Chapter 3: I guarantee he will surely die!

On the way back.

Everyone in the car lowered their heads silently, saying nothing.

"Brother!"

Wang Lan suddenly spoke up: "How about I go myself?"

"Where to?"

Li Jiaci raised an eyebrow.

"Wildfire."

"I'll go and take care of Zhao Pangzi myself!"

"I'm young; even if I'm caught, they won't give me the death penalty."

Wang Lan cracked a smile and said: "Exchanging a dozen years of my life for Zhao Pangzi's is worth it."

"No way!"

Before Li Jiaci could speak, Li Yihu said: "Even if Zhao Pangzi is useless, he still has several thugs around him—going alone isn't that just delivering yourself as a meal?"

"Exactly."

Zhao Chen also said: "The older brothers are still around; even if we drew lots for life and death, it wouldn't be your turn!"

"What should we do then?"

"Whenever I close my eyes now, I can see the scene of Brother Zhang hanging from a tree."

Wang Lan gritted her molars and said: "But what about Zhao Pangzi? He still enjoys himself every day, flanked by lovers, living carefree—I, I'm not willing to accept that."

After saying that,

The car fell silent again.

Who else present doesn't want Zhao Pangzi dead?

Zhang Shiqiang died miserably; who could bear to see his enemy living each day in carefree ease?

They want Zhao Pangzi dead.

Li Jiaci wants it too—even more than they do.

After all, in his previous life he lost almost everything overnight because of this person.

Even after being reborn, he will not let this person go.

But this time, he won't foolishly do it himself.

Li Jiaci glanced at the few of them and said: "Rest assured, in as little as three days or as long as half a month, you'll see news of Zhao Pangzi dying in the streets."

Those present looked at each other, seeing the two characters of puzzlement in each other's eyes.

"Brother, what do you mean by that?"

Liu Jiang probed: "Could it be that you intend to go after Zhao Pangzi yourself?"

"If Little Lan going alone is suicide, then am I not?"

Li Jiaci glanced at him and asked: "In your eyes, is your brother really that stupid?"

Perhaps before enduring those hardships in his previous life, he really was an impulsive and foolish fellow.

But after going through those experiences, he had long since shaken off his earlier immaturity.

Now, although his body is only in its early twenties, it houses a soul that has weathered countless vicissitudes.

And there are many ways he could kill a person.

"Everyone, go back to sleep and rest easy—I'll handle the rest."

……

Soon after.

The car stopped in front of a red‑primered apartment building in Workers' Village.

After leaving the orphanage, the brothers spent a long time drifting without a home.

Only after meeting Zhang Shiqiang did they earn a little money through his help and manage to rent a place here.

In Li Jiaci's previous life, which wasn't very long, the thing he missed most was this place.

Carefree and relaxed, without so much scheming and intrigue.

Most importantly, his brothers were still by his side!

"Hey, brother!"

Zhang Chuqiang pointed at a room and said: "Why is your light on?"

"No need to say."

Li Yihu chuckled: "Definitely it's the sister‑in‑law who came."

"Or maybe our brother is just happy."

"To find such a good woman as a sister‑in‑law."

They chatted back and forth, but Li Jiaci remained silent.

Even the joy he felt in his heart from revisiting familiar ground vanished completely.

An indescribable chill rose from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head.

"Go back to sleep."

"When you wake up, come to my place—I have something to tell everyone."

After throwing that line at everyone, Li Jiaci strode straight into the building.

The people there didn't think much of it, exchanged a few words, and then each went back to their own residences.

……

He returned to his own doorstep, familiar with the route.

Li Jiaci could hear the chaotic ping-pong sounds from inside just by standing outside the door.

"Such a tiny, broken place."

"That damn bastard still managed to hide the money so tightly—damn him, really damn him..."

He heard those curses.

Li Jiaci slowly narrowed his eyes, then pulled out a key and opened the door.

The rooms here are all one-room units; just standing at the doorway lets you see everything inside.

At this very moment.

The room was in utter chaos.

The bedsheets and blankets were haphazardly bundled into a lump and thrown in the corner.

All drawers and cabinets were opened, and their contents were haphazardly thrown onto the floor.

The whole room now looked like a ruin after a storm's baptism.

And standing amidst the ruins was a person.

She appeared to be in her early twenties, tall and slender, with beautifully drawn features.

Wearing a pale yellow floral long dress, her graceful and outstanding temperament was further enhanced.

"Didn't I just say yesterday that schoolwork is piling up and I have no time to meet?"

Seeing that she hadn't noticed him yet, Li Jiaci spoke first: "Why did you come over so late at night to help me clean up the room?"

The woman was startled by his sudden words.

Upon seeing Li Jiaci,

Her expression shifted from shock to bewilderment, then to terror, changing continuously like a rainbow.

"You, you, you—how did you come back?"

"How?"

"Seeing me return, you're surprised?"

Li Jiaci looked at the woman still making probing motions and smiled.

"Exactly!"

"As you thought."

"I'm either already dead from a bullet, lying in some alley, or I've been caught by Maozi and am waiting to be shot."

Her name is Li Qinglan.

She was the only woman Li Jiaci had ever loved in his previous life.

Yet it was this woman who stabbed him ruthlessly in the back.

Because of her, he lost three brothers overnight and was forced onto that irreversible path.

Li Jiaci slowly approached Li Qinglan: "Betraying me, what did you gain? How much is my life worth in your eyes?"

Li Qinglan's father was a gambling addict.

And her mother disappeared after giving birth to her.

Before meeting Li Jiaci, she lived worse than a dog.

She had to earn tuition by scavenging trash for money, and what she ate depended entirely on what the nearby restaurants' kitchens threw out.

If she hadn't met Li Jiaci, she would have long ago starved to death somewhere unknown.

If Li Jiaci hadn't helped her raise tuition and dealt with her gambling father, how could she have studied in peace and become the renowned scholar of Pingzhou University?

Li Qinglan hurriedly stepped back two steps until she had nowhere to go and was pressed against the wall.

"Jia, Jiaci."

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

Li Qinglan's eyes darted: "When did I ever betray you? And, how could I possibly betray you..."