"I was here first for this hospital bed. If he likes this spot, so do I. Why should I give it up to him? Besides, the nurse already told you hospital beds can’t be changed arbitrarily. How dare you come over to lift me and drive me away?"
The little girl named Zhou Xiaojie initially just had red-rimmed eyes, but when her mother arrived, she found support and became more aggrieved as she spoke, eventually bursting into tears.
However, the family standing by the bed showed no signs of remorse, especially the middle-aged woman in a floral dress. She even dug her ear for earwax and flicked it onto Zhou Xiaojie’s bed, successfully disgusting the onlookers.
"Rules are made by humans. Are we supposed to die from holding in our urine? I see you just don’t want to switch beds with our youngest. If you met someone else today, they might have let it go seeing a girl like you crying, but I tell you, your luck’s bad for running into me. I don’t buy your act. Today’s bed is my son’s, whether you switch or not, it’s going to be swapped. There’s no room for negotiation. Don’t think a few people backing you can save you. I’m telling you, it’s impossible! I’ve been working since I was a teenager, I’ve got the strength. Those three people you brought? I can take them down with one hand, a flashy show with no substance."
The woman, hands on hips, spoke domineeringly, spitting as she talked, leaving splatters everywhere. Everyone in the ward frowned in disgust, except her family, who appeared used to it with no reaction.
"How can you be so unreasonable? Is there any way to snatch by force ? My family Xiaojie is seriously ill. Aren’t you afraid of bad karma and divine retribution for treating her ?" Zhou Jie looked at the frail, veined hands of her daughter, gasping at a blood mark left by a needle prick.
"How can you be so bad? There are three empty beds in this room, yet you insist on fighting with a defenseless, critically ill girl? Can’t you show some conscience?" Zhou Jie cried.
"Damn, you old hag, aren’t you done yet? Why all the whining? Truly birds of a feather flock together, the young ones cry, and the old ones follow suit. Aren’t you afraid of crying yourself blind? If you were a stunning beauty, I might have some compassion for you, but look at yourself, your wrinkles are even uglier than your skeleton-looking daughter. You’re still trying to pull off that teary act from TV? Disgusting, you’re making me want to puke. I’ll give you three seconds to get out, don’t force me to hit you."
A young man with choppy, non-mainstream hair almost covering his eyes flung his greasy fringe while speaking with a smirk, thinking himself quite cool.
"You can try using force. By then, I can arrange for the hospital to provide a special family room for you, so your whole family can lie in it neat and tidy, a family reunion." Xu Ke patted the neck of Lin Mengyao, who was flushed red from anger by this family’s shamelessness, and said coldly to the family of three.
There were many things Xu Ke disliked, but bullying the weak was definitely at the top of the list, so as he looked at this strange family, he did not conceal his murderous aura.
"You... you think I’m afraid of you? I tell you, I’m with the Bai Feng Gang. Provoking me means provoking the entire Bai Feng Gang. We won’t let you go unscathed. There’s the door, scram, but leave the girl in your arms here to make amends, or else my brothers and I won’t let you off." The young man hadn’t noticed Lin Mengyao by Xu Ke’s side till now, and was utterly astonished.
In his twenty years, he’d never seen such a knockout beauty, cool and enchanting. Just one look made him feel his soul was being hooked away. To win over such a stunning chick, he’d even be willing to live ten years less. Imagine flaunting her outside and making his buddies turn green with envy.
The more he thought about it, the more feverish he got. His gaze towards Lin Mengyao grew increasingly wicked, making Xu Ke want to dig out his eyeballs and stomp them into the ground.
"I initially planned to spare you if you admitted your mistake sincerely, but now I don’t want to let you off." Xu Ke released Lin Mengyao’s hand, making his fingers crack loudly, and the murder intent emanating from him intensified.
"You’re just a pretty boy spouting big words here. Today your grandpa will teach you a lesson about being human." The young man rolled up his sleeves high, assuming a menacing posture as he approached Xu Ke.
Lin Mengyao reached out and grabbed Xu Ke’s sleeve, a bit nervous, while Zhou Jie sitting on the hospital bed also panicked as Xu Ke was her employer. If he got beaten up because of her issue, how could she bear that?
"Sir." Zhou Jie gave Xu Ke a pleading look, hoping he wouldn’t get into a fight over her. After all, Xu Ke and Lin Mengyao helping her in distress was already incredibly generous. If anything bad happened for her sake now, she’d truly would have no face to face the couple.
Although Xu Ke understood Zhou Jie’s intention, he had no intention to stop. The look in the young man’s eyes toward Lin Mengyao had already crossed his bottom line, something he couldn’t tolerate.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged parents, perhaps having too much faith in their son, didn’t stop him and instead withdrew to leave more room for the duo, even showing anticipation.
Xu Ke and the young man collided almost without obstruction. "Pretty boy, taste my fist." The young man recited an overly dramatic line and threw a punch at Xu Ke’s eyes. The force behind the punch made the air resonate with a metallic clang. Xu Ke didn’t expect such strength from the opponent, couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, and transitioned from a fist to a palm, enveloping the young man’s fist in his hand.
With a "bang!" they both stepped back simultaneously.
"Not bad, you managed to take one of my punches, but that’s all you can handle." The young man shook his hand and, without giving Xu Ke a chance to react, unleashed another punch aimed at the same spot.
Xu Ke ignored the young man’s words and returned the punch directly. Their fists clashed, echoing a dull thump.