Chapter 10
The man stood there dumbfounded, wiping his nose in disbelief as fresh red blood oozed from his fingers. A sudden nosebleed burst out—this punch had come hard and fierce, leaving his head spinning.
“I-I-I f**king swear! How dare you hit me? You two b*tches!”
Shi Yu tightly grabbed Jiang Shangwan’s wrist, firmly protecting her behind him, while his other hand clenched into a fist.
“This punch is for you.”
Before he finished speaking, punches flew straight at the man’s face one after another. Blood quickly streamed down as his nose and face were beaten until bruised and swollen. Eventually, he couldn’t even curse properly anymore—growing weaker and his voice fading into a mumble.
Shi Yu was tall, with long arms and legs, giving him a natural advantage and intimidation in a fight. Plus, he often played sports, so he was strong. Last time in the cafeteria, he had easily thrown a thug who threatened him to the ground with just one move.
“You like showing off your crappy car, don’t you? Huh? Now you match its color,” Shi Yu said coldly, looking down on him from above.
The sudden turn of events made Jiang Shangwan’s heart pound fast. Her usual social circles rarely exposed her to such vulgar sexual harassment, so she almost forgot how easily she could get hurt or affected in ordinary daily life.
A woman’s beautiful appearance and relatively delicate body always attract unwanted attention and aggression. But at this moment, this just-turned-18-year-old boy instinctively protected her.
Jiang Shangwan was completely covered by Shi Yu’s tall figure. Looking at the soft ends of his hair at the back of his head, her tense heart slowly relaxed. It was a tangible sense of safety.
Her wrist was still being tightly held. She lowered her eyes and saw Shi Yu’s knuckles had turned pale from the strength of his grip.
He was very angry. He was furious.
Shi Yu only realized a bit late that he might have held her too tightly and caused her pain. He turned to look at her and finally released his grip, where the delicate skin of her wrist was indeed a little red from being squeezed.
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Jiang Shangwan looked at his other hand, now covered in the pervert’s foul-smelling blood. She frowned and said, “Is your hand okay?”
Shi Yu shook his head.
He stopped hitting the man, who finally slowed down, grumbling, “No justice, no justice… ahh… it hurts so much… f**k…”
Some passersby who saw this bloody scene late at night were shocked and scared out of their wits. Some hesitated about whether to call the police, while others came closer to see if the person in the car was dead or alive. They also secretly glanced at Shi Yu, who was beating the man, and Jiang Shangwan standing to the side, even wanting to take photos and record videos as evidence.
“He sexually harassed my wife,” Shi Yu said expressionlessly to a burly passerby who was approaching with suspicion and curiosity.
“Oh, that explains it. Then you’re not wrong,” the passerby said. Seeing how beautiful Jiang Shangwan looked, standing so gracefully in the wind and so close to him, he was about seventy or eighty percent convinced.
He turned and spat at the bloody man in the car, harshly saying, “What kind of trash thinks evil thoughts just because someone’s wife looks pretty? What era is this, still doing such filthy things? Disgusting! Good hit!”
This big guy was very strong and loud, so the bystanders nearby heard him and mostly understood the situation. They decided not to call the police or report it, complaining that the man deserved it, and slowly the crowd dispersed.
Jiang Shangwan wanted to smile a little. This kid was really smart and quick-witted. If they really had called the police, it wouldn’t have been too serious—at worst some compensation money, which she definitely wouldn’t let Shi Yu get any record for.
It would just be a little troublesome since he was still in school. After all, he was the one who started it, and it was a one-sided beating.
The man hadn’t left yet. He seemed to have recovered some strength after being beaten just now, clutching his face and crying out in pain, blood covering his face, looking rather gruesome. He dialed a number on his phone, teeth clenched, pointing at the two of them:
“You bastards, I’ve already taken pictures of you two. I’m going to dox you right away. When I find out who you are, you’re dead!”
Jiang Shangwan sneered coldly, her anger rising from her heart to her head, about to explode. No one had ever dared insult her like this relentlessly. She wanted to see who would actually end up dead. In a fit of anger, she took off her seven-centimeter stiletto heels, intending to smash them on his already battered face to make it even worse.
But Shi Yu understood her and stopped her, gently shaking his head: “Don’t reward him.”
Jiang Shangwan: “………..”
Half angry, half amused, she obediently put the shoes back on, then pulled out an exquisite, delicate business card from her platinum handbag and threw it in front of the man.
“You don’t need to dox me. This has my name, company, and phone number,” Jiang Shangwan said with a slight smile. “I’m waiting for you to try and take me down.”
“F**k you…” The insults abruptly stopped when the man saw the gilded letters on the business card. His pupils dilated in disbelief, a deeper, more desperate kind of fear than when he was being beaten before.
“Jiang… Jiang Group… CEO Jiang… Boss Jiang!!! Boss Jiang!!! I was wrong!!! I deserve to die!! I deserve to die!!” he kept slapping himself, opened the car door, got out, and kowtowed to them. “Sorry, Boss Jiang, it’s all my fault for being blind and talkative. I’m leaving now, leaving!”
Soon, the red sports car sped away, the car exhaust fading with the smell of gasoline as the whole episode quietly came to a close, like a fleeting farce.
Jiang Shangwan glanced at the blue-and-white sign of a convenience store on the corner across the street and said to Shi Yu, “Don’t move.”
Shi Yu obediently stood there, watching Jiang Shangwan walk into the convenience store and then come back carrying a big bag of things.
Inside the plastic bag were many small bottles. Jiang Shangwan opened a bottle of mineral water and gestured to him, “Raise your hand.”
Very soon, the hand covered in blood was rinsed clean with the water. The blood was a bit sticky and hard to wash off, so Jiang Shangwan even tried to rub it gently for him.
But Shi Yu avoided her touch and explained, “It’s dirty.”
Feeling a warm glow in her heart, Jiang Shangwan thought to herself that tonight seemed to have too many moments that stirred her emotions—are boys nowadays really this considerate?
There was also a bottle of alcohol in the bag. Shi Yu poured all of it onto his hand to disinfect it, not wanting to carry even a bit of that man’s bad luck.
By the time he wiped his hands dry with a tissue, the driver finally arrived driving a Maybach, late and apologetic. While opening the car door for her, he wiped his sweat and explained, “Sorry, Boss Jiang, the kid had a slight fever and I was taking care of him, so I didn’t see the message in time and arrived late…”
“No problem.” In the past, she might have been a little annoyed if the car was this late, she really disliked careless work attitudes. But tonight she had been through so many ups and downs, she didn’t mind such a small detail. Besides, a sick child was a very reasonable excuse.
“Tomorrow, come find my assistant to receive ten thousand as a consolation gift for the child’s medical expenses.”
The driver was overwhelmed with gratitude, never expecting such a turn of events, and bowed even lower.
The night was deep. Jiang Shangwan felt a bit sleepy after getting in the car, her eyelids heavy, but she still worried about Shi Yu not being able to get back to his dormitory. She recalled the nearby geography and thought about the closest hotel.
“Go to Capella at No. 480 Jianguo West Road.”
Shi Yu wanted to refuse her kindness and just find some random hotel to spend the night, but seeing that she had already given the order like a command, he quietly shut his mouth.
He would pay for himself anyway.
Unexpectedly, the car sped down the road and soon arrived in front of a very unique, retro Shikumen-style building. Its solemn and heavy design was very rare, the magnificent and grand decoration immediately showed it was extraordinary. Two huge green plants stood at the entrance, complementing the surrounding environment perfectly.
A private butler came early to greet them, speaking warmly and respectfully, “Miss Jiang, welcome home. Your supreme three-bedroom villa is ready.”
Jiang Shangwan saw Shi Yu hadn’t moved for a long time and thought he was nervous. She asked him, “What’s wrong? Want me to go in with you?”
Shi Yu pressed his lips tightly.
There was a faint stiffness and awkwardness on his face, almost imperceptible, and a fine layer of sweat formed on his palms—this was one of the rare times he felt uneasy and embarrassed.
Not long ago, he had taught himself to trade stocks and invested all his savings into the market. The small emergency fund he had left had just been used to pay hospital bills. Now, he had less than 5,000 yuan in liquid cash.
Obviously, this hotel was far beyond what he could afford.
“I just suddenly remembered I have something to do,” he said abruptly.
Jiang Shangwan quietly looked at his slightly evasive gaze and said directly, “It’s 2:30 in the morning now. May I ask what could be more important than going to sleep immediately? If you don’t rest well tonight and can’t get back to school on time tomorrow, end up skipping class, or falling asleep in class, I will immediately report you to Jiang Yingtin and your counselor.”
Shi Yu: “……”
He had his own pride that was hard to accept—he couldn’t stand the idea of spending a woman’s money. Being supported before had already been his limit, as he was really struggling when he was underage.
And it was the money of the woman he admired.
The butler waited patiently with a smiling face, as if he wasn’t in a hurry for this momentary confrontation, but Jiang Shangwan was already very tired. She had originally planned to send Shi Yu here and leave, but unexpectedly he hesitated at the door.
She simply told the driver to leave first, then grabbed the hem of Shi Yu’s shirt and pulled him inside.
The check-in was quickly completed. The two stepped into a three-bedroom villa over 200 square meters. Shi Yu lowered his head and followed her. Although his expression was hard to see clearly, it seemed his mood was not good—like a frostbitten eggplant, after staying alert for so long, he finally wilted.
This villa was very large—so big that it wouldn’t create any cramped atmosphere where two opposite sexes might easily spark unwanted feelings. They could easily stay in two separate rooms.
Jiang Shangwan seemed to sense his concerns. She brewed a cup of black tea and said leisurely, “Don’t feel too burdened. It’s so late I would be staying at a hotel myself. Having you stay in this big three-bedroom is just an extra.”
She then glanced at his slightly flushed collarbone and earlobes, paused, and said, “Go take a shower.”