Keeping a Secret

Zhang Meizhu had had enough. Gritting her teeth, she said, "You caused so many people to die. Don't you feel even the slightest bit of remorse?"

Wang He pressed his lips together. He could tell that Zhang Meizhu cared more about so-called justice than money.

People like her were the hardest to deal with!

His thoughts raced. Then he put on a ashamed expression. "I wronged them. You have no idea how much I've suffered inside. That's why I want to stay alive and make amends."

"Heh."

Zhang Meizhu gave a scornful laugh, her eyes full of contempt.

Wang He actually had the nerve to say something like that. Disgusting!

Wang He saw her expression, and his heart sank.

Clearly, his offer hadn't swayed Zhang Meizhu. It looked like she would still report him to the Public Security Bureau and bring him to justice.

What should he do?

Wang He's heart clenched. He really didn't want to die!

"Buddy."

Wang He forced out a smile.

He couldn't see any hope in Zhang Meizhu anymore, so he could only pin his hopes on Gao Teng.

"If you just let me go, you'll get nearly two million!

With that money, you can buy better medicine and improve your martial arts results. Wouldn't that be great?

And if you have any online loans to pay back, this money can help you cover the shortfall."

Wang He swallowed and continued, "Almost every ordinary family that practices martial arts has debts. You must be sick of those collection calls, right?

Think of your family, who've worked so hard for you. How much effort would it take them to earn two million? But you only have to go easy on me to get that money without breaking a sweat."

Gao Teng laughed, and even burst out laughing.

Wang He immediately thought he had a chance and laughed along ingratiatingly.

He couldn't imagine why Gao Teng would refuse. He was dressed so shabbily that his family had to be desperately short of money.

What was justice, anyway?

How could anything matter more than money?

"I see what you're doing. You're deliberately trying to turn us against each other." Gao Teng looked down at Wang He from on high. "You think so little of me. Do you really believe I'd sell my conscience for money?"

Wang He was stunned, his face full of disbelief.

It was nearly two million! It could completely change Gao Teng's life. Why would he refuse?

That made no sense!

Suddenly, Wang He thought he understood. Was it because of Zhang Meizhu?

He asked Gao Teng tentatively, "Are you afraid she won't agree?"

Gao Teng narrowed his eyes slightly and replied, "I could kill her right here and keep the whole two million for myself.

And I could blame her death on a monster. Is that what you think?"

Wang He was left speechless. He hadn't expected Gao Teng to say it so bluntly, and with such a mocking tone.

He was utterly devastated. Gao Teng was another person who cared only about justice and treated money like dirt.

Were students these days all so virtuous?

Didn't they have martial arts classes every day?

This was clearly moral education!

"You'll never get anywhere in life!"

With nothing left to lose, Wang He scrambled to his feet and snarled, "You've practiced martial arts for so long, yet your heads are full of childish ideas. Sooner or later, someone will take everything from you!"

"That's right, I feel no guilt. So what?

They meet me one second, then want to come home with me the next. They don't take care of themselves, so they deserve to die!

Why should someone else die instead of them?

Because they deserve to die! They deserve to die! They deserve to die!"

Wang He grew more and more agitated as he spoke. Veins bulged across his face, and his expression twisted into something hideous.

Zhang Meizhu stared coldly at him. Then she suddenly stepped forward and kicked him straight on.

She put all her strength into the kick. Wang He's ribs shattered at once, and he flew backward like a kite with its strings cut, slamming hard into the wall before sliding down like a dead dog.

Then he spat out a huge mouthful of blood.

"Who did you say deserved to die?

I didn't hear you. Say it again."

Wang He struggled to lift his head. As he watched Zhang Meizhu approaching, terror surged up from deep within him.

"Y-you... what are you going to do?"

Zhang Meizhu stopped and let out a heavy sigh. Then, with deep regret, she said, "The fight with the monster was so intense earlier that I didn't even notice you'd been swept to death by its tail."

Wang He's scalp prickled with terror. He hurriedly said, "Don't, don't, don't! Let's talk this out. I shouldn't have said those things. Just pretend I was talking..."

Unfortunately, Zhang Meizhu didn't give him a chance to finish.

She walked up to him and kicked him in the chest again.

"Crack!"

The sound of breaking bones rang out. Wang He's heart was crushed into a bloody pulp, and blood gushed from his mouth and nose.

He grabbed Zhang Meizhu's pant leg, but his grip slowly loosened, and his hand fell heavily to the ground.

Zhang Meizhu lowered her leg and stared at Wang He's corpse for several seconds, then rested a hand against her forehead, feeling somewhat regretful.

She shouldn't have let her anger get the better of her and killed someone in front of Gao Teng.

After all, they'd only known each other for a few days, and they hadn't even said a hundred words to each other.

Now Gao Teng had something to hold over her. It could very well come back to hurt her!

At that moment, Zhang Meizhu's feelings were a tangled mess.

After hesitating for a long while, she finally turned to face Gao Teng.

Gao Teng was looking at her with a smile that seemed to hold a hint of ill intent.

"Just as I thought..."

Zhang Meizhu's heart sank to the bottom. She silently berated herself for being so foolish.

"Oh, my, oh, my."

Gao Teng spoke with exaggerated dismay. "Just look at you! How could you murder someone so brazenly?

If the Public Security Bureau finds out, you'll spend the rest of your life in prison. So tell me, should I report you?"

Zhang Meizhu pressed her lips together.

Gao Teng chuckled. "Zhang Meizhu, you don't want the Public Security Bureau to find out you killed someone, do you?"

Zhang Meizhu gritted her teeth. "What do you want?"

"What do I want?"

Gao Teng let out two strange chuckles and looked Zhang Meizhu up and down with an amused gaze.

His stare made Zhang Meizhu uncomfortable, and an awful suspicion crept into her mind.

Just as she was about to curse Gao Teng for being a sleaze, he suddenly said, "Run from the nineteenth floor down to the first, then back up again. Do ten round trips."

"...Huh?"

Zhang Meizhu was stunned. She couldn't believe her ears.

That was Gao Teng's condition?

It was that simple?

Gao Teng shrugged. "I rushed over here to find you today, and nearly ran my legs off. I had to let you get a taste of what that felt like."

Zhang Meizhu burst out laughing. For some reason, she felt a little touched.

She said sincerely, "Thank you for treating me like a friend and helping me keep this secret."

Gao Teng smiled ambiguously. "I never said I'd help you keep your secret. That depends on how well you behave."

"Fine."

Zhang Meizhu smiled warmly. "I'll make sure I behave."