
He also didn’t know that this strange woman regarded him as her belief and had loved him for a long time.
Or perhaps, the person she loved was her deceased police father, the just cause of her father, and the normal life under the sun. But she was bound by the shackles of sin all her life.
Nongnong knew all of this. When she was an undercover beside Ming Feiyuan, she went to see Xia Qingli in the dark prison. At that time, Xia Qingli was having a hysterical episode and was delirious. She told Nongnong a lot.
When Xia Qingli mentioned that Liang Junze proposed to her under the red plum tree, she looked so happy.
Nongnong frowned. She almost told her that the person Liang Junze proposed to under the red plum tree was her, Liu Nongnong.
She would never tell Liang Junze about all this. Never.
Everything about Xia Qingli disappeared in the explosion.
Her life was insignificant. Liang Junze just sighed softly when he saw her messy body.
At this time, a little girl crawled out from under a car.
She stared blankly at the remains of her parents. Her pitiful look was very much like Xia Qingli’s when she was five years old.
Perhaps, another cycle had begun.
(The End)
