Zhang Xiuming’s first reaction was that Zhang Yinxi was in trouble again, but when he saw the man’s face clearly, he understood why Zhang Yinxi was so angry.
That was Shen Jingmo, who they had spent a lot of effort to find.
The person who was sent out earlier said that the last clue they found was Jinyan Tang. He thought it was a mistake, but he didn’t expect that the person was really hiding here.
Zhang Yinxi opened her mouth and said sharply, “You’re really good at hiding. So capable, even though you’re blind.”
Shen Jingmo was shaking like a sieve.
Originally, he heard Chan Yi say that Duan Yelin was having a birthday, and thinking that he had received some favors from him, he needed to congratulate him in person. However, he ran into Zhang Yinxi as soon as he entered the garden.
By sheer luck, he also managed to spill wine on Zhang Yinxi’s skirt while holding the glass. Without even checking who he was, Zhang Yinxi slapped him, and upon recognizing him, she struck him on the head with the wine glass.
The moment he heard Zhang Yinxi’s voice, it felt as though he had fallen into the eighteenth level of hell, unable to rise. His legs were so weak he couldn’t even stand up straight.
The moment the wine glass was smashed on his forehead, his heart was also smashed to the ground like a porcelain bottle. Warm liquid flowed down his eyebrows and eyes. Although the bleeding was not much, it was still smeared on his face, which made it look serious.
The two of them were standing far away, and everyone only knew that they seemed to be arguing about something, but they didn’t know what it was, and they were gradually drawn to it.
As soon as she saw the guests approaching, Zhang Yinxi immediately restrained her expression. This was not the outside world, and she couldn’t just kidnap people. It would be hard to explain if she did that.
With a turn of her eyes, she came up with a plan. She used her body as a shield to stuff something into Shen Jingmo’s pocket but pretended to comfort him by patting his chest. Then she said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, but loud enough for everyone to hear, “Don’t be afraid. I know you didn’t mean it, and I won’t hold it against you.”
Zhang Xiuming knew what kind of person his sister was, so he took the opportunity to pretend: “Little sister, what’s wrong?”
Everyone stretched their necks. The man half-kneeling on the ground had a pale face and a terrified look, as if he had done something wrong. He didn’t even dare to raise his head, and his eyes were dull and empty, looking a bit pitiful.
But if the one who bullied him was Zhang Yinxi, no one would dare to say anything.
Zhang Yinxi pretended to be innocent and covered his wrist with her hand and said, with a hint of trying to cover up the truth, “Noth-nothing, I just bumped into someone by accident.”
“Hey… how come the jewel watch Father gave you is gone? Where did you lose it?”
He deliberately raised his voice a little, wanting everyone to hear clearly and have all eyes follow his words.
“Just now I was walking in the garden and bumped into this person, and then I lost it. I was asking him if he had seen it, and for some reason, he seemed very timid, shaking all the time, and even fell down.”
Her words were tantamount to throwing mischief on Shen Jingmo and accusing him of suspicion. Such confusing words made the people present look at Shen Jingmo with a little contempt, and since Shen Jingmo was wearing common clothes, they thought he was a dishonest person, and they all wondered how such a person could get into Commander Duan’s banquet.
“I didn’t… I didn’t…” Shen Jingmo tried to speak, but the fear deep in his bones made his voice no louder than a mosquito or fly.
“Oh… so that’s the case, it’s a small matter, just ask him clearly.” Zhang Xiuming pretended to be a gentleman and humble and bent down to ask Shen Jingmo, “Sir, have you seen my little sister’s watch?”
“Brother, this gentleman has poor eyesight, how can you ask him like this?” Zhang Yinxi said coquettishly.
Everyone thought to themselves, Oh, so he’s blind. No wonder he was so blind as to offend the Zhang family.
Shen Jingmo shook his head desperately. Zhang Xiuming’s voice made his back cold, and he subconsciously dodged.
Zhang Yinxi pretended to reach out to help him but secretly stretched out her leg to trip him, so he fell again, and the things in Shen Jingmo’s chest pocket fell out.
He was the target of everyone’s criticism at the moment. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on him. The thing was sparkling in the sun, with the luster of a gem!
Such an exquisite and costly watch didn’t seem like something Shen Jingmo would use—it looked more fitting for someone like Zhang Yinxi.
It seems that Miss Zhang did not wrongly accuse anyone. She really encountered a thief. Everyone’s sympathy for Shen Jingmo immediately turned into disgust.
“Eh—” Zhang Yinxi stretched out his tone. Zhang Xiuming followed up: “Sir, is the watch that fell out yours?”
Shen Jingmo probably understood what was happening. He reached out his hand and touched the ground. He felt something hard with some complicated patterns on it. He panicked and said, “This is not…”
Zhang Xiuming did not give Shen Jingmo a chance to finish his words and pressed him aggressively: “If it’s not yours, why did my sister’s watch fall out of your pocket?”
Shen Jingmo stood there with his mouth wide open.
Most of the guests assumed Shen Jingmo was a thief and began speaking harshly: “Aiya, people like this who’ve never seen the world are really disgraceful!”
“He looks so gentle, but I didn’t expect him to do such dirty things.”
“Now that he is caught red-handed, he still wants to deny it. He has no shame at all.”
“If anyone dares to steal at Commander Duan’s banquet, he should be locked up!”
Every sentence was like a whip, hitting Shen Jingmo’s face hot. He wanted to explain but didn’t know where to start. He seemed to be abandoned on a deserted island, surrounded by raging waves, and he didn’t even have a boat.
“I don’t know…” Shen Jingmo’s explanation sounded weak and unconvincing, which only made everyone sneer at him all the more.
This was exactly the effect Zhang Yinxi wanted. She smiled coldly and pretended to be kind, saying, “Forget it. The lost item isn’t that valuable—maybe it’s all just a misunderstanding. Brother, please take this gentleman to our place first and have his wound bandaged. We can ask questions later. Today is Commander Duan’s birthday; let’s not cause a scene.”
What a sensible statement. Everyone thought that although Miss Zhang was delicate, she was kind-hearted. But only Shen Jingmo knew that they were going to take him back. Once he followed them, he would be tortured in the dark.
He will die.
No, worse than death.
“I won’t go with you… this is not… this is not something I took…” Shen Jingmo couldn’t even feel the pain from the wound on his forehead. He backed away repeatedly, wanting to run away quickly.
But he was surrounded by the crowd, with accusations and ridicule all around, and there was no way out.
Who will save him? Where is Chan Yi? Where is Xiao Hang?
Zhang Yinxi wanted to completely block Shen Jingmo’s escape route and take him away as soon as possible so as to avoid causing trouble if Duan Yelin intervened. So she asked, “Sir, you refuse to come with me and won’t admit you took it—then at the very least, you need to explain to everyone where it came from, don’t you?”
Then she winked at his servants in the distance, and two servants came up from the left and right to take the person.
“I… I…” Shen Jingmo stammered, not knowing where to begin. He had never seen this watch before—how could he possibly explain how it had grown legs and ended up in his pocket?
Seeing that Shen Jingmo was now like a caged bird with clipped wings, struggling in vain, the Zhang siblings exchanged a glance, faint smiles playing at the corners of their lips.
The crowd was already a little bored with the excitement and was about to leave when they heard an angry voice coming from the back of the crowd: “I gave it to him. What does it have to do with you guys?”
Everyone was stunned and turned to look, only to see Xiao Yan standing there with his jacket collar raised, hands clasped behind his back. His expression was stern, his eyes filled with anger, and with just one glance, the air around him seemed to tighten with pressure.
As soon as he opened his mouth, the situation took a sharp turn.
As soon as the Ghost Master came out, everyone changed their direction like fence-sitters.
What did the Ghost Master say just now? He gave it to him? Then they have to believe it.
Xiao Yan hadn’t planned on visiting Shen Jingmo today, but seeing the man on the ground, shrinking like a snail wishing to crawl into its shell, a thought suddenly struck him—he wanted to shield Shen Jingmo from those who would harm him and keep him out of danger.
What does he mean by never seeing each other again? Screw that.
He glared fiercely at the two people holding Shen Jingmo, the venom in his eyes so intense it seemed capable of breaking their bones, as if the devil himself was eyeing their lives. He spoke slowly, each word dripping with menace, “I gave it to him. Does anyone have any objection?”
Who dares?
The two men unconsciously let go of his hands, and Shen Jingmo fell to the ground.
Xiao Yan’s anger suddenly reached a boiling point. The person he had always been reluctant to hit or scold was being mistreated like this. If he didn’t act, his name, Xiao Yan, might as well be written backward. He uttered coldly, “Liao Qin.”
Liao Qin nodded slightly, stood out from behind Xiao Yan, snapped his fingers, and then many men in black ran out from all corners of the garden. They pressed the two men to the ground in an instant, bent their arms backwards, and kicked them hard with their knees!
The two men were about to scream in pain, but Liao Qin quickly grabbed a handful of dirt and stuffed it into their mouths, and immediately they stopped making any sound.
“Ugh—!” The guests were all frightened and took two or three steps back.
After giving them a stern lesson, Liao Qin ordered his men to drag the two away and then turned to Zhang Xiuming, speaking politely, “Mr. Zhang, some of your men are blind and have offended people they shouldn’t have offended. I’ve taught them a lesson for Ghost Master, you won’t mind, right?”
He has already taken action and is still asking if he minds or not. Isn’t this just to annoy him?
Zhang Yinxi was extremely embarrassed, but Zhang Xiuming forced a smile: “…I don’t mind.”
In fact, the two of them were deeply unsettled. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t fathom that Xiao Yan would actually stand up for Shen Jingmo. What strange and secret events had occurred during the time Shen Jingmo was on the run?
Xiao Yan took out a handkerchief, covered Shen Jingmo’s wound, and helped him up. When Shen Jingmo heard Xiao Yan’s voice, he was like a person who had fallen to the bottom of a valley, found a vine to climb up, grabbed it, and held it tightly.
Zhang Yinxi stared at Shen Jingmo’s hand that was holding Xiao Yan’s and wished she could chop it off with a big knife.
Xiao Yan patted the back of Shen Jingmo’s hand, then picked up the watch in front of Zhang Yinxi, compared it with Shen Jingmo’s wrist, and said in a gentle tone, “It really doesn’t suit you at all—it’s so tacky and unattractive. No wonder you don’t like it and don’t want to wear it. I’ll get you something else tomorrow. And if you don’t like it in the future, just toss it out; no need to keep it in your pocket.”
As if remembering something, he handed the watch to Zhang Yinxi: “Miss Zhang, since the watch you lost looks similar to this one, why not give it to you to avoid wasting it?”
Some people have already dropped their jaws. This is not a gift but more like a reward, and it was a reward that the owner doesn’t like as well.
Clearly… clearly a humiliation.
Xiao Yan has been so impolite. This watch is like a hot potato. If Zhang Yinxi accepts it, wouldn’t she be admitting that her taste is vulgar and rustic?
In the past, they had only heard that Ghost Master was very protective of his people, but today they had really seen it. But what was the identity of this person that was worthy of Ghost Master’s personal appearance?
Several people who had spoken rudely to Shen Jingmo just now had already sneaked away, fearing that they would be implicated.
Zhang Yinxi glared at Shen Jingmo fiercely but smiled sweetly at Xiao Yan: “Brother Yan, this is all a misunderstanding. How could I want your things for nothing? I was just anxious for a moment and made a fool of myself. Did I scare your subordinate?”
Xiao Yan shook the watch and asked again, “You don’t want it?”
Zhang Yinxi really liked the watch, but at this moment she could only pretend to be generous and decent and shook her head gently.
Then the watch was smashed to the ground by Xiao Yan, and the parts jumped out when he stepped on it with his heel!
Everyone’s expressions tightened; some felt sympathy because of the money, while others were afraid of Xiao Yan’s temper.
“Since no one likes it, and it has wronged my people, there’s no need to keep it. Young Master Zhang, don’t you think so?” Xiao Yan glared at Zhang Xiuming with eyes sharp as an eagle’s, and the threat in his words was unmistakable.
Zhang Xiuming smiled awkwardly: “Yes… yes…” They lost both the wife and the army[mfn]To pay a double penalty.[/mfn] today, they were so unlucky.
“As for Miss Zhang’s clothes, I will ask someone to send the money over later.”
“No need, no need,” Zhang Xiuming winked at Zhang Yinxi. “A piece of clothing is not worth much. How can it be as valuable as the injury of Ghost Master’s people? If anyone wants to make amends, it should be us who should make amends.”
Xiao Yan touched his chin and pretended to think seriously for a moment, then pulled Shen Jingmo in front of him and said to Zhang Yinxi, “That’s also true, then you should apologize.”
Zhang Xiuming was confused.
Zhang Yinxi was also confused.
All the guests were confused.
This Ghost Master guy really lived up to his reputation. He didn’t give them any face at all and didn’t even know what it meant to let people go down the stairs[mfn]To let people save face[/mfn] at all. Instead, he wouldn’t give in when he got the chance.
Seeing Zhang Yinxi’s face turn from white to green, from green to black, and from black to red, Xiao Yan continued to exaggerate: “What? Did you guys just say that to fool me? Heh… I am a petty person, and I hate being deceived the most.”
Zhang Xiuming looked at Zhang Yinxi nervously. Instead of asking his beloved sister to apologize to Shen Jingmo, it would be better to kill her.
The delicate embroidered bag in Zhang Yinxi’s hand was broken by her. Being humiliated by the person she liked, her eyes were full of tears. “Forget… forget it.” In the end, Shen Jingmo gave in first and pulled Xiao Yan’s sleeve.
He didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of others anymore.
“Alright, let’s just forget about this misunderstanding,” Xiao Yan said in a tone that seemed to support Shen Jingmo. “If you are so blind again, I won’t be so good-tempered.”
Everyone secretly swallowed their saliva. Next time? After what happened today, they’re afraid they’ll have to take a detour when they see Shen Jingmo in the future.
Not until the matters in the garden were almost resolved did Duan Yelin and Chan Yi, who had been watching the play in the hall for a long time, look at each other.
Chan Yi said, “It’s my turn to go out and help Mr. Shen back to his room. I was really scared just now. If Head of the Household hadn’t told me to just watch and not help, I would have been unable to help myself already.”
Duan Yelin supported his chin and smiled: “You are all so bad. I thought he celebrated my birthday because he cared for me, but it turned out that he used me, and he used me so smoothly as well. Ai…”
“Commander, you should stop while you are ahead! I know that every time you are wronged, you will go to the Head of the Household to seek redress. You, even if you have swallowed half a belly of ink, you will not let yourself suffer any loss either!”
Chan Yi ran to Shen Jingmo in small steps and took him away to bandage him.
Duan Yelin had also enjoyed his drink to his heart’s content, and while no one was paying attention, he went to Qiyuan.
When Qiao Song saw him, he shouted, “Hey, Commander, today is your birthday, where are you going?”
Duan Yelin strode forward: “Go and ask for gifts!”
