Chapter 12

"It seems you've come here today to talk business, haven't you?"

"You're right, we do have business to discuss. If you know what's good for you, sign this contract right away. Otherwise, we can't guarantee what might happen in the future."

One of the black-clad men reached behind him and pulled out a stack of A4 paper, a printed contract, and tossed it toward Li Xiangdong. Li Xiangdong caught it and saw that it was a house transfer contract, and the house in question was his ancestral home.

As expected, it was the people of that Mr. Huang again. They had their eyes on his family's old house.

"Kid, you're lucky. Prices have risen sharply over the past two years, and our boss isn't a heartless businessman. He offered you 600,000 for the house a couple of years ago, and now he's offering 1 million. Think about it, where else can you find such a good deal? In your破村 (broken village), with your old, dilapidated house, who else would buy it for such a price? Come on, sign the contract quickly, and we'll settle the deal without any delays. We won't bother you again after that."

The man with a snake tattoo on his arm spoke without looking up, clearly not taking Li Xiangdong seriously.

A flash of anger crossed Li Xiangdong's eyes, but he quickly put on a smile.

"Alright, since you want to talk business, let's have a proper discussion. But not here. This is a hospital ward, and talking here would disturb the patients. Plus, you're smoking, which makes the air quality here even worse. Let's go outside and talk."

The two black-clad men exchanged a glance. The one with the snake tattoo on his arm viciously threw his cigarette butt to the ground and stomped it out.

"Fine, let's go outside and talk."

The two men stood up and followed Li Xiangdong out. Before leaving, Li Xiangdong quietly told Wang Luoshi not to worry and to take care of his mother.

Seeing her nod vigorously, her fingers gripping the strap of her crossbody bag until they turned white, Li Xiangdong couldn't help but smile and pat her shoulder before turning and leaving the ward.

"Kid, where do you want to talk?"

A mocking voice came from behind. Clearly, the two men had no good intentions. With his wolf ears, Li Xiangdong, though walking ahead without turning back, could sense every move they made.

Wolf ears and a sixth sense weren't just for show; they had a natural sensitivity to danger.

"Ha, this is a hospital, and there are too many people here. It's not convenient. How about we find a place outside where we can sit down, like a restaurant or a tea house?"

Li Xiangdong said without turning around. The two men didn't take him seriously at all. They had followed him out with the intention of giving him a good beating.

However, starting a fight in a hospital with so many people around wasn't a good idea. Li Xiangdong's suggestion suited their plans.

The two men exchanged a glance. "Alright, let's find a place outside where we can sit down and talk."

The three of them went down from the third floor of the inpatient building to the first floor. Just as they were about to leave the lobby, Li Xiangdong suddenly stopped.

"Kid, what are you doing?"

One of the black-clad men looked at him with annoyance. Li Xiangdong took out a few coins and went to the vending machine at the entrance of the lobby.

"I'm thirsty, I'll buy a few cans of cola."

As soon as they stepped out of the inpatient building, they heard a cacophony of car horns. The two men had parked their Chevrolet behemoth right in front of the building, blocking a line of cars. The hospital security guard was trying to maintain order.

"How did you park here? Move the car quickly!"

A middle-aged security guard shouted at them as they approached the car. One of the black-clad men, who had already opened the car door, slammed it shut and turned to the security guard. Without waiting for the guard to speak, he slapped him hard.

The security guard was just an ordinary laid-off worker and was no match for these professional thugs. He was beaten to the ground, his teeth scattered everywhere.

The drivers of the cars behind, who had been honking furiously, now fell silent. No one dared to honk or even get out to help.

The man with the snake tattoo on his arm stood in front of the line of cars, pointing at them viciously. No one dared to get out of their cars or even honk.

After a moment of silence, he spat on the hood of the car in front of him and got into the behemoth.

"Done?"

As he opened the car door, he saw Li Xiangdong sitting in the back seat and was taken aback.

Before he could react, he felt a tight grip on his neck and was yanked into the car like a rag doll.

In Li Xiangdong's hand was a canvas bag, which he had used to carry a thermal flask for his mother. Now it was filled with cans of cola he had bought from the vending machine.

He grabbed the black-clad man's neck with one hand and swung the canvas bag at his face. Despite the man's muscular build, his strength was no match for Li Xiangdong's bear-like power.

With one swing, blood spurted from his nose, and with a crack, it broke.

The other man had already gotten into the car and was sitting in the driver's seat, not taking Li Xiangdong seriously. He didn't worry when Li Xiangdong got into the back seat.

Li Xiangdong's sudden attack caught him off guard. Just as he turned to help, he was kicked in the chest, flying out of his seat and slamming into the steering wheel.

As he bounced back from the steering wheel, a large hand reached out from behind and pulled him to the back seat.

The soundproofing in the imported car was excellent. The sounds of punches hitting flesh and blood splattering were heard clearly, even the sound of a tooth flying out and hitting the car wall was unmistakable, giving Li Xiangdong a great sense of satisfaction.