She held him

Wen Ning had a bad feeling the moment she heard her father say that Bo Yan's father had returned early!

No wonder her right eyelid had been twitching ever since she got up! So that old bastard was back!

"No, I have to go to the Bo Family's house!" Wen Ning lost all appetite. She put down her bowl and chopsticks and prepared to leave.

Her father said, "It's pouring outside. You can go tomorrow. If you're worried, give Xiao Yan a call."

Right, her phone!

Wen Ning smacked her forehead. Worry really had thrown her into a panic.

She hurriedly grabbed her phone and called Bo Yan. But although she tried both regular calls and WeChat voice calls, he didn't answer a single one.

Now even her parents sensed something was wrong.

The two exchanged a look. Knowing that old bastard Bo Yurong's temperament, could he have blamed Xiao Yan for what happened today?

Her mother immediately made the decision. "Wen Jing, drive your sister over. Drive slowly and stay safe."

Wen Jing promptly saluted. "Roger! I guarantee I'll deliver my sister safely!"

Her mother shot him a glare. Always with the smart mouth.

Wen Ning stood up too. "Mom, Dad, I'll go see what's happening. Don't worry. If anything really is wrong, I'll definitely call you for help."

Wen Ning wasn't brainless. If Bo Yan's father really had done something to him that she couldn't handle, she would let the Wen Family handle it!

She refused to believe that old bastard would deny even the Wen Family any face.

Once Wen Jing pulled the car around, Tian Xin walked Wen Ning to the door and suddenly asked, "Ningning, why are you suddenly so worried about Bo Yan? You-never mind. Hurry over and see what's happening first. As for the rest, once everything's settled, I'll take my time settling accounts with you!"

Thanks to that one remark from Tian Xin, Wen Ning's mind was a mess the entire drive to the Bo Family's house.

Exactly. Why was she suddenly so worried about Bo Yan?

A person's immediate reaction couldn't lie...

Wen Ning, oh, Wen Ning, do you still remember that Bo Yan becomes a cold-blooded, crazy villain who kills people like cutting hemp later on? Do you remember that you're only licking his boots to stay alive?

But people have many sides. Who says a crazy villain in the later stages can't be a pitiful puppy who makes your heart ache in the beginning? Especially a seemingly innocent puppy like Bo Yan...

Forget it, forget it. There's no point overthinking. Go to the Bo Family's house and see what's happening first.

Even if it were for nothing else, the mere fact that Bo Yan had gone alone to save her today meant she couldn't knowingly leave him to possibly be punished by his father!

The drive took two hours. By the time they reached the Bo Family's house, it was already eleven at night.

The rain was even heavier than when they left the Wen Family's house.

Holding an umbrella, Wen Jing crouched with his back to his sister. "Sis, hop on! I'll carry you!"

Wen Ning smacked his back. "I can walk. Get up. Let's go see what's happening at the main house."

Wen Jing stood, but his voice was rather aggrieved. "How come you can't walk when my brother-in-law's around? Sis, your double standards are getting worse! Am I still your one and only bag-carrying lackey?"

Wen Jing's interruption eased Wen Ning's taut nerves considerably.

Knowing he was deliberately trying to amuse her, Wen Ning ruffled his doggy head and let it slide. "Come on."

Seeing his sister relax, Wen Jing quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

But soon, a little pang of jealousy rose in his heart again.

That bastard Bo Yan had already become his sister's number one favorite!

His own standing in her heart was plummeting!

Jealous!

But very soon, Wen Jing could no longer feel jealous...

Before the siblings reached the main house, they spotted someone kneeling in front of it from a long way off.

Wen Jing was utterly stunned. Only when his sister began hopping forward quickly did he snap out of it and hurry to hold the umbrella over her head.

The closer they got, the more familiar that figure became.

Bo Yan wore a thin white shirt, but several new gashes now split the back of what had originally been an intact shirt.

It hadn't been torn apart. It had been beaten apart.

Blood kept seeping from the whip wounds on his back. Mixed with rainwater, it stained his white shirt a translucent red.

The sight was horrifying.

Rain poured mercilessly over him. Bo Yan knelt with his head lowered. Despite his severe injuries, his back remained straight, carrying an indescribable stubbornness.

Wen Ning's steps grew increasingly urgent. She called Bo Yan's name several times, but the rain was too loud. Every time she spoke, it swallowed most of her voice.

Wen Ning suddenly began to hate rainy days, more than she ever had before.

At last, the person kneeling there seemed to hear her calling him.

His movements were almost stiff as he turned his head slightly to look at her.

Light from the main house spilled over half his body.

Wen Ning saw his bloodless lips seem to move.

The downpour carried away Bo Yan's dreamlike murmur of "Wen Ning."

But that was all right. The downpour had brought his "dream" to his side.

The instant Bo Yan swayed and collapsed, Wen Ning performed what could only be called a medical miracle, rushing over to catch him in her arms.

Wen Jing followed close behind and held the umbrella over them, both stunned and furious.

He was the Wen Family's young master. Even when his parents and sister beat him, they had never been heavy-handed.

The young master who had grown up in a greenhouse had never known that some families actually inflicted family punishment on their children-the kind from ancient times, where a whip could beat someone to death.

Wen Jing felt his worldview suffer another blow.

The last time had been at the Bo Family's underground fighting ring.

Through Bo Yan, Wen Jing seemed to glimpse another world.

That world was chaotic and filthy. One careless moment, and it would chew you up without leaving so much as a scrap.

Yet it was in this world, terrifying by his standards, that Bo Yan had lived out his twenty-some years.

Bo Yan had fought desperately to survive there.

But that was all he had done: survive.

Wen Jing suddenly understood why his sister's heart ached for Bo Yan.

He sniffled, his eyes reddening slightly.

This stupid bastard really did make your heart ache.

Fine. He would compete with him a little less for affection from now on. It was all right if his sister loved Bo Yan a tiny bit more.

Wen Ning had no idea that the easily moved Wen Jing was on the verge of shedding little pearls again. She had only just stepped out of the air-conditioned car. Even after a little wind and rain, her body was still warm.

But Bo Yan was clearly even hotter in her arms.

She hurriedly crouched down and pressed her forehead against his.

Bo Yan had passed out, but when he caught that familiar scent, he forced his eyelids open, wanting to see whether he really was dreaming.

"You have a fever." Wen Ning's tone was cold.

That was how she acted when she was angry.

Yet upon hearing her words, Bo Yan actually lifted the corners of his mouth and smiled at her.

She had to admit, this man was damned beautiful!

Even soaked through by the rain, pale and bedraggled, his sudden smile still held a sickly beauty.

That smile left Wen Ning with nothing but helplessness. She sighed and asked, "Bo Yan, are you an idiot?"

Bo Yan was a little more lucid than before, but the fever made his reactions much slower than usual.

He gazed at her with those beautiful, pitch-black peach-blossom eyes, his attention utterly focused, as though trying to connect to a signal and receive her words.

Apparently, reception failed. Several seconds later, Bo Yan tilted his head. "Hm?"

Exasperated at his failure to stand up for himself, Wen Ning tugged at his cheek, but there wasn't enough flesh on his face to pinch.

Still too thin.

"They tell you to kneel, and you kneel. If you're really that obedient, how come I never see you wag your tail for me?" Wen Ning's words were rather harsh, still tinged with anger.

She could roughly guess why his father had punished him.

She immediately wrapped her arms around Bo Yan. His reactions were sluggish now.

Wen Ning was one of the few people he didn't dislike.

Her scent put him at ease.

So when Wen Ning tried to help him up, he obediently followed her pull and stood.

Wen Ning turned to Wen Jing. "Take off your jacket."

Wen Jing was still caught up in feeling sorry for that dog Bo Yan. When his sister told him to take it off, he did.

Wen Ning draped Wen Jing's garish outdoor jacket over Bo Yan. "Arms out."

After a few seconds, Bo Yan obediently held out his arms.

But the injuries on his back were severe, making even that difficult.

Wen Ning's brow furrowed again.

Bo Yan simply watched her without speaking, his gaze intent.

As though afraid everything before his eyes was an illusion.

Wen Ning thought this Bo Yan was so obedient that it made her heart ache.

After dressing him, Wen Ning said, "Wait here with Wen Jing. I'm going to have a chat with that old bastard."

As she spoke, she turned to instruct Wen Jing, "Look after your brother-in-law. I'll be right out."

Wen Jing wanted to dissuade her. After all, that old bastard had beaten Bo Yan into this state. What if his sister went up there and got caught in an indiscriminate attack?

Yet the way his sister was now also reassured him immensely, inspiring an inexplicable trust.

"Don't worry. Leave my brother-in-law to me. I guarantee I'll take good care of him!" Wen Jing patted his chest.

Wen Ning nodded. By the time she turned toward the main house, her smile was gone.

But just as she was about to go inside, a hand gripped her tightly from behind.

Wen Ning paused and looked back. Bo Yan was still watching her, but his eyes were a little clearer now.

He shook his head, his voice hoarse. "Don't go."

Seeing the worry in his eyes, Wen Ning suddenly smiled and told him very seriously, "Bo Yan, if it wasn't your fault, you shouldn't take the blame and punishment for someone else."

Bo Yan froze.

His bewilderment made her heart ache.

Unable to help herself, Wen Ning stepped forward and hugged him.

He was much taller than her. Her cheek rested against his burning chest, and as she listened to the heart beating inside it, Wen Ning became certain once again that Bo Yan was no longer a tool the author had casually created to develop the romance between the male and female leads and help the male lead grow. He was a living, breathing person.

To this person whose heart was alive but whose life had long since dimmed, she said, "No one has the right to hit you for no reason, not even your biological father. Bo Yan, you can hate them, even hate this world, but don't hate yourself."