Chapter 0258

The Village Chief was no pushover either. Seeing Zhang Laifu act so aggressively, he immediately rallied the villagers to resist.

Thus, the two groups clashed in a violent brawl.

Zhang Laifu was brimming with confidence—with just over a dozen men, he subdued the few dozen hastily assembled villagers, leaving them thoroughly cowed.

"Tonight, I’ll be back. I can’t say whose house I’ll visit, so I hope you’ll cooperate. Wouldn’t want anyone to lose anything… or anyone," Zhang Laifu sneered arrogantly before leaving, his words laced with threat. The Village Chief gritted his teeth in fury.

But Zhang Laifu never expected what awaited him that night. When he returned to the village, hundreds of men, women, and children had gathered. They swiftly overpowered him and his men.

The others didn’t matter much—most were just injured. But if Zhang Laifu fell into the villagers’ hands, he’d be done for.

He knew it too.

People often spoke of rural folk as simple and kind, but when they turned fierce, no explanation was needed.

Zhang Laifu fought desperately to escape. Badly wounded, he fled along the shoreline, pursued by the mob. With no other choice, he leaped into the sea.

Dead.

A clean end.

Or so it seemed.

Miraculously, after who knows how long, Zhang Laifu washed ashore, unconscious.

That was when a woman saved him—Wang Dahua.

When Zhang Laifu opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was her, her hair tied in braids.

Wang Dahua nursed him with care, and over time, the two grew fond of each other.

"Dahua, if I ever make something of myself, you’ll be the one I’ll never betray," Zhang Laifu vowed.

Wang Dahua flushed, a mix of shyness and fear in her eyes.

"You… you should try being a good man from now on. My father hates you to the core."

That’s right—Wang Dahua was the Village Chief’s daughter.

"A good man?" Zhang Laifu’s gaze momentarily blanked.

Could he even be one?

Wang Dahua nodded.

"My father says you’re a villain. But if you change, he might forgive you."

For the next half-month, Wang Dahua secretly cared for Zhang Laifu in an abandoned, crumbling house—until the villagers discovered them.

That day, over a hundred men gathered in Wang Dahua’s courtyard, demanding Zhang Laifu be dragged out and beaten to death.

Truthfully, Zhang Laifu was terrified.

But he refused to let Wang Dahua take the fall. He stepped forward.

Just as the villagers prepared to strike, Wang Dahua threw herself in front of him.

"Touch him, and you’ll have to go through me first."

In that moment, Wang Dahua’s image crystallized in Zhang Laifu’s mind.

He’d always thought himself untouchable, a ruthless figure.

Now, he understood—real heroes weren’t defined by brute strength, but by something called courage.

To him, Wang Dahua was a superhero.

Slap!

The Village Chief struck his daughter across the face.

"Foolish girl! Do you even know what you’re doing? Did Zhang Laifu spare a thought for us when he terrorized this village?"

Tears welled in Zhang Laifu’s eyes. He couldn’t bear seeing the woman he loved hurt and was about to rush out, ready to face whatever punishment awaited him.

But before he could move, Wang Dahua screamed,

"Don’t mind me—RUN! If you don’t, I’ll kill myself right here!"

Shaken, Zhang Laifu had no choice but to leap out the back window.

Wang Dahua’s voice chased after him:

"Remember our promise… be a good man…"

Though he escaped through the back, villagers were lying in wait.

Luckily, his wounds had mostly healed, and his agility saved him. He slipped past the pursuers, but Wang Dahua was forcibly taken away.

After that, Zhang Laifu never dared return to Wang Family Village. Yet, his heart ached for her. Finally, he mustered the courage to write her a letter:

[Dahua, in the past, I had no choice. Now, I want to be a good man. Will you come with me?]

Tucked inside the envelope was a handful of wildflowers.

Wang Dahua replied:

[Yes. Meet me in three days. And remember—sometimes wildflowers shine brighter than diamonds.]

Bliss and anticipation consumed Zhang Laifu. He waited… and waited.

But after several "three days," Wang Dahua never appeared.

Unable to bear the uncertainty, he sneaked back into the village at dawn and found her.

Her expression was calm, yet beneath it swirled unspoken turmoil.

"Laifu, I’ll slip away tomorrow. You go buy the tickets—we’ll leave for the capital together, alright?"

Overjoyed, Zhang Laifu boarded the train to the capital. But at the last second, Wang Dahua pulled away.

"I never loved you. Just go…"

Pressing against the train window, Zhang Laifu watched her shrink into the distance, his eyes wide with disbelief.

He needed answers.

When he returned to the city half a year later, the truth shattered him.

Wang Dahua.

Dead.

The news struck like lightning.

He learned she’d been drowned in a pig cage by the villagers.

Rage consumed him. The Zhang Laifu of old was gone—this man was reborn.

He stormed back to the village with his men, ready to paint the streets red. But before he could act, Wang’s Mother appeared.

"Zhang Laifu, what do you think you’re doing?"

"Auntie, I’m here to avenge Dahua."

He couldn’t lay a hand on her—after all, she’d known about Wang Dahua sheltering him and never drove him out. He owed her that much.

"Come with me."

Inside the house, Zhang Laifu faced Wang Dahua’s parents. The Village Chief sighed and left.

"Dahua isn’t dead. Her brother saved her. We sent her away from the village, but we don’t know where she went."

Relief flooded Zhang Laifu—she was alive!

"Really? Then why… why didn’t she come to me?"

Wang’s Mother glared, her eyes burning with accusation.

"You brute! Why don’t you ask why she was thrown in that cage?"

Zhang Laifu froze.

Wang’s Mother continued, "It was because of you. After you left, Dahua got pregnant. When the village found out… such things are unforgivable here. They tied her up. Her father and I tried everything, but we couldn’t save her."

"At the last moment, her brother rescued her and made her leave."

Zhang Laifu’s voice trembled.

"And the… child?"

"Gone, surely. She was underwater for so long…"

Crushed, Zhang Laifu searched endlessly, but Wang Dahua’s trail had gone cold.