My Sister Is Acting Strange - Chapter 44 - The Bodyguard

Tang Huaijin lowered his head and picked up a few bites of food with his chopsticks, eating some rice before he spoke, “Auntie, I’m full. Thank you for the meal.”

Xia Yunzhu hadn’t eaten much, but seeing Tang Huaijin still eating, she continued to pick at her food occasionally. She smiled and said, “Are you full? Don’t go hungry, feel free to eat more.”

Seeing him nod again, Xia Yunzhu finally set down her chopsticks and instructed the servant to clear the table, then invited Tang Huaijin to the living room.

As they entered the living room, Xia Xinya and Bai Yuerou were huddled together, playing with a phone. When Tang Huaijin arrived, Xia Xinya shot him a resentful glance.

After sitting in the living room for a while to digest, Xia Yunzhu seemed to remember something. She looked at Tang Huaijin with curiosity and asked, “My bodyguard told me that you fought six people by yourself. Have you trained in martial arts?”

“I’ve trained for a while,” Tang Huaijin replied with a smile and a nod.

Xia Yunzhu squinted slightly, took a sip of tea, and asked, “Would you like to spar with my bodyguard? Just to help with digestion.”

Before Tang Huaijin could respond, Xia Xinya became excited, waving her hands and looking at Tang Huaijin with anticipation. She exclaimed, “Tang Huaijin, go for it!”

Her manner was like a cheerleader urging on her team, which made Tang Huaijin’s mouth twitch slightly. But in front of Xia Yunzhu, he couldn’t argue with her, so he looked at Xia Yunzhu and said, “If it’s just a friendly spar, I don’t mind.”

Upon hearing his agreement, Xia Yunzhu took out her phone and sent a message. Within a minute, a female bodyguard arrived briskly and respectfully said, “Madam.”

Xia Yunzhu nodded and said, “I want you to spar with the miss’s classmate, but remember not to hurt him.”

The burly female bodyguard nodded, straightened up, and looked at Tang Huaijin.

Tang Huaijin rotated his wrist, stood up from the sofa, and walked over.

Seeing the bodyguard glance at his slippers, Tang Huaijin smiled nonchalantly and said, “It’s just a friendly spar, no need to change shoes.”

The bodyguard said nothing, adopting a standard fighting stance, knees slightly bent, steps steady-clearly a trained fighter.

Bai Yuerou had never seen Tang Huaijin fight, so she couldn’t help but look at him with some concern.

Xia Xinya, however, was squirming excitedly on the sofa, clearly a young girl but very interested in this kind of physical activity, shouting, “Go for it, go for it!”

Tang Huaijin ignored her, gesturing to the bodyguard to attack first.

The bodyguard didn’t hesitate, nodded, and rushed forward, not using fists or legs, but trying to grab Tang Huaijin’s arm to restrain him.

With human limits of physical ability, when he focused, he could easily see the bodyguard’s movements. He stepped back, quickly reached forward, and instead grabbed the bodyguard’s hand.

The bodyguard’s left hand was restrained, instinctively trying to pull away, but was shocked to find she couldn’t move it. Realizing the situation, she attempted to throw a right punch at Tang Huaijin’s abdomen.

Tang Huaijin, however, had already taken advantage of her momentary distraction, twisting her arm and locking her neck in a chokehold, applying pressure for less than two seconds before releasing her.

The bodyguard’s face turned red, and as soon as he let go, she immediately took deep breaths, recovering for a moment before respectfully saying to Tang Huaijin, “You’re impressive!”

Tang Huaijin smiled and waved his hand, saying, “Just lucky.”

Speaking of which, it might sound complicated, but from the moment the bodyguard made her move to the point she admitted defeat, it was all over in just a few seconds. There wasn’t much technique involved. The chokehold was a simple yet deadly move, and once the female bodyguard was momentarily stunned, Tang Huaijin naturally didn’t let the opportunity slip. With his physical prowess, executing the chokehold was a breeze.

“Wow, amazing! What kind of bodyguard is that, so easily defeated?” Xia Xinya exclaimed excitedly, clapping her hands with glee. Seeing her mother’s expressionless face, she naturally assumed her mother had lost face, which filled her with a sense of satisfaction.

Bai Yuerou also looked at Tang Huaijin with a hint of admiration. She hadn’t even seen clearly what had happened; it was over in a flash.

After Xia Yunzhu had the bodyguard step back, she too clapped lightly, praising, “This bodyguard of mine was hired at a high price, yet she couldn’t withstand a single move from you. This doesn’t seem like just ‘a bit of training,’ as you said.”

Tang Huaijin smiled modestly and replied, “She was too careless, and since madam instructed not to hurt me, she naturally didn’t go all out. My win doesn’t really count for much.”

In the living room, the three women, each beautiful in their own way, showered him with praise. Even Tang Huaijin felt a bit flattered, and he took a sip of tea with a composed demeanor.

After lingering in the living room for a while, Xia Xinya grew bored. She tugged Bai Yuerou’s hand and led her upstairs, bouncing along the way.

After sipping tea for a bit longer, Tang Huaijin thought it was time to take his leave.

The tea was excellent, and the company was pleasing to the eye, but with Xia Xinya and Bai Yuerou gone, Tang Huaijin felt a bit awkward staying.

Sensing his thoughts, Xia Yunzhu gently set down her teacup and said, “Tang, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

“Please, go ahead, Auntie.”

“I had someone look into your background.” She paused, noticing Tang Huaijin’s lack of reaction, and continued, “I hope you won’t hold it against me. Xia Xinya is very important to me, and given my position, which you know is rather unique, I worry someone might try to use her against me.”

“Auntie, what do you mean?” Tang Huaijin wasn’t particularly surprised. Investigation or not, he had already guessed as much.

“So, I hope you can be friends with Xinya. Besides Rou, she doesn’t have many friends.” Xia Yunzhu’s eyes held a complex mix of emotions.

“Don’t worry, Auntie. We’re already friends. Xinya might be a bit mischievous, but she’s genuinely kind-hearted.” Tang Huaijin nodded. Although Xia Xinya often picked on him, and he enjoyed teasing this childish girl, neither of them would admit it, but they both considered each other friends.

Xia Yunzhu smiled with relief and continued, “Besides, Aunt Xia has another favor to ask of you.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“Having seen your skills just now, they’re quite impressive. So, Aunt Xia would like to ask you to protect Xinya.” As she spoke, a hint of chill appeared on her face. “At school, I’m relatively assured. They wouldn’t dare cause too much trouble there, and won’t make a move within the school. If they plan anything, it would be when Xinya is out playing.”

Tang Huaijin thought for a moment and agreed, “That’s naturally no problem. If I’m with Xinya and see her in trouble, I wouldn’t just stand by.”

Xia Yunzhu shook her head with a smile, “You misunderstand my intention. I mean to hire you as Xinya’s personal bodyguard, to stay by her side as a friend. Outside of school, wherever she goes, you should find a way to accompany her and protect her.”

As she spoke, she took out a card from a small bag beside her and said softly, “This is one hundred thousand yuan. If you don’t want the card, I can transfer it directly to your account.”

“Aunt Xia, that’s impossible. I’m just a student; being a bodyguard is beyond me, let alone following her around every day.” Without much thought, Tang Huaijin firmly refused.

Not to mention the possibility of being driven mad by Xinya every day, explaining it to his sister wouldn’t be easy either. Returning home smelling like green apples all the time?

Though one hundred thousand yuan was tempting, he certainly wouldn’t accept it. His gaze lingered on the card for just a moment before looking away.

It’s not mine, why bother looking?

Xia Yunzhu had learned about Tang Huaijin’s family background and knew they weren’t wealthy. Seeing him not even glance at the one hundred thousand yuan and refuse so decisively, there was a hint of surprise in her eyes, but she didn’t insist. Regretfully, she said, “Alright then, if you don’t want to, let’s leave it at that.”

Tang Huaijin offered an apologetic smile and said softly, “While I can’t accept your request, I can assure you that when I’m with Xinya, I won’t let her come to harm.”

“Alright, then please try to accompany her whenever she goes out to play.” Despite being refused, Xia Yunzhu still smiled warmly.

“Of course, you can count on me,” Tang Huaijin nodded in agreement.

After their conversation, Tang Huaijin took his leave.

Xia Yunzhu prepared to see him off, and they walked to the door together.

As he changed into his shoes, Tang Huaijin suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, “By the way, Aunt Xia, I’m curious. Since you’ve investigated me, why did you have me fill out that survey form in front of the teacher? It was quite awkward.”

Xia Yunzhu furrowed her brows slightly, puzzled, “What form? I never asked you to fill out a survey form…”

Tang Huaijin: “…”