Lin Shang was drenched all over. The moisture added a weight to his already weary form, yet he could bear the burden of dancing on death’s doorstep. The only issue was the bullet in his abdomen, which caused him excruciating pain.
He knew he had to find a place to remove the bullet first, for if he continued bleeding, he might die from the blood loss.
Having plunged into the dense woods, Lin Shang waited at the spot for quite a while, around ten minutes. When no one seemed to follow him, he continued on his way.
As Lin Shang ran, he eventually spotted a house ahead of him, which looked like it belonged to a farmer.
He sprinted towards it and vaulted into a storage room on the second floor of the house.
Once inside, Lin Shang leaned against the wall and sat down. The floor was already stained with blood.
He tore open his clothes; his abdomen was practically covered in fresh blood, a bullet hole oozing dark blood, looking horrifyingly gruesome.
Lin Shang gritted his teeth and pulled a small knife from the sheath on his calf. He glanced around the storage room, spotted a stick, took it into his mouth, and began the bullet extraction.
Without anesthesia or any anesthetic supplies, Lin Shang proceeded to remove the bullet.
It was a profoundly painful process, lasting until it was dark outside. When Lin Shang, amid severe agony, finally extracted the bullet, he sighed deeply.
Then, Lin Shang pried open the bullet casing and poured the gunpowder onto the wound.
Instantly, Lin Shang nearly went mad, his body convulsing uncontrollably like one afflicted by eclampsia.
The gunpowder on his wound was indescribably painful; Lin Shang was in so much agony that his complexion turned as pale as a ghost.
Finally, Lin Shang let out another deep breath as the intense pain in his lower abdomen gradually subsided.
Lin Shang struggled to fish a cigarette from his pocket. He generally disliked smoking, but now, he found he really needed it.
Lighting a cigarette, Lin Shang let the smoke circulate in his lungs before exhaling, then he smiled bitterly.
In a voice only he could hear, Lin Shang muttered, "Damn it, Fang Yi, you bastard. I’ve blocked so many enemies for you this time; if you don’t reward me, I’m not letting this go!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the storage room suddenly opened, and a little girl in a white dress appeared in Lin Shang’s line of sight.
The atmosphere turned eerily silent, deathly still. The little girl, holding a crudely made wooden horse, stared at Lin Shang with wide, bewildered eyes as she began to step back.
In a desperate spur of the moment, Lin Shang swiftly held the knife to his own neck, causing the little girl to hesitate; then, surprisingly, she approached.
"What’s your name?" the little girl asked crisply, speaking in Thai.
Lin Shang, not understanding Thai, shook his head and shrugged, indicating he did not know.
Regardless of his response, the girl continued in Thai, "My name is Cherry Kabba. You can call me Little Cherry because that’s what Mom calls me..."
The girl had a lot to say, and once she started, the sentences just kept coming. Listening to her, Lin Shang eventually began to doze off.
A new day dawned, and Fang Yi arrived at the company, where Zhou Peilan had been waiting for a long time. Seeing Fang Yi arrive, she came over with a cup of hot coffee.
"Of course it’s for you." Zhou Peilan handed over the coffee, then turned around to glance around the area. Seeing no one, she reached out to straighten Fang Yi’s collar.
The feeling of being cared for caused Fang Yi to pause, then he saw Zhou Peilan smile and ask, "What’s up?"
Fang Yi stared at her, saying, "You are the second person to fix my collar."
"The first one was Mr. Shen, right?" Zhou Peilan quickly asked.
Actually, Zhou Peilan wasn’t foolish, she just pretended not to care on a daily basis. Fang Yi was very close to Shen Binan, how could she not see it, but she had never pointed it out.
However, when it came to certain topics, like the one just now, Zhou Peilan couldn’t help but bring Shen Binan into the conversation.
Yet Fang Yi shook his head and smiled, "No, it was my foster father."
Fang Yi sighed and said, "An old geezer."
Zhou Peilan was very sensible and didn’t continue to ask.
Zhou Peilan already had a lady’s bag on her back and was holding a briefcase, she said, "Have you had breakfast yet, or do you want to go out to eat?"
Fang Yi glanced at her, puzzled, "Why, are you going out?"