Chapter 145: Zhu Qingqing’s Indescribable Complexity of Heart

Lin Xiaodou tore the coats Zhu Qingqing had brought into long strips. She then bound the two previously unconscious men together and tossed them into the deepest part of the cave. There were too many people for her to carry at once, and since their limbs were already broken and they were now bound, there was no risk of them escaping.

Lin Xiaodou used the remaining fabric to tie Da Niu and Xu Mo back-to-back. Zhu Qingqing had brought a coil of rope from home; Lin Xiaodou tied one end to her own waist and the other to the fabric binding the two men. With their limbs broken, they could not walk, so she had no choice but to drag them. Possessing superhuman strength, the combined weight of over three hundred pounds meant nothing to her.

Once ready, Lin Xiaodou picked up Xiao Jingyao and prepared to leave. Xiao Jingyao stiffened and struggled slightly. "I can walk myself..."

Lin Xiaodou glared at him. "You’ve lost enough blood as it is. Don't try to walk; don't be a burden!"

Xiao Jingyao dared not move. He nestled in her arms, feeling immensely awkward. The faint, sweet fragrance lingering near his nose made him feel unnaturally flustered. For the first time, Xiao Jingyao, the typically icy captain of the public security bureau, felt his ears turn red.

Zhu Qingqing followed closely behind. Watching the scene, she found it bizarre—a small fox cradling a giant bear. It was indescribably comical.

Lin Xiaodou had Zhu Qingqing carry a torch to light the way. She was managing three people alone: one in her arms and two trailing from her waist. Xiao Jingyao, being carried, was relatively undisturbed, but it was a different story for Xu Mo and Da Niu. They were dragged through the brush like dead dogs, covered in mud and grass clippings, their faces etched with fine scratches from rocks and branches. Worse, the forest was teeming with insects. Xu Mo watched helplessly as a spider crawled into his nostril. It was both disgusting and agonizing. Just as he thought his situation couldn't get any worse, he glanced at the unconscious Da Niu and saw ants swarming over his face, crawling into his nose and mouth. Xu Mo gagged.

After half a day of torment, they finally emerged from the forest as the sky began to brighten. By the original route, it would have taken nearly two days to trek out, but fearing that Xiao Jingyao’s injuries might worsen, Lin Xiaodou had pushed forward, crossing a mountain to reach the neighboring county. By then, Xu Mo and Da Niu had passed out from the ordeal, and Zhu Qingqing was exhausted.

Seeing that Zhu Qingqing could no longer walk, Lin Xiaodou tied Xu Mo and Da Niu to a large tree at the foot of the mountain. "I’m taking Xiao Jingyao to the hospital, then I’ll bring the public security officers back for you. Can you stay here and keep watch?"

With their limbs broken, Xu Mo and Da Niu could do nothing but move their mouths, so there was no real danger. Her only concern was whether Zhu Qingqing would be too afraid to stay alone.

"I can do it," Zhu Qingqing nodded. "Go ahead, I will watch over them."

As soon as Lin Xiaodou left, Xu Mo, who had been feigning unconsciousness, woke up. He looked at Zhu Qingqing with a pitiful expression. "Sister... I'm in so much pain... can you please untie me?"

Hearing that familiar, gentle voice, Zhu Qingqing felt a sharp pang in her chest. Seeing her hesitate, Xu Mo’s eyes flashed as he continued to manipulate her. "Sister... I'm sorry. I was forced into it before. I didn't want to treat you that way. Will you forgive me?"

"Really?" Zhu Qingqing’s gaze turned vacant. She parted her lips. "So you still love me, right?"

A flicker of fleeting disdain crossed Xu Mo’s eyes, but he nodded. "Of course. You’ve been so good to me, of course I love you."

"You know I was good to you..." Zhu Qingqing suddenly laughed. "I was so good to you, yet you were so cruel to me."

Xu Mo hurriedly explained, "Sister, I didn't mean to..."

"Shut up! Don't call me sister; you disgust me!"

Zhu Qingqing snatched a large rock from the ground and smashed it viciously against his face. "You bastard! You animal! I hate you! I hate you!"

Her eyes flashing with madness, she swung her arm repeatedly. The sharp stone struck Xu Mo's face again and again, drawing blood. "I was blind to fall for this face of yours. Now I’ll ruin it, and see how you seduce anyone ever again!"

"Ah! Stop! Stop it!" Xu Mo shouted, struggling desperately with fury in his eyes. But Zhu Qingqing, lost in her madness, did not stop. She only regained her senses after she had smashed his handsome face into a bloody pulp and knocked him unconscious.

Looking at the face she had once been obsessed with, now so hideous, Zhu Qingqing laughed toward the heavens. "Haha, haha, I’m such a fool! Such a fool!"

If she hadn't been so arrogant, she wouldn't have ended up here. She was filled with regret—regret for not listening to her family, regret for not seeing Xu Mo’s true colors sooner.

...

Elsewhere, Lin Xiaodou was rushing to the hospital with Xiao Jingyao. Xiao Jingyao’s face was deathly pale; he had fallen into a coma from blood loss. As soon as she reached the hospital entrance, Lin Xiaodou shouted for help. "Doctor! Someone help! A comrade has been shot, please save him!"

Two nurses immediately rushed over with a gurney. "Quick, put him on, we’re taking him to surgery!"

After the doctor entered the operating room, Lin Xiaodou explained to the nurse, "Xiao Jingyao and I are employees at the pig farm in the neighboring county. We were attacked. I need to report this to the police. Please call Director Hu at the pig farm and explain the situation; I will bring the police over later."

She didn't fully trust Zhu Qingqing to guard the others alone. After all, these people were linked to enemy agents and could not be allowed to escape.

Lin Xiaodou quickly ran to the police station. Upon hearing her report, the officers were shocked and immediately arranged for a team to head out. When they arrived at the foot of the mountain and saw Xu Mo’s blood-covered face, Lin Xiaodou guessed it was Zhu Qingqing's doing, but she said nothing. She turned to the police and said, "There are two more suspects in the cave. Let Zhu Qingqing lead you."

She had too much to do and no time to guide them. Zhu Qingqing pursed her lips, wanting to refuse, but stopped herself. Being linked to enemy agents meant she was essentially a criminal. If she helped catch them now, perhaps her sentence would be lighter. With that thought, she became very proactive.

Soon, under her guidance, the two men knocked out in the cave were found. Seeing that their limbs were all broken, an officer couldn't help but ask, "Did that comrade named Lin Xiaodou do this to them too?"

From the moment Lin Xiaodou reported the enemy agents to the moment they arrived to witness the aftermath, they found it hard to believe. How could a young woman take down several grown men by herself? And the state of these men was truly gruesome.

Zhu Qingqing nodded. "It was her. She is incredibly strong."

Zhu Qingqing felt a lingering fear. She had provoked Lin Xiaodou many times before, only to be beaten up. If she had been subjected to the brutal torture she witnessed today, she doubted she would have lived to see another day. Lin Xiaodou had clearly gone easy on her. She never expected that Lin Xiaodou would set aside their past grievances and risk her life to save her.

Zhu Qingqing’s heart was filled with complex, indescribable emotions. A wave of remorse washed over her, refusing to fade.

(Lin Xiaodou: I came to save you? Sorry, you're mistaken.)