readytorunbook Chapter 167 Jumping off the building
Chapter 167 Jumping off the building
"You should leave quickly, Xiao Si."
Chi Ruiche hunched over, enduring even stronger whippings. His eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging, and he gripped Jiang Yi even tighter, but his face remained expressionless.
"Stop hitting me."
Jiang Yi patted Chi Ruiche, trying to make him let go, his eyes filled with terror and tears welling up in them.
Chi Ruiche gritted his teeth, sweat streaming down his forehead and onto Jiang Yi's face. He was already exhausted from kneeling on the ground.
"Little Si, hurry up and go, be good."
Jiang Yi didn't want to wait any longer. She forcefully broke free from Chi Ruiche's embrace and hugged "Chi Ruiche" tightly. "Don't be stubborn anymore. I can protect you too."
Standing to the side, Chi Ruiche watched everything unfold. An invisible space isolated him from the outside world, and no one could see him. His fist pounded against the invisible wall without any change.
"Xiao Si, hurry up and run!"
Jiang Yi, standing before them, was beaten until his skin was torn and bleeding. His thin white athletic t-shirt was soaked with sweat and blood, staining his entire back. He kept whimpering.
"Snapped-"
A series of sharp cracking sounds broke the silence of the courtyard, and the rhythm of the whipping quickened.
"Stop!" Chi Ruiche could only weakly pound on the ground, but those people couldn't hear him at all.
"Chi Ruiche, what are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be protecting her?"
"Don't fight."
"don't want…"
Chi Ruiche knelt on the ground and roared, but his voice could only echo dully in the space, like a bound beast, powerless despite his pain and anger.
In reality, a tear slid down Chi Ruiche's cheek. He suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with lingering despair. He found himself in a bright room, his clothes, soaked with sweat, clung to his body, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
It was all just a dream.
Abu, chin in hand and eyes closed, was a little drowsy. Hearing a noise, he suddenly woke up, his arm slipped down, and he looked around. Only when he saw Chi Ruiche did he rub his eyes in relief.
"Boss, you're awake."
"How long have I slept?"
Chi Ruiche remembers being in the corridor, his body feeling as if his strength was slowly drained away, and he slumped to the ground.
“Four hours, it’s nine o’clock now,” Abu said, glancing at the time.
Chi Ruiche raised his hand and saw the bandage, then sat up. "You should go back and rest early too."
Abu yawned, and the physiological tears made him go straight to the bathroom to wash his face. The warm hands patting his face brought him some clarity.
"I'll go relieve Lü Er later; he has a meeting tomorrow morning."
"You've worked hard." Chi Ruiche coughed lightly twice.
Abu waved his hand dismissively, jokingly saying, "Let's get practical." His eyes gleamed with a cunning glint in his eyes.
"The price doesn't matter for the actress you wanted to sign last time," Chi Ruiche nodded magnanimously.
"That's more like it." Abu grinned with satisfaction, smugly running his fingers through his hair. "We won't lose money."
"Ah."
A figure was running down the corridor. "Is anyone there? Is someone going to jump?"
Abu listened to the increasingly urgent sounds outside and looked around curiously, only to be grabbed by the arm by a figure who was shouting loudly.
“Young man, come quick! There’s a young girl over there who’s about to jump off a building. My fellow villager is already watching over her. Could you come with her? The firefighters won’t be here for a while.”
This was a woman in her fifties, wearing a sanitation worker's uniform. Her hair was disheveled and unkempt, and she had beads of sweat on her nose. She was breathing rapidly and looked at Abu as if she had grasped at a lifeline, gasping for breath.
"Jump off a building?" Abu frowned, somewhat confused.
"Yes, I think the little girl is in a VIP ward, and she's very pretty."
Chi Ruiche's body trembled violently, the cup in his hand fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. He seemed to be electrocuted and stiffened, and a huge fear filled the air.
Chi Ruiche pulled out the IV drip, ignoring the blood flowing from the needle hole, and quickly appeared at the door, grabbing the old woman's hand, his voice tight, "Where is she?"
"The rooftop ahead."
The older woman looked at the wound on Chi Ruiche's hand that was constantly bleeding, and wanted to say something but didn't have time.
Chi Ruiche ran away, his bare feet making urgent sounds as they hit the cold floor.
Abu followed closely behind, not daring to speak, his pace quickening.