Who dares to bully you?!

Because Xia HanYan had spent the past years studying abroad, he and Xia AnRan hadn’t seen much of each other. He knew that Xia AnRan was a bit spoiled, and with their parents’ unconditional pampering, she’d grown up rather domineering. Still, he’d always assumed she was merely a little bratty. Upon returning to the country, his parents informed him that Xia AnRan had just been released from prison. He was genuinely shocked, unable to comprehend how his only sister had changed so much.

Xia AnRan pointed at Wen Shuang, angrily stamping her foot. “Brother, you don’t understand! This woman is awful. While I was gone, she snatched my production away! She’s always humiliating me in the dance troupe. Look—I was slapped by her just this afternoon!” As she spoke, she pointed to her cheek, which bore a visible red mark.

Xia HanYan’s brows furrowed. “Miss, was it you who laid hands on my sister?”

He was tall, and as he approached, his presence felt imposing. Dressed in a black jacket, with dark, handsome features and a refined air, he was striking.

“Brother! Why are you still being so polite to her? I’m your real sister. I’ve been injured by her—shouldn’t you stand up for me, fiercely?” Xia AnRan complained further.

She glanced at Qin You, who had remained silent, staring fixedly at Wen Shuang. Her annoyance grew, and she shoved him. “Brother Qin, you too! She slapped me like this and you won’t even speak up for me!”

Qin You finally snapped out of it, retracting his heated gaze. With Xia HanYan present, he had to keep up appearances. Xia HanYan’s current status in the business world was formidable, and he couldn’t let this marriage slip away.

He immediately stepped forward to shield Xia AnRan and harshly questioned Wen Shuang.

Faced with their interrogation, Wen Shuang responded with a cold smile. “Yes, Xia AnRan’s face was slapped by me.”

Xia HanYan moved forward instantly.

“But I didn’t act without reason. Since her return, Xia AnRan has constantly insulted me, both in word and deed. Previously, she spread rumors about me, was convicted of slander, and went to prison for it. Yet even after being released, she refuses to repent, smearing my name in the theater! I finally lost patience and slapped her!”

Wen Shuang held her head high, refusing to back down.

Xia HanYan’s brow was tightly knit. “Miss Wen, though AnRan is a little headstrong, you shouldn't have resorted to violence. That is your fault.”

Wen Shuang guessed he was Xia AnRan’s brother. Back in college, when she and Xia AnRan were still close, Xia AnRan often boasted about her brother—studying abroad, outstanding grades, handsome and charming. So this was him.

“Sir, it's easy to talk when you're not the one being insulted. If you’d been humiliated like that in public, I doubt you’d have held back. Those who are only fifty steps from the line shouldn’t laugh at those who are a hundred steps away.”

Xia AnRan screeched, “See! She still refuses to repent! Wen Shuang, just wait—I’ll make you pay!”

With two men now backing her, Xia AnRan’s bravado soared. She stepped forward and, with a sharp motion, slapped Wen Shuang hard across the face.

Wen Shuang couldn’t react in time; her cheek burned instantly. Xia AnRan raised her hand again, but Xia HanYan intercepted her. “Enough, AnRan!”

Qin You also managed to stifle his instinct to intervene, surprised at Xia AnRan’s swift action.

“She slapped me in public, disgracing me. Tonight, I’ll make her pay!” Xia AnRan was hauled back by Xia HanYan. “And you call yourself a lady? Fighting like this—what does that look like?”

He glanced quickly at Wen Shuang. “Miss, are you alright?”

Standing in the night wind, Wen Shuang wore only a thin, pale violet dance top. Her face was breathtakingly beautiful, but her aura was cool and defiant.

Xia HanYan knew his sister well enough to suspect she’d said something particularly nasty, prompting Wen Shuang’s outburst.

Wen Shuang pressed her hand to her cheek. “If I said I wasn’t alright, would you act righteously against your own kin on the spot? If not, then spare me the pointless questions!”

With that, she turned and walked away.

Xia HanYan stood still for a moment.

Qin You gazed at the woman’s frail silhouette, a wave of involuntary tenderness rising in his eyes. Wen Shuang had grown much thinner than before. He suddenly longed for those days when he could hold her recklessly. But now, all he could do was watch her from afar, unable to utter a single word of concern.

Qin You quickly suppressed his emotions, gently soothing the furious Xia AnRan. Under his soft words, she gradually calmed.

“Brother! Why do you even care if Wen Shuang’s hurt? She deserved it! I’m your real sister, remember!”

Xia HanYan cast her a cold glance and pulled her home by her ear.

Xia AnRan tilted her head. “Ah, ah, ah, brother, it hurts! Be gentle!”

There was nothing she could do—since childhood, Xia AnRan feared neither her parents nor anyone else, except for this brother from abroad.

...

Wen Shuang flagged down a taxi and went home.

Xia AnRan’s slap had been vicious, her sharp nails leaving Wen Shuang’s cheek stinging as she washed her face.

She took ointment from the medicine box and applied it. Unlike Xia AnRan, Wen Shuang had no one to cover for her when trouble arose, no crowd to comfort her when she was hurt or upset. Most of the time, she only had herself.

Tonight, seeing Xia AnRan with a protective brother, she couldn’t help feeling envious.

Wen Shuang had no siblings—only a lotus-blossom sister in the Wen family. Her father, Wen FanHai, had once cared for her, always bringing something back from business trips. Now, he was full of disappointment and disdain for her.

She’d hoped that after her release, they could reconnect, but now they hardly spoke at all. At the thought, her eyes reddened.

The house was cold and empty; the man was away on a business trip.

Wen Shuang knew he was busy catching criminals, so unless it was urgent, she never bothered Ji Shen.

After her bath, she decided to sleep early tonight, hoping to escape her worries. With the exhaustion of recent rehearsals, she soon drifted into a deep sleep.

Suddenly, her phone rang. Awakened from her dreams, she realized Ji Shen was calling via video. Subconsciously, she had been hoping for this, and she answered the call.

“Hm? Why is it all dark?” The man’s deep, magnetic voice came through. “ShuangShuang, you’re going to bed so early tonight.”

Just woken, Wen Shuang’s voice was soft and husky. “...I was tired today, so I went to bed early.”

“So should I say goodnight, Miss Wen, and not disturb your sleep?” Ji Shen sometimes still called her Miss Wen—he thought it sounded flirtatious.

Wen Shuang mumbled an assent.

“But I’d rather see you.” He hadn’t seen Wen Shuang in days, and he missed her fiercely—especially her body. “Be good, turn on the light, let me see you.”

Wen Shuang was always a gentle little kitten with Ji Shen.

When the light came on, his eyes darkened instantly. “Who bullied you?!”