As Li Jianguo passed by E'Lu, E'Lu deliberately raised his voice and mocked, "Hey, ugly! Want to make some money for a facelift?"
I had been too angry to notice before, but now I finally got a clear look at the shirtless Li Jianguo. Due to his time in the python's stomach, his skin was slightly decomposed, particularly on his right cheek, where the flesh was completely rotten. It was a horrifying sight. I couldn't fathom how he had survived.
Upon hearing E'Lu, Li Jianguo turned around and glared fiercely at him, "Who are you calling ugly?"
"You dare talk back?" E'Lu raised his hand, ready to strike him with the butt of his gun.
"E'Lu!" Liu Shiyi angrily rebuked just in time.
E'Lu quickly withdrew his gun, cursing, "Damn it, get lost!"
"Thank you, Supervisor!" Li Jianguo shot E'Lu a glare before striding out of the villa.
E'Lu, fuming, turned his gaze to me, but likely realizing he couldn't take me on, shifted his attention to the young and stunned Yan Zi. Even Mao Dinglun started looking at me with a jealous glint.
Damn, what kind of people are these? Why am I humiliating myself here?
Only Wrench, with a dark expression, showed any sympathy for my plight.
"Supervisor, I feel dizzy. I'll head back to the dormitory."
I just wanted to escape this hellish place quickly.
Liu Shiyi said casually, "Go ahead, but stay away from Yang Lianting tonight."
He then daintily poked the dazed Yan Zi with a delicate gesture.
"..."
Suppressing my fury, I left the villa in long strides.
"Hey! Why are you walking so fast, running from a ghost?"
I was just turning a corner outside when a voice called me from behind.
Turning around, I saw Li Jianguo squatting by the villa's wall.
"Brother Li, why are you still here?"
Li Jianguo stood up, pulling some grass from the ground. Sincerely, he said, "Waiting for you, to thank you. You're a good man!"
"We're all in this together, no need to thank me. Your face looks pretty bad, let's go to the infirmary to get it treated."
He smiled bitterly, patting his only piece of clothing, a tattered pair of shorts. "I don't have any money."
I took out some hundred-yuan bills from my pocket. "I do. You can pay me back when you get your salary."
Li Jianguo stared at me, his eyes suddenly red. He choked up, "...Okay!"
"Let's go. You need a good rest. We'll be working together tomorrow."
I turned, sniffing, and headed toward the infirmary.
His pride was strong. Accepting my help meant he was committed to his revenge plan.
"Little Bottle, I heard you know kung fu. Is that true?" Li Jianguo caught up with me, trying to make conversation.
"Yeah, killing someone is no problem."
"I heard E'Lu in the basement saying that no matter how good you are at kung fu, it's no match for a bullet. He said he'd show you his shooting skills if he got the chance."
"Thanks for the warning. I'll be careful."
"From now on, I'll be working with you on the overseas scams."
Li Jianguo's eyes wandered to the distant Little Red Building. I could feel him trembling.
"Do you know where my wife is?"
"She..." I hesitated, afraid he might lose it.
Li Jianguo clenched his fists, his eyes red. "Tell me, I can handle it!"
"She was sold. I don't know if she's alive or dead. If you want revenge, you need to survive."
I had to tell the truth. I couldn't think of a lie.
"I understand. Please help me find out."
Li Jianguo's eyes were teary as he followed me to the infirmary.
With money, everything gets easier.
I had the doctor give him a tetanus shot and prescribed anti-inflammatory, detox, and deworming medications. Then we left together.
The medical conditions in the park were limited, so tetanus was the best we could do. Better than nothing.
"Brother Li, come stay in my dorm. We can look out for each other."
Leaving the infirmary, I invited him to my dorm.
I thought he would refuse, but he agreed immediately.
He had nothing to his name, so he just carried his pile of medicine back to the dorm with me.
When we entered, we found Ba Yi and Screwdriver sitting on the bed, chatting.
"What...what..." They were stunned.
Li Jianguo was unrecognizable in his current state.
"Brother Li Jianguo is out. He'll be staying with us now."
I rubbed my hungry stomach and rummaged through a box for some spicy snacks.
"Brother Li, what happened to you?" Ba Yi stared at his bandaged face in disbelief.
Screwdriver admired him, "Brother Li, I respect you as a man!"
Li Jianguo's eyes reddened, and he growled, "Brothers, sorry to bother you. You are the real men. I'm nothing. I just want to stay alive and kill the beast who took my wife!"
His hatred was palpable. I didn't doubt his fighting spirit.
"Want some? I almost puked to death earlier." I handed him a pack of spicy snacks, adding, "I'm not disgusted by you, it's Liu Shiyi..."
Damn it, I couldn't mention him without feeling nauseous again.
Ba Yi's gossip-loving heart was stirred. "What about Liu Shiyi?"
"Shut up! Don't ask what you shouldn't!" I glared at him and stuffed the spicy snacks into my mouth.
The spice warmed my stomach.
"Liu Shiyi kissed him earlier, passionately." Wrench suddenly walked in and added.
"Ugh."
The spicy snacks instantly lost their flavor, and I spat them out.
"You...you..." I was so angry I couldn't speak.
Wrench closed the door. "I'm just telling the truth. What's wrong with that? We all saw it."
"Ah! I'll kill him!" I beat my chest and roared.
Ba Yi and Screwdriver were completely shocked and silently kept a safe distance from me.
Considering my martial skills, they refrained from making jokes.
"Alright, calm down. As long as your virtue remains intact, all is well. Let's talk business." Wrench, seeing my collapse, forced a change of subject with a stifled laugh.
"Nothing is more serious than eating."
I angrily crushed a piece of bread and shoved it into my mouth, swallowing it whole.
Screwdriver handed me a bottle of water. "Brother, you haven't avenged yourself yet. Don't choke to death."
"..." Damn, why do I have such annoying friends?
Wrench cleared his throat to break the tension. "Did you know E'Lu and Ah Yu planned to kill Team Leader Thin Monkey?"
I leisurely sipped my water. "Yes, Screwdriver and I saw it last night."
"What?" Now it was Wrench's turn to be surprised.
After hearing the details, he was more convinced that Ah Yu was behind it all.
It turned out that Thin Monkey had indeed been seduced by Sister Yu, hoping to exchange information about Fatty with his body...
A few days ago, Sister Yu had arranged a "poker" session in her dorm to exchange information, but E'Lu had stumbled upon them.
Furious at being cuckolded, E'Lu tortured him without a second thought.
Ultimately, this led to the scenes Screwdriver and I witnessed.