Shen Ji calmly put on his gloves, like a lion being chained. Even restrained, his presence still made his uncle nervous. Those seemingly calm eyes didn’t look at him like he was a living person, and it sent a chill down his spine.

“You’re his guardian, right? Great, you’re just in time,” the man growled, yanking Shen Ji’s uncle toward him. “Your kid beat up my sons! You owe us compensation!”

The uncle, already in a foul mood, shot Shen Ji a murderous look. “You hit someone again?? Didn’t I tell you not to cause trouble, you little brat?!”

Shen Ji snorted dismissively. “We didn’t hit them. Your sons fell out of a tree on their own. You’re just trying to scam us for money.”

The man’s face turned a mixture of red and blue as his plan was bluntly exposed. “Y-you… stop making excuses! Even if you’re a kid, you have to take responsibility for what you’ve done!”

Though the man spoke like he had the upper hand, his voice faltered as Shen Ji’s piercing gaze settled on him. The more he spoke, the less confident he sounded.

“I told you not to cause trouble!” the uncle yelled, too furious to listen to reason. He picked up a small branch from the ground and swung it at Shen Ji. “You never listen, you freak! You monster!”

Yuanyuan, stunned by the chaotic scene, stood frozen in place. First there was yelling, then fighting, and now Shen Ji was being hit. Everything was happening so fast that her little brain was overwhelmed.

Her head spun as she watched the branch whizz through the air, striking Shen Ji’s back several times with terrifying swishing sounds. Shen Ji must be in so much pain!

In her panic, Yuanyuan threw herself at Shen Ji’s waist, spreading her arms wide in a desperate attempt to shield him. “Stop hitting him! Stop! Shen Ji didn’t do anything wrong!”

As the branch came down again, Shen Ji, who had been standing still and enduring the hits, felt a surge of panic. He quickly crouched and pulled Yuanyuan into his arms, using his body to shield her from the blows.

Yu Yingze, gasping in shock, rushed forward and grabbed the branch from the uncle’s hand. “Stop! If you dare touch my sister, our whole family will come after you!!”

The uncle paused, confused. “I was hitting this brat, not your sister.”

“I don’t care! You nearly hit her!” Yu Yingze was now fully involved in the brawl.

The scene on the grass descended into chaos. The three crying boys stopped mid-sob, the man and his wife froze in confusion, and the surrounding onlookers didn’t know where to focus their attention.

“What’s going on here?” A cold voice cut through the chaos from the back of the crowd.

The bystanders instinctively parted, making way for Yu Jinxiao, who strolled in with one hand casually tucked into his pocket, his gaze lazy yet filled with irritation as he took in the disorderly scene on the grass.

“Dad!” Yu Yingze, seeing his father as the ultimate backup, ran over and clung to his leg with relief. “That bad man tried to hit Yuanyuan!”

He didn’t forget to point accusingly at the uncle, clearly identifying the culprit.

The uncle, meeting Yu Jinxiao’s icy gaze for the first time, immediately realized he was outmatched.

Yu Jinxiao was taller by a good half a head, and the way he looked down at the uncle was with the chilling indifference of someone used to being obeyed. Standing there, he exuded the
air of a fearsome figure, like someone who could send a person to hell for daring to cross him.

The uncle swallowed nervously, his voice involuntarily softening. “No, no, you’ve got it wrong. I was just disciplining my own kid,” he stammered, awkwardly gesturing at Shen Ji. “It’s this brat who started trouble, got into a fight…”

“That’s not true! Shen Ji didn’t fight anyone!” Yuanyuan, still nestled in Shen Ji’s arms, bravely poked her head out and protested. “It was my brother who… um, poked them!”

Yu Yingze: You little traitor! Even though you’re trying to soften it by saying ‘poked, you’re still a traitor!