Chapter 22

Yizhen was taken aback, and Lin Ke'er took the opportunity to shake off Yizhen and went out the door.

I glared fiercely at Yizhen, who smiled again: "Why are you angry? I just wanted the three of us to chat."

"Enough, don't pretend. If you have something to say, just say it. I have no interest in chatting with you."

Although Monkey had told me not to confront this guy head-on, I couldn't help but get angry when I saw him leering at Lin Ke'er. I don't believe any man could stay calm in this situation!

Yizhen's face finally turned dark, as if he couldn't keep up the act anymore.

Yizhen said coldly, "Then I won't beat around the bush. I want to pursue Lin Ke'er. What do you think about that?"

"Heh, if you want to pursue her, go ahead. If you can win her over, that's your skill. But don't use any despicable means, or my fists won't spare you."

"But I think the biggest obstacle is you."

"What do you want?"

"Although it's a bit cliché, I still want to ask, how much will it take for you to back off? Just name your price, and I'll do my best to meet it." Yizhen smiled confidently, clearly a man who had seen the world.

I burst out laughing, "You really think money can solve everything?"

"Actually, money can solve everything." Yizhen countered.

"You're wrong. Money can't buy me off. Even if you offer me ten million, I won't back off." To be honest, my family is well-off, not rich, but I've never lacked money, so money isn't my biggest weakness!

Yizhen smiled again, "Not bad, I didn't expect you to have some backbone. But have you thought about it? There are still many people in this world who value money a lot. Do you think you'll be safe at Dongcheng No. 1 High School just because you dealt with the Ninth Prince? I can find more second-year and even third-year delinquents to deal with you, until you drop out!"

"Whatever." I knew Yizhen wasn't lying, and I was scared, but I wouldn't bow down to him.

"Also, your friend Monkey, he's the leader of your group, right?" Yizhen continued, "From what I know, he can't even afford a meal. What do you think will happen if I offer him money?"

I was stunned. Money might not be my weakness, but it was undoubtedly Monkey's!

Would Monkey be bought off by Yizhen? To be honest, I had no idea. A guy who had to borrow five yuan from others, if someone offered him a thousand, two thousand, or even ten thousand, twenty thousand, would he turn against me?

"Scared now? Leave Lin Ke'er alone early, or you'll be completely finished."

"Get out!" I roared, grabbing a bouquet of flowers from the table and throwing it at Yizhen's head.

The flowers didn't hurt him, but they hurt his pride. No one had ever treated him like that!

And I regretted not grabbing the hot water bottle instead; otherwise, his head would have been cracked open!

Yizhen's face turned even colder. He clearly wasn't the violent type; anyone else would have fought me.

Yizhen stood up and said coldly, "Zuo Fei, I'm telling you, you're finished. Even without Lin Ke'er, I'll make sure you're dead!"

"Yizhen, please leave." Lin Ke'er came in; she must have been listening outside the door.

Yizhen didn't say anything more and walked out silently, muttering as he passed Lin Ke'er, "You'll be mine eventually."

"Daydreaming!" Lin Ke'er responded coldly.

Yizhen left, and Lin Ke'er came in with a gloomy face.

"Don't mind him, he's just a self-important fool. Watch me deal with him later." I comforted Lin Ke'er.

Lin Ke'er lowered her head, "It seems... I've been causing you trouble."

"What are you talking about? Since I have a beautiful girlfriend, I should be prepared to deal with all kinds of trouble."

I laughed and reached out to gently touch Lin Ke'er's cheek, but she gently avoided it.

"Oops, I forgot, you're not my girlfriend yet." I withdrew my hand and continued to laugh, "Wait for me. When I recover, I'll confess to you, and we can be together openly."

"You're talking nonsense." Lin Ke'er blushed and got up to fiddle with other things, like throwing the bouquet of flowers into the trash.

I watched Lin Ke'er's back, feeling a surge of sweetness in my heart.

In the afternoon, more people came to visit me, including Monkey, Huang Jie, Zheng Wu, Liu Yina, and Wang Yao. To avoid misunderstandings, I just greeted Wang Yao casually, though my heart still raced when I saw her!

However, I would control myself, because humans are the most intelligent beings precisely because they can control themselves!

With more people, it became more fun. With Monkey and Huang Jie being clowns and Liu Yina present, the atmosphere in the ward was filled with laughter. After a while, Huang Jie and Monkey went outside to smoke, and Liu Yina went with Lin Ke'er to get water, leaving only Wang Yao and me in the ward.

I felt a bit awkward, not knowing what to say, and the atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

"Hey," Wang Yao suddenly leaned in, "You're not in love with me, are you?"

I panicked, never expecting Wang Yao to ask me this. I stammered, "No!"

"No? Then why did you risk your life to save me?"

"You, you, you saved me several times. I just wanted to repay you. If I had known Monkey had already arranged it, I wouldn't have come."

"Really?" Wang Yao's presence was so strong that just looking at her made me nervous. I felt more comfortable with Lin Ke'er.

"Really."

Wang Yao sighed in relief, "That's good. Don't get involved in my affairs in the future, to avoid gossip. And treat Lin Ke'er well. If you have any ulterior motives, I'll castrate you." She even gestured at my crotch.

I shuddered, remembering how Wang Yao had treated Xing Qiu. I knew this demon could do it, so I nodded rapidly, "No, no, I've already talked to Lin Ke'er. When I recover, we'll be together officially."

"Good, tell you, don't bully my Ke'er!" Wang Yao finally smiled.

She's so protective of her friends... Looking at the innocent and kind Wang Yao, I felt ashamed of my feelings for her, but I could still control my emotions.

Knowing I had no ulterior motives, Wang Yao even hummed a song, but a bit of bitterness still welled up in my heart.

After a while, Monkey and the others came back. When the commotion died down, I told them about Yizhen's visit, but I deliberately left out the part about Yizhen trying to buy off Monkey.

"Damn, Yizhen wants to hire second-year and third-year delinquents to deal with you? I should talk to him. He might as well give me the money, and I'll beat up Zuo Fei. Hahaha..."

"Exactly, why let the money go to others," Huang Jie agreed.

I knew they were joking and laughed along, but I felt a bit uneasy. If Monkey had said something like, "If he dares to send people to beat you, I'll kill him," it would have made me happier, but that wasn't Monkey's style. He never said such things, making it hard to guess what he was thinking.

"How can you do that? How can you beat up your own brother for money?" Zheng Wu, being straightforward, thought they were serious and said to me, "Don't worry, Zuo Fei. If that Yizhen does anything, I'll be the first to deal with him!"

I looked at Zheng Wu, feeling deeply moved, "Thank you."

"No problem, we're brothers!" Zheng Wu's face was sunny.

"Damn, I feel so ashamed compared to Zheng Wu. I'm so shameless." Monkey covered his face, and everyone laughed again. I knew he was joking, but I couldn't laugh as much.

Thinking of Yizhen's confident face, my heart was inevitably clouded with gloom.

"Know your shame and correct it!" Zheng Wu said loudly. He was wearing normal clothes today, perhaps because he wasn't fighting, and didn't wear his strange battle robe.

"Zuo Fei, here's your five yuan." Zheng Wu gave me the money, "I borrowed some from Mao Mao. He said you're an interesting person and hopes to be friends with you."

I nodded, trying to recall Mao Mao's face, but I couldn't remember clearly. The only thing I remembered was his fierce eyes, even under his bangs.

After a noisy afternoon, they went back to class, and Lin Ke'er stayed to accompany me while I received an IV. I wasn't as tough as Monkey, who ran to the internet cafe right after surgery. I obediently followed the doctor's advice and stayed in the hospital for observation, at least for seven days. Lin Ke'er couldn't take care of me alone, especially at night, so everyone took turns to look after me. During the day, it was Lin Ke'er, Liu Yina, and Zhang Xuan, and at night, it was Monkey, Huang Jie, and Zheng Wu.

Because of this, I reconciled with Zhang Xuan, and our relationship gradually improved. Wang Yao was right; although this girl could be a bit silly, she was very kind-hearted. Especially after leaving Xing Qiu, she became more normal. As she put it, she used to be blinded by love.

During the day, I was happy with the company of beautiful girls, and I never felt bored. At night, it was worse. Although Monkey and Huang Jie took care of me, they often went to the internet cafe after the first half of the night. Zheng Wu was diligent, but his snoring was so loud that it seriously disturbed my rest. It would have been better if he hadn't come at all!

Before I knew it, seven days had passed, and I was finally discharged. Although I wasn't fully recovered, the doctor said I could go home and rest. I thought it was the right time to confess to Lin Ke'er. Wasn't it the perfect moment with the right time, place, and people?