My sister-in-law from Qingdao

But just then, I was kicked hard in the back.

I fell to my knees with a thud.

Li Debiao's friend made a move.

Immediately afterwards, four or five people rushed over and started punching and kicking me again.

My sister-in-law lunged at me, trying to shield me with her body, but unfortunately she was too small and weak.

I was grabbed by the hair and thrown aside, while they brutally beat me.

Through the crack, I saw my sister-in-law sitting there, her eyes filled with sorrow, crying helplessly.

Just then.

A voice came from over.

"That's enough. You'll kill someone if you keep hitting them like this."

Upon hearing this voice, Li Debiao's friends finally released me.

I felt sticky on my face and head, and there was blood everywhere.

I could clearly see Zhao Yun standing to one side, with two underlings beside him.

"Boss Zhao, I know this is your territory, but this kid is too arrogant. Look, he broke my head. He's pretty ruthless."

At this moment, Li Debiao woke up and leaned over to say something.

"That's enough. You guys started this trouble. Let him go."

Zhao Yun didn't even glance at me, but instead said...

"That won't do. He beat our eldest brother up like this. We have to break one of his legs today."

One of Li Debiao's henchmen walked over arrogantly and unreasonably.

"I told you, that's the end of it. This kid owes me six million. You broke his leg, how is he going to earn money to pay me back? I still need to make him pay me back."

Zhao Yun glanced coldly at Li Debiao's underlings.

Li Debiao hurriedly tugged at the boy and subconsciously shook his head.

Then he said to Zhao Yun, "Boss Zhao, since this is your territory, we'll give you face and let him go today. But if he causes trouble again next time, I'll really take one of his legs."

After saying that, Li Debiao left with his men.

My sister-in-law rushed over and hugged me, shaking me violently, crying and calling out, "Chen Dong, Chen Dong, are you alright?"

I don't know why Zhao Yun helped me, but I still broke free from my sister-in-law's embrace, got up from the ground, and bowed deeply to Zhao Yun, saying, "Boss Zhao, thank you."

Zhao Yun still didn't look at me, and said in a calm tone, "I saved you for only one reason, which was that I was afraid you would die and be unable to repay the money. You told me yourself that you and your sister-in-law would work together to earn money to repay me."

After saying that, Zhao Yun left with his men.

In that instant, a thought popped into my head: in this society, money doesn't necessarily guarantee success.

If I could become Zhao Yun's underling, then no one would dare to bully me and my sister-in-law.

A short while later, the ambulance arrived. My sister-in-law and the nurse lifted me into the ambulance, and I was taken to the hospital.

Although I have multiple injuries, the most serious injuries are to my hands and head.

The hand was cut because the coffee cup broke, severing a blood vessel.

He suffered a cut on his head, requiring seven or eight stitches, and also sustained a mild concussion.

After more than an hour of treatment, I lay in bed to rest, with an IV drip in my arm.

My sister-in-law stayed by my side the whole time, her eyes brimming with tears and her eyes red and swollen.

It was late at night.

After the IV drip finished, my sister-in-law fed me dumplings.

At this moment, her emotions stabilized, and her face showed a gentle stubbornness and reproach.

"What if you accidentally kill him with a coffee cup?"

My sister-in-law put a dumpling in my mouth and said.

"My brother told me before he left that he wanted me to take care of you. He said that as long as I don't die, I will protect you and no one can bully you."

My sister-in-law sighed softly and shook her head subconsciously. After a few seconds, she said, "Do you think something might have happened to Chen Fang? Why hasn't he even called me?"

I didn't respond to my sister-in-law's words, and the room fell into a deathly silence.

The overall economy is in a very bad state right now, and there are many people with the nouveau riche mentality like my cousin, and these people are extremely likely to be scammed.

My cousin is an opportunist. If he had been born in a special era when the economy was good, he might have had opportunities.

But it's hard to make big money these days; you're lucky if you can just break even and avoid getting ripped off.

"Do you think your brother is dead?"

My sister-in-law put the plate aside and looked at me with teary eyes.

Seeing her so sad, I didn't know how to answer her.

Actually, I had a premonition when I couldn't contact my cousin.

I had a feeling something was wrong with my cousin; scams these days have reached an almost insane level.

Many people were tricked into going to northern Myanmar, the Philippines, or even Thailand.

They went out with dreams of getting rich, but they are very likely to end up on a road of no return.

"Tell me, is your brother dead?"

My sister-in-law sat in front of me, her pretty eyes staring straight at me.

"Impossible. My brother is so smart and very ambitious. How could he die? He must have been working hard outside and didn't want the family to worry."

My sister-in-law's expression softened slightly after hearing what I said. She wiped her eyes and said, "Xiao Dong, I'm so scared. What should I do?"

"It's okay, I'm here, what are you afraid of? It's just that you really can't work at Shuiyun Studio anymore. It's a mixed bag of people, and a lot of the men there are filthy."

My sister-in-law nodded and said, "Okay, I'll quit after I get better and find another job."

But it's too hard to earn money with ordinary jobs. Even in a city like Qingdao, there aren't many decent jobs that pay six or seven thousand yuan.

I wholeheartedly believe what my sister-in-law said; it is indeed true. Now, the economy is dominated by civil servants, teachers, and other people within the system.

They have comprehensive insurance coverage and no worries about the future. Even if they get sick, the government will reimburse a large portion of their medical expenses.

People outside the system are different; they don't have much security, so they dare not spend money.

The less people dare to spend, the more sluggish the economy becomes—it's a vicious cycle.

There's no way around it; every country's economy follows certain patterns. After twenty years of rapid development, it's normal to have entered this state.

But my brother isn't around, and my sister-in-law feels so helpless.

"Back when your brother was around, he wouldn't let me go to work even if I wanted to. In the years since I graduated, I've forgotten what it's like to work because I don't have any work experience and I can't get into most big companies."

"My sister-in-law sighed and said."

Seeing how sad she looked, I said, "Sister-in-law, it's getting late. You should go home and get some rest. You've finished your IV drip, so you're fine. I can manage here on my own."

My cousin's wife rejected my suggestion.

"I'm scared to go back to living alone. It's better to be with you. At least we can talk to each other."

Seeing my sister-in-law's helpless state filled me with heartache.

Such a beautiful and kind woman, forced into this situation, it's all my brother's fault.

Because there were two beds in the room, my sister-in-law lay down on the other small bed and fell asleep.

As I leaned against the bed, looking at my sister-in-law lying there, I felt a strange, indescribable feeling.

Suddenly, my sister-in-law's body began to tremble, and she started sobbing.

I quickly got out of bed and gently pushed her.

"Sister-in-law, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

My sister-in-law suddenly opened her eyes, her eyes red-rimmed, and abruptly sat up and hugged me.

She hugged me tightly, her arms around my neck, her full breasts pressed against my body.

"It scared me to death. I had a dream that your brother went to northern Myanmar, was hung up and beaten, and had his kidneys cut off."