I agreed to be a kept man, but I'm still being punished by the system.

The temporary detention center of Huahai City Police Department.

The iron gate creaked heavily as it slowly opened.

Zhang Long walked out looking displeased, his anger even more intense than when he went in.

Luo Wei was waiting by the reception desk outside. As soon as he saw him, he immediately put out his cigarette and went to greet him.

"nailed it?"

Zhang Long's tone was very aggressive.

"Yes, it's all taken care of."

Luo Wei nodded.

"How much did it cost?"

Loewe held up one finger.

"Ten million?"

Zhang Long raised an eyebrow, then sneered and nodded.

"OK."

"I'm going to make that woman pay the price."

"Young Master."

Lowe spoke respectfully but with a hint of caution.

"The master is very angry about this matter and wants you to go back to the ancestral home tonight. He has something to tell you; there are some business matters in Australia that he needs you to handle."

"Hold!"

Zhang Long cursed in frustration.

"The same old trick again, exile to the frontier, huh?"

He stood at the police station entrance, a hint of helplessness flashing across his face; he dared not disobey the old man's words.

"OK."

"A gentleman takes his revenge, even after ten years."

His gaze inadvertently fell upon Zhou Heng, who had also been released from detention and was squatting blankly by the roadside.

A cruel smile curled at the corner of Zhang Long's lips as he walked over.

Hearing footsteps, Zhou Heng looked up in terror. When he saw Zhang Long's smiling face that concealed a knife, he trembled even more violently.

"Brother Long... Brother Long..."

"Old Zhou."

Zhang Long squatted down in front of him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Your wife has offended me."

"What do you think we should do about this?"

Zhou Heng now knows that Zhang Long is backed by the Zhang family of Huahai, a behemoth that he doesn't even have the right to look up to.

He dared not utter a single word, only shaking his head desperately, his lips trembling, unable to make a sound.

Zhang Long smiled, took out a cigarette case from his pocket, and handed one to Zhou Heng.

"What's there to be afraid of?"

"Since you and your wife are divorced, in a sense you are enemies."

"Now, your wife has become my enemy, and of course, that kid too."

Zhang Long leaned closer to him, lowered his voice, and spoke with a devilish allure.

As the saying goes, the enemy of your enemy is your friend.

"So, Lao Zhou, interested in working for me?"

Zhou Heng froze.

He looked at the man in front of him; it was this same man who, that morning, had given the order with a smile to cut off his little finger.

Now, it's still the same man, smiling and saying he wants to work with him.

Zhou Heng's pupils contracted sharply, fear gripped his heart, and every muscle in his body trembled uncontrollably.

Zhang Long squatted down to look him in the eye.

"Old Zhou, look at you, what are you shaking for?"

Zhang Long's voice was gentle, like the concern between old friends.

He saw the struggle and fear in Zhou Heng's eyes, and his smile deepened.

"Your wife... no, your ex-wife, was so rich, lived in such a big house, drove luxury cars, and what happened to her?"

He paused deliberately, observing the subtle changes in Zhou Heng's facial expression.

"You've fallen on hard times, you're at your wit's end. And instead of helping you out, she turns around and finds some gigolo."

"That pretty boy, you saw it today too, how impressive he was, playing the hero and saving the damsel in distress in front of your ex-wife."

Every word Zhang Long spoke was like a red-hot steel needle, piercing into the most vulnerable part of Zhou Heng's heart.

"No...no..."

Zhou Heng's lips trembled, and broken syllables squeezed out of his throat.

"Xiaoman...cough cough...isn't that kind of person..."

This explanation was so weak and unconvincing that even he himself didn't believe it.

His mind was filled with images of Su Man's cold, aloof face and Lin Yang protecting her from behind.

This woman was once his wife, and the man's most primal resentment, like a poisonous flower, began to sprout in his rotting heart.

"Not that kind of person?"

Zhang Long chuckled lightly, his laughter filled with disdain.

"Old Zhou, don't you understand yet? Women are the most pragmatic thing. When you have money, she's your Xiaoman. When you're broke, you're just a lump of mud you can't get rid of."

"Old Zhou, you know my family spent ten million to settle this matter, and that ten million was given to that gigolo, not to Su Man. It means he'd rather give ten million to the gigolo than help you pay off your debts."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Heng's mind began to race. He was unsure whether to believe Zhang Long, but a small flame of hatred did indeed flicker in his eyes.

Zhang Long watched Zhou Heng's expression change and nodded in satisfaction.

But he still needs to add fuel to the fire.

An indecisive good-for-nothing is of no use to him.

What he needs is a madman filled with hatred, someone who will stop at nothing.

He stood up and tilted his head towards Luo Wei behind him.

"Luo, do you have any cash?"

"Yes, young master."

Luo Wei responded expressionlessly and opened the LV briefcase in his hand.

The zipper was slid open, revealing several neatly stacked stacks of hundred-yuan bills inside.

Zhang Long reached into his bag and took out two stacks of paper; the thick, substantial feel of them pleased him.

He squatted down again and stuffed the two stacks of brand-new banknotes into Zhou Heng's cold hands.

"Take this 20,000 yuan, have a good meal, and buy yourself some decent clothes."

The thickness of the banknote and the unique scent of the ink struck Zhou Heng like an electric current.

His body trembled violently, and he almost lost his grip.

"As for the two million gambling debt you owe me, you don't need to pay it back."

Zhang Long's voice was low and carried a devilish allure.

"All I need is you."

"I'll give you a day to think it over. Once you've made up your mind, call me."

After saying that, he stood up, no longer looking at Zhou Heng, and turned to walk towards a black Bentley parked by the roadside.

Lowe opened the car door for him, and he got in.

The luxury car started silently, smoothly merged into the traffic, and quickly disappeared into the night.

Zhou Heng was left alone, squatting dejectedly under the streetlight in front of the police station, clutching the heavy 20,000 yuan tightly in his hand.

He didn't know how long he had been squatting there.

The bustling crowds, the car horns, and the laughter of pedestrians all seemed to come from another world.

All he could feel was the weight of the two stacks of banknotes in his hand and the phantom pain emanating from his severed finger.

He slowly stood up and carefully stuffed the 20,000 yuan into his innermost pocket, layer by layer.

He began to wander aimlessly through the streets.

At night, Huahai City is ablaze with neon lights and bustling with traffic.

All this prosperity had nothing to do with him.

Zhang Long's words echoed in his mind again and again.

"Even if you give ten million to a gigolo, he won't use that money to pay off your debts."

Yes, why?

Zhou Heng stopped in his tracks.

He recalled how his company had gone bankrupt, and how he chose to divorce Su Man to avoid dragging her down. He then decided to rebuild his life on his own and refused her help.

But what about her?

How did she treat herself?

Indifference, disgust, blocking.

In his most desperate moment, another man stood beside her.

A man who was younger, more handsome, and better at fighting than him.

Today in the living room, images of Lin Yang knocking the burly man unconscious with a single punch and of A Fei being chained to the ground by Lin Yang kept flashing back and forth.

And what about yourself?

Like a dog, I was so scared that I almost wet my pants, and I huddled in the corner trembling.

The intense sense of humiliation burned into his heart like a red-hot iron.

On what grounds?

Why is it that pretty boy who won Su Man's favor?

Why is it that he can get ten million so easily?

As for himself, he ended up with his family destroyed, his life ruined, and the pain of losing a finger!

unfair!

Once this thought took hold, it spread like wildfire, instantly burning away the last vestige of reason in his heart.

At this moment, all traces of old feelings for Su Man and lingering attachment to the past were burned away completely.

He remembered Su Man's cold face.

Boundless hatred surged up from the deepest part of his heart and overwhelmed him.

Zhou Heng stopped in front of a pedestrian crossing; the light was red.

He raised his head, and his eyes, which had initially been filled with confusion and fear, slowly turned cold and distorted.

The feeling of those 20,000 yuan in my pocket was so real.

Zhang Long gave him a way out.

A path leading to revenge; he seeks to avenge himself on Su Man.

His life is ruined.

Since he's already in hell, he might as well drag those he hates down with him!

Zhou Heng's expression was contorted; he clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms.

At this moment, the pain at the severed finger seemed less unbearable.