Jiang Yujiao covered half her face and stared at Jiang Ling in disbelief.

“You actually dared to hit me?”

“When did I hit you? Your face just looked a little dirty, so I helped wipe it for you.”

As she spoke, Jiang Ling slapped the other side of Jiang Yujiao’s face before she could cover it too.

Smack!

This shameless little green tea who loved seducing other people’s husbands deserved far more than just two slaps.

After living a second life, Jiang Ling had already figured things out—she would live however made her happiest.

Even after slapping her twice, Jiang Ling still wasn’t satisfied. She grabbed Jiang Yujiao by the hair and slapped her several more times.

“You—!”

Unable to fight back, Jiang Yujiao could only close her eyes and wildly claw at Jiang Ling’s hair and clothes.

But she was no match for Jiang Ling’s brute strength and ended up getting kicked straight into the muddy pit.

Li Chunmei had just been about to crawl out of the mud when her daughter crashed into her again. The mother and daughter both ended up with mouths full of mud.

“Ptooey, ptooey! Jiang Ling, you little bitch—”

“Jiang Ling! Don’t go too far!!”

Seeing this, the Jiang family members nearby rolled up their sleeves, ready to help Jiang Yujiao vent her anger, but a tall figure suddenly stepped in front of them.

Jiang Ling looked at the broad, sturdy back before her in surprise.

When had Shen Yan arrived? She hadn’t even noticed.

The moment Old Madam Jiang and Eldest Aunt met Shen Yan’s dark, sharp eyes, they were so intimidated that they instantly fell silent.

As expected of a man who had served in the military—his presence was overwhelming.

“Jiang Ling! You bitch!!”

Li Chunmei and Jiang Yujiao supported each other as they climbed out of the mud pit. Just as they were about to rush forward and tear into Jiang Ling, they saw Shen Yan firmly shielding her behind him.

The mother and daughter both hesitated.

Even together, the two of them couldn’t beat a trained soldier.

Jiang Yujiao also hadn’t expected someone as cold and emotionless as Shen Yan to actually protect Jiang Ling.

In her previous life, after marrying Shen Yan, he had always treated her coldly, barely even giving her a glance. Yet now he actually knew how to care about someone?

Shen Yan turned around and saw Jiang Ling’s messy hair clinging to the side of her face. Her palm-sized face was smeared with a bit of mud, yet her almond-shaped eyes were astonishingly bright.

His dark gaze deepened slightly as he asked in a low voice,

“Are you alright?”

“I… I’m fine.”

Jiang Ling slightly raised her head to meet his deep eyes, then hurriedly lifted a hand to fix the hair Jiang Yujiao had messed up.

Why did she always look so disheveled every time she met him?

Shen Yan moved his lips as if wanting to say something, but then a loud voice suddenly rang out from the gossiping crowd nearby.

“The production team leader is here!”

Production Team Leader Li Yong walked over with a dark expression, holding a loudspeaker as he barked,

“Why aren’t you working? Why are you all gathered here?! Planning to survive on northwest wind alone?!”

Jiang Yujiao immediately put on a pitiful expression.

“Team Leader, Jiang Ling hit me! You have to stand up for us!”

Li Yong looked toward Jiang Ling, who was still standing behind Shen Yan.

“Ling girl, did you hit someone?”

“Li Chunmei started the trouble first. She was trying to hit Aunt Guifen.”

Without changing expression, Jiang Ling continued,

“I tried to break up the fight, but Jiang Yujiao insisted on standing in front of me, so I accidentally pushed her into the mud pit.”

“Ling girl’s right!” Aunt Guifen added immediately. “They were the ones who started it first! Li Chunmei even scratched my face! Team Leader, I demand compensation!”

The other aunties nearby also testified that Li Chunmei had attacked first. Everyone had clearly seen her charging over with a hoe.

Li Chunmei and Jiang Yujiao: “?”

They were obviously the ones who got beaten up, yet now they had to pay compensation?!

Jiang Ling shot Aunt Guifen a meaningful glance. Aunt Guifen instantly understood and dramatically collapsed onto the ground.

Groaning loudly, she cried,

“Aiyo, Li Chunmei beat me so badly my head hurts and my whole body aches. Team Leader, you have to stand up for me…”

“Wang Guifen, you’re obviously fine! What are you pretending for?!” Li Chunmei nearly exploded with anger.

The team leader cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Alright! Since your Jiang family struck first, compensate Wang Guifen with some medical fees, and we’ll consider this matter settled!”

Li Chunmei and Jiang Yujiao still wanted to argue, but Old Madam Jiang stopped them.

Making this matter bigger would do the Jiang family no good. It was better to pay some money and settle it quickly.

Old Madam Jiang said flatly,

“Fine. Let her see Doctor Zhou. Whatever the medical fee is, we’ll pay it.”

And just like that, the matter was settled. Everyone returned to work.

Jiang Ling raised her eyes toward Shen Yan, who was still standing protectively in front of her. Then she looked down at the army-green jacket in her hands. Just as she was about to return it to him, he turned around.

The moment she looked up, she met his cold and handsome face.

The man’s skin was slightly tanned, but his bone structure was exceptional. Sword-like brows, starry eyes, and an overly sharp jawline gave him a naturally intimidating aura. Even with his gaze lowered, there was still hidden sharpness in his features.

He was tall and straight, probably around six-foot-three. Even the army-green short-sleeved shirt couldn’t hide the smooth, tense muscles in his arms.

No wonder Jiang Yujiao had constantly bragged in her previous life about marrying such a top-quality man.

If Shen Yan’s leg hadn’t been crippled—and if that part of him hadn’t been ruined—Jiang Yujiao probably wouldn’t have been willing to switch marriages at all.

At that thought, Jiang Ling’s gaze uncontrollably drifted downward toward the lower half of Shen Yan’s body, her brows furrowing slightly.

Was it really broken?

Sensing her staring directly at him, Shen Yan’s ears suddenly turned red.

He lowered his head and noticed the traces of mud still on her fair cheeks.

Subconsciously, Shen Yan wanted to raise a hand to wipe it away for her. But they weren’t married yet, and they were still outside in public. Doing that would look improper.

“There’s mud on your face.”

Hearing the man’s calm, cold voice beside her ear, Jiang Ling finally snapped out of her thoughts.

She quickly wiped her face, then handed him the army-green jacket draped over her arm.

“By the way, thank you for saving me that day. I washed the jacket carefully. Here, I’m returning it to you.”

Shen Yan took the jacket from her hands. A fresh soap scent immediately drifted up from it, very similar to the fragrance on her body.

“No need to thank me. Protecting the people is our duty.”

That day, he had just returned to the village when he saw two girls jump into the river.

One of them was even the fiancée his family had arranged for him. Without hesitation, he jumped into the water. Just as he was about to swim toward Jiang Yujiao, he saw her suddenly throw herself toward another man.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Jiang Ling on the other side already beginning to sink, so he quickly swam over and rescued her instead.

Fortunately, his leg injury had mostly healed. He still limped slightly while walking, but it was much better now.

Jiang Ling pressed her lips together before cautiously asking,

“You saw me fighting with Jiang Yujiao just now?”

“Mm,” Shen Yan replied.

Jiang Ling suddenly wanted to cover her face in embarrassment. The one time she acted fierce and aggressive, her future husband had actually witnessed it.

Men in this era all liked gentle and virtuous women. Yet after seeing her like that, Shen Yan hadn’t been scared away. Instead, he had stepped forward to protect her.

It was probably only because of responsibility. After all, the two of them were already engaged.

After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Ling looked up at him and said,

“That’s just how my personality is. If you want to break off the engagement, I can accept it too.”

At the words “break off the engagement,” a ripple finally appeared in Shen Yan’s previously calm, emotionless eyes.