The scene in the courtyard unfolded before Song Xinya's eyes.
Soybeans were soaking in a large basin, fully swollen but not yet ground into tofu.
Cooked food sat in the kitchen pot, millet porridge boiled soft and thick, but no one was there to eat it.
The living room door was wide open, and the inside was a total mess. A snakeskin bag originally standing upright to hold soybeans was now knocked over on the floor, with soybeans scattered everywhere.
A long trail of footprints marked the floor, showing obvious signs of someone being dragged.
Jin Ruizhi's brow furrowed even deeper. "Where did Jian Yiyi go?"
Song Xinya also wanted to ask: Where did my sister go?
My sister?
Jin Ruizhi looked at Song Xinya's distinctly round head, then thought of Jian Yiyi's equally round head, and the underlying similarities in their facial features. He guessed a certain possibility.
Just as the two were anxiously wondering where Jian Yiyi had gone, the sound of a closing door suddenly came from behind them. Click—
Song Xinya turned around and saw three men wearing Floral Shirts.
These three were no strangers. Previously, when Zhang Yingying was helping Jin Ruizhi pursue Jian Yiyi, she had hired these three Floral Shirts to make trouble for Jian Yiyi and her grandmother.
Song Xinya turned to look at Jin Ruizhi.
Jin Ruizhi hurriedly explained, "I've already turned over a new leaf. Those three have nothing to do with me."
A Floral Shirt spoke up, "Of course we have nothing to do with you. Last time we worked for you, you turned on us halfway and got us thrown in the slammer. We just got out yesterday. Even if a greenhorn like you tried to hire us again, we wouldn't work for you."
Jin Ruizhi keenly caught on. "Who hired you this time? Who are you working for?"
The Floral Shirt sneered, "Why should we tell you? We're here today to make you suffer, not to let you die in peace."
It was obvious that none of the three had a high IQ; a single sentence exposed that someone had indeed hired them.
Song Xinya said, "The employer is Jian Shuibing."
A Floral Shirt on the side widened his eyes. "Holy crap, how did you kno..."
Tricked them. It really was Jian Shuibing.
Song Xinya asked, "Where did Jian Shuibing hide Jian Yiyi?"
The Floral Shirt scoffed, "Like we'd tell you? Impossible. We will absolutely not tell you."
Jin Ruizhi's eyes turned red. "Then I'll beat you into submission, until you're willing to talk!"
The Floral Shirt in the middle looked Jin Ruizhi up and down, his eyes full of contempt. "You think you can beat us into submission? Stop talking out of your ass."
The two lackeys on either side burst into laughter.
"You haven't even grown hair down there yet, and you're out here trying to act tough like a man."
"You're so used to being a young master that you think you're the hottest stuff in the world. But without your title, you ain't worth a damn."
"All you can do is talk tough. If a real fight breaks out, a spineless punk like you will piss your pants in terror."
"Beat us into submission? Hahahahaha, that's the funniest joke we've ever heard."
The Floral Shirt in the middle gave Jin Ruizhi the middle finger. "Still acting tough, kid? Does it feel good getting roasted by us?"
Like an agile leopard, Jin Ruizhi closed the distance to the middle Floral Shirt in a single stride. Bam—he smashed a fist right into his face!
"Does it feel good?! Does my fist feel good?!"
The boss in the middle spat out fresh blood and crashed to the ground.
The two lackeys beside him were so startled by this display that they stumbled backward.
Bam—Jin Ruizhi's fist slammed into the face of the Floral Shirt on the left.
"Who's acting tough! When I say I'll beat you, I'll beat you!"
Bam—Jin Ruizhi's fist slammed into the face of the Floral Shirt on the right.
"Who's spineless! I'll beat the spine right out of you!"
As expected, when it came to fighting, you really needed the school bully to do the job.
Watching the scene of the three Floral Shirts getting beaten up, Song Xinya felt her blood pumping. This was so satisfying!
Jin Ruizhi took on three at once, fighting with ease.
Sure enough, at seventeen, he was full of brute strength and incredible at fighting—he could probably toss the Earth around like a bowling ball.
Song Xinya hadn't misjudged him at all.
While Jin Ruizhi was fiercely brawling with the three hooligans, Song Xinya hugged her SpongeBob plushie, watching the live broadcast of a flesh-and-blood martial arts movie.
In a situation like this, a victor would soon emerge.
The three Floral Shirts also anticipated this; unable to outfight someone with superior stamina, they turned their sights on Song Xinya.
While the two lackeys entangled Jin Ruizhi from the left and right, the boss in the middle charged at Song Xinya.
Seeing the man wrapped in a Floral Shirt with fat jiggling all over his body running toward her, Song Xinya was reminded of a spotted pig.
She stood perfectly still in front of a wall, waiting until the man was less than a meter away before nimbly dodging to the side.
With a loud thud, the man slammed headfirst into the wall!
Song Xinya mocked, "Felt good, didn't it, you pig."
She looked over toward Jin Ruizhi, her pupils suddenly shrinking. "Jin Ruizhi, watch out!"
One of the Floral Shirts was holding a tofu-cutting knife and slashed it at Jin Ruizhi.
The sharp blade sliced across Jin Ruizhi's arm, leaving a long gash from his wrist to his elbow as bright red blood gushed out.
The pain caused the veins on Jin Ruizhi's forehead to bulge, but he gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound.
He was injured on his right arm, his dominant hand.
The situation instantly reversed, and Jin Ruizhi was forced into a corner.
That Floral Shirt brandished the tofu knife again, swinging it toward Jin Ruizhi.
Song Xinya set her SpongeBob aside, picked up a glass bottle from the floor, and smashed it fiercely over that Floral Shirt's head.
Crash—his head was busted open.
The Floral Shirt's head was smashed into a bloody hole, blood streaming down.
Jin Ruizhi was saved.
However, this caused all three Floral Shirts to redirect their aggression toward Song Xinya, and they began to gang up on her.
One of the Floral Shirts raised his arm and swung at Song Xinya's face. Jin Ruizhi rushed over and blocked the blow by stepping in front of her.
The fist landed solidly on Jin Ruizhi's injured arm.
Blood spurted out, splattering all over the ground.
Song Xinya said, "Are you stupid? Why did you block it for me?"
Jin Ruizhi replied, "You are Jian Yiyi's sister. If you get hurt, Jian Yiyi will be sad, and I don't want to make Jian Yiyi sad."
A young boy's affection was so pure and sincere.
Song Xinya said, "Jin Ruizhi, you really are a fool."
Jin Ruizhi replied, "I think it's worth it."
As long as Jian Yiyi wasn't sad, it was worth it.
If he got hurt, Jian Yiyi wouldn't be sad.
If Song Xinya got hurt, Jian Yiyi would be sad.
Therefore, he would rather be the one to get hurt.
He stood firmly in front of Song Xinya, blocking all the attacks and taking punch after punch.
But humans are only flesh and blood. As he lost more and more blood, the color drained from Jin Ruizhi's lips.
The young man's body collapsed to the ground, like a butterfly torn apart by a violent storm.
At this moment, the vicious glares of the three men were all fixed fiercely on Song Xinya.
The leader, the boss Floral Shirt, reached out and grabbed Song Xinya by the neck.
"You've been jumping around for a while, bitch, now it's our turn to teach you a lesson!"
"A woman with your looks is rare even among female celebrities. This is the perfect chance for us to taste something top-tier."
"You'd better be a good girl, spread your legs, and don't struggle. Otherwise, we'll beat that pretty face of yours so swollen and ugly that we'll lose our appetites."
His hand reached toward Song Xinya's neckline.
Suddenly, an arm of steel grabbed his hair from behind. With an unstoppable, savage force, he was slammed hard against the ground.
Qin Yuhe pinned him by the throat with one hand, smashing his fist into the man's head, blow after brutal blow!
