On the second floor of a nearby restaurant, two women were watching the scene below.
The woman in white looked at the cool-headed woman beside her in shock, saying, “Are you crazy? If the patrolling officers come by and see us treating the scholar like this, the county magistrate won’t let us off!”
The cool-headed woman shrugged nonchalantly, “What’s there to be afraid of? I’ve already sent someone to distract them. There won’t be any officers around for a while…”
“I don’t understand. If you want him, why degrade him like this? With your looks, Qingling, it shouldn’t be hard for him to fall for you. Why go through all this trouble?” The woman in white, Liu Xueying, frowned, clearly disapproving.
Xue Qingling didn’t care. “Xueying, I didn’t want to do it this way either, but he’s being disobedient. He’s a stubborn one, so I have to break him and reshape him, making him willingly submit to me.”
She continued, “I haven’t really done anything bad to him. Just pressuring him a little.”
“If he refuses to submit, then let him feel the full extent of my methods. After all, he’s a man. If I can’t control him, then I’ll ruin him.”
Liu Xueying’s voice carried a hint of bitterness. “But his injury isn’t fully healed. What if it worsens now that you’ve thrown him out like this? Didn’t you say you only wanted to teach him a small lesson?”
Liu Xueying looked at Lu Huai’an in his miserable state, feeling sympathetic, but she couldn’t show it. If this nasty woman hadn’t interfered, she wouldn’t have been forced to choose someone like Zhuang Yunqing.
Lu Huai’an had been a student at her family’s academy. Why should she give him up to Xue Qingling?
Thinking about it made her clench her teeth in frustration.
Xue Qingling sneered. “With his intelligence, he’ll definitely guess I’m here. If he crawls over and begs me, I’ll naturally have someone take care of him. If he refuses to submit, then he’ll be ruined. It’ll be his own fault!”
It was just a man. If she couldn’t subdue him, she would destroy him.
If it weren’t for his talent and good looks, she wouldn’t have bothered spending so much time on him.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ning had arrived at Baohutang and squeezed through the crowd to see the sorry figure lying on the ground in his undergarments, covered in dirt.
“Good grief, is that really Lu Huai’an?” she thought to herself.
She cursed under her breath. I should have known better! To humiliate a scholar in public—this enemy is someone I can’t afford to offend.
She immediately turned around, planning to leave quickly.
But then she caught a glimpse of his cold eyes, and she froze.
His gaze was filled with confusion.
For him, the debts from his past life had already been repaid, and whether he lived or died in this life was of no consequence. After all, no one cared about his survival.
He had been pondering how to die with Xue Qingling, but unexpectedly, he saw Jiang Ning again.
Before he could react, he saw her turn to flee!
Frustrated, he immediately called out to her.
“Wife, help me…” Lu Huai’an weakly reached out toward Jiang Ning.
His voice carried a hint of helplessness, and the crowd immediately parted, revealing Jiang Ning, who had been facing away.
That warm, jade-like voice sounded so tender, it made everyone’s heart stir.
But for Jiang Ning, it was as if a death sentence had been handed down. She could feel her anger rising.
This damn man, just wait for me!
Her face showed shock as she quickly walked over, gritting her teeth and pretending to be concerned. “Oh, husband, who did this to you? My heart aches for you!”
Then, she turned to the shopkeeper at the door of the medical hall, feigning confusion. “Uncle Chen, why did you treat him like this? If it’s money you want, we can figure something out!”
“Ah, girl, don’t get involved, it’s not about money. You should leave,” Shopkeeper Chen said helplessly, shaking his head as he walked back into the medical hall.
After a couple of days of rest, Lu Huai’an had regained some strength, but he was still extremely weak.
He tried to prop himself up, looking pitiful as he whispered to Jiang Ning, “Wife… they’re kicking me out. Can you take me home?”
Judging by the state of things, it seemed no medical hall in the city would take him. Lu Huai’an figured returning to the village would be the best option.
“Home? Our home… was burned down by some bastard, leaving not a trace behind. I barely escaped last night with my life,” Jiang Ning said as she pretended to wipe away a tear.
The crowd around them shifted from mocking to sympathetic, thinking about how terrible it was for someone to do such a thing.
Lu Huai’an, lost for words, thought: So, this is the price for starting over?
Jiang Ning, noticing his downcast expression, couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. She sighed lightly, “But it’s okay, I can take you to my mother’s house for now.”
After all, her mother’s house was free, and why not use it?
Besides, bringing her enemy home would probably give her a front-row seat to some drama.
Jiang Ning was plotting in her mind, her thoughts racing.
“Won’t it be too much trouble?” Lu Huai’an asked. He didn’t expect her to offer to take him home. After all, he knew she wasn’t well-liked in her family, as evident from her ragged clothes.
“It won’t!” Jiang Ning said firmly.
“Really? Wife, you’re so kind!” Lu Huai’an’s tone softened, and his face lit up with relief.
“You’re my husband. If I don’t treat you well, who will?” Jiang Ning replied with a smile.
The crowd around them praised the scholar for his good fortune. “Although his wife doesn’t have the best looks, she stands by him no matter what. He should really appreciate her.”
Lu Huai’an’s expression darkened instantly.
Jiang Ning chuckled inwardly. So you want to act all high and mighty, huh?
Not wanting to stay here and become a target for unknown enemies lurking in the crowd, Jiang Ning quickly decided to leave.
Once the scene was over, she helped him put on his outer robe and began to gather his scattered books.
Seeing his broken leg, unable to move, Jiang Ning threw everything into her basket, then bent down and scooped him up into her arms.
This move left the onlookers dumbfounded.
Lu Huai’an felt weightless as she lifted him. His eyes widened in shock!
As soon as she picked him up, he froze. This woman…
“Put me down, help me walk,” he said, flustered.
“Help you walk? Do you plan to walk until the end of time?” Jiang Ning scoffed.
Her scent, fresh and delicate, wafted up to Lu Huai’an’s nose, making him stiffen. He stared at her with wide eyes, his heart beating erratically.
He had never been so close to anyone before, especially not a woman. The feeling made him incredibly uneasy, his body rigid.
Before he could process his feelings further, he realized she had loosened her grip.
Fearing he would fall, Lu Huai’an instinctively wrapped his arms around her neck.
Their bodies were pressed closely together. His ears turned red, and he muttered, “Did you do that on purpose?”
Jiang Ning walked briskly, replying, “What’s wrong? Not happy? Didn’t you ask me to save you? Behave, or I’ll throw you back.”