Jing Yi stood to the side, scrutinizing Shen Huaichu from a distance.
From earlier until now, Jing Yi had only heard him say four words.
'Don't want to, call the police.'
So this guy could actually speak, he wasn't mute after all?
If he wasn't mute, then Jing Yi felt somewhat annoyed. This person had been acting like a big shot the whole time, leisurely watching them fight as if it were some kind of performance.
But what could she do when the other side had bodyguards? He didn't need to lift a finger, and even got to enjoy a good show.
Jing Yi shook her hand and was about to return to her car when the bodyguard from before blocked her path.
She clenched her fist, her gaze turning sharp, as if waiting for the opponent to make a move so she could counterattack.
She had noticed the bodyguard's skill earlier. If it really came to blows, there was a good chance she wouldn't be able to escape unscathed.
The bodyguard remained motionless, so Jing Yi shifted her gaze to Shen Huaichu. His face was still as cold as ice - what a waste of a handsome face!
"If you have something to say, spit it out! This young lady is very busy!"
At this point, Jing Yi had completely run out of patience. The stinging pain on her arm was still reminding her of today's unwarranted disaster.
Shen Huaichu stepped forward, examining the person in front of him. "Who are you?"
Jing Yi looked up, meeting his indifferent gaze. Her pink lips slowly uttered a few words.
"None of your damn business!"
The bodyguard discreetly glanced at Shen Huaichu, only looking away when he saw no reaction.
Shen Huaichu didn't seem angered by Jing Yi's attitude. Instead, the curiosity in his eyes deepened.
Judging from the car and Jing Yi's attire, she certainly didn't look like a girl from an ordinary family.
He continued to ask, "Who sent you?"
Who sent her? What did he mean? This guy must have watched too many spy movies!
Jing Yi's delicate brows furrowed slightly, a hint of irritation creeping across her face. She looked up at Shen Huaichu.
"I thought you were just mute before, but now I see you might be deaf. I said I was passing by. Don't you understand what 'passing by' means?"
Did he really think she was putting on some heroic damsel-in-distress act for him?
Shen Huaichu didn't say whether he believed her or not. His deep, indifferent eyes remained fixed on Jing Yi, as if trying to discern truth from falsehood through his gaze alone.
Jing Yi didn't back down either, facing his scrutiny head-on. Her clear, round black eyes glared back at him.
An indescribable emotion flickered in Shen Huaichu's eyes. "Let her go." He had only had the bodyguard stop Jing Yi to confirm that she truly had nothing to do with this incident.
Jing Yi glared at Shen Huaichu one last time, her body relaxing a bit. She had really been afraid of getting into a physical confrontation with that bodyguard.
She returned to her car and, after turning around, glanced at Shen Huaichu once more. She sighed, thinking what an impolite and self-important person he was. She had gone out of her way to help, more or less, and he couldn't even say thank you.
Jing Yi huffed, turned the steering wheel, and drove off.
Shen Huaichu watched her car disappear into the distance and said in a low voice, "Look into her identity." Letting Jing Yi go didn't mean Shen Huaichu truly believed her words. In all matters, one still needed to see the evidence.
The bodyguard followed behind him, respectfully nodding his head. "Yes, sir!"
After giving his orders, Shen Huaichu turned to get back into the car. As he walked, he passed by the men lying on the ground without sparing them a single glance.
Shen Huaichu's vehicle also left the secluded neighborhood. Within minutes, police cars arrived. The men on the ground tried to get up and flee, but they had been beaten too badly to move.
...
At the Jing family home, Uncle Li was reporting to Jing Zeyou about matters related to the reality show filming.
This included how many pieces of equipment the camera crew had installed and their specific locations. Of course, no equipment had been installed in places like bedrooms and studies - that was the reason Uncle Li was accompanying them.
Jing Zeyou nodded, indicating he understood.
Jing Zeyou looked up at all the equipment around the house. Some of it looked familiar to him, and the Hengjing logo was quite noticeable.
"Did Little Yi go out today?"
Jing Zeyou hadn't seen her all day. In the morning, he had thought she was still asleep, but by lunchtime, he still hadn't caught sight of her.
"Yes, Miss Yi left early this morning."
Jing Zeyou nodded, somewhat surprised that she actually had a day where she got up and went out early.
After Uncle Li finished his report and walked out of the hall, he saw Jing Yi approaching. He gave a slight nod in greeting.
"Miss Yi, you're back?"
"Uncle Li." Jing Yi quickly put on a smile.
Walking into the living room, she saw Jing Zeyou sitting on the sofa. A flash of panic crossed her eyes.
Jing Zeyou, who happened to be looking her way, caught it.
"Big brother, you didn't go to work today?"
Jing Zeyou nodded slightly, looking at Jing Yi. "Mm, we're recording the reality show tomorrow, so I'm preparing a bit at home. You went out early this morning?"
"Yeah, I went out with Xixi for a bit."
[If I had known going out early would lead to such an unlucky encounter, I definitely wouldn't have set foot outside the living room! I need to hurry upstairs before Big Brother notices something's wrong!]
Unlucky encounter? Jing Zeyou didn't know what exactly Jing Yi was trying to hide from him.
"Big brother, I'm going upstairs first."
Jing Yi's eyes curved into crescents as she pretended nothing had happened, lifting her foot to head upstairs.
But Jing Zeyou called out to stop her.
"Little Yi."
Jing Yi's heart skipped a beat as she frantically tried to figure out why Jing Zeyou had called her back.
Beside her, Jing Zeyou didn't expose her secret, but he was concerned about whether she had encountered some trouble while out.
He probed, "Where did you two go to play today?"
Jing Yi hesitated for a moment. "Oh? Just, just a nearby amusement park."
[It should be an amusement park, right? Though I never actually found the place Xixi mentioned...]
"Is that so? Was it fun?"
Jing Yi let out a few awkward laughs. "Yeah, it was pretty fun, haha..."
[So fun that my hand still hurts. Damn! That whole area must be bruised by now!]
Jing Zeyou shifted his gaze to her arm. When she had come back, Jing Yi seemed to have deliberately hidden that hand behind her back, which was somewhat suspicious.
"What happened to your hand?" Jing Zeyou asked directly, catching Jing Yi off guard.
She was about to brush it off when Jing Zeyou spoke again, "Come here, let me see." His voice carried an undeniable firmness.
Jing Yi stood at the foot of the stairs, her eyes betraying her panic, looking every bit like a child caught doing something wrong.
She slowly walked to Jing Zeyou's side and gradually extended one hand.
Jing Zeyou glanced at her. "The other one."
[Ah, I've been found out...]
She finally brought out the hand from behind her back, lightly biting her lip, her eyes filled with nervousness.
Jing Zeyou rolled up her sleeve, revealing a deep purple-blue bruise. It was clearly the result of being hit.
Seeing Jing Yi's injury, Jing Zeyou's brows furrowed tightly.
"Is this what you call 'nothing happened'?"
The bruise was dark and severe, its blue-purple hue standing out starkly against her originally fair skin.
