Chapter 28
When the car reached an exit in the highway, it swerved into a small lane that went in a different direction, towards the east of Zhong Hai, a new industrial area.
After she arrived at a section of the industrial area that was abandoned in the middle of construction, Lisa slowed down the car, and parked it on the soil ground by the side of the road. She took out a cigarette and quietly lit it up while leaning against the car, looking towards the oncoming car.
Not too far away, a black Honda Accord silently stopped, and a short while later, 4 men in boorish clothing got off. The 4 men were of different physiques, looks and temperament, but all of them looked maliciously at Lisa; there was even some ruthlessness in their eyes.
"How did you discover us?" A tan-skinned man wearing a floral shirt asked.
"A woman's sixth sense." Lisa grinned.
The floral shirt man wrinkled his eyebrows, and bewilderedly questioned, "Since you noticed that you were being followed, why did you bring us here? Did you think that we would stop following you if you changed routes?"
Lisa breathed in a few breaths of smoke. She had some money, but the tobacco she smoked was still cheap and spicy. After blowing a few smoke rings in relish, Lisa grinned and said, "I didn't ask for you guys to follow me, all I did was choose a venue that was suitable for you guys to disembark."
"What do you mean?" The floral shirt man had difficulty understanding the current situation. All they did was follow instructions to investigate this woman's social status and background, and then figure out the next course of action. However, this scenario presented to him left him with no choice but to reconsider what their next step should be.
Lisa's eyes formed two lines as she squinted, and with a weird smile she said, "Haven't you realized that in this area... there aren't any security cameras.......?"
As this was an area that was still opening up for development, the industrial area they were in had its work progress halted, causing its infrastructure to seem exceedingly chaotic and dilapidated. Even the road wasn't completely laid out, and there was simply no other cars to be seen.
"Cameras?" The floral shirt man maliciously smiled, "I should be the one warning you, in a place without cameras, we don't need to hold back when taking action."
"What if it's the exact opposite?" Lisa shrugged her shoulders.
"Man, this brat wants to fight. It seems like she's really stupid." One subordinate laughed while stating.
The floral shirt man's face showed that he was displeased as he said, "Kid, you can be arrogant, but don't force us to take you down. Although we haven't received the order to get rid of you, we can still act first and report later."
"You guys are really annoying." Lisa beamed as she said, "If you want to make your move, hurry up. I'm in a rush to go home for dinner."
"Stinking brat, you're tired of living!"
A man with a groomed beard walked over without saying another word, and the other three no longer said anything either. They charged forward to encircle Lisa.
"Let me tell you this, bullshitting won't work, the one with the mightier fist is reason!" The bearded man spat out a mouthful of saliva, formed a fist, and threw it at Lisa's face like a pouncing tiger!
Lisa easily dodged the fist, and at the same time that she dodged, her lips formed a chilly smile, "When I returned to this country I inwardly resolved myself. If others do not provoke me, do not threaten me, or take the initiative to attack me, then I won't take the initiative to beat them up. So now I'm very thankful to that punch of yours, for it allows me to have no second thoughts about slaughtering you guys."
"Everyone attack together!" The floral shirt man was in an unprecedented fury; he truly couldn't tolerate a kid like this who held the four of them in such contempt.
But the four's coordinated attack seemed futile. Lisa casually executed some mixed martial arts moves; utilizing lightning speed and tyrannical strength. She caused the four men to have either broken fingers and arms or have their palms ruthlessly hit to form large bruises.
In a flash, the chaotic fight between the five turned into a scene of Lisa toying with them.
"She's too tough, we can't beat her!" The bearded man who made the first move shouted while covering his swollen face.
The floral shirt man also noticed how abnormal the situation was. Although he felt unpleasant in his heart, he still recognized the fact that the four of them simply weren't on the same level of strength as the woman in front of their eyes.
"Run to the car!"
Under the floral shirt man's order, the four of them hurriedly ran to the Honda Accord.
Lisa didn't obstruct them, and with a smile that wasn't a smile she watched the four lock the car and raise the windows as soon as they got in. They started up the car, and urgently turned the car around in an attempt to escape.
When the Honda Accord was about to get away, Lisa stooped down and picked up a pebble that was the size of an egg, weighing it in her hand......
In the car, the floral shirt man and his subordinates breathed a sigh of relief after the car started. Although they couldn't beat her down, they were at least able to get away. Furthermore, no matter how well this youngster could fight, she couldn't possibly catch up to a car! When they reported this to the higher ups and returned with a huge entourage of their brothers, wouldn't they be able to take revenge for this defeat!?
However, there's always a difference between dreams and reality......
After Lisa picked up the stone, she immediately got into a pitching stance and closed one eye to take aim. She stretched her arm and leaned back, then her waist abruptly shot forward!
Her right hand flung the stone that she was holding!
The stone was like a miniature artillery shell, tearing through the air with a sonic boom!
*Bam!!!*
With a speed that was impossible to see with the human eye, the stone smashed its way into the petrol tank from the side......
*Rumble!!!.....*
The black Honda Accord that was still moving caught fire in a moment like an ignited dynamite; the raging flames soared towards the sky enveloping the entire car in high temperatures. The flames sent it charging towards a lamp post on the side of the road!
In a blink of an eye, the Honda Accord that was perfectly fine a moment ago turned into a flaming piece of coal.
Lisa looked at the 'death case of four men' she caused like she was looking at a piece of art. The reason she waited for the four to get in the car before disposing of their lives in this manner was mainly because she was afraid that the police might discover some clues.
In addition, killing these people, right when they had relaxed the most gave Lisa utmost satisfaction in her heart; this could also be considered a mental disease that she had developed over the years. It was a pity that Lisa never thought of treating this cruel shortcoming of her.
"When you leave the womb in your next life, remember to buy a German car, Japanese cars are too fragile." Lisa made a deep smile, returned to her car, and continued on her way back home.
Along the way, Lisa pondered over who would take action against her. First, this person was definitely not very familiar with her, otherwise they wouldn't have dispatched people to follow her, to investigate where she lived and her interpersonal relationships.
After thinking for a while, Lisa was still unable to figure out who it was, and could only sigh. With an expressionless face, she thought out loud, "It's okay to find trouble with me, but if they implicate the people by my side...... They must die......"
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After having a sumptuous meal in the villa that evening, Auntie Mi-kyung once again brought a bag of fashion magazines. She smiled to Lisa and said, "Young Master, these are magazines that Miss has subscribed to. They arrived today so please bring these to Miss in my stead later."
Lisa was in the midst of watching news on the television. When she heard this, she happily received the bag. "This is how it should be, Auntie only needs to provide us with delicious meals; miscellaneous tasks like this should be dealt with by me."
"No no." Auntie Mi-kyung immediately replied: "Young Master cannot say this. My main goal is for Young Master to see Miss more often. This way Miss will think about how good Young Master is, and in the future the two of you can be more intimate."
Lisa forced a smile and said, "Auntie Mi-kyung , for you to tenaciously push Jieun into my embrace like this, do you trust me that much?
Auntie Mi-kyung unflinchingly replied, "Young Master, I've watched Miss grow up. In this lifetime I've never been able to bear and raise my own children. I feel embarrassed to say this, but Miss is like half a daughter to me. After Old Mistress and Mistress passed away, I've always hoped for Miss to have a proper home. Miss has always been this pretty since childhood, and the men who are smitten with her are all over Zhong Hai, but those people are too hypocritical."
As she said that, Auntie Mi-kyung looked at Lisa with a pleased smile, "Young Master isn't like them. I may be old, but my judgement remains as clear as ever. Although you have never said it out loud, I know that you truly care for Miss. On the day Miss fainted, I could see it from your eyes that you care about her a lot. But like Miss, you're just not used to expressing yourself. Sometimes, you youngsters worry about your own dignity a little too much, but the importance of dignity can't compare with affection."
Lisa remained silent for some time before she spoke with a dull smile, "Auntie Mi-kyung , you can become an expert in psychology. Your words made me doubt whether I am really who I am."
"Don't overthink things, Young Master. Just think of it as this old woman speaking drivel. It's better for you to hurry on and send the magazines to Miss, if we dally any longer, Miss might go to sleep."
Lisa picked up the bag of magazines and glanced through them - they were mostly fashion and internationally renowned brands' introduction of their seasonal luxury goods. It can be inferred that as a fashion company's CEO, Jieun herself must personally understand these products.
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Very soon, she left Dragon Garden and headed towards the hospital. As she drove along a street bustling with various businesses, Lisa glanced at a shop with its lights turned on from the corner of her eyes, and couldn't help but reveal a knowing smile.
When she arrived at this hospital, it was nearly 10 in the evening. A majority of the wards already had their lights switched off, but Jieun's ward remained brightly lit.
Lisa dexterously opened the door. While looking inside, she realized that Jieun wasn't alone in the ward.
The visitor was Jieun's secretary, In-na. It was unknown whether this person was originally ice-cold, or if she had learned from Jieun on how to be exceedingly cold to the point of being boring.
Jieun was lying on the bed. On the table in front of her, there was a pile of documents. She held a silver fountain pen in her hand and was in the midst of writing something down, while In-na stood beside her, wearing an earnest expression. From time to time she tidied the papers and handed over more documents.
After seeing Lisa enter, In-na wrinkled her brows, "Why are you here?"
Lisa lifted up the bag of magazines in her hand, "I'm here to deliver these magazines."
"Why are you the one to deliver them? Who do you think you are to the CEO?" In-na discontentedly reprimanded.
Lisa thought for a moment. In any case, this woman is considered Jieun's trusted aide. It wouldn't be a big deal to reveal it to her. But before Lisa managed to say anything, Jieun indifferently interrupted with a sentence.
"She's my distant relative." With that said, Jieun faintly hinted Lisa with her eyes, signaling Lisa not to say anything.
A legal wife turned into an insignificant 'distant relative'. Lisa rubbed her nose, and her lips revealed a slightly pained smile. She initially thought that the they're relationship had become rather intimate these days, but it seemed that currently, in Jieun's eyes, she was still merely a contracted acting companion. She did not truly accept her as someone close to her, and never had the thought of recognizing her as her wife.
She was slightly disappointed, but luckily she had a strong mentality and was prepared for such an outcome. She wasn't so naïve as to believe that the ice lady would be this easy to conquer. Lisa casually smiled, and didn't say anything more. She placed the paper bag on Jieun's bedside cabinet and said, "Auntie Mi-kyung asked me to deliver these; she said that these are your subscribed magazines for this month."
In-na showed an expression of sudden understanding. She made the assumption that this woman who is famous in the company for being an odd jobs person had depended on the title of 'distant relative' to enter the company. She looked at Lisa with even more disdain than before, and spoke with a little hostility, "If there's nothing else then drop the things and leave. Don't disturb the CEO as she works."
Lisa initially wanted to persuade Jieun not to wear herself out at night, but after seeing her focus all her attention on the documents without any intention of talking to her, she didn't say anything.
"Then I shall leave now." Although she was rather dissatisfied with In-na, when all was said and done, she was still Jieun's secretary. It wasn't a good idea to flare-up, so Lisa held in her anger and ignored her.
Only when Lisa turned to leave did Jieun slightly raise her head. Her clear eyes gazed at Lisa's back. Her usually unruly and carefree back looked a little depressed and lonely under the lights. Jieun couldn't help feeling regretful inside, she didn't even thank her, but her shy temperament had left her simply unaware of how to speak up.
As the door closed, Jieun released an unperceivable sigh and continued to deal with the documents.
Approximately an hour later, it was very late at night. In-na took a look at her watch, and hesitantly said, "Ma'am, let's stop here for today, I'll bring the documents back, tidy them up and pass them to Ms. Jennie tomorrow. The important ones have already been dealt with, you should rest now."
Jieun rubbed her temples. These days she'd been taking Chinese medicine, recuperating, and also had to receive those people who came to visit. It was late at night, and fact was she was honestly rather tired, so she nodded and said, "Tell Jennie that I'll personally handle the autumn fashion conference documents and the project for breaking into the Japanese market, while she deals with everything else."
"Yes, Ma'am."
In-na worked extremely fast, in less than 5 minutes, all of the documents were tidied up. She respectfully bid Jieun goodbye and left.
Jieun relaxed her whole body, inhaled deeply, and leaned against the soft pillow. Her eyes glanced at the big bag of magazines Lisa had brought. With some thought, she brought the bag over, intending to take a look at the magazines before sleeping.
The moment she opened the bag, she suddenly smelled a familiar scent of glutinous rice pouring out of the bag. Jieun was stunned and took a careful look inside. She discovered that other than the magazines which numbered more than a dozen, there were actually glutinous rice balls packed in a transparent plastic container!
Slowly taking the container out, Jieun looked at the 10 round balls of doughy things inside. There were white ones, black ones, green ones, and various other colors. It was also still warm with a little steam at the top.
Jieun knew that these weren't given to her by Auntie Mi-kyung, because when she was young, she had hurt her stomach from eating too many glutinous rice balls. From then on, Auntie Mi-kyung never allowed her to eat glutinous rice balls again. Therefore, these could only be bought for her by that person......
Is it because the last time irene visited, she mentioned that I love eating glutinous rice balls?
Just from that casual conversation, she remembered my favorite food?
Recalling the words she had said to Lisa earlier, and how coldly she had treated her as if she was a total stranger, along with the view of Lisa's back when she left......
Jieun was completely unaware that her eyes had begun to turn moist.
For the first time in her life, while looking at her favorite glutinous rice balls, Jieun didn't have any appetite.
After leaving the hospital, Lisa still felt stuffy so she drove her car at high speeds on the highway for a while before feeling more at ease.
It was already between around 11 or 12 at night. Most of Zhong Hai's suburbs' various kinds of lights were already lit up. If it was a month ago, perhaps Lisa would be interested in those hair salons with pink lights, but she wanted to indulge herself this night, and going to ROSE bar to look for Rose was obviously more worthy for her.
Occasionally, she thought about how unfathomable her actions were. There was Rose who wholeheartedly treated her well, who always cared for and cherished her.
There was also Mina, that girl, who could make her happy for a whole day just from seeing her once. There were women like that who she usually didn't take good care of.
Instead, she took care of the ice lady Jieun, and even thought about making a trip to a snack store to buy glutinous rice balls for her in the middle of the night.
Perhaps it was because she was too similar to that woman deep in her memories...... Or perhaps, things that are beyond one's reach are the best. This sentence truly suits all of mankind.
Since she harbored such guilt towards Rose, Lisa decided not to look for her. She drove the car to a supper place in the west region and got off. She intended to find a stall where she could drink beer and have a bowl of noodles.
When midnight came, other than on the highways of Zhong Hai City, unlicensed peddlers began selling supper everywhere else. If they were lucky, they would peacefully conduct their business, but if they weren't lucky, they might have their stalls torn apart by the city's management and police.
Lisa casually chose a small noodle store that was relatively cleaner, and called out to the stall owner who was cooking noodles, "Boss, a bowl of shredded meat noodles and two bottles of beer."
The owner was a middle aged man. After he heard this he earnestly smiled and replied, "Oh, I'll bring it to you shortly."
When Lisa heard these words, she suddenly felt that this voice was rather familiar. When she gazed over and took a careful look, she could not help but smile, "Oh, it's you!?"
The noodle stall owner bewilderedly raised his head and carefully looked. When he finally recognized Lisa, he nearly fell onto the ground from fright. His face turned incredibly bitter, "So....... So it's you huh. Haha...... haha...... what a coincidence."
The noodle stall owner was actually the person who had brought Lisa into the police station in the beginning, Choi Siwon.
Originally wearing a police uniform, living arrogantly with a bossy demeanor, he was a police officer of the West Region Police Station. Yet today, he was wearing filthy clothes, donning an apron and cooking noodles at the side of the road as a licenseless hawker.
Lisa pondered for a moment, and asked with uncertainty, "Did you change professions, or were you fired?"
Siwon's face flushed as he embarrassedly replied, "I was...... I was fired."
"It's karmic retribution." Lisa smiled while shaking her head, "However, don't you worry, I never brooded over what happened that time. You should continue cooking; don't let the noodles turn soggy."
Siwon, who had thought that Lisa would hit him while he was down, instantly turned happy. He was very clear of the fact that if things went awry, he wouldn't be a match for Lisa. His stall didn't have a license either, so he would definitely lose. This was what he was worried about. Since the opposite party didn't mind what had happened previously at all, how could Siwon not be overjoyed?
"Thank you! Thank you pal!" Siwon was nearly touched to the point of tears, "I have no choice either, I know that I made many mistakes in the past. Thank you for not brooding over my past mistakes pal."
Lisa didn't mind at all and said, "Go and continue cooking your noodles."
"Alright alright, this meal is on the house for you pal, I won't accept any money." Siwon continued working as if he just received amnesty.
Lisa was a little conflicted, this old dude can be considered to be rather pitiful. When Irene previously said that Siwon would be severely punished, she had thought that was all talk; she never imagined that that girl would really fire Siwon.
This wasn't something that could be done just by holding a superior post; it can be assumed that Irene had an unordinary background. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to keep her word and have Siwon punished to the point of falling this low.
She thought of the words Irene spoke in Jieun's ward, and what she had said regarding Jieun's grandpa. Lisa couldn't help but feel puzzled. Since the two of them were childhood friends, could this mean that her wife's family had relations with the government? Why would Jieun hate her grandpa so much?
While thinking of such things that could never come to a conclusion, Siwon had already prepared the noodles. He carried it along with two bottles of Tsingtao Beer and smiled as he walked over, "Pal, please enjoy. If there's anything else you want, please let me know."
Seeing how accustomed to working in a noodle stall Siwon was, Lisa no longer felt that this person was a disappointment. At the very least, she understood the situation he was in, and could give and take. Anyhow, he wouldn't live too terribly.
After slurping a few mouthfuls of noodles and gulping several mouthfuls of beer, Lisa felt carefree and relaxed. But suddenly, there was noise coming from an alley close by.
"Brat don't you run!!"
"Stop!"
"If you run some more we'll beat you to death!!"
"Stop!!"
Several loudly yelling men abruptly scuttled out from the alley. They chased after a relatively scrawny figure while shouting angrily.
Lisa had sharp eyes and was able to recognize who it was in an instant. She couldn't help but suspect that she was hallucinating, because the figure being pursued wore a white short sleeved shirt, had white skin, and was a man. It was none other than the only man in the PR department, Chen Bo!
Chen Bo looked extremely exhausted. His face was full of fear as he fled towards the noodle stall with at least 7 or 8 men following behind him in hot pursuit. In addition, it was obvious that they were running slightly faster than him, and he was about to be caught.
Lisa may not understand what was going on, but she was definitely going to help Chen Bo. Therefore, she picked up a wooden bench beside her, and casually threw it with force!
The wooden bench spinned and abruptly smashed onto the thighs of the two men who were in front. After those two men miserably shrieked and fell, the startled flock of people stopped to look at Lisa.
Quite a number of customers of the noodle stall witnessed this scene and felt that things were going to turn awry, so they quickly dodged to the side and didn't dare to approach.
When Chen Bo suddenly noticed Lisa, his face was filled with surprise. As he was afraid, he didn't give a damn about why she was there and ran behind Lisa while gasping for breath. He shuddered, unwilling to face the group of men.
"Chen Bo, where were you going?" Lisa turned her head and asked with a smile.
Chen Bo's face was completely red, and it was unknown whether it was because he felt shy or because he was tired from running. He explained, "They...... They want to catch me, I...... I don't want to go with them......"
"Catch you? Why would they want to catch you?"
Without waiting for Lisa to receive an answer, the group of men had already flown into a rage and showered curses on her.
"You must have eaten the heart of a bear to have such nerve! Do you know who we are!?
"He's my colleague, so I must protect him even before I know for what reason you guys want him." Replied Lisa.
After hearing these words, Chen Bo's eyes turned red, evidently touched.
"Brat, since you're courting death, we'll give it to you!"
Several hoodlums who were on the brink of losing control charged forward, but how could their random punches and kicks amount to anything in Lisa's eyes?
With just lightly flinging a few palms, and throwing some kicks onto the hoodlums' stomachs, the ones who fiercely charged over tasted retribution and fell down onto the ground.
Chen Bo blankly watched how Lisa easily solved such a big problem, and could only gaze upon her with reverence.
"You have guts, brat! Wait for our boss to come and he'll put you in order!" A hoodlum who wore a silver chain hooted.
Without waiting for him to finish speaking, another hoodlum shouted, "The boss is here! The boss is here!!"
Looking towards the direction these people chased from, there was indeed a bunch of people walking over. While the man who led the way wore a white shirt, with both hands in his pockets, and a face of arrogance. This was the person they called their boss.
The hoodlums quickly got up, and beamed with joy as they went up to their boss to make a complaint, hoping that their boss would deal with Lisa. But before they walked over, that 'boss' had already taken the initiative to meet her.
"Ms. Lisa! It's been a long long time! We meet again!"
"Good evening Boss Guo, I never expected to see you again in a place like this." Lisa nearly laughed. So the boss they mentioned was the one who had previously 'given money' to her, Guo Ziheng. Guo Ziheng was also the boss of that gangster company.
That day he couldn't scare Lisa even with a rifle, and had been completely defeated.
"Fate brings people together even if they're a thousand miles apart; it seems like there's fate between you and me, Ms. Lisa." As if he had already forgotten their feud, Guo Ziheng refreshingly took the initiative to shake hands with Lisa.
Lisa magnanimously shook hands with him as well, as if they were truly good friends who haven't met for a long time. Little did the others know that in these two people's hearts, things were totally different.
"Since there's an old friend like Boss Guo here, I believe there's no need to speak further." Lisa indifferently replied.
The few hoodlums who were still incredibly arrogant a moment ago were stunned. Why does the boss wear such a warm expression when talking to this woman? This caused them to have no other choice but to remain silent.
Guo Ziheng's face turned stiff. With a forced smile he said, "Ms. Lisa may not know of this. Actually I'm just entrusted with a task by someone else, and under orders to drag this person behind you back. Otherwise, I would have difficulty reporting back."
This was somewhat unexpected to Lisa. Guo Ziheng was aware of her strength, and should understand that she would definitely lose if they fight, but he was still persistent in bringing away Chen Bo. Just who was Chen Bo?
"Boss Guo, could it be that this friend of mine did something that is taboo in the underworld? Or does he owe you money?" Puzzled, Lisa asked.
Guo Ziheng smiled guiltily. With a sigh, he said, "Why don't you ask your friend what the matter is?"
Lisa nodded, and looked towards Chen Bo.
Chen Bo's legs were shivering, and sweat soaked his back. Seeing Lisa's enquiring glance, he opened his mouth, "I...... I...... I...... They want me to provide service......"
"Provide service?" Lisa creased her eyebrows.
Chen Bo's face turned as red as an apple. He looked down and said in a nearly inaudible voice, "They want me to serve a man."
Lisa was startled for a moment before she understood what Chen Bo meant. To be honest, she felt weird inside. She never expected the usually 'feminine' Chen Bo to truly be taken a fancy to by a man.
But it wasn't right to laugh. She herself also like women, so, Lisa didn't find this too hard to accept. Turning back to look at Guo Ziheng, she said, "This isn't a good idea, right? This friend of mine doesn't want to do it so you guys shouldn't force him."
Guo Ziheng bitterly smiled, "Ms. Lisa, with you around, I don't dare to force him. But..... I can't afford to offend my boss either......"
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