This place was remote, a sparsely populated suburb. The biker gang rode their motorcycles here every day to cruise around and seek thrills. Just now, An Ruo was standing in front of the vending machine, the white light illuminating her bright little face—they’d already been drooling over her in their minds!
"Little sister, it's dangerous for you to be alone here. Where do you live? I'll take you back?"
Back where? Back to the hotel or the woods? An Ruo furrowed her delicate brows, not buying a word of these thugs' nonsense!
"Or how about coming with big brother to the barbecue stand up ahead for a little drink?" He reached out to grab An Ruo, startling her into jerking her hand away.
"Oh, a spicy girl, I like that." The leather-jacketed man wrapped his arms around her shoulders, grinning roguishly. "If you behave and keep me company for the night, I'll be happy and let you go."
An Ruo struggled to push him off, saying coldly, "I have a husband. Watch your mouth."
"Calling him 'husband' so fast? Little sister, you catch on quick!"
"Let me go!"
"Let go?" The leather-jacketed man leered, his wandering hand slapping her rear. "If you have a husband, why are you running around alone at night? Can't he satisfy you? Out sneaking around with someone else?"
Faced with such vulgar talk, An Ruo usually ignored it, too lazy to bother with them. She tried to leave, but the men deliberately circled around her. The leather-jacketed man was their leader, his greedy gaze unabashedly sizing her up.
"Instead of finding some other guy, why not have fun with us? We'll make sure you're well taken care of." The leather-jacketed man reached for her again, but An Ruo dodged sharply. Several men dressed like thugs grabbed her shoulders...
"Let go! Aren't you afraid I'll call the police?"
"Scared? Oh, I'm so scared. Go ahead and shout, see if anyone dares to meddle." The leather-jacketed man smirked, touching her cheek. "Or call your husband over, let him get a good look?"
As soon as he finished, a beer bottle sailed over the scattered heads, spinning in the air a few times before smashing hard onto the leather-jacketed man's head.
"Damn it! Which blind bastard dares to hit me!" The leather-jacketed man cursed, looking up.
In the middle of the wide road, a man in a black trench coat, like a hellish king incarnate from the night, strode closer through the howling wind. Seeing him, An Ruo's heart felt full, her vision narrowing to only him.
"Who the hell are you? Dare to hit me? Believe me—"
Before the furious leather-jacketed man could finish, the man sprinted over and landed a flying kick to his chest, sending him and the bike behind him crashing several meters away. The other lackeys, sensing trouble, charged at Shen Xiaoxing aggressively. They swarmed him, but the man didn't even blink, taking them down with swift, precise moves.
The rest, seeing how tough he was, froze in fear. They mounted their motorcycles, revved the throttles to max, and sped toward him—
An Ruo's heart clenched. "Shen Xiaoxing, watch out behind you!"
Those bikers were sneaky—unable to win head-on, they resorted to ambushes. But Shen Xiaoxing's muscles weren't for show; he timed it perfectly, grabbing the man attacking from behind by the neck and yanking him down!
With one foot on the man's chest, he dodged nimbly as the other bikers attacked again, reaching out to topple both them and their bikes.
An Ruo stood frozen, wide-eyed, watching the man effortlessly take down over a dozen bikers, leaving them groaning on the ground.
His breathing was heavy. Though those punks were easy to handle, the bikes made the fight drag, wearing him out. He righted a motorcycle, swung his long leg over, scooted back, patted the front seat, and said to the stunned girl, "Get on."
Without a second thought, An Ruo went to him. She and Shen Xiaoxing had only argued—they were married, he wouldn't eat her. But these men truly wanted to devour her. This wasn't a place to linger.
An Ruo held out her small hand. The man grabbed her arm and pulled her onto his lap, his strong masculine aura enveloping her, filling her heart with a sense of safety. Worried she might be cold, he wrapped his trench coat around her before starting the bike, securing her firmly in his arms.
The roar of the engine cut through the wind. An Ruo leaned into his chest, safely protected within his domain.
...
Back at the villa, the man carried her off the bike with one arm, handing the motorcycle to a servant, and led her by the hand into the living room. Once inside, he let go and said in a low voice, "Go to your room and rest early."
He didn't say a word about what had just happened. An Ruo thought he'd scold her for sneaking out late at night, but his demeanor made her feel she'd overthought it.
His thin lips were pressed together. An Ruo couldn't read his expression, realizing they were still at odds. She quickly ran upstairs.
Did they have nothing left to say to each other?
Sitting on the sofa, An Ruo sighed alone. These days, she didn't know how to interact with him. One thing after another weighed her down, suffocating her.
Her stomach started hurting again...
She forced herself through her evening routine despite the discomfort, then sat absentmindedly on the bed, staring into space. A knock at the door startled her. She said flatly, "Come in."
The man entered in clean, fresh loungewear, holding a glass of water in one hand and two pills in the other.
"Stomach acting up?" He saw through her stubborn pretense, offering the pills. "Take two more."
For some reason, she felt a bit spoiled now. During their fight, she'd been so disappointed she wanted to punch him, yet afterward, she craved his comfort. Seeing him now sparked a rebellious streak, making her want to defy him.
Shen Xiaoxing coaxed her patiently. "Be good."
She'd lacked parental love, and he wanted to spoil her like a little girl, healing her childhood wounds. So sometimes, he talked to her like a child. And lately, that child had grown rebellious!
An Ruo's face stayed cold. He wanted her to take the pills, but she refused, stubborn as a mule.
Shen Xiaoxing sat beside her, showing her the pills in his palm, coaxing softly, "When you're sick, you have to take your medicine. Otherwise, you'll worry me."
"..."
"Ruo Ruo, no matter how mad you are at me, don't take it out on yourself. What if you ruin your health?"
An Ruo glanced at the pills in his palm, bit her lip, took them, and popped them into her mouth. The man immediately handed her the water, watching her gulp it down.
"Rest early." He ruffled her hair, leaned in to kiss her forehead, and murmured, "When you've cooled down, I'll make it up to you properly."
"..."
An Ruo kept her face blank. What was this? Her mind suddenly wandered somewhere else. But his expression was serious, not hinting at that kind of thing. Ahem, hopefully, she was overthinking it.
The man, a true gentleman, stood up, telling her to call him if she felt unwell at night or use the call button by the bed for the servants.