Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Chi Wan Lands a Slap

It turned out that Song Yangming couldn’t pay back his debts, so he used Chi Wan’s family’s mountain as leverage, telling the loan shark he could profit from both ends.

He arranged for someone to stage an accident with Chi Wan to force her into debt. Whether her family went bankrupt or not, the money could always be recovered.

In Song Yangming’s opinion, bankruptcy would be even better.

That way, Chi Wan’s family would be desperate to raise money and rush to sell the orchard. The loan shark could then swoop in, drive down the price, and make a killing.

The loan shark heard the plan and thought it was feasible. As it happened, he already had men in the market, so he simply let Song Yangming take charge.

There was no need to recount what happened next; Zhou Huaijin already knew.

So, if they hadn’t dropped Zhou Huai’an’s name last time, Chi Wan and Zhou Huaijin probably wouldn’t have escaped so easily.

Having failed to get the money or the orchard, Song Yangming was given a final ultimatum. He tearfully swore he could deliver both the money and the orchard to the boss, which was the only reason his hands weren’t broken.

But the warehouse owner hadn’t been so lucky.

After Chi Wan finished, it all clicked for Zhou Huaijin. His gaze toward Song Yangming and his parents filled with contempt. "This... Are you really Wanwan’s family?"

Zhou Huaijin’s grandfather was so furious his mustache practically bristled. His expression softened with pity as he looked at Chi Wan. "Absolutely shameless! To scheme against a young girl to pay your gambling debts, to try and ruin her family... How dare you call yourselves her family!"

At that moment, the grandfather and grandson shared the exact same thought: ’Thank goodness we came today. Otherwise, how could Chi Wan possibly handle these three bloodsuckers on her own?’

Chi Wan, however, was long used to this. She never held any expectations for these people, so she was never disappointed. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Her expression was therefore quite placid. "I suggest you stop trying to get ideas about our family. Bankrupt or not, we will never help Song Yangming pay his gambling debts. If you’re afraid he’ll get his hands chopped off, you can sell the apartment my dad gave you to pay the debt. At worst, you can just move back to your old hometown."

"Bullshit! Let me tell you, if Chi Yuanshan hadn’t been so generous with his money back then, I would’ve never gotten addicted to gambling in the first place. He has to take responsibility for the state I’m in now! If you don’t have money, then sell this orchard! Otherwise, I’ll bring people to block your doors every single day!"

Since all pretense was gone, Song Yangming dropped the act completely. He looked at Zhou Huaijin. "Hey, pretty boy, you like Wanwan, don’t you? Why don’t you pay the money for her? Just consider it a betrothal gift. Two hundred... no, three hundred thousand isn’t that much, is it? We can decide to marry her off to you."

Before an incredulous Zhou Huaijin could even open his mouth, Chi Wan slapped him across the face!

"Keep your mouth clean. If you want that hand of yours to be permanently crippled, go ahead and keep talking."

Song Yangming hadn’t expected Chi Wan to actually dare to hit him. As a ringing filled his ears, rage surged, and he wanted nothing more than to kill Chi Wan on the spot.

However, he had just raised his other hand and had yet to make a move when it happened again. A sharp, stinging pain, and he lost all control of it.

He felt as if both his arms were no longer his own. He couldn’t even keep his balance!

Seeing Song Yangming about to collapse, Qian Cuicui rushed forward to support him, crying out, "Yangming, don’t scare me! What’s wrong with you?!"

The veins on Song Yangming’s neck bulged from the pain, and his eyes bored into Chi Wan with murderous intent.

Song Jianguo wanted to step forward but worried that Chi Wan was truly responsible for Song Yangming’s condition. He cautiously kept a three-meter distance from her and put on a facade of earnest persuasion. "Wanwan, dear, what is all this fuss about? We’re all family. If you treat your uncle and grandparents like this, aren’t you afraid of becoming a laughingstock?!"

Chi Wan, however, reacted as if she’d heard something hilarious. She stopped Zhou Huaijin from approaching, and with a smile, she slowly walked over to the family of three. She lowered her voice and said, "You all can be this shameless, and you think I’m worried about being a laughingstock? Believe it or not, say one more word, and Song Yangming will spend the rest of his life as a helpless invalid with useless limbs.

"But that might be a good thing for you. At least this way, he can’t go out and gamble anymore, can he?"

Hearing this, Song Yangming’s eyes practically bulged from their sockets with rage. But no matter how hard he strained, he still couldn’t lift his hands. Instead, the pain became even more excruciating.

Seeing this, Chi Wan grew even more emboldened.

’Li Xingye’s life-bound vine really is incredibly useful. Otherwise, dealing with shameless scoundrels like these three would be a real pain.’

Qian Cuicui opened her mouth to say something, but Chi Wan cut her off with a smile. "You two are, after all, my maternal grandparents. My mother is still thinking about providing for you in your old age. But Song Yangming is different. I’ve never had any warm feelings for him.

"I’ll be blunt: it’s impossible for our family to help him pay his debts. If you continue to threaten me, I’m afraid my hand might ’slip’ and cripple him permanently. I guarantee that even the best doctor in the world won’t be able to tell what happened to him. Do you two believe me?

"You two should be able to figure it out. A man like Song Yangming can never quit once he’s started gambling. The only end result is that he’ll bankrupt you completely. Isn’t his current state perfect? With no hands, he can never gamble again.

"Besides, your retirement pensions, plus the living allowance my parents give you, are more than enough to support a cripple. Otherwise... well, if I have the means to find out about his debts, I naturally have the means to ensure the debt collectors never find their way to our door.

"If you don’t believe me, feel free to try."

As she spoke, she shot Song Yangming a look that was half-smile, half-sneer.

At the same time, Song Yangming’s terrified voice shrieked, "Dad! Mom! Help me! My legs... I can’t move my legs either! Chi Wan, what did you do to me! You’d better fix me right now... It hurts... Dad, Mom, help me!"

Qian Cuicui and Song Jianguo stared at Chi Wan as if she were a monster, completely unable to understand how the girl who had always listened to her mother, who had always seemed so obedient and rarely talked back to them, had suddenly become this terrifying.

And the matter of Song Yangming’s gambling debts, punctuated by his terrified screams, continued to grate on their already frayed nerves.

To the side, Zhou Huaijin and his grandfather exchanged a look, completely baffled as to how Chi Wan was doing this.

Chi Wan straightened up and looked coldly at Song Yangming. "It’s very simple to get the feeling back in your legs. Have your parents take you and get as far away from here as you can. I can guarantee that if you harbor even the slightest thought of harming my family, or if you dare to set foot in our home again, you will spend the rest of your life in bed.

"Feel free to test me."

"Go! Let’s go!"

The combination of pain and loss of control finally made Song Yangming afraid. He wailed for Qian Cuicui and Song Jianguo to get him out of this godforsaken place.

Seeing her son in such agony, Qian Cuicui forgot all about cursing Chi Wan. She and Song Jianguo flanked him and struggled to drag the nearly 220-pound Song Yangming out of the courtyard.

And strangely, not long after they left the courtyard, Song Yangming found he could really walk again!

He stood frozen on the spot, his expression twisting with indecision for a long moment. In the end, he didn’t have the guts to turn back and cause more trouble for Chi Wan.

He discovered that although his hands no longer hurt, he still had no feeling in them whatsoever.