Chapter 17

The tall, thin man lunged forward and punched Chu Tianshu from behind.

Chu Tianshu, holding Liu Chunna with his left hand, slapped the man's neck with his right hand.

The tall, thin man leaned against the car again.

He got up, pointed at Chu Tianshu, and shouted, "Who the hell are you? You dare to hit me?"

Chu Tianshu didn't back down and retorted, "Who the hell are you, hitting a girl?"

Liu Chunna pulled Chu Tianshu's arm and stood up.

"Damn it," the man continued to curse, "I'm arguing with my girlfriend, what's it got to do with you?"

Chu Tianshu glanced at Liu Chunna and understood that this man was probably the match she had met a few days ago.

If they got along, they could talk it out; if not, they could break up. Why did they have to resort to physical violence?

Chu Tianshu's tone softened a bit, "Bro, since she's your girlfriend, why do you hit her?"

"Beating is a sign of affection, scolding is a sign of love. Do you understand?" The man laughed and reached out to pull Liu Chunna. "Come with me, I'll take you to a fun place."

Liu Chunna shook off his hand and shouted, "Hao Shuang, who is your girlfriend? Why should I go with you?"

Hao Shuang raised his hand to pull her again but was grabbed by Chu Tianshu.

"Let go of me," Hao Shuang snarled.

Chu Tianshu let go and pointed at Hao Shuang, "Listen up, she's not your girlfriend. From now on, she's my girlfriend."

"Who the hell are you, daring to snatch my woman?" Hao Shuang gestured wildly.

Chu Tianshu pushed his hand away, "Who I am doesn't matter. I'm just telling you, she's mine. If you dare to touch her again, I won't let you off."

Hao Shuang lunged at Chu Tianshu aggressively.

Chu Tianshu stood his ground, unyielding.

In terms of both presence and strength, Hao Shuang was clearly no match for Chu Tianshu.

Chu Tianshu had already decided that if Hao Shuang dared to make the first move, he would beat him to the ground.

Hao Shuang, realizing he was no match for Chu Tianshu, only dared to mouth off and not to act.

A car came from behind, honking furiously because the entrance was blocked.

Hao Shuang glanced back and glared at Chu Tianshu, "Fine, I know who you are. If you have the guts, don't leave. Wait for me!" He then got into the car and sped away.

Chu Tianshu relaxed his clenched fists.

Liu Chunna took a step and cried out, "Ouch," almost falling over.

Chu Tianshu quickly caught her, "What's wrong?"

Liu Chunna's expression was pained, "My foot, I think I twisted it."

"Is it serious?"

"It hurts, it really hurts."

"Do you want to go to the hospital?"

"Yes, definitely." Liu Chunna looked pitiful. "Tianshu, did you buy the ticket?"

"Already bought it."

"Good, take me to the hospital quickly. I can't bear it anymore."

Seeing Liu Chunna's pained expression, Chu Tianshu didn't wait for the boss to give him change. He hailed a taxi and helped Liu Chunna in.

In the car, Liu Chunna's expression wasn't as pained as before.

"What's going on between you and him?" Chu Tianshu asked.

Liu Chunna said resentfully, "After work, he asked me to talk. I told him I didn't want to continue seeing him, but he wouldn't accept it, so we argued."

"Ah, such a man is indeed no good," Chu Tianshu said disdainfully.

Liu Chunna clearly didn't want to talk about Hao Shuang anymore and forced a smile, "Tianshu, where were you this afternoon? We were all worried sick."

Chu Tianshu said, "That annoying classmate dragged me to a bar. I hadn't even sat down when a beautiful woman called and he ran off. I hadn't finished eating, so I came to the street to grab something to eat."

Liu Chunna didn't ask more and said, "Old Fan and Aunt Qian both said you did a great job today."

Chu Tianshu smiled, "Heh, Tian Touzi is too despicable. I've been wanting to vent for a long time."

"But..." Liu Chunna hesitated.

Chu Tianshu was very relaxed, "Go ahead, it's fine. It's just a one-year assignment. I was prepared for it."

However, he had learned a profound lesson from his previous immature behavior and wouldn't reveal to anyone that he had already dealt with Tian Keming until the assignment was finalized.

Liu Chunna said that just before quitting time, Huang Roshan had called a short meeting with the committee leaders and Ouyang Meimei and Tian Keming, arranging some daily work and discussing the "village assignment" candidates, preliminarily deciding on Chu Tianshu.

Liu Chunna looked at Chu Tianshu and continued, "This was told to me quietly by Section Chief 'Mei' in the restroom before quitting time. It's not final yet, and it has to be reported at the party group meeting on Monday when Director Guan returns to work."

Chu Tianshu said, "If it's decided, the party group meeting is just a formality."

Liu Chunna blushed and said softly, "Tianshu, I'm sorry, it's my fault."

Chu Tianshu waved his hand, "Chunna, it's not your fault. Tian Touzi was just too overbearing."

Liu Chunna's eyes were a bit lost, her mind wandering.

Chu Tianshu thought for a moment and reminded her, "Chunna, no matter if I go or not, take care of yourself. Don't be alone with men who have ulterior motives anymore."

Liu Chunna said, "Don't worry, I can guarantee Tian Keming won't dare anymore."

"Why?"

"Because I'm yours," Liu Chunna said, moving closer to Chu Tianshu, leaning her head on his shoulder, looking like a gentle, dependent girl.

Chu Tianshu patted her head and laughed, "That was just to scare Tian Touzi. You took it seriously?"

Liu Chunna looked up, eyes wide.

After a while, seeing that Chu Tianshu didn't seem to be joking, Liu Chunna's expression was slightly disappointed, "Tianshu, I understand. But still, thank you."

By the time they arrived at the city's First People's Hospital, Liu Chunna said, "Tianshu, forget it, my foot seems fine."

Chu Tianshu didn't believe her, "No way, you said it hurt a lot just now."

"It's really fine now." Liu Chunna took a few steps, and she didn't seem as pained as before.

Liu Chunna walked with a slight limp, the streetlights casting a slanted shadow on her, highlighting her slender waist and adding a unique charm.

"Since we're here, let's check it out," Chu Tianshu insisted, still worried, and forcibly helped Liu Chunna into the hospital.

In the outpatient room, Chu Tianshu saw clearly that Liu Chunna's face had a red handprint.

Hao Shuang's punch was quite vicious.

"What happened?" The doctor was a woman, wearing a mask, only her bright eyes visible. She glared at Chu Tianshu, scolding, "A big man, can't you talk things out? Why hit so hard?"

Was it unjust? She actually thought Chu Tianshu had hit Liu Chunna.

Chu Tianshu, of course, had to explain, "Doctor, I..."

"What do you mean, hitting a woman is justified?" The doctor's beautiful eyes were full of anger. She glared at Chu Tianshu, wrote a slip, and handed it to him, sternly saying, "Go pay."

"No, I mean..."

The doctor interrupted him again, "What are you saying? A big man, can't you be more considerate of a girl? No matter what, you shouldn't hit her."

Chu Tianshu was speechless, looking at Liu Chunna innocently, took the slip, and turned to leave.

After paying, he returned to see Liu Chunna chatting with the female doctor.

The doctor had taken off her mask. Seeing Chu Tianshu return, she looked a bit awkward, probably because Liu Chunna had explained that the handprint on her face wasn't from Chu Tianshu.

Chu Tianshu was surprised to find that the doctor was young and beautiful, around twenty-four or twenty-five, with arched eyebrows, big eyes, and a high nose. Despite the loose white coat, her well-proportioned figure was still evident.

The doctor took the slip from Chu Tianshu, smiled awkwardly, and said, "Her foot is fine, just a minor muscle strain. Apply a warm towel, and it will be better."

Chu Tianshu glanced at Liu Chunna, whose handprint was less noticeable, and stared at her foot, asking the doctor, "Are you sure? She said it hurt a lot just now. Could it be a bone injury? Should we check further?"

"Interesting, you seem more professional than me," the doctor rolled her eyes at Chu Tianshu, but not as fiercely as before, with a hint of a smile. Seeing that Chu Tianshu still didn't believe her, she glanced at Liu Chunna and said, "You, you're really silly. Girls sometimes act coquettish, and you take it seriously. Ha ha."

Chu Tianshu and Liu Chunna both blushed.

Being teased by the doctor, Chu Tianshu felt a bit unwilling and said with a smile, "Doctor, can you give me your phone number? In case there are any issues, I can consult you."

"Bold enough, even in front of your girlfriend, you dare to play this trick?" The doctor's eyes widened again.

"So what?" The doctor sneered, "Aren't you afraid she'll be angry when she gets home?"

"Heh, Doctor Bai, I'm not her girlfriend," Liu Chunna quickly explained.

"Really?" The doctor exclaimed in surprise. "You two are really joking."

Chu Tianshu said, "Heh, she's not joking, Doctor Bai. Can I have your phone number now?"

"Go away, don't play this trick. Get out," the doctor, both angry and amused, shooed Chu Tianshu and Liu Chunna out of the outpatient room.

Supporting Liu Chunna as they walked out, Chu Tianshu asked, "What's up with Hao Shuang? He seems a bit unreasonable. If he bothers you again, let me know."

Liu Chunna's expression darkened, "Forget it, we can't afford to offend him."

Chu Tianshu asked, puzzled, "Why?"

Liu Chunna whispered, "He's the son of the North Lake District Public Security Bureau chief."

Ah, Chu Tianshu understood. Liu Chunna had pretended her foot was hurt and insisted on going to the hospital to quickly leave the street and avoid Hao Shuang's retaliation.

Chu Tianshu asked again, "If I leave, and he comes back, what will you do?"

Liu Chunna sighed softly, "I don't know, we'll see when the time comes."