You Go Be Doormen

Bang bang bang.

There came another knock at the door from outside.

"Come in," Yan Xiaohu called, his voice a little tight.

"Young Master Yan..." The one who entered was the willow-waisted madam, swaying her hips as she glided into the room. "Oh my, our Rouyi truly has rotten luck with timing. A high official just happened to make an appointment to see her. He went in only moments before you arrived. We open our doors for business—we can't exactly turn customers away... so I'll have to trouble you to wait a little longer. Rouyi will come right over once she's finished entertaining him."

As the madam spoke, she walked toward Yan Xiaohu. Yet Yan Xiaohu seemed not to have heard a word she said. He merely stared at her footsteps, as if terrified she might come near him.

Just as the madam was about to sit beside him, Yan Xiaohu immediately scooted away and moved a little farther off. Then he pointed to the seat with its back to the screen. "Just sit there. Don't come near me."

"Fine, fine, fine..." The madam smiled. "We've known each other for so many years, yet you're still this distant. I guarantee you, Miss Rouyi absolutely has you in her heart. When you didn't come by these past two days, she was even secretly talking to me about you..."

"Rouyi was talking about me?" Yan Xiaohu perked up a little when he heard that.

"Hm?" The madam looked around in puzzlement. "Where are those two little girls I sent over to attend to you first? Why have they run off somewhere? They truly have no manners."

"You'll see them soon enough..." Yan Xiaohu said weakly.

"Hm?" Just as the madam was wondering about it, pain struck the back of her head, and everything went black before her eyes.

Her flamboyantly dressed body went limp and collapsed as well.

Behind her, Chu Liang put away the brick and shook his head. "This one isn't either."

Yan Xiaohu got up on his own and dragged the madam behind the screen as well, laying her side by side with the other two good girls, all lined up neat and tidy.

As he dragged her, he asked, "Brother Chu, why do I have to lure the Painted Skin Ghost out here? Couldn't I just go straight home, gather enough people to protect me, and be done with it?"

"You could, as long as you never leave your house again," Chu Liang said. "There are only thieves who steal for a thousand days; there's no guarding against thieves for a thousand days. If you don't catch the Painted Skin Ghost soon, you'll always be in danger. Are you willing to live like that?"

"Then forget it..." Yan Xiaohu finally gave up on the idea.

While he was dragging her, fighting suddenly broke out outside with a series of bangs and crashes.

In almost the blink of an eye, the door was slammed open again, and two bodyguards tumbled and crawled into the room.

"Ow, Young Master, she insisted on coming in! We couldn't stop her!" The bodyguards scrambled up and wailed.

"Hm?" Yan Xiaohu was about to fly into a rage, but when he looked up at the intruder, he froze. "Instructor Song?"

Song Qingyi frowned as well, somewhat angry. "Don't you know how much danger you're in? And you still came to this kind of place to fool around, you..."

As she spoke, she suddenly froze too.

Because when she looked up, she saw Yan Xiaohu sticking his rear out as he dragged a limp body across the floor, while two other girls lay sprawled on the ground.

And beside Yan Xiaohu stood Chu Liang...

"You two... what kind of wicked, conscience-searing deed are you doing?" she immediately demanded.

"Brother Chu told me to do it!" Yan Xiaohu hastily let go and shouted.

Well then.

He was certainly quick to pass the buck.

Chu Liang was speechless for a moment, then explained to Song Qingyi, "I thought the Painted Skin Ghost might come near Yan Xiaohu, so I came to protect him."

Song Qingyi's gaze flicked toward the three unconscious women. When she looked back at Chu Liang, she still looked at him as though he were a pervert.

"We were only checking whether they were Painted Skin Ghosts. It was just a tiny side effect," Chu Liang immediately said.

"Forget it. You two, get out first!" Yan Xiaohu drove the two bodyguards out again before asking, "Instructor Song, why did you come?"

"I came to protect you too." Song Qingyi was still somewhat doubtful, and she asked Chu Liang again, "Your method for checking whether they're Painted Skin Ghosts... is it to beat them up first and see whether they fight back?"

"..." Chu Liang's gaze grew melancholy.

Bang bang bang.

After a little while, there came another knock at the door.

"Come in." Yan Xiaohu immediately tensed all over again.

"Young Master Yan..." This time, the one who entered was a young beauty with a soft, graceful figure and a thousand charms. She wore a plain gauze palace dress, with a delicate face and willow brows. Every shift of her eyes overflowed with tender affection.

"Rouyi, you've finally come." The moment Yan Xiaohu saw her, his gaze went straight, and most of the tension in his eyes faded away.

"I was delayed for quite a while just now. You're not angry with this servant girl, are you?" Rouyi asked sweetly as she glided forward.

"How could I be? The moment I see you... my anger disappears at once." Yan Xiaohu scratched his head and smiled.

"I knew it. Only you truly love me and treat me well. You're different from all those stinking men." Rouyi pouted as she sat down in the seat with its back to the door.

"Uh..." Yan Xiaohu gritted his teeth. Though he hesitated, he still pointed to the seat facing away from the screen. "Rouyi, sit there."

"Hm?" Rouyi paused, then burst into laughter. "Hehe, why are you acting so strangely today?"

"No, it's just that I want to face your face, so I can see you more clearly," Yan Xiaohu said.

"Fine, fine, fine." Rouyi agreed helplessly. As she rose, she asked, "Today isn't a rest day. Why didn't you go to the academy?"

"I just... didn't feel like going." Naturally, Yan Xiaohu could not say that he had taken a vicious beating at the academy and had been too embarrassed to return.

Especially since the culprit was currently behind the screen.

"Didn't you say that new Instructor Song at your academy has half my beauty? You even said that every day in class, seeing her made your heart itch. Why are you too lazy to go look at her now?" Rouyi said. "Men truly only stay fresh for a few days."

"That's not true..." Yan Xiaohu sat up straight at once. "You can't just say things like that, Rouyi."

"Fine, fine, fine." Rouyi agreed again. Then she saw the injuries on Yan Xiaohu's face and cried out, "Young Master Yan, you're hurt? How did that happen? Did you get into a fight with someone?"

"Mm... something like that." Yan Xiaohu hemmed and hawed.

After all, it was difficult to draw the line between a fight and a beating.

"That truly breaks my heart. I've never seen you hurt before." Rouyi pouted, then said, "The person who hurt you is far too wicked! I'll curse him for you..."

"Don't, don't, don't!" Yan Xiaohu nearly reached out to cover Rouyi's mouth. He hurriedly said, "Don't say things like that..."

"Hmph, there's no need anyway." Rouyi said, "That person must be suffering a terrible fate now, right? Didn't you say your father had declared that whoever dared touch even a single hair on your head would either kneel and apologize or have his entire family killed, and that he would never rest otherwise... Just thinking about it frightens me so much..."

"There's no such thing..." Yan Xiaohu hastily waved his hands. "My family has been law-abiding commoners for six generations..."

"Ah?" Rouyi was stunned.

Yan Xiaohu seemed to be getting impatient. He looked directly at Rouyi and said, "It might hurt a little later. Bear with it."

"You rascal..." Rouyi's face flushed red as she was about to coquettishly scold him.

Thud.

Another dull blow rang out.

The beauty fainted.

Chu Liang and Song Qingyi stood side by side behind her, looking at Yan Xiaohu with cold, silent smiles.

Yan Xiaohu wore an innocent expression.

At that awkward moment, fighting erupted outside the door again, followed by a series of bangs and crashes...

Before long, the two bodyguards rolled in with practiced ease once more. They climbed up and wailed, "Young Master, he insisted on barging in! We couldn't stop him!"

"Couldn't stop him, couldn't stop him..." Yan Xiaohu took the chance to fly into a rage, spitting curses. "You might as well pack your bedding and get lost. Don't be bodyguards tomorrow. Go find an inn and work as doormen instead—your business will surely flourish!"