Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Liu Lan lowered her voice, trembling, and said very quickly, "Master He... it's really not what I wanted to say... it's... it's just that everyone in the factory is... saying it... we heard it from others..."

"What are you spreading?!" Sha Zhu demanded sharply, his heart pounding in his throat.

Liu Lan swallowed hard, her eyes darting around, her voice so low it was almost inaudible: "Rumors...rumors...about your father...years ago...running away with someone...saying...saying your family...family values...aren't quite right...so...so at the social gathering...that's why...that's why everyone...avoids you..."

boom--!!!

It was like a thunderbolt from the heavens, exploding directly on Sha Zhu's head! Or like a bucket of ice water mixed with boiling oil being poured over his head, instantly freezing his blood and igniting all his nerves!

Father... He Daqing... ran away with a widow...

These words, like the most vicious and sharpest curse in the world, pierced through the psychological defenses he had painstakingly built up over more than a decade, revealing his most hidden, humiliating, and bloody scars in his heart in a naked and bloody way!

He had always considered that man dead! From the day he ran off with that vixen after taking the last of the family's money, He Daqing had died in his heart! He struggled through life with his young son, enduring scorn and ridicule, finally managing to establish himself at the steel mill, earning a living with a spoon, thinking he could finally bury that unbearable past...

But now, more than a decade later! This past event, which he most tabooed, least wanted to mention, and considered a great disgrace, has actually been dug up! It's being spread and discussed freely throughout the entire factory as the most common topic of conversation over drinks! It's even been linked to his mother's "improper family conduct"! It's become the "original sin" that prevents him from finding a wife and why people avoid him like the plague!

Utter humiliation! Overwhelming rage! And a chilling despair and resentment that almost consumed him!

Sha Zhu froze on the spot, his grip on Liu Lan's arm unconsciously loosening. His face instantly drained of all color, turning a horribly pale white. His lips trembled, his eyes widened, but his pupils were vacant and dilated, as if they had lost focus. He stood there like a clay or wooden sculpture that had been drained of all life in an instant, with only his chest heaving violently and irregularly, and his throat emitting hoarse, bellowing breaths.

Taking advantage of the moment, Liu Lan quickly withdrew her arm and hid to the side, rubbing her wrist where it had been gripped so tightly that it bore a red mark. She looked at Sha Zhu with lingering fear, not daring to utter another sound. The kitchen was deathly silent, with only Sha Zhu's heavy and terrifying breathing echoing in the background.

A good ten seconds passed before light returned to Sha Zhu's empty eyes—two clusters of hellfire burning wildly, almost bursting forth! His pale face was instantly replaced by an even more terrifying black and red, and the veins on his forehead and neck bulged like venomous snakes!

"Who...?" He forced out a hoarse, inhuman word through clenched teeth, tinged with the metallic tang of blood, "Who... spread it?!"

Liu Lan shuddered in fright and quickly waved her hands, "No...it wasn't me! Master He, it really wasn't me! I only heard it from someone else!"

"Who told you that?!" Sha Zhu took a sudden step forward, almost touching Liu Lan's face, his surging anger threatening to ignite her. "Tell me! Who was the first person to tell you that?! If you don't point it out to me today, I... I..."

He was trembling with anger, and could barely utter the threatening words that followed, but his eyes said it all.

Liu Lan was almost in tears; she truly regretted speaking so quickly. Seeing Sha Zhu's completely obsessive and determined-to-get-to-the-point-of-the-investigation state, she knew she wouldn't get away with it without giving him a name today. Her mind raced, trying to recall who had first mentioned it yesterday…

"It's...it's Liu Ermei from logistics!" Liu Lan almost shouted, as if eager to distance herself, "Yesterday at noon in the women's break room, Liu Ermei was chatting with someone and said it! She said she heard it from someone else, that Master He, your family...has some past issues...so..."

Sha Zhu's mind went blank for a moment; the rage of revenge had completely consumed his last shred of reason. He had only one thought: chase after him! Peel back the layers! Find the bastard who started spreading the rumors! And then... kill him!

"Liu Ermei... logistics..." Sha Zhu murmured, then suddenly turned around and, like a black whirlwind, swept out of the kitchen of the first canteen, leaving behind a deathly silence and a few terrified faces.

Without pausing, he rushed straight to the area of ​​bungalows where the logistics department was located. It was early morning, and the door to the logistics office was open. Several female workers were inside sorting receipts and checking work safety supplies. Liu Ermei was indeed there, holding an inventory book and talking to another female worker.

Sha Zhu appeared in the doorway like a demon, his tall figure blocking out most of the light. The office fell silent instantly, everyone staring at him in astonishment.

When Liu Ermei looked up, she saw Sha Zhu's bloodshot eyes, terrifying face, and the violent aura emanating from him. Her heart skipped a beat, and she almost dropped the inventory book in her hand. Although she loved to gossip, she knew Sha Zhu's bad reputation. Seeing him come to her door looking like this, she knew perfectly well why.

"Master He... what's wrong?" Liu Ermei forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.

Sha Zhu ignored everyone else and walked straight up to Liu Ermei. His bloodshot eyes were fixed on her, and his voice was as cold as if it had been pulled from an ice cellar: "Liu Ermei, I'm asking you, did you spread those old stories about my father?"

Liu Ermei's face turned pale, and she waved her hands repeatedly, backing away: "No...no! Master He, please don't listen to people's nonsense! I...how could I dare to spread rumors about your family!"

"Bullshit!" Sha Zhu slammed his hand on the table beside him, making the teacups clatter. The other female workers in the office gasped in surprise, "Liu Lan told me herself! Yesterday at noon, in the women's break room, you told her! You're still trying to deny it?!"

Liu Ermei was terrified by the slap. Seeing Sha Zhu's murderous glare, she knew denying it was pointless. She cursed the talkative Liu Lan in her mind, but forced a fawning, panicked smile onto her face: "Master He... Master He, please... please don't be angry. I... I just... just said it casually... I really didn't mean it! I just... I overheard it from someone else's gossip..."

"Who told you that?!" Sha Zhu wasn't buying it at all, pressing on relentlessly, his voice rising eight octaves, making one's eardrums hurt. "Who was chatting with you?! Tell me their name!"

Liu Ermei's legs went weak with fright, and she stammered, "It's...it's Old Zheng from the boiler room...Master Zheng...he...he came to collect his work gloves a couple of days ago, and he...he chatted with me for a bit...he said...that some people in the factory are saying that your family...something happened before...I...I just casually mentioned it...I really didn't spread it around, Master He!"

Old Zheng? The old bachelor in the boiler room who likes to have a little drink and starts rambling when he's drunk?

Sha Zhu had no time to analyze; he was like a paranoid tracker, only knowing to follow this clue and investigate layer by layer! He stopped looking at Liu Ermei, whose face was ashen, turned around and rushed out of the logistics department, running wildly towards the boiler room in the corner of the factory area.

The boiler room was sweltering and filled with coal ash. Old Zheng, shirtless, was adding coal to the furnace with a shovel when he was startled by Sha Zhu, who suddenly rushed in like a mad tiger.

"Old Zheng! Did you tell Liu Ermei about my father?!" Sha Zhu cut to the chase, his voice still clear and jarring amidst the roar of the boiler room.

Old Zheng was an old worker with a stubborn temper, but even he was intimidated by Sha Zhu's murderous look. He put down his shovel, wiped his sweat, and muttered, "Zhu Zi, what... what's wrong with you? I... I was just saying it casually..."

"Who told you that?!" Sha Zhu completely ignored his explanation and only pressed for the source.

"I...I heard it from Xiao Wang in the moving team..." Forced into a corner, Old Zheng had no choice but to confess, "A couple of days ago, while we were unloading, Xiao Wang was smoking with me, chatting idly, saying that people in the factory were talking about you..."

"Little Wang from the moving team?" Sha Zhu recognized him; he was a young man in his early twenties, and usually quite honest.