"Forgive him? How could I possibly do that?" Qin Qinghan spoke with a sorrowful tone, her tears falling hotly down her cheeks. She stared at Ye Fengwu and continued, "He not only destroyed my innocence but also ruined my life."
"Can you understand what it feels like for a girl who once dreamed of a beautiful future to be pushed into despair, with no hope for tomorrow, because of a rapist?"
"When I was still a little girl, I dreamed of becoming a painter. I wanted to travel the world and capture everything I saw in my artwork."
"Because of him... I can't even paint with colors anymore. I switched my major to management. All I can do now is survive in the family, make sure Jing Si grows up well, and allow my parents, whom I've burdened, to enjoy their old age in peace."
At this point, Qin Qinghan's sobs became uncontrollable. Perhaps this was the first time in eight years that she had allowed herself to express all her emotions.
Feeling Qin Qinghan's anguish, Ye Fengwu's guilt intensified. This made him more determined to make amends to her. He even regretted having ever considered giving up on her. A mere ring couldn't negate everything Qin Qinghan had been through, so he wanted to give her a chance, and in turn, give himself a chance as well.
"Let me take care of you and your daughter," Ye Fengwu suddenly reached out and grasped Qin Qinghan's hand, speaking softly.
Qin Qinghan tried to pull her hand back, but as always, she found it impossible to break free from his rough hand.
"Let go of me," Qin Qinghan spoke through gritted teeth, her eyes filled with tears.
Ye Fengwu said, "I'm sincere."
"Let go, I want to get out of the car."
Perhaps because of fear or extreme agitation, Qin Qinghan's emotions became uncontrollable as she desperately tried to pull her hand away. At that moment, Ye Fengwu's gaze shifted, and a crazy thought entered his mind.
He unbuckled his seatbelt and suddenly leaned toward Qin Qinghan, fiercely kissing her soft lips.
Mmm~!
Qin Qinghan froze, her face paling in shock. This was her first kiss, and as she felt something forcefully part her lips, a surge of anger filled her previously dazed eyes.
She immediately bit down hard.
Ah~!
Ye Fengwu let out a pained yell and quickly recoiled.
Qin Qinghan, her face cold, hit the unlock button, threw open the car door, and hurriedly ran upstairs.
Inside the car, Ye Fengwu licked the blood trickling from his lip, sighing in frustration. "Got impulsive... Got impulsive..."
Then he noticed the black suitcase in the backseat and realized he had forgotten something—the money he borrowed from Jiang Hao for Qin Qinghan's emergency expenses.
However, given his impulsive actions earlier, he knew if he went upstairs now, Qin Qinghan would surely throw him out.
Ye Fengwu promptly dialed Jiang Hao's phone.
...
The next morning, at 8 a.m., someone knocked on Qin Qinghan's door.
At that moment, Qin Qinghan had just finished cleaning the dishes, her eyes slightly swollen from crying as she opened the door.
To her surprise, standing outside was a young man with a stiff smile—Zheng Tao, whom she had briefly met the previous night.
Zheng Tao had his left hand wrapped in bandages and was holding a black suitcase in his right hand. Upon seeing Qin Qinghan, he quickly greeted her. "Good morning, Sister-in-law. Last night, Brother Wu left in a hurry and forgot to give you the money..."
Bang~!
Before Zheng Tao could finish speaking, the door was slammed shut by Qin Qinghan.
Qin Qinghan's eyes were filled with suspicion. She called out from inside the room, "Go back. I don't want his money."
"Sister-in-law, please don't. If you don't take the money, I won't be able to keep my other hand either," Zheng Tao's voice sounded pitiful from outside the door.
At that moment, Qin Zhi and Yang Yu also approached.
Yang Yu scoffed, "Since he's come to deliver money, why not take it? Qinghan, you didn't get the 80,000 yuan back from Gao He yesterday."
After returning home, Qin Qinghan had not told her parents the full truth. She had said that Chen Nan had saved her and captured Gao He.
So, Qin Zhi and Yang Yu had no idea that Zheng Tao was a powerful figure in the underground world of Haihua City.
"Sister-in-law, if you don't take the 500,000 yuan, Brother Hao will break one of my legs."
Outside the door, Zheng Tao's voice sounded pitiful again.
Hearing that someone was delivering 500,000 yuan, Qin Zhi and Yang Yu's expressions immediately brightened. They didn't care who Brother Hao was anymore.
Qin Qinghan remained silent as she wiped down the table.
Yang Yu didn't want the 500,000 to slip away, so she quickly opened the door.
"Sister-in-law..."
When Zheng Tao saw the door open, he greeted her, but then he saw it was not Qin Qinghan but Yang Yu standing there.
Qin Qinghan immediately rushed forward and asked anxiously, "Mom, why did you open the door?"
Yang Yu glanced at the black suitcase in Zheng Tao's hand and then said irritably to Qin Qinghan, "He came to deliver money, how could you just leave him standing outside?"
She reached to take the suitcase from Zheng Tao.
Qin Qinghan quickly blocked her, her voice bitter, "Mom, this money belongs to Ye Fengwu. We can't accept it."
Hearing this, Yang Yu became even more insistent. "That rapist has this much money? If it's his, all the more reason we should take it. He's been living off our family. Does he think a cheap imitation ring can make up for it?"
Qin Qinghan felt desperate and urgently said, "Mom, you don't understand. He doesn't owe us anything. I owe him so much more. We can't take this money."
After a night of reflection, Qin Qinghan was still angry about Ye Fengwu's kiss the previous day, but that didn't mean she was unaware of what he had done for her.
If she accepted his money again, she would owe him even more.
At that moment, Qin Zhi suddenly spoke. "Qinghan, just take it. After all, you borrowed the 80,000 yuan from Gao He yesterday. This is just repayment."
Outside the door, Zheng Tao stood with the suitcase, looking foolish as he watched the mother and daughter argue, not daring to step inside.
When he heard that Qin Qinghan had borrowed 80,000 yuan from Gao He, his eyes lit up. He quickly said, "Sister-in-law, this 500,000 includes the 80,000 you gave to Gao He. Brother Wu asked me to bring it to you as well."
Hearing this, Qin Qinghan still refused to take it.
However, Yang Yu stepped forward, grabbed the suitcase, and said excitedly, "So it's this money! In that case, we should definitely accept it. Thank you, young man."
Zheng Tao smiled awkwardly. "No need to thank me, Auntie and Uncle, just take it. It's for you."
Before Qin Qinghan could protest again, Zheng Tao quickly fled downstairs.
After Zheng Tao left, Yang Yu and Qin Zhi eagerly opened the suitcase, only to find stacks of cash totaling 500,000 yuan.
Seeing her parents happy, Qin Qinghan felt a deep bitterness in her heart. She sighed, "Dad, Mom, how could you accept money like this? You don't even know who Ye Fengwu is. Now, I owe him even more."
Yang Yu, holding a stack of cash, smiled contentedly, "I don't care who he is. He likes my daughter. Does he think he can get away with it without paying us back?"
Qin Qinghan knew that once the money was in her parents' hands, it would be impossible to return it.
At that moment, Yang Yu took out 80,000 yuan and said, "Qinghan, give 50,000 to Chen Nan, and use the remaining 30,000 to redeem that fake ring. That way, you won't keep blaming me for selling it."
Qin Qinghan reluctantly accepted her fate, but she swore she would return this money to Ye Fengwu one day.
She then said, "Mom, can you give me the receipt for the ring?"
...
Two hours later, Qin Qinghan, carrying 30,000 yuan, left her home and arrived at a pawn shop called "Xi Hu Pawnshop."
Xi Hu Pawnshop was well-known in Haihua City. Unlike other smaller pawn shops, this one was large and also dealt in antiques.
As she entered, a woman in a black business suit walked over.
"Miss, are you here to buy antiques or to pawn items?" the saleswoman asked politely.
Qin Qinghan took the receipt from her bag and replied, just as politely, "I'm here to redeem a ring I pawned a few days ago. It has a large sapphire on it."
When the saleswoman heard it was for redemption, her polite smile immediately disappeared, replaced by a cold, indifferent expression, completely different from before.