Chapter 23 Overcome You wouldn’t, right?

Chapter 23: Conquering Fear

You wouldn't, right?

The encounter with the vicious dog had left Zhong Yao deeply traumatized. Terrified, she instinctively moved closer to Xie Chi for safety, completely forgetting the rules of decorum between men and women, just like that night in the cave.

This was normal. In the face of mortal danger, no one would care about such trivial matters, just as starving refugees wouldn't mind if a steamed bun had dust on it.

But Xie Chi was no longer the same man he had been that day—half-blind, immobile, and dependent on Zhong Yao.

He was acutely aware that the body in his arms belonged to a young woman of exceptional beauty, and he was inevitably affected by it.

This, too, was normal. After all, he was a man, and this was a base, innate trait shared by most men—one that was difficult to control.

—Unless the man was still a wet-behind-the-ears kid, like Xue Fang.

With one hand resting on Zhong Yao's waist—she was too frightened to even turn her head—Xie Chi used his other hand to grab Xue Fang by the neck and pull him away.

"Shut up."

Xie Chi snapped again.

These words were directed at Xue Fang, but Zhong Yao, accustomed to such commands, assumed they were meant for her. Just like during their wilderness ordeal, she trembled but clamped her mouth shut.

Xie Chi noticed the disappearance of the frightened whimpers buried against his neck and felt the trembling of the body in his arms, evoking a strange feeling in him.

However, before he could analyze it further, Xue Fang, who had been pulled away, truly behaved like a demon-possessed wild dog. Barking like a dog, he flailed his limbs and lunged forward again.

His movements stirred a gust of wind, carrying a terrifying roar as it swept toward them, reminiscent of the vicious dog that had been repelled by Xie Chi only to charge back again.

Naturally, Zhong Yao felt the same.

"Xue Fang!"

So when anger tinged Xie Chi's voice as he warned Xue Fang in a low tone, Zhong Yao, not wanting to distract him, instinctively clung to his arm and shifted to his other side.

Her hands spread wide, wrapped her arms tightly around Xie Chi's back, her upper body pressed close against his. At the same time, she hooked her knees over Xie Chi's legs, and to minimize her impact on him, she simply let herself fall sideways.

The body tilting against his shoulder made Xie Chi aware of her intention.

He extended his arm further, wrapping it around Zhong Yao's waist and lifting her up, pulling her firmly against him. With his other hand, he clamped a hand on Xue Fang's neck as he charged back again and slammed him onto the table with a "thud."

After restraining both of them, Xie Chi barked at the young woman forced to lie against his chest, "Zhong Yao, take a good look at what kind of dog this is!"

Zhong Yao didn't dare to look back, as the terrifying "vicious dog's" growls and struggles continued.

Xie Chi was furious. He added, "If you don't turn around, I'll let go and let him bite you."

Zhong Yao shuddered. Only then did she wrap her arms around Xie Chi's neck, shrinking away from the "vicious dog," and turned her head back awkwardly, her heart pounding with fear.

She only glanced for a moment before immediately turning back and burying her face against Xie Chi's neck again.

Xie Chi silently glared at the head nestled against him. After a moment, he finally saw Zhong Yao slowly lift her head.

She didn't immediately look back. Instead, she first looked up in confusion, remaining dazed for a moment under Xie Chi's gaze as if he were looking at a fool, before slowly turning to look behind her a second time.

She realized she hadn't been mistaken.

She saw clearly that the "dog" being held by the neck and pressed against the stone table was named Xue Fang.

"You... you..." Zhong Yao was so angry she couldn't form a complete sentence.

Even with his face pressed against the stone table, Xue Fang couldn't stop flailing his arms. Barking joyfully, he saw he had been discovered and, lifting his head as best he could, laughed triumphantly, "Hahaha! Serves you right for tricking me! Scared you to death!"

Furious, Zhong Yao raised her hand to strike Xue Fang, but his arm tightened around her waist and turned her in another direction, causing her to miss.

Her eyes, still filled with lingering fear, stared at Xie Chi in shock. "You're helping him, not me!"

Xie Chi replied, "If you seek revenge and hit him, and he seeks revenge and hits you back, then Miss Zhong, please answer me: who should I seek revenge from?"

Zhong Yao opened her mouth to speak but couldn't find an answer. She let out a long, drawn-out whimper and raised her hand, slapping Xie Chi's chest with a "smack."

Xie Chi truly wanted to strangle this bold and repeatedly provocative young woman!

But this time, it was indeed Xue Fang who had gone too far. Knowing full well how terrified Zhong Yao was of dogs, he had still chosen to scare her.

Xie Chi let Zhong Yao's slap pass and turned his attention to the other troublemaker, his face cold as he demanded, "Are my words no longer effective?"

Xue Fang, who had been grinning cheekily, immediately looked guilty and became obedient. He closed his eyes and slumped onto the stone table.

When Xie Chi released his grip on Xue Fang's neck, he melted into a puddle, sliding automatically onto the bench and pretending to be dead.

Having dealt with that, Xie Chi lowered his gaze to Zhong Yao, who was still nestled in his arms, and ordered, "Get down!"

Only then did Zhong Yao realize she was kneeling awkwardly on Xie Chi's lap. Her face grew hot as she hurriedly tried to get down.

However, getting down required borrowing support from Xie Chi's body. Feeling embarrassed, she grabbed his shoulder briefly before letting go. The touch was like layers of willow catkins clinging to the skin, stirring a faint, elusive itch that unsettled Xie Chi.

Struggling to suppress the base instincts of a man, he grasped Zhong Yao's wandering hand with one hand and placed the other on her waist. Lifting her forward, he moved her from his embrace to the stone bench on the other side.

Zhong Yao was startled and nearly toppled off the stone bench after Xie Chi released her.

Xie Chi showed no concern. Wearing a dark expression that barely contained his anger, he issued a command, "Return to the Zhong residence. Bring me a few of your eldest brother's personal belongings, and while you're at it, give me all the dogs your second brother is raising."

"Are you sending people to take the dogs to Jiangzhou to search for my eldest brother?"

Zhong Yao didn't object, but she asked, "Won't that be too slow?"

Xie Chi calmly met Zhong Yao's gaze, his breath steady as he replied, "Some people, when pushed to the extreme of anger, erupt in fury. Others, when their emotions are stretched to the limit, become even calmer. I belong to the latter category. Zhong Yao, do you understand what I mean by this?"

Zhong Yao understood. She shrank back slightly and obediently closed her mouth.

One of the three lay sprawled on the table, pretending to be dead; another poured a cup of tea, holding it as she sipped slowly; and the last rested his forehead on one hand, quietly calming his emotions.

After about a quarter of an hour, Xie Chi stood up and said, "Let's go."

Xue Fang, who had been lying on the stone table for a long time, finally regained his vitality. Zhong Yao also set down her teacup and let out a long sigh.

But neither of them spoke. It wasn't until they were leaving and the hanging gauze curtains blocked their path that Zhong Yao quietly asked, "Heir Xie, have you calmed down?"

Xie Chi warned, "Don't provoke me."

"I wasn't trying to provoke you..." Zhong Yao felt wronged by the accusation.

She wasn't incapable of reading the room.

She muttered, "I don't know why you're so angry. I'm the young lady here—clearly, I'm the one who suffered more."

If it weren't for these gauze curtains offering some concealment, her reputation would have been ruined. Completely destroyed by these two brothers from the Yong'an Marquis Estate. Could it be that Xie Chi felt he had been taken advantage of by her?

If it were any other guy, Zhong Yao wouldn't believe it, but considering Xie Chi, she recalled the previous incident where she had ended up protecting his virtue by mistake and thought it wasn't impossible.

Seeing Xie Chi remain silent, Zhong Yao hesitated for a moment, remembering his promise to help her deal with Chen Luoling. She humbled herself, tugged at Xie Chi's sleeve, and said, "I was wrong, and so was Xue Fang, okay?"

Xue Fang, unexpectedly mentioned, immediately turned his head and let out a fierce "woof" at Zhong Yao.

Zhong Yao jumped, startled, and quickly moved to the other side of Xie Chi, still secretly clinging to his sleeve.

Xie Chi saw it but didn't bother.

He just wanted to send Zhong Yao back quickly and end this absurd day.

His lack of intervention, in Xue Fang's eyes, meant he could mess around. Xue Fang said, "Clinging to my brother like that... Aren't you afraid he might suddenly start barking too?"

Xie Chi: "..."

Before he could speak, Zhong Yao eagerly defended him, "Heir Xie would never!"

Zhong Yao walked beside Xie Chi, looking up at him and saying, "You wouldn't, right? Heir Xie, you're the best. You're the ultimate hero against dogs."

"..."

Xie Chi's face darkened, and he reached out to pinch Zhong Yao's cheek.

Her cheek was soft, her skin delicate, and the smooth, tender texture easily stirred mischievous thoughts in others.

To suppress this growing mischief, Xie Chi squeezed a little harder.

He'd pinched a little too hard. Zhong Yao winced in pain, uttering "Ow, ow" as she pulled his hand away. Eyes watering from the pain, she complained tearfully, "All you do is bully me. Xue Fang said it too—you never pinch him."

Xie Chi raised his hand and made a swipe at Xue Fang, but in that instant, Xue Fang vaulted off a roadside rock toward a nearby small tree.

His movements were nimble, like a slippery fish, but unfortunately not fast enough to escape Xie Chi. He was caught by the wrist, yanked down, and landed heavily on the grass, turning into a helplessly struggling fish stranded on shore.

Xie Chi squatted in front of him, looking down, and reminded him in a low voice, "Remember the lesson?"

Xue Fang grimaced in pain, sat up rubbing his knee, and said, "I remember, I really remember this time. I'll be obedient from now on, big brother."

Xie Chi narrowed his eyes, stared at him for a moment, tapped him twice on the forehead, stood up, and pulled Xue Fang to his feet as well.

This time, Xue Fang truly behaved himself, quietly playing the role of a well-mannered young lady without any further mischief.

Then Xie Chi turned to Zhong Yao. She quickly covered her face and said, "You've already pinched me. You can't hit me now, or it'll be tough to explain to the servants if they see later."

"I won't hit you," Xie Chi said. "Next time you see Chen Luoling, there will definitely be a dog by her side. Do you know why?"

Zhong Yao knew—because she had shown her fear too obviously today, giving Chen Luoling a weakness to exploit.

"But I'm just scared..."

"It's okay to be scared, but you can't show it so clearly. Otherwise, besides Chen Luoling, you'll encounter many others in the future who will try to use this against you, like Fei Anxuan."

If a weakness is too obvious, it's easily exploited.

Xie Chi knew Zhong Yao's fear of vicious dogs and didn't expect her to overcome it in a day or two. "At least you shouldn't be afraid of puppies a few months old. They're so small, you could send one flying with a kick. What's there to be afraid of?"

Zhong Yao hung her head and followed him for a few steps, murmuring softly, "You're lying. Last time you told me throwing stones at bandits could kill them, but did it? Not only did they not die, but one even picked me up and almost threw me to my death."

"..."

Xie Chi looked her up and down, then at the small section of fair, delicate wrist peeking out from her sleeve. He took a deep breath and said, "If you don't overcome it, then just wait to be bullied in the future."

"You protect me."

Xie Chi: "I won't. Once your two brothers' matters are resolved, you and I will go our separate ways immediately. After that, whether Fei Anxuan bullies you or Xue Fang frightens you, I won't lift a finger."

Zhong Yao fell silent.

She knew Xie Chi was right. Many people fear fierce, vicious dogs, but few are afraid of small, cute puppies. If she couldn't overcome this, not only would bad men take advantage, but even little kids could easily bully her in the future.

Xie Chi was right—she had to overcome it.

But it had to be done little by little.

By the time they left the hibiscus grove and reached her family's carriage, Zhong Yao had come to this realization.

She wanted to try, especially with Xie Chi by her side.

Zhong Yao told Xie Chi her idea, and he asked, "How do you want to try?"

Zhong Yao turned to Xue Fang, but before she could speak, he already understood, rolled his eyes, turned around, and boarded his family's carriage, clearly not wanting to say another word to her.

Zhong Yao regretfully turned back to Xie Chi and said, "Then you'll have to be the one to imitate..."

"Imitate what?" Xie Chi bent down again, his eyes gleaming dangerously as he stared at Zhong Yao, while flexing his hands, the knuckles cracking audibly.

Zhong Yao couldn't bring herself to say it. She stammered for a moment and said, "I-imitate... playing the flute, to cultivate one's character, so I won't be afraid of worldly things anymore."

Though she said this, she made a fierce, growling "grrr" face at Xie Chi.

As soon as she finished, seeing Xie Chi raise his arm, she panicked and scrambled into the carriage in a hurry.

Xie Chi watched her enter the carriage and lower the curtain, then sneered coldly on the spot before turning and walking toward the Marquis's carriage with his hands clasped behind his back.

But halfway there, the hand he held behind his back unconsciously rubbed his fingers together. He paused, clenched it tightly again, and remained motionless.