Chapter 39

***

Qian Liang smiled. “I don’t really like to bully women either, ah. Everyone minds their own business Qing Nan street. Brother Chen is smart enough to understand, right?’

Of course, Wei YiChen understood. People who had the ability to open shops in Qing Nan street would always have some sort of background- white or black.

(T/N: they have connections. But some people have shady connections, and some people have clean connections.)

Wei YiChen clutched at his bleeding arm as he quietly stood in place. He was like a beast holding his breath. Qian Liang didn’t want to make this into a big deal and figured that Wei YiChen had been sufficiently warned enough. If he continued to goad Wei YiChen, Qian Lian would only be bitten. And then he would have no one to blame but himself.

So with one final wink, Qian Liang placed his knife back in his clothes and returned inside the small building. When the door shut, all the lanterns extinguished, and Wei YiChen was once again surrounded by darkness.

Wei YiChen turned around and walked away. Just then, a woman came out of the shadows and leaned against a broken street lamp. She crossed her arms and shouted: “Hey.”

Wei YiChen’s footsteps paused, and he turned towards her.

The woman had long hair draped over a shoulder. Because the lights were dim, he couldn’t tell the color of her hair, but her face was somewhat familiar. “Are you from QianMan’s shop?”

Zuo QianMan was a resident of Qing Nan street. She was one of the few female bosses in Qing Nan and had been here far longer than Wei YiChen.

The woman straightened and approached him. “My name is Fang QiuYun.”

“Oh.” Wei YiChen said indifferently. Her name had nothing to do with him. After he said ‘oh,’ he turned around and continued to walk. Fang QiuYun stopped him and asked: “Where are you headed?”

Wei YiChen was confused as he replied: “I’m going back to my bar.”

Fang QiuYun responded: “You can’t go back now.”

Wei YiChen looked at her for a few moments, feeling a little strange. Wei YiChen raised a brow. “Oh?”

Fang QiuYun ignored the sarcasm that tinged his ‘oh’ and instead said: “If you go back like this, your people will definitely run out and try to avenge you.”

Wei YiChen frowned. She was right. Ah Mao was a straightforward type of person. If he sees Wei YiChen hurt, he wouldn’t just sit down and do nothing. After all, they beat up Zhu Bing pretty bad. But Qian Liang wasn’t Zhu Bing. If they actually try to start something, it would be bad.

“Come with me to HUG.”

HUG was one of Zuo QianMan’s bars and was quite famous in Qing Nan street. It had exquisite style and high prices, making it suitable for young masters and ladies who want to spend a lot of money. After Fang QiuYun said all this, she turned around and walked away, not even waiting for Wei YiChen’s assent.

Wei YiChen stood still. Although he was a little unhappy with the woman’s attitude, after a moment of consideration, he followed her.

The bar was crowded. Fang QiuYun brought Wei YiChen through the back door and straight up into the second floor.

The second floor was much more luxurious than the first floor, making it more suitable for those rich masters with higher requirements. Fang QiuYun was leading Wei YiChen through the hall when she suddenly looked back towards him. “Don’t drip on the carpet. It’s very expensive.”

Wei YiChen was moments away from exploding. But he remembered that he was in someone else’s territory and valiantly reined his temper in. He sneered at the woman. “I’m rich. I can afford to pay.”

The sneer that was meant to be sarcastic failed to convey its intended meaning. Wei YiChen originally had a handsome face, and now that his face was pale from his injury, his cold smile was more likely to hook people than anger them.

“…..” Fang QiuYun turned away and silently continued to walk.

She took Wei YiChen to the innermost room and opened the door for him.

“Sit down, and I’ll tend to your wound.”

Wei YiChen deliberately taunted: “Aren’t you afraid my blood will stain the sofa? Isn’t it expensive too?”

Fang QiuYun poured him a glass of orange juice. “Aren’t you rich?”

The corner of Wei YiChen’s mouth lifted. But when Fang QiuYun handed him the juice, he was dissatisfied. “Isn’t this a bar? Give me wine, ah.” His injured arm was still burning with pain, and he needed to numb his nerves with alcohol.

Fang QiuYun promptly answered: “That’s a cocktail mixed with orange juice. Drink it, or don’t. I don’t care.”

She then crouched beside Wei YiChen and rolled up his sleeves. Her movements were small, but Wei YiChen’s wound was quite painful, so his lips turned white again. He turned his head away and tried to divert his attention away from the pain. “Sister QianMan asked you to bring me here?”

“Un. She said Qian Liang wasn’t someone easily dealt with.”

Wei YiChen knew that. After all, Qian Liang didn’t have a good reputation in Qing Nan street, yet he was still alive and well. No one wanted to wade into his dirty and muddy dealings.

“Your wound is somewhat serious. You have to go to the hospital and get some stitches.” Fang QiuYun simply stopped the bleeding. She put away the medicine box and said: “I’ll drive you to the hospital.”

Wei YiChen picked up the cocktail with his uninjured hand and gulped it down. “I can go by myself.”

“You can’t drive with your hurt hand. Besides, you just drank some alcohol. If you drive, I’ll have to call the police and report you for drunk driving.”

“……..” Wei YiChen stared at Fang QiuYun for a long while, then said: “I’ll take a taxi.”

Fang QiuYun remained unmoved. “It’s nighttime, and you’re bleeding. No taxi would dare take you.”

“…….”

Wei YiChen eventually conceded and got into Fang QiuYun’s car. Because he was injured, even fastening his seatbelt was done by her.

Wei YiChen thought the entire situation to be extremely humiliating. He absolutely cannot let his brothers know about this.

As he sat on the passenger seat, he carefully looked at the woman beside him. “You have a pretty face and a pretty name. How come your character doesn’t match?”

Fang QiuYun didn’t even glance at him as she replied: “Maybe it’s to liven things up a bit.”

Wei YiChen: “…….”

On the way to the hospital, Ah Mao called and asked where he was. Wei YiChen said that he didn’t find Qian Liang and decided to go home instead. He asked them to watch over the bar, and Ah Mao agreed, not doubting him in the slightest.

It was in the middle of the night, so there weren’t a lot of people in the hospital. Wei YiChen quickly got his wound stitched up, and was out in less than an hour. When he stepped out, he saw that Fang QiuYun was still in her car, waiting for him. It was in the middle of November, and it was definitely cold. Furthermore, it was close to midnight, so the temperature was even lower. Fang QiuYun was only wearing a skirt with a blouse, a long coat, and dress shoes.

Seeing her with her hands in her coat pockets, Wei YiChen couldn’t help but think it would be warmer to jump in place rather than just stand still like she was.

When Fang QiuYun saw Wei YiChen come out of the hospital, she asked: “What did the doctor say?”

Wei YiChen replied: “No residual effects. They’ll take out the stitches in two days.”

Fang QiuYun nodded, then opened her car door. “Where are you going? I’ll drive you.”

Wei YiChen calmly got in her car and said: “Home.”

Because of his injury, Father Wei ended up scolding him again, and Mother Wei grew worried. This time, Wei YiChen obediently stayed at home for a few days to recuperate.

Two days later, Xiang ChangKong was in the middle of his lunch break and opened Moments in WeChat. He immediately saw Cheng Peng with a plaster on his leg and a pathetic expression on his face. Xiang ChangKong put down his lunchbox and sent Cheng Peng a private message: What happened?

Ever since Cheng Peng said that he would invite him to his store to eat some skewers, they added each other on WeChat. However, they never actually talked much, and they mostly just stuck to some general greetings. What’s more, Xiang ChangKong sent out very few Moments, so there was very little opportunity for Cheng Peng to talk to Xiang ChangKong in WeChat.

This was the first time Xiang ChangKong messeged him.

Cheng Peng: Its nothing, just some bad luck. I got into a small accident on the way to delivering a meal.

Xiang ChangKong frowned.

Xiang ChangKong: How are your injuries?

Cheng Peng: I got a fracture. I just need to lie down for a while.

Xiang ChangKong: Which hospital are you admitted to?

Cheng Peng: Central Hospital

Xiang ChangKong put away his phone, finished his lunch, then rode his scooter towards Central Hospital. He found Cheng Peng to be in the inpatient department and sure enough, miserably lying on a hospital bed. “Little Xiang, you came!”

Cheng Peng was thrilled to see Xiang ChangKong. He turned and introduced Xiang ChangKong to the woman cutting apples nearby. “This is the brother I mentioned to you before.”

The woman was Cheng Peng’s wife. She nodded towards Xiang ChangKong and asked: “Oh, this is the heavenly brother?”

(T/N: the brother going up places in the future.)

Cheng Peng: “…..”

Xiang ChangKong didn’t know that this was how Cheng Peng introduced him to other people. But, well, he didn’t care. He looked at Cheng Peng’s plaster covered foot and said: “How can you be so careless, ah.”

Before Cheng Peng could reply, his wife already spoke up: “He ran through a red light, ah. He’s really looking to die!”

Cheng Peng knew that he was the one in the wrong. Although he couldn’t help but try to defend himself, his voice was obviously quite weak: “I was just trying to deliver more food…I was worried that I would miss the target delivery time…When I got there, it was still green….” Well, for one second, it was.

To catch up with their orders, it was common for deliverymen to violate traffic rules now and again. Cheng Peng wasn’t the first, and he wouldn’t be the last. He was lucky that his injuries weren’t that serious. Once something bad happens…the consequences could be disastrous.

Xiang ChangKong said: “I know that sometimes we won’t be able to meet target delivery times, and your heart will certainly feel hurried, but you shouldn’t play with your life like this. Should you put your delivery, or your life first? This should’ve been talked about during the company’s in-work training, right?”

“Sigh, yes, training.” But the cutthroat working conditions are also formulated by the company, ah. Cheng Peng felt aggrieved.

Cheng Peng’s wife spoke up: “Getting there a few seconds earlier isn’t worth your leg, ah!”

“Yes, yes, yes, you’re right. You’ve been talking about it nonstop since this morning!”

Xiang ChangKong didn’t stay long as he had work in the afternoon. As he walked out of the inpatient department, he saw a figure walking across the building. The person’s stature and clothes…he looked familiar.

“Wei YiChen?” Xiang ChangKong stepped forward and tentatively called out. Wei YiChen looked back and was stunned to see Xiang ChangKong.

He couldn’t help but frown slightly. It really is true that destiny will make enemies meet, ah. He actually met Xiang ChangKong in the hospital.

With a sharp laugh, he asked: “Did you come here to make a food delivery?”

“No.” Xiang ChangKong replied. “One of my friends in a patient. I came to visit him.” He then looked at Wei YiChen’s bandaged hand. “What happened to your hand?”

“Nothing, just a small scratch.” Wei YiChen tilted his head away. He didn’t want to talk about his injury, so he decisively changed the topic. “How are you and Xu Lian recently?”

Xiang ChangKong pursed his lips, but replied: “Very good.”

Wei YiChen laughed out loud and started walking. “That’s very good.”

Xiang ChangKong walked beside him, his gaze falling on his injured hand once more. It didn’t look like a scratch. “Your hand…”

“My hand is fine.” Wei YiChen gave him the side-eye. “Don’t tell Xu Lian that you met me in the hospital today. Don’t tell her that I’m injured.”

Seeing that Xiang ChangKong didn’t reply, Wei YiChen continued: “I won’t be visiting her for a while. You….take care of her.”