NOVPUBChen Nan looked at Nie Xiaoyu with a face full of anger, for she had been keeping her head down previously, so he had not seen the handprint on Nie Xiaoyu’s face.
But the moment she lifted her head, a clear palm print appeared before his eyes.
Sensing the aura emanating from Chen Nan, Nie Xiaoyu instantly became tense, her eyes flustered as she said, "I’m fine..."
Chen Nan, struggling to contain his dissatisfaction, said, "Xiaoyu, we are classmates and now we share meals from the same bowl. I hope we can be honest with each other."
"If we can’t even do this much, I feel I do not deserve to be your friend."
Anxious, Nie Xiaoyu said, "It’s nothing much, just that I went to terminate my rental this afternoon and got into an argument with the landlord, who slapped me."
Chen Nan furrowed his brows, "Because of what?"
Nie Xiaoyu forced a smile, "There was a grapevine in the yard that withered for some reason. The landlord asked me to compensate him with five thousand yuan, which led to the argument."
"Five thousand yuan for a grapevine? How is that different from outright robbery?" Rage began to rise in Chen Nan’s heart.
Seeing Nie Xiaoyu silently refusing to speak, Chen Nan tried to calm his emotions and asked, "Then what happened?"
"I..." Fear flashed across Nie Xiaoyu’s face, "I wanted to call the police since I knew that grapevine wasn’t worth so much."
"But he smashed my phone aggressively, then he beat me up."
"I... all I could do was lose money to avoid disaster," she said, then lowered her head and silently ate her meal.
Chen Nan did not see Nie Xiaoyu’s eyes.
However.
He could clearly see that Nie Xiaoyu’s body was trembling slightly.
It was easy to imagine how much trauma that afternoon’s encounter had caused her.
Chen Nan reached out his hand and tightly held Nie Xiaoyu’s left hand, his gaze tenderly meeting hers, "Xiaoyu, do you trust me?"
Feeling the warmth of Chen Nan’s large hand holding her own, Nie Xiaoyu’s heartbeat quickened, but it was overshadowed by a inexplicable sense of security.
She did not know why Chen Nan asked this, but still nodded repeatedly.
Chen Nan said, "Since you trust me, then take me to the place you rented."
"I’ll help you get some justice."
Nie Xiaoyu shuddered, quickly shaking her head, "Chen Nan, I appreciate your kindness, but my landlord is a thug. We shouldn’t offend him over such a trivial matter. It’s not worth it."
She didn’t mind suffering a bit of injustice.
But she did not want Chen Nan to offend her former landlord because of her.
Chen Nan’s gaze hardened, "Since you live in my house, I must ensure you do not suffer from injustice!"
"If you don’t take me there, then I will go alone."
"After all, I know where you lived before."
Nie Xiaoyu’s eyes became helpless as tears welled up, "Chen Nan, I know you mean well, and I truly appreciate it."
"But please, don’t force me. I don’t want you to risk yourself."
Chen Nan snorted coldly, "Risk myself?"
"What danger is there?"
"You don’t think I’ve spent the past two years in the mountains just praying and meditating, do you?"
"Since you won’t take me there, I’ll go by myself!" he said, standing up and heading towards the doorway.
Just as Chen Nan had put on his shoes, Nie Xiaoyu walked over, her eyes blurred with tears, "I’ll take you there."
She did not want Chen Nan to risk himself for her.
If avoiding it was truly impossible.
Then she was willing to face any unknowns together with Chen Nan.
"That’s more like it!" A faint smile appeared on Chen Nan’s face.
Subsequently, the two of them went outside the complex, hailed a taxi, and drove toward the eastern suburbs where Nie Xiaoyu had previously lived.
Twenty minutes later.
Chen Nan and Nie Xiaoyu arrived in front of a dilapidated civilian house.
This was the place where Nie Xiaoyu had previously lived and made a life, but now the main gate was firmly locked, with the words "Prosperous House for Rent" chalked on the door, along with a telephone number.
Chen Nan dialed the phone number on the gate and a moment later, a rough voice came from inside, "Who is it?"
The voice on the other end was very noisy.
It sounded like a group of people were drinking, and there was also some off-key singing.
Chen Nan cut to the chase, "Are you Mr. Wang? I’m looking to rent a house in the eastern suburbs, and I happened to see your house is up for rent, it seems quite nice."
"Do you have time now, can we meet in person?"
"Sure!" As soon as Wang Meng heard someone wanted to rent his house, he became interested: "Then, come to room 308 at the Empress KTV, I’m waiting for you here."
Chen Nan frowned, the Empress KTV seemed to be on the road he had taken here, about five or six hundred meters away.
"Alright, I’m coming now." Chen Nan agreed, hung up the phone, and looked at Nie Xiaoyu, "Let’s go to the Empress KTV."
"Chen Nan, listen to me, let’s not go, okay?" Nie Xiaoyu’s eyes filled with a pleading look: "Wang Meng has a lot of followers, if I’m not mistaken, he’s probably drinking with his brothers right now. Going there to demand explanations is like walking into a tiger’s den."
Chen Nan turned and walked towards the direction of the Empress KTV, sighing softly, "Even if it’s Heaven’s mighty king, I can’t let you be wronged!"
If it had been someone else, Chen Nan might not have meddled.
But Nie Xiaoyu was different.
She was Chen Nan’s classmate, and now they were living in the same house, eating from the same bowl.
And most importantly,
Nie Xiaoyu fulfilled Chen Nan’s fantasy of a thick, happy, and warm life.
Just for that reason alone,
he couldn’t remain indifferent; he was determined to seek justice for Nie Xiaoyu.
Watching Chen Nan’s tall figure gradually move away.
Nie Xiaoyu couldn’t hold back her tears any longer, and crystal drops began to well out of her eyes, quietly sliding down her cheeks.
A strong sense of emotion welled up in her heart too.
Though she had endured many grievances in her life,
no one had ever said such heartwarming words to her like Chen Nan did.
The night was very quiet.
Stars twinkled in the sky.
She felt that Chen Nan had unexpectedly broken into her heart.
Making her feel less alone, less helpless.
Without giving it much thought,
she quickly caught up to Chen Nan, blushing and following behind him, her head bowed, perhaps lost in her thoughts.
Five minutes later.
Chen Nan and Nie Xiaoyu stopped at the entrance of the Empress KTV. The signboard’s colorful neon lights kept flickering, creating an ambiguous and hazy atmosphere.
"Welcome to the Empress KTV!"
At the entrance stood two rows of scantily-clad, heavily made-up women. They bowed to Chen Nan, and as they bent down, ample cleavages were fully within Chen Nan’s view.
However, Chen Nan’s heart remained undisturbed. Although he liked women, he did not fancy these ladies who made a living by peddling their bodies and beauty.
Chen Nan spoke up, "I’m here to see a friend, he’s in 308."
"Follow me!" A woman gestured invitingly and led Chen Nan and Nie Xiaoyu towards the third floor.
This moment,
Nie Xiaoyu felt her heartbeat quicken, almost to the point of breathlessness.
She didn’t know what would happen next!
