As for the final outcome of who wins and who loses? Is there really any suspense here?
Not to mention Liu Di’er’s exceptional skills, but among the others, apart from Shen Mufan being a homebody weakling with zero combat ability, who doesn’t have some skills? Would they just stand by and watch Liu Di’er get beaten without lifting a finger? Impossible! If they were really that kind of people, Liu Di’er wouldn’t have stuck with them for so many years.
After knocking all those thugs to the ground, Liu Di’er crooked a finger at Yao Wenmiao: “Wenmiao, could you come over and check on this guy? See how he’s doing.”
Yao Wenmiao, full of curiosity, walked over and gave a quick examination of the first guy who had fallen, the one Liu Di’er had paid special attention to. In the end, he confirmed that while the guy had taken a beating, it wasn’t anything serious: “But if you want a thorough check-up, it’s best to go to the hospital for a full-body scan.”
Liu Di’er nodded without saying much.
At that moment, the others gathered around as well. Zhan Yunfei took one look at the guy and showed a hint of surprise: “Huh? Isn’t this Rong Jiang?”
“What? Yunfei, do you and Liu Ge know him?”
“Well… how should I put it? We’ve met once before.” With that, Zhan Yunfei recounted how he and Liu Di’er had run into Rong Jiang not long ago. After finishing, he concluded: “We did say we’d meet again if fate allowed, but honestly, we never expected to actually see him again.”
As more and more people gathered around, Shen Mufan grew increasingly uncomfortable under so many gazes and quietly hid in Xie Jinghong’s arms. Xie Jinghong, happily holding Shen Mufan by the waist, adjusted his glasses and said, “This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s take him to the hospital first. As for these thugs… ganging up to fight and disturbing public order…”
After sending the thugs where they belonged, the group took Rong Jiang to the hospital. Though Liu Di’er felt a bit guilty for disrupting everyone’s plans with her impulsive actions, she didn’t say anything. She believed actions spoke louder than words, and besides, their years of friendship meant they didn’t need to stand on ceremony.
After a full examination, Rong Jiang woke up before the results were even out.
Seeing Rong Jiang open his eyes, Zhan Yunfei leaned in: “Hey, Rong Jiang, you okay?”
Rong Jiang rubbed his temples: “I’m fine. Thanks.”
“Good to hear. We were pretty worried seeing you get ganged up on by those thugs. By the way, Rong Jiang, do you need any help with anything?”
“No, it’s nothing major. I can handle it myself.”
“But Rong Jiang, you’re not…” Zhan Yunfei started to say something, but before he could finish, Rong Jiang slammed his hand down on the blanket.
“Enough! I said it’s nothing major, and I can handle it myself! Can’t you just shut the hell up?!” Why had he been beaten? It was all because he and that bastard He Maozhe had clashed over their principles, and He Maozhe had decided to teach his disobedient pawn a lesson. Rong Jiang knew exactly why he’d been targeted.
But even if others offered to help, Rong Jiang wouldn’t accept. This was his feud with He Maozhe, Rong Haisheng, and that old man. What business did outsiders have getting involved?
Zhan Yunfei, now thoroughly pissed off, scowled and turned to leave. But Liu Di’er stepped up to the bed, arms crossed, looking down at Rong Jiang: “What’s the matter, little Rong Jiang? The chance to call for backup only comes once. Miss it, and there might not be a next time.”
Rong Jiang opened his mouth to retort, but Liu Di’er cut him off: “Oh, and one more thing. Now that the people who want to hurt you have made their move, what do you think is coming next?” Rong Jiang stiffened.
As the de facto leader of the group (though she’d never admit it), Liu Di’er had sharp eyes. She’d noticed right away that the so-called brawl between two gangs of thugs was actually just one group pretending to fight while their real target was Rong Jiang, who’d been lying on the ground. The whole “gang fight” was just a cover.
That’s why she’d been curious about the guy they’d all ganged up on. Taking a closer look, she realized it was someone they’d met before, which only deepened her curiosity—and led to her meddling. Based on their previous encounter, she didn’t think Rong Jiang was some irredeemable villain, so who would want to hurt him so badly, and why?
Wait, no—this wasn’t meddling! She was upholding justice! That’s how Liu Di’er justified her actions to herself.
As for what awaited Rong Jiang next? He didn’t need to think hard to guess. He Maozhe was a ruthless, obsessive madman who’d stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Whatever he had planned for his disobedient pawn, Rong Jiang wouldn’t be surprised. Still, he gritted his teeth, refusing to drag innocent people into this mess.
He, Rong Jiang, wasn’t like that old man—willing to deceive and exploit innocent people for his own twisted ends, ruining lives in the process.
But just as Rong Jiang looked up to refuse, his eyes landed on a familiar face among the people in the room. Though the demeanor and aura were different, the face was unmistakable: “You’re… Shen Mufan?”
Shen Mufan, startled, looked up at Rong Jiang in confusion: “Are you… talking to me?” As far as he could remember, they’d never met.
“So it is you.” Rong Jiang’s gaze at Shen Mufan was complicated. Honestly, he hadn’t expected life to be this absurd—running into Shen Mufan here, of all places.
Noticing the strange look Rong Jiang was giving Shen Mufan, Xie Jinghong’s glasses flashed ominously as he silently stepped forward, blocking Rong Jiang’s line of sight. His own gaze turned icy: *Hmph. Trying to steal my man? Let’s see if you’ve got what it takes.*
Rong Jiang’s expression grew even weirder as he glanced between Shen Mufan and Xie Jinghong.
Though he was straight as an arrow, He Maozhe’s demands had forced him into a fake relationship with Rong Haisheng (aka “Yi Jian Han Guang”), so he was no stranger to the unspoken dynamics between men. Who’d have thought Shen Mufan would end up with such an impressive guy?
Remembering He Maozhe’s inexplicable jealousy and hatred toward Shen Mufan, Rong Jiang’s imagination ran wild: *Wait, is this… a love triangle? But how does this triangle even work?*
As the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly awkward, Liu Di’er coughed loudly: “Ahem. Little Rong Jiang, you know Mufan?”
Seeing Shen Mufan softened Rong Jiang’s resistance somewhat—after all, Shen Mufan and He Maozhe had their own history. He shrugged: “I don’t *know* Shen Mufan. I’ve just seen his photo at He Maozhe’s place.”
At that, the room’s collective gossip radar lit up. Even Zhan Yunfei, still sulking, forgot his earlier anger, eager to dig into the juicy details. But with Xie Jinghong involved, they had to tread carefully.
Xie Jinghong, now feeling a distinct shade of green, shot Shen Mufan a wounded look. Shen Mufan, meanwhile, was utterly baffled: “He Maozhe? Who’s that? Do I know him?”
Wait, wasn’t today supposed to be a fun get-together with friends? Who was this He Maozhe guy popping up out of nowhere? He didn’t recognize the name at all!
Seeing Shen Mufan’s genuine confusion, Rong Jiang was equally puzzled: “You don’t know He Maozhe? Then why does he carry your photo around, staring at it with all these complicated emotions?” It was precisely because He Maozhe’s behavior toward Shen Mufan was so bizarre that Rong Jiang had memorized his face from a single photo—enough to recognize him now, despite the change in demeanor.
After all, strictly speaking, he and He Maozhe were just business partners—mutually distrustful ones at that. So when he stumbled upon what might be He Maozhe’s Achilles’ heel, how could he not pay attention?
Xie Jinghong’s expression darkened further, the temperature in the room dropping several degrees: “So. Who. Is. He. Maozhe?”
Under Xie Jinghong’s icy glare—and with Shen Mufan, who Rong Jiang now realized was already involved, standing right there—Rong Jiang glanced around the room. Seeing no one making moves to leave, he sighed, resigned: “He Maozhe… is my business partner. Though at this point, our partnership is pretty much over.” He laughed bitterly, self-mockingly.
*Pathetic. Can’t even avenge my mother properly.*
“What’s really going on?” Liu Di’er felt more lost by the minute. The others perked up, eager for the gossip.
*Xie Jinghong’s love life! A rare chance for juicy details—can’t miss this! Even if we get scolded later, it’ll be worth it!*
After an internal struggle, Rong Jiang sighed and spilled everything.
“My name is Rong Jiang. I’m Rong Guohai’s son. Or rather, his *illegitimate* son.” He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he introduced himself in a voice dripping with self-loathing and hatred, unraveling the tangled web of grudges and vendettas between himself, Rong Guohai, Rong Haisheng, and He Maozhe. (Well, minus the “love” part.)
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