Read Novel Full Chapter 116 Part 1 – Not Cute, Let Alone Adorable (I)
Chapter 116 Part 1 – Not Cute, Let Alone Adorable (I)
When the landlord refused to renew the lease and demanded she move out within three days, Jiang Ruo didn’t think much of it. Ever since the kidney-stealing incident had been exposed, she had gotten used to the unfriendly looks and malice people gave her.
When she went out looking for a new place and the landlords suddenly backed out at the last moment, she still didn’t think much of it. After her reversal of fate, her luck always runs bad, and she had long used many things to go wrong—having two strokes of bad luck in a single day wasn’t unusual either.
But the series of events that followed left Jiang Ruo no choice but to think deeper.
She had indeed been unlucky lately, but no one could be this unlucky repeatedly without cause. Especially when she considered the school’s sudden tough attitude toward her, she realized someone must be targeting her.
At this point, apart from the Feng family and Tong Yi, there was no one else who would bother dealing with her.
But who exactly was targeting her—the Feng family or Tong Yi?
When the secret of her birth was first exposed, she had been very worried that the Feng family would come after her. To them, crushing her would be as easy as crushing an ant. Desperate to avoid drawing attention, she had kept a low profile, thinking that if she lived wretchedly enough, they would let her be.
Unexpectedly, the Feng family had never caused her trouble at all, as if they had completely forgotten about her.
As time passed, Jiang Ruo stopped worrying about them, knowing they didn’t care about her.
Later, after Jiang Zhou was arrested, she had only one goal: to save him, which was why she approached Tong Xu.
What she had said to Tong Xu wasn’t just to set up Tong Yi—she was targeting both Tong Yi and Jiang Li. Her aim was to drive a wedge between Jiang Li and her grandfather.
However, this move was not without risk. If the Feng family discovered what she had done, it would be natural for them to retaliate against her.
If that were the case, then the Feng family’s intelligence network was almost frighteningly swift, managing to trace everything back to her so quickly.
But if it wasn’t the Feng family, then it could only mean Tong Yi had discovered her actions. If he was truly the one behind her brother’s arrest, then Tong Xu’s investigation would have tipped him off. And once Tong Yi realized her involvement, retaliation was inevitable.
Whether it was the Feng family or Tong Yi, she knew she stood no chance of fighting back. But if she had a choice, she’d rather face Tong Yi—because that would mean her brother’s arrest was truly connected to him.
In that case, Tong Xu would definitely find a way to deliver the evidence to Grandpa Feng, and her brother would be saved. Everything she had suffered these past few days would have been worth it.
But if it was the Feng family targeting her… it would mean they did not care about her brother and simply saw her as meddlesome. Everything she had done and endured would have been for nothing.
Looking at all her belongings piled up in the hallway, Jiang Ruo squatted down, hugging her knees, and quietly sobbed.
Just as she felt utterly helpless, the neighbor’s door suddenly opened. She looked up and saw a man in a white tracksuit standing in the doorway, looking at her and asking gently, “Were you kicked out because you couldn’t pay the rent?”
Jiang Ruo shook her head and softly explained, “I don’t even know why. He just refused to rent the place to me.”
The man looked at the mess in the hallway and frowned. “How could he do that? Kicking someone out in the middle of the night… It’s not safe for a girl to be outside alone.”
Jiang Ruo didn’t know how to respond. She stood up, patted the dust from her knees, grabbed some essentials from her luggage, and prepared to find a hotel for the night.
As for the items left on the floor, anything nonessential would have to be abandoned, and she would need to call a moving company to deal with the rest.
But the man called out to her, “It’s not safe to leave your things out here. Why don’t you store them at my place? If you don’t mind, you can even stay temporarily until you find a new place.”
Jiang Ruo was stunned, and then quickly shook her head. “That’s too much trouble. Thank you, but I can handle it myself.”
The man smiled. “We’ve been neighbors for a while now. Helping out isn’t any trouble at all.”
Hearing this, Jiang Ruo hesitated. After a few seconds, she said softly, “I don’t need to stay at your place, but if it’s possible, I’d like to temporarily store my things, can I?”
The items in the hallway weren’t worth much, but she was no longer the rich Jiang Ruo. Every cent she had needed to be saved for her treatment, so she couldn’t afford to waste anything.
The man immediately stepped out of his apartment. “I’ll help you move the luggage, but my place isn’t very spacious, so you’ll need to organize your things a bit. Is that okay?”
Jiang Ruo nodded. “That’s perfectly fine. Thank you.”
In the next few minutes, the man began moving Jiang Ruo’s belongings into the room, while Jiang Ruo sorted them into categories and placed them in the corner he designated.
After she finished organizing everything, she was about to take her leave when the man suddenly closed the door and locked it.
“It’s already very late. Finding a place to stay now would be troublesome. Why don’t you just make do here for the night?”
The man still wore a smile on his face, but Jiang Ruo immediately sensed his sinister intentions. She shook her head at once. “That won’t be necessary. I’m staying in my dorm tonight. If I don’t return on time, my roommates will alert the dorm supervisor, who will then contact my parents. They’ll call the police right away.”
The man grinned roguishly, “You’ve been living here for months. When have you ever gone back to the dorm? Didn’t you have that big dumb guy hanging around before? He doesn’t want you anymore and won’t even pay your rent. That’s why you’re being thrown out, right?”
As the man gradually approached, Jiang Ruo’s instincts screamed danger. “Let me go right now, or I’ll call the police!”
The man’s face twisted into a sneer. “Call the police? You walked into my place on your own and even let me help you carry your things. That’s mutual consent, got it? Even if you call the police, they’ll just treat it as a disagreement over payment.”
Jiang Ruo had never encountered a situation like this before. She begged in tears, “Please let me go. I can pay you. I have money.”
But the man disregarded her plea and walked slowly toward her, like a hunter eyeing his prey, “What use is money when I can enjoy the company of a fine beauty like you? Please me, and I might even consider covering your rent.”
“No, no…! Bastard, go away…” Jiang Ruo cursed as she backed away, but the man pressed on. Soon she found herself pressed between the wall and him.
“Who are you pretending to be innocent for?” The man leered lasciviously. “I know you are used to seducing men. Just be good now; you might as well enjoy it together.”
Jiang Ruo finally realized with horror that the man had absolutely no intention of letting her go. She started to scream for help, resisting with all her might, but she was no match for his strength. The man easily picked her up and threw her on the sofa, then pressed his heavy stature over her.
She screamed over and over again, wishing someone would hear her cries and come to her rescue. Unfortunately, in today’s increasingly individualistic society, few are willing to risk their own safety to help a stranger; even getting someone to call the police is considered a stroke of luck.
But… can she hold on until the police arrive?
Just as Jiang Ruo was about to succumb to despair, a loud bang echoed from the front door, sparking a flicker of hope in her heart.
The man, annoyed by the interruption, rose from the sofa and quickly put on his clothes. But instead of hurrying to the door, he maintained a composed front and called out to the person outside, “Who is it?”
“Police,” a strong, authoritative voice responded from outside.
The man’s expression instantly shifted to panic as Jiang Ruo immediately screamed for help.
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