Now, when she receives this kind of gaze again, she is no longer the powerless person she once was. Faced with this situation once more, she can fight back.

She no longer needs to protect herself in extreme ways; she is no longer someone without protection; and she no longer needs to worry about implicating others.

Thinking back to how powerless I was to struggle, I became increasingly reckless with each blow, which eventually drove me to the brink of madness, my eyes turning bloodshot.

"Niannian, we can't kill this guy, let's go beat up another one."

Seeing that the person had fallen into a coma, Xiao Yanzi called out, but received no response. Looking up, she saw that Chen Nian's whole condition was not right.

"Niannian—, Little Swallow, quickly call the imperial physician—"

"Nian Nian—"

"Meditation—"

Qing'er and Xiao Yanzi, who were standing to the side, clearly noticed that something was wrong with Chen Nian. Qing'er pulled up the person whose hand was swollen from beating someone and held him tightly in her arms.

Upon hearing Qing'er's words, Xiao Yanzi ran to fetch Physician Hu.

Chen Nian had lost his sense of self, with only one thought in his mind: beat him up, beat him up hard, make that person disappear! Held in someone's arms, Chen Nian kept pounding Qing'er's back.

"Um, chant... chant, chant... chant, chant—"

Ignoring the pain in her back, Qing'er kept calling out to the absent-minded person.

Undeterred by the lack of response, Qing'er called out again and again.

She had read about Niannian's condition in medical books before; it was advised not to move her around, but to restrain her.

What exactly did Niannian go through? Thinking that Chen Nian had been bullied in a corner she didn't know about, she felt sorry for her and hugged her even tighter.

Niannian, if you're in pain, I'll share your pain, okay?

The exclamation also caught the attention of Ertai, who had been watching the situation closely. Since Shen Nian had her back to him, he didn't notice anything amiss at first.

He quickly dropped the person he was holding and ran over. Seeing the two swaying figures, he said, "Qing'er, give me the person."

How could Qing'er's strength compare to that of Chen Nian, who was already in a daze? Just as the two were about to fall together, Xiao Yanzi came over and caught Qing'er, while Chen Nian was also pulled into Ertai's arms.

Ertai pulled the man into his arms, holding him tightly, letting the man punch and kick him.

Chen Nian's mind kept replaying the scene of her being beaten and unable to move, the disgusting looks in those people's eyes, the curses they uttered against her, and how she was powerless to resist, only able to endure their repeated punches and kicks.

She simply couldn't calm down.

"Chen Nian, Niannian, it's alright, it's alright, I'm here, I'm here, don't be afraid—"

Ertai spoke softly, repeating the words over and over.

The others noticed the situation and dropped what they were doing, rushing over to form a tight circle around Chen Nian and Ertai.

No one made a sound to disturb them; they all watched quietly as Ertai patiently comforted Chennian again and again, their eyes filled with worry for Chennian. Qing'er and Xiao Yanzi stood to the side, their hearts aching with heartache.

Er Kang never expected that his younger brother would have such a patient side.

When Physician Hu arrived and saw the situation, he was also at a loss as to how to proceed. Since the person had not calmed down, he was unable to take the pulse.

For a long time...

"He's trying to bully me—"

He uttered a single sentence after a moment of contemplation.

The clear and gentle voice filled her mind again and again. When she met Ertai's worried eyes, her reason slowly returned.

She is no longer the person who was surrounded and beaten by everyone; she can fight back now.

Over the years, she had tried to forget it, but just thinking about that man's lewd gaze made her...