Forbidden to Bully the Storybook’s Heroine – Chapter 20

No One is Worthy

It wasn’t until the half-grown youth called out “jiejie”¹ that Song Muyun came back to her senses. It turned out to be Jiang Yao’s younger brother.

For some reason, her smile became a bit gentler, and she looked over with a soft gaze. “Has your younger brother come? Quickly have them sit down, don’t just keep them standing.”

Jiang Yao felt a headache coming on the moment she saw her troublesome younger brother. She glared at him. “Sit? What sit? Let him stand. Daring to come to a pleasure quarter, your guts have gotten fat.”

Jiang Yao sneered, looking askance at Jiang Huai.

Jiang Huai had just finished boasting to his friends that his word was law at home, only to be slapped in the face². He couldn’t help but feel ashamed and annoyed, wanting to argue with Jiang Yao. “Aren’t you here at the pleasure quarter too? On what grounds can you come, but I can’t!”

Without another word, Jiang Yao whipped the floor in front of him. The sharp sound of the whip cutting through the air nearly scared Jiang Huai into jumping.

His other friends didn’t even dare to fart³, lowering their heads like quails. They couldn’t help but think, If you hit him, please don’t hit us!

“Can I be the same as you?”

Jiang Yao asked menacingly.

Jiang Huai, being a teenager, was at a defiant age. He stiffened his neck and pretended to be bold as he retorted, “How are we different? We both came to the pleasure quarter. I just came to eat a meal. You, what about you! You even found a woman. Believe it or not, I’ll go back and tell Mother you have a preference for grinding mirrors⁴. Let’s see how you explain that!”

He was jumping very high⁵, but the moment Jiang Yao slammed the table, he immediately lowered his head again, not daring to look up. “You say I grind mirrors?”

Although there were quite a few people with a preference for grinding mirrors, Jiang Yao had never considered herself one of them. Hearing her younger brother say this, her first reaction was to beat him up.

“Truly, spare the rod for three days and you’ll be climbing the roof to tear off the tiles⁶. You’re tired of living, aren’t you? You think you’re justified in coming to a pleasure quarter? Where can’t you get a meal that you just have to come to a pleasure quarter to eat?”

She cracked her knuckles with a kaka sound. Seeing that she looked as if she was really about to hit someone, Song Muyun quickly reached out to stop her. “If you have something to say, let’s talk it out properly. First, have a cup of tea to moisten your throat.”

In reality, she was telling her to drink some tea to calm down. Song Muyun also had younger male cousins⁷ at home, and she had always been a good older sister who doted on them. She couldn’t bear to watch Jiang Yao educate her younger brother so crudely.

Jiang Yao turned and grasped the hand Song Muyun was using to stop her, her tone filled with dissatisfaction. “Look at the things he’s saying! He even dares to compare himself to me. Can men and women be compared? Of course I can come in, but on what grounds can he enter a pleasure quarter!”

Jiang Yao glared at him. Jiang Huai was cowed but still had to have his say, muttering in a low voice, “How can men not be compared to women? Aren’t most of the people who come to pleasure quarter men? What unmarried woman goes in and out of a place like this?”

His other friends hurriedly nodded in agreement, but after Jiang Yao’s gaze swept over them, they all froze. They didn’t dare to speak. Not a single word.

Jiang Yao said coldly, “That’s other families. In the Jiang family, men are not permitted to enter pleasure quarter. Otherwise, how will your future wife view you?”

Jiang Huai fell silent, because he had discovered in despair that he could never win an argument against his jiejie. Her mouth was full of twisted logic. Even if there came a day when that failed her, she would just use martial force to suppress him. He still couldn’t resist!!!

Damn it, I’m going to find a wife who practices martial arts too!

So what if your martial arts are good!

“I just came to the pleasure quarter to eat. How other people want to see me is…”

Before Jiang Huai could finish, Jiang Yao raised her whip, and he tactfully shut his mouth again.

Song Muyun’s hand was still being held. At this point, she couldn’t be bothered to mediate anymore, simply keeping her head down and blushing. Jiang Yao looked so natural, as if she didn’t feel there was anything wrong with holding her hand like this.

And she found she didn’t want to pull her hand back, just letting Jiang Yao hold it so intimately.

“A bunch of half-grown boys, imitating others by coming to a pleasure quarter to eat. If word of this gets out, people will only think your family discipline is lax. Who’s going to care whether you really came to eat or to seek pleasure?”

Just as she was lecturing them, the door was pushed open by the staff of Yueshang House. One after another, they entered like leaping fish, carrying exquisite dishes. The youths were so thoroughly scolded they didn’t dare raise their heads. Jiang Yao snorted coldly and asked, “Will you dare to come again?”

Almost in unison, they replied, “We won’t dare, we won’t dare.”

“Jiang-jia jiejie, please spare us. Don’t tell our fathers and mothers about this.”

Just a moment ago, Jiang Yao had said she would truthfully inform their family elders of this matter, which had given the group of youths quite a scare.

At their age, they were still in school. Which one of them hadn’t snuck here behind their elders’ backs to see something new and exciting?

If their elders found out, it would be a disaster. They could forget about going out for the next month.

Jiang Yao hummed lightly. “If you want me to keep quiet, fine. From now on, keep an eye on Jiang Huai for me. Don’t let him run to this kind of place again. If I catch him one more time, none of you will have it easy.”

Jiang Yao fiercely swept her gaze over the group. They all nodded hurriedly and cast a sympathetic look at Jiang Huai.

After this incident, they finally understood Jiang Huai’s status at home. It wasn’t nearly as high as he had claimed!!!

His jiejie could crush him with a single finger!

Seeing that the group of kids was now docile and obedient, Jiang Yao nodded in satisfaction. The dishes were mostly served. She waved her hand magnanimously. “Come on over and eat. I’ll go order a few more dishes.”

“Yes, thank you, Jiang-jiejie.”

Young people are the best at reading a situation. Seeing Jiang Yao’s expression soften, they immediately beamed, addressing her in a well-behaved and polite manner.

Jiang Yao went to order a few more dishes. When she returned, Song Muyun and her younger brother were talking.

She was suddenly reminded of that dream that had yet to come to pass. In the dream, Jiang Huai would fall in love with the female lead, Song Muyun. But he wasn’t the male lead and was destined to never have her. And at the same time he lost the female lead, he also lost his life.

Oh, right. He lost his own life and dragged down her entire Jiang Manor with him. Jiang Yao, who had just started to feel a pang of pity for her stupid younger brother, immediately became expressionless at this thought.

She walked over in a few steps and sat down between the two of them, firmly separating them. Tilting her head, she gently asked Song Muyun, “What are you chatting about?”

Jiang Huai: “…”

His jiejie had a bad temper before, but now it seemed even worse. She wanted to beat him at the drop of a hat, and she was always so biased—biased towards women. Why was she so gentle with women, but ready to whip him at the slightest disagreement?

Song Muyun tugged on Jiang Yao’s sleeve and said in a low voice, “Nothing much. Your younger brother was just asking if you come here often.”

Jiang Yao glanced at Jiang Huai and humphed lightly. “Whether I come here or not is none of his business. You don’t need to pay him any mind.”

The little fairy⁸ was dressed in white today, looking like a divine consort or a celestial maiden. When she lowered her head with a faint smile, she could hook Jiang Yao’s very soul away.

“He’s your younger brother. How could I not pay him any mind?”

These words made Jiang Yao’s breath catch, her heart thumping up and down seven or eight times⁹ in a way she couldn’t understand. Why can’t my younger brother be ignored? Is Song Muyun this close to me?

And here I am, always secretly thinking she’s blind. I really shouldn’t.

At this moment, Jiang Yao felt a surge of regret and guilt.

“You… anyway, don’t mind him. Just minding me is enough.”

She acted nonchalant, her hand hanging by her side. She gave Song Muyun’s hand a little squeeze, then pulled it back just as the other woman looked down, urging her to eat.

Jiang Huai curled his lip. After tasting a bite of Yueshang House’s food, he immediately said with disdain, “It’s not even that good. Seeing that person surnamed Lin praise it so highly, I thought it was some kind of rare delicacy.”

Jiang Yao shot him a glare. “Do not speak while eating, do not talk before sleeping¹⁰. Just eat.”

Jiang Huai grunted a couple more times but didn’t say anything else, merely stealing glances at Song Muyun as he ate.

Such a beautiful woman. No wonder his jiejie always comes to see her. She’s like a fairy.

As a martial artist, her five senses were sharp. With Jiang Huai constantly looking past her to gaze at Song Muyun, how could she possibly not notice?

She couldn’t help but worry. This little bastard hasn’t fallen for her, has he?

In this life, she is absolutely going to break up Song Muyun and Murong Qing. If Jiang Huai likes Song Muyun… does that mean she should let Jiang Huai and Song Muyun get together?

Jiang Yao frowned, feeling a sense of rejection in her heart. Jiang Huai was clearly her own younger brother, a relative she would undoubtedly look after in the future no matter how much she disliked him now. And yet, she just felt that Jiang Huai was not worthy of Song Muyun.

Song Muyun was beautiful and delicate. The only one worthy of her would have to be the most powerful person in the world, the kind who was strong enough to protect her.

Jiang Huai had grown so old, yet he was still like a child, easily fooled by his classmates the moment he left the house. One look and you could tell he couldn’t protect Song Muyun. Murong Qing was even more out of the question—dark and disgusting, he wasn’t even worthy of watching a little fairy like Song Muyun from afar.

Tsk, neither of them is suitable. Forget it. What’s the rush to get married? We’ll wait. I’ll find a good one for her. No rush, no rush.

As she thought this, Jiang Yao picked up a tender piece of fish belly from a plate and placed it in Song Muyun’s bowl. “Eat up. When you’re done, I’ll have the proprietress change your room.”

Song Muyun was eating in small bites, her cheeks slightly puffed. Hearing this, she swallowed what was in her mouth before tugging on Jiang Yao. “There’s no need to go to the trouble. My current lodgings are very good.”

Jiang Yao insisted. “I’ll be coming again in the future. You can stay there, but I can’t. Listen to me. Eat some more.”

She piled more food into her bowl, successfully shutting Song Muyun’s mouth.

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The author has something to say:

Yaoyao is already starting to imagine them living together!

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