The leader grabbed Quan Jiu by the hair, forcing her to kneel and tilt her head up.
Shen Lu swaggered triumphantly before Quan Jiu.
However, upon seeing her face, triumph turned to hatred. She had never seen this bitch’s face so close before. Up close, it was flawless, truly infuriating.
She roughly seized Quan Jiu’s jaw, a ferocious smile twisting her features. “Do you remember me?”
Quan Jiu’s tears streamed down her face. Shaking her head, she cried, “I have never offended you. Why are you doing this to me?”
Shen Lu’s face contorted with rage. She slapped Quan Jiu hard across her beautiful face. “How dare you forget me? Then look closely, because after today, my name, Shen Lu, will become your lifelong nightmare.”
Quan Jiu’s face was slapped askew, but a subtle, cold smile touched her lips. Turning her head back, she feigned terror. “What do you want?”
“What do I want?” Shen Lu laughed heartily. “That’s a good question. Don’t rush, I’ll tell you slowly: What-I-want.”
Her eyes suddenly hardened. She gave the leader a look, and he waved his hand, shouting, “Attack.” Ten burly thugs surrounded Quan Jiu.
These men were seasoned fighters, knowing exactly where to strike to maim or cripple. They deliberately targeted those areas.
Quan Jiu screamed and scrambled frantically, but her movements were subtly organized. Each time, she narrowly avoided the deadly blows of the clubs, though to the naked eye, it seemed the clubs had struck her.
Shen Lu stood with her arms crossed, watching like it was the most thrilling play. She even had a stool brought over, sat down, and sipped coffee, occasionally issuing commands.
After about ten minutes of this exchange, Quan Jiu stumbled and fell. The thugs seized the opportunity, raising their clubs and striking her body in unison with all their might.
“Damn bitch, you’re quite fast. Where do you think you’re running now?” The leader raised his club high and swung it down towards Quan Jiu’s head.
Shen Lu smiled and reminded them, “Don’t knock her out. It’ll be no fun to disfigure her face later. I want her conscious, to watch her own face become a mess, helpless.”
But before her words fell, and in a flash, Quan Jiu’s right leg powerfully kicked out, striking the leader precisely in the groin.
“Ah…” A heart-wrenching scream echoed through the street, followed by a series of pained cries.
Shen Lu, who had been enjoying the spectacle, stood up in anger and disbelief as the thugs clutched their groins and retreated in agony. “What are you retreating for? Grab her.” She then pulled a sharp fruit knife from her bag and strode forward.
However, before she could get close, the situation on the ground shifted.
Quan Jiu, who had been cowering and begging for mercy, suddenly sprang up like a roused wolf. She grabbed a club and swung it at the outer thigh of the leader, who was still screaming in pain.
The blow wouldn’t break bone, but it was certainly painful.
The leader, not yet fully recovering from the initial pain, gasped again and fell to the ground. The sheer agony and suddenness prevented him from even processing the reversal of fortune.
The others fared no better. Quan Jiu, wielding the club like a war god, with fierce determination and fighting skills, sent the group scattering in disarray.
Shen Lu stared, stunned by this transformation. She hadn’t expected this bitch to know martial arts.
Seeing her hired thugs flee in disarray, Shen Lu seethed with anger and hatred. “You useless cowards, good for nothing! Fight back! Beat her to death, beat her hard!”
The thugs were now completely outmatched. A few attempted to retaliate, but before they could even get close, they were intimidated by a club to the face, dropping their weapons. Some even fled back to their cars.
It was terrifying. How could this woman, beautiful as a vase, be so formidable?
The leader, having some pride left, endured the pain and resisted. But if the group couldn’t handle her, how could he alone? After only a few exchanges, he dropped his club, shouted “Retreat,” and shamefully scrambled back to his car. With a roar of the engine, the vehicles quickly vanished into the darkness.
“Forget the rest of the payment.”
Only this parting phrase echoed in the air.
Shen Lu watched her thugs leave, her heart filled with hatred and fear. Clutching her knife, she pointed it at Quan Jiu, her voice trembling but fierce. “Bitch, I’m in a good mood today. Get lost quickly, or I won’t be polite.”
Quan Jiu’s lips curled into a cold smile. She spun the club in her hand and slowly walked towards Shen Lu.
Shen Lu retreated step by step, fear evident. She held the knife defensively, uttering hollow threats. “Don’t come any closer! What do you want?”
Quan Jiu’s smile widened. She idly tapped the club against her hand. “That’s a good question. Don’t rush, I’ll tell you slowly: What-I-want.”
Shen Lu’s legs trembled, making it difficult to stand. Yet, she continued to bluster, “I am the daughter of the Shen Group. You, a powerless bitch, if you hurt me, the Shen family will never let you go.”
“Oh?” Quan Jiu chuckled. In the deep night, she looked beautiful and alluring, yet dangerous. “You have the Shen family backing you. Honestly, I envy you. I envy you having a complete family, parents to support you. Unlike me, I’ve had to rely on myself my entire life.”
She was less than two meters away from Shen Lu, who could clearly see her expression.
Madness.
Malice.
Shen Lu’s high-heeled foot twisted, and she fell to the ground with a thud. The knife dropped. She scrambled to pick it up, but a foot stepped on the handle a moment before her.
Quan Jiu slowly took a snow-white rubber glove from her pocket, put it on her right hand, and then bent down to pick up the fallen knife.
She crouched down, meeting Shen Lu’s terrified gaze. Her face was smiling, but her eyes were cold.
“So people like me have many faces. To put it simply, we say what people want to hear, and speak to ghosts as ghosts.”
Her brow furrowed slightly. She grabbed Shen Lu by the hair, forcing her to face her, and said with a smile, word by word, “And I never considered myself a kind person.”
With a swift, precise, and vicious motion, the sharp knife sliced across Shen Lu’s right cheek, from the cheekbone to the jaw, a cut nearly ten centimeters long.
Perhaps it was the speed, or perhaps the pain nerves hadn’t registered yet, but Shen Lu stared blankly at Quan Jiu. It wasn’t until blood trickled down her cheek that she felt a piercing, bone-chilling pain.
“Ah…”
Another scream pierced the darkness of the street.
Shen Lu clutched her face in horror. The burning pain was so intense it eclipsed her hatred. She could only cry out, “My face, my face!”
Quan Jiu stepped back, avoiding the blood.
She tilted her head slightly, her expression as innocent as a child’s. “I’m a bit of a perfectionist. For symmetrical beauty, should I make a cut on your left cheek as well?”
“No… no… I beg you, don’t hurt me.” Shen Lu was terrified. She had completely forgotten her previous arrogance. The woman before her was like a flesh-eating demon. She dared not provoke her further.
Quan Jiu smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, my technique is very precise. I’ll make the left side as beautiful as the right, from your cheekbone all the way to your jaw, perfectly symmetrical. That way, you’ll still look good when you go out, won’t you?”
“Madwoman, you’re a madwoman!” Shen Lu cried, clutching her face and kicking her legs as she retreated on the ground.