Chapter 30

Sheng Changyu had always cared about his reputation, even since he was a child, and now was no different. Since Ning Zhen bore the title of “wife,” she was under his constant protection. 

Yao Wenluo knew full well that Sheng Changyu was only protecting his own honor. It didn’t matter who his wife was—he would defend her just the same. Yet, Yao Wenluo couldn’t help but be consumed with anger. That wife happened to be Ning Zhen, her enemy! 

It was unbearable. Her nemesis had become the unworthy wife of a military governor, and yet she was receiving the devoted protection of Yao Wenluo’s beloved! It was worse than being killed. 

Su Rong, who had been kicked to the ground by Sheng Changyu, felt a painful pressure in his chest but quickly got up and knelt again. “Governor, I was wrong.” 

“You certainly were,” Sheng Changyu shouted angrily. “In Suzhou, you’ve gotten so arrogant that you even dare provoke me! Do you have no regard for the law?” 

His fury was overwhelming. 

Ning Zhen quietly motioned her two cousins behind her and began to back away. She suspected that once Sheng Changyu finished beating Su Rong, he would turn his anger on them. 

She herself might not be struck, as she was the Governor’s wife, but her cousins were unlikely to be so lucky. 

Ning Zhen bit her lip gently, her hand trembling slightly beneath her sleeve. 

Sheng Changyu’s rage, amplified by his adjutants’ long rifles, instilled in Ning Zhen a crushing sense of fear, as if the sky itself were about to fall. She rarely felt such terror. 

“And as for you all,” Sheng Changyu pointed to the group behind Su Rong, “you saw this Su brat troubling my wife, yet you didn’t stop him? Instead, you encouraged him to stand up to her!” 

The entire group collapsed to their knees with a clatter, pleading for mercy, some even trying to explain themselves. 

Yao Wenluo could no longer hold back. Her anger surged. “Ah Yu, you’re being too tyrannical! It takes two to quarrel—” 

“Cheng Yang, slap Miss Yao and show her how loud one hand can clap,” Sheng Changyu ordered. 

Yao Wenluo froze in horror, stumbling back several steps in fear. 

Cheng Yang, however, was caught in a dilemma and didn’t dare act, instead saying, “Governor, please calm down.” 

He then turned to Ning Zhen and said, “Madam, perhaps you could persuade the Governor.” 

Ning Zhen:  

Cheng Yang, how dare you put me on the spot at a time like this! I even fixed your car once! 

Ning Zhen didn’t want to say anything. When someone was in a rage, anyone who spoke was at risk of getting caught in the crossfire. Yao Wenluo was proof of that. 

She stood still, too scared to move, carefully observing Sheng Changyu’s expression. 

His face was dark, like storm clouds gathering before a downpour. 

Not only was it about to rain—there would be thunder and lightning too. Approaching him now was asking for trouble. 

Desperately, Ning Zhen took a small step forward. “Governor, please calm down.” 

Sheng Changyu took a deep breath and said, “Fine, since my wife is pleading for you, I’ll let you off today.” 

The crowd, still kneeling, was overwhelmed with gratitude, with some even kowtowing. 

“Cheng Yang, no need for guns. Just give each one a beating, enough to draw blood,” Sheng Changyu said. 

The crowd: ! 

Off to the side, Meng Xinliang couldn’t help but find it amusing, thinking that Sheng Changyu had become soft-hearted. In the past, he wouldn’t have let things go so easily. 

Yao Wenluo, however, was wide-eyed with disbelief. She didn’t dare say anything, still remembering that slap Cheng Yang had been ordered to give her. But she was fuming inside. 

Why should anyone be beaten? 

This was Su Qing’er’s brother. Ning Zhen had clearly insulted Su Qing’er, and now she was just going to get away with it? 

Sheng Changyu walked out, with his adjutants holstering their guns and stepping forward to administer the beatings. 

Ning Zhen hurriedly followed him out, calling for her cousins and Jin Nuan to follow as well. 

Outside, it was only four in the afternoon. The golden autumn sun cast a soft, gentle glow through the bare branches of the plane trees. 

Ning Zhen’s back was likely covered in sweat. 

Inside the shop, there were sounds of wailing and howling. 

Sheng Changyu, with his long legs, strode ahead, stopping beside a black car. 

He turned back. “Come here.” 

Ning Zhen knew her troubles weren’t over yet. This was him preparing to settle the matter privately. 

She glanced at Jin Nuan and handed her the car keys. “Looks like we won’t be seeing that singer. Find your way home. I’ll have a driver come for the car later.” 

Jin Nuan was full of worry. “Ning Zhen…” 

“I’m fine,” Ning Zhen reassured her, patting her hand. 

Inside the shop, the sounds of crying continued, along with the sickening thuds of blows landing on flesh and bone. The noise sent a shiver down Jin Nuan’s spine. 

Ning Zhen got into Sheng Changyu’s car and drove off. 

Yao Wenluo came out a little later, her face even paler than Jin Nuan’s. 

Seeing her, Jin Nuan couldn’t contain her anger. “Yao Wenluo, you keep stirring up trouble! You’re downright malicious!” 

“I’m just telling the truth!” Yao Wenluo retorted angrily. 

Jin Nuan wanted to hit her, but Ning Zhen’s two cousins quickly stepped in to stop her. 

One said, “Second Sister-in-law, my legs are still shaky. Let’s just go home. No more trouble. I’m really scared.” 

The other added, “Second Sister-in-law, I think I might have wet my pants. Let’s leave. They’re still getting beaten in there—this place is cursed!” 

A soft laugh came from behind them. 

Meng Xinliang, dressed in luxurious clothing, stood behind them. He asked, “Didn’t you bring a driver?” 

Jin Nuan tried to regain some composure. “Ning Zhen was the driver.” 

But she had been taken away by Sheng Changyu. 

“My driver can take you home. No need to panic,” Meng Xinliang offered. 

“Thank you,” Ning Zhen’s cousins quickly accepted, pulling Jin Nuan into the car with them. 

Meanwhile, Ning Zhen sat in Sheng Changyu’s car, feeling anxious. Today had been a disaster she hadn’t seen coming. 

Although, she had been too loose with her words when Su Qing’er was mentioned. Who would’ve thought that Yao Wenluo, the troublemaker, would somehow involve Sheng Changyu? It had to be her—no one else could reach Sheng Changyu. 

Ning Zhen clenched her fingers. 

The car eventually stopped on a quiet road lined with plane trees. Their leaves had fallen in the late autumn, leaving only bare, light brown branches stretching into the distance. 

Sheng Changyu ordered his adjutants out of the car. 

He slowly rolled down the window and lit a cigarette, the deliberate pace of his actions easing Ning Zhen’s nerves just a little as she inhaled the crisp scent of tobacco. 

“Do you really feel no guilt toward the Su family?” Sheng Changyu broke the silence. 

Ning Zhen didn’t know how to respond. 

Truthfully, she didn’t. 

From Sheng Changyu’s perspective, Su Qing’er’s death was directly related to the Ning family. But from the Ning family’s viewpoint, it had nothing to do with them. 

It was simply the Su family shifting blame out of anger. 

Unfortunately, Sheng Changyu had always disliked Ning Zhen’s father, so he readily accepted the Su family’s version of events. 

Ning Zhen wanted to explain but knew it was pointless while he was still angry. 

Some misunderstandings had to be unraveled slowly, with calmness and patience. Otherwise, trying to force clarity would only make things worse, tying the knot even tighter, until it became an unresolvable grudge. 

“Governor, today was my fault,” Ning Zhen tried to placate him. 

“Ning Zhen, remember your status! Some people and things are off-limits to you,” Sheng Changyu continued. “If you keep making mistakes, you can step aside. Being my wife doesn’t have to be your role. This is a favor I’ve extended to your family—don’t misunderstand that.” 

Ning Zhen nodded. “I understand.” 

“Every action you take reflects on my reputation. If you lose the dignity of the Governor’s wife in another public spat, you’ll have to answer to a bullet,” Sheng Changyu warned. 

Ning Zhen quickly acknowledged. 

“Get out!” he barked. 

Biting her lip lightly, Ning Zhen immediately got out of the car. 

The adjutant quickly got back in, and the car sped away. 

Ning Zhen stood by the roadside, his parting words—”Get out”—repeating in her mind like sharp needles piercing her heart. 

Just then, another car approached. 

Turning her head, Ning Zhen wiped away the moisture gathering in her eyes. The car slowed down, and the horn sounded softly. 

The back window rolled down, revealing a man’s warm, kind face. “Fourth Miss, get in. I’ll take you home.”