Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng

Chapter 319 Lin Qingping, it was actually you!

The village at night.

It was quiet, with the occasional bark of a dog standing out starkly in the darkness.

Zhong Xiaoxiao was covered in wounds on her body and face. She lay on the wooden bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, looking emaciated.

The ceiling was pitch black, and the entire room was shrouded in darkness. There wasn't a single ray of light, not even moonlight could penetrate, because the windows were nailed shut and the doors were locked tight.

They blocked every possible escape route for her.

The door suddenly creaked.

A sliver of light peeked in from outside.

It was Liu Dong who shone a flashlight.

Zhong Xiaoxiao shuddered and curled up into a ball, looking at Liu Dong in fear as she backed away little by little. However, there was a wall behind her, and she had nowhere to retreat.

In the dim light of the flashlight, Liu Dong's face appeared terrifyingly grotesque before her eyes.

A torrential downpour of punches and kicks, excruciating pain like broken bones and snapped tendons, enveloped her once again like a nightmare.

She stretched out her battered hands, helplessly crossing them over her shoulders, and kept pleading, "Liu Dong... Liu Dong, I was wrong... Liu Dong, don't come any closer... please..."

Liu Dong approached her step by step and sat down beside her. The light from the flashlight shone on his face, and he suddenly smiled. In Zhong Xiaoxiao's eyes, that smile was like a vengeful ghost.

"Ah—" Zhong Xiaoxiao could no longer hold back and screamed, covering her head.

“Xiaoxiao…” Liu Dong said slowly, reaching out to touch her head.

The sound was like it came from hell. Zhong Xiaoxiao kept screaming "Ah ah" and desperately shook her head, trying to get away from his hand.

But where could she possibly escape?

Liu Dong grabbed her hair and pulled her in front of him.

Zhong Xiaoxiao was trembling uncontrollably with fear, her eyes filled with a deathly despair.

Liu Dong stared at her face, grabbed her hair with one hand, and stroked her face with the other. "Xiaoxiao, are you afraid of me? Why are you so afraid of me? I like you so much, why are you afraid of me?"

At this moment, Liu Dong's voice was extremely gentle.

But in Zhong Xiaoxiao's eyes, it was terrifying.

"I...I...I..." She stammered for a long time, unable to utter a single word. Her voice trembled, her body trembled, and her heart trembled as well.

"Xiaoxiao, I'm the only one who loves you the most, the closest person to you. We even have a child together, she has both of our blood in her veins. We're so close, yet you're helping outsiders to bully me?" Liu Dong's hand slowly moved down her face, inch by inch caressing her lips, her chin, and finally landing on her neck.

Suddenly, he tightened his grip and forcefully grabbed her neck.

Zhong Xiaoxiao suddenly stopped breathing, and gradually her whole face turned red, her eyeballs almost bulging out.

Liu Dong showed no sign of letting go, and asked fiercely, "Promise me, Xiaoxiao, you'll never leave me again, okay? Let's live happily together as a family."

Zhong Xiaoxiao felt her consciousness was fading and she couldn't speak, only nodding blankly.

"You still have a year left in school, let's not go anymore, okay? You belong to the Liu family, even if you go to university, you'll still have to come back to the Liu family, right? Just come back to my side obediently, okay?"

Zhong Xiaoxiao felt the hands on her neck tightening more and more; she was really about to die. She couldn't even nod, and her eyes started rolling back.

Actually, it would be better to die like this...

I'll never have to suffer this torment again...

However, she couldn't bear to leave her child. What would become of the child if he lived with such a devilish father?

A tear slid down her cheek and landed on Liu Dong's hand.

She suddenly felt her neck loosen, and large gulps of air rushed in.

She lay on the wooden bed, panting heavily. Before she could catch her breath, Liu Dong grabbed her hair again.

She was powerless to resist, like a puppet on strings, completely at his mercy.

"Speak!" Liu Dong suddenly roared, "Speak up! Who gave you permission not to answer my question?!"

Zhong Xiaoxiao was startled by his sudden roar, but she didn't know what he said and stared at him blankly.

"Promise me! You won't go to school anymore, you'll stay home and live a good life with me! Do you hear me?" Liu Dong pinched her chin hard, and with just one more squeeze, he could dislocate her chin.

Zhong Xiaoxiao's ears and head were ringing, and she couldn't hear what he was saying at all. He wanted her to agree, so she agreed and nodded.

“Speak! Repeat after me.” Liu Dong’s face was close to hers. “I promise you.”

Zhong Xiaoxiao stared at the face that had suddenly loomed large before her, as if she were looking at a ghost, and mechanically repeated after him, "I promise you..."

"I'm not going to school anymore, I'll just stay home and live a good life with you."

Zhong Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment, seemingly regaining her senses, but then a sharp pain shot through her head. He grabbed her hair and slammed her head against the wall. "Speak!"

Zhong Xiaoxiao was nearly knocked unconscious by the impact. Just as Liu Dong was about to hit her a second time, she weakly said, "I'm not going to school anymore. I'll stay home and live a good life with you..."

"That's more like it!" Liu Dong seemed satisfied. He pulled her into his arms, rubbing the spot on her head where she had bumped it with his left hand, and asked softly, "Does it hurt?"

Zhong Xiaoxiao didn't say anything; she was numb, no longer aware of the pain.

Liu Dong lowered his head and kissed her face. "You really are something. Do you know that when I hit you, it hurts me more? When I see you cry, it hurts me too. Wouldn't it have been better if you had just listened to me earlier?"

"Good girl, you're a good girl now. As long as you behave, I'll never hit you again. I love you so much, how could I bear to hit you? Right?"

No matter what he said, Zhong Xiaoxiao did not react. She remained frozen like a wooden doll until Liu Dong, who was kissing her face, suddenly continued to kiss her and tore open her clothes with one hand.

She stiffened for a moment, and for a split second she wanted to push him away, but she gave up immediately, staring blankly at him, letting him do as he pleased.

Suddenly, a bright light shone on her and Liu Dong. Before she could react, Liu Dong, who was lying on top of her, screamed and flew away.

"Who goes there?" Liu Dong shouted.

Zhong Xiaoxiao didn't know who had come. She only felt herself being picked up. After a few steps, she could smell the cool breeze outside, while behind her, there were still sounds of punches and kicks.

The person didn't say anything, just carried her and ran forward quickly, with footsteps following behind.

She didn't know who was following her, whether it was Liu Dong or someone who had saved her.

Who came to rescue her? How many people arrived?

But she knew she was out; the scent of earth and trees in the night breeze represented the air of freedom.

She couldn't help but cry in the night wind, but she also knew that running away wouldn't be so easy.

Sure enough, Liu Dong shouted, "Everyone out! Help me catch him! All of you, come out here!"

In the village, the houses behind them lit up one by one, and then some people came out with flashlights and others with torches, shouting "Catch her!" The earth shook for a moment.

Zhong Xiaoxiao fully regained consciousness. In the darkness, she still couldn't see who was holding her, nor could she see the people running behind her. She could only see Liu Dong and the people chasing after them, with the torches and flashlights getting closer and closer.

Zhong Xiaoxiao was in despair. The road out of the village was still so far, and no matter who came to rescue her, they couldn't possibly get her out of there safely. They might even be trapped themselves. There were only a few of them! Even if they were skilled, they couldn't defeat so many people. Most of the villagers in Liu Family Village were related to Liu Dong, and they were united…

“My benefactor…” Zhong Xiaoxiao shed tears, “Thank you for saving me, but we can’t escape. Just put me down so you don’t get implicated.”

She has already accepted her fate; this is how her life is going to be. Why drag innocent people into this?

"Don't speak!" the person holding her suddenly hissed.

Zhong Xiaoxiao felt the voice was somewhat familiar, "He...He Xin?"

"Yes! Don't talk!" He Xin was almost too tired to carry him anymore and was running slower and slower.

"Then put me down! Just give me back to him!" Zhong Xiaoxiao said, her voice trembling with tears. How could He Xin, a frail artist, possibly be a match for those people? What if his hand was crippled in a fight? How could he create art then?

"Give her to me!" A strange voice rushed up from behind and took her from He Xin's arms.

This man was clearly stronger and faster than He Xin, and he continued to rush forward while carrying her.

"Okay! Please!" He Xin turned to look at the other people behind him.

Suddenly, someone's flashlight shone on these people, and Zhong Xiaoxiao recognized one of them as Yun Qi, whom she knew—Lin Qingping's sister's boyfriend.

So, did Lin Qingping come to save her?

Where is Lin Qingping? Please, please don't show up here! This is an incredibly dangerous situation!

Then, Zhong Xiaoxiao discovered why He Xin turned back.

Because one of the people behind them had a leg problem, he ran with an uneven gait, and although he ran very fast, he wasn't very agile.

He Xin and the others behind him were probably waiting for him.

"Run! What are you looking at me for?" the man shouted at them.

"Big brother! Come here!" A strange voice called out firmly, and then carried the man with the limp on its back.

"What do I want you to carry..."

But all the sounds were quickly drowned out by the shouts of the people Liu Dong brought behind.

Finally, no one wasted any more words; they just ran forward desperately, focused on getting Zhong Xiaoxiao to safety.

Zhong Xiaoxiao felt truly desperate and sad. After all, it was still several miles outside the village. How could they possibly escape?

As the torchlight and flashlight beams drew ever closer—five hundred meters, two hundred meters… and now only fifty meters away—Zhong Xiaoxiao pleaded once more with the stranger holding her, “Really, I’m so grateful to you all. Please put me down and run on your own…”

Without her as a burden, perhaps they could run even faster.

However, He Xin suddenly said, "We're here, stop talking nonsense!"

We've arrived? What? We've arrived? We're still far from leaving the village!

Just as Zhong Xiaoxiao was confused, a bright light dazzled her.

There was a truck right in front of us...

Zhong Xiaoxiao was shocked. Was this car here to pick them up?

So, are they saved?

What shocked her even more was that the person sitting in the driver's seat was Lin Qingping!

Lin Qingping can actually drive!

And he was driving a truck!

"Get in the car quickly! Hurry up!" Lin Qingping shouted.

So, when Liu Dong and his men were still more than 20 meters away from the truck, the truck door slammed shut.

Lin Qingping skillfully turned around, accelerated, and left the torches and flashlights behind.

Finally, the villagers' shouts faded into the distance.

Everyone turned around and saw those people angrily throwing torches forward, seemingly trying to throw them onto the car and burn it down.

However, it was too late.

A terrifying night.

Some people sat in the truck bed, while others sat in the front seats, all leaning back and letting out a sigh of relief.

Zhong Xiaoxiao was sitting next to Lin Qingping when she was suddenly startled and hurriedly tried to get off the bus.

"Hey, what are you doing?" The person sitting on the far right was the one who had just taken over from He Xin and carried her away. He blocked the car door, preventing her from moving.

Zhong Xiaoxiao cried, "No, I can't leave. What will happen to my child if I leave? Liu Dong, Liu Dong will abuse the child. I can't leave..."

Zhong Xiaoxiao went home because Liu Dong paid someone to deliver a letter to her.

The letter was delivered to the dormitory. During summer vacation, everyone in the dormitory except Jia Fangfang had gone home.

Jia Fangfang hadn't left because she was about to graduate and planned to look for internship opportunities in the capital during the summer vacation. When she received the news, out of kindness, she asked around and ended up delivering the message to Lin Qingping's house.

The letter stated that she had one day to return to the village after receiving it, or else she would burn a mark on the child with a pipe. If she was late, she would get another mark burned.

He's really ruthless. He forced her to go back in this way. He could have just followed Jia Fangfang to find her, but he didn't. Maybe he was afraid he couldn't beat Gu Juncheng, but more importantly, he wanted to use the most ruthless method to seize her weakness and make her go back wholeheartedly, so that she would never have the thought of leaving again.

So she didn't dare to waste a minute and went back immediately.

Even if going back means facing mountains of knives and seas of fire.

Because she knew Liu Dong was truly capable of such cruelty...

Now that she's run away, what will happen to the child?

She cried, "I can't leave the child alone in the village. Liu Dong will kill the child, he really will..."

As Lin Qingping drove, she glanced at her and said, "Don't be afraid. We've already taken care of the issues you're worried about. How could we bring you out without addressing your concerns?"

Zhong Xiaoxiao could hardly believe it. "You mean, my child too..."

"Just sit tight and wait to see the child!" Lin Qingping was afraid that things might go wrong if she drove too long, so she drove a little fast. The mountain road had many curves, and the car was shaking quite a bit.

Overjoyed, Zhong Xiaoxiao finally sat down and looked at the mountain road she had traveled countless times, illuminated by the headlights. An unbelievable hope ignited in her heart: Could she really have hope this time?