Chapter 130: Chapter 83: You Petty Thief, You Dare to Impersonate Him? How Many Lives Do You Have?

"Help me..."

The man’s voice was weak and faint.

Jiang Yunnuan’s brow twitched. She recognized the man at a glance, and her interest was instantly piqued.

’It’s actually Ning Xiu!’

’Isn’t this Jiang Wanwan’s man?’

’How did he end up in this state?’

’No, something’s not right. It’s a trap!’

She immediately sensed that something was amiss.

This Ning Xiu was the Chief Governor of the Third Star Zone, a man holding a key position of immense power. He was also a powerhouse at the Deformation Stage, with countless subordinates secretly at his beck and call.

How could he possibly end up in such a miserable state within the Empire’s territory?

The only explanation was that he was doing it on purpose!

Jiang Yunnuan put on a frightened expression, kicking his hand away with utter disgust. As she kicked, she "accidentally" stomped hard on his hand and spoke with a look of revulsion.

"Let go! Who are you? You’re filthy! Why are you hiding here trying to scare people?"

The freshly scabbed wound was ground open by the sole of her shoe, and blood instantly gushed out. Ning Xiu couldn’t help but grit his teeth and let out a muffled groan.

’This damn woman... she must have done that on purpose, right?’

’Truly vicious and detestable.’

"Miss... Jiang, don’t you recognize me? I’m Ning Xiu!"

He wiped his face with his sleeve, trying to clean off the grime.

’Damn it. To make the act convincing, I made my face too dirty. This good-for-nothing actually can’t recognize me. I might have overdone it, wasting all my painstaking effort.’

SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

The next moment, a series of crisp slaps echoed out. His ears were ringing, his face was burning, and Ning Xiu, who had never been slapped so many times in a row, was completely stunned.

"Where did a petty thief like you crawl out from? How dare you impersonate Ning Xiu? Do you have any idea who he is? He’s the Chief Governor of the Third Star Zone! You dare to impersonate him? How many lives do you think you have?"

Slapping someone was hard work. After a dozen or so slaps, Jiang Yunnuan’s palm was already numb.

She shook her sore wrist, looking at his even more swollen face with immense satisfaction.

’Excellent. This round of slaps was quite effective. I bet even if Jiang Wanwan were here, she wouldn’t recognize him so easily.’

Looking at the woman’s self-righteous expression, Ning Xiu felt both furious and helpless.

’This stupid woman’s expression doesn’t look fake. She really hasn’t recognized me yet and actually thinks I’m an imposter. Are her two big eyes just for decoration?’

’How can she be this blind?’

"I’m not an imposter! I really am Ning—"

Before he could finish, he was slapped twice more across the mouth.

The woman in front of him was incredibly fast, so fast he couldn’t react at all.

"Oh, so you’re addicted to impersonating him, are you? You still dare to keep up the act after all those slaps? It seems the lesson wasn’t harsh enough. Today, I’m going to teach you, you little thief, a proper lesson on behalf of Ning Xiu and make sure you remember it."

She glared at him, furious and fuming. The moment she finished speaking, she lifted her leg and aimed a vicious kick at his body.

Ning Xiu quickly snapped back to his senses and raised a hand to block.

Seeing this, Jiang Yunnuan sneered, looking as if she had seen right through him.

"See? I knew you were an imposter. A moment ago, you were on the verge of death, looking like you could kick the bucket at any second. But now you’re blocking my attacks with such vigor. Spit it out, you petty thief! What’s your real motive for impersonating Ning Xiu and getting close to me?"

Ning Xiu: "..."

’How did things turn out like this?’

’I only blocked her slightly. How did that make her suspect I had a motive for approaching her?’

’But if I hadn’t blocked, she would have definitely kicked me unconscious. If she’d kicked my face, I might have been disfigured.’

’This idiot... why is she so difficult to deal with?’

’No wonder Ling Ze struggled to deal with her for so long, only to end in failure.’

"Miss Jiang, I really am Ning Xiu. I was pursuing a group of criminals when I was accidentally separated from my subordinates. I found myself surrounded and only managed to break out after a fierce battle. But I was severely injured. Please, let me stay here for a few days. Once I contact my men, I will handsomely repay you for your great kindness."

Jiang Yunnuan’s eyes flickered. She suddenly leaned a little closer, her gaze filled with suspicion.

"My, my, you’re still insisting you’re Ning Xiu. Could it be you’re really not an imposter? In that case, do you have any proof of your identity?"

’I’ve already used this chance to give him a good beating, anyway!’

’Giving him a chance to prove his identity now is the perfect opportunity to see what his real motive is for going to such great lengths to approach me.’

Her intuition told her that this guy was, one hundred percent, approaching her on purpose. That whole story he just told was completely fabricated.

’He must be acting on Jiang Wanwan’s orders.’

’But I can’t guess his specific goal just yet. I’ll have to wait and see.’

"Miss Jiang, look. This is my identification information and my Governor’s credentials."

Seeing that she was finally willing to try and believe him instead of slapping him the moment he opened his mouth, Ning Xiu immediately cast aside his displeasure, quickly activated his Light Brain, and pulled up the evidence to show her.

Jiang Yunnuan leaned her head in, pretending to examine it, then let out a gasp and apologized.

"Oh my, you really are Ning Xiu! I am so sorry! Your face is just so swollen, please forgive me for not recognizing you at all. I thought you were some petty thief who had the audacity to impersonate a Governor~"

"I’m so, so sorry. I was too rough just now. Please don’t blame me, Mr. Ning. I was only trying to protect the Governor’s dignity, I was afraid someone was impersonating you."

’Hmph, this idiot sure knows how to talk her way out of things!’

Ning Xiu was furious enough to kill her, but her words were flawless. Everything she said was supposedly for his own good; the reason she’d hit him was to protect the Governor’s dignity and prevent an imposter from tarnishing his name. How could he possibly hold it against her?

Turning off his Light Brain, he forced a smile.

"It’s alright. The fault is indeed mine. You’re not to blame, Miss Jiang. So, can you take me in? I’m severely injured and about to collapse."

"Of course, you can. It would be my honor to host you, Mr. Ning."

Jiang Yunnuan sneered inwardly, but a fawning smile spread across her face. She readily agreed and reached out to support his arm.

"Since you’re so badly injured, Mr. Ning, can you walk on your own? Do you need me to help you?"

"*Ahem*, I can walk on my own. Besides, we’re practically family. ’Mr. Ning’ is too formal. You can just call me Ning Xiu."

His voice was exceptionally gentle, a stark contrast to his famously cold and stern public persona. If one listened closely, there even seemed to be a hint of tenderness in it.

Jiang Yunnuan: "..."

She was utterly stunned. A ridiculous thought flashed through her mind.

’Shouldn’t this guy despise me—or rather, the original owner of this body?’

’Why is he acting like this?’

’He’s not... trying to seduce me, is he?’

’Why?’

Countless questions popped into her head, but she quickly suppressed them. Coming back to her senses, she replied with a smile.

"Oh, I see. Let’s go inside then, Ning Xiu!"

’Hah. He’d better not be here to seduce me. Otherwise, I’ll show him just how cruel the world can be.’