Chapter 39: The She-Devil Wakes

Chu Peipei hurriedly dodged Bai Wenbin’s attack.

She didn’t know any martial arts, but luckily, her opponent was injured—his shoulder was bleeding, and his arm was too weak to use much force.

Plus, he was wielding a heavy hammer, which made it easier for her to evade his blows.

She wondered what was going on in Miss An’s apartment. Someone was banging on the door, but there hadn’t been any response at all.

Could something have happened?

The thought made her tense up. She raised her boning knife and slashed at Bai Wenbin.

There was no real technique to it—she just went for speed and ferocity, not accuracy.

This was a style she’d developed over the past two months, fighting others for supplies.

The saying goes: “A flurry of wild slashes can kill even a master.”

She held the knife in front of her chest, swinging it rapidly in all directions, even stirring up a gust of wind.

Bai Wenbin took a few steps back, feeling a bit helpless.

He’d always looked down on the way women fought—no technique, no strength, just flailing their arms and making a fuss.

Either they’d scratch at you with long nails like a kitten, or they’d throw weak punches that didn’t hurt at all.

Not like men, who could put their whole body into a punch and knock someone out in one blow.

But he had to admit, once a woman picked up a deadly weapon, that wild flailing could be pretty intimidating.

Like now—he couldn’t even get close to Chu Peipei.

He thought about trying to snatch the knife from her, but it was too long, and she swung it so fast it left afterimages.

If he dared to reach out, he’d lose an arm for sure.

All he could do was swing his hammer defensively. He couldn’t land a hit, but at least he could keep her from advancing.

Hammer met blade, sending up a shower of sparks.

For a while, the two of them exchanged blows, neither gaining the upper hand.

Chu Peipei grew anxious as she realized there was still no sound from inside the apartment. While hacking at Bai Wenbin, she shouted:

“Miss An, are you okay?”

“Miss An, are you alright?”

Bai Wenbin saw her yelling at the top of her lungs, afraid she’d actually wake An Nan. In a fit of rage, he mustered all his strength and swung his hammer, knocking the knife from her hand.

Chu Peipei had been distracted, and her hand went numb as her weapon was sent flying.

Her heart clenched, and she scrambled to retrieve it.

But Bai Wenbin wasn’t about to give her the chance. He swung his hammer straight at her head.

Chu Peipei was shocked and quickly retreated, but her foot slipped, and she tumbled down the stairs, landing on the landing between the 14th and 13th floors.

Bai Wenbin sneered and strode over, ready to finish her off.

Just then, there was a “click.”

The door behind him slowly opened.

His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly turned to look.

…

An Nan had been woken by Fugui’s frantic scratching at the door.

When her owner left, Fugui hadn’t thought much of it—after all, in its mind, its mistress was an invincible general.

But this time, An Nan hadn’t been gone long before all sounds stopped.

From outside came the sound of banging on the door, and the noises of a struggle that didn’t belong to its owner.

Fugui sniffed the air with its sensitive nose and realized its mistress was still nearby, probably just outside the door of 1402. But she hadn’t moved at all.

Being a clever dog, it immediately wondered if something had happened to Sister Nan.

Anxious, it scratched at the door like crazy, desperate to get out and help.

All the while, it howled, “Awoo, awoo, awoo!”

Because An Nan had held her breath in time, she hadn’t inhaled much of the knockout gas. Thanks to Fugui’s ear-piercing howls, she slowly regained consciousness.

As soon as she woke, she heard Chu Peipei calling from outside. She didn’t even have time to comfort her dog—she quickly got to her feet.

She took a few tentative steps. Although she was a bit dizzy, she was more than capable of dealing with Bai Wenbin and Qian Ying’er.

She shook her head, pulled a gas mask from her storage space, and put it on, just in case they tried to use knockout gas again.

Let’s see what tricks you can pull this time!

She opened the door and saw Bai Wenbin, hammer raised, about to strike Chu Peipei.

Bai Wenbin turned and saw An Nan step out. He was instantly terrified.

The she-devil who cuts people down like vegetables was awake!!

He ignored Chu Peipei, grabbed his hammer, and bolted down the stairs.

In his panic, he didn’t even spare a glance for Qian Ying’er, who was sitting on the floor—he just dashed back to his own apartment.

An Nan had only just regained consciousness and was still a bit slow, so she didn’t manage to catch him in time.

She watched the man flee in terror and couldn’t help but feel speechless.

That guy’s like a fish in the gutter!

All he knows is how to play dirty tricks. The moment he has to face someone head-on, he runs for his life—slippery as an eel and hard to catch!

She rolled her eyes, hurried down the stairs, and helped Chu Peipei up from the landing.

By now, Chu Peipei was completely spent, panting and drenched in sweat, her arms covered in scrapes from the fall.

Seeing An Nan, she breathed a sigh of relief. “Miss An, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” An Nan took off her mask, frowning at her. “You’re still recovering—why did you come out?”

Chu Peipei gave a weak smile. “I’m fine now. I even went out to look for supplies. I found a lot of biscuits and thought I’d bring you some to try.”

An Nan was taken aback, then frowned in disapproval. “You need bed rest after a miscarriage. Even a mini-confinement is still confinement. I don’t need these things.”

Chu Peipei gave a bitter smile. “Who has the luxury for a proper recovery these days? It’s fine, I’m strong—I’ll be alright.”

As she spoke, she picked up the bag beside her. “I know you’re not short on food, but I owe you my life. I just wanted to show my gratitude, even if it’s not much. I hope you won’t mind.”

An Nan looked at her and couldn’t help but marvel—this woman was truly tough, both in will and in body, like a machine.

If Chu Peipei hadn’t held off Bai Wenbin today, that coward might really have barged in and taken advantage of the situation.

An Nan gave her a grateful look and accepted the gift without another word.

“Wait here a moment—I have something for you too.” With that, she turned and headed upstairs.

As she turned, she finally noticed Qian Ying’er sitting in front of her door.

The woman was sitting on the ground, staring at her with vacant eyes.

An Nan was startled and immediately drew her knife in alarm.

But then Qian Ying’er suddenly giggled, raised her hand, and pointed at her. “Hehehe, pretty lady! Gorgeous lady!”

…

An Nan was speechless. What the hell is this woman up to now?

Qian Ying’er tilted her head at An Nan, grinning, a trickle of drool running from the corner of her mouth.

“Hehehe, pretty lady! Not as pretty as me—I’m the prettiest!”

With that, she started crawling toward An Nan on all fours.

An Nan looked at her in disgust and kicked her over, then turned to ask Chu Peipei, “What’s wrong with her?”"