Chapter 17: A Slap Landed on Shen Chi Yan's Face

Dark energy radiated from Shen Chi Yan as he stormed into the villa. Zhang Qiaoqiao hurried to meet him at the entrance, keeping a careful distance. She knew better than to reach for his discarded clothes, mindful of his aversion to being touched.

"Young Master," she greeted softly.

"Where's Song Qi Nian?" he demanded. "Get her out here!"

Zhang Qiaoqiao flinched at his thunderous tone, his face twisted with barely contained rage. After a moment's hesitation, she answered, "The Young Madam hasn't returned yet."

His expression darkened further. The audacity, he thought. After that spectacle at the Lin family's house, she still hadn't come home.

The crunch of tires on gravel broke the tense silence as a car pulled up to the villa.

"That must be the Young Madam now," Zhang Qiaoqiao said with a nervous laugh, hurrying outside.

Shen Chi Yan waited, his patience wearing thinner with each passing moment. Neither Zhang Qiaoqiao nor Song Qi Nian had returned inside. His jaw clenched. How long did it take to say goodbye to whoever had brought her home?

Unable to contain himself any longer, he strode toward the entrance.

"Sister-in-law... you're just too adorable. Let me give you a kiss."

The scene that greeted him made his blood run cold. Shen Ke Qin held Song Qi Nian's face between her hands, leaning in for a kiss. Rather than pulling away, Song Qi Nian pursed her lips and tilted forward.

Shen Chi Yan's gaze raked over Song Qi Nian's outfit, his fury mounting. A plunging neckline. A skirt that barely covered anything. A corset, of all things. She'd dared to wear this to a bar.

"Miss Qin, Young Madam, please stop!" Zhang Qiaoqiao pleaded, tugging desperately at Song Qi Nian's arm. Nearby, Jian Mubai stood frozen, four angry red marks clearly visible across his cheek - evidence of Shen Ke Qin's reaction when he'd tried to intervene.

Zhang Qiaoqiao struggled helplessly against the two intoxicated women. Just as their lips were about to meet, Shen Chi Yan swooped in, his face dark with rage. He grabbed Song Qi Nian's arm and pulled her against him.

Zhang Qiaoqiao's relief at seeing him was tempered by anxiety over his reaction. Surely Miss Qin would back down now that the Young Master was here.

But Shen Ke Qin, frustrated at being denied her kiss, began throwing a drunken tantrum. "Sister-in-law, my sister-in-law... you bastard, let go of her!"

She lunged forward, trying to wrench Song Qi Nian from Shen Chi Yan's grip. Song Qi Nian wasn't helping matters, squirming to break free and return to Shen Ke Qin.

Zhang Qiaoqiao stood frozen, clutching her phone. If blood was shed tonight, she'd need to call the Old Madam immediately. The whole scene struck her as bizarre - the Young Master's wife and his cousin carrying on like star-crossed lovers torn apart by fate.

"Shen Ke Qin!" Shen Chi Yan's voice cracked like thunder. "Open your eyes and look at who I am!"

Song Qi Nian trembled in his arms, but rather than settling down, she fought harder to escape. Shen Chi Yan fixed her with an arctic stare. "Song Qi Nian, if you move one more time-"

"Ah, I know who you are!" Shen Ke Qin cut him off. "You're a spy from the Jibberish Country, here to steal my sister-in-law! Let her go, or I'll beat you to death with my tiny fists!"

True to her word, she swung at him. Despite her childhood martial arts training - a precaution after being kidnapped as a child - she was no match for Shen Chi Yan even when sober. In her current state, it was almost laughable. He caught her fist mid-swing.

"Enough!" he barked.

"Guard Jian!" Shen Ke Qin yelled, still trying to wrench her hand free. "What are you standing there for? Help me defeat this villain!"

Jian Mubai remained rooted to the spot. He wouldn't dare raise a hand against Shen Chi Yan - not if he had a hundred times more courage than he did now.

Shen Chi Yan's last thread of patience snapped. "Take her away," he ordered Jian Mubai coldly.

Jian Mubai sprang into action, grabbing Shen Ke Qin's arms.

"Hey! I told you to fight him, not drag me away!" she protested. "Wait - Guard Jian, you traitor! What did he promise you? What did he give you?"

Her wild struggling left Jian Mubai no choice but to hoist her up by the waist and carry her toward the car.

"Stop."

Shen Chi Yan's command froze Jian Mubai in his tracks. He turned back nervously.

"How long have they been like this?"

Jian Mubai understood immediately - Shen Chi Yan wanted to know how long the two women had been getting cozy with each other.

"About two hours," he admitted. He explained how Song Qi Nian's inability to speak hadn't stopped them from communicating through phones and gestures, forming an odd friendship. Neither could handle their alcohol well, and they'd gotten drunk quickly. That's when Shen Ke Qin had started finding Song Qi Nian irresistibly cute, insisting on cuddling and kissing her. Jian Mubai had been powerless to stop it.

Watching Shen Ke Qin being taken away, Song Qi Nian grew frantic. Her alcohol-addled mind could only focus on one thought: Qin Qin was so adorable, and these bad people were taking her away!

Qin Qin!

She tried to chase after her friend, but Shen Chi Yan's iron grip caught her, dragging her back into the villa. His face was thunderous.

Shen Chi Yan threw Song Qi Nian into the bathroom and grabbed the shower head, turning it on full blast over her head.

"Coming home reeking like this. Disgusting!"

Despite the water being temperature-controlled, terror seized Song Qi Nian. She thrashed, trying to escape. Her red dress was soaked through now, clinging to her skin. With her disheveled hair and flushed cheeks, she looked disarmingly vulnerable.

Shen Chi Yan's eyes grew dark as rage consumed him. The thought of other men seeing her like this made his blood boil. He shoved her against the wall, his voice deadly quiet. "Who gave you permission to go to a bar?"

The contrast between the cold wall and hot water made Song Qi Nian's head spin even more. She could feel the fury radiating from him, and her fear mounted.

Let me go!

The words screamed in her head as she tried to push past him, but he wouldn't budge.

Then it happened.

In her panic, Song Qi Nian's hand flew out, connecting with Shen Chi Yan's face with a sharp crack.

They both froze.

Shen Chi Yan couldn't believe it. His docile little wife had actually slapped him.

Song Qi Nian's face drained of color as she stared at his thunderous expression.

She was dead. She had just hit Shen Chi Yan. He would kill her.

Then she remembered Shen Ke Qin's advice - act cute, and he won't be able to resist.

Song Qi Nian grabbed his hand, met his eyes, and gave him her sweetest smile. Before he could react, she threw herself against his chest, nuzzling close and playfully tapping him with her small fists.

Shen Chi Yan wasn't amused.

He shoved her away violently, his hand closing around her throat. "Drunk and out of control. Maybe I should let Grandmother see what her perfect, well-behaved daughter-in-law really looks like."

Song Qi Nian shook her head frantically, tears spilling down her cheeks.

As they fell on his hand, Shen Chi Yan hesitated. She looked so fragile, crying there like that. His eyes darkened.

"Song Qi Nian, you'll pay for hitting me."

He crushed his mouth against hers in a brutal kiss.