Chapter Seventeen: Taking You Down

At dawn the next day, Yan Yu’s voice rang out with a loud shout, “How many times have I told you? Huh? You’re just like a pig, sleeping all the time! Do you know what time it is? Get up already!”

Zhou Yu woke with a start, looked at Yan Yu, and complained, “What’s the matter? Let me sleep a bit longer.”

Yan Yu was clearly not pleased. “Oh, I see how it is now. Ever since Xiao Jie came along, my words don’t count for anything anymore, do they?”

Seeing Yan Yu like this, Zhou Yu knew there was no winning. He could only drag himself out of bed, muttering, “Great, she’s back to her old self. Those past couple of days were so much better.”

Had he not muttered that, things might have been fine. But Yan Yu caught every word, and her fiery temper flared instantly.

She shouted at him, “What’s that supposed to mean? You’re not happy, is that it? Those past few days were so good because no one bothered you, right?”

Zhou Yu thought, This is bad, she heard me. He quickly tried to explain, “No, darling, that’s not what I meant.”

“Don’t call me darling! If that’s not what you meant, then what? Are you up to something?”

“No, no, what I meant was, you used to be so gentle before,” Zhou Yu tried to appease her, putting on a fawning smile.

But the more he explained, the more annoyed Yan Yu became.

“So you mean I’m not gentle anymore, is that it? Maybe I haven’t put you in your place lately?” Yan Yu glared at him, looking fierce.

Zhou Yu realized he’d dug himself into a deeper hole. There was no way out but to coax her.

“Come on, darling, look how wonderful you are. You’re the gentlest in the world, aren’t you?” Zhou Yu grinned ingratiatingly.

Yan Yu cut him off, “Answer me properly! Don’t change the subject, or I’ll make sure you regret it.” As she spoke, she glanced menacingly at his lower half.

Just then, Xiao Jie happened to walk in and said to Yan Yu, “Alright, Yan Yu, Zhou Yu’s up. No need to shout anymore.”

Seeing Xiao Jie siding with Zhou Yu, Yan Yu was even more infuriated. She turned to Xiao Jie, “What’s this? Didn’t I teach you enough of a lesson yesterday? Now you dare to help him? What do you want?”

Remembering their playful scuffle the night before, Xiao Jie blushed, unsure of what to say.

Zhou Yu saw the situation escalating and thought, This won’t do. If this keeps up, my heroic image will be ruined. He stood up and said to Yan Yu, “Well, look at you, missy. Looks like I haven’t disciplined you enough lately. Getting all cocky, are you? Believe it or not, I’ll deal with you right now.”

Yan Yu retorted, “Oh? You’ll deal with me? Go ahead, try it!”

Without another word, Zhou Yu grabbed her and headed toward the carriage. Xiao Jie, worried about what might happen, quickly followed.

Zhou Yu stopped her at the door and said, “Wait for me here. Watch how I handle her.” Then he shut the carriage door and locked it from the inside.

Inside, Zhou Yu was all smiles as he massaged Yan Yu’s arms. “Darling, with all these people around, can’t you let me save a bit of face?”

Yan Yu looked at him with disdain. “You care about saving face with me?”

“I wouldn’t dare, my dear wife. You’re the best, you always understand me,” Zhou Yu replied, still trying to placate her.

Yan Yu feigned innocence, “I don’t know what you mean.”

Zhou Yu jumped up. “What, you want to keep showing off? Looks like I really haven’t dealt with you enough!”

Seeing Zhou Yu’s temper flare, Yan Yu snapped back, “Come on then! Who’s afraid of whom?”

Zhou Yu pinned her to the floor, and what followed was a sequence of events unsuitable for children.

Outside the carriage, Xiao Jie’s heart pounded with worry. At first, there was no sound from inside, then there came a loud quarrel, and soon the whole carriage began to shake. The sounds that followed left little doubt about what was happening within.

After the storm had passed, Zhou Yu tidied his clothes and looked at Yan Yu. “Well? Admit defeat now? Keep acting cocky and I’ll handle you again.”

Yan Yu, drained of energy, didn’t bother to argue. She finished dressing and leaned against Zhou Yu, mumbling, “Let’s go out,” and said nothing more.

Zhou Yu opened the door, jumped down, and lifted Yan Yu out of the carriage.

Xiao Jie saw them emerge and huffed, “You two are terrible! You had me worried sick, and you were in there… Hmph! I’m not talking to you anymore!” With that, she ran into the house.

Yan Yu shot Zhou Yu a glare. “This is all your fault.”

Zhou Yu chuckled, “Don’t worry. Next time, the two of you can come together.”

“Get lost!” Yan Yu shouted at him.