“Speak.”

“Damn Zhang Laidi, are you blind? Didn’t you see my messages?” Chengcai cursed.

“I saw them,” I answered. “Why are you sending me these things?”

“To show you how slutty you look!” Chengcai mocked. “How about it? Didn’t you get a boyfriend? What would he think if he saw them?”

“Just tell me your purpose directly,” I asked straightforwardly.

“Zhang Laidi… don’t be fierce with me. I want money,” Chengcai said. “Two million and three thousand. Transfer it to my card, or you’re finished.”

“Two million? That’s extortion,” I said.

“So what if it’s extortion?! So what if I’m scamming you?!” Chengcai snorted coldly. “You won’t give the money?”

“I don’t have that much,” I looked down at the voice recorder. “I can’t afford two million.”

“Ask your boyfriend for it!” Chengcai shouted. “If you don’t have it, doesn’t he?”

Hearing this sentence, I finally let out a cold laugh: “But there’s one thing I don’t quite understand—if you want two million, then you want two million. Why is it two million and three thousand?”

“I’m being nice!” Chengcai sounded very happy. “I got your photos printed in color! It cost three thousand yuan! These are your photos. I’m making you famous, so you have to reimburse me, right?”

“What…”

I was slightly stunned, never expecting this would be the answer.

“Chengcai, you…”

“Zhang Laidi, don’t worry. These three thousand photos are all under my bed. If you give the money, that’s that. But if you don’t give the money… I’ll have to go post them on the streets of Chengdu.”

Hearing this, I looked at the pitch-black moonlight outside the window, then closed the recording function on my phone with an icy expression, then also turned off the voice recorder.

What came next didn’t need to be recorded anymore.

“Chengcai… this isn’t good,” I said in a gentle tone. “Don’t get excited first. Give your sister some time to raise the money, okay?”

“Of course that’s fine!” Chengcai laughed. “Once you’ve raised the money, just transfer it directly to me.”

“No,” I shook my head. “Chengcai, such a large sum of money transferred directly into your bank account will attract police attention.”

“What?”

“I’m a lawyer,” I said. “Mom and Dad might not know what a lawyer is, but you should know, right? I understand the law.”

“The police will care if I suddenly receive two million?” Chengcai asked.

“Yes,” I said to him earnestly. “Think about it—you don’t even have a job. Where could you earn two million from? Won’t the police ask you? What would you say then?”

“Tsk—” Chengcai began to hesitate. “Then what do you suggest?”

“I’ll give you cash.”

“Cash?”

“Mm,” I agreed. “Due to legal regulations, withdrawing two million at once isn’t allowed either, so I’ll need to spend a bit more time. I’ll need to withdraw it over five days.”

“Really?” Chengcai thought for a moment, then said, “Zhang Laidi, I’m warning you not to play any tricks. In five days, you bring the two million home.”

“Fine. But I need to tell you in advance—if you leak my photos, I won’t give you the money.”

“What?!” Chengcai was stunned. “Zhang Laidi, have you gone crazy? You think two million is the end of it? Two million is just a warning! If you don’t behave in the future, who knows where these photos might show up! You understand?”

“Is that so…” My gaze became increasingly cold, feeling like the last taut string in my mind had snapped. “You ask for two million right off the bat, yet it’s only a warning?”

“So what? I’m being reasonable here. Only the family has seen these pictures now, but if you don’t behave in the future, then who can say for sure.”

“The family has seen them…” I slowly lowered my head, pressing the phone tightly against my ear. “What did they say?”

“My wife doesn’t like looking at them, but Dad loves them. He’s already posted them in his room. After you left, you didn’t know this, but Dad’s room had been covered with photos of that female college student from over ten years ago. They’d faded, so this time he finally got new ones to replace them.”

I felt my heart sink with a heavy thud, and even my hair felt like it was standing on end.

Chengcai spoke to me as if telling a joke: “Women who’ve been to the city really are different—skin so fair and clean. Mom was right—if we’d known you’d be this promiscuous, we should’ve asked for twenty thousand more. Really let Old Ma get a bargain, hahaha!”

Hahahaha.

It really was hilarious.

I was clenching my teeth, grinning, tears streaming down my face.

Didn’t they know why these photos of me were taken?

Didn’t they know why I had become what I was now?

Now Butcher Ma had been dealt with. Only my family remained unsolved.

Why wouldn’t they just die?

It really was too funny.

“Chengcai, don’t worry. I’ll come home in five days and give you all the money,” I said, still smiling.

“Haha! As long as you’re obedient! We’re siblings after all—how could I harm you?”

“Yes.”

After hanging up his call, I let out a deep breath.

Wonderful. My days of suffering would soon be over.

I sat in my room without a trace of sleepiness.

I watched people coming and going on the street, watched the flow of traffic on the midnight streets. This world was so big, yet there wasn’t a single pure land that could accommodate me.

Starting the next day, I invited Sun Jiaqi to my home. This was the first time I’d let him come to my place since we established our relationship.

I knew I only had five days left. During these days, I didn’t want to leave him with any regrets.

“Chenze…” Xiao Sun looked at me with some confusion. “Calling me over so early today—don’t you need to rest more?”

“No need,” I said with a smile. “Jiaqi, do you have any wishes?”

“Wishes?” He blinked, his expression somewhat wary. “Why are you suddenly asking this? Did something happen?”

“Is there anything you want to do with me?” I asked with shining eyes. “If this world were about to be destroyed, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?”

I slowly began to unbutton my clothes.

Although I knew I was already utterly filthy, Jiaqi was a man after all. He had his own needs.

I couldn’t let my psychological resistance prevent him from even touching me. That wouldn’t be fair to him.

Tears streaming down my face, I kept unbuttoning my clothes, feeling that overcoming this hurdle was truly so painful.

“Chenze.” Jiaqi stopped my hand that was unbuttoning my clothes and said with a sad expression, “If this world were about to be destroyed, I wouldn’t want to take off your clothes—I’d only want to dress you in a wedding gown and make you the happiest bride in this world at the final moment before its destruction.”