The shock Mu Liuyin delivered that day had a real impact—at least for the next several days, no one dared bully Xi Yan again. And for some unknown reason, Xie Shaoke hadn’t caused any more trouble either. He hadn’t even shown up since that day.
Still, Mu Liuyin had Xiao Jiu keep a close eye on him.
The schoolwork Xi Yan had fallen behind on due to constant bullying was slowly being made up.
And this peaceful, stable learning environment—she owed it entirely to the boy beside her.
Thinking this, Xi Yan turned slightly to the side and caught a glimpse of the young man’s profile as he read with full concentration.
Soon, Friday arrived. But even with the weekend approaching, Xi Yan had no intention of returning to the Xie household—and the head of the Xie family didn’t care whether she returned or not.
To Xi Yan, staying in the dorm to study was far more important than going back to that house.
On Saturday morning, after breakfast, she left campus to head to a nearby bookstore to replace some of the books that had been torn up during previous incidents.
But as she walked out the school gates, a few shady-looking young men loitering not far from the entrance got up lazily. One of them, upon spotting Xi Yan, pulled out his phone and made a call to Xie Shaoke. Then he melted into the crowd and began trailing her.
Xi Yan was completely unaware.
At the same time, an urgent warning echoed in Mu Liuyin’s mind from Xiao Jiu:
[Host!! Xie Shaoke sent some thugs to follow the target… he wants them to—]
The sentence cut off suddenly, as if Xiao Jiu hesitated.
Just woken up, Mu Liuyin gave a drowsy hum and asked, [Wants them to do what?]
[He… he told them to gang-rape the target…] Xiao Jiu whispered.
[What the hell?!]
Mu Liuyin’s sleepiness vanished instantly. Her face went pale with rage as she scrambled out of bed and started dressing. In her mind, she ordered Xiao Jiu to pinpoint Xi Yan’s location.
What kind of grudge was this?! Just because she’d beaten Xie Shaoke up in front of the whole class, he didn’t have the guts to retaliate directly—so he went after Xi Yan instead?
Mu Liuyin initially considered calling the police, but then thought about how hard it would be to explain things to Xi Yan. And even if the assault didn’t succeed, just the nature of the attempt could leave a lasting stain on Xi Yan’s life.
Assessing her combat ability, Mu Liuyin decided to play it safe and brought along a bodyguard from home—partly for backup, and partly to drive, since she was still underage and couldn’t legally drive herself.
On the way there, the bodyguard noticed how unusually anxious the typically cool and composed young master was. He kept urging him to drive faster, even running two red lights in the process.
Meanwhile, Xi Yan was still browsing the bookstore, unaware of the danger. She took her time choosing the books she needed and only went to pay after a while. The thugs waiting outside were already growing restless.
A few minutes later, Xi Yan walked out of the bookstore with a bag of books in hand. The thugs followed closely behind. Just as she turned into a side alley, sensing something off and about to look back, a hand suddenly covered her mouth and dragged her into a deserted alleyway.
The thugs quickly surrounded her. Xi Yan’s eyes went wide as she struggled, but she couldn’t break free. Her hands were forcefully tied behind her back.
In that moment, her first thought wasn’t who had done this to her, but that if he were here, he would never let these people hurt her.
Mu Liuyin nearly exploded when Xiao Jiu told her that Xi Yan had been tied up. Her usual calm was shattered as her hands trembled with rage. Clenching her teeth, she urged the bodyguard to drive even faster. The moment the car stopped, she jumped out and sprinted toward Xi Yan’s location.
Just as one of the thugs reached out and placed his hand on Xi Yan’s clothes, Mu Liuyin finally arrived—she grabbed a brick off the ground and smashed it straight into the guy’s head.
She didn’t hold back—blood immediately began to stream down the thug’s forehead. The others froze at the sight of the sudden attack, but quickly snapped out of it and charged at her.
They didn’t get far. The bodyguard who’d followed Mu Liuyin dealt with them efficiently and with no mercy.
Xi Yan’s lashes trembled as she slowly opened her eyes. The moment she saw Mu Liuyin’s face, a single tear slipped down her cheek. She bit her lip to keep from sobbing aloud.
Mu Liuyin rushed to untie her hands and pulled the trembling girl into her arms, her voice softer than ever before:
“It’s okay. I’m here. You’re safe now.”
Hearing his voice, Xi Yan felt both safe and utterly overwhelmed. Her tears fell freely, silently.
“It’s over… you’re okay now…”
Mu Liuyin gently stroked her long hair, repeating the words in a soothing tone.
The bodyguard watching from a distance was so shocked that his jaw nearly dropped.
Wait a minute—was their cold and aloof young master… in love?
He glanced down at the thugs he’d knocked out and thought grimly: You idiots had a death wish, huh? Touching the young master’s girl?
Once Xi Yan had calmed down a little, Mu Liuyin instructed the bodyguard to get a confession from the thugs about who had sent them. Then she called the Ye family to send another car to pick them up.
When the car arrived, Xi Yan was still trembling slightly from the lingering fear. Mu Liuyin picked her up in a bridal carry and walked out of the alley.
In her arms, the girl murmured hoarsely through her sniffles,
“My books…”
Mu Liuyin, still tense and worried, nearly laughed through her exasperation. Seriously? That’s what you’re worried about right now?
She looked down and saw the books had fallen to the ground when Xi Yan had been dragged into the alley. The plastic bag had torn, and the pieces were scattered. She asked the bodyguard to gather them up before getting into the car with Xi Yan.
By the time they got back to the Ye residence, Xi Yan had fallen asleep—likely from sheer exhaustion and trauma.
Mu Liuyin gently carried her out of the car and into a guest room. She laid her on the bed, pulled the blanket over her, and quietly left the room.
At the sound of the door closing, the girl, who seemed to be asleep, slowly opened her tear-streaked eyes. Her pale irises shimmered, as if washed by water, now carrying a deeper, more complex emotion.
Loveguy On CFRFGC Chapter 1