"What business is it of yours? Who asked you to meddle?" Qin Yue's eyes flashed with resentment.
Su Nian's thoughts were straightforward. She hadn't understood Qin Yue's meaning at first, but when she noticed the other woman glancing repeatedly towards Li Xiuli's house, a hint of hurt in her eyes, she immediately understood.
She spoke coldly, "Put away your inappropriate thoughts. Brother Gu and his wife are legally married and already have a child. I doubt you'd want to become the biggest joke at everyone's dinner table!
In any case, with me here, don't even think about getting close to Brother Gu. Hurry up and leave. If you don't go now, I won't bother seeing you off, whether you live or die."
Su Nian's words pierced Qin Yue's heart. She clenched her fists tightly, a murderous glint quickly flashing in her eyes.
Just as Su Nian was growing impatient, Qin Yue lowered her head and said in a low voice, "I understand. Let's go."
Su Nian noticed Qin Yue's unusual demeanor but paid it no mind. With Qin Yue's flashy but ineffective moves, Su Nian felt that even if she held back one hand, Qin Yue likely wouldn't be able to do much to her.
Walking through the dim alley, the atmosphere was unusually quiet. Su Nian, who had been in a relaxed posture, suddenly felt a gust of wind, and the sound of hurried footsteps reached her ears.
Su Nian quickly straightened up and glanced subtly towards the direction of the sound. Just then, she saw several figures hiding in a corner, illuminated by the faint residual light.
"Be careful, we might be in trouble."
Su Nian whispered a warning to Qin Yue. She had intended to lead them down another alley, but Qin Yue, whether intentionally or simply oblivious to the tense atmosphere, suddenly exclaimed loudly, "What are you doing? Don't touch me, we're not that familiar!"
As soon as she spoke, the people hiding in the dark, hearing only two female voices, paused for a moment before swarming out.
Leading the group was a man with a buzz cut, around thirty years old. He eyed Su Nian up and down, and seeing that she was a beauty, a lewd smile spread across his face.
"Who would have thought that grabbing a simple meal outside would lead to such an unexpected bonus? These two young ladies are quite good-looking."
"Which normal girl would be out wandering around at this hour? I say they might be in the special profession. Alright, you guys don't need to go to Central Street anymore, just stay here and play with us brothers."
"Exactly, brothers will surely take good care of you. Come on, give us a kiss."
"..."
After speaking, two thugs approached Su Nian, ready to lay hands on her.
Su Nian recoiled from the smell of alcohol emanating from their mouths, feeling disgusted. She instinctively raised her hand and slapped the closest thug across the face.
The crisp, loud sound of the slap was particularly prominent in the darkness. The man who was hit froze, momentarily unable to react.
The buzz-cut leader roared, "Bastard! We graced you with our attention, and you dare to lay a hand on our brother? Someone grab these two! No need to be gentle, just make sure we have fun!"
At his command, six or seven burly men surged towards Su Nian.
Su Nian narrowed her eyes, preparing to fight. However, before making a move, she turned to Qin Yue behind her and instructed, "Hey, your flashy moves won't threaten them. See if there's a place nearby to hide. I'll escort you home after I'm done with these guys."
"Mhm," Qin Yue replied nonchalantly.
If Su Nian had looked back at that moment, she would have noticed Qin Yue's unusually calm expression in the face of this situation, as if she had anticipated such an event.
One of the thugs had already reached out to restrain Su Nian. Just as Su Nian was about to grab his arm for an over-the-shoulder throw, she felt a push from behind.
"Damn it!" The suddenness of the situation caught Su Nian off guard, and she stumbled uncontrollably onto the thug.
Qin Yue was the only one behind her. Su Nian knew she wasn't a good person, but she never expected Qin Yue to be so utterly heartless.
To ruin a woman's chastity – wasn't that equivalent to killing someone in the most vicious way?
A fierce glint flashed in Su Nian's eyes, and she vowed inwardly that if she had the chance to escape, she would never let that little bitch off easily!
The man grabbed Su Nian's arm and said lewdly, "Yo, little sis, you say no, but then you fall into my arms. Seems like you've changed your mind! Don't worry, brother won't treat you badly. Stick with us brothers, and you'll have plenty to eat and drink!"
With that, all of them surrounded Su Nian.
As they spun her around, Su Nian caught a glimpse of schadenfreude in Qin Yue's eyes, though it was quickly hidden.
Qin Yue then put on a show of being terrified, her lips trembling as she stammered, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to! I was just so scared, I... I'll go find someone to save you right now."
Saying this, Qin Yue fled the scene without looking back. Seeing this, Su Nian let out a cold laugh. Since no one was around to bother her, she could focus on dealing with these hooligans!
"Are you done groping? To be honest, you're the only ones who dare to take liberties with me!" Su Nian's face darkened as she spoke. Her strength suddenly increased, and she yanked half her body free before executing a sweeping leg kick that caught the thug completely off guard.
----
Meanwhile, Qin Yue calmly returned to the Li residence.
Chen Lishu and the others were chatting casually. When the door opened and Qin Yue entered, they were somewhat surprised.
"What's going on? Why are you back again?" Chen Lishu frowned as she looked at Qin Yue, a bad premonition stirring within her.
As soon as Qin Yue entered the house, she began to sob softly. No matter how Chen Lishu asked, she wouldn't speak.
Chen Lishu's patience was wearing thin. She snapped irritably, "Shut up and tell me what happened! Cry again, and I'll sew your mouth shut!"
Hearing Chen Lishu's threat, a flicker of fear crossed Qin Yue's eyes. She subtly tried to lean towards Gu Xingdong for comfort.
Gu Xingdong seemed to guess her intention. With a grim expression, he took several steps back, his eyes filled with disgust.
Qin Yue was hurt by his gaze. She blamed Chen Lishu for everything, gritted her teeth, and said retaliatorily, "Su Nian... might have been defiled!"