After Saving The Disabled Villain, I Was Attacked In Return! - Chapter 70

“I dare anyone to touch Qi An!” The newcomer’s voice wasn’t as loud as Qi An’s earlier shout, but it carried clearly throughout the Flower Hall.

Qi An had braced herself for being kicked to the ground, but this voice—so familiar it made her eyes sting—made her snap her head up. The door to the Flower Hall swung open, and Lu Wu hurried in, adjusting Jiang Yu’s cloak while shooting Shen Xi a contemptuous glance.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but as the second sister of our Madam, the most esteemed Madam Gu, I simply can’t understand why you’d stoop to such a despicable act!” Lu Wu, usually so cautious, couldn’t help but speak harshly, seeing her mistress’s pained expression. Besides, Lülüo… also seemed furious.

Lu Wu directed her anger squarely at Shen Xi. Shen Xi had already been infuriated by two maids tonight, and the pampered young lady raised her hand again to slap Lu Wu.

But Jiang Yu stopped her.

Jiang Yu had just woken up and wasn’t particularly strong, but when she gripped Shen Xi’s wrist, all eyes in the Flower Hall turned to Shen Xi. It was as if the moment Shen Xi dared to struggle, countless people would rush forward to pin her down.

Shen Xi swallowed hard, utterly baffled. She was also a daughter of the Shen family—so why didn’t she have this kind of influence? She lowered her hand as if pleading for mercy, speaking to Jiang Yu with exaggerated politeness: “Ningning, you’ve really misunderstood me. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it at the time. After returning to the manor yesterday, Meng’er cried and wailed all night. As a mother, of course my heart ached… That’s why this morning, I had a moment of… unwise thinking.”

Shen Xi’s voice grew increasingly uncertain as she spoke. It wasn’t just the bullying of her daughter that bothered her. Ever since Shen Yun’s marriage, the gap between their positions had widened daily. She had once told herself that sisters shouldn’t harbor such feelings, but yesterday, when she couldn’t even protect her daughter after she fell into the lake, her resentment finally ignited.

Jiang Yu held no fondness for Gu Meng. Shen Xi, while not exactly a flawless heroine in the book, had now gone and done something so foolish—allowing herself to be manipulated by villains. It was both stupid and despicable.

So Jiang Yu ignored Shen Xi and walked over to Qi An, reaching out with her warm, delicate hands to help her up.

“Are you feeling unwell?” Jiang Yu asked, her voice gentle and caring, as she reached out to help Qi An up. Her demeanor and tone were strikingly reminiscent of that snowy day.

Qi An felt a moment of daze. She gently placed her pale, slender hand in Jiang Yu’s palm. Feeling her own hand’s icy chill, she saw Jiang Yu’s brow furrow slightly. Thinking she had made Jiang Yu cold, Qi An quickly stood and awkwardly withdrew her hand.

Jiang Yu’s frown deepened. She took the hand warmer Lu Wu had prepared for her and pressed it into Qi An’s hand before finally bowing to Jiang Shengrong.

“Daddy… Mother…” Though she called it a bow, Jiang Yu merely blinked her misty eyes and weakly spoke. After a few words, she swayed slightly and leaned against Qi An’s shoulder.

Jiang Shengrong had never seen his daughter so humiliated. His voice trembled with heartache. “Ningning has suffered such a grievance! I, as her father, am utterly useless! No matter what happens today, no matter if you, Shen Xi, actually poisoned her or not, my daughter has fainted. If the poison remains in her body, will you offer your life as compensation?”

Shen Yun sat coldly at the seat of honor. Though her elder sisters, Shen Lian and Shen Xi, had been kind to her in childhood, unlike the scheming families of other noble clans, their past had been fraught with controversy. After Shen Yun married Jiang Shengrong, he had begged Shen Lian and Shen Xi to care for her if he didn’t return from battle, even allowing them to remarry her if necessary.

Yet Shen Lian had looked at her with pity, while Shen Xi mocked Jiang Shengrong. After he left for war, Shen Xi frequently visited the General’s Residence to flaunt her comfortable life before Shen Yun, both openly and subtly.

These experiences gradually drove a wedge between Shen Yun and her sisters. After the General’s Residence’s meteoric rise, their fawning attempts to curry favor with her only exhausted her.

Now Shen Xi had even set her sights on Shen Yun’s daughter. Shen Yun had no intention of giving her any more “respect,” so she didn’t stop her husband from speaking.

Shen Xi, being a woman, froze under the roar, looking around in panic, suddenly realizing her vulnerability. She quickly tried to rush to Shen Yun’s side to play the sympathy card again, but Lülüo quietly moved to block her path.

“Madam of the Gu Residence, we’re discussing important matters. Why are you rushing toward our Madam?” Lülüo still used polite language, but her actions betrayed no respect. After all, she knew exactly whose household she served. The status of outsiders, no matter how high their rank, meant nothing to her.

Moreover, Shen Xi’s family background couldn’t compare to the General’s Residence. Seeing Lülüo and Shen Xi locked in a standoff, Lu Wu, who had been watching nervously from the side, hurried over to assist her.

Years of privilege had left Shen Xi unable to tolerate such disrespect from mere maids. With a sharp crack, she slapped Lu Wu across the face.

Jiang Yu was completely drained of strength, but she still managed to stop Shen Xi from landing another slap.

Qi An noticed Jiang Yu’s distress, but she couldn’t move forward while supporting her. Instead, she pulled out the only hairpin in her hair and threw the blunt end at Shen Xi.

The throw was so fast that no one saw it happen. With a thud, Shen Xi collapsed to her knees, facing Lu Wu.

Qi An burst into laughter. Her sudden mirth set off a wave of giggles among the maids and guards in the Flower Hall. Even Jiang Yu couldn’t suppress a chuckle as she followed the crowd’s gaze and realized the object that had knocked Shen Xi to her knees was a familiar wooden hairpin.

Qi An… has she truly become this formidable? Jiang Yu thought, momentarily stunned.

A shrill voice pierced the air: “Qi An! That’s clearly your hairpin! You could strike my leg from that distance? You must be a trained fighter! When do you plan to assassinate the General’s Residence?!”

Shen Xi’s voice trembled with hysteria. Flushing crimson under the mocking gazes, she fumed, completely losing her composure as a noble lady.

Qi An didn’t defend herself. She had always been like this, refusing to utter a word even when others hurled insults at her. She lowered her head, tightening her grip on Jiang Yu’s hand.

Jiang Yu sensed Qi An’s emotional turmoil. She reached out with her soft, warm hands to grasp the back of Qi An’s hand, her fingers brushing against the tassels of the hand warmer.

“Just now, Qi An’s hairpin fell off. Ningning accidentally kicked it, and that’s how it hit your shoe. As for why she knelt down, Ningning really doesn’t know.” Jiang Yu echoed Qi An’s calm demeanor, her words cool and unflappable. Shen Xi felt her blood boil.

But desperate for Shen Yun and Jiang Yu’s forgiveness, she couldn’t afford to say anything else. She stood up dejectedly. Lu Wu, ever mindful of propriety, helped Shen Xi rise, though she received no gratitude in return.

Though she kept her distance from Shen Yun, Shen Xi’s voice dripped with honeyed flattery: “Sister, I knew you’d be kind-hearted and not hold this against me, even if my foolish mind made a mistake. Besides, Ningning is surely fine—she’s blessed with so much fortune…”

Jiang Yu couldn’t believe the woman was saying such things at such a critical moment. Was she implying that Shen Xi’s death was simply bad luck?

Shen Yun also disliked these words. Her face remained cold as she said nothing, growing increasingly annoyed with Shen Xi. “Let’s not make a scene in front of everyone. Tomorrow, you’ll come back to the Shen Residence with me and ask Father how Mother feels about this.”

At these words, Shen Xi finally broke down, collapsing to the floor in violent sobs. “Father and Mother would surely despise my actions! Must you make such a humiliating spectacle?”

“You were the one who disregarded our sisterly bond first!” Shen Yun retorted sharply. She despised people who tried to blame others for their own mistakes.

Jiang Yu felt the same. Finally, she saw Shen Yun set aside her sisterly affection. It proved that sometimes, you had to push people to their limits to free yourself from troublesome relatives.

Shen Yun seemed unwilling to say more. She grabbed Jiang Shengrong and strode toward the Central Wing Main Hall. With two of the most important figures gone from the Flower Hall, Jiang Yu was now the most respected person present.

“Miss, please take your seat,” Luwu said as she helped Shen Yun out of the room. The words were clearly a signal to Jiang Yu, reminding her that Shen Xi and Shen Lian couldn’t be too harsh, since they had to return to the Shen Residence tomorrow.

Jiang Yu was led to the seat of honor by Luwu. Seeing the slap mark on Luwu’s face, Jiang Yu felt a pang of guilt.

She watched Shen Xi, who had now risen to put on the air of an elder, and couldn’t help but frown. “Madam, there’s no need for further words. My mother has already said we’ll meet at the Shen Residence tomorrow. You may leave now.”

Jiang Yu didn’t want to say more. She saw through Shen Xi’s true nature, but didn’t know what to do with such a villain, so she simply ignored her. Shen Xi, who had been about to speak, was silenced by these words and sulkily sat down next to Shen Lian.

Shen Lian was no longer giving Shen Xi a friendly look. She subtly drew her arm away. After crying and whining all night, Shen Xi had lost the energy to argue further.

As the night deepened, Jiang Yu remained exhausted, unsure how to handle the situation. Qi An, pained by her distress, reached out to massage her shoulders.

Support After Saving The Disabled Villain, I Was Attacked In Return!