Gu Jiufei leaned against the mottled wall. Judging by his condition, he must have taken quite a few punches. His jade-like, delicate face was covered in bruises, and even the corner of his mouth was split open. At this moment, a damp liquid was trickling down from his lips—it was likely blood.
He faintly furrowed his brows, lifted a finger, and wiped the corner of his mouth.
Sure enough…
It was blood.
Seeing the fresh blood smeared on his fingertips, Gu Jiufei’s expression remained unchanged. His face was still calm, as if the blood didn’t even belong to him. But when he lifted his eyelids and looked at the gang of men before him, the deep darkness in his gaze unexpectedly made these ruffians feel a trace of fear.
They saw a chilling aura of death emanating from this ten-year-old boy.
It was a kind of sinister, lethal presence—something that could only be found in the darkest places.
The group who had just beaten him up suddenly felt as though they were being watched by a venomous snake. One by one, hesitation crept into their hearts, though they still forced themselves to act tough. “What are you staring at? Keep looking, and I’ll dig your eyes out!”
The masked man leading the group had probably been in this line of work for a long time. Compared to the thugs behind him, he was slightly more composed. After a brief moment of alarm, he quickly regained his cool.
Must’ve been seeing things.
What could a mere ten-year-old brat do? With that frail little body, he could snap the kid’s neck with one hand. He recalled the instructions given to him—make sure to teach this kid a lesson he wouldn’t forget.
For people like them, who made a living on the edge of a blade, this was just another job done for money.
The man crouched down again and spoke in a coarse voice, “Kid, do you know who you’ve offended? Remember, don’t be too arrogant in the future. Otherwise, next time, we won’t be so nice.”
After saying that, he reached out to slap the boy’s face like he had done with others before.
But just as his hand stretched forward, before it could even touch him, the boy—who hadn’t spoken a single word from the start—suddenly tilted his head and looked at him.
It was clearly a pair of clean, almond-shaped eyes, yet when one met them, there was a deep and chilling gloom inside. That suffocating feeling of being watched by a venomous snake returned, making the man’s heartbeat quicken—even though he had roamed the underworld for years.
Under this gaze, his outstretched hand froze in midair.
He clenched his teeth, wanting to slap the boy but unable to. Retracting his hand would feel like losing face. He had originally intended to just rough him up a bit, but now, irritation crept up his face, and his voice darkened as he ordered, “Beat him!”
The masked thugs behind him responded at once. As soon as the man stepped back, they surged forward, ready to pummel Gu Jiufei.
However, just before their hands could land on him, a clear, youthful male voice sounded from nearby.
“Oh? Beating someone up, are we?”
The gangsters halted their movements and turned toward the entrance of the alley.
A strikingly handsome young man stood there, dressed in black, holding a wooden stick, casually tapping it against his palm.
Meanwhile, Gu Jiufei, who had been sitting against the wall the entire time, lifted his gaze toward the source of the voice. The moment he saw Li Qinyuan suddenly appear, his expression—unchanged until now—finally creased into a frown.
Why was he here?
No—
If Li Qinyuan was here, then…
Gu Jiufei’s expression suddenly changed, and his gaze darted past Li Qinyuan.
Sure enough, a glimpse of red appeared in the distance at the alley’s entrance. A faint outline of a delicate, beautiful face was visible.
His breathing became erratic.
That fool—why was she here?!
And Li Qinyuan too—why did he bring her to a place like this? Did he not know how dangerous it was here?!
“Boss, w-what do we do now?” One of the thugs turned back to the masked man, his voice laced with uncertainty.
The burly man also frowned, unsure where this person had suddenly appeared from. He scanned Li Qinyuan from head to toe. Besides being young and arrogant, there was nothing particularly special about him. But so what if he was arrogant? He was just another brat who hadn’t even grown his full set of teeth yet. Could so many of them really be afraid of a single kid?
“What do you mean, ‘what do we do’? Get in there and beat him up!”
These street thugs weren’t particularly skilled, but they had numbers on their side and carried sticks. Without hesitation, they charged straight toward Li Qinyuan.
Yet, Li Qinyuan remained still, merely loosening his joints. When the first thug rushing toward him got close, he simply lifted his foot and sent the man sprawling to the ground.
He had been trained from a young age by experienced soldiers—people who had fought on the battlefield and slain enemies, not just those who relied on flashy tricks.
While other kids were still climbing trees and stealing bird eggs, he had already been practicing his stance and martial arts.
Against him, these men were utterly powerless.
The thugs clearly hadn’t expected this seemingly refined young man to be so formidable. Worse yet, they were trapped in the depths of the alley, with no way to escape. The once-aggressive group had been reduced to a sorry sight—some were knocked unconscious, while others clutched their wounds and groaned in pain. Only two or three remained standing, shakily pointing their sticks at Li Qinyuan.
“You—you stay back! If you come any closer, we—we’ll really hit you this time!”
Tsk.
And these guys had the nerve to come here and beat people up?
Li Qinyuan was just about to finish them off when he suddenly heard the sound of approaching footsteps behind him.
Gu Jiufei, still leaning against the wall, saw that Gu Wuyou—who had been standing safely at the alley’s entrance—was suddenly running toward them. His heart clenched in alarm.
But when he saw her pick up a stick and charge forward, all traces of his usual composure vanished, and he shouted, “Gu Wuyou, what are you doing here? Go back!”
Li Qinyuan also frowned when he heard this.
That girl…
Hadn’t he told her not to come in? He glanced at the unconscious thugs around him from the corner of his eye. Hmm, most of them were already out cold—not too bloody. The little girl probably wouldn’t have nightmares from seeing this.
Under his foot was the very man who had spoken first. Li Qinyuan had initially planned to crush his hand tendons, but since the girl was watching, he worried it might scare her. So, instead, he simply exerted a little force with his toes, knocking the man unconscious, and swiftly dealt with the remaining three before turning to look behind him.
The little girl in the red cloak was clutching a stick, her pale face frozen in fear as she stared at the person she had just knocked out. She was clearly terrified—her small body was trembling.
When Li Qinyuan turned to look at her, she let out a soft whimper, and her eyes instantly turned red. Dropping the stick, she ran straight toward him, disregarding any sense of propriety, and grabbed his hand.
“You—you’re okay, right?”
Only after confirming he was unharmed did she, with teary eyes, explain herself. “I saw that man trying to get up just now… I was afraid he would hit you, so I—I ran over.”
She hadn’t meant to disobey him.
Li Qinyuan had initially been furious that she had rushed over recklessly without considering the danger. He had been planning to give her a stern lecture. But after hearing her explanation, how could he still be angry?
His heart softened instantly. Seeing her red-rimmed eyes, he reached out and gently wiped away her tears. His voice unconsciously softened as well.
“I wasn’t even scolding you, and you’re already admitting fault?”
She was clearly scared—so scared that she was on the verge of crying—yet instead of mentioning her own fear, the first thing she did was ask if he was okay.
Then, he noticed that her once pale and delicate hands were now covered in dirt.
There were probably splinters on the stick she had picked up, and her small hands had been pricked, drawing several beads of blood.
Seeing her like this, Li Qinyuan let out a sigh and murmured, “So delicate.”
Yet, despite his words, his movements were gentle as he carefully cleaned her hands.
Then, he asked, “Anywhere else that hurts?”
Gu Wuyou shook her head, then suddenly remembered Gu Jiufei. She let out a soft “Ah!” and immediately looked past Li Qinyuan.
The ground was littered with unconscious men, and only Gu Jiufei remained sitting against the wall. He was probably too injured to stand, his chest still rising and falling with heavy breaths. His gaze was fixed on her, his expression complicated—filled with worry and concern.
But the moment he noticed her looking back, his emotions were swiftly concealed, his face returning to its usual cold, indifferent expression.
She was worried about him, so without saying another word to Li Qinyuan, she ran straight toward Gu Jiufei.
Squatting in front of him, she wanted to reach out and wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, but she was afraid of hurting him. She could only look at him with concern and ask, “Are… you okay?”
Gu Jiufei didn’t answer right away. His almond-shaped eyes, so similar to hers, remained indifferent. After hearing her question, he merely glanced at her faintly, as if he hadn’t been the one shouting for her just moments ago.
“…I’m fine.”
After speaking, he tried to prop himself up to stand, but his legs, which had been struck by sticks earlier, throbbed with pain.
No matter how strong-willed he was, there was no way he could stand up in his current condition.
“I’ll help you.” Gu Wuyou offered, reaching out to support him.
But just before she could touch his arm, she suddenly saw his entire body being lifted into the air.
Huh?
She stared in a daze.
Li Qinyuan avoided looking at Gu Wuyou, as if worried that she would see through his awkward and stubborn thoughts. Instead, he simply said, “He’s too injured. You don’t have the strength.”
He was just being practical. It was absolutely not because he didn’t want to see her taking care of someone else.
Young Master Li secretly grumbled to himself.
Gu Wuyou didn’t think too much about it. She simply nodded and followed the two of them as they walked. As they moved, she asked, “What about those people?” Then she turned to Gu Jiufei. “Do you know who they are?”
In her past life, it seemed to be the same group.
But after she saved Gu Jiufei, she had only instructed people to send them to the authorities and hadn’t paid attention to what happened afterward.
“Just a bunch of lowlife thugs.” Gu Jiufei was uncomfortable being carried like this, but now was not the time to be prideful. If it weren’t for Li Qinyuan, he probably wouldn’t have made it out of that alley today.
Who knew when someone would have eventually found him?
Of course, he also understood that Li Qinyuan only did this… because of the person walking beside him.
He turned his head slightly to glance at Gu Wuyou. Her face was full of genuine concern, no trace of pretense.
It was the first time he had ever seen her look at him like this.
Gu Jiufei was not an idiot. He didn’t know what he was feeling at this moment, but after a pause, he simply murmured, “You don’t have to worry. Just send someone later to clean up the mess.”
It was just a group of worthless thugs—there was no need for her to dirty her eyes with them.
As for the mastermind behind this…
He already had an idea in mind. There was no need for her to trouble herself over it.
“But…”
Gu Wuyou was still a little uneasy. Just as she spoke, she was interrupted by a clearly displeased Li Qinyuan.
“Where to now? The medical clinic or home?”
His face was dark. A perfectly good outing was ruined just like that. If the little chili pepper weren’t standing right here, he would have already tossed this person to the ground and been done with it.
Such a nuisance.
Gu Jiufei was just about to respond when Gu Wuyou cut him off.
“Home.”
When she felt Gu Jiufei’s gaze on her, she softly reassured him, “I’ll go home with you.”
He was already this injured—what was the point of going to a clinic? The family doctor at home would be better.
But then…
She glanced at Li Qinyuan again, feeling a little hesitant.
Today was the first time the Great General had voluntarily asked her to go out with him.
Thinking about what he had told her that day, she suddenly worried… Would he never ask her out again after this?
Li Qinyuan naturally noticed her gaze.
Of course, he wasn’t happy.
He had been looking forward to this all night, barely able to sleep from excitement. He had carefully dressed up, gone out early, and even walked several streets just to buy her candied hawthorn. Yet, in the end, he didn’t even get to have a proper meal with her.
But when he saw the little girl’s red-rimmed eyes and her pitiful expression, he couldn’t bring himself to be angry at her.
Forget it.
What was the point of getting upset with her? It wasn’t like there wouldn’t be another chance in the future.
With her personality, even if he insisted on staying and having their meal, she probably wouldn’t be able to eat in peace. It was better to send them back first.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you home,” Li Qinyuan said.
“But—”
“Aunt Lan won’t blame you,” Li Qinyuan reassured her, looking directly at her. And neither will I.
It was as if Gu Wuyou understood his unspoken words. The hesitation and worry in her expression instantly melted away into a bright smile. She nodded eagerly. “Mhm.”
The two of them chatted casually, completely disregarding anyone else.
Being half-carried by Li Qinyuan, Gu Jiufei frowned at the sight of their interaction. But he had always been a man of few words, so he simply pressed his lips together and remained silent.