I am chasing a rough man in the 80s
Chapter 84 No Half-Chance Given

Chapter 84: Chapter 84 No Half-Chance Given

Li Youcai knelt down in the snow with utter despair, his head still covered with a large basket.

Yu Jingting’s shoe was still resting on the basket, literally embodying "the basket upholding justice."

The usually laid-back village chief was uncharacteristically serious that day. Seeing Yu Jingting, he felt an indescribable swell of emotion.

"If Tiegen hadn’t informed me, you would’ve bolted, and the villagers, young and old, would be left out in the cold during Chinese New Year!"

That day, it snowed, and there was not much to do. The village chief was roasting potatoes at home, sitting on the heated brick bed admiring the snowy scenery - he was deeply moved.

With such heavy snowfall, Tiegen and his wife surely wouldn’t begrudge him a hot roasted potato, would they?

As he was contemplating this, Jingting arrived.

This time, the village chief hardly cared for the potatoes. The news Jingting brought was simply shocking.

He simply couldn’t believe that Li Youcai would steal money and run away.

The amount was unimaginable.

He searched the production team’s premises, and sure enough, the money was gone.

The village chief was petrified, this was a major issue.

Seeing Li Youcai being caught made the village chief both furious and hateful.

He walked up and started kicking the basket fiercly.

"You damn lad! If not for your pitiful family circumstances, this job would never ever have been yours! And you had the audacity to do such an atrocious thing!"

At this point, Li Youcai was dazed.

The woven strips of the basket divided his world into segments.

He was reminded of his past life, where he was also caught for misappropriating public funds.

In the prison that restricted his freedom, he regretted every day. He regretted his carelessness that got him caught.

So, in this life, he had been very cautious; investigating the situation, weighing the pros and cons, ensuring his plans were foolproof. How could he have been caught red-handed?

"Sir! Let me explain. I didn’t take the money. I took it cause I felt it was not safe in the production team. I intended to take it home for safekeeping, and I would return it when the time comes!"

The village chief’s face was stern, and he seemed to be contemplating if Li Youcai was telling the truth.

If this matter were escalated, Li Youcai would be done for - a minimum of a few years, or maybe even over a decade. Having watched him grow up, the village chief found it hard to stomach.

While the chief was indecisive, wondering whether to downplay the matter, give a warning, and have the money returned, Suizi started broadcasting.

"Greetings to the folks of Yang Village. We are currently broadcasting an arrest alert. Just now, we have apprehended a villain who betrayed our trust by embezzling public funds, and tried to leave us high and dry for the New Year."

Suizi repeated the latter half of the sentence three times, fearing folks might not hear it clearly.

Jingting raised an eyebrow. This girl was going for the kill, she didn’t give the village chief any room to relent.

After Suizi repeated her message three times, some people from the two households closest to the school started cursing loudly.

Then there was a cacophony of sounds.

Three of the Yang Family brothers rushed out with hoes and sickles, cursing all the while.

Jingting firmly stood by the village chief, differentiating himself from Li Youcai to show that he too was a victim.

"What’s going on?!" The Yang brothers had been chatting, enjoying their leisure time hiding from the snow.

They had been discussing how to celebrate the New Year with the money they’d earned.

They had been toiling year-round, with their faces towards the soil and their backs towards the sky, all waiting for the end of the year to collect their wages and celebrate a peaceful New Year.

Upon hearing that someone was planning to run off with the money, they were absolutely livid.

Those who lived nearby had the same reaction, and even those who lived a little further away were just as furious.

Anyone who dared to touch their hard-earned money, they’d dare to fight.

At that moment, Li Youcai was glad he had a basket protecting him.

In his past life, he had run off with the money and enjoyed life for quite some time before being caught. He’d spent what could be spent and enjoyed what could be enjoyed.

Then, he was taken straight to the police station, and not long after, he was sentenced.

That time, he didn’t need to face the villagers’ scolding or physical punishment or moral condemnation. But this time was different.

He hadn’t spent the money, hadn’t run off, and he was kneeling inside the basket, facing the growing anger of the villagers.

The three Yang brothers surrounded him and started kicking the basket while Li Youcai screamed from inside.

The villagers who arrived later also swarmed him, all wanting to land a "warm" blow.

Fearing a fatality, the village chief asked Jingting to help stop them.

Jingting reluctantly pretended to stop them.

"Old guy, you are not as strong anymore. Be careful not to strain your back. It’s not worth it for this piece of meat. Stand back, stand back. Ah look, that strong guy couldn’t get in to kick. He’s hopping around in desperation."

Jingting, having been reformed by Suizi for a while, couldn’t stand seeing the ones who were desperately trying to get in. He quickly helped the big strong guy get in. "Go ahead and kick!"

The Village Chief pushed Jingting aside, furious.

This kid was too wicked. He was asked to maintain order, but cherry-picked the fiercest ones to let in.

If the beating continued, Li Youcai might just die on the spot.

"Enough!" The Village Chief yelled, gradually quieting the chaotic scene.

The villagers below were still clamoring for their money back, demanding justice, their emotions high.

The chief initially thought about settling the matter privately, but seeing the villagers’ agitation, he didn’t dare say anything anymore.

Removing the basket, Li Youcai was left beaten to a pulp, lying dizzily on the ground.

Everything in front of him was a blur, he couldn’t tell if it was blood or sweat.

In a daze, he seemed to see a goddess descending.

This goddess was wearing dark red shoes with red dots, and she seemed a bit chubby.

She took steps toward him, and those red cotton shoes stopped right before him.

Li Youcai who was lying on the ground, extended his jittery hand, hoping to grasp the goddess’s shoe.

Just one step away, that was how close he was to Suizi, the money-making machine.

Just like in his previous life, when he bought the fountain pen, she was just within his reach.

Li Youcai’s bloody hand reached out to Suizi’s shoe. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to seize this golden opportunity or push her away in anger, just as he did in his previous life when he couldn’t have her.

Just as the fingertips of Li Youcai were about to touch Suizi, a black cloth shoe stepped on his hand.

Yu Jingting, fearing it wouldn’t hurt enough, even gave a twist. Li Youcai’s screams reverberated through the air.

"Why ..." Li Youcai, looking at Jingting standing next to Suizi, muttered in disbelief.

The wind was picking up again, and Jingting grabbed the scarf around Suizi’s neck, wrapping her in an ugly "chicken mom" style.

Even though it was ugly, it was warm. Her whole face was wrapped, revealing only a pair of calm eyes.

Those eyes rarely curved into a smile in Li Youcai’s memory.

Suizi had depression in his past life and rarely smiled. He never knew she looked so beautiful when she smiled.

But this beautiful smile was for Jingting, not for him.

Looking at the couple standing together, Li Youcai felt a deep sense of unwillingness.

Why didn’t things go as he planned?

Wasn’t Suizi terrified of Jingting in her past life, always wanting to escape from him?

Why didn’t she go with him? Why did she lead people to catch him?

Suizi looked down at the man on the ground who was no better than an ant, and said coldly.

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