Jackson strode forward with heavy steps, his foot landing squarely between the man's legs. He bent down, his dark eyes filled with a dangerous glint as he fixed his gaze on the scoundrel lying on the ground.

"Next time you dare spew nonsense like that, I'll stitch both of your mouths shut and break your third leg," Jackson snarled, applying more pressure to his foot.

Randy, lying on the ground, ignored the pain in his chest and desperately pushed against Jackson's foot that was pressing down on his groin. He screamed in agony, his voice cracking.

"It hurts! It hurts! Bro, I'm sorry! I won't talk nonsense again!"

The other two men were frozen in fear, unable to speak after witnessing this terrifying display. Jackson exuded a deadly aura, his presence in the night making him appear even more menacing. No one dared to intervene.

Since childhood, they'd feared this man. As the saying went, "The wicked fear the reckless, and the reckless fear those who have nothing to lose." Jackson was the kind of person who would fight without any care for his life. And today, seeing him angry, it was like a hungry tiger ready to tear into its prey, sending a chill down their spines.

Jackson didn’t want Randy’s yelling to attract Sophia's attention. He didn’t want her to witness his violent side—if she saw this, all the progress he had made with her would be undone. He couldn’t afford to lose her trust now, not after everything.

Straightening up, Jackson glared down at Randy and withdrew his foot. "Get out!"

The two other men, relieved by his words, quickly helped Randy up and turned to Jackson. "Bro, we’ll go. Take care."

As they walked off, Jackson relaxed, his murderous aura fading. He headed back into the yard and locked the door behind him.

Inside, Sophia had been anxiously waiting since Jackson left, her nerves frayed. Every minute felt unbearable, and her stomach growled, but she couldn't bring herself to eat. The sight of the steaming food on the table made her heart ache, and despite her hunger, she couldn’t bring herself to touch it.

In just a few days, she'd seen a side of him that made her feel hopeful again. She wasn’t expecting him to become rich or powerful, just stable. But if he went back to drinking and gambling, what would she do? She couldn't work with the baby so young. Did that mean they would have to get a divorce?

Her mind was in turmoil when she heard steady footsteps approaching. She looked up and saw his tall figure walking into the room, bathed in moonlight. In that instant, her dull eyes brightened—he hadn't gone with those troublemakers after all.

Still in a daze, she barely registered Jackson approaching from behind, sweeping her into his arms and planting a kiss on her soft, white cheek. "What's wrong? Don’t recognize me? Your man only went out for a bit, did you miss me?" he teased as he handed her a fork and knife.

He sat down at the table and picked up the half-eaten bread, devouring it in big bites.

Sophia, still a little stunned, couldn’t believe he was really back. Without thinking, she asked, "You... really aren’t going to hang out with them anymore?"

Jackson quickly swallowed his food and nodded. "Report, honey. I've cut ties with them. I won’t hang out with them again. Now, eat up, we’ve got some work to do tonight."

Sophia only heard the part about him not hanging out with them anymore, not the second part, and nodded before slowly starting to eat.

As they ate, she kept sneaking glances at him. He ate quickly but gracefully, and with his sharp features, he became even more attractive. When Sophia married him, part of the reason was because he had saved her life, but another was his looks. He was handsome, broad-shouldered, and tall—standing in a crowd, he stood out like a crane among chickens. She had been dazzled by his appearance at the time, and had married him even though he was poor and destitute.

But after two years of marriage, his many misdeeds had worn away any affection she had for him.

Noticing that she was staring at him, Jackson wondered what she was thinking. He grabbed a golden egg from her plate and playfully teased her, "Honey, hurry up and eat. Later, I’ll give you something to see in bed."

His cheeky words snapped her out of her reverie. She shot him a glare, blushed, and quickly lowered her head to eat.

After finishing their meal, Jackson didn’t hurry to leave. Instead, he lingered, his tall frame still sitting at the small table, his eyes fixed on his wife.

The more he looked at her, the more he liked her. Despite the tough times and lack of material wealth, she still had smooth, glowing skin. She was more beautiful than many actresses from his past life.

Noticing her hand turning red from gripping the fork, he gently grabbed her wrist, bringing it to his eyes. He thought about the laundry drying outside and planned to sell the goods the next day. Maybe he could even get a washing machine ticket from a trader.

At that time, many people still didn’t know what a washing machine was, nor would they spend money on one. If he could get one, Sophia wouldn’t have to wash clothes by hand anymore.

Sophia quickly withdrew her hand, feeling embarrassed under his gaze. She found an excuse to distract him. "If you’re done eating, go wash up. You’re covered in dirt."

Jackson immediately stood up, planted a kiss on her cheek, and headed for the kitchen to heat water.

After he left, Sophia put down her fork and touched her flushed cheek. Ever since last night, Jackson had been affectionate, holding her, kissing her, and every time he got close, she could smell his masculine scent, making her heart race. She couldn’t understand why she felt this way.

After dinner, Jackson took Sophia for a walk to help her digest.

"Where are you taking me, Jackson?" she asked.

"Shh!" he hushed her, weaving around, avoiding people until they reached the cow shed.

Sophia’s eyes widened in surprise. "What are we doing here? What if someone sees us?"

"Don’t say a word," Jackson murmured, leading her around to the back, signaling for her to stay quiet.

In front of the cow shed, there were cows grazing, and behind it lived three households. Jackson brought Sophia to the last house, a dilapidated mud hut with a simple earthen stove set up outside. As the sun dipped lower, and the sky began to darken, the woman inside the house pressed her hand to her chest, coughing incessantly. She grabbed a handful of cornmeal, mixed it with water, and put it into a chipped ceramic jar. Just these few steps caused her face to turn pale, large beads of sweat rolling down her forehead.

Sophia wanted to ask who this was but remembered Jackson’s instruction not to speak.

Just as she was feeling uneasy, a man with graying hair stepped over from not far away. Frowning, he took the water scoop from her, urging her to go back inside and rest while he cooked.

The woman looked at him, and the man handed her a half piece of cornbread, saying, "Lucky today, I traded for some cornbread. I ate half, and brought the rest back. Eat it quickly, it'll help you recover faster."

"Have you eaten?" she asked.

"Mm," the man replied without hesitation, adding some rice to the jar before squatting down to stoke the fire. "I’ve eaten."

A glint of water flashed in the woman’s eyes, and the bread in her hand suddenly felt impossible to swallow. She thought of her own frailty and handed the bread back to him. "I’m not hungry. You’ve already eaten. I’ve been lying down for so long; I just want something light to drink."

The man grumbled as he tended to the fire, "I told you to eat. How’s your illness supposed to get better if you don’t eat?"

"My illness..." Under the flickering firelight, the woman saw the scars on his arms, knowing they were from his risky trips up the mountain to find something. After spending most of the day, all he had brought back was half a piece of cornbread. Looking at the warm, yellow light of the stove, which reflected the lines etched into his forehead, she sighed. "Just cook all the rice you’ve traded for. Let’s have a proper meal today."

The man lowered his head, his eyes moistening. "What will we eat tomorrow after we’re full today? You don’t care about your health?" That small amount of rice was only exchanged after he begged several villagers.

She felt for him, having worked all day without food, but didn’t he feel sorry for her, struggling in the countryside with him? The stubborn woman had been told to leave him, to announce their separation, but those clever kids had quickly distanced themselves when they saw things weren’t going well. Now, they were living fine. But she, being so stubborn, refused to leave. Not even ten cows could drag her away.

"Stubborn old man..." The woman ran her hand through his disheveled hair.

The man muttered, "What do you know, woman? When I tell you to eat, eat! You don’t listen to your man’s words? Do you think I can’t take care of my own wife?"

He grasped her hand tightly. "Don’t think too much. Rest and get well. Tomorrow, I’ll go find some medicine for you. It’ll definitely cure you." He still hoped to spend his life with her; no one was to be left behind.

Sophia watched the scene with a heavy heart. On the way back, she asked Jackson about the two elderly people’s situation.

Jackson fell silent for a moment. How could he explain? He didn’t really know the man, but had seen him on TV in his past life.

The elderly man had dominated the business world for years, and after his passing, he donated all his wealth to establish a medical relief foundation in his beloved wife’s name.

The greatest regret of his life was not being able to protect his wife, watching her suffer from illness until her death.

Jackson, reflecting on this, speculated that the illness that killed his wife must have been the same one that had afflicted her.

However, Jackson guessed that her illness had been caused mainly by malnutrition. Just think about it—they lived in a cow shed that had holes in every wall, with little more than bland broth to eat every day. Even the smallest illness could have turned into a serious disease.

Jackson thought to himself: a person’s life should have meaning, should be free from regrets, or else in old age, all that remains is lament.

After making his decision, he had considered several plans, but now…

He intended for his “honey,” this high school student, to take the medicine and use whatever money she had to invest in this future big shot. At least he would restore her tutoring teacher before the college entrance exam. As for more... that could be considered as a starting point for infinite possibilities.

Looking at it this way, Jackson felt he had chosen a bright path for Sophia. As long as she was careful and didn’t get discovered, it would be beneficial for her with no harm.

He truly was an "angel" in the world of angel investors.