Afterward, the three of them clearly saw Hao Jian's body suddenly stiffen, then his face, full of a smug smile, instantly froze, his mouth twitching repeatedly!
Then, realizing what was happening, Hao Jian approached with a flattering grin, "Wife, you're back; you must be tired from work. Come, let me give you a massage."
Tongtong pouted, uttering this sage-like remark despite her young age.
Hao Jian's mouth twitched, and he bared his teeth in a grimace at Tongtong, threatening her to shut up or he'd definitely take care of her.
But Tongtong snorted proudly and turned her head away, ignoring him.
"Hao Jian, what happened at home? Why did I see so many Mafia youths just now? Did you cause trouble again?" Shu Ya asked, not understanding.
She also noticed Sister Lan's house was in disarray, clearly the result of them being targeted. The first thought that popped into Shu Ya's head was that Hao Jian had got into trouble, which then affected Sister Lan's family.
"There was a bit of an incident."
Hao Jian's expression tensed, opting not to explain because just the thought of nearly committing murder filled him with irritation.
He had promised 'her' to live as an ordinary person, but tonight, he almost unleashed his surging urge to kill, almost returning to that bloodthirsty and crazy state!
Seeing Hao Jian looking somewhat unwell, Shu Ya didn't dare to ask why but merely nodded in a daze.
Hao Jian then turned to Ruo Lan and her daughter, his face breaking into a smile again:
"Ruo Lan, remember this, next time anything similar happens you must notify us. We can't say we will definitely help you, but at least the more people are involved, the more solutions we'll have."
Shu Ya's eyes narrowed, Ruo Lan? Was that Sister Lan's full name? Why was he addressing her so affectionately?
Did her heart feel uncomfortably tight?
Sister Lan nodded obediently, "I'll remember that."
Watching Hao Jian head upstairs, Shu Ya became even more displeased. Since she couldn't get any answers from Hao Jian, she decided to shift her focus onto Ruo Lan:
"Sister Lan, what exactly happened? Why won't he tell me?"
"Shu Ya, I'm a bit upset right now, can I tell you when I'm free?" Ruo Lan said with a wry smile.
Her feelings were truly in disarray because she discovered that her heart, which she thought would never flutter again, was pounding today. This made her feel somewhat guilty toward her late husband, so she needed some time to be alone and reflect.
Without waiting for Shu Ya's response, she turned and walked into the house.
Shu Ya was completely baffled. Couldn't those two really have an affair? Why were they both so secretive?
"Tongtong, can you tell sister what happened, please?" Shu Ya bent down and spoke tenderly to Tongtong, this being her only hope.
"Bad guys wanted to bully Tongtong and Mommy, and they even slapped Tongtong," said Tongtong in her babyish voice.
Tongtong pointed to her slightly swollen face, her innocent and tender tone evoking sympathy.
Seeing Tongtong's face, Shu Ya indeed noticed the swelling and furrowed her brows:
"Who could be so heartless as to not even spare a child? Tell sister, and I'll definitely sort them out for you."
"No need," Tongtong said cheerfully, "because Uncle has already taken revenge for Tongtong!"
"Taken revenge? Are you talking about those people from earlier?" It was then that Shu Ya remembered the people she had seen earlier.
"Oh, Uncle was so angry when he saw Tongtong being beaten, so he beat them up too. Uncle was really scary just now, and Tongtong was so afraid."
Shu Ya nodded heavily, finally understanding why Hao Jian had looked so upset. That guy, he must have been truly angry this time.
When Shu Ya returned home, Hao Jian had already gone to take a shower. Her mood was somewhat heavy because she realized she didn't understand Hao Jian at all.
If he were just a thug or a rogue, could he have single-handedly scared off dozens of people by himself?
Without truly understanding him, she had forced him to marry her, and now Shu Ya felt quite guilty about it.
Shu Ya sat on the sofa, lost in thought, and at that moment, the bathroom door opened.
Hao Jian walked out and saw Shu Ya daydreaming, he started to laugh, "What are you spacing out for? Aren't you going to take a shower?"
Shu Ya turned her head, but her expression suddenly became one of terror, "Your body..."
What she saw was Hao Jian's torso covered in a dense array of scars — knife wounds, gunshot wounds, and even some from explosions. It looked extremely frightening, with not an inch of unscathed skin.
Previously in the bathroom, Shu Ya hadn't looked closely at his body, so she hadn't noticed.
But today, upon a careful look, she was shocked and speechless. What exactly had happened to this guy, why did it seem like he was falling apart?
Hao Jian noticed Shu Ya's gaze, looked down at his own body, and laughed, "Oh, you mean this? These are scars from the battlefield. Didn't I tell you I was a soldier? You just wouldn't believe me."
Seeing Hao Jian laughing, Shu Ya suddenly felt a surge of heartache, and her beautiful eyes reddened slightly.
Hao Jian was also startled by her sudden reaction, and after a moment's contemplation, he gently asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing... It's nothing..."
Shu Ya quickly turned her head away to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes!
At that moment, in her eyes, Hao Jian's body was filled with stories. Each scar, a story. This man was like a book, a lone wolf!
Though he seemed optimistic and playful, it was only in the quiet of the night that he would hide away alone, tenderly nursing his wounds.
Hao Jian could clearly see what Shu Ya was thinking and, feeling a warm current in his heart, placed his chin on her head and said with a smile, "It's all in the past now..."
Shu Ya lifted her head, her eyes still moist, wanting to say something, but unable to speak:
Seeing the cute pout of her little mouth, Hao Jian couldn't hold back any longer and embraced her head, kissing her deeply.
Shu Ya's mind went blank instantly, not having expected Hao Jian's sudden attack. For a moment, she was totally frozen, even forgetting how to resist.
But after a short while, Shu Ya seemed to be enjoying it too and started to respond actively.
After kissing for a while, until they were almost unable to breathe, Shu Ya suddenly pushed Hao Jian away and after kicking him in the knee, she stormed into the room, leaving behind the words "You shameless man."
"Liars, all women are liars! It's better to believe in ghosts than to trust the lies of a woman!" Hao Jian nearly twisted his nose in anger, swearing under his breath.