22 Going All Out

Huang Daqiang walked over, shoved my shoulder, and cursed, "Kid, who are you trying to scare?"

I kicked him hard, catching him off guard and knocking him down. I spat, "Damn it, I've put up with you long enough. Believe it or not, I could cut you down right now."

At that moment, I knew I wouldn't be able to keep this job, so I had no scruples left. After all, I'd been to prison before and mingled with rough characters; if it came down to a real fight, I was definitely tougher than him.

Huang Daqiang, furious, scrambled to his feet to settle the score, but Xu Qingyun pushed him aside. "Get lost. Stop making trouble."

Huang Daqiang slinked off to the side, no doubt cursing me for humiliating him in front of everyone.

I turned to Xu Qingyun and said, "Boss Xu, pay me, and I'll take the blame for you." Xu Qingyun handed me ten thousand yuan without hesitation. "Brother, if you take the fall, I can explain to General Qian. Otherwise, none of us will get off easy."

I replied, "Enough talk. Give me the sledgehammer." Xu Qingyun handed me the iron hammer. Of course, I wasn't a fool; before smashing, I quietly took a video of the bathtub’s cracked spot. I knew the consequences of deliberately destroying a million-yuan imported bathtub were severe, but if it had already been damaged by collision, the blame would be lighter.

My old secondhand Nokia had broken after water got in, and life without a phone was inconvenient. So I borrowed some money from Fatty Wang and bought a secondhand domestic smartphone.

After all, I was young—how could I get by without a smartphone? This used phone could take pictures; it lagged a bit when browsing the internet, but I rarely went online anyway, so it was barely adequate.

Thinking of Jin Yulian marrying someone else, rage burned within me. I felt stifled and needed to vent.

I threw caution to the wind, grabbed the iron hammer, and smashed down. With a loud clang, I punched a hole in the bathtub. I muttered to myself, "Damn, an imported bathtub worth over a million, and the quality is only so-so!"

Huang Daqiang shrieked, "He's deliberately wrecking the bathtub! Everyone, catch him and send him to the police!"

At his shout, several people rushed to surround me.

I looked at Xu Qingyun’s shifting expression and said, "Boss Xu, let me warn you—don’t try anything shady. I’ve been to prison, and I’m not afraid to go back. If anyone tries to stop me, I’ll cripple them on the spot!" As I spoke, I raised the iron hammer.

Now I had no choice but to draw on the fierceness I’d cultivated in prison. Without some toughness, I would’ve been bullied to tears long ago.

In the past, I feared people knowing I'd been incarcerated. Now, to intimidate them, I had to reveal my prison history.

Xu Qingyun forced a laugh, "Yes, yes, I understand. Brother, you should leave."

Seeing me walk away with the money after smashing the bathtub, Huang Daqiang, unwilling to let it go, chased after me. He never learned his lesson; he’d bullied me many times before, and I’d only given him a single kick—more than generous. I never expected he'd still be so unbalanced, determined to save face and get revenge.

Xu Qingyun didn’t try to stop him, clearly approving his actions. He didn’t know my true limits, and since he didn’t dare act directly, he sent Huang Daqiang to test me.

This time, I couldn’t afford to hold back. If they surrounded me, they’d drag me straight to the police, making me the scapegoat with nothing to show for it but a ruined future.

Seeing Huang Daqiang reach out to grab me, I slammed his arm with the iron hammer. There was a sickening crack, and Huang Daqiang clutched his arm, screaming in pain. Clearly, his arm had been injured. I told him, "You brought this on yourself. If you want compensation, you’d better claim it as a work injury—otherwise, you won’t get a cent!"

I really was penniless, and I’d just destroyed a million-yuan bathtub; expecting me to pay was impossible. If Huang Daqiang wanted compensation, work injury was his only option.

Seeing me incapacitate Huang Daqiang with a single blow, the others didn't dare approach. I said, "If you value your lives, stay out of my way."

Watching me escape from their midst, Huang Daqiang, both angry and anxious, turned to Xu Qingyun. "Brother Xu, what do we do?"

Xu Qingyun replied, "Don’t complicate things. First, report the smashed bathtub to General Qian. As for whether to call the police on that guy, that’s General Qian’s decision. For now, we can push all the blame onto him, so General Qian has no reason to dock our pay."

All these workers understood: if General Qian docked their boss’s pay, their own interests would be hurt in the end. So they could only shift the blame onto me.

I was sure Xu Qingyun had filmed me smashing the bathtub. To avoid responsibility, he’d definitely send the video to Qian Duobao, leaving it for Qian Duobao to handle.

I didn’t know whether Qian Duobao would call the police on me. If he did, I would tell the truth—the bathtub was already damaged before I smashed it, and I had video proof.

But most of all, I wanted to see Jin Yulian’s reaction. Especially after she heard I’d destroyed their bathtub—would she protect me, or coldly hand me over to the police?

All these years, I’d been full of feelings for Jin Yulian. Even though she tricked me into prison and broke her promise, I never truly hated her.

I could say my old affection for her was hard to forget. If she coldly sent me to the police, then I could finally give up on her.

After escaping the construction site, I hailed a taxi to find Fatty Wang; I had to repay the money I owed him.

Fatty Wang answered my call and hurried to meet me. I handed him seven thousand yuan. He was astonished, "Did you strike it rich? Giving me so much money!"

I said, "Cut the nonsense. I’m in trouble—might even go back inside. These seven thousand: four for you, three for Ironhead."

Fatty Wang was shocked, "What happened? Did you kill someone?"

I impatiently replied, "Don’t interrupt, let me finish." Then I briefly explained the situation.

Fatty Wang said, "Don’t worry! You should be fine, but stay cautious. I’ll keep the money safe for you!"

I nodded, "Thanks. If Ironhead can’t keep working at the site, give him the three thousand as compensation. It’s my fault he got involved."

Fatty Wang patted my shoulder. "Don’t worry, I know what to do. Brother, you go now. Good luck."

I knew, after smashing Qian Duobao’s bathtub, whether or not they called the police, I couldn’t stay here any longer.

I had to leave and lay low, but before I left, I wanted to see Jin Yulian once more.

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