Shen Jia Yan felt a bit more at ease once she learned that Han Shuang was going with Wen Wan Ning. She lay on her bed in the dormitory, idly scrolling through her phone and checking the time, ready to go pick her up the moment Han Shuang’s message arrived.
She glanced at the time on her phone. It was almost 8 p.m.
She had gotten dressed as early as 7 p.m., prepared to head out at any moment.
It should be wrapping up soon. Han Shuang hadn’t messaged yet—maybe she should send a WeChat to check in. Shen Jia Yan hesitated with her phone in hand.
At that moment, Han Shuang’s message popped up.
Shen Jia Yan’s lips, which had just curved upward, flattened instantly, her brows furrowing tightly. She replied immediately: [On my way.]
She jumped off the bed in a flash, grabbed her jacket from the chair and the bicycle keys she’d borrowed earlier from a day student staying over in the neighboring dorm, and dashed out the door.
She left Jiang Shuang, who looked utterly bewildered, with just one sentence: “I’m going to pick up Han Shuang.”
A tense, oppressive atmosphere instantly filled the entire hotel private room.
Yang Hongzhuo hesitated as he stood up, plastering a smile on his face. “Big brothers, it’s getting late. Let’s hang out another day—our parents at home are urging us to get back early. They’ll worry if we’re out too long.”
Seeing how menacing these men were, Yang Hongzhuo was naturally terrified. But since he’d organized the gathering, he couldn’t just let something bad happen without trying to talk his way out of it. He mustered his courage to negotiate.
The leader lounged back in his chair, legs crossed, puffing out smoke rings one after another. “Little bro, sit down first. We’re just gonna chat with the girls for a bit. Won’t take long.”
Their intentions were already crystal clear.
Wen Wan Ning could no longer hold back her anger and shot to her feet.
The chair behind her toppled over from the sudden movement.
“What exactly do you want? This is a public place. If you keep harassing us like this, I’m calling the police.” With that, she pulled out her phone.
But the moment she grabbed it, one of the men snatched it away.
The man who’d been blowing smoke rings immediately seized Wen Wan Ning’s wrist, his other hand brushing aside the stray hairs in front of her eyes.
Wen Wan Ning felt revolted by the gesture and turned her head away in disgust, using all her strength to try to wrench free from the man’s grip. But the vast difference in their power left her wrist firmly clamped in his hand.
“Let go of me!” Her desperate struggle made veins bulge on her hand, and the fair skin of her wrist flushed red.
Lü Xin and Han Shuang jumped up to pull Wen Wan Ning back, but they were both pressed down into their seats by the men behind them.
Li Jian and the remaining men stood behind Yang Hongzhuo and the other male classmates, holding them in check.
“You’re a pretty girl. Stop struggling. Big brother here doesn’t mean anything by it. Be my girlfriend, and I’ll protect you—no one will dare bully you anymore. How’s th—”
Before he could finish, Shen Jia Yan burst through the door.
The sight of Wen Wan Ning’s forcibly grabbed hand met her eyes.
Her pupils contracted slightly, a sharp glint flashing in the depths of her gaze, her lips curving into an icy arc as cold as a knife’s edge.
It sent chills down everyone’s spines.
She strode toward the man holding Wen Wan Ning’s hand.
“Let her go!” Her voice was low and commanding.
The man met her gaze, cold as a thin blade, and was momentarily stunned into releasing his grip.
But he quickly snapped out of it. “Another beauty? Perfect—we might all get lucky tonight.”
The men broke into lecherous grins again.
Shen Jia Yan instantly seized the sleazy man’s arm as it reached for Wen Wan Ning. “Get lost!” She followed up with a brutal kick to his abdomen, doubling him over in pain.
Then came a fierce knee sweep to his knee, sending him crashing unprepared to the floor.
All those years of training in Free Combat finally paid off today.
The man clutched his stomach, writhing on the ground in agony, gritting his teeth as he snarled, “Fuck, you bitch! Leave two guys to watch those boys and girls. The rest of you, get her!”
The classmates who tried to stand were pinned down by the men around them.
Wen Wan Ning struggled several times to rise but was held firmly in place.
Shen Jia Yan glanced at Wen Wan Ning, her cool expression softening instantly. “Wan Ning, it’s okay. Don’t worry.”
She turned her head, her gaze shifting from gentle to icy. “Come on, you scum. All of you at once.”
“Fuck, beat her down!”
Shen Jia Yan seized her chance, stepping forward. Her right forearm blocked an incoming punch, while her left hand clamped onto the arm of the foremost attacker like an iron vise, unyielding. She then drove her right knee upward, followed by a swift forward high kick with her shin.
The front kick sent the first assailant tumbling beside the man still clutching his gut who hadn’t gotten up yet.
None of them had expected this newcomer—a little girl—to have such skills. Astonishment flickered in their eyes.
Seeing the last man frozen in shock, Shen Jia Yan spared him and walked straight ahead to check on the two downed men.
But the last man recovered, pulled out a dagger from his person, and charged at Shen Jia Yan.
Wen Wan Ning spotted the glinting blade and surged to her feet. “Jia Yan, watch out—mmph!”
Before she could finish, the man guarding them clamped a hand over her mouth.
Shen Jia Yan instinctively sidestepped and turned, spotting the figure right in front of her. She created distance, raised her right leg, and kicked the knife from his hand in an instant. Then her right elbow struck his abdominal ribs. She spun, delivering a powerful side kick with her left leg straight to his midsection.
The two who’d advanced lay sprawled on the ground.
Seeing no one else daring to approach, Shen Jia Yan calmly walked over to Li Jian.
“If you want to keep studying at this school, drop the street thug act. If you ever send anyone to harass them again, don’t blame me for showing no mercy—I’ll make sure you can’t go to school anymore!”
Shen Jia Yan emphasized the last few words deliberately. She knew what mattered most to a student like him. She intended to nip any threat to Wen Wan Ning in the bud.
She turned to the fallen thugs. “And you lot—don’t let me see you around again. You can’t even handle yourselves, yet you try to play gangster. Get lost.”
“You’ll regret this!” Spitting curses laced with resentment, they scurried out.
The Shen Jia Yan at that moment was worlds apart from her usual self.
Her piercing gaze and agile moves awed everyone present.
After Li Jian and the other boys left, Shen Jia Yan approached Yang Hongzhuo, her expression darkening slightly. “Class monitor, don’t bring just anyone to a class gathering. It’s irresponsible.”
Yang Hongzhuo knew he was in the wrong. If Shen Jia Yan hadn’t arrived in time, he couldn’t have borne the consequences if something had happened.
He hung his head, looking shaken, his voice trembling faintly. “Got it. Thanks, Jia Yan.”
Han Shuang rushed to Shen Jia Yan’s side. “Whoa, friend, you’re the real deal—no cap. That was so cool!”
Shen Jia Yan’s fierce demeanor softened, a touch of embarrassment creeping in. “It was nothing.”
Wen Wan Ning also came over to Shen Jia Yan and suddenly noticed her dangling right hand dripping blood drop by drop, staining the tiles red.
Shen Jia Yan had dodged the man’s sneak attack, but the knife had still grazed her. Her focus had been so intense that she hadn’t noticed.
Wen Wan Ning immediately and gently lifted Shen Jia Yan’s right arm, where the sleeve of her torn shirt revealed a gash.
A knife wound about five or six centimeters long glared starkly before her eyes.
Without thinking, she said, “Come on, we need to get to the hospital right now.”
Before anyone could react, she had already dragged Shen Jia Yan out the door.
A taxi waiting for fares was right at the hotel entrance, and the two got in.
Once inside, Wen Wan Ning messaged Lü Xin on WeChat, telling the others to head home first—she’d stay with Shen Jia Yan to get her wound treated.
She stared at Shen Jia Yan’s still-bleeding forearm, her heart aching with every throb. Tears began to well up in her eyes.
Cradling Shen Jia Yan’s arm, she gently wiped the blood near the cut with a tissue, careful not to hurt her.
She hadn’t expected Shen Jia Yan to show up there, let alone to protect them so fearlessly.
Guilt washed over her. Because of protecting them, Shen Jia Yan was hurt—might even scar a girl’s arm.
Shen Jia Yan’s expression softened, her voice gentle. “I’m fine, Wan Ning. Really, don’t worry. I got injured like this all the time during training. This is just a scratch.”
She saw the mist in Wen Wan Ning’s eyes, the heartache there, but she didn’t want her to feel guilty. Everything she’d done was simply because she wanted to—nothing more.
“Don’t be so reckless next time, okay?” Wen Wan Ning fought back her emotions, her throat tight.
Currents surged in Shen Jia Yan’s heart. Unable to resist, she ruffled Wen Wan Ning’s hair tenderly. “Okay, I promise.”
With that, her right hand slid down, her fingers lightly brushing away the tear sliding from Wen Wan Ning’s eye.
“Merry Christmas, Wen Wan Ning.”
The Christmas Shen Jia Yan had longed for in her heart wasn’t spent dining or strolling with Wen Wan Ning, but in these final hours, they were together. That was enough.
So much had happened that day that Wen Wan Ning had forgotten it was Christmas.
She lowered her gaze briefly, then looked up at Shen Jia Yan, a faint smile curving her lips. “Merry Christmas, Shen Jia Yan. But I didn’t prepare a gift for you.”
Their eyes met. In the dim car interior, Wen Wan Ning’s brows and eyes shimmered with teardrops, reflecting passing car lights like morning dew at dawn. Her defined features were soft and warm. Shen Jia Yan’s heart fluttered wildly.
“It’s okay. I’ve already gotten my Christmas gift.”
Right now, you are my best Christmas present…
The next day, after Shen Jia Yan got home, Jiang Jing noticed the injury on her arm and pressed her for details.
To prevent those “thugs” from seeking revenge, Shen Jia Yan told Shen Yan and Jiang Jing what had happened the night before.
She knew her parents’ jobs well, and she’d always been independent growing up, never asking them for anything in studies or life.
But this time, she hoped they could help eliminate the threat.
After hearing the situation, Shen Yan and Jiang Jing scolded her for being too impulsive while fuming over such an incident happening outside the school.
They agreed to handle it discreetly as she wanted and told her to focus on her studies without worry—they’d take care of it.
A few days later, Li Jian suddenly transferred schools, and no more shady characters appeared near the school.
Shen Jia Yan knew the matter was truly over.
