“Little Zhao — ! You brat, don’t hide in there and stay quiet! I know you’re home!”
Just as the two of them were dazed by the noise outside, that gruff voice urged them from without like a death knell.
Zhao Yi’an’s originally scattered thoughts suddenly snapped into focus. He looked at the young girl before him, his lips moving, yet he didn’t know how to speak.
In the end, he could only ask in confusion, “Lady Yao, what exactly is going on? Why are you here? Why did I faint again?”
“Stop, stop, stop! Hold on! How could I possibly answer all those questions at once?” Liu Yao’s voice was slightly pitchy from anxiety; she was completely disoriented.
“We’ll talk about that later. Get up first!”
She frantically grabbed his arm, trying to pull him up from the corner.
“Hey — ! Ow, ow, ow! Easy!”
“The people outside are going to come in any second! Hurry up!”
Liu Yao was completely panicked now. Relying on brute force, she clumsily tried to support Zhao Yi’an, who was still leaning against the wall.
“I’m injured!”
Zhao Yi’an began to wail. He hissed in pain as she tugged him, but he could only follow her forceful pull and try to cooperate in standing up.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. Perhaps because they had been struggling inside for too long, the noise outside suddenly ceased.
Just as the two inside breathed a short sigh of relief at the brief silence, a loud bang erupted from the doorway.
Bang — !
“Brother Zhao, are you all right!? Why was there such a loud…”
Having heard the commotion from Zhao Yi’an’s side but receiving no response, Ma Debiao and his wife had no choice but to burst through the door in a panic.
Ma Debiao had just started to ask about his condition, but before his concerned words could finish, the couple froze on the spot.
The moonlight, the hole in the wall, and the mess scattered across the floor went without saying.
Their “little brother” Zhao was currently pinned in the corner by a strange girl in what looked like a tight embrace.
She was kneeling between his legs, her hands on his shoulders. Both had messy hair, and their clothes were a wrinkled disaster.
It was the perfect picture of a scandalous scene caught in the act.
Liu Yao stared stiffly at the stunned pair at the door. Her mouth hung open, but she couldn’t say a word.
‘I’m… I’m doomed! Why did they just kick the door down without a word?!’
The girl turned helplessly to look at Zhao Yi’an, who was still trying to adjust his position. It would have been better if she hadn’t; looking at him made her world go dark.
He was wearing only a thin layer of inner robes, the collar loosened significantly during their struggle. And because Liu Yao had pulled too hard just now, Zhao Yi’an’s eyes were glistening with unshed tears.
‘Wait… what is with you?!’
‘Can you please not make that face, like you’ve been severely bullied?!’
‘Look at them and explain something!’
Sensing Liu Yao’s silent plea for help, Zhao Yi’an turned his head with difficulty to look at Brother Ma and his wife. His lips trembled as he spoke, “Brother… Brother Ma, Sister, I… I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
The room fell into a deathly silence.
Liu Yao wanted nothing more than to die right then and there.
‘Saying you’re fine while looking that pitiful… who are you trying to fool?’
‘The only thing to be thankful for is that I’m a woman now. Otherwise, who knows, I might have been branded as someone into men again.’
“Ah… ah! It’s good that you’re okay, it’s good that you’re okay.”
“Your Brother Ma and I thought something had happened to you. We were… quite frightened!”
Just as Liu Yao looked like her soul was leaving her body, Sister Ma, who had been watching from the doorway, gave her husband’s sleeve a hard tug and forced an extremely unnatural smile onto her face.
As she spoke, she dragged Ma Debiao backward, her eyes darting around, not daring to look toward the corner.
“Si — since you’re all right… your sister and I will head out! We won’t… won’t disturb you… you… *cough*!”
The last word caught in her throat. She practically dragged Ma Debiao, who was still wide-eyed and hadn’t quite processed what was happening, back through the door.
She tried to pull it shut, intending to vanish from their sight.
“Wait… wait!”
The couple, about to retreat in haste, stopped in their tracks. Both turned back simultaneously to look at the corner.
The strange young girl had raised a hand, her cheeks flushed a bright red, her eyes filled with conflict.
“Um… that, Miss, is there something you need?” Sister Ma asked awkwardly, tugging at her husband.
In the moonlight, Liu Yao’s raised hand trembled slightly. She could feel the gazes of Zhao Yi’an and the couple on her. Her mouth suddenly felt dry.
‘To hell with it!’
The girl gritted her teeth and finally spoke.
“Um… could… could I trouble you two to lend a hand and help him up?” Liu Yao’s eyes wandered, and she scratched her cheek with a finger, looking embarrassed.
“He can’t really get up, and I can’t… quite move him on my own.”
The room fell silent once more.
Zhao Yi’an looked at the girl in shock, his face full of disbelief.
‘Lady, are you serious?! This scene is already impossible to explain, yet you’re keeping these two here? Send them away!’
At the door, Brother Ma and his wife exchanged a look. The “knowing” and awkward smile on Sister Ma’s face deepened.
“Of course, no problem.”
She tugged at her husband’s sleeve, signaling him to help. Ma Debiao, who had been unable to get a word in until now, finally snapped out of it and rushed forward.
“Little Zhao, how did you… how did it end up like this?” Ma Debiao asked in confusion, supporting one of Zhao Yi’an’s arms while Liu Yao took the other. He looked around at the chaos as they carefully lifted him.
‘You’re asking me, but who am I supposed to ask? I’m still completely in the dark myself.’
Zhao Yi’an’s legs felt weak as he was supported by the two, and half his weight leaned into them. However, his eyes remained fixed on the girl helping him on the other side.
Liu Yao could only twitch the corners of her mouth, averting her eyes in sheer embarrassment.
The three of them stood in the middle of the wreckage in total silence.
“*Ahem*, Miss, so where should we take Little Zhao?” Ma Debiao asked, looking at Liu Yao, who looked as if she wanted to crawl into a hole.
“Ah!” Liu Yao finally reacted. Looking at the mess everywhere, she also fell into distress. “First… let’s help him to the open space outside? There’s… really nowhere to step in here.”
“Got it.” He tightened his grip, steadily supporting Zhao Yi’an, and nodded to his wife. “Wife, go outside and find a stool, and bring a jacket over!”
“Alright, wait a second.” Sister Ma nodded and turned to leave.
Only the three were left in the room.
“Alright, let’s move out,” Ma Debiao said, exhaling.
Liu Yao nodded without a word. They supported Zhao Yi’an from both sides, carefully avoiding the broken tiles on the floor. It took some effort to assist him into the courtyard outside the house.
After setting Zhao Yi’an down, Ma Debiao knelt and used the moonlight to carefully examine his head, neck, and arms.
Confirming it was only superficial scrapes and bruises with no serious injuries to his bones, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He stood up, brushed the dust off his hands, and suddenly turned his gaze to Liu Yao, his eyes filled with vigilance.
“Alright.” His voice deepened. “Miss, can you now tell this Ma — exactly what is going on tonight?”