The wind passed in silence. Everything fell still.
Both sides were stunned.
The older brother stood there, dumbfounded. The younger ones were in a daze. Zhong Ziang and Lin Shumo exchanged a glance, each seeing shock and speechlessness mirrored in the other’s eyes.
What was she doing?
Had she gone mad?
Only Jiang Fuyue remained as calm as ever. She slowly withdrew her hand, her grip firm around the bottleneck. The broken edge of the bottle still bore traces of bright red blood.
Drip—
A bead of blood hit the ground, landing like a hammer on everyone’s hearts.
The older brother rolled his eyes back and collapsed with a crash.
The younger ones rushed forward in a panic.
“Brother Fei? Brother Fei?!”
“Hurry! Call an ambulance!”
“Forget it—just take him straight there, it’s faster.”
“…”
They finally got him into the car. The group piled in after him. The last one to leave paused in front of Jiang Fuyue, locking eyes with her fearless, unbothered gaze. His fierce expression faltered, and his momentum dropped.
“You—just wait!”
He spat the words, then jumped into the car and sped off.
Jiang Fuyue tossed the broken bottle aside and pulled a napkin, carefully wiping each of her fingers, not missing a single crease or speck.
The stall owner and his wife stepped forward, repeatedly thanking her.
“This gang will definitely come back. If not today, then tomorrow. What are you planning to do?”
The stall owner fell silent.
After a while, he sighed. “Those guys won’t give up. Even if we call the police, it won’t solve the root problem. Looks like we can’t keep running this business.”
His wife forced a smile. “Maybe it’s for the best. After all these years, frying and stir-frying every day has ruined your lungs. Let’s just take this chance to shut it down, and you can finally rest.”
Zhong Ziang and Lin Shumo began setting the overturned tables and chairs upright. Hearing this, Zhong Ziang patted his chest. “If you still want to run the stall, that’s fine. They’re just a few thugs. I’ll get my uncle to talk to the local police station—they’ll go weak in the knees.”
Jiang Fuyue raised her eyebrows, smiling faintly as she watched him put on his act.
Lin Shumo’s mouth twitched. His gaze swept over Jiang Fuyue and finally landed on Zhong Ziang.
Was this guy trying to show off?
Tsk. Show-off.
Just then, a black Mercedes came speeding up and screeched to a halt in front of the stall sign. The driver’s door opened.
Xie Dingyuan stepped out, straightening up. He looked over at the group, his black eyes like ink, deep and unreadable.
Jiang Fuyue: “Why is he here?”
Zhong Ziang scratched his head. “Uh… I panicked and called him just now…”
Who he called was obvious now.
Jiang Fuyue: “…”
Xie Dingyuan didn’t ask questions. Just from the couple’s brief explanation and the mess all around, he had a rough grasp of what happened.
He gave Zhong Ziang a look, said nothing, and began handling the aftermath.
He was methodical.
First, he filed a police report.
Next, he had someone investigate the gang to ensure things remained under control.
Finally, he consoled the stall owners.
Only after handling all that did he approach Zhong Ziang. He glanced at Lin Shumo. “Get in the car.”
The two shrank back and obediently obeyed.
Then he turned to Jiang Fuyue, nudging the broken beer bottle at his feet. “Are you hurt?”
Jiang Fuyue had been half-lowering her gaze. At his question, she looked up slightly, unexpectedly meeting his deep eyes.
She shook her head softly. “…No.”
“Okay.” He seemed relieved. “Get in the car.”
“…Okay.”
The car ride was quiet.
At first, Zhong Ziang and Lin Shumo were still mostly alert and exchanged glances now and then. But after ten minutes, the alcohol kicked in, and they both passed out in the backseat.
Only Jiang Fuyue and Xie Dingyuan remained fully awake.
“Why did you suddenly drink with those two?”
Jiang Fuyue thought for a moment and replied with four words: “Hard to refuse kindness.”
No doubt it was Zhong Ziang’s idea.
Xie Dingyuan: “You’re a girl. It’s not safe being out late.”
Jiang Fuyue knew he was right. Even though she wasn’t afraid, she still appreciated the concern.
“Mm. I’ll be more careful.”
His lips tightened into a sharp line.
Silence returned.
Suddenly, a groan came from the back seat. “So dizzy… ugh… gonna puke…”
Zhong Ziang was half-asleep, mumbling.
Jiang Fuyue said, “He says he’s gonna puke.”
Xie Dingyuan’s brows furrowed. He immediately pulled over, got out, and opened the back door to help Zhong Ziang out like a pile of mud.
Jiang Fuyue moved to assist, but saw that though his actions were a bit stiff, they were organized. He propped Zhong Ziang up against a streetlamp and probably gave a warning or two. Zhong Ziang half-squinted, barely managing to stand.
Then Xie Dingyuan pulled a plastic sheet from his pocket—he’d asked the stall owner for it earlier.
He shook it open and handed it to Zhong Ziang for him to vomit into.
Young Master Zhong’s expression showed clear disgust, but under two icy glares from Xie Dingyuan, he obediently took the sheet, turned around, and began puking.
Jiang Fuyue: “…”
Xie Dingyuan stood a full three meters away, exuding icy disdain from head to toe.
Finally, Zhong Ziang finished. Following instructions, he tied off the bag, double-bagged it, and tossed it into a trash can with a wronged expression.
Every step was clearly orchestrated.
With Zhong Ziang’s brain, he’d usually just barf all over the street. No way he could handle it so cleanly.
So there could only be one mastermind—
Xie Dingyuan!
Straight-laced, meticulous—he took control to the extreme.
Unreal!
After Zhong Ziang was done, Xie Dingyuan handed him a napkin. “Wipe it clean.”
You could hear the disdain in his voice.
Zhong Ziang pouted but took it like a scolded wife.
Suddenly, a bottle of mineral water with the cap already unscrewed appeared in front of him. He looked up slowly—then grinned goofily.
“Yueyue, are you buying me milk tea?”
“…”
“Does Yici get one too? No way! Only I can have one! He can’t! Go take it back, don’t give him any!”
“…”
“You’re not saying anything. That means you disagree, right? Why not? I haven’t even gotten my KT drone! Why should he get milk tea?”
Young Master Zhong sprang up, pointed to the sky, and said each word firmly: “I—don’t—accept—this—!”
Jiang Fuyue had no words. She began to pull the bottle back. “Forget it, you’re not drinking this.”
But in the next second, Zhong Ziang clutched her hand, clinging to her like a puppy.
He slurred, “Nooo… don’t be mad, I need that milk tea! Or else… hic… if Yici gets one and I don’t, how humiliating is that?”
At that point, Xie Dingyuan’s frown deepened. The moment Zhong Ziang grabbed Jiang Fuyue and clung to her, it went from a crease to a full knot between his brows—visibly displeased.
He stepped forward, yanked Zhong Ziang away, and slung him over his shoulder. “Shut up! Stand straight!”
The fear etched in his bones made the drunk boy instinctively comply.
Xie Dingyuan tossed him back into the back seat. Just as he was about to return to the front passenger side, he heard Jiang Fuyue gag twice.
She stood by the streetlamp, one hand clutching a water bottle, the other covering her chest. Her face was a little pale.
She was sure she wasn’t drunk and didn’t actually want to puke, but hearing Zhong Ziang earlier had made her stomach churn. She’d managed to suppress it, but once the breeze blew the alcohol stench back at her…
She gagged twice more.
A warm touch settled on her thin back. A deep voice followed by her ear—
“Feeling sick? Want me to get some medicine?”
There was a pharmacy nearby.
Before Jiang Fuyue could respond, he had already walked in.
Two minutes later, he came out with pills and a cup of warm water, placing them in front of her.
“Take this.”
Jiang Fuyue didn’t refuse. “…Thanks.”
Xie Dingyuan tossed the paper cup and held onto the remaining pills as he prepared to get back in the car.
“You’re not going to feed them?”
He glanced at the back seat. “We’ll do it at home.”
Jiang Fuyue: “…Okay.”
Thankfully, Zhong Ziang and Lin Shumo were already half-asleep, completely unaware of this heart-piercing moment.
Double-standard uncle! Choosing beauty over his nephew!
This time, the black Mercedes drove straight into the neighborhood without stopping.
Jiang Fuyue let the night wind hit her face, a little tipsy, and only then realized they had stopped in front of her villa.
“…I’m arrived.”
She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door to get out, only to find—
Xie Dingyuan got out too.
