Chapter 20: Love Yourself Before Loving Others

The man curled up on the ground like a lost dog, trembling all over, his face drained of color. Fear twisted his muscles into knots.

Shen Nanqing stood above him, her feet—used to dancing gracefully on stage—now firmly pressing down on the man.

Song Huaiwen rushed anxiously into the alley and saw Shen Nanqing standing imposingly over the subdued man. He froze in place, his mind blank.

But he quickly snapped back to reality, took a few quick steps forward, and came beside Shen Nanqing. His voice trembled as he asked, “Are you okay?”

Without waiting for an answer, Song Huaiwen gently held Shen Nanqing’s shoulders, examining her carefully from head to toe, not missing a single detail, afraid she might have been hurt.

After checking and seeing she was unharmed, he finally exhaled deeply, his tense body relaxing.

Song Huaiwen’s sudden appearance was completely unexpected for Shen Nanqing.

Caught in the act again, Shen Nanqing’s usual calm and composed demeanor vanished, replaced by a flash of embarrassment. It was awkward holding her foot poised like that, unsure whether to pull it back or not.

The two were so close that Shen Nanqing could smell the unique scent on Song Huaiwen—a mixture of sweat and mint—that gave off a strangely refreshing yet down-to-earth vibe.

Unexplainably, a strange feeling quietly blossomed in Shen Nanqing’s heart.

She slightly turned her head away, trying to avoid Song Huaiwen’s burning gaze, and feigning calm said, “I’m fine.”

“Comrade, she’s fine, I’m the one with the problem.” The man seemed to have found a savior; this woman was truly terrifying.

Earlier, he had tried to fight back, but the other party seemed to have anticipated it. Just as he turned around, the woman stepped back a big step, his fist missed its mark, but his stomach got a hard kick.

This woman played dirty, targeting the lower parts. He felt like he was about to shatter.

“Shut up.” Song Huaiwen delivered a side kick to the man’s knee—not too hard to cause serious injury, but definitely painful.

Seeing how things had come to this, Shen Nanqing stopped pretending to be elegant and gentle. She laid her cards on the table since she was known for being tough and this wasn’t the first time he’d met her like this.

“Speak! Confess quickly. Assaulting a soldier is a serious crime. If this goes to the police station…” Shen Nanqing crossed her arms, her voice low but carrying a pointed warning.

Xu Baofeng was essentially a bully at home, spoiled by family since childhood, yet cowardly as a mouse.

Not wanting to go to jail, he hurriedly confessed, “It was my sister. She said you’re pretty and your family’s rich. If I could… marry you, I’d have a good life forever.”

As he spoke, he tried to grab Shen Nanqing’s leg and beg for mercy.

Shen Nanqing’s face twisted in disgust. As if shocked by an electric shock, she quickly stepped back, eyes full of revulsion.

Seeing this, Song Huaiwen’s anger flared. When the man mentioned “marry,” even with his eyes closed, you could tell how dirty his thoughts were.

He fiercely kicked Xu Baofeng’s backside, sending him sprawling forward, landing flat on the ground with a pitiful wail.

“People like this are a menace. I’m taking him to the police station right now.” Song Huaiwen said firmly.

“No.” Shen Nanqing shook her head, rejecting the idea. She looked coldly at the man on the ground and ordered, “Stop whining. Right now—immediately—take me to find Xu Ruyan.”

With a female devil and a male grim reaper, Xu Baofeng didn’t dare refuse. His whole body felt like it had fallen apart, aching to the core. Trembling, he got up and led the way.

“How did you know who her sister was?” Song Huaiwen asked, puzzled.

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Shen Nanqing recounted the whole incident and shared her own deductions with him.

Their family had just torn ties with the Li family. Knowing Li Gaoyi’s selfish and spiteful nature, if there really was something going on, he wouldn’t bother to kindly inform them—he’d definitely just watch from behind and enjoy the chaos.

Knowing Li Gaoyi, and mistakenly thinking the two families were still on good terms, he must have assumed she wasn’t from the family compound. That left only Xu Ruyan.

Song Huaiwen was first shocked by her calm and rational attitude, then worried about her reckless impulsiveness.

As the saying goes, worry leads to chaos. It was remarkable she could calm down so quickly. Without knowing who the other party was, for a vulnerable woman to be used as bait was far too impulsive.

This time, it was just a bluff. But what if the opponent was a professional? The consequences afterward were too frightening to imagine.

“Don’t be so impulsive from now on. If something happens, you can come to me…” Song Huaiwen said belatedly, but the word “me” caught in his throat and went unsaid.

Shen Nanqing turned to look at him, eyes full of understanding, a playful smile curling on her lips. “Come to who? Can I come to you? What exactly am I to you?”

“I… I’m just worried about you.” Song Huaiwen couldn’t miss her teasing tone. Embarrassed, he stammered awkwardly.

The moment the words came out, they felt too naive. His face instantly flushed bright red. He wanted to say more to make up for it, but his throat felt blocked, and he could only stand there dumbly, growing more and more uneasy under Shen Nanqing’s gaze.

If before he said he liked her, she thought it was nonsense. Now hearing it again, she was convinced it was definitely true.

Shen Nanqing found his embarrassed look quite cute. If the timing were right, she would have settled it clearly with him.

That’s just who she was: if she liked someone, she liked them; if she didn’t, she didn’t. No need to hide or pretend.

In fact, the reason she dared to go out alone was because only a few people had conflicts with her, and the danger level wasn’t high. Despite being a dancer, she was actually a fifth-dan martial artist.

Before, she was famous and wealthy, with many fans—among them were plenty of scoundrels. As a lone woman, she definitely had to be able to protect herself.

But naturally, she wouldn’t tell Song Huaiwen any of this. Actually, she wouldn’t tell anyone.

“One should not harbor evil intentions toward others, but must always be prepared to defend oneself.” There were family members who cared for her here, and she cared for them as well, but that didn’t mean she would bare her heart to them.

Love yourself first before loving others.

At noon, the stifling heat hung thick like sticky glue, filling the whole room and making it feel like being inside a sealed steaming basket—hot and unbearable.

Xu Ruyan sat at the wooden table, her hand fanning with a palm leaf fan, but more out of habit than for cooling.

She glanced toward the door from time to time, distracted and restless.

Xu Jia brought the freshly cooked dishes to the table and, worried, asked, “It’s so hot—why hasn’t your brother come back yet?”

“Soon!” she answered softly, so softly that even she didn’t believe it.

As time passed, the rhythm of the fan in Xu Ruyan’s hand suddenly sped up, becoming erratic—just like her mood.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from outside. She quickly went to the door and peeked out. When she saw who it was, her face instantly turned pale.

“You… you’re here?” Xu Ruyan’s eyes darted nervously as she forced herself to remain calm.

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