Chapter 22: The Black Ghost Hand

Faced with the situation, Wang Yong did not rush to make a decision. Instead, he quickly helped Sun Jijun up and asked him what had happened.

This time, Sun Jijun did not hide the truth and briefly explained everything.

After hearing Sun Jijun’s explanation, Wang Yong felt sympathy for his hardship and promised not to spread the information. However, he did not hesitate to accept the twenty thousand yuan, immediately taking all of it.

Seeing that Wang Yong had accepted the money, Sun Jijun finally relaxed.

With several extra thousand yuan in his pocket, Wang Yong became excited and, while urging Sun Jijun to go to the hospital, impulsively offered to help dispose of the clothes inside the small room.

Disposing of the clothes meant eliminating evidence. Shui Miao felt conflicted but couldn’t remind Wang Yong in front of Sun Jijun.

Unexpectedly, Sun Jijun didn’t fully trust Wang Yong. Despite the pain in his leg, he went into the small room, gathered up the clothes, stuffed them into a bag, and placed it in his car to take away. He left behind only the wooden basin and the dirty water inside, asking Wang Yong to clean it up.

As Sun Jijun moved back and forth, blood from his leg dripped all over the floor, creating a very gruesome sight.

As soon as Sun Jijun left, Wang Yong immediately went into the room and told Xiong Ying he was going to deposit the twenty thousand yuan at the bank, as carrying so much cash was inconvenient.

Xiong Ying nodded and insisted on going with him.

In the end, Xiong Ying still didn’t fully trust Wang Yong—after all, twenty thousand yuan was no small amount.

Wang Yong was slightly taken aback. He had treated Xiong Ying with sincerity, yet was met with distrust, which made him feel disappointed and hurt. In a fit of anger, he simply handed the suitcase to Xiong Ying, telling her to deposit it herself however she wanted.

To his surprise, Xiong Ying ignored his anger, took the suitcase without a word, and went to deposit it alone.

In his heart, Wang Yong felt that this money should be his alone, with no one else entitled to it.

Pointing at Xiong Ying’s retreating figure, Wang Yong angrily said to Shui Miao, “Look at her! She claims we’re family, yet she doesn’t trust me at all. How can I still consider her family? Originally, I planned to deposit the twenty thousand yuan into three separate bank cards, giving one to each of us. After all, we did help out—would it be unreasonable to take a share of the money? This money was hard-earned by me!”

This time, Wang Yong was genuinely angry. The coldness and distrust in Xiong Ying’s eyes deeply wounded him.

Shui Miao remained speechless—he hadn’t contributed much and thus had no right to speak.

“Godfather, please don’t be angry. Grandpa knows what he’s doing. Eventually, he will share it with you,” Shui Miao tried to comfort him, believing that his grandfather wouldn’t keep all the money for himself.

Hearing this, Wang Yong became even more anxious. “Oh! Do you think I’m doing this for myself? I’m doing it for you! I have property, antiques, and savings—this small sum of money means little to me. But your grandfather is addicted to gambling; once this money is in his hands, it won’t last long. I heard from Sun Jijun that you went to the factory and your sister Chenxiang has already quit her job. It seems you plan to take her with you. Without money, how do you expect to manage?”

Previously, Wang Yong had talked a lot with Sun Jijun.

Sun Jijun was perceptive—he could tell a lot just from the glances exchanged between Shui Miao and Chenxiang.

“Godfather, how did you know I intended to take sister Chenxiang with me?”

Shui Miao was curious. He hadn’t told Sun Jijun about this plan, so how did Sun know? Had they secretly investigated him? But upon reflection, he realized that was impossible—he was nobody, and those wealthy people wouldn’t waste time investigating a poor nobody like him. What would be the point?

“I already told you, Sun Jijun told me. Does it really matter so much?” Wang Yong disliked seeing his godson doubt him. “Shui Miao, if you don’t consider me your godfather, just say so now. I don’t want to waste my emotions on you. I’ve already been hurt enough in my life.”

“Godfather, you’re overreacting. How could I be that kind of person? Besides, even without the money, I can earn it myself. Grandpa is already old—no matter how much he likes gambling, how many more years does he have left?” Seeing Wang Yong’s agitation, Shui Miao felt something was off. Why was Wang Yong so distrustful? It was just about depositing money—why was Wang Yong so upset? He hadn’t even said he wouldn’t share the money. And why was he claiming it was all for Shui Miao and Chenxiang? If that were true, why didn’t Wang Yong offer some of his own money?

Shui Miao sighed inwardly, realizing that even adults had their flaws.

Seeing Wang Yong fall silent, Shui Miao quickly changed the subject. “By the way, godfather, Sun Jijun will be back after he finishes bandaging his wound. Should we clean up the room first?”

“Sigh! Forget it. Let’s just get to work…”

Wang Yong waved his hand, his tone softening. Shui Miao’s words had touched him. Indeed, no matter how addicted to gambling his father-in-law was, how many more years did he have left? Wang Yong had always valued money so highly, but when he grew old, who would eventually inherit all his wealth? He couldn’t even take a penny with him when he died.

The wooden door wasn’t sturdy. With a few knocks from Shui Miao and Wang Yong, it opened quickly. They poured the dirty water from the room into the drain and tidied up briefly. Wang Yong grabbed a mop, soaked it with water, and was about to mop the floor outside when Sun Jihong arrived alone. However, he was timid, standing outside the gate, peeking in but not daring to enter.

Shui Miao turned his head, spotted Sun Jihong outside, and immediately tugged at Wang Yong’s clothes. “Godfather, Sun Jihong is here. He seems to have come alone.”

“Perfect timing. This good-for-nothing kid can clean up the bloodstains.” Wang Yong was already annoyed. He hadn’t profited from the money and was now acting like a cleaner for others. He picked up the mop, then threw it back into the wooden basin and walked out directly. “Why did you come alone? Didn’t your older brother ask you to bring people to clean up the villa?”

Wang Yong’s tone carried a hint of reproach.

Wang Yong had previously been polite to Sun Jihong, but since learning that the kid was a drug user and a delinquent, he had felt both anger and resentment toward him. Seeing Sun Jihong reminded him of his own disappointing son, and he felt like giving him a few hard slaps.

“Where is my older brother? How did you get in? Is everything resolved? And why is there so much blood on the floor?” Sun Jihong seemed not to understand Wang Yong’s tone. He didn’t answer the question but instead asked a bunch of his own, which immediately annoyed Wang Yong. “You brat, I’m asking you a question! Your brother told you to call people to clean up. Where did you call them to?”

Wang Yong didn’t know why, but seeing Sun Jihong just made him want to get angry.

Sun Jihong was taken aback. He hadn’t expected anyone other than his father and older brother to speak to him so harshly. He looked at Wang Yong for a moment, but seeing his fierce expression, he instead asked in confusion, “Uncle Wang, what’s wrong with you? I don’t recall offending you.”

“Stop evading the question! Since you didn’t call anyone to clean, you go in and do it yourself!” Wang Yong didn’t want to waste words with Sun Jihong. He grabbed him and pushed him toward the villa.

Sun Jihong was pushed back in confusion, somewhat disoriented.

When he looked into the house, he immediately shouted, “What the hell! Who let you break down that door?”

“How dare you speak to me like that? Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?”

Wang Yong angrily pushed Sun Jihong again. The boy wasn’t strong and fell over immediately.

Sun Jihong fell with a thud. He looked weak, as if he hadn’t eaten in days.

This situation wasn’t solving anything—it might even escalate into a fight. Wanting to avoid further conflict, Shui Miao quickly said, “Sun Jihong, there’s nothing wrong inside the villa. The small room was kicked open by your older brother, who then went to the hospital with a leg injury. Also, the clothes in the wooden basin were taken by your brother. He already told us everything, so you can rest assured—we’ll keep it a secret for you. Now, go find someone to clean up.”

Shui Miao quickly summarized the situation.

After listening, Sun Jihong’s face turned pale. He immediately jumped up and ran toward the door…

Wang Yong blocked him. “You brat, where do you think you’re running to?”

“I left something hidden in the clothes. I must get it back. Uncle Wang, please don’t stop me. I haven’t eaten in a day. If I can’t retrieve it, I’ll die!”

Sun Jihong was completely panicked, making others curious about what was hidden in those clothes.

“Could it be drugs?” Wang Yong’s eyes narrowed, quickly asking.

Sun Jihong struggled but had no choice but to admit, “Yes, it’s drugs. A gang leader left them with me. If they’re gone, they’ll kill me.”

“Impossible! You’re lying!” Wang Yong suddenly pushed him hard again, sending Sun Jihong stumbling backward until he fell by the edge of the pool. “I’ve lived in Huanghai City for decades. Everyone in both the legal and underground worlds knows me. No one around here dares to sell drugs. This must be something you bought yourself!”

Wang Yong spoke sternly, like a strict father.

But Shui Miao felt uneasy watching this. Sun Jihong looked pitiful, perhaps with some hidden hardship or special reason for hiding drugs. In this situation, they should try to understand and help him rather than just pushing and shoving.

As Shui Miao was about to help Sun Jihong up, he suddenly noticed a dark mist violently surging from beneath the pool. The mist took the shape of a large black hand, radiating an endless sense of evil!