Chapter 20 The Tragedy of Unrequited Love

Chapter 20: A Tragedy Caused by Unrequited Love

Xie Tingsheng opened his eyes, his piercing, merciless glare fixed on the mother and son in the room. His handsome face was as dark as the sky before a storm, murder in his eyes.

How dare these two lay a finger on someone under his protection!

Chen Fei, acutely sensing the bone-chilling hostility, trembled uncontrollably, on the verge of tears.

He, too, thought the Jiang family’s hag was vicious and despised her from the bottom of his heart.

If not for her scheming, he wouldn’t have crossed these armed killers.

Cursing internally, he dared not show it on his face. Instead, he turned to Hua Diao with a groveling look and asked, "Big Sister, how should we deal with them?"

Hua Diao shook off her hesitation, her eyes darkening as she paused.

If she let them off lightly, wouldn’t everyone in the building think she was a pushover?

In the apocalypse, human nature was unpredictable. Those with a gentle temperament were dead meat and would easily become targets. She clearly didn’t want such trouble.

But if she really shot them—not only was their plot unsuccessful and not deserving of the death penalty—but their status as the female lead’s family also made her reconsider.

After inheriting the Lucky Koi Space, she had come to believe in the concept of fate. The protagonist’s luck in this novel resided with the female lead. If she killed the female lead’s family, wouldn’t that place her in direct opposition to the female lead? Her fate might end up worse than that of the supporting character, Hua Diao.

Hua Diao’s expression shifted repeatedly. After weighing the pros and cons, she still couldn’t suppress her anger. With a ruthless heart, she declared, "Break the old woman’s arms and legs. As for this disgusting pig, break his third leg. Wasn’t he dreaming of making me his wife? Without his equipment, let’s see how he’ll keep dreaming."

"No—please don’t—!"

Understanding her words, the fat bastard screamed in terror, struggling wildly to escape.

His flab wasn’t for nothing—he actually managed to shake off Chen Fei’s grip and tried to run.

Hua Diao’s face darkened. She raised her gun, narrowed her eyes, and aimed at his leg.

Bang—

Jiang Yu crashed heavily to the ground, screaming like a stuck pig.

Jiang’s father, hiding in the corner, could no longer hold back. He rushed forward to shield his son, while Jiang’s mother also struggled desperately toward him.

The room descended into chaos—wailing, screaming—as if a true bloodbath had unfolded.

Then, noises came from outside the door.

"Jiang girl, you’re finally back! Quick, quick—I think I heard gunshots and screams from your place. You’d better check it out..."

Where there were people, there was gossip, and some just loved to spectate.

Though the power was out and plague mosquitoes and poisonous insects were crawling everywhere, their floor was high enough that the bugs were sparse. As long as they took precautions against bites, there wasn’t much danger. Plus, the commotion Hua Diao caused by barging into 1702 had drawn a crowd. Soon, those restless and anxious in their homes came upstairs to watch.

Now, the seventeenth-floor hallway was jammed. But no one dared approach 1702’s door, instead crowding a short distance away, craning their necks to see.

The moment they heard the Jiang family had returned, they immediately cleared a path.

Jiang Yao and Chu Chengling, who had just returned, didn’t have time to think. Hearing the crowd’s words, they immediately pushed their way inside.

At the same time, the door to 1701 swung open, and Chu’s mother and younger sister, Chu Xiangxiang, rushed out.

Chu Xiangxiang cried out in panic, "Brother! Sister-in-law! You’re back! Hurry—go check on Aunt Jiang! That woman Hua Diao has gone mad! She brought a bunch of thugs to cause trouble for Sister-in-law’s family and even fired a gun in their home! This crazy woman—she must be doing this out of hatred because you chose Sister-in-law over her! Thank goodness you came back early, or after they finished with the Jiang family, they’d come for us next! Mom and I were so scared when we heard the gunshots!"

Her words instantly fed the gossip-hungry crowd a juicy story.

Oh, so this was a tragedy caused by unrequited love!

Immediately, the crowd began pointing and whispering in the thugs’ direction.

Xie Tingsheng, standing at the door, frowned and looked up at the tall, imposing man emerging from the crowd.

Was this the man his convenient wife was in love with?

Still unsure of Hua Diao’s true origins or whether she had any feelings for him, Xie Tingsheng’s mind churned with stormy thoughts. His gaze was cold, sharp, and guarded.

Just then, Hua Diao walked out with her gun. Behind her, Chen Fei dragged the sobbing Jiang Yu and unceremoniously flung him down at the doorway.

Hua Diao stepped on Jiang Yu’s back, bending down arrogantly to press the gun against his head. She looked up at Chu Chengling and Jiang Yao, who were hurrying over, and said coolly, "Don’t speak yet. First, listen to what Jiang Yao’s brother has to say."

Then she lowered her head and pistol-whipped Jiang Yu’s head with the gun, snapping, "Stop crying. Repeat what you said earlier, and I’ll spare you. Otherwise, I’ll put a hole in your other leg."

Jiang Yu’s obese body trembled. Hearing he might avoid another bullet, his piggy eyes gleamed with desperate hope. Ignoring his mother’s screams from inside, he hastily blurted out the same explanation of his mother’s scheme against Hua Diao.

—Gasp—So it wasn’t unrequited love, but straight-up payback!

The crowd had an epiphany and immediately turned their judgment toward the Jiang family.

"Tsk tsk, if a young girl was schemed against like that, no wonder she’s furious. It’s not like before—you can’t even call the police now. If she didn’t come for revenge herself, who else could she turn to? If it were my daughter, I’d grab a gun and shoot that old hag too."

"Who knew the Jiang woman was so vicious? Always yelling and abusing her husband—fine, that’s her family business. But to scheme against an innocent girl? Despicable. And what’s with her son? Ugly, fat, and dumb—even the garbage collector’s granddaughter wouldn’t look at him. Yet he dares to lust after the girl from the 18th floor? I heard she’s not just beautiful but rich too."

"Ha! What’s money worth now? It’s the apocalypse! According to those doomsday stories, money’s useless—supplies are what matter. But this girl has a gun. Wonder where she scored that. Seems she’s doing well even post-apocalypse."

"True. Better warn my kids not to mess with the girl from the 18th floor. After today, it’s clear she’s not someone to trifle with. Piss her off, and you might end up with a bullet. That’d be game over."

.......

Listening to the mix of fear and respect in the murmurs, Hua Diao nodded in satisfaction. It was worth her resolve to send a message.

The residents of Jinxiu Huayuan weren’t going anywhere. More people would move in later, making dealing with neighbors complicated. Better to issue a warning upfront—let them know the girl from the 18th floor wasn’t one to cross. If anyone dared scheme against her, they’d have to consider the consequences of failure.