The next day just as Mingshen had planned, Jiang Zhen's condition got even worse. He was on bedrest the whole day.

  But on the other side, Lihua's 'Talk to me' campaign was faring even better. She didn't know how, but more and more afflicted people were coming to talk to her throughout the day. Some were non-drugs consumers, but the majority of them did consume some or the other form of drugs.

  Naturally, she was thrilled. More people meant she could help more of them to come out of the dark and miserable path they had chosen for themselves.

  It was when Jiang Hua realized that there were more women just like her. Abandoned and cheated by their husbands and who abused them.

  There was one such woman in her early twenties who sobbed as she narrated how her boyfriend cheated on her with his coworker. Since then, she had been drinking alcohol and sleeping pills to forget about her boyfriend. She was trying hard to mend things with him and even change herself to make him come back.

  "……Leave him."

  The woman was startled. Jiang Hua was quietly observing the conversation, so her sudden interruption took her aback.

  Even Lihua stared at her, stunned. "For all these days, it was only her who had talked to the people while Jiang Hua would only listen. But this was the first time that she encouraged someone.

  "You have worked hard in a relationship, and if…he doesn't respect that, then you should leave him."

  The woman fidgeted. "R-really? I am scared. I-I am very awkward and I am afraid to make my own decisions," tears spilled out of her eyes. "He always helped me with everything. N-Now, if I leave him, how will I survive?"

  Jiang Hua stiffened.

  It was the same with her. She had become so dependent on Jiang Zhen that she found unable to think for herself. He restricted her freedom to the point that she slowly lost the ability to make any decisions and take a step forward.

  "I know it seems scary," Lihua smiled. "It's hard to suddenly feel alone. But you should think about it. Are you afraid of feeling alone or have you just got used to the comfort zone of somebody else making all the decisions for you?"

  They quietened.

  "Your need to depend on him will only make your life harder. What's it for him? He will be only thrilled that he will get two women to fool around."

  The young woman froze.

  "Either now or later, there will come a time for you where you won't be able to take it anymore. You will have to step out of this toxic relationship one or the other day. The sooner the better."

  She smiled. "Even if it is now, you can take your time. You can try making small decisions at your pace to feel more confident. One step at a time. It might be difficult to suddenly cut him off from your life. So don't. At least for now. But start thinking about yourself too. Do things which you never did before because you wanted to please him. Those small, small steps will eventually give you the confidence to live your life on your terms and break up with him."

  The young woman found this reasonable. Her friends had suggested she simply leave her boyfriend and while they meant well for her, she couldn't do it so easily.

  "I…I will try that. No, I can a-at least do that. You know, I always wanted to try the ramen shop in XX district. But my boyfriend never allowed me because he didn't like the greasy place. But I heard they make super tasty ramen."

  Lihua beamed. "Yes! So, this time give yourself a treat! Stick to going to that shop even if he says otherwise."

  She tremblingly nodded. She thanked him and left.

  Lihua grabbed Jiang Hua's hand. "You were so awesome! You spoke like a Boss, haha!"

  She lowered her gaze.

  *Meow*

  Qingqing stretched in Ruru's lap.

  Humans and their endless troubles…


  Lihua noticed that she looked odd since morning, but she didn't know why.

  "Are you okay?" She gently held her hand.

  Jiang Hua smiled at her. "I am."

  "Really? You look a little dazed," she worriedly said.

  She shook her head. "I am fine. Meeting all these people is also making me think about a lot of things I didn't think of before."

  She stared at her and quietly nodded.

  This was the reason why Lihua wanted to include her in this too. She knew they would meet women who would be in a similar situation as her. Through them, she wanted to give her the confidence that she wasn't alone.

  She smiled. "That's good. Think. Think all you want, Jiang Hua. For yourself and for Ruru."

  —-

  Jiang Zhen seemed like he lost a ton of weight within just a single day. He took bathroom breaks so many times by now that he felt as if it was his real bedroom.

  Chang Fang had an urge to laugh at his pitiful condition, but he somehow held it in.

  "What…" he gasped, feeling tired. "What did you find about Charles? What is that bastard's purpose of coming to China?"

  Shen Yang respectfully came forward and reported. "Boss! I checked from every possible connection, but he hasn't brought any of his men to China. It's just him. But I did find one suspicious activity."

  He narrowed his eyes. "What?"

  Shen Yang handed him a picture. It showed a sneak of Charles's meeting with Li Dong as they shook their hands.

  Jiang Zhen crumpled the picture in his hand, veins popping on his forehead.

  "So, it's true…those bastards are planning behind my back."

  Shen Yang coldly nodded. "It seems so."

  He sneered. "But they don't know that I am already a step ahead. Jiming is trading Li Dong's research subjects with fake ones. How many have we got until now?"

  "Nine, Boss."

  Hearing this, Chang Fang furrowed his brows.

  Nine?