Chapter 148: Nuannuan Almost Got Your Brother Killed While Trying to Escape Her Debts

Gu Qingyuan’s face flushed with anger as he glared at Luo Xing. The girl standing behind him looked at him in astonishment, clearly not having anticipated such a situation.

Luo Xing raised an eyebrow. Oh, a love triangle, she mused.

"How... how do you have this!" Gu Qingyuan stared at the brooch casually pinned to Luo Xing’s clothes. "Is this... the Star of Zhaoyi?"

"Where did you get it!" Gu Qingyuan seemed shocked that Luo Xing had managed to acquire it, let alone wear it so nonchalantly, as if it were some common trinket.

"Don't worry, it wasn't stolen." Luo Xing reached for her phone to message Gu Shiyan, but remembering that Assistant Song said he didn't have his phone on him, she messaged the assistant directly.

Assistant Song replied promptly: *I have already sent someone over. That little brat is spoiled rotten by his family. There is no surveillance in the new villa, so feel free to take action.*

Luo Xing sent back a question mark. How bizarre. Why was he telling her to take action? She wasn't some kind of violent criminal. She had only brought the whip to bolster her presence; she was a gentle person, after all—how could she possibly resort to violence?

At least, that was what she believed until Gu Qingyuan reached out to snatch the brooch off her.

"This doesn't belong to you! This was given to Sister Wennuan by the Gu family! Look at yourself—do you even deserve it? Wasting the Star of Zhaoyi on you is a disgrace!"

Shocked by the little tyrant’s irrational behavior, Luo Xing slapped him across the face the moment his hand touched her clothes.

It was an incredibly loud slap.

It stunned Gu Qingyuan, who had never suffered a grievance or a single blow in his life. He stood there, eyes wide and dazed, staring at Luo Xing as she calmly rubbed her wrist.

The two lackeys following behind him were equally stunned, unable to believe that a young master who no one in Beijing dared to provoke had actually been slapped while standing on property belonging to the Gu family.

Luo Xing glanced at him indifferently. His skin was quite thick; it had made her hand ache.

Recovering from the shock, Gu Qingyuan’s eyes turned red as he glared at her. "Who do you think you are! How dare you hit me!"

As he lunged forward to shove her, Luo Xing whipped out the lash she was carrying. It struck him across the chest, leaving a mark through his clothes. Gu Qingyuan clutched his chest, his face twisting in pain.

The two lackeys, who had intended to help Gu Qingyuan subdue Luo Xing, were scared off. The new maids dared not step in to mediate, fearing that offending either party would leave them in a precarious position—and neither side was someone they could afford to cross.

Ji Rutang had just walked in when he witnessed Luo Xing lashing out at the boy.

Assistant Song had messaged him, asking him to help deal with the little brat. He remembered what the assistant had said: *Miss Luo is a delicate young lady, and that little tyrant is spoiled and difficult to handle. You might need to use some tough tactics (there is no surveillance in the new villa).*

Ji Rutang usually appeared lazy and good-tempered, but when it came to dealing with people, he could be quite ruthless. He had been prepared to help Second Uncle Gu teach the little brat a lesson, but instead, he saw Luo Xing deliver that fierce lash. The sound echoed throughout the villa, reverberating twice.

As Gu Qingyuan prepared to retaliate, Ji Rutang grabbed his hand. "Qingyuan, who upset you? Tell me so I can share in the joy."

Luo Xing looked over. Ji Rutang was just as flamboyant as the first time they met. She thought of the large chest full of gifts in the master bedroom, all sent by him...

"Brother Ji, why are you here?" Gu Qingyuan knew Ji Rutang was close with his brother, so he calmed down slightly. However, he still disregarded Luo Xing. "Brother Ji, stay out of this. I’m teaching someone a lesson. This woman has shamelessly taken Sister Wennuan’s place..."

Ji Rutang scoffed, his voice laced with disdain. "Wennuan almost got your brother killed trying to escape her debts, and you’re still going on about 'Sister Wennuan' this and 'Sister Wennuan' that? You’re even dumber than my dog."

"Brother Ji, Sister Wennuan is innocent. It was her parents..."

"Bullshit. Enough with the nonsense. How did your precious Sister Wennuan manage to be the heiress of the Wen family for over a decade? When there was cake to be had, she was the daughter of the Wen family. Now that the cake has crumbled, she wants to wash her hands of it? Only fools like you would believe that."

Ji Rutang draped an arm over his shoulder. "Don't think I don't know what you're really up to. If you like her so much, go find her yourself. Why are you lurking around our Yan?"

Gu Qingyuan hadn't expected his hidden motives to be laid bare so cruelly. "She hit me! I’m going home to tell my father!"

Ji Rutang hooked his neck and spun him around the room, asking, "Notice anything?"

"What?"

"Tsk, why are you so stupid? There’s no surveillance here."

Ji Rutang leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Your branch of the family is already being purged. If you don't rein it in, more and more people will be hitting you. Maybe one day, someone will just throw a sack over your head on the street and beat you up for no reason."

Ji Rutang softened his tone. "Oh, and I heard Brother Gu has developed quite a hobby for that lately."

Gu Qingyuan shuddered in fear. "How could Brother Gu hit me for her..."

"Be good and trust Brother Ji. He’s very fierce right now. Go home and ask your father how much power he still holds. I bet it’s all gone, isn't it?"

Gu Qingyuan had always been reckless because he knew his father would back him up. Ji Rutang kept a brilliant smile on his face, but his words were suffocating. "Second Uncle Gu couldn't beat your eldest uncle even before, and now that your uncle has to suffer through this, you’re still acting so recklessly..."

Luo Xing stood to the side, unable to hear the full conversation, but she could clearly see the look of terror dawning on Gu Qingyuan’s face.

The two lackeys were still acting bold, assuming Ji Rutang was on their side. "Brother Ji, you grew up with Sister Wennuan! This outsider hit Qingyuan! Quick, teach her a lesson!"

Just as Ji Rutang finished handling the situation, the little brats started acting up again. He sighed, feeling as if he had been reduced to a kindergarten teacher.

"Little Muhan, why are you meddling in this? I think you all just don't have enough homework to do. We were never this idle at your age."

"Let's go." Gu Qingyuan’s mind was now filled with the fear that his father had lost his power and that he would no longer be able to run wild in Beijing.

"Wait, we’re just leaving? She hit you! She slapped you and whipped you!" Muhan looked at Gu Qingyuan with resentment.

"I said let's go!" Having heard Ji Rutang's threats, Gu Qingyuan didn't dare stay a moment longer. He scurried away, and the two lackeys, having no choice, followed him out.

"Don't worry, this isn't over. Once he finishes his business, that little tyrant will get what's coming to him," Ji Rutang said to Luo Xing.

"Did he send you?"

Luo Xing’s hand was numb from the lash, and she tossed the whip onto the nearby sofa.

Ji Rutang glanced at it and nearly choked on his own spit. "You... you used *that*..."

He truly hadn't expected her to use *that* to whip Gu Qingyuan.

"Why did you send this in the first place?" Luo Xing felt speechless thinking about it and shot him a look. "Keep it for yourself next time."

"..."