Ding Renfeng slung his work uniform over his shoulder and sauntered over, eyeing the foreman as he said, "Liu Tuzi, you called for me?"
The foreman cleared his throat. "Uh, nicknames don’t need to be said to someone’s face. There’s someone outside looking for you."
Ding Renfeng frowned in confusion.
Just then, a clear, bright voice sounded from behind.
"Hey, what’s-his-name Feng, long time no see." An Yi waved as he spoke.
The moment he saw An Yi, Ding Renfeng froze, his eyes welling up with tears. "Yi-ge! What brings you here?"
An Yi was baffled.
Why was this guy—what was his name again?—so emotional?
And why the hell was he crying?
Ding Renfeng bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Brothers! Yi-ge is here! Gather up!"
At his words, the gang of hoodlums swiftly assembled.
An Yi was even more bewildered as he watched the ragtag group form up. "Why are there so few of you left?"
Compared to before, their numbers had dwindled by more than half.
Now, there were only about twenty of them.
"It’s a long story," Ding Renfeng sighed, shaking his head before recounting the tale.
After the incident at the underground boxing ring, Ding Renfeng’s gang had split.
Ding Renfeng no longer wanted to live a life of crime and aimed to go straight. But half the group preferred the old days under Long-ge—life had been comfortable back then.
Now, not only had their standard of living plummeted, but they couldn’t even indulge in their usual vices!
No more gleaming silver, no more fair-skinned girls—what was the point of sticking with Ding Renfeng?
So, one faction left, while the other wandered aimlessly with Ding Renfeng.
Lately, things had gotten so tough that they’d taken up odd jobs at this construction site just to scrape by.
"This must be Yi-sao, right? So beautiful—a perfect match for Yi-ge," Ding Renfeng said, eyeing Shen Muxuan beside An Yi.
Shen Muxuan quickly waved her hands. "No, no, not yet! Don’t say such things!"
An Yi cut straight to the point. "I came to ask for your help with something."
"Yi-ge, we’re family. Whatever you need, just say the word."
Ding Renfeng’s eyes gleamed as he thumped his chest earnestly.
This was his chance to prove his loyalty. If he did well, maybe An Yi would finally take them in as his own men.
"Ever heard of Zhou Jun?"
An Yi pulled out his phone and showed a photo. "He was a well-known hoodlum in Jiangbei City back in the day—probably ran in the same circles as you. No idea where he is now."
"Damn, Junzi!"
Ding Renfeng’s face lit up at the photo.
The other hoodlums, including Yaoji, crowded around. "It’s Junzi! It’s really him!"
An Yi was taken aback. "You know him?"
"That bastard’s one of our brothers! No one’s seen him in two years!"
Ding Renfeng’s eyes reddened as he stared at the picture.
Yaoji shook his head, his expression darkening. "Two years ago, we got into a fight with another gang. Junzi accidentally hurt someone bad and went on the run. No one’s heard from him since."
An Yi finally understood. "So that’s why Aunt Zhou never reported it to the police."
Zhou Jun was Aunt Zhou’s son.
Recently, An Yi had discovered that Aunt Zhou secretly visited a certain place every month.
She’d been so discreet about it that he wouldn’t have noticed if she hadn’t been injured lately.
Aunt Zhou had saved his life and let him live with her for a year without asking for anything in return. If he could help her now, he wouldn’t hesitate.
"What about this guy? Do you recognize him?"
An Yi pulled up another photo—one of the two men who’d abducted Aunt Zhou in the surveillance footage.
Ding Renfeng’s expression turned odd. "Actually, yeah. But Yi-ge… are you sure you want to mess with him?"
"Mmph! Mmph!"
A beautiful girl with short black hair, her hands and feet bound and her mouth taped shut, was dragged into the hall by a burly woman.
"Let Mama Liu take a look. How’s this one?"
A woman covered in tattoos, her appearance plain but her aura sinister, puffed on a cigarette and grinned.
The man glanced at the girl on the floor—and couldn’t look away. His eyes gleamed with greed. "This quality… unbelievable. A total knockout! Wild Rose, where’d you find her? She’s prettier than a damn celebrity."
"Found her on the roadside," Wild Rose said with a smirk.
The man licked his lips. "Name your price. For a girl like this, Mama Liu would pay anything."
"I want 500,000."
Wild Rose exhaled a smoke ring, her lips curling.
The man’s face fell. "500,000? Are you insane?"
"If you don’t want her, I’ll find another buyer," Wild Rose taunted.
"Fine. I’ll ask Mama Liu."
The man gritted his teeth, his eyes locked on the bound girl.
After years in this business, he knew a girl like this was a goldmine.
500,000 was steep, but the profits would be even greater.
The other burly woman beside Wild Rose bit her lip but didn’t dare speak.
The girl on the floor was Nie Qinglan.
Terror filled her eyes as she struggled uselessly against her restraints.
Wild Rose wasn’t some ordinary thug.
After An Yi had abandoned her in the suburbs, Brother Bao and his men had picked her up and brought her back to the city.
But this woman had intercepted their car, beaten Brother Bao and his crew senseless, and kidnapped her in broad daylight.
The sheer audacity!
Soon, the plump figure of Mama Liu waddled into the lobby.
"Oh my heavens! This little treasure is exquisite!"
Mama Liu scurried over, caressing Nie Qinglan’s face. "Tsk tsk, such smooth, delicate skin. Who did your makeup? This ugly smoky eye is a crime! And this nose ring—what, are you a bull? It’s not even pierced, just clipped on. Ridiculous!"
"So, Mama Liu, how’s the merchandise?" Wild Rose asked sweetly.
Mama Liu coughed, forcing a stern expression. "It’ll do. What’s your price?"
A good businesswoman never showed her excitement—otherwise, the seller would jack up the price.
She’d already broken that rule.
Wild Rose smirked. "500,000. Not a penny less."
Mama Liu hesitated, then clenched her jaw. "Deal!"
She motioned for the man to fetch the money.
For a girl like this, 500,000 was painful but still a bargain.
The muscular woman beside Wild Rose whispered nervously, "Rose-jie, this is Boss Nie’s daughter. Are you sure—"
"Such a perfect opportunity—how could I resist? I’d love to see how Boss Nie reacts when his precious girl gets ruined in a place like this."
Wild Rose’s grin turned venomous.
This bathhouse wasn’t just any establishment—its backers were shady as hell.
If Nie Qinglan got defiled here, Boss Nie would lose his mind.
Then, they could sit back and watch two hated factions tear each other apart.
What a beautiful sight that would be.
Meanwhile, unnoticed by anyone, a tall, lean figure quietly pressed against the window, peering into the hall.
"Nie Qinglan? What the hell is she doing here, tied up like that?"

orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"

't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.

s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."

th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"