Chapter 32 This Step is Rather Harsh
"Auntie, please don't kill my mom! My mom knows she was wrong! She really does! She won't dare do it again! Waaa!"
Song Xiaofei, clutching Jiang Yan's leg tightly with both hands, cried out with tears and snot "streaming" down, his small face lifted towards Jiang Yan as he wept hysterically.
He appeared to be about five or six years old, his chubby round face flushed red from the heat and a slight fever.
Song Xiaofei didn't understand the grievances and disputes of adults.
But whenever he did something wrong at home and was about to get a beating, he'd resort to saying things like this.
Then his mother would soften, and her hand would be much lighter.
He believed the auntie in front of him would probably be the same as his mom.
"I, I won't dare again, I beg you to spare me once..." Zhang Qiqi's face was pale, her body trembling as she spoke in a stammering voice, mimicking her son's plea.
She no longer dared to address Jiang Yan as a sister, fearing that any careless words might provoke her further.
Provoking a mad woman, there's no good outcome.
Just like how the whole incident was actually led by He Chunmei, yet the person who unfortunately ended up on the firing line was herself.
Moreover, even though the other party was wearing sunglasses, she could still sense endless rage and hatred from her tone and breathing.
About this, she was utterly baffled.
It was as though something was flickering in front of her, but right now her mind was too hot and scared, muddled as if filled with sticky paste.
Jiang Yan ignored their pleading cries.
She gripped the electric saw in her hand, her gaze distant as she looked at Zhang Qiqi, her thumb rubbing back and forth over the power switch.
After glancing at several surveillance cameras installed by the property management at a higher angle, she suddenly lifted the chain of the electric saw from Zhang Qiqi's shoulder.
Just as Zhang Qiqi and He Chunmei let out a sigh of relief, they saw the electric saw "buzzing" to life again with a deafening roar.
Under the astonished and frightened gazes of the three, Jiang Yan lifted the saw, swirling a fierce wind, and swiftly sliced toward the side of Zhang Qiqi's head.
"Oh God!!" He Chunmei's eyes widened as she covered her mouth tightly with her hands.
Despite her fright, she did not choose to turn and flee back home.
It was a society governed by law.
She believed that no matter how mad or angry Jiang Yan was, she wouldn't just kill someone in broad daylight.
To kill a thousand enemies and harm oneself by eight hundred—that would be a fool's act.
The young girl's behavior was a bit crazy, but she should know what's trivial and what's important.
"Aaaaah!!!" Meanwhile, Zhang Qiqi clenched her eyes shut and her lips tight, screaming wildly as large beads of sweat "pattered" down her forehead.
She had been so scared that she couldn't move, and her calves were shaking violently.
"Mom!!" Song Xiaofei let go of Jiang Yan's leg and ran tear-faced towards Zhang Qiqi.
Contrary to his expectations, his mother's head wasn't "relocated."
Jiang Yan's electric saw stopped less than 0.01 centimeters from Zhang Qiqi's ear.
But the wine-colored long hair on the right side of her head was still chopped off halfway by the high-speed rotating saw.
Thick strands of hair floated in the hot air for a moment before slowly scattering on the ground.
"Snap!"
Jiang Yan turned off the saw, glanced at Song Xiaofei, the murderous look in her eyes finally settling on Zhang Qiqi's face, then she said coldly, word by word,
"Consider this a lesson for today. If we meet again, you won't be so lucky!!"
After speaking, she forcefully squeezed out a word through her teeth that pierced the air:
"Get lost!!"
Be it settling personal vendettas or making an example out of someone, today's purpose had been temporarily achieved.
As for Zhang Qiqi's life, it could be spared for the time being.
If she wasn't mistaken, in no more than ten to fifteen days, with the arrival of extreme temperatures, social order would definitely collapse.
Then, how she wanted her to die would be her decision to make.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Qiqi didn't dare say a word.
With weak legs and a powerless body, she hunched over, grabbed Song Xiaofei's hand, and sprinted towards the staircase.
With such high temperatures, running a few steps would leave a person gasping, but she had no choice but to bite the bullet and endure.
After dealing with Zhang Qiqi, Jiang Yan's gaze swiftly turned towards He Chunmei, the instigator behind everything.
He Chunmei didn't expect everything to end so quickly.
She glancefrightfully at the pile of cut hair on the ground, her heart beating wildly in her chest.
Just as Jiang Yan was about to lift the electric saw, the door of apartment 3203 creaked open, with Zhou Guangfu stepping out, a frantic look on his furrowed face.
"Come back quick, honey; Dad is in bad shape!!!"
Upon hearing this, He Chunmei gave Jiang Yan an awkward smile and said, "Sister, I'll make up for my wrong to you another day," then sprinted off as fast as her legs could carry her.
The old man was the evergreen tree that made money for the household—they couldn't afford to lose him on a whim.
He Chunmei slipped back into the house in an instant, but Zhou Guangfu stood at the door, not entering.
His face grave, he glanced at Jiang Yan and awkwardly said, "You have my apologies, little sister; my wife, she—"
He stopped mid-sentence, unable to continue as if the words stuck in his throat.
Jiang Yan looked at him calmly and without saying a word, carried the saw back to her own apartment 3201.
Clearly, Zhou Guangfu had merely found an excuse to save He Chunmei's face.
But this way out was quite ruthless.
After all, it was made at the expense of his own father.
Zhou Guangfu watched her retreating figure, shook his head with a heavy sigh, then turned back into his home.
As soon as he entered, he saw He Chunmei standing with her arms crossed and an angry look on her face:
"Zhou Guangfu, you've really grown some guts! Lying to me without even blinking an eye!"
At this moment, Zhou Guangfu's father was stooped over, fetching several bottles of ice water that had just frozen in the fridge for his grandson.
"Wife, you should be grateful that I saved you. You know how heavy that electric saw in that girl's hand is? At least eight kilograms! She was holding it up effortlessly with one hand, and for quite a while.
That saw almost cut into someone just now, but she controlled it with ease, as if it was nothing.
What does that tell us? It tells us we can't afford to provoke this person! From now on, let's not mess with her anymore!" Zhou Guangfu looked at her with righteous indignation, his face serious.
"..."
Seeing her husband's sudden departure from his usual timid and yielding ways, He Chunmei couldn't help but feel stunned.
*
Apartment 3201.
Jiang Yan entered the room and casually turned on the anti-intrusion program of the smart home system.
Because of the home's insulation materials, the temperature inside was actually a few degrees lower than outside.
Although it was still stuffy, the temperature difference made her face, exposed to the air, feel instantly cooler.
She put down the saw, took off her sunglasses, and, after removing her insulating clothes and shoes, turned on the air conditioning to 30 degrees Celsius. She then collapsed onto the soft sofa.
She was tired.
Extraordinarily tired.
She'd been running around all day like she was in a battle, and when she got back, she performed a "one vs. many" scene.
Saying she wasn't tired was not an option.