A lone Asian woman walking into a secluded area.

A perfect target for a robbery.

Her clothes suggested she had money, making her an ideal candidate to snatch some quick cash from… If the location were a little more isolated, or if it were a bit later, they might even try something worse.

Assuming she wasn’t armed, of course.

Ye Xiaoqiong looked at the two men backing away. “Are you sure you don’t want to hear my suggestion?”

…

When Ye Xiaoqiong returned to the restaurant, Zhou Yi was waiting impatiently.

“Joan, you’re back!”

The meal cost over $30, which Zhou Yi found hard to justify.

In America, spending money without converting it to Chinese yuan was the only way to avoid heartache.

At the black-market exchange rate, this meal was even more expensive—comparable to dining at the priciest Western restaurants in Beijing. Even Lao Mo’s, where Zhou Yi and her friends frequently ate, wasn’t this costly.

But since she was treating Joan, Zhou Yi didn’t feel as pained.

Joan was good company, sharing lots of useful tips over the meal.

Zhou Yi envied Joan’s excellent English. She had been curious ever since learning on the plane that Joan was from the mainland:

“How did you learn English? Do you have any special techniques?”

Xia Xiaolan summarized a few methods for her, though Zhou Yi remained skeptical.

The same approach might work for a top student but not for someone like her.

Zhou Yi wanted to hear more opinions.

Ye Xiaoqiong stayed silent. Was there a shortcut to learning English? Without sufficient vocabulary, no method would work. She had started learning as a child and persisted in self-study even when she was the only one left in her family.

During her two years of marriage to Yuan Han, his family didn’t approve of her pursuits, and she had temporarily stopped.

Later, after moving to Hong Kong and joining Chengrong Group, she picked it up again, dedicating even more effort to improving. And Zhou Yi thought she could match years of accumulated knowledge with a single conversation?

Ye Xiaoqiong had just done something bold.

If things went well, she could teach Zhou Yi a lesson she’d never forget.

The thought of what was about to happen made Ye Xiaoqiong’s heart race, and her palms sweat.

But then she remembered the Yuan family and the life-altering turmoil Zhou Yi had unwittingly caused her. Her heart slowly calmed.

She wasn’t going to kill Zhou Yi.

Why was it acceptable for Zhou Yi to harm her, but not for her to retaliate?

These strange moralities always demanded good people endure grievances!

Ye Xiaoqiong continued answering Zhou Yi’s questions, leading her further from the restaurant.

At a street corner, Ye Xiaoqiong spotted a taxi. “Your school is just around this bend. Can you get back on your own?”

The surrounding billboards were familiar, confirming they were close to Zhou Yi’s campus.

Zhou Yi nodded. “No problem, Joan. You can head back to your hotel. I’ll walk to school by myself. Thanks for tonight—everything you shared was so helpful, and you were so patient in teaching me words. How long are you staying in New York? If you’re free, can we meet again?”

Ye Xiaoqiong suppressed her complex emotions.

“Of course, we can meet. You’re not quite used to life in America yet, so take it step by step. If you’re ever unsure about something, just ask me.”

Zhou Yi pointed to the taxi. “See you next time, then!”

Ye Xiaoqiong bent down and got into the taxi.

Zhou Yi stood by the curb, watching. Ye Xiaoqiong forced herself not to look back.

Fools deserve to suffer and learn hard lessons.

What could the Zhou family do to her? They had no evidence.

Even if they did… Ha! She feared nothing—not even the Zhou family’s retaliation.

Ye Xiaoqiong buried her head in her arms. It was July, yet New York’s nights felt unexpectedly cold.

…

Joan’s taxi disappeared into the distance.

Zhou Yi stood there for a moment, quickly orienting herself.

One street over, across the road, was her campus. She hadn’t realized how far she’d walked while chatting with Joan. Broadway’s neon lights sparkled; Xia Xiaolan had told her this was a theater district.

Not that it mattered—Zhou Yi disliked operas, found them incomprehensible, and thought tickets were overpriced.

Across the street, a greasy-looking man was stuffing two donuts into his mouth.

Ew. What had Xia Xiaolan said? New York was dangerous at night. She should hurry back to school. That donut-stuffing guy looked like trouble.

Zhou Yi tucked her chin and quickened her pace.

She didn’t notice the two men following her.

The donut-eating man followed too.

When Zhou Yi reached the street corner, one of the streetlights was out. The two men coordinated seamlessly: one clamped a hand over Zhou Yi’s mouth, while the other grabbed her legs.

“Mmph… H-help…!”

How did you say “help” in English again?

“Help! Mm—”

She thought her cries were loud, but they barely escaped her lips.

With traffic noise blaring from the main road, no one could hear her muffled screams.

The spot was a blind zone where the broken streetlight cast no light.

The two men dragged Zhou Yi into an alley.

“We just want money!”

“Hand it over, or we’ll kill you!”

“Hurry up!”

One man gagged Zhou Yi while the other waved a small knife close to her face.

The blade was cold against her skin.

Zhou Yi was paralyzed with fear. She didn’t respond to their demands, though not because she didn’t understand. Her English wasn’t great, but in calmer moments, she could comprehend words like money.

Now, panic rendered her incapable of recalling anything.

Frustrated, the men decided to search her bag themselves.

Zhou Yi, terrified, twisted violently.

Though she had her faults, she was a product of the conservative 1980s. Apart from Yuan Han, she’d never been intimate with another man.

When the robbers’ hands roamed over her, she panicked, struggled, and even bit the hand covering her mouth.

The man searching her bag finally found her cash. The one she bit slapped her hard.

“Bitch!”

The slap left Zhou Yi dizzy, her mouth filling with blood.

The robbers hadn’t intended to do more than rob her. But her frantic struggle popped open her blouse buttons.

Zhou Yi was nursing, and her fuller figure was impossible to miss.

Her pale, soft skin now exposed, the men exchanged lecherous grins.

“What are you doing? Stop… Get away from me…”

The donut-eating man tossed his donuts aside and moved toward the alley.

Before he could act, a taxi screeched to a halt at the corner.

A stylishly dressed Ye Xiaoqiong stumbled out.

Her steps were unsteady.

Hearing Zhou Yi’s cries, Ye Xiaoqiong’s eyes turned bloodshot.

Why had she come back?

Letting those two men ruin Zhou Yi would have been the perfect revenge.

She knew exactly what was about to happen in that alley.

Nothing destroyed a woman’s life more effectively… After such an experience, Zhou Yi would live in nightmares forever!