Release the Heroine, Let Me Handle This

Chapter 04: Playing the Fool to Catch the Tiger ⚡

The waiter hurried over, handing the silver back to Ye Wenxin. “Miss, your bill has been covered by the guests at the next table.”

Ye Wenxin was taken aback and looked in the indicated direction, seeing a couple she didn’t recognize waving at her.

She examined the couple, who were dressed modestly and didn’t seem wealthy. Ye Wenxin was sure she had never met them before, and their gesture of paying her bill was quite unexpected.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Ye Wenxin asked, bowing slightly to the couple, puzzled by their kindness.

“We noticed you only ordered a bowl of noodles, so we couldn’t help but intervene,” the couple explained, somewhat embarrassed. It was December, bitterly cold, and everyone was bundled up, yet Ye Wenxin wore only thin, coarse clothing, indicating her apparent hardship.

In truth, Ye Wenxin had long reached a level where she could go without food, and her need for warmth was minimal due to her cultivation stage. She hadn’t considered her appearance might cause misunderstandings while pretending to be an ordinary person.

Faced with this misunderstanding, she accepted their kindness.

“Thank you very much.”

The couple sighed in relief, feeling they had conveyed their true intentions. They handed Ye Wenxin a few pieces of silver. “It’s not much, but please don’t refuse it. You’re young, find a good family, and don’t let yourself be degraded.”

Ye Wenxin was bewildered, unsure how she had degraded herself. Reflecting on her earlier interactions, she realized others hadn’t overheard her conversation with the storyteller. Tossing a silver piece onto the table might have given the impression she was either kept or abandoned.

Intending to clarify, she noticed Huang Hanyan and Long Qing’er watching her.

Both were inner disciples of Feng Ya, likely more informed than the outer disciple storyteller. Pretending to be pitiful might attract their sympathy.

Thinking quickly, she pinched herself and let tears gather in her eyes, thanking the elderly couple.

“Thank you, truly. I came to the mountains early to seek a master, but arrived too early and ran out of money, forcing me to agree to that gentleman’s terms...” Ye Wenxin’s voice quivered, garnering sympathy from onlookers for her young age and hardships.

“No need to struggle, come home with me,” a man adorned in gold appeared, his chubby fingers tight with rings, smiling unpleasantly. Ye Wenxin felt exasperated yet continued to feign fear, seeking help with her eyes.

No one dared intervene, seemingly afraid of the man.

Ye Wenxin smirked inwardly, finding the righteous sect members hypocritical for preaching justice yet doing nothing. No one had helped her when she was persecuted by the righteous sects. The same scene replayed, chilling her heart.

Just as she pondered how to deal with the man gripping her wrist, Huang Hanyan and Long Qing’er moved. One struck the man, sending him flying, while the other shielded Ye Wenxin.

Huang Hanyan, protecting her, assumed she was too scared to speak, pulling her into an embrace. “It’s okay now,” she reassured, her scent of sandalwood comforting Ye Wenxin.