Hunt her

The sky gradually darkened completely.

Guests who had spent the day out returned to Zhenyunxuan, exhausted.

Some people lamented, "What a pity! I didn't get to see the fireworks show. I heard that the fireworks this year were top-notch, and I had been looking forward to it for so long."

Another person chimed in, "Who says otherwise? I just saw some amazing fireworks videos online, they're on a completely different level from anything I've ever seen before."

They finally found a generous event sponsor willing to spend money, but they missed out.

The guest sighed, "Oh well, I understand. Changing locations for safety reasons is understandable. There are just too many people today; what if a fire breaks out?"

Another customer said, "...that's the only way I can console myself."

Hearing their conversation, Yan Xu realized just how lucky he was.

The fireworks show was right in the center of her line of sight from Zhenyun Pavilion, and she happened to be there.

She seems to be very lucky lately.

It felt like heaven was finally looking out for her.

Thinking of this, a little joy welled up in her heart.

A small joy she had never experienced in her memory.

"What are you thinking about so seriously?" Shen Yi's forehead was covered in sweat after he finished moving the things. He raised his hand to wipe it away. "What time are you planning to get off work and go home? Let's go home together."

Both of them were staying at Zhenyun Pavilion, so there was no reason for them to refuse him this time.

Yan Xu shook his head: "No one is on duty at Zhenyun Pavilion tonight, so I have to stay."

Guesthouses must have guests.

Shen Yi: "Then I'll go with you."

Yan Xu refused without even thinking: "No, you don't work at Zhenyunxuan, so there's no need for you to be on duty."

And they don't pay him wages.

She spoke forcefully, leaving no room for negotiation.

Shen Yi anticipated that she wouldn't agree, and said matter-of-factly, "Then I'll book a room. I'm not used to sleeping alone at home."

"Stop fooling around," Yan Xu scolded him in a low voice. "I don't sleep in the same bed as you at home, so how could I not be used to it? Besides, all the rooms at Zhenyunxuan are sold out, there are no spare rooms."

Yan Xu insisted on not letting him stay.

This woman is harder to melt than a glacier; her stubbornness is a real headache.

"I'm leaving, I'm going back." Shen Yi left Zhenyunxuan with a sullen face.

I thought he would go home, but he walked straight to the hardware store with firm steps, his tall and strong back turning as he opened the door and went inside without looking back.

The door slammed shut loudly, and you could tell he was angry.

The lights in the hardware store turned on and off, then returned to normal.

Yan Xu stared at the tightly closed shop across the street: "A person can live in a hardware store, but not at home. Isn't home better than a hardware store?"

Men are too complicated; she can't understand them.

As darkness fell, the stars gradually appeared, from just one or two to a sky full of them.

The guests gradually returned to Zhenyunxuan, and the once bustling front desk returned to tranquility.

Around 11 p.m., Yan Xu closed the main door and then looked through the glass door at the hardware store one last time.

"I still owe you a return gift." She had received Shen Yi's wedding gift last time, but she hadn't had time to choose a gift to give him back because she was so busy with work and home.

This matter has been dragging on long enough; it's time to put it on the agenda.

We should try to reduce the number of things we owe him.

The staff rooms at Zhenyunxuan are located at the very front of the corridor. There are two double rooms in total, one for female staff and one for male staff.

The room where the girl stayed was a bit bigger, and the window faced the greenery in the backyard, so the view was good.

After tidying up, Yan Xu took off her hairpin and lay on the bed. Her long, black, and shiny hair hung down on the pillow, creating a peaceful and serene scene.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, a commotion broke out on the second floor.

The heated exchange of insults not only woke Yan Xu but also attracted a large crowd of onlookers.

In an instant, a group of people surrounded room 201 on the second floor.

Yan Xu put on his coat and strode upstairs.

"What's wrong?" She walked through the crowd to the room door.

A drunk man was standing outside room 201, with a half-extinguished cigarette butt in his hand. Inside, the male guest was blocking the doorway, preventing him from entering.

"What's wrong with you in the middle of the night?!" the male guest roared angrily. "Get this straight, this is my room!"

The drunk man reeked of alcohol, his breath pungent and nauseating: "I fucking wanted this room, and I'm staying here! Get out of here!"

During their argument, Yan Xu figured out what was going on.

A drunk man, emboldened by alcohol, tried to take over someone else's room. If he can't behave well when drunk, he certainly can't behave well as a person.

Yan Xu called out to him, "Sir."

The other person seemed to have drunk too much, and their hearing was impaired. Yan Xu raised his voice: "Sir!"

This time, the drunk man heard her, turned his head to respond, and his eyes lit up when he saw her face: "Oh, beautiful! Want to stand up for him?"

The atmosphere became increasingly tense.

The onlookers gasped in shock. This man had utterly depraved character for harassing the guesthouse owner in front of everyone!

Yan Xu gritted his back teeth.

I should have brought the hairpin too, to pierce his mouth.

"Your room is 204." She suppressed her anger and pointed in the direction, "Go straight down this corridor to the last room."

The drunk man glanced in the direction she pointed and grinned maliciously. "You even remembered my room number. Come on, I'll stay in 204, but you have to come with me."

Someone nearby couldn't stand it anymore: "She's the owner of a guesthouse, there are only so many rooms, of course she knows! How can she be so narcissistic!"

Someone quickly followed up with a sarcastic comment: "She's pretty ugly, but she has such beautiful ideas."

"..."

The people around him were all talking at once, and Yan Xu couldn't hear what they were saying.

The drunken man was completely focused on Yan Xu, grabbing her arm and saying, "Come on, forget about who the boss is, you have to make me feel good today!"

"Let go!" Yan Xu pushed his hand, but he didn't budge. "I'm calling the police!"

The drunk man scoffed, "Hmph, calling the police won't do any good. I have connections."

Yan Xu fought back with all his might, but it was like an ant trying to shake a tree.

She tried to ask the surrounding guests for help, but everyone avoided her pleading eyes, clearly not wanting to help and just remaining silent onlookers.

Yan Xu was immediately filled with fear.

Panic, fear, and helplessness overwhelmed her.

She tried various ways to save herself, but none of them worked.

He had no weapons to protect himself, and he hadn't even brought his most handy hairpin because he was in a hurry to go upstairs.

As she got closer and closer to room 204, no matter how hard she punched and kicked the drunk man, it was no use; the disparity in strength between men and women destined her to fail.

The crowd of onlookers behind her included those who wanted to join in the fun, those who felt sorry for her, and those who wanted to help but were afraid of getting into trouble.

The drunk man has powerful connections—what a powerful statement.

Who is willing to help her? Who dares to help her?

Everyone stood still, watching helplessly as Yan Xu was dragged away and brought closer to room 204.

What should she do?

Unable to control the fear in her heart any longer, her eyes turned bloodshot, tears welling up: "Let me go! Let me go!"

She watched helplessly as the room number 204 drew closer and became clearer, while the grip on her hand tightened, and she couldn't break free.

Can anyone help Yan Xu?

She was clearly very happy and lucky today, having seen the most beautiful fireworks display, so why does she have to go through all this now?

Was Heaven's brief favor meant to prepare for this moment of even greater cruelty towards her?

Yan Xu seemed resigned to his fate.

Her fate seemed destined to be so dark, as everyone hoped, rotting, decaying, and stinking, until she finally died.

Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably at that moment, and she could no longer utter a sound. She could only mechanically pry open the drunk man's hand again and again.

But it didn't work, it still didn't work.

A voice inside her urged her: Yan Xu, give up, this is your fate.

Tears streamed down Yan Xu's face, but she continued to struggle stubbornly, resisting the man and the voice.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, a loud, muffled thud was heard.

A drunk man was punched to the ground.

Because Yan Xu was being held by the drunk man, she lost her balance and fell straight forward. Just when she thought she was going to hit the ground, a force around her waist helped her right up.

Someone came to help her.

Who would be willing to stand up for her?

Yan Xu's mind went blank. She slowly raised her head and saw the familiar person in front of her. Her psychological defenses suddenly collapsed, just like the night she had a nightmare while lying in the hospital bed.

She cried while her body trembled uncontrollably.

He looked disheveled, helpless, and pitiful.

Shen Yi hugged her tightly with heartache and patted her back gently: "It's alright...it's alright, I'm here."

This was the first time he had ever seen her cry, and he immediately panicked.

Her face was expressionless, only tears kept welling up in her eyes, and there was no sound of crying or even sobbing.

Numb like a puppet, without feeling or emotion, just silently shedding tears.

"Damn it, who dares to hit me!" The drunk man, leaning against the wall, yelled at Shen Yi, "Where did you come from, you pretty boy?!"

Shen Yi held Yan Xu in his arms and shot her a vicious glare.

The drunk man looked at him with a hint of fear for a moment.

That pretty boy's eyes looked like he wanted to kill him.

Shen Yi patted Yan Xu's hair: "Stand over there and wait for me, it'll be ready soon."

Yan Xu wanted to speak, but found himself unable to open his mouth.

When she panics too much, her body freezes and she can't react at all; this is a defense mechanism her body activates.

Yan Xu could only nod slightly.

Her actions made Shen Yi feel even more sorry for her.

He carefully wiped away her tears with the back of his hand, then turned around and grabbed the drunk man's neck tightly, his eyes turning sinister, as if he had become a completely different person.

"Didn't you want to come into the room?" Shen Yi revealed the ruthlessness hidden beneath his personality, gritting his teeth, "To...satisfy...you!"

In the blink of an eye, cries for help came from room 204.

All the onlookers from before were present, and they became more and more engrossed in watching, except this time some people clapped and cheered.

Yan Xu walked slowly and coldly to the door of room 204.

All that could be seen was Shen Yi punching and kicking the drunk man repeatedly on the head and body, causing the man to wail in pain.

Shen Yi wasn't satisfied yet. He glanced at his reddened knuckles, grabbed a nearby water bottle, and smashed it over the other person's head.

It was bloodless, but the force was ruthless.

The drunk man stretched out his hand towards the door, pleading, "Please help me."

A cold smile curled at the corner of her lips.

Deserve it.

Shen Yi followed his movement and looked over, realizing that she was being too violent. She put down the mineral water in her hand and said in a gentle voice, "Don't look, it'll dirty your eyes."

Yan Xu's eyes were unfocused, and he slightly parted his lips: "Not enough."

Shen Yi asked in a low voice, "What's not enough?"

The drunk man lying on the ground was in so much pain that he couldn't open his eyes. He had no strength left and was pretending to be dead.

Yan Xu slowly moved into the room.

Shen Yi stopped her: "Go out. Coming in won't be good for you."

This was a room booked by a man, and there was a group of guests outside joining in the fun.

Yan Xu ignored his words, not only entering the room but also kicking the drunk man in the lower body, once, twice, three times, until the man writhed on the ground in pain.

Yan Xu raised his eyes to meet Shen Yi's gaze, and said coldly, "Not ruthless enough."

Shen Yi glanced at the man on the ground, silently covering her own little Shen, thinking that she would have to kill him with three blows.

Yan Xu: "Stop trying to understand, I won't cripple you."

Shen Yi looked weak and helpless: "I'm afraid that if you get angry, innocent people will suffer the consequences."

Yan Xu's gaze shifted downwards, lingering on the back of his hand. "I'm not sexually interested in you."

Shen Yi's face instantly darkened: "..."

Those words hurt more than kicking him.

Once the matter was resolved, those who had come to watch the commotion all went back to their rooms.

When the two reached the bottom of the stairs on the first floor, Yan Xu realized something was wrong.

Yan Xu frowned and asked, "How did you get in?"

He couldn't hide it any longer... Shen Yi confessed honestly: "Xiao Tong told me the password to the front door, and I came over when I heard a commotion."

Fortunately, the two stores were close to each other; otherwise, he didn't want to think about the consequences.

Yan Xu lowered her eyes, kept her head down, and continued walking forward: "Thank you for tonight."

She owed him another debt.