Chapter 21: When in Trouble, Find Mom

Shen Nanqing, as if not noticing the unusual expression on Xu Ruyan’s face, smiled and said, “Your family is really rude—not even inviting me in to sit for a while.”

Xu Ruyan stood rooted at the door, not moving. It was Xu’s mother who heard the noise and came over from the kitchen.

“Is Baofeng back?” Xu’s mother greeted with joy. But when she saw a beautiful young woman at the door wearing a familiar military uniform, she was momentarily taken aback. Her gaze fixed on Shen Nanqing and she greeted warmly, “You must be Xiao Yan’s comrade-in-arms!”

Shen Nanqing smiled and nodded, calling out, “Auntie.”

While greeting her, Shen Nanqing secretly studied Xu’s mother. Xu’s mother seemed to be in poor health—her face lacked color, her figure was thin and stooped, her eyes full of exhaustion.

“Well, young lady, how old are you? Do you have a boyfriend yet? Where is your family from?” Xu’s mother looked more and more pleased. She thought this girl’s appearance would suit her son well, and the grandchildren they might have would surely be handsome.

Shen Nanqing felt a chill run down her spine at the sight of her smiling like that, slightly furrowing her brow but said nothing in reply.

“Xiao Yan, don’t just stand there—invite your comrade in to sit!” Xu’s mother didn’t notice Shen Nanqing’s coldness and gently tugged on Xu Ruyan’s clothes.

Xu Ruyan just felt that Shen Nanqing’s arrival was ill-intentioned.

Yes! Definitely ill-intentioned.

A vague unease grew in her heart. Her gaze instinctively flicked toward the gate of the compound—there was no sign of Xu Baofeng. Only then did she secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

Maybe their plan had gone awry, and the two hadn’t met.

Reluctantly, Xu Ruyan stepped aside to let Shen Nanqing enter. Her lips were tightly sealed as she tried to guess Shen Nanqing’s real purpose for coming to her home.

Once inside, Shen Nanqing casually glanced around. The house wasn’t very spacious, but it was reasonably tidy. On the dining table lay one dish and one soup.

They had probably been served some time ago and no longer emitted any heat.

Seeing Shen Nanqing’s eyes linger on the dining table, Xu’s mother pursed her lips with some embarrassment.

Since Baofeng hadn’t returned yet, she felt it wasn’t right to eat without him. Forcing a smile, she said, “You haven’t eaten yet, right? Why not eat something at my house?”

It was almost mealtime, and Shen Nanqing was indeed a bit hungry—but she hadn’t come to Xu’s for a meal.

“No thanks. I’ll leave after finishing my business.”

Hearing Shen Nanqing refuse food, Xu’s mother breathed a sigh of relief. Food was precious these days.

If others ate more, her son would have less. Thinking of the steamed egg in the pot, she went back to the kitchen to add some firewood to the stove. There was no helping it—her son always complained the cold steamed egg tasted fishy and insisted on warming it up with water.

When Xu Ruyan heard Shen Nanqing say “finishing my business,” her nerves suddenly tightened. She spoke warily, “What exactly do you want to do at my house?”

“Don’t you know what I want?” Shen Nanqing lifted her chin toward the gate of the compound, signaling for her to look.

Seeing two familiar figures, Xu Ruyan was startled and bit her nails hard enough to draw blood.

Song Huaiwen was dragging Xu Baofeng by the collar into the compound. This guy had been relatively obedient on the way, but unexpectedly, right at the doorstep, he suddenly tried to run away.

Xu Baofeng thought that back on his own turf, with the terrain he knew well, he could easily evade Song Huaiwen. But he didn’t know Song Huaiwen wasn’t just a cultural soldier—he was a real battlefield veteran, with reflexes and speed beyond his reach.

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Shen Nanqing didn’t even know whether to call him stupid or just plain stupid.

She’d brought him right to his own doorstep, yet he still tried to run—like you can hide from a monk but not from the temple. Purely pointless struggle; in the end, he was caught and dragged back anyway.

Xu Ruyan could no longer cling to any hope. She stared fixedly at the calm Shen Nanqing beside her, her eyes boiling with hatred, as if she wanted to tear her apart alive.

It was all Shen Nanqing’s fault. If it weren’t for her, Xu Ruyan wouldn’t have been rejected; if it weren’t for her, her family wouldn’t despise her. Xu Ruyan felt Shen Nanqing was her nemesis.

She glanced disdainfully at the bedraggled Xu Baofeng—what a useless man, unable to handle even this little matter.

The weather was hot, and everyone was staying indoors. The commotion they made upon entering the house had already drawn neighbors peeking out to investigate.

Xu Ruyan accepted the curious looks from the neighbors but, feeling restless, quickly shut the door, trying to block their eyes.

Xu Baofeng was thrown onto the ground with a dull thud by Song Huaiwen. Ignoring the pain in his body, he crawled on his knees over to Xu Ruyan, crying out with a sobbing voice, “Sister, you have to save me!”

“Shut up.” Xu Ruyan disdainfully shook off Xu Baofeng’s hands that were clutching at her pant legs, her gaze flicking between Shen Nanqing and Song Huaiwen, unable to figure out what Song Huaiwen had to do with all this.

For now, she ignored everything else and turned to ask Shen Nanqing, “What exactly do you mean by this?”

Just as Shen Nanqing was about to reply, Xu’s mother, hearing her son’s cries, came rushing out in a flustered panic. Seeing her son covered in tears, her eyes immediately reddened.

She held her son with pity, “Baofeng, what happened to you? Who beat you like this? I’ll go find them and make them pay.”

Xu Baofeng clung to his mother like she was his lifeline, weeping bitterly while still whining, “Mom, they’re the ones who beat me. My whole body hurts—I feel like I’m dying.”

This scene was strangely comical.

Xu’s mother was small and frail, and Xu Baofeng was twice her size, yet he still acted like a spoiled child who ran to his mother whenever trouble came.

When she heard the word “die,” Xu’s mother charged at Shen Nanqing, pointing her finger almost at her nose.

But Song Huaiwen reacted quickly, pulling Shen Nanqing behind him to face Xu’s mother’s curses head-on.

Xu Ruyan saw this and her jealousy grew stronger. She knew her mother wasn’t a match for the two men, so she didn’t intervene—just watched coldly.

Confronted with Shen Nanqing, a single girl, Xu’s mother was brazen and reckless; but when faced with the tall and imposing Song Huaiwen, her aura instantly diminished.

“Oh dear! I can’t live anymore! They even come to beat people at our door—what kind of world is this without law and order?” Xu’s mother was furious, her chest heaving as she shouted sharply, “Come on, let’s go to the police station! Today we must get justice for my son.”

“The police station? Fine.” Shen Nanqing curled her lips in a cold smile, her eyes sharpening instantly. “I just don’t know if your son dares to go.”

“Mom, we can’t go to the police station. If we do, I’m finished,” Xu Baofeng sniffled. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Xu Ruyan standing aloof, and his eyes flashed with hatred. “It’s all Sister! She tricked Shen Nanqing out here, and now it’s done and dusted. Everything was done on my orders.”

Hearing this, Xu’s mother’s arrogance instantly vanished. She opened her mouth to argue but the words got stuck in her throat.

This was a hooligan offense—absolutely no way could they go to the police.

She suddenly spun around, glaring viciously at Xu Ruyan, her finger trembling as she pointed at her, accusing, “It’s all your fault, you damned girl! What bad ideas did you give your brother? I don’t care—this is your mess, and you have to fix it.”