HBWMA -Chapter 298 A Stolen Life

A winding mountain road on the outskirts of the capital.

A group of so-called “ghost fire teens” held fireworks in their hands, half their bodies hanging out of car windows as they screamed and cheered, racing downhill toward the mountaintop.

Guan He hung up the phone and jumped down from the front of the car.

“Who pissed him off so badly? This is some serious fire,” he muttered.

The lackeys around him immediately crowded in.

“Brother He, what did Brother A-Heng say?”

Guan He frowned. “He said nothing worth listening to. Forget him. We’ll take a lap first.”

The young men and women cheered in response, the noise rising again.

Just as Guan He was about to get back into the car, the girl who had earlier cornered Su Yun cautiously stepped forward.

“Brother He… that Su Yun is like a stubborn stone in a toilet—stinky and hard. We almost convinced her, but Su Miao suddenly interfered and she slipped away in the end.”

“Su Miao?” Guan He raised a brow. “What does she have to do with this?”

The girl shook her head. “No idea. They don’t seem connected. But Su Miao said if there’s anything, we should go through her.”

Guan He scoffed. “She’s really got nothing better to do.”

The girl hesitated. “Brother He… what should we do about this?”

Guan He leaned one hand on the roof of the car. For a moment, that frightened, helpless girl’s face surfaced in his mind again.

Recently, Zhou Yanheng had gone crazy for some reason and suddenly changed his car. Guan He had been driving the black “war machine” he’d long coveted, drifting through mountain bends.

A couple of days ago, just as he exited the school gate, a girl suddenly appeared in front of his car. He slammed the brakes in time, but she was still terrified.

Guan He had been furious. He got out and grabbed her collar, ready to vent his anger—but the moment he did, the girl shrank back in fear, looking up at him with trembling eyes.

That single glance nearly made his heart flip.

He hadn’t expected to hit such a “heavenly beauty.” Her face was so stunning it stirred something in him instantly.

By the time she pushed him away and he snapped back to his senses, she was gone. Fortunately, she had dropped an ID badge.

Su Yun.

Just thinking about that encounter made Guan He feel restless.

“What do you mean what to do? Isn’t she short on money? Then give her money. I don’t believe anyone in this day and age doesn’t like money.”

If it had been anyone else, Guan He wouldn’t have bothered once Su Miao interfered. They were just here for fun—not like they couldn’t move on.

But this time was different.

The moment he saw Su Yun, he wanted her.

That kind of targeted desire was a first for him, so he didn’t bother caring about Su Miao—or even Shen Miao.

The girl immediately understood. “Got it, Brother He.”

A cramped, dark alley. The only streetlight flickered on and off, broken from years of neglect.

Su Yun hugged her schoolbag tightly, scanning her surroundings in alarm.

The crackling electric noise made the night even more terrifying. She stepped carefully on the shadows, alone in the suffocating darkness.

Then she heard hurried footsteps behind her.

Her heart skipped. Without thinking, she ran.

But the shadow behind her suddenly accelerated like a ghost—and in the next second, grabbed her from behind.

“Finally got you!”

A thick stench of smoke and sweat hit her face. She nearly blacked out.

The man covered her mouth and dragged her into a corner. At first he planned to take her back to a rented room, but holding her like this, desire overtook restraint.

“Behave yourself. I already paid,” he growled.

Pinned against the wall, Su Yun cried out, “I’m a student! I don’t sell myself! You’ve got the wrong person!”

The man sneered and yanked off his belt. “Wrong? Your damn mother is the one running the scheme. Took my two thousand and still wanted to send you off to play with Master Zhao. Those guys under him are all lunatics. After they’re done, I’d barely get a turn. You think I’m stupid?”

With a crude laugh, he reached for her skirt.

Su Yun shut her eyes—but at the moment he leaned in, she pulled out a small pepper spray hidden in her sleeve and sprayed it straight into his eyes while kicking him hard between the legs.

“Aghhh!!”

The man screamed, clutching both his eyes and groin.

Su Yun didn’t hesitate. She grabbed her bag and ran—but after a few steps, she stopped.

No.

She couldn’t let him go.

If she did, she’d never be safe.

After a brief hesitation, she dropped her bag, grabbed a large stone from the roadside, and turned back.

The man was still screaming, bent over in pain. Through blurred vision, he sensed a shadow approaching.

“Bitch… you wait… if I catch you I’ll kill you—”

Before he could finish, Su Yun lifted the stone with shaking hands and brought it down hard onto his face.

“Ahhh!!!”

He collapsed instantly, convulsing. The metallic smell of blood spread through the dark alley.

Tears spilled from Su Yun’s eyes, red-rimmed and shaking—but she forced herself not to stop.

She picked up an even larger stone and stepped toward him again…

Outside the alley was a run-down shantytown. The lights were sparse, and the sound of mahjong tiles clacking mixed with bursts of quarrels and insults carried on endlessly.

Su Yun hurried through the narrow lanes, took out a key blade from under a rusted iron window, and unlocked the door before stepping inside.

“Wasn’t that your daughter who just passed by? She looked like she’d been bullied.”

Su Li turned back to glance outside. Seeing the faint light in the house, she immediately stood up.

“I’m not playing anymore.”

“Hey, hey! What do you mean you’re not playing after winning money? When you were losing, your daughter was lying at home with a fever for three days and you didn’t even care!”

Su Li waved them off. “Next time, next time.” With that, she turned and left the mahjong hall.

It wasn’t that she cared about Su Yun. She had already guessed that old man Li was lurking at the entrance of the alley. She had simply turned a blind eye on purpose, thinking: Anyway, that girl’s fate is already set. If Old Li gets to her first, I can still squeeze a bit more money out of it.

Life in the shantytown was harsh. Su Li, with her gambling habit and no savings, only rented a single room. Su Yun’s room had originally been a coal storage shed that was later converted.

Su Li quietly entered the house. The bathroom light was on, and the sound of running water could be heard intermittently.

She came home and went straight to shower?

Su Li knocked hard on the door. “Didn’t I tell you to shower at school from now on? Do you think gas costs nothing?!”

The water stopped immediately. Su Yun’s voice came out hoarse and trembling.

“I’ll be done soon.”

“No. Get out right now! Who told you to turn on the lights while showering?!”

After waiting a moment with no response, Su Li grew even more impatient.

“Did you hear me? I said get out!”

The bathroom door opened from inside. Su Yun stepped out wearing a thin jacket, her hair still dripping wet.

Su Li stared at her. “What happened to your face? Did you get into a fight at school?”

Su Yun trembled and lowered her head, trying to walk away, but Su Li grabbed her forcefully.

“Stop right there. Tell me—what shameful thing did you do?!”

Suddenly, Su Yun broke down. “I didn’t! When I came back, I ran into a pervert. He tried to hurt me.”

As expected—it was that old man Li. Su Li felt secretly pleased, her voice rising.

“And you let him succeed?”

“No…” Su Yun shook her head violently. “Then a group of people showed up and beat him up. They said I was someone Master Zhao had already claimed, and that he didn’t know his place.”

Master Zhao?

Zhao Si?

Su Li felt as if her mood had plummeted straight from the clouds into an abyss.

It was over. Had Zhao Si already found out she had been playing both sides and secretly selling the same girl twice?

Thinking of Zhao Si’s methods, Su Li’s face turned pale.

“What happened after that?” she demanded.

Su Yun kept shaking her head. “I don’t know. I was scared and ran away when they weren’t paying attention. That pervert was taken away by them.”

Su Li knew Old Li was likely as good as dead. She shoved Su Yun away impatiently.

“What are you still standing there for? You jinx! Go back to your room!”

Su Yun silently wiped her tears and returned to her room with wet hair clinging to her face.

Why would Zhao Si send people over? Did he discover something?

The more Su Li thought, the more frightened she became. After glancing around, she secretly slipped out of the house. No matter what, she had to calm Zhao Si down first.

She made up her mind and immediately dialed a number.

It took a long while before the call was picked up.

“If this isn’t important, I’ll kill you.”

Su Li deliberately softened her voice. “Oh, how was I supposed to know it was such a coincidence? I’m reporting the situation as soon as I have it.”

“What situation?”

“Su Miao just replied to me. She said she’s willing to cooperate with us—but there’s one condition: Su Yun can never return to the Su family.”

This was actually Su Li’s own selfish plan. Su Miao was her biological daughter, and she already had leverage over her. As long as Su Mo secured her position as the Su family’s young lady, Su Li would benefit as well.

On the other hand, she had been cruel and harsh toward Su Yun all these years. If Su Yun were to reclaim her identity, she would be the first one to suffer.

Now that Zhao Si was suspicious of her, she needed to show sincerity. After thinking it through, the quickest way was to “sell off” Su Yun again—both to prove loyalty and protect her own interests.

Zhao Si spoke coldly. “If that’s the case, we can move forward with the plan. Make sure this is handled properly. If you mess it up, both of us are dead.”

“Don’t worry, Brother Zhao.”

Su Li hung up the phone, finally feeling the weight lift from her chest. With the crisis temporarily resolved, she glanced back toward the house—but seeing the coal room light off, she hesitated, then still couldn’t help but rush back toward the mahjong hall.

And…

In an inconspicuous corner, Su Yun was curled up tightly, hugging her knees into a small, trembling ball.

She murmured to herself, “Su Yun can never return to the Su family…”

So it was true.

She really wasn’t Su Li’s child.

Her life had truly been stolen.