C6 Not Someone to be Bullied

The little ones playing with toys in the playroom were alerted by the commotion outside. Junjun, the second treasure, had barely stood up when Qianqian, the eldest, firmly pushed him back down onto the foam floor.

Qianqian watched the closed door with a shrewd gaze. "Mommy said that when she's away, if a stranger comes in, we need to hide well and not go out," he instructed.

The other five treasures chimed in together, "Qianqian is right."

Startled awake by the sound of the door being forced open, Xiong Miao leapt up and instinctively pulled the blanket over herself for protection. Her hand brushed against something warm—this sensation was unexpected. Could it be that one of the little ones had snuggled up next to her?

In a panic, she turned her head and her wide eyes met those of a man—a face marked by cold arrogance and noble bearing, strikingly handsome.

"Ah!" Xiong Miao's scream was piercing, cutting through the silence like an arrow.

The disturbance roused the man, who was deep in slumber, causing him to furrow his brows in annoyance.

"It was her who tempted my husband! She's unchanging in her ways, as flirtatious as ever. Even after all these years, she remains utterly shameless, using the excuse of shooting a commercial to climb the social ladder! Quick, take pictures and expose her disgraceful behavior!" Xiong Jingxi burst into the room, pointing at Xiong Miao, whose head was the only part of her visible, and declared loudly.

The journalists, having been paid, were naturally inclined to assist Xiong Jingxi. In a flash, all cameras were trained on Xiong Miao, and some overly inquisitive reporters fired off pointed questions.

"Miss Xiong, do you often use men to make money?"

"Miss Xiong, can you tell us how many men you've been with up to this point?"

The bespectacled reporter had barely finished his inquiry when a man beside Xiong Miao slowly sat up, massaging his temples as if plagued by a headache.

For a moment, the room went still. Then, the flashbulbs went wild, the reporters jostling each other in their frenzy to photograph Xiong Miao and the man.

Caught unprepared, Xiong Miao hastily drew the blanket over herself, concealing her entire figure.

"Once a sly fox, always a sly fox, seducing a man every day and shamelessly sleeping with one in broad daylight. She has no sense of decency!" Xiong Jingxi's biting words pierced Xiong Miao's ears relentlessly.

Xiong Miao seethed with anger. She hadn't even settled an old score from four years ago, and now Jingxi had the audacity to come to her home and torment her. It was utterly intolerable!

"Oh, how could I forget? She once slept with some random man and lost her chance to become Mrs. Su. Now she's up to her old tricks, trying to seduce my husband while bringing men into her home!" Jingxi's venomous words tore at Xiong Miao's old wounds, rubbing salt into them.

Those words were like a spark that set Xiong Miao's fury ablaze.

She couldn't hold back her rage any longer.

With a swift movement, she leaped from the bed. With the high ground to her advantage, Xiong Miao pounced, pinning Jingxi to the floor with a series of resounding slaps to her face.

"Refraining from judging others' lives is the most basic form of decency! If you can't even grasp that, do you even deserve to be called human?" Xiong Miao lashed out fiercely.

"How dare you hit me! Ah!" Jingxi tried to fight back, but Xiong Miao kept her pinned down, silencing her with another slap.

"Invading someone's home uninvited, where are your manners? You're asking for it!"

"You'll pay for this! Ah!" Jingxi, who had been coddled all her life, had never faced such indignity. She thrashed wildly, her fury unchecked, but before she could finish her threat, another slap landed.

"Who did you just call shameless? You're the shameless one, and your whole family is shameless!" Xiong Miao held Jingxi's hands firmly to the ground, sitting atop her, unable to contain her outrage.

She had been pushed too far, right into her own home!

For a long time, Xiong Miao had wanted to give Jingxi, this entitled woman, a piece of her mind.

Xiong Jingxi was trapped and struggling in vain. Like striking a snake at its most vital spot, Xiong Miao had her pinned down right where it hurt the most. Jingxi's legs flailed helplessly in the air, unable to muster any force. Overwhelmed and on the verge of tears, she pleaded, "Stop taking pictures and help me call the police. Please, call the police!"

"Who dares to call the police!?" An icy voice cut through the air, chilling it to the bone.

A man donned his coat and strode over with long, confident steps. As he drew near, the atmosphere seemed to solidify.

Upon seeing his face, Xiong Jingxi was petrified into silence.

The reporters, who had previously been snapping photos with abandon, now backed away cautiously.

"Get out of here!" The man's lips barely moved, but his stern words carried an undeniable authority.

The reporters, who had been interviewing without restraint, quickly shouldered their cameras and fled, fearing that even a second's delay would be too late.

Seizing the moment when Xiong Miao released her, Xiong Jingxi scrambled and rolled away in a desperate escape.

"Good riddance, you wretched woman!" Xiong Miao dusted off her hands, which were beginning to ache from the altercation.

Feeling a sudden chill down her spine, Xiong Miao sensed something was amiss.

She turned slowly, her gaze landing on the man's face, and her scalp tingled with alarm.

Him, him, him...

What was he doing in her house?

Could he be here to take her child?

This thought spurred her to action, and she spun around, intent on fleeing. But then it dawned on her – this was her home. Where could she possibly run? Confronted by the man's imposing presence, her legs turned to jelly, yet she mustered a facade of composure and defiance. Chin held high, she blustered, "I don't care why you're in my house, but you need to leave now. I'm quite formidable when it comes to fighting, as you've just witnessed."

"This is my house. You're the one who should leave," the man said, his deep gaze briefly flitting over her.

Xiong Miao's nerves tightened under his gaze. "You must be joking. How could the home of the president of the Ritch Group be so outdated and simple? A luxurious villa is what you should call home!"

"Do you know me?" Zhan Yeling raised an eyebrow, genuine puzzlement in his probing eyes.

Unbelievable!

He had just seen her yesterday, and now he had already forgotten her?

Was she so insignificant that she could be forgotten at a glance?

Well, it's probably for the best that he doesn't recognize her.

"I don't know you. You should hurry on back to your own place," Xiong Miao said before opening the door and stepping out.

A cold hardness settled in Zhan Yeling's eyes.

His sudden appearance here had to be some trick of this woman.

He had overheard those people earlier. She was accused of luring away someone else's husband and getting confronted by the wife.

And now, here he was, inexplicably in the same place.

Was it true, as they had said, that she had been seducing men in all sorts of ways?

How on earth did she manage to bring him here?

The audacity she had, to target him!

With these thoughts, Zhan Yeling was quite displeased.

Inside, Xiong Miao paced the living room, unsure of what to do next. Thankfully, the six little ones were still in the playroom and hadn't come out. If he were to see them, he would surely try to take them away from her!

As she fretted, the sound of measured footsteps came from behind.

Xiong Miao caught a glimpse of a towering figure from the corner of her eye. Startled, she halted, bracing her hand on the dining table behind her to keep herself from collapsing.

As the man drew closer, she became so flustered that she didn't know what to do.