Ch26-Meng Ci, You Dare Make a Move
"What are you doing?"
Meng Ci grabbed his long knife, ready to open the door.
To his surprise, Shen Que opened the door and demanded this sharply.
Li Shanyang's eyes flinched for a moment upon seeing Shen Que.
But then he thought, this outsider was meddling in his business-what right did he have to interfere?
"I'm here for my son. Mind your own business."
Li Shanyang flexed the broom in his hand. Armed with a tool, he held the upper hand against the unarmed Shen Que.
Shen Que stepped forward, yanking the door open. Towering over Li Shanyang by half a head, he radiated sheer intimidation.
"What if I insist on meddling?"
Shen Que had been monitoring the surveillance feed all along, precisely to prevent these troublemakers from harassing Meng Ci.
That's why he'd been able to step out the moment they arrived.
Zhang Lu, relying on her status as a woman, planted herself directly in front of Li Shanyang, arms crossed over her chest.
"Young man, meddling in others' affairs isn't a good habit."
Li Xiaoya, upon seeing Shen Que, lit up instantly.
Earlier while collecting food, she'd been too preoccupied with looking after Liu Jie to notice such a handsome guy.
"Sir, we're not bad people!"
"The man in the room is my half-brother. We just want to make sure he's not in danger."
"Don't get any ideas."
Shen Que didn't even glance at Li Xiaoya. Her sweet talk was through her. transparent-he could see right
His judgment wasn't that poor.
"Bang!"
Meng Ci opened the door and stepped out.
"What? Need something?"
"Can't I come find you for no reason? You-"
Li Shanyang was about to hurl even worse insults when he saw the long knife in Meng Ci's lowered right hand. His voice died instantly.
But then he remembered-he was Meng Ci's biological father. Besides, this was a society governed by law. Would Meng Ci dare to attack him?
Bringing out a knife was clearly meant to intimidate him!
"What do you think you're doing? Huh!"
"Why bring out a knife? Are you trying to kill someone?" Zhang Lu and Li Xiaoya were startled by the sight of the blade, but they knew Meng Ci was usually docile when they coaxed him. They couldn't believe he'd actually strike.
Li Ping and Zhao Ze, upon seeing it, immediately lost their nerve. They hurried home and locked their doors tight.
Good heavens, what kind of lunatics are these people?
"That's right!" Meng Ci nodded.
"It's for cutting you!"
Meng Ci lifted the knife, twirling the blade left and right, a vicious grin spreading across his face.
"This blade was specially sharpened by the knife-grinder. He said it cuts iron like mud. Want to try it?"
"Fine, go ahead. Slash right here!" Li Shanyang tilted his head, offering his neck.
"If you don't dare to cut today, then get the hell out!"
Li Shanyang figured Meng Ci wouldn't dare to act, given his usual cowardice.
The door behind Meng Ci swung wide open, revealing a living room furnished with sofas and carpets-certainly more comfortable than downstairs.
Why did Meng Ci get to live in such luxury while he was left freezing and struggling here?
Originally, Li Shanyang only intended to teach Meng Ci a lesson, but now he was determined to seize his living space.
"Fine!"
"Since you're asking for death, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
As he spoke, the knife in Meng Ci's hand was already pressed against Li Shanyang's shoulder.
Li Shanyang's legs trembled slightly. He hadn't expected Meng Ci to actually dare.
The cold blade was dangerously close to his neck. The slightest misstep could slice through his skin.
"Brother, what are you doing?!"
"Quickly lower the knife! This is too dangerous!"
Li Xiaoya reached out to grab Meng Ci's arm, but he jerked it away.
"Ssh!"
Though Meng Ci's movement was slight, the blade was too close to Li Shanyang's neck and moved too swiftly. It sliced open a wound on his throat, blood immediately spilling forth.
"Meng Ci, he's your father! How could you strike so viciously!" Zhang Lu lunged forward again to grab Meng Ci.
Meng Ci took a step back, the blade pressing deeper into Li Shanyang's throat.
"I advise you not to come any closer. Blades don't have eyes!"
Everyone froze instantly.
"Xiao Ci, you... calm down!" Seeing Meng Ci was serious, Zhang Lu panicked.
Though she harbored resentment toward Li Shanyang, the memory of the old woman being beaten and robbed made her feel safer with a man in the house.
Li Shanyang also grew fearful. "Son... I... I didn't mean to stop you from leaving."
Li Xiaoya secretly pulled out her phone and activated the camera to start recording.
She intended to capture evidence of Meng Ci hurting someone, then show it to the soldiers tomorrow to have him arrested.
"What are you doing?!"
Shen Que spotted Li Xiaoya's action and snatched the phone away, though the recording continued.
"I-I wasn't doing anything!"
"Give me the phone."
Li Xiaoya's opinion of Shen Que plummeted instantly. He might be handsome, but he was anything but a gentleman.
Seeing Li Xiaoya move to grab the phone, Shen Que pulled a folding knife from his pocket.
"Don't move!"
Shen Que's eyes were fierce, filled with threat and warning.
Li Xiaoya froze, helpless as Shen Que deleted the footage she'd captured.
Shen Que had no interest in viewing the rest of the content anyway. After confirming no backups existed, he tossed the phone back to Li Xiaoya.
Seeing Shen Que had resolved the issue, Meng Ci withdrew the knife from Li Shanyang's throat but kept it pressed against his shoulder.
"Remember this: from now on, our father-son relationship is severed!"
"Don't think I don't know-Li Xiaoya is your biological daughter!"
"As for the Meng family's assets? Don't even think about it."
"How could you..."
Li Shanyang was stunned. How did Meng Ci know about this? Could he still get his hands on the Meng family's fortune?
"What 'how could I'?
"From now on, we're strangers. If you dare come looking for me again, it won't end with a mere scratch."
With that, Meng Ci sheathed the blade.
"Get out of here."
Li Shanyang and his two companions, newly freed, scrambled away.
In their haste, Li Xiaoya stumbled. Wearing high heels, she twisted her ankle.
"Dad! Mom! Wait for me!"
But Li Shanyang and Zhang Lu, desperate to save their own skins, paid her no mind, not even turning their heads.
Li Xiaoya glanced back to see Meng Ci holding the bloodstained knife, staring at her expressionlessly. Daring not linger, she hobbled away, leaning against the wall.
"Thanks!"
Once everyone had left, Meng Ci cleared his throat and thanked Shen Que for his earlier assistance.
He felt a twinge of embarrassment-his actions had been too rough, likely leaving Shen Que with a poor impression.
Then Meng Ci thought: So be it.
In this apocalyptic world, he didn't deserve love anyway.
"No problem."
Shen Que didn't see any issue with it. In fact, he thought Meng Ci's approach was rather commendable-at least he could protect himself in danger and wasn't afraid of being bullied.
Since Shen Que had helped him, Meng Ci considered treating him to a meal.
Not having to cook for himself, Shen Que was naturally delighted.
Meng Ci still had some of the flour Shen Que had brought, so he planned to make some noodles.
For the topping, he'd use the eggs and tomatoes Shen Que had brought that morning-a simple tomato and egg noodle dish would do.
After seeing how well Meng Ci's pasta machine worked, Shen Que asked if he could borrow it.
Meng Ci agreed readily, even taking the time to explain the technique while kneading his own dough-how the dough should be prepared for the best results.
Shen Que listened intently, absorbing every detail.