Free Web NovelChapter 310: Chapter 310: Help Me
Lu Zhijie didn’t treat her the way Ling Zhen had thought he would. Instead, his attitude completely changed.
He was repulsed by her, calling her "unclean" for what she had been through. He became unwilling to even touch her hand and promptly called off their engagement.
The blow to Ling Zhen was immense, as one might imagine. This was her fiancé, the man she’d known since childhood!
Ling Zhen hadn’t cried while in the clutches of that terrifying murderer; she had endured the ordeal. But Lu Zhijie’s words and his reaction brought her to tears, nearly breaking her.
Scorned as "unclean" and with her engagement broken, Ling Zhen attempted suicide several times.
She had once been such a strong and cheerful person, yet she almost died of heartbreak because of Lu Zhijie—all because he had treated her so well before.
Ling Zhen finally began to pull herself together when she heard about another case—two bodies had been discovered, victims of a similar fate.
Ling Zhen hadn’t gone to the police initially, but because of Lu Zhijie’s actions, the story of what happened to her spread anyway.
Braving the stares of everyone around her, she stepped forward, determined to prevent more people from suffering the same tragedy.
Ling Zhen went to the police, reported the incident, and cooperated with them, finally helping to bring the perpetrator to justice.
In that day and age, it was practically unheard of for someone like Ling Zhen to step forward so bravely.
Regardless of what anyone else said, Yu Zhengqing, who had begun working with Ling Zhen around that time, always stood by her side, supporting her.
Yu Zhengqing’s heart ached for Ling Zhen, and he was filled with hatred for what had happened to her. He did everything he could to help and care for her.
As he watched over her day after day, seeing her remain so strong despite her pain, Yu Zhengqing found he couldn’t look away.
He didn’t know when his feelings had transformed, but by the time he realized what was happening, Yu Zhengqing was already deeply in love with his senior colleague, a woman three years his elder.
After the perpetrator was caught, it took Ling Zhen a long time to walk out of the shadow of her trauma and see Lu Zhijie for the person he truly was.
It was only much later that she finally realized the way her junior colleague was looking at her had changed.
In her past life, by the time Yu Zhengqing saved Su Li, Ling Zhen had already overcome the most difficult period of her life.
Yu Zhengqing was earnestly pursuing Ling Zhen, but after everything she had been through, how could she possibly say yes?
Yu Zhengqing pursued her for four straight years, and after all that time, he finally won her heart.
Ling Zhen gathered all her courage and finally accepted him.
After so many trials and tribulations, their bitter days were finally over.
In this life, Su Li hoped to help Ling Zhen avoid the tragedy that would alter the course of her life. She wanted Ling Zhen and Yu Zhengqing to get together sooner, sparing them some of their suffering.
Now, as the date of Ling Zhen’s incident drew near, Su Li knew she couldn’t just stand by and watch.
Several days beforehand, Su Li set everything else aside, focusing solely on Ling Zhen.
She contacted Ling Zhen and said she wanted to shadow her at work to "get used to the routine early."
Su Li practically became Ling Zhen’s shadow, dragging Yu Zhengqing—who often worked overtime as well—along to escort Ling Zhen home every single day.
This went on for a whole week. Just as Ling Zhen herself was starting to get suspicious of Su Li’s behavior, the week passed without incident.
Presumably, because they were escorting her, nothing happened to Ling Zhen.
After that, Ling Zhen went on leave to focus on her wedding preparations. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Having seen through Lu Zhijie’s true character in her past life, Su Li desperately wanted Ling Zhen to dump the scumbag and call off the wedding.
But she knew she couldn’t do that.
’They’d think I’m crazy... But even if Sister Ling Zhen insists on marrying that scumbag, I can’t let her go through that!’
Su Li wracked her brain for days but couldn’t think of a plan, so she eventually had to give up on that idea.
「A few days passed, and soon it was the eve of the wedding.」
Although the main ceremony was still a day away, both families’ homes were already bustling with people making preparations.
In rural areas, this was known as ’butchering day,’ as the pig for the feast would be prepared a day in advance.
On that very night, after dinner, Su Li started to feel antsy. An inexplicable restlessness washed over her, along with a sense of panic, as if something terrible was about to happen.
Su Li paced around, agitated, until after nine o’clock. Suddenly, she thought of Ling Zhen and couldn’t stop herself from calling her.
But she couldn’t get ahold of Ling Zhen.
"Ling Zhen got a call from the TV station about something urgent, so she went over."
"What?" Su Li’s heart sank the moment she heard that.
She finally understood the source of her panic.
Su Li hung up and tried to contact Yu Zhengqing as fast as she could, but she couldn’t reach him at all.
Su Li said a quick word to Little Tang Mo, grabbed her bag, and was about to rush out, but she suddenly turned back at the door.
She went into the kitchen, gritted her teeth, and put a fruit knife and a hammer into her bag.
Su Li rushed to the TV station as fast as she could, but Ling Zhen had just left.
Su Li raced along the route Ling Zhen would take home.
And then, in the exact spot where the attack had happened in her past life, she heard Ling Zhen cry for help.
To get from the TV station to Ling Zhen’s home, one had to pass a stretch of abandoned factories. The area was slated for redevelopment, but construction hadn’t started yet.
This area was basically deserted at night, which was why the perpetrator had chosen this spot.
"Help—" Ling Zhen’s cry was cut off after only a couple of sounds, replaced by muffled sobs, as if her mouth had been covered.
The hair on Su Li’s arms stood on end. A vicious glint flashed in her eyes as she sprinted toward the sound, pulling the hammer from her bag.
Turning a corner, Su Li saw it.
A bald man was robbing Ling Zhen, but as he searched her, his intentions turned vile...
A murderous glint flashed in Su Li’s eyes as she stealthily and swiftly closed the distance.
Before the bald man sensed the abnormality and turned, Su Li swung the hammer at his head with all her might.
Su Li struck him hard, twice in quick succession. The bald man slowly collapsed, blood pouring from the gash on his head.
Seeing that he wasn’t moving, Su Li finally looked at Ling Zhen.
Ling Zhen’s hands were tied with a rope and secured above her head, and her feet were also bound.
Her outer coat was off, and her sweater underneath had been pulled up to her neck.
There was blood at the corner of Ling Zhen’s mouth, a clear handprint on her face, and her own scarf was stuffed in her mouth. The terror and hatred on her face had not yet faded as she stared at Su Li in utter shock.
Su Li took in the scene and let out a shuddering sigh of relief, her body trembling with residual fear.
"Thank god... thank god..."
’Thank god I made it in time.’
She rushed forward to pull the scarf from Ling Zhen’s mouth. Then, she untied the ropes and, with trembling hands, pulled Ling Zhen’s sweater back down.
"Su Li..." It took Ling Zhen a long moment to find her voice.
It was as if she had fallen into hell, only to be pulled back by Su Li.
Just as Su Li was about to speak, she heard a noise.
The bald man, who had been knocked unconscious, suddenly stirred and opened his eyes.
Su Li’s expression changed dramatically. She yanked Ling Zhen to her feet. "Run!"
’Su Li didn’t have the guts to kill anyone—even injuring him had been terrifying—but this man was a murderer!’
’In her past life, if Ling Zhen hadn’t been the one to escape, he would have gone on to kill three people!’
Su Li pulled Ling Zhen into a sprint, not forgetting to scoop up the hammer from the ground as she went.
’She couldn’t let it become a weapon in his hands.’
Su Li pulled Ling Zhen and charged out at top speed. A glance back revealed that the bald man had already gotten to his feet and was chasing after them.
This was a run for their lives.
Su Li pulled Ling Zhen, running forward as fast as she could toward a more crowded area, shouting all the way.
"Help, help!" ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
The bald man behind them saw things weren’t going his way. A murderous glint flashed in his eyes as he broke into a long-strided pursuit.
’He had to take care of these two! Otherwise, he was done for!’
Everyone was running for their life, pushing themselves to their absolute limit.
In the quiet night, under the dim streetlights, Su Li could hear the bald man’s ragged breathing and heavy footsteps behind her.
The path wasn’t long, but the journey was absolutely terrifying.
