Xiao Qi felt like he was about to die.
He kept running, unable to stop. Even though his lungs were barely able to take in any more oxygen, and even though his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to jump out of his chest, he just couldn't stop.
He watched himself die bit by bit; only those who have experienced it can understand this kind of pain.
The man in the mirror had become a skeleton, and he would likely remain so until his bones completely disintegrated. At that point, he would truly be dead.
The face that wasn't his finally came into focus, smiling in the mirror beside him.
He saw Mo Yu.
Yes, this was the person he had been longing for, and the purpose of his trip.
He finally saw her.
"I'm going to die!" he said. "You stay alive."
Mo Yu didn't speak, but smiled sweetly in the mirror. As he ran, he jumped from one mirror to another.
Suddenly, with a loud crash, the mirror where Mo Yu was standing shattered.
Xiao Qi's already labored breathing suddenly stopped, and her heart seemed to stop beating.
Then, the other mirror, which reflected his own withered bones, shattered as well.
Then, the mirror shattered one after another in front of Xiao Qi, shards of glass scattering all over the floor.
He finally stopped running and stood there, looking around helplessly.
When all the mirrors shattered, he saw a familiar figure emerge from the shattered glass, which exploded like bomb fragments.
The man was wearing an old trench coat, and his hair was a mess, like a bird's nest.
He walked over slowly, his slippers making a clattering sound.
Xiao Qi laughed, and with his last breath, he said, "You've come!"
Inside the hot spring resort in West Mountain, Jiang Deqian was soaking in the open-air hot spring pool, chatting animatedly with a middle-aged man with a Mediterranean Sea- looking head.
" Brother Qiang, don't worry, as long as you get the mining license, my brother will definitely invest! If you and my brother join forces, won't you be the ones calling the shots in this Three Wu area?" Jiang Deqian boasted.
The middle-aged man, referred to as Brother Qiang, said, "You can't say that. Although your brother is rich, he only has a few hundred million in spare cash, right? Besides, his network of connections is all in Shenzhou. This Three Wu is a place where dragons and tigers hide. Brother, let me remind you, be careful in everything you do, or you'll get taken advantage of without even knowing how you died."
Jiang Deqian said nonchalantly, "What's there to be afraid of? My brother's backer is Master Dong of Shenzhou Ocean Shipping. Who is Master Dong? He's a man of Xia Bozhou of Huanyu International. If you mess with my brother, it's the same as messing with the Xia Family!"
Brother Qiang chuckled, "Oh dear, these young people these days aren't afraid of their words slipping out! If you knew the Xia Family, you wouldn't be here talking to me, Huang Ziqiang, about cooperation. In Three Wu, is there anything the Xia Family can't accomplish?"
Jiang Deqian retorted, "That's because my brother didn't want to come knocking on our door. If something really happened, all my brother had to do was say a word, and Xia Bozhou wouldn't help?"
Huang Ziqiang looked at the bandage on Jiang Deqian's head and laughed, "How come I heard that you got humiliated at a small bar a few days ago, and some girl cracked your skull open?"
"Hmph! That woman will fall into my hands sooner or later!" Jiang Deqian slapped his hand angrily on the edge of the pool.
Just then, Jiang Deqian's phone rang.
He answered the phone and said, "Hello... Brother... No... No, I'm at the hot springs! Talking business with Brother Qiang here... Ah... No... Don't worry, I definitely won't... No need, Brother, don't keep having Monkey watching me, I'm not a child... Ah... Okay, no problem..."
I had just hung up on his brother when another call came in.
Jiang Deqian glanced at the number, answered, and immediately started cursing. " Liang Kai, you fucking have the nerve to call me... What... that girl's back?... With you?... Fine, then bring her over right now... What... that bar girl is with you too? Are you fucking kidding me?... Ah... Fine... Hey! You're something else!... Fine, I'll send someone over right now. If it's true, I'll fucking thank you properly!"
Jiang Deqian hung up the phone, immediately sent a text message to his underlings, then looked at the stars in the sky and burst into laughter.
Huang Ziqiang asked, "Brother, what's making you so happy? Share it with your older brother."
Jiang Deqian said, " Brother Qiang, to be honest, that girl from the bar is already in my hands. There's another one, a music academy student, super hot! She'll be sent over in a bit, Brother Qiang, you can pick one of them, consider it my greeting gift to you."
Huang Ziqiang said, "Who's that girl? She's nobody, just a small bar owner. She probably wouldn't dare to go head-to-head with you, Young Master Young Master Jiang!"
Jiang Deqian said, "If only she had some connections, if she were really from the Xia Family, I'd back down even if she beat me up! But damn it, she has no connections whatsoever, just a complete idiot! You tell me, I got beaten up by some clueless idiot, and a woman at that, shouldn't I get revenge?"
Huang Ziqiang said, "If that's the case, then it's understandable that I feel aggrieved. But when it comes to women, I'm not bragging, but in Wuzhong, apart from a few top-tier clubs, the girls at my resort are the best in terms of quality. Brother, would you like some appetizers first?"
Jiang Deqian laughed heartily, gave a thumbs-up, and said, " Brother Qiang really understands me!"
More than an hour later, a van arrived at the gate of the hot spring resort, and several men carried two sacks into the resort.
After soaking in the hot springs, Jiang Deqian and Huang Ziqiang went into a luxurious entertainment room. Huang Ziqiang arranged two beautiful women for Jiang Deqian Jiang Deqian, who then embraced one of them, drinking and singing, having a great time.
Just then, the door to the private room opened, and the resort manager came in and whispered a few words in Huang Ziqiang's ear. Huang Ziqiang nodded, had the music turned off, and said to Jiang Deqian, " Young Master Jiang, it seems the person you requested has been delivered."
Jiang Deqian shoved the two women off him and yelled, "Quick! Bring them in!" The two beauties were caught off guard and fell to the ground with a cry.
The woman in black accompanying Huang Ziqiang glanced at Jiang Deqian with some disgust and whispered in Huang Ziqiang's ear, " Brother Qiang, who is this guy? Acting all high and mighty!"
Huang Ziqiang sneered, " Jiang Deguan's younger brother. If it weren't for his brother having some money, and me being short of cash lately, he'd be nothing!"
Four or five young men carried in two burlap sacks, one of which was still wriggling.
"Open it! Open it!" Jiang Deqian couldn't wait.
The sack was opened, revealing two women who were bound hand and foot and gagged; they were Mo Yu and Bi Shenghua.
Mo Yu had clearly been crying; her face was still streaked with tears. Bi Shenghua, on the other hand, stared wide-eyed at Jiang Deqian.
Jiang Deqian yanked the rags out of the two women's mouths.
Bi Shenghua yelled, "You bastard surnamed Jiang, are you even a man? What kind of dirty tricks are you? If you've got the guts, fight me one-on-one!"
Jiang Deqian laughed loudly, "A one-on-one duel? Sure! I'll let you experience the Jiang Family's marksmanship in a bit. Go ahead and curse! Aren't you good at cursing? I love listening to you curse while I'm fucking your ass, it's more exciting than moaning in bed, haha!"
Bi Shenghua was furious, her eyes blazing with rage. She struggled desperately, but the ropes binding her were too tight.
Mo Yu sobbed, " Sister Hua, I'm sorry, it's all my fault!"
Bi Shenghua said, "What's the use of saying sorry now!" Then she turned to Jiang Deqian and Huang Ziqiang and cursed, "You two have the guts to kill me! If you can't kill me today, I'll kill you all tomorrow!"
"Hey! That's interesting!" Huang Ziqiang said.
"Kill you? How could I bear to kill you! I'll make you feel like you're dying of pleasure! After I'm done playing with you, I'll have my brothers. After my brothers are done playing with you, they can sell you to human traffickers. You're so wild, you're perfect for pairing up with some rough, uncouth man from a poor mountain village, and you'll have a litter of wild babies! Haha..." Jiang Deqian laughed smugly.