I woke up as the Villainous Empress

He raised his hand to forcefully turn Yang Ning to face him, but before his hand could land on her shoulder, it was violently slapped away.

Smack!

"Ah!" Qin Cheng let out a painful shriek as the unexpected slap stung his cheek. Before he could comprehend what was happening, a strong hand grasped his wrist and twisted it behind his back. He winced in agony, realizing that he was now at the mercy of an unknown assailant.

"Who are you? Are you crazy? Let go of my hand!" Qin Cheng cried out, acutely aware of the onlookers who were now snickering at his embarrassing predicament.

The man who had attacked him wore fine silk clothing and had an air of nobility about him, but like the woman, he didn\'t appear to be a local. If he was a noble, why had Qin Cheng never seen him at any of the elite parties or gatherings? The situation was becoming increasingly bewildering for Qin Cheng.

Yang Ning, who had been patiently waiting for her delicious lamb skewers, was startled by the painful shriek and commotion coming from behind her. When she turned around, she saw Zheng Liang twisting the hand of the man who had been bothering her, forcing it behind his back.

Zheng Liang\'s eyes darkened with anger, and it was clear that he was furious.

In the excitement of shopping to her heart\'s content, Yang Ning had momentarily forgotten about her husband, who had been following her like a shadow, his eyes never leaving her for a second.

She couldn\'t believe she had forgotten that she had a husband.

Even if she had chosen not to deal with the drunken-perverted man, how could she expect Zheng Liang to ignore the situation? That was simply not in his nature.

Qin Cheng\'s friends, who had initially been amused by the situation and were laughing to see Qin Cheng going over to talk to the two women, were suddenly shocked by the turn of events.

What is going on? How come the situation turned out like this? They wondered.

They hurriedly stood up, intending to help their friend. However, their path was blocked by a muscular man who stared at them with an indifferent gaze. Gu Lan glared at the two men and issued a stern threat, "Take another step, and you\'ll break your legs. Try me."

The two men exchanged nervous glances and then looked at Qin Cheng, who was writhing in pain. It was clear from the intimidating expression on Gu Lan\'s face that he was dead serious. If they attempted to intervene and help their friend, their safety would be at risk. So, they wisely chose to prioritize their well-being.

"We... we don\'t know him. We were just heading in that direction to see what was happening," both of them stammered simultaneously, completely disavowing any connection to Qin Cheng.

Qin Cheng, feeling abandoned by his friends, cried out for help, "What are you guys doing? Come and grab this bastard!"

However, his friends continued to distance themselves from him, looking away as if they didn\'t even know Qin Cheng. Self-preservation took precedence over loyalty in this situation.

Qin Cheng\'s brow furrowed as he watched his friends turn their backs on him. He shot a glare at Zheng Liang, exclaiming, "Release my hand, will you? Do you not realize who I am? I am Qin Cheng, the youngest master of the Qin Family. My father and brother serve in the royal court. Do you truly believe you will escape your retribution?"

Zheng Liang arched an eyebrow at the audacious statement, letting out an amused laugh. "Let\'s see who remains standing when all is said and done."

Yang Ning saw how Qin Cheng\'s friends had abandoned him, and she couldn\'t help but sigh at the pitiful state he was in. She approached Zheng Liang and gently patted his arm, urging him to stop twisting Qin Cheng\'s hand.

"Stop twisting his hand. You might break it," she said calmly.

Zheng Liang\'s frown deepened as he watched his wife defend the man who had bothered her, protecting him from the pain he was inflicting on him. He glanced at Yang Ning, his eyes filled with a mixture of frustration and concern, as he increased the pressure on Qin Cheng\'s hand, causing the man to cry out louder.

"Why do you care about him?" Zheng Liang\'s voice held a note of irritation. "He dared to misbehave with you, my wife. He deserves to be punished severely." His growl made Qin Cheng shiver in fear, realizing the gravity of his situation.

Yang Ning met her husband\'s intense gaze and didn\'t waver. She responded calmly, "I am not worried about his hand, but yours. They will get dirty by touching a scoundrel like him."

Zheng Liang looked briefly at her, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. If she had displayed any concern for the man\'s well-being, he would not have hesitated to end his life. However, discerning that her primary worry was about his hand getting soiled gave him clarity about her true reasons for intervening.

Yang Ning chuckled upon seeing him smile as he nearly crushed the man\'s hand. Truly, he was a devil in the guise of a man.

While the couple shared a tender moment, the man with the nearly crushed hand whimpered in agony. Qin Cheng\'s eyes widened in surprise when he heard the man address the woman as his wife. Her attire didn\'t suggest she was married. While it wouldn\'t have truly mattered to Qin Cheng whether she was wed or not, it might have made him reconsider, given who her spouse might be.

After all, he was not one to randomly select his prey.

Recognizing that he was in deep trouble and that this man had no intentions of letting him go, he opted to alter his strategy.

"I... I\'m innocent. I was merely asking for directions, I swear. She was the one who was trying to seduce me," Qin Cheng pleaded, understanding that he was on his own in this situation. In an attempt to shield himself, he believed that if he couldn\'t rewind time, the least he could do was redirect the blame onto the woman.

Yang Ning scoffed at the man\'s abrupt shift in narrative. He certainly had the audacity to lie directly to her face, the audacious scoundrel.

While she had attempted to assist him, he had audaciously chosen to implicate her instead. With a shake of her head at his blatant foolishness, Yang Ning remarked, "I offered you help, yet it seems that not even divine intervention can protect you now." Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she observed the man, his face glowing a deep shade of crimson, his hand teetering on the brink of destruction.

Her gaze shifted to Zheng Liang, whose eyes grew colder at the man\'s audacious allegation. Without a word, Zheng Liang delivered a swift kick behind the man\'s knees, causing him to crumple to the ground, yet he maintained his fierce grip on the man\'s hand.

"Husband, can you believe this man\'s gall? Accusing me of trying to lure him? Why would I even glance at another when I have such a handsome and charming man by my side?" For added effect, and perhaps a bit of mischief, she playfully jabbed Zheng Liang\'s arm and put an exaggerated pout.

Zheng Liang was momentarily taken aback by his wife\'s endearing display of cuteness and nearly slackened his hold on the man\'s hand. But recalling the audacity with which the man had tried to approach Yang Ning, his rage resurged.

With a swift, forceful twist, the sound of a bone cracking resonated in the air. Only then did Zheng Liang loosen his grip. The man issued a harrowing scream of pain and collapsed, defeated, onto the ground. From the unnatural stillness of his hand, it was evident that it had been broken.

Yang Ning inhaled sharply, taken aback by the sudden brutality. However, recalling the man\'s earlier attempt to shift the blame onto her, any trace of sympathy she might have felt evaporated. She clucked her tongue disapprovingly, remarking, "Tsk, tsk! I truly pity your father and brother. You\'re a disgrace to their name."

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