The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 441 - 440: Serving Full Term in Prison

"The money in the bag was taken by Sun Feifei, but I still have a savings certificate worth fifty thousand yuan. You just need to take the certificate and my ID, and you can withdraw the money from the bank,"

The brothers were so delighted at the prospect of fifty thousand yuan that they couldn’t stop grinning.

"I’ve hidden the savings certificate inside the flashlight. Only I can open it. If you untie me, I’ll get it for you,"

Seeing the brothers hesitate, Shen Mingzhu added, "My feet are tied by you guys. Even if I wanted to run, I couldn’t."

That made sense.

So, one of them untied her hands while the other handed her the flashlight from the bag, muttering to himself about how the flashlight looked different from the ones he was used to seeing.

Shen Mingzhu pretended that her hands were numb from being tied for too long and couldn’t lift them.

The man didn’t suspect a trick and bent down to place the flashlight in Shen Mingzhu’s hands, eager to obtain the savings certificate.

Fifty thousand yuan was more money than the two brothers could earn in several lifetimes.

...

It happened in a flash.

The moment Shen Mingzhu grabbed the flashlight, she slammed it down on the man’s hand.

Sizzling—

Accompanied by the sound of electric current, the man’s body convulsed for a few seconds like chaff being sifted before he collapsed limply to the ground.

"What the— You—"

Shen Mingzhu then struck him with the electric shock stick.

As the other man fell, Shen Mingzhu’s mind blanked for a second before she quickly snapped back to reality and bent down to untie the ropes around her feet.

The rope was tied in tight knots and she couldn’t undo it for the longest time, causing sweat to form on her forehead in her urgency.

Fortunately, there was a knife that Sun Feifei had dropped on the ground.

After cutting the rope with the knife, Shen Mingzhu got up and ran to the door, then turned back to grab the car keys.

The bag with the car keys was pinned under one of the men.

Worried that he would wake up from her movements, Shen Mingzhu picked up the electric shock stick, intending to give him another couple of hits, but when she pressed the power button, there was no response.

Damn, it’s out of battery!

Shen Mingzhu tossed the electric shock stick aside, picked up the knife in one hand for defense, and with the other hand, she tugged at the strap of the bag to drag it out.

Thankfully, the man did not wake up.

Shen Mingzhu found the car keys and got up to run.

...

"Mmm."

Seeing that only Shen Mingzhu got into the car, Sun Feifei in the back seat suddenly went mad and thrust herself towards the driver’s seat.

Shen Mingzhu didn’t notice in time and the car key broke off in the ignition.

Furious, she grabbed the crystal decoration from the dashboard and smashed it down on Sun Feifei’s head, hitting her several times. After the assault, she didn’t bother with Sun Feifei’s condition but pushed the car door open, got out, and after determining the direction, she chose what looked like a smoother path and ran.

Running and running, as if for her life, her legs felt unconnected to her body, and her lungs burnt with every breath she took.

But Shen Mingzhu dared not stop.

The wind howled past her ears, a buzzing sound in her head made her feel as though she was going deaf.

Her legs gave out, and she crashed heavily to the ground.

A rumbling noise came from above her, and she looked up.

The strong wind made it impossible to open her eyes, and her loose hair fluttered like seaweed in the breeze.

In the empty, deserted wilderness, she seemed as fragile as a blade of wild grass.

"Shen Mingzhu!"

For a few seconds, Shen Mingzhu was dazed when she saw Yan Yi jump down from the helicopter’s steps and stride towards her.

How came he was here.

"Are you okay?"

The strength from his arm made her realize this was not an illusion.

It was really Yan Yi who had come for her.

Seeing her silent, Yan Yi didn’t ask any more questions and pulled her towards the helicopter.

The sound of the spinning rotor blades was so loud it pained her ears, and Shen Mingzhu’s mind was a mess, but she was clear on one fact—she was rescued. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

"Mingzhu!"

Just as she was about to reach the helicopter, someone behind her called out.

Shen Mingzhu turned around and saw a familiar and tall figure standing not far away.

Despite the long distance and the raging strong winds that blurred her vision,

she could still make out the man’s expression and even the look in his eyes as he gazed at her.

Without hesitation, she turned and ran towards him.

The moment Pei Yang held her in his embrace, his familiar scent filled her nostrils, and the tears she could no longer hold back spilled over.

Yan Yi stood in front of the helicopter, his clothes billowing in the wind.

He quietly watched the two embrace for a moment, then turned and boarded the helicopter alone.

As the helicopter roared into the sky, Yan Yi, looking through the door at the two people shrinking below, silently withdrew his gaze.

...

Feeling the helicopter moving away, Shen Mingzhu glanced up into the sky, then buried her head into the man’s chest.

Thump, thump, thump.

As the surroundings quieted down, the man’s heartbeat sounded clearly, and Shen Mingzhu’s emotions gradually settled.

She looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, yet her tone was filled with joy.

"How did you find me?"

Pei Yang looked down at her, his deep eyes reflecting her face completely, "I chased after you for ages, I called you for ages, didn’t you hear me?"

Shen Mingzhu looked around and realized that she had run onto the country road, with Pei Yang’s car parked a few hundred meters away.

"Mommy!"

Pei Ziheng finally caught up and clasped Shen Mingzhu’s legs tightly, refusing to let go.

He had come out of the city with Pei Yang to find Shen Mingzhu, but being small and having shorter legs, he ran slowly.

Feeling the dampness around her waist, Shen Mingzhu squatted down and took him into her arms to comfort him.

"Don’t cry, I’m okay."

Pei Ziheng’s eyes were red, like a little bunny, his fingers gently touching her cheek.

"Mommy, does it hurt?"

She hadn’t felt it before, but now her cheeks were throbbing with pain.

Sun Feifei had loathed her and hadn’t shown any mercy when striking.

...

The police arrived quickly and caught Sun Feifei red-handed, but Shen Mingzhu’s two accomplices who had been knocked out managed to escape.

Attempted abduction and human trafficking, combined with previous commercial infringement, Sun Feifei was facing a litany of charges and was headed for a long prison sentence.

...

"I heard you offered a hundred bucks as a reward to find me, am I only worth a hundred dollars to you?"

Shen Mingzhu couldn’t help but tease as she watched Pei Yang apply pain-relieving and anti-swelling ointment to her face.

Pei Yang pressed harder with his hand, and Shen Mingzhu immediately cried out in pain.

"Ouch, be gentle!"

"You need to feel the pain to learn your lesson," Pei Yang said unkindly, though his hands became gentler.

Feeling aggrieved, Shen Mingzhu thought, "How can this be my fault? I’m not a clairvoyant, how could I have predicted someone would abduct me?"

Pei Yang softened his gaze as he looked at her, "Do you know how worried I was when I couldn’t find you? It’s only because the police acted quickly. Otherwise, I really felt like chopping her up!"

It was the first time she saw him display such ferocity; it was frightening and made her feel estranged.

Seeing her silent, Pei Yang smiled.

"Did I scare you?"

Shen Mingzhu shook her head, holding onto his broad and warm hand, "To be honest, I was scared too, scared that I might never see you again. But even if there was only a one-in-a-million chance, I wouldn’t give up. Even if I really had been abducted, I would have fought to survive, and I would have found a way back to you."

Pei Yang smoothed her hair by her ear, his voice also softening, "I’m just glad you’re safe."

He didn’t even get very angry when he saw her almost being taken away in Yan Yi’s helicopter; all he felt was relief and gratitude.

...

"Why did you use a helicopter today without notifying me first? This is the second time you’ve acted recklessly," Yan Yi’s father’s interrogation turned the atmosphere in the Yan Family cold.