Sir Song, do you want to pledge yourself to me?

Zhang Qinghu had just escaped from the entanglement of the money gambling house and was walking through the narrow alley.

As soon as he walked out of the alley, his eyes were drawn to the nearby Dafa Casino. On the gambling house's signboard, four large golden characters shone brightly, dazzling even more under the midday sun, piercing Zhang Qinghu's eyes directly.

He stood at the entrance of the alley, watching the people coming in and out of the gambling house, his heart filled with envy and desire.

Just then, a man with a happy face walked out of the Dafa Casino, tossing a bulging purse up and down in his hand.

This is winning the bet!

Zhang Qinghu stared at the man's back intently, and unconsciously reached out to touch his body all over.

He was indeed penniless.

"Oh, if I still had some capital, let me play a few more rounds, I will definitely win!" Zhang Qinghu pouted unwillingly, secretly thinking about how to find a way to get some capital.

He walked around the market again and again but found nothing. Finally, he had to squat dejectedly in an empty corner, unable to think of any good solution for a long time.

A well-dressed and neatly dressed little woman passed by him with a basket and threw him two cents.

Zhang Qinghu looked at the two copper coins in front of him, and his eyes suddenly lit up. It was not that he made money, but that he figured out how to make money.

He quickly grabbed two copper coins and caught up with the little woman in front.

"Ma'am, you dropped your money!"

He held the little woman's arm with one hand and quietly touched her waist with the other.

Before he could succeed, the young woman pushed him away with her backhand, her eyebrows raised, and said angrily: "You dare to touch me? Don't you want your claws anymore? Believe it or not, I will chop off your claws!"

Zhang Qinghu immediately became intimidated by the yelling. He opened his hand holding the copper coin and explained, "I didn't mean anything else, really! Madam, this is the money you dropped."

Before this moment, he never thought that he would have the good quality of "honesty" in his life. It was really fucking ridiculous.

The young woman glanced at the two copper coins, feeling that her kindness had been taken for granted. Since no one appreciated her kindness, she decided to withdraw her kindness. She snatched the two copper coins back, gave Zhang Qinghu a cold look, and quickly left.

Zhang Qinghu squatted back in the corner dumbfounded.

He knew that the young woman had mistaken him for a beggar, and that his pursuit of her to return the money was just an excuse to get close to her. Now that he had failed and had to give up the two copper coins he had earned, he must be dumbfounded!

"Bah, it's not sincere to even send a beggar!" He muttered to himself, but he didn't reflect on what was wrong with his behavior. Instead, he felt that he didn't perform well just now.

As luck would have it, at this moment another old lady passed by Zhang Qinghu carrying two paper bags.

He was immediately shocked, his eyes sparkling, and he stood up quickly and walked over to help the old lady. His enthusiasm was as if he was helping his own mother.

"Oh, Auntie, you're back. I've been waiting for you here for a long time." Zhang Qinghu said in a familiar manner.

The old lady was being supported by someone for some unknown reason. She turned around and asked in confusion, "Hey? Who are you?"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Zhang Qinghu's face, but then he smiled apologetically, "Oops! Sorry, I was squatting for too long and my eyesight got blurry. I recognized the wrong person."

"Young man, please look carefully next time!" The old lady smiled and continued walking forward with two paper bags.

Zhang Qinghu turned around, weighed the purse in his hand, and smiled triumphantly.

As luck would have it, just as Ji Nuan was taking a small path from East Street and preparing to go out of the South City Gate to go home, a hurried plea for mercy came into her ears.

"Stop, stop, please, big brothers, please spare me! I'll find a way to pay you back." Zhang Qinghu was being held captive by two burly men, while another punched him repeatedly. He cried and begged for mercy, but the thugs didn't seem ready to let him go easily.

The thugs were clearly motivated by demand for money, not genuine intent to kill. After hearing Zhang Qinghu's promise to pay them back, they stopped, but their tone remained fierce.

"Tell me when you'll pay it back."

A thug rubbed his hands together, as if he would beat Zhang Qinghu again if he didn't give a good answer.

Zhang Qinghu covered his stomach, which had been hit several times, and said tremblingly, "One month, I will definitely be able to pay it back in one month."

The big man grabbed him by the collar, his face tense and threatening, "What did you say? Do you think we at Dafa Casino are doing charity? Three days. If you can't pay me back in three days, we'll break your legs."

Zhang Qinghu was so frightened that he was shaking all over. He cried with a sad face, "Brother, I really have no money! Where can I get so much money in three days?"

"You want to be beaten, don't you?"

As he spoke, the big man raised his fist again, ready to attack again.

Zhang Qinghu was so frightened that he wanted to close his eyes tightly. He happened to see Ji Nuan passing by not far away. He seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw and shouted for help: "Cousin! Cousin, please save me!"

Zhang Qinghu cried for help while hurriedly explaining to the thugs, "My cousin is rich, really! She has a business with the clinic and has plenty of money. If you let me go, I can borrow money from her and pay you back."

After hearing this, the thugs looked at each other, then turned to look at Ji Nuan.

Ji Nuan glanced at Zhang Qinghu coldly, then said mercilessly, "Don't try to scam me. I'm not your cousin. There's no relationship between us, and I don't have the money to pay off your gambling debts."

Zhang Qinghu said almost pleadingly: "Even if you don't admit that you are my cousin, you can't deny that you are my aunt. You can't just ignore my life or death!"

"I didn't ask you to owe the gambling debt, why should I care?" Ji Nuan spread her hands with a cold face, "I don't have any money. The big brothers are all strong and healthy. I am a weak woman, how can I be their opponent? Sorry, I can't help you!" After saying that, she turned around and left without hesitation.

Seeing Ji Nuan truly abandon Zhang Qinghu, the thugs felt a bit sorry. Just that girl, with her pretty face and figure, would be worth a fortune if she were sent to Chun Mama. It was Zhang Qinghu's fault for not keeping her. As thugs working for the gambling house, their job was to collect debts, not to engage in the human trafficking business.

"Have you figured out how to pay back the money?" A big man turned around suddenly, his face as gloomy as water, and his tone revealed obvious impatience.

Zhang Qinghu couldn't help but flinch, his voice trembling slightly. "...Five days, okay? I'll try to gather the money within five days."

Hearing this, the big man's eyes widened in anger and he roared, "You bastard, you've delayed me for so long and you still want to bargain! I'll give you three days at most! Bring me the IOU!"

Another big man quickly took out a piece of paper from his arms, unfolded it skillfully, and at the same time opened a box of ink and held it in his hand.

"What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and put your fingerprints on it!" The big man pushed Zhang Qinghu impatiently. Seeing that he was still hesitant, the big man simply grabbed his hand, pressed it into the ink box, and then heavily pressed his fingerprint on the IOU.

Zhang Qinghu looked at the bright red handprint on the IOU and his eyes trembled.

"Brothers, let's call it a day!" The big man put away the IOU with satisfaction and told a few thugs to leave in a swagger.

Zhang Qinghu was the only one left standing there in a daze.