Chapter Thirty-Four: A Quarrel Among Our Own

The three of them stood at the entrance, speculating for a long time without figuring out why the old Taoist had come to the hospital. In the end, they decided to go back and check on Ling Feng.

Well, to be honest, the main reason was that it was simply too cold here.

Just as they reached the entrance, they heard a commotion—male and female voices arguing not far away.

“Huh? Is this one of those hospital disturbances? Did we just run into one?” Qi Kun asked, puzzled.

Hu Erleng’s eyes lit up. “Why bother guessing? What do ordinary folks like us love most? Come on, let’s go see what’s going on!”

Yang Meng, however, frowned slightly. “Don’t you think those voices sound awfully familiar?”

“Now that you mention it, it does sound like I’ve heard them somewhere before,” Hu Erleng nodded.

Once they entered the hospital building, they immediately realized where they’d heard those voices—it was that beauty from earlier.

But she’d lost all her previous grace; now her face was flushed with anger, and who knew what had provoked her to this state.

Hu Erleng nudged Yang Meng. “Hey buddy, the beauty’s in trouble here. If we step in, does that count as rescuing a damsel in distress? Out of the three of us, you’re the toughest. You take the lead, we’ll back you up. What do you say? Just say the word and I’ll stick my neck out for you!”

Yang Meng could only force a bitter smile. “No one’s bullying her! They’re family, just having a quarrel.”

Both Hu Erleng and Qi Kun looked at him in surprise. “How do you know?”

Yang Meng sighed. “I know the guy she’s arguing with.”

The man arguing with the beauty was none other than Long Teng, the eldest son of the Long Corporation. And the one trying to mediate between them—who else could it be but Duan Bowen?

Having recalled the name Long Nanyao, it wasn’t hard to deduce the woman’s identity: she must be Long Xixiang, the second daughter of the Long family.

“Are you sure you know those people?” Qi Kun suddenly asked in a sneaky whisper.

Yang Meng nodded. “I do. That guy is Long Teng. He runs a gym.”

He didn’t go into any more detail.

Qi Kun nodded, “So it’s just a family quarrel?”

Yang Meng wasn’t sure what Qi Kun was getting at, but he answered truthfully, “If I’m not mistaken, yes. Even if they’re not siblings, they’re definitely family.”

Qi Kun fell silent, lost in thought.

“What are you plotting, Lobster?” Yang Meng asked, confused.

Qi Kun suddenly clenched his teeth. “I’ll trust you this once! You two cover me!”

“Huh? Trust me on what? Cover you how?” Yang Meng was completely at a loss.

Suddenly, that chubby body of Qi Kun’s charged forward. Before Yang Meng and Hu Erleng could react, Qi Kun had already dashed in front of Long Xixiang and given Long Teng a shove, making him stumble. “What kind of man are you, shouting at a woman? If you’ve got guts, come at me! Don’t worry, Xixiang, with me here, no one will lay a finger on you!”

“Pfft!” Yang Meng and Hu Erleng couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Typical Qi Kun. Even though he’d become a chubby guy, back when he was slimmer, he used to call himself the ‘Number One Lover of Zhuoshan’—not that anyone else ever agreed with that.

“Who the hell are you?” Long Teng’s anger boiled over at being pushed. Had he left the house under a bad sign these last few days? First he’d been floored by Yang Meng in one move, now even strangers dared mess with him?

If Qi Kun hadn’t called Long Xixiang by name, he’d probably be getting a beating already.

“My name is Lei Feng—remember it!” Qi Kun declared fearlessly.

Yang Meng and Hu Erleng were doubled over, unable to stop laughing.

Still laughing, Hu Erleng pointed at Qi Kun. “Meng, why is Lobster still using those old lines? Wasn’t that the same line he used back in high school when he tried to woo that girl in the village behind the mountain?”

Yang Meng shouted, “That’s right! I remember he once said that introducing himself as Lei Feng in a situation like this would make a deep impression on the girl. She’d think he was not only brave but funny too.”

Their conversation was loud enough to draw everyone’s attention.

Qi Kun was flustered. “Hey! Couldn’t you have waited a bit before exposing me? I’ve been living repressed for years, finally decided to let loose and relive my youth for a moment—a little fun, is that too much to ask? What did I do in my past life to deserve friends like you?”

That only made Yang Meng and Hu Erleng laugh harder.

The commotion drew everyone’s attention. Long Teng’s expression twisted at the sight of Yang Meng—he really didn’t want to see him! He, a national champion, had been taken out in a single move by Yang Meng in public. Did he have no pride left?

Meanwhile, Duan Bowen maintained his ever-calm smile. “Mr. Yang, what brings you here?”

Yang Meng grinned, “The world’s like that—vast but small at the same time.”

Duan Bowen replied, “You’re right, Mr. Yang. It’s fate.”

Yang Meng quickly waved his hands. “No need to get so sentimental. I’m already getting goosebumps. What’s going on here? ‘Heir of the Long Corporation Causes a Scene at City Hospital’? Planning to make headlines?”

Duan Bowen gave a sycophantic smile. “Sorry to let you see us making a spectacle of ourselves.”

“Come on, it’s nothing. Just remember—keep public order in mind. This is a hospital, not your company’s headquarters. It’s not good for people to see this, right?” Yang Meng waved his hand. “Alright, if there’s nothing else, I’m taking this troublemaker with me.”

Duan Bowen quickly said, “Of course, Mr. Yang, as you wish.”

Yang Meng said to Qi Kun, “Lobster, this is just a family spat. No need to play the hero. Let’s go.”

Qi Kun sighed, “What choice do I have? You two just exposed me completely. How can I keep embarrassing myself here? Can’t you let me have a little fun for once? Miss Xixiang, sorry I couldn’t help you this time—maybe next time!” He even gave Long Xixiang a dramatic wave, then prepared to leave with Yang Meng and Hu Erleng.

But just then, Long Xixiang stepped forward and blocked their way.

Qi Kun, thinking she was after him, quickly said, “Miss Xixiang, we were just joking. Please don’t take it to heart.”

But she didn’t even look at him; instead, she blocked Yang Meng. “You’re Yang Meng?” Her expression had changed entirely since their first encounter; her eyes blazed with fury.

“Huh? You need something from me?” Yang Meng looked at her in confusion. It wasn’t strange that a Long family member knew him, but why seek him out? They had no dealings with each other.

Long Xixiang’s face was full of anger. “So it really is you! Listen carefully—if anything happens to my sister, I’ll never forgive you!”

Yang Meng was baffled. “Your sister? What’s that got to do with me?”

Hu Erleng nudged Yang Meng and whispered, “Meng, did you mess with her sister?”

“Spare me! What nonsense!” Yang Meng snapped. “Quit stirring things up! Listen, Miss Xixiang—”

She cut him off. “Since when are we so close? Who said you could call me Xixiang?”

Yang Meng shrugged. “Alright then, Miss Long. I’ve only met your sister once, and your future brother-in-law nearly beat me up that time. If something’s happened to her, what’s it got to do with me? Don’t try to pin every blame on me. These days, even boasting gets taxed—so you’d better have evidence before you speak. What’s this about me being responsible if something happens to your sister? Am I supposed to take responsibility if she ends up pregnant? You two really are sisters—your logic is exactly the same!”

Long Xixiang pointed at Yang Meng, furious but at a loss for words.

Once again, it was Duan Bowen who stepped in. “Mr. Yang, please try to understand, Miss Long Nanyao is in a coma, so Xixiang’s not in the best mood.”

Yang Meng scratched his head. “And that’s my problem? If she’s sick, shouldn’t you be talking to a doctor? What’s it got to do with me?”

Duan Bowen explained, “Mr. Yang, we’ve gathered the best doctors in the city and even brought in specialists from the capital. After their consultations, the final diagnosis was that every aspect of Miss Nanyao’s health is perfectly normal—yet she won’t wake up.”

Yang Meng was taken aback. “Everything’s normal, but she’s still in a coma?”

Duan Bowen nodded. “Exactly. The doctors are at a loss.”

Yang Meng frowned, a possibility flickering through his mind. Out loud, he said, “Hey, Secretary Duan, what’s this got to do with me? And you, Miss Long Xixiang, don’t think you can say whatever you want just because you’re well-endowed! I want an explanation—don’t just throw accusations at me! These days, you really need evidence. What do you mean, I’m responsible if anything happens to your sister? If she ends up pregnant, am I supposed to take the blame? You two are truly cut from the same cloth—completely unreasonable!”

Long Xixiang gave a cold snort. “Isn’t it your nonsense that got us here?”

Duan Bowen hurried to explain, “Mr. Yang, the Long family was at their wits’ end when we remembered you’d mentioned something about Nanyao being haunted by an evil spirit. So we invited Taoist Yunhe to help. But Xixiang doesn’t believe in Daoist rituals, so she tried to send Yunhe away and wanted to take Nanyao abroad for treatment. That’s what led to the argument with Young Master Long. After all, Nanyao is the most beloved sister of both Xixiang and Young Master Long, so they’re both on edge. Please forgive them.”

Long Xixiang glared. “Duan Bowen, why are you so polite to this guy?”

Duan Bowen could only give a wry smile. In his heart, he thought, I’d love not to be so polite, but with fists like his, what choice do I have?

At this point, Yang Meng said, “Erleng, Lobster—go back and keep Ling Feng company. I’ll go with them to have a look.”

Duan Bowen was momentarily startled, then smiled. “Mr. Yang, you’re willing to take a look? That’s exactly what we were hoping for!”

Long Teng and Long Xixiang both turned to glare at Duan Bowen. “Why bring him up?”

Duan Bowen replied, “After all, Mr. Yang was the first to mention Nanyao being haunted by a malicious spirit. Who knows—he might actually be able to help.”

“You really believe his nonsense?” Long Xixiang was about to lose her mind.