“No, no, I only gave that fool half a bowl.”
When Ye Shizhi heard the words “that fool,” she looked at Jiang Jian and felt her last bit of concern disappear. Her expression remained calm as she handed him two more sunflower seeds.
While the others were still confused, Jiang An’an glanced over, her palm pinched by her own fingers as she stared fixedly at them.
Sensing it, Ye Shizhi looked back and met her gaze, offering a faint smile before continuing to ask Jiang Jian, “Then did Jiang Sinian give you money?”
“He did, he did—twenty cents! That’s a lot!”
Ye Shizhi poured the rest of the sunflower seeds into his hand. She had lost her appetite anyway; the smell was too strong.
As soon as Jiang Jian finished speaking, the crowd erupted in murmurs.
The burly men looked at Aunt Jiang. “Didn’t you say Jiang Sinian stole from your house?”
“I—I…” Aunt Jiang panicked. She hadn’t expected Jiang Jian to spill everything just for some food.
“Let’s go!”
They had only come out of respect for family ties. Now that it wasn’t Jiang Sinian’s fault, their faces turned dark as soot. With a wave of a hand, they prepared to leave.
“Who said you could leave?”
A cold voice that made the back of one’s neck chill rang out. Amid the commotion, a path actually opened up through the crowd.
Jiang Sinian stood at the far end, tall and imposing. Even the loose shirt he wore couldn’t hide his solid build. His expression was like a frozen star; his dark eyes watched calmly.
His thin lips were pressed tight. When he noticed everyone staring at him, they curved slightly upward, revealing a wild, untamed hostility.
“Jiang Sinian! Why are you back…”
“It’s all a misunderstanding. We—we’re leaving right now…”
Cold sweat dripped down the forehead of the man in front as he spoke, trying to slip away.
“I said—”
“Who let you leave?”
Jiang Sinian stepped forward one step at a time. The oppressive atmosphere instantly intensified. They all remembered—this man had killed before…
In an instant, the onlookers silently retreated, afraid of being noticed.
The crowd scattered quickly. Now only the few who had knocked on the door remained.
“It’s all a misunderstanding…”
Before the man could finish explaining, a punch landed squarely on his face.
With a loud thud he fell to the ground. Jiang Sinian walked over slowly, eyes icy. Grabbing the man by the collar, he lifted him into the air and slammed him hard onto the ground.
“Did I say you could leave?”
The other men rushed in to help, sensing something was wrong. Aunt Jiang had already shrunk into a corner with Jiang Jian, trembling.
They had caused trouble today precisely because they knew Jiang Sinian wasn’t home. Who would’ve thought he’d return halfway through? What terrible luck!
Two or three men attacked together, but Jiang Sinian didn’t suffer at all. After a brief struggle, several sharp moves knocked them to the ground. What followed was nearly a one-sided beating.
It was the first time Ye Shizhi had seen Jiang Sinian fight. The brutality alone was frightening. She moved the chair aside and stood watching.
But the more she watched, the more she felt something was wrong. As their groans grew more painful, his blows didn’t ease—they grew heavier, punch after punch.
His eyes were bloodshot, as if he could only see what was directly in front of him.
Seeing that someone was about to lose consciousness, Ye Shizhi called out, “Jiang Sinian, that’s enough. Stop.”
The sounds of punching continued. He didn’t respond.
She couldn’t run over to stop him physically—the baby couldn’t risk it.
Gritting her teeth, she shouted, “Jiang Sinian, my stomach hurts.”
Sure enough, he turned his head stiffly. It took a moment for clarity to return to his eyes.
He looked down at the nearly unconscious men on the ground, then at Aunt Jiang and the others in the corner, and growled like a beast, “Get lost.”
As they scrambled away, almost crawling, Jiang An’an followed beside Aunt Jiang and looked back. What she saw were Jiang Sinian’s pitch-black eyes—dark as night, terrifying like a vengeful ghost.
Ye Shizhi’s expression was complicated as she watched him walk toward her.
Jiang Sinian scanned her from head to toe. His hair was messy from the fight. His expression was serious, and finally his gaze settled on her stomach.
His face was unreadable, voice hoarse. “Still hurting?”
Before she could answer, he said, “We’re going to the hospital.”
Startled by his decisiveness, Ye Shizhi quickly refused. “It doesn’t hurt anymore. I’m fine.”
“You’re lying.”
Jiang Sinian wasn’t so easy to fool.
“If I didn’t lie, you’d have beaten someone to death,” she said. “If you end up in jail, who will take care of me and the baby?”
He didn’t respond. Instead, he bent down and lifted her into his arms.
“Ah!”
Caught off guard by the sudden princess carry, Ye Shizhi instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
Suppressing her surprise, she studied his face up close. Even if she weren’t someone who cared about looks, she would have been captivated.
There were several bruises on his refined face, especially at the corner of his mouth—a dark blue mark that gave him a strangely fragile look.
Before she could think further, he had already placed her gently on the bed.
Jiang Sinian bent down and stared at her, the cold anger in his eyes far from gone.
“Ye Shizhi, next time something like this happens, you hide!”
“If I ever see you acting fearless like that again, I’ll think you’re trying to get rid of this child on purpose. And if that happens, don’t even think about leaving the house!”
God knew the terror he felt when he saw a crowd at the door. He had feared walking in to find Ye Shizhi lying on the ground in a pool of blood, the baby gone. Just imagining it made him suffocate—that was why he had nearly gone mad.
For a moment, he had even thought about locking her up so she wouldn’t be able to do anything dangerous.
Forcing those thoughts down, he released her hand and returned to his usual cold composure.
“Sit.”
Then he turned and left, returning shortly with a cup of warm water.
Ye Shizhi obediently took it and drank. Honestly, the sunflower seeds had made her throat dry.
As for Jiang Sinian…
Why did it feel like their relationship had reset overnight, as if yesterday’s boldness had been nothing but her imagination? If it weren’t for the three completed tasks proving otherwise, she might have doubted herself.
Sigh. Jiang Sinian was indeed guarded—he still harbored suspicions about her.
She sneaked a glance at him. He pretended not to notice, though the fire in his heart hadn’t faded.
Ye Shizhi was smart—she knew what persona to use and when.
She handed him the cup, looking slightly docile. “I’m done.”
Then she added softly, “I don’t want any more.”
The cup made a small sound as he set it down.
“Could you bring in the papers from the table outside?” she asked tentatively.
The drawn-out tone at the end of her sentence—she mentally praised herself. Better to act meek when necessary. Survival came first.
Jiang Sinian didn’t move. From a short distance away, he looked at her. “Next time something happens, what do you do?”
“I hide. Avoid conflict. Okay?”
She answered cooperatively. He meant well—there was no point opposing him. She wasn’t some rebellious teenager.
That finally eased his anger. The tight line of his lips relaxed. He nodded.
“If something happens, hide. I’ll handle it.”
“You just protect yourself.” And the child.
With that, he turned and walked out.