Chapter 72 – Nobody Bullies Lan Xin
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Zhi Zun continued scratching and biting at Madam Wei without the slightest intention of stopping.
The cat’s fluffy fur was puffed up, his ears pressed flat against his head, as his tail lashed angrily behind him.
Madam Wei’s face was already covered in scratches and blood. Her hair was messy, and tears ran down her cheeks as she raised her arms to protect herself from Zhi Zun.
"Get it away from me!"
Madam Wei shrieked, stumbling backward as she frantically tried to protect her face.
"Help me! Quickly!"
Her voice was filled with panic as she desperately tried to escape Zhi Zun’s claws.
Zhi Zun sprang at her again, his claws catching onto her robe as he refused to let her escape.
Madam Wei let out a terrified scream and frantically swatted at it, her movements becoming increasingly desperate.
She turned and ran out of the kitchen, but her legs were already trembling from fear.
She stumbled forward, nearly crashing face-first into the doorframe before catching herself against it.
Zhi Zun was right behind her.
Madam Wei glanced over her shoulder.
The sight of the angry, fluffy cat charging toward her made her face turn pale.
"Ahhh!"
She pushed herself away from the doorway and hurried out, tears and snort running freely down her face.
Lin Xin’s lips parted as he stared at the scene before him, completely frozen in place.
He had never imagined things would turn out like this.
Just a few moments ago, Madam Wei had been standing in front of him, shouting angrily and acting as imposing as ever.
Now, she was running around in panic, desperately trying to escape Zhi Zun.
Lin Xin could only blink in disbelief, unsure whether he should step in or simply watch.
Beside him, Wei Fan finally burst into laughter.
He clapped his hands excitedly, his eyes crinkling with amusement as he watched Madam Wei stumble around in panic.
"Hai, hai!"
He pointed at her, grinning like a mischievous child.
"Look at the old grandma dancing around because of Fluffyflufften!"
He laughed even harder when Madam Wei nearly tripped over herself again.
Madam Wei screamed through her tears.
Wei Fan only laughed harder.
"Hahaha! Look at her!"
Dong Hai could only shake his head. He watched Madam Wei for a moment before his eyes slowly moved toward Lin Xin.
A trace of guilt crossed his face.
He couldn’t help thinking about how useless he had been.
When Madam Wei had been saying those things to his Xin-gege, he hadn’t been able to do much.
If Xin-gege had really been hurt, how would he explain it to Yan-ge?
The thought made his expression turn serious.
Fortunately, there was Fluffyflufften.
Dong Hai looked at the cat, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
He was genuinely grateful to the little guy.
He had already decided that Fluffyflufften would be getting extra meat later.
A lot of extra meat.
Unfortunately, Zhi Zun was completely unaware of Dong Hai’s newfound respect.
He was still angry.
How dare they say bad things about his Lan Xin?
His golden eyes narrowed as he watched Madam Wei flee.
Of course, it was that stinky human’s fault for having problems in that department.
Why should that smelly old hen be allowed to talk badly about his Lan Xin?
The more Zhi Zun thought about it, the angrier he became his attention shifted to Madam Zhang, who was trying to help her mother-in-law escape.
She hurried toward Madam Wei, reaching out to support her as she stumbled away, her face pale with fear as she tried to help her escape.
But unfortunately, Zhi Zun’s eyes had already fallen on her.
"Mother-in-law, hurry!" Madam Zhang urged while supporting her.
She froze, a sudden chill running through her as she slowly turned toward the cat.
The moment her eyes met Zhi Zun’s golden gaze, they widened in fear.
"No..."
Zhi Zun lowered his body, eyes fixed on her.
"Wait!"
Before Madam Zhang could react, he suddenly sprang forward.
"Ahhhhh!"
She screamed as Zhi Zun pounced on her.
She hurriedly raised one hand to protect her face while waving the other desperately toward Madam Wei.
"Mother-in-law! Help me!"
Madam Zhang reached desperately toward Madam Wei, her face twisted with fear and disbelief.
"Mother-in-law! Help!"
But Madam Wei was already limping away in haste. She didn’t even look back as she hurried toward the gate, leaving Madam Zhang behind without a second thought.
"Mother-in-law!"
Madam Zhang stared after her in disbelief, unable to believe that Madam Wei had actually left her behind.
For a moment, fear gave way to anger.
She clenched her teeth, her eyes filling with resentment.
How could she leave me behind?
She had been trying to help her, yet Madam Wei had abandoned her the moment she was in danger.
"Damn it..."
But before she could dwell on it any longer, Zhi Zun suddenly moved.
Madam Zhang’s anger vanished instantly.
Her eyes widened as she turned around.
The moment she saw the cat coming toward her again, she screamed and ran.
Zhi Zun chased after her for a few steps before finally letting her go.
Madam Zhang stumbled through the courtyard, her face covered in scratches and blood, her robe dirty and completely disheveled. She ran without looking where she was going, too frightened to care about anything else.
Bang!
She crashed straight into someone.
"Ah!"
The impact sent her falling hard onto the ground. The person she had bumped into froze in surprise, and Han Yan looked down at the disheveled woman in confusion, his brows furrowing.
Madam Zhang looked up, her tear-filled eyes widening when she recognized him. She quickly scrambled to her feet, clutching her messy robe around herself. Without explaining or apologizing, she turned and ran away as fast as her trembling legs could carry her.
Han Yan stood there, watching her disappear with a confused expression.
Han Yan remained standing there, staring. His brows slowly knitted together, a faint crease forming between them.
"Who’s that...?" Han Yan murmured, as he watched the disheveled figure run away.
He turned toward Wei Jun, who was equally confused. The two exchanged a quick glance before the same thought crossed their minds something was wrong.
Without wasting another second, they hurried into the courtyard, dropping the things they had brought back from the mountain carelessly onto the ground.
Han Yan didn’t even spare them a glance. His eyes were already searching anxiously through the courtyard for one person.
"Xin’ger!"
The moment he spotted Lin Xin, Han Yan’s expression changed.
His heart tightened when he saw how pale Lin Xin looked, and he immediately rushed toward him, worry flashing across his face.
"Xin’ger, are you okay?"
He reached out and held Lin Xin’s hands. The moment his fingers touched them, his brows furrowed deeply.
They were cold.
Far too cold.
"Why are your hands so cold?"
Han Yan gently rubbed them between his palms, his face filled with worry. His eyes stayed fixed on Lin Xin, carefully looking him over.
"Xin’ger, what happened?"
Lin Xin looked at him, still a little dazed from everything that had happened. His lips parted slightly, but for a moment, no words came out.
"I..."
Before Lin Xin could finish, Wei Jun hurried over, his face filled with worry. His eyes immediately fell on Liu De, quickly looking him over from head to toe.
"De’er?"
His voice was tense with concern.
Liu De gave him a small reassuring smile and nodded.
"I’m fine."
Only after making sure Liu De was unharmed did Wei Jun finally turn his attention to Lin Xin.
Han Yan, however, had never looked away from him. His fingers tightened gently around Lin Xin’s cold hands, his brows still drawn together with worry.
"Xin’ger," he called softly, his voice filled with concern. "Tell me what happened."
Dong Hai finally stepped forward, his expression still carrying a trace of worry.
He glanced toward the gate where the two women had disappeared before looking back at Han Yan.
"Yan-ge... your family members came here earlier."
Han Yan’s brows immediately furrowed.
"My family members?"
Dong Hai nodded.
"Old Lady Han and your first sister-in-law."
The moment he heard those names, Han Yan’s expression changed. The warmth in his eyes faded, replaced by a coldness that made his gaze darken as he glanced toward the gate.
"Madam Wei and Madam Zhang?"
"Yes."
Dong Hai nodded again.
"They came here a few moments ago, demanding that Xin-gege give them things from the house. They also said some really unpleasant things to him and refused to leave even when he asked them to."
Han Yan’s fingers tightened around Lin Xin’s cold hands.
"What did they say?"
Dong Hai hesitated, his gaze dropping as he struggled to find the right words. After a quiet breath, he finally began,
"They..."
Before he could continue, Han Yan’s jaw tightened, a trace of anger flashing across his face.
"There’s no need to say anything, Little Hai."
His voice was calm, but the coldness in it was unmistakable.
"Sorry, Yan-ge..."
Dong Hai lowered his head, his fingers curling tightly at his sides.
"I couldn’t do anything. I was right there, but when Madam Wei and Madam Zhang started saying those things to Xin-gege, I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to stop them, but everything happened so quickly."
"It’s okay, Little Hai," Lin Xin said softly.
Dong Hai looked at him, but the guilt in his eyes remained.
"I should have protected you, Xin-gege."
Lin Xin gently shook his head.
"I’m just glad we’re all okay and nobody got hurt."
Han Yan’s gaze immediately fell on Lin Xin when he heard him speak.
Lin Xin gave him a small, reassuring smile before turning back to Dong Hai.
"You don’t need to protect me all the time. We’re family, aren’t we? We’re supposed to look after each other."
Dong Hai’s eyes widened slightly.
"Xin-gege..."
Lin Xin smiled.
"So don’t blame yourself. You didn’t do anything wrong."
Dong Hai’s lips pressed together as he lowered his head, his eyes becoming slightly red.
"Still..."
Lin Xin reached out and gently patted his shoulder.
"I’m really okay."
Only then did Dong Hai finally nod.
"Alright, Xin-gege."
Han Yan quietly watched the two of them, the worry in his eyes slowly easing.
At least Lin Xin was safe.
That was all that mattered to him.
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