Chapter 165: Chapter 165: What if I Became the Female Lead?
Liang Ciqiu’s action was so sudden that Jiang Nanshu was caught off guard. She was pushed to the ground, and her scabbed wound scraped against the floor, becoming bloody again, marking the pristine floor with abrupt streaks of blood.
The sword fell to the ground with a piercing clink.
Su Ran hid fearfully behind Liang Ciqiu, her delicate eyebrows knitting together, “Brother Ci Qiu…”
Liang Ciqiu had not expected his casual push to injure Jiang Nanshu. The sight of the blood made him panic for no reason, but he quickly regained composure. He was just trying to protect the person he wanted to protect; there was nothing wrong with that.
And besides, Jiang Nanshu had been targeting Su Ran from the start. He was just preventing her from hurting someone and avoiding possible dire consequences.
Jiang Nanshu looked down at her wound, wondering if she was indeed so detestable that many people disliked her, all seemingly eager to harm her, as if the world would be peaceful only when she was oppressed.
She took a deep breath, stood up, and carelessly wiped the blood on her clothes, like a budding red rose—beautiful yet dangerous.
Liang Ciqiu took a small step forward, completely shielding Su Ran. With so many people around, he did not believe Jiang Nanshu would dare to do anything rash.
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Jiang Nanshu raised her hand and slapped him across the face, the sound echoing loudly in the prop room.
Liang Ciqiu’s face turned slightly to the left, a faint taste of blood in his mouth. Clenching his teeth, he lifted his head to meet Jiang Nanshu’s shimmering yet cold gaze.
She showed not a hint of disarray, looking down on him with a lofty demeanor, her red lips slightly parting, “Who allowed you to touch me with your filthy hands?”
Enraged, Liang Ciqiu’s gaze fell upon her injured hand, and he laughed bitterly, a dark expression crossing his face, “Jiang Nanshu, from childhood to now, you’re the only one brave enough to have slapped me twice.”
He had grown up brawling, and fights were as common as meals to him. With his fierce reputation, nobody in the broken alley dared to mess with him anymore, and with his notoriety, nobody else dared to pick a fight. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to be hit.
Thank Jiang Nanshu for reminding him.
If it weren’t for the inexplicable reluctance he felt towards her, and the fact that he had been unable to bring himself to retaliate on several occasions.
Looking at her radiant face, Liang Ciqiu’s clenched fist at his side gradually relaxed.
“Is that enough? Consider it compensation for knocking you over,” he said, his voice much softer, his thoughts complex.
Indeed, he should never have encountered this woman.
A mere sight of her threw his heart into chaos.
Su Ran, hiding behind Liang Ciqiu, could hardly believe it. Liang Ciqiu, known for his brutality, was actually letting it go.
He certainly didn’t have a soft spot for not hitting women.
To think he was apologizing after being slapped.
She felt a sourness in her heart, along with a fear and nameless discomfort.
But she truly regarded Liang Ciqiu as a brother; he could yield to anyone but Jiang Nanshu, the woman who was bent on harming her.
This time, she shielded Liang Ciqiu behind her, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears, bewilderedly staring at Jiang Nanshu, “How could you hit someone? If you hadn’t brought a sword to frighten people, Brother Ci Qiu wouldn’t have pushed you. He’s not that strong; it was your own instability that made you fall. The cut on your hand wasn’t his doing either; how can you take your anger out on him?”
Jiang Nanshu looked at her. Su Ran’s face was pure, her eyes tearful—indeed, she had the looks to be the protagonist, even the sort to be the universally adored heroine in a melodramatic tale.
She raised her hand and struck towards Su Ran’s face. Su Ran seemed to stagger, stabilized by Liang Ciqiu as tears sprang from the pain.
Her cheek visibly reddened, and Jiang Nanshu finally felt a sense of satisfaction.
A trace of amusement revealed itself, his almond eyes innocent to the extreme, “Sorry, I didn’t use much force when I slapped you, how come you can’t even stand steady? I was just testing to see if you would take your anger out on me. Kind-hearted Sister Su Ran.”
Jiang Nanshu returned Su Ran’s words exactly as she had said them.
Su Ran’s eyes, previously brimming with tears, now began to fall.
In the oppressive gaze of Liang Ciqiu, Jiang Nanshu bent down to pick up the sword, “If it weren’t for living in a society ruled by law, I would really like to stab you to death and be done with it.”
Su Ran’s face turned deathly pale.
Her body shrank back in fear.
Not until Liang Ciqiu comfortingly patted her arm did she calm down.
Just a moment ago, she genuinely felt that Jiang Nanshu really did want to stab her.
Right, this is a society ruled by law; murder is illegal, she wouldn’t dare.
Jiang Nanshu’s eyes teased as they lingered on Liang Ciqiu, lifting into a smile, “Coward, come with me.”
Liang Ciqiu’s eyes were bloodshot, his teeth grinding with a cricking sound. Seeing Jiang Nanshu’s retreating figure, he let go of Su Ran and headed in that direction.
Su Ran felt a tremor at the tip of her heart and quickly pulled Liang Ciqiu, “Brother Ci Qiu, you can’t, she will definitely hurt you again.”
Liang Ciqiu smiled at her, his gaze gentle, “It’s okay, Ranran, I’ve got to settle things with her. She does owe me a bit, but after all this time, having hit me a few times, we’re square. And she’s bullying you like this; I can’t just ignore it.”
Only then did Su Ran cover her face, tears dropping onto his arm, “But… Brother Ci Qiu, this isn’t good for you. You’ve only just returned to the Lu Family; what if you leave a bad impression on the Lu Family? And what about Qingyan… if you hurt his fiancée, he won’t let you off.”
Sensing the desolation in her tone, Liang Ciqiu’s emotions, stirred by Jiang Nanshu, were overtaken by Su Ran again. He felt sorry for her; from childhood, she was the only light in his life, and moreover… he had shamefully taken possession of her.
But Su Ran didn’t know; he wondered how she would see him if she knew that the man that night wasn’t Lu Qingyan but him—an opportunist.
Would she still call him ‘brother’ affectionately and rely on him with all her heart as she does now?
Liang Ciqiu didn’t dare gamble on that possibility, but he could do more for Su Ran, help her remove obstacles, and then no one would be able to hurt her again.
Stepping outside, Jiang Nanshu realized their commotion was quite loud.
Many people had taken photos of her hitting Su Ran, probably to fabricate stories of how the cruel woman bullied the kind and pure Su Ran again.
Jiang Nanshu could guess as much with just her toes.
“Ah! Host, how could you hit the female lead!” came Da Shachun’s squealing in her mind.
Jiang Nanshu, tears welling in her eyes, looked at her wound, “Wuuu, it hurts.”
Da Shachun: “…Their faces hurt too.”
Jiang Nanshu played innocent, “They insisted on getting close so I would hit them, how is it only my fault? Don’t they share some of the blame? As the evil supporting female, if I don’t bully Su Ran, I can’t exactly put her on a pedestal, can I? That would be too discordant.”
Da Shachun choked.
Muttering, “Just be careful, alright? In the novel, the more tenaciously the evil supporting female fights back, the more miserable her end.”
Excitement swirled in Jiang Nanshu’s eyes as her lush lashes fell. She gently licked her lips, “What if, I became the female lead?”