Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 230: I’m tired

If this had happened in the past, the gang would have already dealt with the troublemakers by now, given their usual way of handling things.

Even if the gang is more restrained these days, it’s still a gang. There’s no way they’d let something so obviously a setup get the better of them.

But in this situation, the last thing they should do is resort to their usual gang tactics.

This whole plan is part of Alice’s larger effort to clean up the gang’s image. There are countless eyes watching, and not all of them are friendly. If the so-called “righteous” people find an excuse to make a move, it won’t just be the end of the rebranding effort—Alice could end up destroying the entire organization.

The line between the underworld and the legitimate world has always been clear, with each side keeping to its own. But if you push too far, no one will stick to the rules anymore.

Besides, Alice is different from the typical gangsters. She can’t bring herself to do the dirty work.

With all these factors weighing on her, no matter how bad things get, she has to step up. There’s no way she can let this situation spiral out of control.

“Are you the one in charge here?”

As Alice spoke, the tension in the air finally broke, and the two groups that were about to come to blows separated.

The crowd quickly split into two sides—one centered around the man who was making a scene, and the other standing firmly in front of Alice.

“Miss Alice, you don’t need to get involved in this…”

“And if I don’t, can you handle it?”

Dave wanted to keep pushing, but Alice’s words left him with no choice but to lower his head and follow her orders.

When the workers got a good look at Alice, they started murmuring among themselves, mostly about how she seemed too young to be the one in charge.

Dave’s face darkened even more. Things were already bad enough, and now these workers were going to piss off Miss Alice?

Even if a tiger loses its teeth, it’s still a tiger. If they don’t know when to back down, they’re really going to back themselves into a corner.

“There’s nothing to question here. Either talk to me, or keep it to yourself and never bring it up again.”

Alice didn’t show any signs of being rattled. She just gave a sharp look at the person who had questioned her earlier, then slowly turned her gaze to the ringleader of the troublemakers.

The man was in his twenties, not much older than Alice, but the difference between them was striking.

Even though Alice was part of the gang, her eyes were still clear, despite the coldness in them.

Most of the gang’s activities weren’t something she chose to be involved in—they were forced on her.

People often say that our faces reflect our souls. Ryan should have realized that if Alice had truly embraced those criminal activities, she wouldn’t possess such an innocent, almost ethereal beauty.

The man, on the other hand, looked much more seasoned. He had flat eyes with upturned corners and a nose that was clearly the result of heavy drinking.

His cheeks were unnaturally red, and he didn’t look like a local.

“What are you staring at?”

The man met Alice’s gaze but instinctively shrank back. It was only when he realized he had a crowd behind him that he straightened up and acted tough.

Strength in numbers, after all.

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

Alice frowned slightly. It was clear that this guy was the main instigator today, but something about him gave her a bad feeling.

It’s not like you can fake a death, and it’s impossible to keep something like that under wraps.

If someone really did fall from the crane, there are established procedures for handling such accidents on a construction site.

Plus, every worker has a contract that clearly outlines how these situations are dealt with. There shouldn’t be any room for this kind of uproar.

It might sound a bit heartless, but the timing of all this is just too convenient.

“What do you mean by that? You think you’re better than people from out of town? You think we’re all just beggars to you?”

The man kept glancing back every few sentences, and he was good at playing on emotions. Every time he looked back, it stirred up the crowd, as if he was voicing what they were all thinking.

“I didn’t say that.”

Alice narrowed her eyes. She was almost certain now that this guy was here specifically to stir up trouble. If it weren’t for him, the workers wouldn’t be this riled up.

“You didn’t say it, huh? Ha, you rich people are all the same. You think I don’t know your type?”

“You pretend to care, fix the problem, and then go right back to screwing people over.”

The man’s words were harsh, and one of the bodyguards was about to step in, but Alice raised her hand to stop him, keeping the situation under control.

If they acted now, all their previous efforts would be for nothing.

“How dare you talk to Miss Alice like that!”

Dave noticed Alice’s face darken, and his heart skipped a beat. He quickly stepped forward and shouted at the man.

“Miss Alice, huh? What a big shot.”

“My dad’s dead, and I can’t even speak the truth? Are you trying to say that rich people’s lives are worth more than ours?”

The man, his face flushed, seized on Dave’s words and attacked fiercely. The crowd behind him erupted with a wave of support, their voices rising like a tidal wave.

“Yeah, who cares about ‘Miss Alice’? She’s just a young girl!”

“My daughter’s more successful than you—at least she doesn’t throw her weight around.”

The earlier murmurs had been directed at Dave, but now all that hostility was aimed squarely at Alice.

Sensing the situation getting out of hand, the bodyguards quickly stepped forward, forming a human wall in front of Alice. Dave, almost on the verge of kneeling, helplessly tried to push Alice away from the center of the storm.

Throughout it all, Alice just watched coldly as these people put on their show.

Standing in this position, she had grown accustomed to being targeted. People always assumed the worst about her, simply because she was the so-called gang leader.

Throwing her weight around? Sure, maybe. Without this gang, what would she even be?

Strictly speaking, she was just a small fish swimming in this murky water, constantly borrowing power and playing both sides just to survive.

She was used to being targeted, but for some reason, a figure suddenly appeared in her mind.

That figure wasn’t tall, even a bit frail, but back then, when she was being bullied, he had stood in front of her.

If only he were here now.

“Say something! Aren’t you the one in charge? What exactly are you responsible for?”

“Someone’s dead now, and it’s your fault. If you really want to take responsibility, then pay with your life!”

The shouting continued—workers were yelling, and even Dave was yelling. Though their reasons were different, it was clear that all of this was because of Alice.

The man’s words pushed the tension to its peak.

“An eye for an eye” is a principle as old as time, but they didn’t care about the truth of the situation. They just directed all their anger at Alice.

These accusations were baseless, and any rational person would see that.

But…

“Pay with my life?”

What should have been an empty threat seeped into Alice’s veins like poison, making her tremble uncontrollably.

“Pay with my life, pay with my life…” It was as if she had heard these words before.

She tried to suppress it, to push down the sadness buried deep in her memory, but it kept getting stirred up, and now it felt like something in her mind had snapped.

Alice finally spoke again. She suddenly lifted her head and looked at the man, her eyes sharp as a blade.

Even Dave, who had been trying to push Alice back into the construction site, felt a shiver run down his spine. He was in his early thirties and had worked his way up to being a site manager, thinking he had seen his fair share of tough people.

But he had never seen eyes like these.

The workers who had been causing trouble thought Alice was about to leave and started to surge forward, but the moment they met her gaze, they fell silent, looking at each other, none daring to be the first to step forward.

Alice’s gaze was cold, but it wasn’t the kind of cold that was unbearable. Those who spent a lot of time around her, like the bodyguards, were used to her temperament.

But this time, even those familiar with her felt a chill. The shadow in her eyes spread like ivy, and though the sky was clear, the sun seemed to give off no warmth.

Alice stood there like a statue, and you couldn’t even be sure if she was still breathing.

“I… can’t die.”

Alice murmured, and Dave didn’t dare to breathe too loudly.

The man’s words were clearly just out of anger. This was a society governed by law—there was no such thing as paying with your life anymore, and even if there were, it wouldn’t involve Alice.

But why did it seem like Miss Alice was taking this seriously?

“I can’t die… not like this.”

Alice’s eyes were vacant, and no one knew what she was thinking. All they could see was that she had closed her eyes tightly, as if enduring some great pain.

Her right hand had clenched so tightly that her nails had pierced her palm, and blood was seeping out. But Alice didn’t seem to notice. She just wiped her hand on her suit, leaving a long, crimson streak on the expensive fabric.

“My assistant will be here soon. Dave, let him handle this.”

“I’m tired.”

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