Chapter 107: Little Dog Protects Big Sis – Famous Scene 2

Under the cover of night, Qingye Villa stood beautiful and serene.

By the time Lu Zhixia arrived, the bodyguards were still stationed at the entrance.

The front gate was locked tight, so Lu Zhixia stepped back, took a running start, scaled the wall, and vaulted inside.

The bodyguards sensed something amiss. They tried calling Shen Wanqing, but got no answer, and soon followed suit, one after another, leaping over the wall after her.

Lu Zhixia sprinted forward. As she reached the building below, her eyes had already locked onto the lit window on the second floor.

She dashed to the door and yanked at it, but of course, it was locked. Lu Zhixia glanced around, grabbed a brick, and hurled it skyward.

With a loud clang, the sturdy second-floor window held firm, and the brick shattered as it fell.

Spotting a stone in the corner of the wall, Lu Zhixia picked it up, tucked it into the hood of her sweatshirt, took a running leap onto the overhang, and grabbed hold of the air conditioning unit.

Four bodyguards came running from afar. They watched as Lu Zhixia’s lithe form vaulted upward. She balanced atop the AC unit, raised the stone in her hand, and smashed it against the window.

Once, twice, three times… With a sharp crack, the glass finally shattered.

Lu Zhixia shielded her head as shards rained down. Ignoring them, she leaped onto the windowsill.

The jagged remnants of glass were razor-sharp. As she peered inside and wriggled through, they scraped her until blood flowed.

She jumped fully into the room, but the floor was littered with broken glass, making it treacherous to stand. She caught herself with her hands, slicing open her palms.

The second-floor dining room was empty, and Lu Zhixia caught no scent of Udumbara. Suppressing her rage, she bellowed, “Yan Menghui! If you dare lay a finger on her, I’ll make you regret it!”

She shoved open door after door. The bangs of doors slamming against walls echoed harshly through the night.

Bedroom door, bathroom door, walk-in closet door… Each one opened to pitch blackness, devoid of life.

Finally, she reached the study door. It was locked.

Lu Zhixia reared back and kicked it. The four bodyguards, having just climbed in, rushed over to help.

The door splintered open. The room inside was dim. Lu Zhixia threw up a hand to shield her eyes and barked, thick with tension, “Turn around!”

The bodyguards hesitated a moment. The two Alphas turned away, while the two Omegas stepped forward.

Lu Zhixia flicked on the light. The sight before her made her flinch.

Yan Menghui’s ankle was bound tightly to the table leg with rope, leaving deep red welts around it. A pool of crimson blood stained the floor nearby.

Shen Wanqing slumped in the corner, head bowed, arms draped over her knees.

A fruit knife was clutched in her hand, blood streaming from her palm to form a puddle on the floor. It was still dripping steadily.

Lu Zhixia blocked the bodyguards from advancing and hurried to Shen Wanqing’s side. In a soft voice, she called, “Big Sis.”

Shen Wanqing trembled slightly and slowly raised her head. Her gaze was still hazy, but recognition dawned. She stared fixedly at Lu Zhixia and murmured, “You’re here.”

“I’ll carry you out of here.” Lu Zhixia scooped Shen Wanqing into her arms. As they passed Yan Menghui, she lifted her foot to kick her—but Shen Wanqing stopped her.

“Take her to the hospital,” Shen Wanqing said, forcing the words out before resting her head against Lu Zhixia’s chest and closing her eyes in relief.

They were rushed to separate hospitals. After their wounds were treated and fluids administered, Shen Wanqing gradually came back to herself.

Perhaps Yan Menghui retained one last shred of sanity. When Shen Wanqing tearfully begged her to stop, Yan Menghui collapsed onto her, sobbing as well.

Terrified of losing control, she had tied herself to the table leg and told Shen Wanqing to leave.

Shen Wanqing had been ready to crawl out if she had to, but then Yan Menghui slashed her own wrist with the knife. Desperate to help, Shen Wanqing seized the blade, gripping it tightly.

Both women ended up injured. It took all of Shen Wanqing’s remaining strength to drag herself to the corner.

“Do you hate her?” Lu Zhixia asked through gritted teeth.

If Shen Wanqing hadn’t stopped her, she would have beaten Yan Menghui senseless on the spot.

Shen Wanqing no longer had the energy to hate her. She just felt sorry for Yan Menghui, unsure how to save her tortured soul.

Yan Menghui had fallen too deep. She had tumbled into the darkness and refused to climb out.

She clung obsessively to her twisted path, determined to possess what she couldn’t have, no matter the cost.

Yet when Shen Wanqing truly wept in her arms, she couldn’t bring herself to go through with it. Her lips hovered mere centimeters from Shen Wanqing’s.

She could have kissed her then, but in the end, she didn’t. Her heart ached as if carved by a knife: Was this truly the love she wanted?

Love built on blood and tears would never bloom into anything beautiful. Yan Menghui suffered, trapped with no escape.

Lu Zhixia clasped Shen Wanqing’s injured hand, bent down to kiss it gently, and said in a voice soft yet fierce, “I hate her. I won’t let anyone who hurts you get away with it.”

Shen Yutang, Gu Yanming, Shen Mengxi, Yan Menghui… Lu Zhixia kept a thick ledger of grudges in her heart.

Shen Wanqing wouldn’t let her act on her own, and Lu Zhixia didn’t press the issue. Instead, she soothed her, “Go to sleep. I’ll stay with you.”

Seeing Lu Zhixia on high alert, Shen Wanqing leaned back and lightened the mood with a joke. “My right hand—the one for eating and petting Little Dog—is ruined now.”

Lu Zhixia’s eyes were red-rimmed. Like a devout believer, she touched Shen Wanqing’s hand, gently rubbing her cheek against the bandaged palm. In a soft voice, she said, “You can still hold me. I’ll feed you dinner. Come home with me for the Mid-Autumn Festival meal.”

“Little Dog is such a good girl,” Shen Wanqing said with a smile. Lu Zhixia wanted to smile too, but the sight of that sickly pale face and the gauze wrapping the palm made tears spill down her cheeks.

The wound hurt, of course. Yet beneath the pain bloomed a quiet joy—one Shen Wanqing hadn’t felt in ages. It was the warmth of being cared for. Someone fretted over her. Someone rejoiced or sorrowed because of her. Someone truly loved her.

Shen Wanqing gently stroked Lu Zhixia’s hair. “Don’t cry. It doesn’t hurt a bit.”

How could it not hurt? Lu Zhixia had dealt with wounds before; even disinfection had made her muscles cramp in agony.

As for Yan Menghui, Shen Wanqing had sent people to look after her. Lu Zhixia kept calling her a living bodhisattva.

She really had done all she could. After these two ordeals, Shen Wanqing felt far less guilt toward her.

That night, Lu Zhixia didn’t go home. She called Yan Fanghua and explained everything: “Shen Wanqing’s hurt. I’m staying to take care of her.”

Once Yan Fanghua heard the details, she was utterly speechless about Yan Menghui’s actions. Strictly speaking, it was illegal—bordering on criminal.

Lu Zhixia insisted on staying. Yan Fanghua wasn’t thrilled. “The Shen Family has plenty of people for that. You don’t need to get involved.”

She understood the girl’s good intentions. But if the Shen Family ever learned about the tangled emotions between the three of them, they would pin all the blame on Lu Zhixia.

Shen Wanqing’s injury might fool the media, but it wouldn’t fool her family.

A person as precious as her, shielded by four bodyguards and still getting hurt? Come midnight at the bar, those guards faced a brutal dressing-down.

The people Shen Yutang had sent arrived to take her back for recovery. “This is the old master’s orders. Mid-Autumn is coming up—you could head back early.”

Shen Wanqing made it clear she had no intention of leaving. The man sighed. “Then talk it over with the old master. If he agrees, fine. Just don’t make things hard on us.”

She called Shen Yutang. “I’ll come home for Mid-Autumn. Not now.”

He refused to budge, his words sharp with scolding. Shen Wanqing was already unwell, and listening to it only made her feel worse. She shot back, “I’m an independent person, not a puppet for the Shen Family.”

Most of the time, she just listened, her face flushing with anger.

Finally, in a cold voice, she said, “Can’t you stop being so authoritarian? I’m going back anyway.”

Shen Wanqing ended up frowning in exasperation. “Why can’t I get through to you? Haven’t I been obedient enough? What more do you want? Will the Shen Family only leave me alone if I’m dead?”

Lu Zhixia couldn’t take it anymore. She snatched the phone from Shen Wanqing’s hand and heard Shen Yutang snap, “You were born a person of the Shen Family. Dead, you’ll be a ghost of the Shen Family.”

That was the last straw for Lu Zhixia. “Who the hell do you think you are? The King of Hell? ‘Dead, you’ll be my ghost’?!”

The Shen Family prided itself on elegance and refinement. Shen Yutang had scarcely uttered a curse in his life, so being sworn at by some young upstart left him stunned. He demanded, “Who the hell are you?”

“Who I am is none of your business!” Lu Zhixia shot back sarcastically. “You’re such a control freak—gotta meddle in everything. If someone’s cool with it, fine. But if they don’t want you bossing them around, what gives you the right?”

“You—”

“You what?!” she fired back. “Lay off the salt—it’s making you way too nosy! You’re just bored out of your mind!”

“Why are you answering her phone?”

“Because I’ve got no manners, that’s why! Mind your own damn business!”

“Shut your mouth!”

“How much garlic did you eat? That breath!” Lu Zhixia held the phone away. Shen Wanqing stayed silent, while the four bodyguards stared in stunned awe at this masterclass in verbal takedowns. Lu Zhixia kept going full throttle: “Shut my mouth? You live by the seaside or something? Got nothing better to do than stick your nose everywhere?!”

“Are you trying to tell me how to do things?” Shen Yutang barked.

“I’m trying to teach you how to be a decent human being, Shen Yutang—back off already!” Lu Zhixia stood by the window, her voice icy. “Shen Wanqing’s got a saint’s patience, but why the hell should she put up with you?”

She didn’t give him a chance to respond before adding, “What, you feeling butt-hurt now? Pissed off? Let me tell you something—you need to feel exactly the pain and misery she’s been through. Only then will it count as your apology to her!”

Shen Yutang was older, after all; he couldn’t match her rapid-fire pace. Lu Zhixia pressed on: “I’m warning you—know when to quit, and I’ll stop too. Otherwise, we’re doing this all night. I’ll fight you to the bitter end!”

“You’re Lu Zhixia!” Shen Yutang finally realized on the other end.

Lu Zhixia didn’t deny it. She said arrogantly, “Shen, if you think I’ve hurt you, that has nothing to do with my upbringing—because I did it on purpose. You know exactly how you treated Shen Wanqing. You know how she felt. To achieve your own goals, you sacrificed her entire life without a second thought. Everything you did was deliberate too.”

Shen Wanqing’s eyes had truly been opened today. Strangely enough, she found it a little satisfying to listen to. But Lu Zhixia wasn’t done yet. She kept going, throwing down the gauntlet: “Shen Wanqing can do whatever she wants. If she doesn’t agree, no one can force her—not even you.” She paused, then laughed. “This is a society governed by the rule of law, not a patriarchal one, and definitely not the Shen Family’s personal playground! If you dare try to force Shen Wanqing again, I’ll call the police! She’s not going anywhere tonight. She stays wherever she wants to stay. Let’s see you try to take her!”

Lu Zhixia hung up the phone and glanced at the bodyguard standing nearby, dumbstruck with his mouth agape. She walked over and sat down beside Shen Wanqing. “Don’t be so kind,” she advised. “Some people don’t deserve it.”

“He’s still my elder, after all.”

“Show him respect, and he’s your elder. Show him none, and he’s nothing.”

No matter what, after Lu Zhixia finished tearing into Shen Yutang, Shen Wanqing’s phone didn’t ring again that night, and the people from the Shen Family left as well.

Deep into the night, Lu Zhixia leaned against the window, gently patting the person in her arms to coax her to sleep.

Shen Wanqing reached up and touched her lips, tracing their shape. Lu Zhixia looked down at her and smiled. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s true—Lu Duidui’s mouth really is something else.” Shen Wanqing chuckled softly. Lu Zhixia huffed. “You’re still Shen Baobao. Don’t be so good-tempered.”

Lu Zhixia leaned down and kissed her forehead, murmuring, “Tomorrow’s the weekend. Didn’t you have plans?”

“Oh, right.” Shen Wanqing had been so busy she’d forgotten. Lu Zhixia beamed with joy. “Is it a date?”

“You want to go on a date with me?” Shen Wanqing toyed with the drawstring of Lu Zhixia’s hoodie, wrapping it around her fingertip. “Aren’t you afraid Professor Yan will find out?”

“Sigh.” Lu Zhixia sighed. “I don’t know where she’s been picking this up lately, but she’s talking all passive-aggressive, always snapping back at me.”

Shen Wanqing stifled a laugh inwardly. No wonder Lu Zhixia’s mouth was so sharp—she must have picked it up from Yan Fanghua.

“So, we’re not anything to each other right now. We can’t go on dates.” As soon as Shen Wanqing finished speaking, Lu Zhixia chomped down on her shoulder. Burying her face in Shen Wanqing’s shoulder hollow, she grumbled furiously, “You call me your Little Dog on one hand, then say we’re nothing on the other. If you don’t want me, I’ll go find a new owner!”

“You’ve already got someone on the side, huh?”

“No! I mean, if you don’t want me.”

“If I don’t want you and you run off to someone else, then your feelings for me are just so-so.”

“So-so how?” Lu Zhixia explained in a panic. “My heart is true as the bright moon!”

“Who’s Mingyue?”

“…”

The one who’d been so sharp-tongued before couldn’t outtalk Shen Wanqing now. Lu Zhixia butted her head against her and whined, “Big Sister, let’s set some keywords!”

Lu Zhixia hoped that next time Shen Wanqing was in danger, she’d know right away.

The two of them agreed: rose for danger, pigeon for all clear.

The next day, Shen Wanqing was discharged from the hospital, with Lu Zhixia by her side the whole time.

They didn’t go home. Instead, they headed straight to a psychotherapy clinic.

The doctor who received them had been arranged by Shen Wanqing’s personal physician.

This was Shen Wanqing’s promise to Lu Zhixia—to do therapy together. Ever since meeting Lu Zhixia, her episodes of sleepwalking to the wardrobe had decreased, and so had her nightmares.

As for Lu Zhixia, she only fainted when faced with massive amounts of blood. She wasn’t all that keen on therapy herself.

Their first session was just a simple get-to-know-you chat.

In the afternoon, when they left the clinic, Lu Zhixia refused to let go of Shen Wanqing’s hand. “Tomorrow’s the Mid-Autumn Festival. Come home with me.”

Shen Wanqing really wanted to go, but she couldn’t be as willful as Lu Zhixia. Faced with those pitiful puppy-dog eyes, she relented. “Come pick me up at two in the afternoon tomorrow. I’ll have lunch and then go with you.”

Lu Zhixia was thrilled. She sent Shen Wanqing home first, then went to the Cherry Blossom Grove to water the trees.

Under the setting sun, Lu Zhixia slung a small sprayer on her back and misted the saplings.

Back at home, Shen Wanqing sat with her arms hugging her knees, chin resting on them. She watched as Lu Zhixia pouted and sang whatever nonsense popped into her head—a picture of simple, unbridled happiness that made her utterly endearing.

That evening, Lu Zhixia got home to find Yan Fanghua with a sour expression.

The moment her mom opened her mouth, she knew Shen Yutang had gone tattling to her.

Was the old man in elementary school or something? Yan Fanghua laid into her harshly. Lu Zhixia kept her head down and stayed silent.

Finally, Yan Fanghua cracked first, bursting into laughter that left Lu Zhixia baffled.

Covering her mouth as she laughed, Yan Fanghua said, “You’re something else, getting him that worked up. You can’t do that again, got it?”

Lu Zhixia mumbled her agreement and casually mentioned picking up Shen Wanqing for dinner the next day.

Yan Fanghua’s smile faded slightly. She offered no objection, merely saying, “We’ll talk after you’ve picked her up.”

On Sunday, Lu Zhixia arrived early. The sky hung gray and heavy, as if rain were moments away.

She stood at the grand gates of the Shen Family, the minutes dragging by one after another. Night fell, and rain began to drift down from the heavens, but Shen Wanqing never appeared.

She placed a call, but no one answered.

Moments later, a message arrived—from an unknown number.

Just two words, yet they sent a chill racing down her spine.