Chapter 99
The young man showed a smug smile on his face. Others could only hear a dull thud, but being closer and involved, he heard the sound of bones breaking one by one. This sound was not unfamiliar; he could often hear it when he punched others.
Seeing the smugness on the young man’s face, Xu Ke also smiled, even showing his white teeth. His fair and handsome face inexplicably carried a trace of wickedness because of that expression, leaving the young man stupefied.
Before he could realize what had happened, a sharp pain that made him scream involuntarily came from his knuckles, even spreading upwards.
Under everyone’s gaze, the young man’s arm, which had just been taut as a straight line, went limp like a noodle, dangling by his side.
“Ahhhh!” The young man, who had just been so arrogant, was now wailing continuously while holding his fractured arm. The middle-aged couple, who had been standing on the side watching the scene, suddenly changed their expressions and rushed towards the young man, protecting him like lions guarding their cubs, not allowing anyone to approach.
“My son, what happened to you?” The middle-aged woman held the young man’s face, speaking with a heartache and a sense of panic.
“Mom, mom. My arm hurts. Am I going to be disabled? Is my arm broken? I’m in excruciating pain. Mom, teach him a lesson for me, make him apologize to me.” The young man, who had been so arrogant, was now crying with a snotty nose and tears, like an elementary school student, hiding in the middle-aged woman’s arms and pointing at Xu Ke, crying out loudly, childishly making people laugh and cry at the same time.
“Alright, mom will get back at him for you.” The middle-aged woman patted the young man’s back like soothing a child. After his cries had weakened, without any warning, she lunged at Xu Ke, stretching out her sharp, manicured nails towards his face.
Seeing the ferocious look on her face, Lin Mengyao’s heart almost jumped out of her chest, and a “be careful” escaped her lips before she even realized it.
The middle-aged woman’s speed was indeed fast, but everything seemed in slow motion to Xu Ke. He easily dodged her attack, grabbed her wrist, twisted her arm behind her back, and warned, “You’d better behave, or next time, I’ll make you end up like your son.”
After saying this, Xu Ke pushed her towards the young man.
“We won’t give up this hospital bed. You’d better behave and not cause more trouble, or next time, I won’t show any mercy.” Xu Ke looked down at the family, speaking coldly.
“Nurse, check that young man, his arm has been broken by me,” Xu Ke said to the row of nurses standing against the wall in the corner of the ward.
“Ah? Ah,” the nurse was startled for a moment before running towards the young man, who was still crying and howling. They initially thought he was just acting, but upon closer examination, they noticed the unnatural drooping of his arm, realizing Xu Ke was serious.
They couldn’t afford to admire Xu Ke, who could break a person’s arm with a punch, and immediately snatched the young man from the middle-aged man’s arms, promptly transporting him to the orthopedic clinic for treatment.
Seeing her son taken away and her husband accompanying him, the middle-aged woman’s eyes turned, planning to sit on the floor and wail, intending to use her countryside tactics here. But having dealt with Li Lihua for so long, Xu Ke immediately knew her ploy with just a glance, understanding that she wanted to force him to back down. If he retreated even a single step, it would only lead to further concessions, leaving no room to recover.
Thus, Xu Ke didn’t give her the chance to sit down and cry. As soon as she bent over, intending to sit on the ground, he said, “If you dare cry in front of me, I’ll break one of your son’s fingers. Try me if you don’t believe it.”
Xu Ke’s words made the middle-aged woman’s actions freeze, her face turning a myriad of colors—white, red, yet again colorful. Seeing Xu Ke’s expression that didn’t seem to be lying, her face, wrinkled and trembling, obliged unwillingly, rising back up from her half-squatting position. She gave two appeasing smiles to Xu Ke before running out to follow her son, leaving another son behind to face Xu Ke and the others’ cold stares alone in the ward.
The middle-aged woman was terrified. With the men in her family gone, leaving only a younger son still unconscious in bed, she, being merely a woman, didn’t have the courage to oppose Xu Ke.
Watching the family leave in disgrace, Sister Zhou breathed a sigh of relief. Zhou Xiaojie, who had been hiding in Sister Zhou’s arms, finally relaxed her tightly strained body, “Thank you, you’re such a good person.” With a small pale face, Zhou Xiaojie’s eyes sparkled as she smiled and said, having retracted her thorns from when they first met, now looking like a roadside white flower: fragile, gentle, yet carrying a hint of unyielding tenacity.
Xu Ke, having never dealt with such a young child, didn’t know what to say. He simply pursed his lips and said dryly, “Take care of your illness, you will get better. Those people shouldn’t bully you again. If they dare try, call me, and I’ll help you teach them a lesson.”
“Mm, thank you, big brother.” Zhou Xiaojie nodded vigorously, but the next moment, her head tilted, and she fell into a deep sleep on Sister Zhou’s shoulder.
When Sister Zhou tucked her back into the blanket, Zhou Xiaojie frowned uncomfortably, letting out two light hums, appearing quite uncomfortable.
Sister Zhou, with tears in her eyes and her hand covering her mouth, walked out of the ward with Xu Ke and Lin Mengyao.
Originally, Lin Mengyao felt Xu Ke’s actions were a bit heavy-handed and wanted to give the family some compensation. However, after seeing the frail Zhou Xiaojie, Lin Mengyao squelched her emerging sympathy. People are inherently biased; seeing the weak little girl trying to appear strong reminded Lin Mengyao of herself in her childhood, causing a dull pain in her heart.
Xu Ke didn’t know what Lin Mengyao was thinking of, but sensing her low mood, he looked at her inquisitively and asked quietly, “What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”
Lin Mengyao shook her head, speaking softly, “It’s nothing, just remembering things from my childhood. Let’s help them.”
“Alright.”
Without any hesitation, Xu Ke agreed directly. At this moment, Sister Zhou, walking in front of them, suddenly turned around and knelt before Xu Ke and Lin Mengyao. If Xu Ke hadn’t reacted quickly by pulling Lin Mengyao aside, they might have collided into Sister Zhou.