Star-Crossed Lovers: The Ex-Convict and the White Rabbit - Chapter 5 - Don’t come back -”

Chapter 5 – “Don’t come back.”

Lu Qiang turned over and laid on his side.

He lived in a 12-person jail cell bound to be messy with so many people. The air was pervaded by the smell of oppression and decay. There would be whispers from time to time, the iron beds hidden in the corner would also creak rhythmically from time to time. This was how it was here, even if something strange happened, everyone would ignore it.

The person above him was snoring like thunder shaking the sky. Lu Qiang couldn’t fall asleep because of him. He muttered “f*ck” and kicked his leg upwards against the bed board.

The person above him adjusted his position and finally stopped moving.

The person in the bed next to him rolled over, accompanied by a few rounds of hacking coughs.

Lu Qiang looked over, his voice extremely low, “Old Man Deng, you can’t fall asleep?”

Old Deng said, “You can’t fall asleep either, is it because you’re leaving soon?”

Lu Qiang chuckled twice, “Everything feels uncertain, I don’t know if I’ll be able to find my footing.”

Old Deng said, “You have something lined up after leaving?”

“The rehabilitation department found me a job.”

“That’s good.” Old Deng sighed, “Don’t come in again when you go out.”

Lu Qiang snorted, “With laozi1 [javascript:void(0)]Term to refer to oneself in an arrogant manner, usually translated as “I, your father” not around, there won’t be anyone taking care of you. In the future, work more and talk less. Don’t be too defensive when you get in trouble.”

“I know.”

“Once I’m released, I’ll come to visit you and bring you food.”

Old Deng laughed lightly, “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”

Old Deng stopped talking to him and rolled over to turn his back away from him. Lu Qiang snorted and looked out the window again.

In the past six years of his life spent here, countless, meaningless things happened. Overnight, these things seemed to have become vivid and colorful.

Lu Qiang was once all-powerful, but the higher he stood, the harder he fell. Like rats fleeing from a sinking ship, he fell from heaven to hell in one go.

He had been in that circle for a long time, garnering a lot of hatred and his enemies were waiting for the day he would fall. Now that he thought about it, it was a miracle that he was able to survive until the present.

When he first came in, there was not a spot on his body that wasn’t wounded every day. Everyone inside the prison, whether or not they were sent in by someone from the outside, was hell-bent on killing him.

Lu Qiang was firm and unyielding. During his time, he grew stronger into a true man. He fought to the death with the whole lot of them.

If it weren’t for Old Man Deng, he would have died long ago.

A group of people had cornered him and the sharpened toothbrush had almost been stabbed into his aorta. At the last moment, Old Man Deng stretched his arm out and helped him block the blow.

At that time, everyone was shocked silent. He had stared at the wound on his shoulder with crimson eyes, his blood pumped into his veins with adrenaline and even the scar on his temple was about to explode at that point.

He tilted his head and spat out his spit. He squatted down and patted Old Deng, his voice hoarse like his throat had been torn, “Old man, bear with it.”

He was extremely fast. The toothbrush was pulled off Old Deng’s shoulder in the next second.

Old Deng groaned. The people around him gasped.

In the blink of an eye, while everyone was still in shock, Lu Qiang suddenly turned around. With a swoop, his fist that held the toothbrush smashed into the opponent’s ribs.

The scene turned into chaos. The whole lot of them rushed towards him. Lu Qiang had no way to fend them off and was quickly cornered. The leader was demonic, bringing the toothbrush in his hand straight into Lu Qiang’s pupil.

Lu Qiang thought he had been doomed to his death. But he heard a gunshot. The leader paused in his movements and then his body slid down like mud.

Looking across the room, he saw a policewoman holding a gun at the door, fire burning in her eyes.

The turmoil calmed down. Lu Qiang was moved to a solitary cell while the gang was transferred to another prison altogether. The person who had the toothbrush inserted into his internal organs had been seriously injured and nearly died. He laid in the hospital for fifteen days.

Soon after, he was released. Everyone knew he was a mutt with a big bite, a lost mongrel. Since then, no one dared to provoke him and cause trouble.

***

Lu Qiang’s heart was in a jumble for a while, not knowing whether he should cherish his pride or laugh it off and start over.

But he thought, Old Deng was right,

“Once you make it out, don’t come back.”