Yan Shudan suddenly regained her composure as she stood next to Ruan Yufeng, not uttering a word. She was watching silently to see how the situation played out.
Not a trace of her usual bossiness remained.
No matter how riled she felt, her expression remained unchanged, masking her true feelings.
"No, no, no." Ji Hanjiang's hand stroked his forehead as if he had a headache. "How could there be a misunderstanding?" he asked.
Ruan Yufeng chuckled, attempting to mediate the dispute. "I'm afraid that Young Master Ji is genuinely mistaken. Yiren is used to being independent, so she doesn't like living with us. I'm worried that others on the outside are bullying her. Maybe that's why you mistakingly believe we're the ones doing the bullying."
Clap, clap, clap.
Ji Hanjiang gave her a round of applause. "It seems like you're pretty proficient in distorting the truth."
Ruan Yufeng's expression turned sour. Unable to overcome her embarrassment, she stood rooted to the ground, awkwardly frozen to her spot.
Yan Ningkang rubbed his palms together, ready to say something, but was cut off by a swish of Ji Hanjiang's hand. "Don't say anything. Allow me to speak."
"By all means. Young Master Ji, speak your mind, speak your mind."
Ji Hanjiang scoffed softly, looking at Yan Ningkang in disdain." I don't care what happened previously, and it's also meaningless to bring up the past. However, if any of you dares to bully Yiren from here on out, I'll take it as a sign that you're trying to make my life difficult. Got it?"
Yan Shudan listened silently, her eyes radiating jealousy.
Seriously, what happened now was the very thing they feared!
Who does Yan Yiren think she is to claim Ji Hanjiang as hers!
She's undoubtedly feeling very pleased with herself now, isn't she?
Her boyfriend's got her back, showing all of them who's of a higher status. How impressive must that feel!
Ji Hanjiang didn't shout. It was perhaps out of consideration for Madam Yan, who was still unconscious, that he didn't fly into a rage. But the somber expression etched into his handsome features was intimidating. Under that immense pressure, Yan Ningkang and Ruan Yufeng couldn't help but nod in acknowledgment.
Feeling pleased, he withdrew his gaze from them. Ji Hanjiang tugged softly on his lips, glancing at Yan Shudan. "Miss Yan, you've been silent all this time. Is there something you don't understand?"
Yan Shudan raised her head in a fluster as if she just got a shock. "I don't understand what Young Master Ji means."
"Hmph," scoffed Yan Yiren, who had kept silent.
Ji Hanjiang held onto her shoulders, pulling her into an embrace as he comforted her. "Don't get angry. I'll take care of this."
Yan Yiren had thought that the mother-daughter duo was truly born to be actresses for their excellent performances. What a pity they hadn't joined the entertainment industry.
Yan Shudan bit her lip harshly, her tears trickling right on cue, almost in a refined manner. "I don't know what Yiren told you, Young Master Ji, for you to have such grave misgivings about us. Yiren is my younger sister, and we're a family. Why would we ever bully her?"
Ji Hanjiang raised his hand, waving his head slightly. A bodyguard made his way over and said, "Young Master Ji, your orders, please!"
"I don't hit women. You do it."
The bodyguard nodded. "Yes!"
Yan Shudan gazed at the burly man who came her way, her eyes filled with fear as she retreated in a panic. "What are you doing?"
Without saying another word, the bodyguard swiftly pinned her down. Slap! Slap! Swinging his hand, he slapped her across the face.
Yan Shudan was beaten into a daze. Her face quickly swelled up as blood trickled from her lip.
As soon as the bodyguard released her, she fell limp, sitting numbly on the ground.
"Oh my God! How could you hit her!"
"Dandan!"
Ruan Yufeng and Yan Ningkang exclaimed at the same time, distress and concern laced in their tones. Hurriedly, they helped Yan Shudan up.
"Mother, Father, I'm in so much pain!" Tears trickled down Yan Shudan's face.
Ji Hanjiang stood at the side, saying slowly, "It's good that you're feeling the pain. If not, how would you learn a lesson? These two slaps shouldn't be foreign to you. It's something that just happened yesterday, after all."