Chapter 2: Forget About the Compensation

"Can’t you just shut up for once!"

His father was utterly shocked.

This hot-headed son of his, always so stubborn by nature.

At such a critical moment, if he were to provoke them further, what awaited him would be the utter ruin of his future.

"Yar, just bear with it for now. After all, you did hit someone. If we’re in the wrong, we can’t afford to be obstinate," his mother pleaded, her words heavy with meaning, her face etched with sorrow.

Looking at his parents, Wu Yar’s heart surged with emotion.

A bitter ache welled up within him.

It was all because of him.

After learning his college entrance exam results, he’d gotten carried away. Only then, in a rush of reckless speed, had he fallen into their trap.

If only he’d slowed down—just a little—none of this would have happened.

The woman’s arrogance grew even more pronounced when she saw this.

Clearly, this was a family easily cowed!

"Boy, don’t forget—it was you who injured my husband! And we have witnesses present!"

As her words fell—

Footsteps echoed from outside the hospital room, and two young men walked in.

Identical batwing shirts and skinny trousers, their long hair parted at the sides.

Their arms bore dense scars, the marks of countless cigarette burns.

"What do you want?" Wu Yar’s parents’ expressions changed dramatically.

At the same time, they moved to the side, shielding Wu Yar tightly behind them.

"We’re not here for trouble! Just a friendly reminder: if this goes to the authorities, we have witnesses and evidence. You’ll be in far more trouble than you can handle!"

The woman’s tone grew even more condescending, her eyes filled with disdain as she looked at Wu Yar’s parents.

"That’s right! We both saw it with our own eyes—this kid hit our brother here!"

"Broke his bones, too. Compensation is only right. Otherwise, if we call the police, he’ll be detained for at least half a month," the two youths chimed in, each word thick with threat.

For ordinary, honest folk like this, creating overwhelming psychological pressure was their specialty.

Wu Yar’s parents’ faces grew even more ashen.

Ten thousand yuan—where could they possibly find such a sum?

In an instant, the elderly couple sank into deep despair.

The woman and her companions fell silent as well.

Giving them time to consider was necessary.

They were experts in striking at just the right moment.

The room fell into a deathly hush, the silence so complete a pin could be heard falling.

Suddenly—

"Mom, Dad, let me handle this. Don’t worry, your son knows what he’s doing."

Wu Yar stepped between his parents, gently guiding them to sit on the bed.

The look in his eyes—utterly composed.

"This… you…" Wu Yar’s parents stared at him in confusion.

He was still their son, and yet—he seemed different from just a few days ago.

What had changed?

A newfound steadiness.

Could it be that the accident had knocked some sense into him? Had his reckless nature been fundamentally altered?

Nervously, they nodded.

Only then did Wu Yar turn to face the woman.

"Heh. Just a bunch of lowlifes from the South Station District, making a living off staged accidents and a sideline in flesh trade! Today’s events will not repeat the past!"

His words, seemingly cryptic, laid bare their true nature in an instant.

The expressions of the woman and her companions shifted.

But quickly, they regained their composure.

"Kid, you can talk nonsense all you like, but don’t slander us! Prostitution is a crime! If you don’t want to pay, you’re resorting to false accusations? Don’t think you can trick us out of our compensation—not a single cent less!"

Though what he said was true, to her it was nothing more than a bluff—a desperate attempt to scare them off.

And besides, for this job, they’d crossed into another district. Even if they operated locally, this family was clearly unsophisticated, the lowest rung of society.

How could they possibly know about the dark corners where people like her operated?

She didn’t believe it.

"It seems you won’t cry until you see the coffin," Wu Yar said, stepping closer until only a foot separated him from the woman.

Their eyes met head-on.

"Yan Li, known as the Black Peony, a notorious streetwalker near South Station. The man with the cast behind you is Guo Hai—has his arm ever healed in the past year? And these two…"

"Stop! How do you know us?" Yan Li recoiled as if struck by lightning, leaping back.

She stared at Wu Yar as if seeing a ghost.

This kid could recite their backgrounds without hesitation!

And he’d used their real names—the ones on their birth certificates!

In their world, life was precarious. No one ever used their real name to avoid the law.

How could he possibly know them?

She was certain: she’d never met this boy before.

Yet he had knowledge that not even the police possessed.

Her heart quaked violently.

A cold sweat broke out, trickling down her spine.

But Wu Yar paid her no mind.

"On the third of last month, South Station, East Suburb Alley, eleven at night—you extorted two thousand by staging an accident. The victim was Han Liang. He never called the police.

"And on the twenty-fifth, same method, you swindled Liu Yang out of three thousand. He didn’t report it either.

"Meanwhile, you ran a prostitution ring out of the South Station Hostel, requiring each woman to take five clients daily. In just one month, over six hundred transactions, netting twenty thousand yuan. And…"

He spoke as if he’d witnessed it all firsthand, his words flowing effortlessly.

Yan Li’s eyes widened in terror.

The men behind her turned pale as death.

Every word from this boy struck at the core of their crimes.

Any one of these revelations would be enough to destroy them.

"What’s wrong? Are you scared now?"

Seeing their terror, Wu Yar abruptly stopped.

His face was contorted with rage.

These memories were seared into him.

Back then, when this happened, he’d been completely in the dark.

It wasn’t until a later crackdown that the entire criminal gang was brought to justice.

Their sordid deeds were exposed for all to see.

Only then did Wu Yar realize his family had been deceived.

But the world had already changed—too late for regrets.

By then, his parents had already departed, separated from him by life and death.

All that remained was a heart full of regret and endless lament.

Now, reborn, he would never let tragedy repeat itself.

"We’ll go! We don’t want your compensation!" Yan Li, regaining her senses, threw out the words and turned to leave.

Her hurried steps were like someone fleeing from a knife-wielding pursuer—stumbling, desperate.

This boy was no ordinary person!

The three men behind her scrambled after her.

Wu Yar’s parents stared in shock.

Their son had dismissed those people with only a few words?

And from the look of it, scared them off completely!

What on earth had happened?

They couldn’t understand.

But—

"Stop! Did I say you could leave?"

Wu Yar’s voice rang out.

Yan Li’s foot, just crossing the doorway, froze mid-air.