DLRAS Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Fortunately, someone walked with him for a while.

When He Wanxin first appeared, it seemed like an absurd accident.

Dominating and overbearing, vain and exaggerated, being entangled with such a pursuer was certainly not a pleasant experience. On very rare occasions, Chen Wengang reluctantly reviewed his past with Zheng Yucheng. Having overcome his fear, he finally figured a few things out. Ever since she inserted herself into the picture, it was first like a discordant note struck in a piano piece, which then turned into an ear-piercing siren, shrieking ominously in his ears.

But when he was young, he was also very naive, failing to make accurate judgments and timely responses to such ominous signs.

Taking the fall for someone else was wrong to begin with, and paying the price for it was only proper. But that price far exceeded what he could bear.

While he was held in the detention center, He Wanxin actually came to visit once—alone. Chen Wengang refused to see her. It went without saying she wanted to flaunt her triumph. What he didn’t understand was that she had plenty of people to flaunt to, so why did she insist on relentlessly hounding him?

Then came prison.

Having gone through the trial, his pride and sense of face had already sunk very low; his past arrogance wasn’t even worth mentioning.

If there was anything marginally worth celebrating, it was that sentences for economic crimes were generally not heavy. The lawyer had said that there were even quite a few highly educated individuals among those who committed such crimes; they had all previously lived respectable lives, which made it sound somewhat less disgraceful.

Coupled with the Zheng family pulling strings, he might only have to serve a year or two before getting his sentence reduced and getting out. It wouldn’t be particularly unbearable.

But most of the time, life doesn’t let itself be manipulated; it only delivers a resounding slap to the face.

Completely contrary to what the lawyer had said, on the second day after transferring to the prison, Chen Wengang was called out before he had even figured out the situation.

A group of vicious, seasoned inmates surrounded him, intending to teach him the “rules.” He was proud and arrogant, unable to bow his head or swallow such an insult. But the other side had strength in numbers. A muffled blow from a club struck his back; if it hadn’t drawn the attention of the prison guards, the next strike might have cracked his skull.

After that warning, things were peaceful for a while, but it was merely an introductory greeting to his imprisonment. The escalating torments were yet to come.

Prison was a gray society fraught with cliques and factions. Being targeted by certain small groups was like provoking a pack of jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards. At first, Chen Wengang didn’t understand how he was being targeted, but having lived the first twenty years of his life as a gentle intellectual, how could he possibly be their match?

That was until a scrawny, bespectacled inmate whispered to him, “Did you offend someone? I heard someone wants to ruin you.”

Then the man shut his mouth, refusing to say another word.

And even if Chen Wengang knew, there was nothing he could do about it.

So the most profound lesson that experience taught a person was to never hand their freedom over to someone else.

When the lawyer came to visit, he repeatedly promised to resolve the issue, but everything remained the same. Naturally, the lawyer had also been bought off by He Wanxin, but that was only proven much later. At the time, Chen Wengang had no channels to learn about the situation outside. He could only wait.

He could guess that his old acquaintances were all living glamorous lives. But probably no one knew what kind of life he was living while trapped behind bars.

Various methods of bullying existed in prison, and Chen Wengang suffered quite a bit. Once, in a more severe incident, several men pinned him down and nearly burned his shoulder with a cigarette butt. It was stopped at the last second; the prison guards appeared in time and sent those involved to solitary confinement. But the guards couldn’t control the private death threats, and those punished would continue to harass him relentlessly once they got out: “Don’t ever fall into my hands alone, I’ll kill you sooner or later.”

Perhaps someone with refined, delicate looks was destined to suffer more. A perpetually gloomy-looking cripple, whom many called “Boss,” hinted that if Chen Wengang followed him, he wouldn’t have to suffer so much. But when Chen Wengang refused to submit, he was the one who beat him the hardest, his eyes like a cold-blooded snake.

Later, one day during outdoor labor, a hulking man who always followed the cripple walked toward him.

Chen Wengang didn’t have time to react. The man raised his hand, and for him, it spelled utter destruction.

This time, no one could save him. He clutched his face, curling up on the ground in agony, wishing for death. Voices came from all directions above him; the culprit and his accomplices watched coldly. No one stepped forward to offer a helping hand. The prison guards seemed to take a century to arrive, or perhaps Chen Wengang had lost all sense of time. Initially, his survival instinct sustained him, but then, amidst the despair, he realized the reality of his situation.

He had been splashed with strong acid. The pain was excruciating, surpassing the limits of physical endurance, paradoxically leaving him dull and numb. His only remaining thought was that perhaps there was no possibility of him surviving this. His life would end right at this moment.

But if he died, so be it. If he died, the pain would end. He was already ruined; what else was there left to cling to?

Various memories from his past flashed through his mind; he didn’t know if this was his life flashing before his eyes. He was born insignificant, mistakenly wandering into a pipe dream. It wasn’t that he hadn’t given it his all; he had always believed that if he struggled, a bright future awaited him ahead.

But he was wrong. He was wrong to think that just because he brushed shoulders with a wealthy, noble household, he could ascend to the heavens in a single bound and stand among the clouds.

In the end, he was still an insignificant pawn. Once used up, no one would cherish him, no one would remember him.

His whole life amounted to this. Just over twenty short springs and autumns, gone in a flash, ending on this very day.

Let it just end like this.

Chen Wengang had never imagined he would later live to nearly twice that age, even if it remained full of pain. Fortunately, someone accompanied him for a portion of the journey, leading him out of the darkness and into the light. Then, that person left behind even more sorrow, but he continued to live on anyway.

This was the past he dared not face. It wasn’t until over a decade later that he finally asked what had happened to those people.

Lawyer Zhu seemed puzzled, only remembering after a long while. “You probably won’t find them anywhere in this world anymore.”

Chen Wengang was lost in thought for a long time before asking, as if waking from a dream, “Not a single one is left?”

Lawyer Zhu offered a tactful smile and said nothing.

Chen Wengang stood on the balcony for a long time again.

He wasn’t welcome at the dinner table, nor did he have any interest in the He family. Having already seen He Wanxin, he had no intention of going back inside.

Looking out from here, the Crown Grand Hotel remained as resplendent as ever, light and shadow dancing and intertwining, dazzling the eyes.

It wasn’t like looking through gray concrete walls and barbed wire, where all you could see was a fragmented sky.

It was getting late, but Zheng Baoqiu, who had stayed at the table, hadn’t given him any signal that they were leaving.

After a moment, however, another uninvited guest came to bother him. “Are you getting too big for your britches now?”

He Jiajun truly was like the God of Plagues; once attached, he haunted you relentlessly. Or perhaps He Wanxin had gone back and said something, as she was adept at instigating behind the scenes. He looked like he had drunk too much, casting a sidelong glance at Chen Wengang’s empty wrist. “Where’s your watch?”

Chen Wengang didn’t speak. He also looked down at his own wrist, the very picture of composed indifference.

He Jiajun found this exact demeanor particularly grating.

For some people, the world is divided into two tiers, and He Jiajun was probably one of them. Toward those above him, he didn’t dare act recklessly. Toward everyone below him, he expected them to grovel and fawn, and he couldn’t stand anyone breaking this rule.

“I know, I saw it, that was Huo Niansheng’s.” He spewed the stench of alcohol, letting out a burp reeking of rich food and wine. “You just sold yourself to Huo Niansheng again, didn’t you? He gives you a worn-out, secondhand watch, and you’re so thrilled you don’t know what to do with yourself? Fuck, I hate people like you the most. How cheap can you get? Why do you think you have the right to eat at the same table as us?”

Chen Wengang stared at him coldly, his gaze sharp, concealing a hidden danger.

He Jiajun’s brain was numbed by the alcohol. “Your dad was just a lousy driver, what skills did he have? If he hadn’t gotten lucky and died at the perfect time, would you be sitting on equal footing with us today? The biggest blessing in your life was having a dead dad…”

Chen Wengang slammed a punch right into his stomach.

He Jiajun was completely off guard and reeled backward. Even Chen Wengang hadn’t expected it when the man clutched his stomach and violently vomited all over the floor.

Chen Wengang rarely fought; the last time was during his student days.

But not since his time in prison.

It was hard to imagine that someone usually so refined and quiet would fight with such reckless disregard for life, but that was exactly what was happening now. By comparison, Huo Niansheng beating up Huo Yingfei looked like child’s play. Thanks to past experience, he knew full well that once you make a move, you have to strike preemptively. Therefore, his first punch was aimed straight at He Jiajun’s stomach, causing the man to instantly double over like a shrimp, his face contorted in agony.

Before he could react, Chen Wengang delivered another punch, and He Jiajun slipped and fell into his own vomit.

This merely made Chen Wengang feel a bit disgusted. Grabbing him by the collar, he hauled him up and dragged him to the side.

Gaining a moment to breathe, He Jiajun used his weight advantage to flip him over, launching a kick in mid-air with his thick, flabby thigh.

But fueled by a surge of sheer ruthlessness, Chen Wengang rolled over, scrambled up, straddled him, and started swinging his fists.

The two grappled together, devolving into a mutual brawl. Chen Wengang inevitably took a few hits himself. He Jiajun was large and his fists were heavy, but every blow only fueled Chen Wengang’s ferocity, making him strike back even harder. Every punch landed solid on flesh, causing layers of greasy fat to contract and tremble.

He was like a wild beast that had locked its jaws onto its prey, absolutely refusing to let go, his eyes flashing with an almost savage, feral gleam.

That was how it was in prison; pushed to the brink by bullying, you grab someone and beat them near to death. At the very least, if you die, you’re taking someone down with you!

No server ever came over to discover the battle taking place. He Jiajun finally couldn’t hold out. In the end, he surrendered, clutching his head and howling, “Stop hitting me, I won’t say it anymore, okay? I won’t say it, I was wrong… I apologize to you…”

Chen Wengang lowered his eyes, looking down at this coward.

Yes, this was a normal person’s reaction; when beaten, they know pain, and when they feel pain, they know fear.

As for He Wanxin, he had once suspected whether she had an antisocial personality disorder, but did that matter? That was a topic for psychologists to study. Chen Wengang had no desire to understand her mental processes whatsoever. In fact, ever since Huo Niansheng had connected him with Lawyer Zhu, he had made the most direct and straightforward request.

Send her to where she belongs; only then could he rest easy.

That was how it had to be.

As for the one in front of him—

Chen Wengang pressed one hand against He Jiajun’s neck, his other hand balled into a fist, raised high in the air. That fist gathered strength, ready to fall at any moment. He Jiajun’s face had already been beaten into a swollen mess, tears and snot mixing together until it was practically unlookable.

He had been repeatedly insulted by this person in the past, unable to fight back because the timing was always wrong. He had to consider his sister, consider the child, consider the hall full of exhibits. But now, he was about to leave the Zheng family anyway.

Chen Wengang’s eyes burned red, as if a mountain of anger, indignation, and grievance had accumulated in his chest.

Until someone gently caught his arm.

Huo Niansheng wrapped an arm around his waist from behind, grasped his left hand, pressed close to him, and said softly, “Alright, baby, you’ve vented your anger, that’s enough. Don’t beat him until something goes seriously wrong. You’re not that kind of person.”

Chen Wengang pressed his lips together, saying nothing, and turned his head to look at him.

Huo Niansheng sighed. “If you really hate him that much, just let me handle it. I’m not afraid of causing trouble.”

The taut muscles across Chen Wengang’s entire body suddenly relaxed.

Huo Niansheng helped him up. He stumbled a step, and his shoulder leaned into Huo Niansheng’s embrace.

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