Xia Yiyan deliberately dawdled, lingering in the washroom a little longer after using the restroom. As she walked out and turned a corner without paying attention, she was violently crashed into by someone.
She tumbled straight to the ground, landing hard on her backside, and an instant wave of burning pain flared through her hips and elbows. Her elbow was a bloody mess, skin scraped raw and droplets of blood beginning to well up. Lifting her head, she saw three young women standing before her, staring down with ill intentions.
They had bumped into her entirely on purpose.
The ringleader in the center, dripping with jewelry and wearing a heavy, striking face of makeup, crossed her arms with an expression of supreme disdain.
“You? You think you’re worthy of being Xie Junting’s girlfriend?”
Enduring the pain, Xia Yiyan pushed herself up. “Whether I’m worthy or not isn’t something you need to waste your time worrying about. But one thing’s for sure: you definitely aren’t. Because you’re far too… ugly.”
She wasn’t actually all that ugly, but Xia Yiyan was the type who would eat anything except a loss. Losing an argument was a loss too.
“You—” The woman’s face twisted for a fraction of a second, speechless with fury. She stepped forward, raising her hand to slap Xia Yiyan across the face.
Xia Yiyan felt utterly speechless inside. Sure, she might be a punching bag, but she was Xie Junting’s exclusive punching bag. Any random stray cat or dog didn’t get to bully her.
Just as the hand swung down, Xia Yiyan swiftly grabbed the woman’s wrist with one hand while using her other hand to deliver a fierce, resounding slap across the woman’s cheek.
She poured every ounce of her strength into that single strike. The woman’s face snapped to the side, sheer disbelief washing over her as a bright red handprint instantly bloomed across her cheek, stinging so fiercely that tears sprang straight to her eyes. Pressing one hand to her face, she shrieked in humiliated rage, “You bitch! You little slut! How dare you hit me?!”
Xia Yiyan shot back, “Your eyes must be wired straight to your bladder—everything you look at just reeks of filth.”
“You… you…” The woman was rendered speechless once more. Dragging the two women beside her forward, she screeched, “What are you two standing around for?! Didn’t you see me get hit? Beat her to a pulp!”
Seeing the three of them close in to attack and noticing no one else around, Xia Yiyan decided discretion was the better part of valor and bolted back toward the direction of the banquet hall.
Between having already landed hard on her tailbone, struggling to run in unfamiliar high heels, and feeling pain in both her legs and rear, she accidentally twisted her ankle midway through her flight. Grimacing in agony, she was quickly overtaken by the three pursuers.
As the trio shoved her to the ground, Xia Yiyan wept internally, her primary thought being: Why on earth hasn’t Xie Junting shown up yet?!
She curled up, burying her head in her hands to shield her precious skull from injury.
Just as she braced herself for a brutal beatdown, the crushing weight suddenly vanished.
Xie Junting stood over them, his expression utterly chilling and grim. With a swift kick to each of them, all three women were sent flying backward. He didn’t hold back his strength in the slightest; the trio crumpled into tight balls, clutching their chests and wailing in endless agony.
Xie Junting knew he had likely cracked their ribs, but he had no intention of letting them off. His personal code of conduct did not include a rule against hitting women. Anyone who dared lay a hand on Xia Yiyan would receive no mercy from him.
He scooped her up into his arms. Upon spotting the fresh stream of blood flowing down her forearm, his already frigid gaze turned lethal and piercingly cold. Regret and heartache flooded his chest—he never should have left her alone.
Though she had almost been swarmed by three women and hadn’t been overly terrified by them, seeing the gloomy, dark look in the man’s eyes genuinely scared her.
Acting like a spoiled child, Xia Yiyan lightly shook his sleeve and coaxed, “Brother, I’m fine! Luckily you got here just in time, they didn’t even get to hit me.”
(Never mind that she had given the ringleader a solid smack across the face.)
The man gripped her shoulders tightly, staring at her bloodied arm with furrowed brows and a heavy, suffocating tightness in his chest. The blood trickling from her skin seemed to stain his own heart, sending dull, aching throbs deep into his core and leaving him frantic and unsettled.
“Does it hurt? Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“It doesn’t hurt at all, Brother, don’t worry. I just accidentally twisted my ankle.”
Such a little idiot, Xie Junting thought to himself. How could it possibly not hurt? The wound was completely torn up and bleeding so much.
Inhaling deeply to draw in her signature scent and suppress his raging fury, Xie Junting carried her away while the three women groaned in agony on the floor. This matter was far from over; he was going to make sure the three of them wished they were dead.
Leaving his assistant and Xu Xing’ang behind to handle the aftermath, Xie Junting carried Xia Yiyan straight to the car and headed for the hospital.
In the private VIP ward of the Provincial First Affiliated Hospital, the hospital director waited on them with bated breath while the heads of the orthopedics and surgery departments personally attended to her wounds. An X-ray of her ankle confirmed no major bone damage, though it was severely swollen and bruised.
Xie Junting wrapped an ice pack in a towel and began applying a cold compress for her.
The doctor offered a few parting instructions to Xie Junting: “Apply cold compresses for the first three days, then switch to warm compresses after that. Keep the ankle completely at rest and avoid any movement until it heals. I’ll prescribe some pain relievers for when the discomfort gets unbearable, along with a spray for gentle massages—just remember not to rub it too hard, use light, circular motions instead. As for the elbow wound, if it hasn’t scabbed over in two days, just change the gauze once.”
Xie Junting nodded, indicating he had memorized every instruction.
By the time they left the hospital, it was already quite late. With Xia Yiyan injured, Xie Junting had little appetite, but knowing she must be hungry, he took her to a private restaurant he had previously booked.
The private dining establishment had a wonderful ambiance: a two-story traditional courtyard built in the siheyuan style, decorated in an antique aesthetic. At night, it was even more breathtaking—a landscape of winding bridges, flowing water, and elegantly curated greenery around every corner, bathed in brilliant illumination. Situated in the city center where land was worth a fortune, a restaurant occupying an entire courtyard like this was a testament to its extraordinary backing.
And, naturally, the prices were equally extraordinary.
Ever since the injury, Xia Yiyan’s feet hadn’t touched the ground once; Xie Junting carried her the entire way, leaving her to bury her face in his chest like an ostrich. The welcoming staff and the servers inside the private room were thoroughly professional, keeping their eyes fixed straight ahead without a single trace of curious or prying scrutiny. Otherwise, someone with paper-thin skin like hers would have burned up from sheer embarrassment.
Picking up the menu, Xia Yiyan’s eyes lit up the moment she spotted her favorite dishes, tears of joy practically threatening to spill from the corners of her mouth. She started ordering dishes left and right, completely abandoning any concern over whether they could finish it all.
Having lived a plain, ascetic life for over twenty years, she had finally entered the good life alongside a wealthy CEO—she had to make the most of it!
Unfortunately, anything spicy was swiftly vetoed by Xie Junting on the grounds that her injuries required a lighter diet.
In the end, she ordered West Lake Longjing tea-infused pork ribs, steamed pork belly with rice flour, lily-bulb stuffed shrimp paste, colored bell pepper beef cubes, matsutake mushroom steamed eggs, garlic-butter abalone mushrooms with squid, eggplant rolls, and tofu meat-balls…
A table packed full of vibrant, aromatic dishes.
Since Xia Yiyan’s right arm was injured and made using chopsticks difficult, she remained cradled in Xie Junting’s arms the entire time while he personally fed her mouthful by mouthful. The food was exceptional, and she was genuinely famished. Abandoning all pretense in front of delicious cuisine, she happily let Xie Junting play waiter.
It wasn’t until she was completely full and let out a tiny burp that Xie Junting finally stopped, pouring her a cup of jasmine oolong tea to help digest the meal.
Xia Yiyan stared longingly at a plate of sweet and sour pork ribs, her mouth watering as she wished she could sneak just one more bite.
Though reluctant, Xie Junting held firm and didn’t give in. “Little foodie, do I usually starve you at home? You’ve already eaten quite a lot; any more and you’ll end up with indigestion.”
Realizing he wouldn’t budge, Xia Yiyan obediently reined in her gaze. “Brother, I’m full. You should eat too.”
Xie Junting had no appetite whatsoever; right now, the only thing on his mind was taking her back home and holding her tightly in his arms.
This person—truly, he was afraid she’d shatter if held too tightly, yet terrified she’d melt if he kept her in his mouth.