Ling Hang pointed to the corresponding parts on his own body as he spoke. “But if he’s taller than you and you can’t reach his eyes, then you’re left with the other three spots. For the nose—if you two aren’t too far apart in height and you can throw a straight punch right at his nose, then do that.”
“Actually, no. Girls don’t have as much punching power, and you could hurt your hand. A straight punch isn’t ideal. Use your head instead.”
“Like this.”
Ling Hang bent his knees, cupped his hands around Ye Jiawen’s head, tilted his own head back, and then snapped it forward forcefully.
He stopped just inches from Ye Jiawen’s face. “The nose is a very vulnerable spot on a person, and getting hit there hurts a lot. So if you injure his nose, he’ll be temporarily unable to attack.”
“The ribs run from the armpit all the way down to the waist. The best spot is the armpit itself. However, people instinctively protect that area. You’ve seen how people move—they keep their arms close to their bodies. Very few people leave their armpits fully exposed, especially when they’re about to attack someone.”
“If you’re targeting the armpit, using this part of your hand delivers the most pain.” Ling Hang made a fist with one hand and used the other to point at his prominent middle knuckle.
“If you’re targeting the ribs, use your elbow. Like this. Make sure you put a lot of force behind it.”
“The groin goes without saying. You can kick or stomp. Use force. Don’t be afraid of hurting him. Anyone who dares to lay a hand on you or try to hurt you doesn’t deserve your kindness.”
Ling Hang demonstrated the motion. “But it’s best to kick like this. Snap your foot upward using your toes. That generates more power.”
“You can practice these moves often, especially the kicking motion. Train them until they become muscle memory.”
“When girls run into this kind of situation, they often panic and might not think to fight back right away.”
Ling Hang patted Ye Jiawen’s shoulder. “Xiaowen, if you feel scared, just think of me. Don’t be afraid.”
“No matter who bullies you, I will get revenge for you. But I want even more for you to have the ability to protect yourself so you never get hurt in the first place.”
Ye Jiawen felt a warm glow in her heart. Although her mother had never explicitly told her about this, just by watching how her parents treated each other, she knew what kind of man was a good man.
Ling Hang was wonderful. He genuinely cared about her well-being.
Us girls from the Great Northern Wilderness aren’t the delicate type who only know how to be protected by men. We work just as hard as men, we have jobs just like them. Everything a man can do, we can do too. We’re no worse than them, and some things we even do better.
But that doesn’t mean our man gets to just ignore us. If something like this happens and he doesn’t have anything to say about it, then that man isn’t worth having.
The reason she brought this up was exactly to see what Ling Hang’s attitude would be. Would he blame her for attracting trouble? Or would he just hide his head in the sand like a turtle?
“Ling Hang, do you think I was wrong?” Ye Jiawen looked directly into Ling Hang’s eyes and asked him bluntly.
Ling Hang frowned. “What did you do wrong?”
“About Wen Liang liking me.”
“How is him liking you your fault?” Ling Hang shook his head. “I don’t understand that logic.”
“But some men do think that if another man likes their girlfriend or wife, it must be the woman’s fault.”
Ling Hang’s brow furrowed deeply. “I don’t have any men like that around me. I know there are men who think that way. To me, those kinds of men aren’t real men.”
“First of all, you can’t control whether some other guy likes you. If you had that kind of power, forget becoming a lawyer or a judge—you should go to the battlefield.”
“Just stand there, control the enemy’s mind, make them tear each other apart. Our side wouldn’t have to do a thing except wait for victory.”
“Besides, you’re this amazing. You’re pretty, you’ve got a great, cheerful personality, and you’re a graduate student. Isn’t it normal for other men to like you? I’m more than happy about it.”
Now it was Ye Jiawen’s turn to be confused. “You’re happy?”
“It proves I have good taste and good fortune.”
Ling Hang took Ye Jiawen’s hand. “The fact that you told me about this means you don’t see me as an outsider. I think a couple should be honest with each other and say what’s on their minds. I don’t like beating around the bush. I love your direct personality.”
“Who’s a couple with you?”
Ye Jiawen’s face flushed red as she tried to push Ling Hang away. She couldn’t budge him, though, and he pulled her into his arms instead. “We will be, sooner or later. I’ve decided you’re the one for me, for my whole life.”
“Xiaowen, I’m also happy because you chose me. If you really wanted to be with that guy, you definitely wouldn’t have told me about this.”
“Since you told me, it means you want to go the distance with me.”
Ye Jiawen didn’t deny Ling Hang’s reasoning. She did indeed intend to go the distance with him. She had planned on it from the moment they confirmed their relationship.
If she didn’t like him, or if she felt they were incompatible, she wouldn’t have come to see him, and she certainly wouldn’t have committed to the relationship so quickly.
But liking someone is one thing. And sometimes, when you like someone, even things that don’t quite fit can feel like they do.
To see if two people are truly compatible, you have to go through real-life situations and see each other’s attitudes and how they handle things.
“It’s getting late. Let’s head down the mountain.” Ye Jiawen raised her hand and checked her watch. “Zhiqiu and I need to leave soon.”
“Okay.”
Ling Hang took two steps, then turned back and gave Ye Jiawen another tight hug. “I really hate to see you go. We have a group dinner and a party later. If you were a family member, you could stay.”
“I really want you to become my family member soon.”
After this meeting, both of their feelings for each other had deepened considerably. Naturally, Ye Jiawen didn’t want to part with Ling Hang either; she wished they could spend more time together.
And she did have thoughts of marrying Ling Hang. But she was still rational enough to know that now wasn’t the right time.
Her immediate priority was her studies. She couldn’t let a romance affect her academics.
“Xiaowen, after you graduate, let’s get married, okay?”
Just as Ye Jiawen was struggling with whether she should say something to pour cold water on the idea, Ling Hang let go of her, held her by the shoulders, looked into her eyes, and said with a very serious expression, “Don’t worry. We can wait to have children. I’ve thought it all through. You can have kids whenever you want. If you decide you don’t want any, that’s fine too. I just want to be with you. I will never let it affect your career.”
“You understand and support my career, and I will understand and support yours. I’m not looking for a good little homemaker. I want a life partner.”
Ye Jiawen hadn’t expected Ling Hang to be so understanding. She was deeply touched. “I definitely will have children, but I will prioritize my ideals and career first.”
She wanted to become a female judge, to make sure all the bad people got the punishment they deserved, and to protect the victims who deserved justice.
“So, is it a deal? We get married when you graduate?”
Ye Jiawen reached her hand out toward Ling Hang. As always, Ling Hang knew what she wanted without her having to say it. He extended his pinky finger and hooked it with hers. Then, the two of them pressed their thumbs together, sealing the deal with a pinky promise.
