Rebirth! The Assassin's Revenge-Chapter 298: The Deal

Holding Gu Ningyue in his arms, he soothed her anxieties, and before long, the two of them drifted off to sleep.

The night stretched on, with some finding peace in their lover’s embrace, while others awoke in a rundown rental room.

The white T-shirt was stained, and the man with a missing arm injected a dose of medication, his face pallid like that of a corpse.

Since Jin Dongsheng severed one of his arms, his life had turned into hell.

Each day, Jin Dongsheng only had someone perfunctorily tend to his wounds, providing only anti-inflammatory drugs.

In such circumstances, enduring that heart-piercing pain depended entirely on what was in those syringes.

Jin Dongsheng knew but did nothing to stop it.

He understood that in Jin Dongsheng’s eyes, he was nothing more than a tool.

Even if he died, it wouldn’t make any difference to him.

But he couldn’t die, not after his mother had gone through so much to raise him. He hadn’t yet given her a single day of happiness.

In fact, he had almost dragged his mother into the mire.

This debt could only be repaid if he lived.

Straining against the pain, Ma Qiang pulled through.

He even promised Jin Dongsheng that as long as he was alive, he could repay the three million.

Jin Dongsheng agreed but took his mother away.

He gave him only a month, with the threat that if he didn’t produce the three million plus five hundred thousand interest by then, his mother would be sent to a psychiatric hospital, never to see him again.

The psychiatric hospital, a place meant for people tormented by such things as he was.

No, he absolutely couldn’t let his mother end up in a place like that.

Ma Qiang took a deep breath, glanced at the empty sleeve, and his eyes filled with pain: "Hey, where are you guys now? Let’s find a place to talk! Yes... even though the boss went inside, I’ve stored up quite a bit of inventory. But as for the price... we’ll have to negotiate it properly!"

He hadn’t just swindled three million from Jin Dongsheng but also took money from others.

And he had converted all that cash into goods, intended to spare himself future suffering, but he hadn’t anticipated that Jin Dongsheng would come knocking, led by that girl.

That girl... thinking of Gu Ningyue’s stunning face, Ma Qiang clenched his fists.

He would make her life a living hell, a fate a hundred times worse than his!

Half an hour later, in a dim alley, Ma Qiang looked at the man in black standing before him, almost hidden in the darkness: "Three hundred seventy thousand, not a penny less. These are top-quality goods; if you don’t believe me, you can try them for yourself. We’re all fellow travelers here; you’ll know the purity after just one try."

The man in black had deep-set eyes; the glow they once held in youth had long faded, and even his voice carried a nondescript tone of despair: "You have quite an appetite..."

Ma Qiang looked genuinely troubled, his expression as sincere as could be: "This is already the lowest price on the market, Brother Nan. You can check yourself; for this purity, you won’t find a cheaper price anywhere."

Saying this, Ma Qiang took out a small sealed bag and handed it to the man in black: "This is just a token of my respect, Brother Nan, but the price really can’t be any lower!"

The man in black took the item, a trace of hesitation crossing his eyes. Just a few seconds later, though, he nodded: "Tomorrow night, I’ll come to your rental to pick up the goods!"

Ma Qiang’s eyes lit up: "Alright, just give me a heads up before you arrive tomorrow, Brother Nan."

The man in black nodded, "Mm. Make sure you don’t get caught by the police; there’s a strict crackdown nowadays!"

Ma Qiang responded, his smile even broader, his pallid face resembling a struggling demon, eerily out of place.

"Don’t worry, Brother Nan! I’ve got someone covering my back; they won’t catch me."

The man in black gave him a look but said nothing before turning and leaving.

For Ma Qiang to have evaded capture until now, it was evident he had some connections.

But now, having exhausted his lies on everyone around him, he had fallen into dire straits, even dragging his mother into deceitful tactics, making a living from scams.

Not a word of his could be trusted.

As the brim of his hat lowered, the man in black couldn’t conceal the pain on his face.

He couldn’t even remember how he got addicted, but when that man kept seeking him out, his resolve finally weakened.

Now, all that remained was regret.

Whenever he looked at Ma Qiang, he asked himself if he would end up the same.

No, he mustn’t become like those addicts! 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

He had to find a way to avoid living their life!

...

The next morning, as sunlight streamed into the room, Gu Ningyue slowly opened her eyes.

"What time is it?"

It took her a while, groggy, to realize she was hanging onto Ling Tianyou.

And Ling Tianyou, eyes closed, still appeared to be asleep.

Gu Ningyue tried to carefully disentangle herself like the day before, but in his sleep, Ling Tianyou held on stubbornly, giving her no chance to leave.

She had an injury on her side and dared not use too much force, so after a few struggles, she resigned herself to lying in his arms.

Perhaps because the sunlight was warm or Tianyou’s chest was broad, Ning Yue soon found herself drifting back to sleep.

The fear and darkness of yesterday had been dispelled, leaving Ning Yue to wonder if Tianyou had some kind of charm, for why did his presence bring such inexplicable peace?

As if he would always protect her.

After another unknown amount of sleep, Ning Yue was awakened: "Ning Yue, it’s eleven o’clock!"

Sleepily, Ning Yue looked at Ling Tianyou: "It’s eleven?"

Ling Tianyou looked at her adorable face and stole a quick kiss: "Yes, I’ll wash up first, you can lay a little longer."

Ning Yue nodded, almost sitting up before lying back down again.

After about ten minutes, Ling Tianyou, already dressed, came to the bedside and called softly: "Ning Yue, time to get up. We should leave soon."

Ning Yue rubbed her eyes, waking up, then got out of bed to wash up.

Once everything was ready, Ling Tianyou was already waiting for her downstairs.

Ning Yue’s stomach growled at an inappropriate moment, and after some thought, she took the snacks the assistant brought yesterday.

"Hungry? Just have a little! Mom and Dad surely have prepared something."

Ning Yue nodded but couldn’t resist biting into the snack with a big mouthful.