Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Yan Xue tossed the two men aside and scooped up the boys. The villagers at the gate had already backed away.

A group of tall men in black suits had materialized in front of her. Were they here to help the thugs?

There had to be over twenty of them. And they weren’t just bulky; they were genuinely built.

Yan Xue shielded the boys behind her.

The men parted. A man leaning on a cane stepped forward, radiating cold arrogance.

His sharp, handsome face was completely expressionless. His dark eyes were unfathomable.

His freezing gaze swept past Yan Xue and locked onto… the two boys hiding behind her.

Yan Xue’s pulse hammered. That look made her stomach drop. She shuffled back, keeping herself between the men and the boys, completely missing the two little heads peeking out from behind her legs.

“I’m the one who hit them. If you’ve got a problem, take it out on me—”

“Daddy!”

“Daddy!”

They shouted at the exact same time. The rest of Yan Xue’s sentence died in her throat.

Daddy???

This is Wei Heng???

Wasn’t he supposed to be gone for another few months?

The questions spiraled until her brain short-circuited.

Wei Heng leaned down. A gentle, doting smile touched his lips.

“Tell Daddy what happened.”

He shot a fleeting glance at Yan Xue. His face was breathtakingly handsome, but it froze her solid.

This was infinitely more terrifying than Wang’er Ge’s thugs.

She had zero hope the boys would take her side now.

She eyed the courtyard wall. Is it too late to make a run for it? Are there dozens more bodyguards outside?

She was five-foot-six. The wall was maybe six feet. She could probably make it over!

The boys were ecstatic to see their father. Pure joy lit up their cute little faces.

Wei Siao and Wei Sixiang glared at the men on the ground, raising their little fists in anger.

“Daddy, they were trying to hurt Mommy and my little brother! They’re bad guys. Beat them up!”

“Yeah, Daddy! They picked me up so high! It was so scary.”

Yan Xue was stealthily inching toward the edge of the yard when several men in black dragged the four thugs away.

She placed a hand on the wall. A bodyguard right next to her met her eyes.

“…”

Yan Xue slowly lowered her hand.

Wei Siao let go of his father’s hand and ran over. He tugged her toward Wei Heng. “Mommy, what are you doing? Come here! Don’t you miss Daddy?”

A drop of cold sweat rolled down her face. She let out a dry laugh and let Wei Siao drag her closer.

Miss him? She wouldn’t dare.

Still leaning down, Wei Heng looked up. His dark eyes searched her face for a long moment. Then, he gave a slight nod. A smile touched his lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

The look practically flayed her alive.

She felt completely exposed. But the boys hadn’t said anything. Wei Heng shouldn’t know anything yet.

She hesitated, then forced a smile and raised a hand.

“Hi… honey.”

A vein throbbed at Wei Heng’s temple. His mouth twitched. But he didn’t contradict her. He just gave a flat, “Mm.”

The onlookers stared in wide-eyed shock. You didn’t even see scenes like this on TV.

Yan Xue really was from a wealthy family.

Bai Kongshu stood in the crowd. He was just recovering from the beating Yan Xue had given him a few days ago, and he had come today to watch her get what she deserved.

Of course, if she begged him, he might have asked his relatives in the county town to help her out.

He hadn’t expected her husband to be a big shot.

The realization hit him hard. He stumbled back, his already pale face turning a sickly white.

Zhang Xiaoqiao had been watching him. She hurried over to steady him.

“Mr. Bai, are you alright? What’s wrong?”

Bai Kongshu forced a smile. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

“How can you be fine? Did you not eat the food I brought you? You look terrible.”

Around Bai Kongshu, Zhang Xiaoqiao’s voice went soft and sweet. Even in her thirties, she acted like a bashful schoolgirl.

Bai Kongshu frowned.

He was repulsed, but desperate for someone to cling to now that he was alone. He turned and gave her a gentle smile.

He met her eyes. “Thank you, Xiaoqiao,” he said softly.

Over a dozen black luxury cars sped down the uneven dirt road, shattering the village’s usual quiet.

The villagers were buzzing with gossip about Yan Xue’s background.

But no matter what they guessed, whether her freakish strength was demonic possession or just a rich person’s woman, they would never see her again.

Or Xiao Cui, who had left with them.

The remaining villagers shook their heads in regret. If they’d known, they would have sucked up to Yan Xue. Maybe she would have taken them along to see the world.

–

Two hours later, on a flight to Jiang’an City.

Wei Heng’s entourage had practically booked out the entire plane.

The boys sat in first class with Wei Heng and Yan Xue.

Wei Sixiang, playing the little peacemaker, sat between the two adults.

He swung his legs and blinked his big eyes. “Mommy, why aren’t you talking? Aren’t you happy to see Daddy?”

Yan Xue was always happy when dealing with the boys. She poked Little Xiang’s cheek. “Of course I’m happy. But aren’t you feeling motion sick? Close your eyes and rest for a bit.”

“Okay…” Little Xiang pouted. Then, remembering something, he stared at her with wide, expectant eyes.

After spending the last few days with them, Yan Xue could read their expressions perfectly. She shook her head in amusement and pulled the candy jar from her bag.

“Just one,” she said, popping a candy into Little Xiang’s mouth. She looked over at Wei Siao on her left and popped one into his mouth, too.

Both boys beamed.

Sitting on her right, Wei Heng scrolled through a report on his tablet. He shot a sidelong glance at the three of them.

A moment later, he looked away, his thoughts unreadable.

“Don’t eat cheap junk like that anymore.”

It wasn’t clear who he was talking to. He was usually so gentle with the boys; he wouldn’t use such a cold, hard tone with them.

Yan Xue froze, the candy jar still in her hand. She swallowed her embarrassment, pretended she hadn’t heard him, and tucked the colorful little jar away.

She hadn’t managed to escape yet, so she couldn’t afford to talk back. But she wasn’t going to throw out perfectly good food, either.

Cheeks bulging with candy, the boys looked a little intimidated by their father’s sudden strictness. They quietly lowered their heads, pulled down their sleep masks, and settled in for a nap.

Wei Heng seemed to realize he’d been too harsh. He sighed and reached out to pat their heads, but, not wanting to wake them, he pulled his hand back.

The atmosphere was painfully awkward. Yan Xue pretended she hadn’t seen a thing and squeezed her eyes shut to fake sleep.