The moment he heard that familiar voice, Shen Tian froze.
Almost instinctively, he turned his head—
"Idiot!!"
What filled his vision was a brutal whip kick flying straight at his face.
Bang!
"Pff—!"
Shen Tian's face visibly caved in as he was kicked clean off his feet, his body flying several meters before slamming into the floor.
And it didn't stop there.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Idiot! Absolute idiot!"
"Is this all you're capable of? Causing trouble like a useless piece of trash?!"
The figure that had burst in kept attacking without pause—kicks to the chest, the abdomen, the cheek—each one ruthless.
Gu Yan was furious.
Just one second later—just one damn second—and things would've gone completely out of control.
This cursed repairing-the-plot world could've twisted the outcome into something far worse than the original.
Gu Yan stomped down hard on the piece of rotten meat writhing on the floor.
If he'd arrived a second later—
If Leng Ling'er had been hurt—
Leng Qingqiu's personality would've shattered completely. She'd cut off all emotional ties.
Everything Gu Yan had done until now would've been meaningless.
"Help… help…"
"Stop… don't kick me anymore…"
Shen Tian was bleeding badly now, curled up like a shrimp, sobbing and begging.
The people he'd brought with him were completely stunned.
Their legs were shaking, fear written all over their faces.
Wait.
Isn't that… Young Master Gu?!
Why is he here?!
Didn't he already beat them half to death this morning?!
"R–run!!"
Someone finally screamed.
It was like a life-saving command.
They immediately released Leng Ling'er and the others and bolted for the door, scrambling over each other to escape.
Xiao Wei felt her whole body go cold. Her knees gave out and she collapsed onto the floor.
"Gu… Gu…"
"Brother-in-law!!"
Leng Ling'er jumped up, eyes sparkling as she stared at Gu Yan in disbelief.
Seeing him here—at this exact moment—hit her so hard emotionally that she blurted it out without thinking.
??
The instant those words left her mouth, the other girls—who were just standing up while clutching their bruises—also froze.
Then they all looked at Gu Yan.
Eyes shining.
"Sister Ling'er's brother-in-law?!"
"Oh my god—her brother-in-law saved us!"
"This… this is like a drama!"
"He's so handsome!!"
Xiao Wei's mind completely short-circuited.
Brother-in-law…?
Then what was Shen Tian to Leng Ling'er?
She felt like her brain was overheating.
"Hah… calm down…"
Gu Yan finally stopped kicking. He exhaled slowly and turned toward Leng Ling'er.
Seeing that she was unharmed, he finally relaxed a little and walked over, raising his hand.
Leng Ling'er thought he was about to hit her.
She instinctively closed her eyes and lowered her head.
But instead—
A warm hand gently landed on her hair.
She froze and opened her eyes.
Gu Yan looked helpless, his tone soft, like he was talking to a child.
"What are you spacing out for?"
"Do you really think I'd hit you?"
Then, almost casually—
"You little troublemaker. Let's go home and eat."
Buzz.
Leng Ling'er's head went blank.
Something surged up in her chest—hot, chaotic, unfamiliar.
What… what was this feeling?
She stood there dumbly, unable to move, even after Gu Yan had already withdrawn his hand and turned to check on the others.
"Wow, brother-in-law, you're so cool!"
"A hero saving beauties~"
"I have nothing to repay you with, so how about—"
"Hehe, brother-in-law, look at me, I'm young and full of life—"
Gu Yan laughed awkwardly.
"You're all a bit too enthusiastic. I'm a married man, you know. Wife and sister-in-law included."
"A wife is a wife, but love is love~"
"Brother-in-law, at least take a look—ouch!"
Before they could finish teasing him, Leng Ling'er rushed over and punched them one by one.
"Ling'er! That hurts!"
"Yeah! Sister Ling'er, how can you stop us from chasing true love?!"
They held their heads, looking at Leng Ling'er with wronged expressions.
Her face was slightly red.
"Love my ass!" she snapped.
"This is my brother-in-law!"
She grabbed Gu Yan's hand tightly and declared to everyone—
"This is my sister's man!"
"You're not allowed to have any ideas about him!"
She was trying very hard to look serious.
But with her flushed cheeks, Gu Yan only found her… oddly cute.
"Alright, alright," Gu Yan said, shaking his head with a sigh.
"You skipped class to sing karaoke—and ran into this kind of thing."
He glanced coldly at Shen Tian, still lying on the floor.
"If I hadn't rushed over in time, do you know how bad things could've gotten?"
Everyone lowered their heads.
"You think you're good at fighting," Gu Yan continued calmly,
"But today you saw it clearly. In front of real scum, you're still just rookies."
"Remember today."
"Your job right now is simple—study hard, live properly, and give yourselves an answer in the future."
No one talked back.
If someone else had said this, they'd have ignored it completely.
But coming from Gu Yan—
Their savior—
They felt genuinely ashamed.
Some even subconsciously tugged at their clothes, suddenly embarrassed by how they were dressed.
Seeing that they'd truly taken it to heart, Gu Yan's expression softened.
He took a deep breath.
"You little devils may not be very strong," he said slowly,
"but you had courage. You didn't abandon your companions at the end."
"That means you're good people."
He nodded.
"Yes."
"You're all good kids."