Chapter 4: Caught in the Act—Again

Jiang Luan was gloomy for a moment but soon came to terms with it. After all, ever since dealing with that rogue little uncle, he had already planned on leaving.

For one, Jiang Luan simply couldn’t stand being married to a man; for another, no matter how foolish he might be, he could sense the turbulent undercurrents within the Qi family.

It was one thing that the original owner didn’t get along with Prince Su Ping; it was quite another that Lady Zhou and the prince were also outwardly harmonious yet inwardly estranged.

The head of the Qi family was old and weak, barely able to manage the household affairs, and to make matters worse, the proper heir was an imbecile.

In short, it was a complete mess.

Jiang Luan had no interest in scheming and plotting with a bunch of women—or rather, womenfolk.

Even if he couldn’t return to the modern world, he couldn’t stay in this den of quarrels.

It was just that this body truly held him back.

Lost in thought, Jiang Luan got up and jumped lightly in place.

He did a simple warm-up before exercising, then placed his hands on the ground and began doing push-ups.

“One, two... three, three...”

After just three, his arms trembled like noodles, shaking uncontrollably. Forget it; he switched to seated forward bends instead.

Jiang Luan was so engrossed in his workout that he didn’t notice the ancestral hall door crack open. Someone tiptoed inside and approached from behind.

“Pretty one, guess who I am?”

A pair of hands covered Jiang Luan’s eyes from behind.

Jiang Luan: “...”

The intruder was clearly male, his rough chin, covered with stubble, brushing against Jiang Luan’s neck.

Politely, Jiang Luan asked, “So, do you think I’ll guess or not?”

Before his words finished, he suddenly raised his elbow and jabbed the man’s chin with the sharpest joint.

The man had come with business in mind, and with Jiang Luan’s earlier flirtatious attitude, he was completely unguarded.

Unexpectedly, the young man turned hostile and delivered a sudden blow, catching the man off guard. He clutched his chin and fell to the ground in pain.

“Who the hell are you!”

Disgusted, Jiang Luan rubbed his neck vigorously and kicked at the shameless lecher.

But the man was no pushover. Although still recovering from the pain, he grabbed Jiang Luan’s ankle with one hand and glared fiercely, clutching his chin, “Your lover!”

Jiang Luan: “...”

The man wasn’t tall but had a massive frame. Wearing a sheepskin coat, his muscular build was evident even through the clothing. He was definitely not someone to mess with.

Jiang Luan was certain he didn’t recognize him.

But the original owner might.

Having been unexpectedly hit, the man was angry, but seeing Jiang Luan’s delicate face, an idea struck him. He chuckled slyly, “Got it, flirting, huh? Though your method is a bit unusual, I like it.”

He then reached out, running his hands up Jiang Luan’s legs. Goosebumps broke out all over Jiang Luan’s body, and he quickly pulled his legs away.

Though not of the same orientation, Jiang Luan couldn’t endure being touched by another man like that—damn, it would haunt his nightmares for nights!

Suppressing his anger, Jiang Luan politely said, “Brother, sorry, whatever our past relationship was, let’s break up.”

The man was stunned, “What do you mean?”

“I mean I don’t want to be with you anymore,” Jiang Luan said, blinking and babbling, “I want to be a virtuous wife devoted to my husband.”

“Didn’t you say that idiot is useless, occupying the spot but not doing anything?” the man frowned. “You said you were lonely guarding an empty house, craving someone like me, wanting to run away with me. Didn’t you say that?”

Damn... the original owner was ridiculously wild!

Jiang Luan held back the urge to spit blood and calmly explained, “Times have changed. I’ve realized I prefer something more platonic.”

Though the man didn’t understand what ‘platonic’ meant, even he grasped Jiang Luan’s rejection.

His expression darkened instantly.

With his naturally narrow, upward-slanting eyes, the man now looked at Jiang Luan like a blade.

“So you don’t want me anymore,” he sneered. “Are you playing me?”

If this had been the old Jiang Luan, seeing the man’s expression, he surely would have retorted, “What if I am?” and rushed in to fight.

But damn it, now he was a weakling who couldn’t even manage three push-ups!

Jiang Luan gave a polite smile, “Big brother, it’s not like that. Don’t say it like that...”

He planned to keep him calm and slowly moved toward the door, hoping for reinforcements... Speaking of which, wasn’t the gatekeeper dead? Even if he was taking a dump, he should’ve returned by now. How could he not hear such a commotion?

“Where do you think you’re going?” The man watched Jiang Luan’s movements with predatory eyes and took a step forward.

Jiang Luan’s heart sank and he dashed to the door.

But the man was clearly a fighter. In two strides, he caught Jiang Luan, grabbed his neck, and pulled him back with a cold laugh:

“Trying to run? Where to? I came all this way for you, you little wanton. I haven’t even kissed you once, and you want to send me packing?”

“Get lost!”

Jiang Luan was trapped in the man’s arms, completely helpless. He never imagined himself to be so deeply effeminate.

He tried to kick but his legs were held; he tried to bite but his mouth was covered. His weak body had no chance against the man.

The man was determined to force himself on him, so all Jiang Luan’s resistance was like a mere tickle to him.

This rapist even enjoyed the feeble struggle, holding Jiang Luan as he headed to the back room of the ancestral hall. “Pretty one, today I’ll show you what a real man is.”

Damn, don’t insult decent people like that!

But when the man pinned him down and tore at his clothes, Jiang Luan surprisingly fell silent.

He lay under the man without resistance, expressionless, staring at his face.

Jiang Luan’s reaction stunned the man: “You...”

“Well, I can’t win by fighting anyway, might as well suffer less,” Jiang Luan sighed.

He had heard that the young master of the Jiang family was both flirtatious and cowardly, afraid of the strong and bullying the weak. Now it was clear this was true.

The man relaxed slightly, unbuckling his belt with a smile. “That’s better. After you’re with me once, you’ll know what pleasure is. I’m a big deal...”

Jiang Luan squinted, “Do you know what I used to do?”

The man casually took off his pants, “Do what?”

“Played soccer.”

Jiang Luan bent one knee and struck hard at the man’s crotch.

...

...

Jiang Luan untied the rapist’s belt, then securely bound the unconscious man to a pillar. Shaking his head, he walked out.

He claimed to be so big, yet that was it?

Indeed, throughout history, there have always been men with baffling overconfidence.

Jiang Luan planned to instruct a servant to report to the authorities. But when he stepped outside, the courtyard was empty—quite strange.

Sensing something amiss, he tightened his cloak and headed toward the main hall. Then, a nimble figure climbed over the wall and landed in the snow.

“Qi Shaolin?” Jiang Luan was surprised.

Qi Shaolin saw him and broke into a goofy smile. “Wife, I finally found you! Wife, eat this—I picked lots of fruit for you!”

Despite the freezing winter, he wore just a thin shirt and pants, carrying a handful of pine cones wrapped in a flimsy coat like a precious treasure.

Jiang Luan looked closely. The boy wasn’t even wearing shoes, his feet bare and purple from the cold, yet he proudly showed off his few pine cones.

“Where are your shoes?” Jiang Luan was nearly furious. “Are you stupid? Wearing so little, aren’t you freezing?”

Then he remembered—he was indeed a fool.

But fools didn’t like to hear that.

Qi Shaolin pouted, “I’m not stupid, I’m not cold! It’s all your fault, wife!”

He then threw the pine cones to the ground in a childish tantrum.

“Hey, you little brat!”

Jiang Luan wasn’t about to get mad at a fool. He took off his down cloak and wrapped it around Qi Shaolin, soothing him halfheartedly, “Yes, yes, Shaolin is not stupid. You’re the smartest person in the world.”

Qi Shaolin was still dissatisfied, “But I’m older than you! Don’t call me little Shaolin!”

“Okay, okay, Brother Shaolin. Let’s go inside and talk, alright? You really aren’t afraid of the cold.”

Jiang Luan said casually, but as soon as he took off his cloak, he shivered as if plunging into an ice cave.

The little fool noticed and even cared, “Wife, aren’t you cold?”

“Damn, what do you think?” Jiang Luan rubbed his arms, rolling his eyes. “Come on, let’s hurry inside!”

Though inside there was no stove either, and the drafty old house wasn’t much warmer than outside.

Jiang Luan and Qi Shaolin hurried back to the ancestral hall. Upon entering, Jiang Luan sneezed.

Qi Shaolin moved to remove his cloak, “Wife, you should wear...”

“Put it on yourself, ancestor!” Jiang Luan sighed. “Wearing your thin clothes is hardly different from nothing.”

“But I really am not cold.” Qi Shaolin said plaintively, then had a bright idea. “How about I hold you?”

He opened his cloak and spread his arms for an embrace.

“Hey, hey!”

Jiang Luan was caught off guard as Qi Shaolin held him tightly.

The boy really wasn’t lying. After running in thin clothes through the snow, his body was like a little furnace—warm and cozy.

Wrapped in Qi Shaolin’s open cloak, Jiang Luan felt like he was leaning against a big warm dog, only his somewhat exasperated head sticking out.

“Wife, how is it? Warm?” Qi Shaolin wagged his invisible tail proudly, seeking praise.

Although it was like escaping a tiger’s den only to fall into a wolf’s lair—having just been held by one man, now held by another—being held by Qi Shaolin was not unpleasant.

Jiang Luan attributed it to the strength of a grown man-child and the similarity to being hugged by a child, so he didn’t push him away.

Mostly, it was just incredibly warm.

“You’ve been up on the mountain all morning. Did you eat breakfast?”

The two sat together on a mat, sharing the cloak. Jiang Luan nestled comfortably in Qi Shaolin’s warm embrace and asked lazily.

Qi Shaolin smiled foolishly, “I ate a lot—wooden fruit, icy treats, and even grasshoppers...”

Jiang Luan was shocked, “Grasshoppers in winter? Wait... You’re supposed to be the legitimate eldest grandson of the Qi family, right? Doesn’t anyone take care of your food and clothes? They just let you run wild outside?”

Qi Shaolin defended indignantly, “Not wild! I have important things to do!”

Jiang Luan gave him a subtle look.

He had always thought the Qi family was absurd, but it turned out even more so. Though Qi Shaolin’s parents were dead, the old patriarch was still alive—yet they treated the legitimate eldest grandson like this?

“When I get a foothold outside, I’ll take you with me,” Jiang Luan said sympathetically.