Chapter 17: No Martial Virtue, Run First to Show Respect!

You Hongmei were left dumbfounded after being scolded by Lu Sinian.

After regaining her senses, she first had tears welling up in her eyes, then looked to the side, thinking of asking Niu Ailing and a few others for help. But when she looked, she saw that Niu Ailing and the others had already moved two or three steps away from her.

When they saw her looking, they quickly avoided eye contact, some looking down at their toes, others looking at the sky, and some exchanging glances with each other.

In short, they were avoiding looking at her.

Even You Hongmei, usually slow on the uptake, quickly realized that she was being ostracized by the sisters-in-law.

First, there was the inexplicable question from Lu’s young scoundrel about whether she wanted to die, then her sisters-in-law suddenly isolating her. Since marrying Vice Colonel Jiang, You Hongmei had never faced such humiliation.

The tears she had tried to hold back began to fall uncontrollably. Her small shoulders trembled, and her sobs were filled with deep sorrow.

Rather than feeling guilty, the sisters-in-law felt a sense of relief.

They secretly thought that since Vice Colonel Jiang’s wife was crying, the young scoundrel of the Lu family would probably stop bothering her now.

But just as they thought this, Lu Sinian’s cold voice rang out again.

“I asked you, do you want to go below to accompany her?” Lu Sinian, seemingly deaf and blind, fixed a cold, piercing stare on You Hongmei, persistently demanding an answer.

You Hongmei paused in her crying and looked up, only to meet his icy eyes.

He was handsome, especially with those eyes. When he smiled, they resembled crescents, easy to fall into if one wasn’t careful.

But now, those captivating eyes only held coldness, and it was clear that if she didn’t answer, he might rush at her and strangle her.

A chill ran through You Hongmei, and she forgot to cry.

At that moment, the rumors about the Lu family’s young scoundrel seemed to come to life.

She was scared and aggrieved, watching as Lu Sinian suddenly curled his lips into a smirk. Terrified, she closed her eyes and shouted, “I’m sorry, I was wrong!” Although she didn’t know what she had done wrong, she couldn’t care less about that now.

Her life was the most important.

She was only 22, hadn’t even given Old Jiang a big fat son yet—she couldn’t just die like this!

The sudden apology shocked everyone, but it also made their anxious hearts finally settle down.

Niu Ailing quietly whispered to Zhao Xiaofeng, “You Hongmei’s not bad, she’s actually pretty clever when it matters.”

Zhao Xiaofeng smirked, “If she weren’t smart, she’d be dead by now, wouldn’t she? After all, survival is key.”

Even Zhao Xiaofeng, much older than Lu Sinian, felt her legs turn weak when she saw the cold smirk from him.

Usually, she thought his smile was quite charming, but now, that smile was deadly.

Niu Ailing nodded deeply in agreement.

Zhao Xiaofeng was right—life was paramount.

Lu Sinian, when he heard the apology, was momentarily stunned.

Just as he snapped back to reality, Wei Ping’an quickly stepped forward and grabbed his arm.

“Lu Bro, let’s not stoop to her level, let’s go back,” Wei Ping’an urged.

He too feared that Lu Sinian might go berserk.

When Lu Sinian lost control, he was ruthless and would not hesitate to harm anyone.

Only Old Master Lu could rein him in.

But with Old Master Lu not around, if Lu Sinian really lost control, no one would be able to stop him. If someone got hurt, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Lu Sinian glanced down at Wei Ping’an’s hand on his arm, his tone icy, “Let go!”

Wei Ping’an, seeing Lu Sinian’s cold demeanor, was even more afraid. He was used to seeing him in a playful mood, but now he was acting aloof, which was unsettling.

He shook his head vigorously, “Not letting go, won’t let go even if I die!” As he spoke, he placed his other hand on Lu Sinian’s arm.

Lu Sinian: “…”

The atmosphere became awkward.

Everyone, who had been holding their breath, finally relaxed.

You Hongmei, secretly opening her eyes to check the situation, saw Wei Ping’an holding onto Lu Sinian’s arm. On a whim, she decided to seize the moment and bolted away.

She ran frantically towards home, screaming in her heart, “Old Jiang, come quickly, your wife is in trouble! There’s a madman here trying to kill me!”

Niu Ailing instinctively saw a red figure darting by. When she looked closely, she realized that You Hongmei, who had been just two steps away, had suddenly turned into a whirlwind and was running away.

Niu Ailing: “… What’s going on? Why did she just run off without a word?”

If you’re going to run, take her along!

Niu Ailing glanced at Lu Sinian, her eyes darting, and then started running after You Hongmei.

If she didn’t run now, when would she?

As she ran, she shouted ahead, “Hongmei, wait for me! I need to ask you something!”

Hearing Niu Ailing’s voice, You Hongmei ran even faster.

In her mind, she grumbled angrily, “What the hell does she want to ask me? I’m not even close to her! Didn’t she just join the others in isolating me and leaving me to fend for myself? Now she wants to cozy up to me? She’s delusional, thinking she can do that!”

Hmph, she had decided to sever ties with the group of women who had abandoned her today.

Though You Hongmei wasn’t tall, she ran incredibly fast.

In just a short while, she was out of sight.

By the time the others realized and looked in the direction of Niu Ailing’s shout, they could only see a small red dot in the distance and Niu Ailing desperately chasing after her.

The abandoned group: “… What’s with these two? No sense of martial virtue at all!”

They didn’t even tell them before running off.

Usually, they were always calling each other “good sisters,” but when something happened, they ran faster than rabbits.

As they complained inwardly, they also started running after Niu Ailing, imitating her in shouting, “Ailing, wait for me, I have something to tell you!”

Niu Ailing certainly wasn’t going to wait for them. Her legs were moving so fast it looked like they might leave a blur behind.

Seeing the two sisters-in-law running off, Wei Ping’an silently released his grip on Lu Sinian’s arm.

If he ran with them now, he didn’t know if he’d make it in time!

But Lu Sinian had already told him it was too late.

“Why did you let go? Hold on!”

The threatening voice rang in his ear. Wei Ping’an sighed in sympathy for himself for two seconds and quickly flashed a smile at Lu Sinian, “Lu Bro, I’m doing this for your own good.”

Lu Sinian returned to his usual carefree attitude, a slight smile at the corner of his lips as he raised an eyebrow at Wei Ping’an. “For my good? Are you afraid I might kill someone?”

Wei Ping’an wanted to nod but didn’t dare.

He forced a smile, “Of course not! With your mindset, how could you do anything illegal? I just thought, as a man, it’s a bit embarrassing to be arguing with a bunch of nagging women.”

Lu Sinian snorted coldly. “My mindset? When did you ever care about face? Don’t you know what kind of presence you are in this courtyard? Face? What face have you ever had? Do you even have one?”

Normally, Wei Ping’an would’ve shot back.

“I’ve done plenty of embarrassing things, but have you, Lu Sinian? You think you have face? You and I, we’re two peas in a pod. Stop laughing at me.”

But now, he didn’t dare utter a word.

He could only nod with a smile.

“You’re right, Lu Bro. I really don’t have face.”

Lu Sinian: “…” He ground his teeth, laughing out of frustration. “Get lost. Don’t show your face in front of me for the next few days!”

Any anger he felt melted away in an instant.

He knew Wei Ping’an was only looking out for him.

He wasn’t really planning on doing anything to that loud, ugly woman.

He just wanted to scare her!

Wei Ping’an: “…” I don’t believe you for a second.

“Where are you going? Should I go with you?” Wei Ping’an still wasn’t fully reassured.

After all, Vice Colonel Jiang’s wife had triggered Lu Sinian’s anger today.

Everyone in the courtyard knew that Lu Sinian’s deceased mother was a taboo subject for him. No one could mention her, or Lu Sinian would lose control and go crazy.

The organization had warned everyone not to bring up Lu Sinian’s mother.

For years, everyone in the courtyard had adhered to that unwritten rule.

Vice Colonel Jiang’s wife had only recently arrived in the courtyard, and she probably didn’t know about this. She had spoken out of turn and nearly gotten herself in trouble.

Wei Ping’an knew how much of an effect Lu Sinian’s mother had on him. He was worried that, if he left, Lu Sinian might go to Vice Colonel Jiang’s house and cause trouble again.

Don’t doubt it—Lu Sinian could very well do that. He had done it before.