Chapter 118: Tender Affection

At the hospital, the four brothers, Ye Dong and the others, were reunited once again. Naturally, there was an emotional reunion followed by their usual mutual mockery, but there is no need to dwell on that here.

“I want to go see Nianxue and Wan Zhengzheng.”

After finding a way to send Yuanhua away, Ye Dong glanced at Huiyan and said with a bitter smile, “They nearly died because of me. I need to go let them beat me up and vent their anger.”

“Isn’t he implying that I shouldn’t follow him?”

Huiyan was meticulous by nature, so she naturally understood what Ye Dong meant.

“Hmm. I’ll go have my wounds checked, then. Come find me in the ward later.” Huiyan smiled faintly and patted Ye Dong gently on the shoulder. “Help me thank them.”

“Huiyan is truly considerate and understanding. No wonder she is Officer Li’s prized disciple—and the woman I love.”

Warmth filled Ye Dong’s heart as he watched Huiyan walk away. Led by Liang Lingzhi, he finally met the senior sister who always thought of him and Wan Zhengzheng, who had secretly fallen in love with him.

When he pushed open the door, Wan Zhengzheng was peeling an orange for Nianxue.

“Nianxue, Zhengzheng, I’m back.”

Hearing Ye Dong’s familiar voice, the orange slipped from Wan Zhengzheng’s hand and fell to the floor with a thud. She stared at the battered and bruised Ye Dong before her.

“You—you’re back?”

Wan Zhengzheng slowly parted her lips.

“It’s good that you’re back. It’s good that you’re back.”

As she spoke, tears began to drip onto her clothes. Nianxue knew that Wan Zhengzheng was crying tears of joy.

“Zhengzheng, thank you for trusting me.”

Though Ye Dong felt a pang of pity, he still picked up the orange from the floor and handed it to Wan Zhengzheng.

“I have no way to repay your feelings, but one day, after I personally kill that villain, I’ll avenge you!”

“You’re back now, so I’m no longer angry.”

Wan Zhengzheng accepted the orange and gave a bitter smile.

“By the way, is that beautiful police officer all right?”

Ye Dong was slightly startled, secretly praising her kindness.

“Zhengzheng really is rare.”

“She—she was stabbed. She’s gone to have her wound treated.”

Ye Dong shook his head with a bitter smile.

“It’s all because I’m useless. I made all of you suffer.”

“So you know you’re useless, do you?”

Nianxue, dressed in a hospital gown, finally spoke.

“Get over here, you bastard!”

Ye Dong glanced at Liang Lingzhi and signaled with his eyes for him to shield him from the storm about to break loose. But before Liang Lingzhi could say anything, Nianxue had already begun berating him.

“Oh, look at you, getting cocky, are you? You don’t even listen to your senior sister anymore?”

“I’m listening! I’m listening! I’m listening!”

Ye Dong smiled apologetically as he walked toward Nianxue.

“My dear senior sister, my dear comrade Nianxue, how are you feeling? Ouch—ouch, ouch!”

Before he could finish, Nianxue had grabbed his left ear and twisted it.

“That’s what you get for letting your guard down! If I don’t make it hurt, you’ll never remember the lesson!”

“Poor Ye Dong. What a predicament.”

Liang Lingzhi sighed inwardly.

“Both the palm and the back of the hand are flesh and blood.”

“It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!”

Ye Dong cried out repeatedly.

“Lady Nianxue, I was wrong! I truly know I was wrong! Please be magnanimous and don’t quibble with an ignorant brat like me!”

“All right, all right!”

Unable to bear watching him suffer, Zhengzheng hurriedly reached out and pulled Nianxue’s hand away.

“Elder Sister Nianxue, he knows he was wrong. Look at him—hasn’t he suffered enough already?”

“Oh? So you’re taking Ye Dong’s side now?”

Nianxue turned her left hand and lightly pinched Zhengzheng’s small ear.

“You little sister are letting your feelings get the better of you too. Looks like your elder sister will have to teach you a lesson!”

“Ouch, ouch, it hurts!”

Zhengzheng cried out coquettishly, her pretty face flushing.

“Elder Sister Nianxue, I know I was wrong too. Let go, please, let go!”

“Hmph.”

Nianxue released Zhengzheng, but her right hand remained clamped around Ye Dong’s ear. She leaned close and scolded him loudly.

“Do you know how worried your brothers were about you? Do you know how terrified Zhengzheng and I were that something might happen to you? Be more careful from now on. Your life doesn’t belong only to you! Do you understand?”

“I understand! I understand!”

Ye Dong clenched his teeth and shouted with narrowed eyes.

“Nianxue is right! Everything you said is right—the scolding, the ear-twisting, all of it! Nianxue is the best friend in the whole world, the best senior sister!”

“Bah!”

Nianxue spat.

“You come back and immediately pick up all of that idiot’s bad habits. You never learn anything good, but you’re eager to embrace every bad habit, aren’t you?”

“What did I do!?”

The idiot, who had been snickering nearby, froze when he heard himself being dragged into the scolding.

“How did the fire reach me?”

“Grrrrr…”

Just as Nianxue was about to continue, Ye Dong’s stomach suddenly rumbled.

“All right, all right! Get out and eat!”

Nianxue released his ear and added, “After dinner, Officer Li will probably lay out the plan.”

Ye Dong rubbed his reddened ear and laughed sheepishly.

“Then my dear Nianxue, you need to rest and recover properly.”

He turned back toward Zhengzheng and gave a bitter smile.

“Zhengzheng, I’ll leave Nianxue in your care.”

“Of course.”

Zhengzheng nodded with a smile.

“I’ve thought of Nianxue as my elder sister for a long time. I suppose I’ll have to start calling you Big Brother in the future.”

Ye Dong felt a faint ache in his heart. He knew that Zhengzheng was merely forcing a smile.

“Zhengzheng, I’m sorry. Now that I have Huiyan, I’ll devote myself to her alone,” he said silently to himself. “I’m sorry to put you through this.”

Ye Dong nodded firmly.

“Zhengzheng, Idiot, Little Treasure, Dachun, and I are all your good big brothers, understand?”

Zhengzheng and Nianxue exchanged a glance. As though they had confirmed something between them, they suddenly smiled with great relief.

“All right, I’ll take you to eat.” Liang Lingzhi pulled Ye Dong away. “Otherwise, that little monk will start clamoring for a grand feast again!”

“Hey, haven’t you had enough?”

After watching Ye Dong and Yuanhua devour an entire table of food and then order fruit for dessert, Dachun could not help complaining.

“You don’t understand. My stomach is full, but my soul is still hungry!”

Ye Dong glanced at Yuanhua, who was still wolfing down his food, and shook his head with a bitter smile.

“Yuanhua, if you keep eating like this, you’ll become a gluttonous monk—a fat one with a round head and huge ears!”

“Go away! You think you’re the only one who’s hungry?”

Yuanhua slapped away Ye Dong’s hand as it reached for his ear.

“Once I’m done eating, I’m going after He Wentian for revenge. How am I supposed to have enough strength if I don’t eat more?”

Hearing this, Ye Dong and the others could not help snickering. He glanced at his phone and saw that Huiyan had already sent him several messages.

“Are you all right now?”

“Haven’t you finished eating yet?”

“Are you a pig? You still haven’t finished!?”

“Are you coming to see me or not? It’s already been thirty minutes since you got back!”

“I’m warning you—if you don’t come soon, you’re dead!”

After resting for a while, Ye Dong gave a bitter smile and hurried toward Huiyan’s ward.

“I need to strike a handsome pose. My profile is much better-looking, after all!”

Ye Dong grinned smugly. The moment he heard a knock, he immediately struck what he considered a dashing pose.

But the person who opened the door was Huiyan’s father, Wang Xiongfei. Two tall, powerfully built men stood behind him.

“Uncle! What brings you here?”

Ye Dong, who had been posing coolly outside the door, nearly fell flat on his face.

He immediately stood at attention, his expression filled with embarrassment.

“I—I thought Huiyan would open the door. I’m sorry!”

“I came to see my daughter. Is there a problem with that?”

Wang Xiongfei looked displeased. After sizing up Ye Dong’s exhausted appearance, he said coldly, “A young man should sit like a bell, stand like a pine, and walk like the wind. Just look at you—there’s not a shred of dignity.”

“Yes, Uncle. Your criticism is entirely justified!”

After being reprimanded by Wang Xiongfei, Ye Dong did not dare argue. He could only keep apologizing.

“I’m sorry. I’ve made a fool of myself in front of you.”

Hearing voices outside, Huiyan leaned over and asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s me!”

Ye Dong looked awkwardly at Wang Xiongfei and lowered his voice.

“Uncle, I’m worried about Huiyan’s injuries. May I go in and see her first?”

Wang Xiongfei glanced at him, then turned toward the two men behind him.

“Tianxia, Kaixuan, come with me and greet Master Chen and Officer Li.”

“Yes, Master!”

The two men called Tianxia and Kaixuan answered in booming voices, their words echoing through the ward.

“Good heavens. Just from their voices, I can tell they’re supreme experts!”

Ye Dong naturally understood that anyone capable of accompanying a great figure like Wang Xiongfei, a towering master of the martial arts world, could not be ordinary. Just as he expected, Tianxia and Kaixuan strode out. A mere glance from the corners of their eyes was enough to make Ye Dong distinctly feel the oppressive force of their presence.

Only after the three men had left the ward did Ye Dong gently close the door. When he turned around, he saw Huiyan staring straight at him.

“I thought you had amnesia!”

Huiyan said coldly.

“Have you forgotten about me already?”

Instead, Ye Dong smiled faintly and slowly approached her. Then he gently pulled her into his arms.

“You!”

Huiyan, who had been sulking, was about to struggle free when she heard Ye Dong speak softly beside her ear.

“Don’t say anything. Just let me hold you for a while.”

“You…”

Hearing Ye Dong express his feelings so openly, Huiyan’s stubborn little pout crumpled at once. She wrapped both arms tightly around him, and tears poured down without end, soaking the collar of his shirt.

Hearing how sorrowfully Huiyan cried, Ye Dong tightened his arms and held her even more firmly.

“I thought you had been moved by Wan Zhengzheng and wouldn’t want to hold me anymore.”

“So Huiyan was only jealous. I’m at fault too—I ate so much that I wasted all that time. When it comes to understanding a woman’s feelings, I really should ask Idiot for more advice.”

Ye Dong smiled inwardly and said aloud, “I’ll never forget everything she’s done for me.”

He gently smoothed Huiyan’s dark hair and spoke in a tender voice.

“Whether I am He Wentian or Ye Dong, you are the one I have always wanted to hold.”

At that moment, he remembered what Yayi had once told him.

“Dong, I am already a thing of the past. You must cherish the person before you. I believe she is still waiting for you. No matter what happens, you will always be the hero in my heart!”

“Yayi, thank you for saying those things to me. You helped me understand Huiyan’s sincerity. From now on, I will use everything I have to protect her.”

With that thought, Ye Dong pressed his head tightly against Huiyan’s. Tears of relief and peace slipped down onto her cascading dark hair, then slowly reached her cheek, mingling with her tears.

“Waaah!”

With her beloved in her arms, Huiyan, who had always presented herself as a strong, capable woman, could no longer suppress the memories of life and death in the forest. The piercing pain was too much to bear, and she finally broke down completely in Ye Dong’s arms.

“Cry. Let it all out. From now on, your days will be filled only with smiles. You’ll never have to search for tears again.”

Ye Dong slowly brushed her hair aside and gently kissed her earlobe.

Huiyan cried for several minutes before gradually releasing Ye Dong. Her eyes were filled with tenderness as she looked into his.

“Are you completely exhausted now?”

Ye Dong looked into her eyes and smiled as he shook his head.

“After seeing you, I’m not tired anymore.”

Huiyan blushed. Her delicate hand gently touched the bruise on Ye Dong’s face.

“Does it still hurt here?”

“It hurts a little. I don’t know why, but this spot hurts especially badly.”

Ye Dong touched the bruise on his left cheek.

“It’s still a little swollen.”

Huiyan giggled softly.

“Do you know how you got that bruise? It was left there when I head-butted Guangqi.”

“Oh! So you’re responsible for this!”

Ye Dong reached out and touched the wound at the corner of Huiyan’s mouth.

“Does this hurt?”

“It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Huiyan’s face flushed with shy embarrassment, and she lowered her head slightly.

Ye Dong smiled faintly and gently lifted her chin. Just as he was about to kiss her crimson lips, a loud bang came from outside the door, followed by several cries of “Ow!”

Ye Dong cursed inwardly, but still spoke tenderly into Huiyan’s ear.

“I’ll go see what happened.”

Huiyan raised her eyes, turned her face away shyly, and nodded.

Suppressing his anger, Ye Dong strode toward the door. Outside, Dachun, Little Treasure, Little Wang, and Little Yang were all crammed together. Two people lay sprawled on the floor—Wenxing and Hengxing.

“You people! What are you doing!?”

Ye Dong roared in a low voice.

“Why did you have to ruin things for me at a time like this!?”

“Hehe, hehe…”

The people outside hurriedly rubbed their hands together and smiled apologetically.

“We were just passing by! Just passing by! Go on, carry on!”

“Carry on? Do you want me to put on a show for all of you!?”

Ye Dong clenched his fists and waved them threateningly in front of their faces.

“What happened outside?”

Hearing the whispers beyond the door, Huiyan asked.

“Nothing. A few men who came for surgery simply entered the wrong room.”

After pushing everyone outside, Ye Dong lowered his voice and shouted, “Go on, get lost! Go check on Idiot and Nianxue instead. Their romance is much more entertaining!”

“We already saw it. Before you came back, we watched them hugging and holding each other in the ward.”

Dachun chuckled.

“That idiot was even crying in there.”

Little Treasure leaned close to Ye Dong and examined his eyes carefully.

“Oh, look at that! Our Brother Tian was crying too!”

“You’re all so annoying!”

After listening to them chatter endlessly, Ye Dong shoved them aside with one kick, slammed the door shut, took a deep breath, and then walked back toward Huiyan with a radiant smile.

“What happened outside?”

Huiyan shifted to make room, signaling for Ye Dong to sit beside her.

“Nothing. They say good things come only after many trials, don’t they?”

Ye Dong gave a bitter smile.

“Shall we continue what we were doing?”

Huiyan lightly punched him and whispered, “Who says things like that? You’re not romantic at all.”

Ye Dong smiled tenderly and slowly pulled her into his arms again. Just as he was about to savor her sweetness, another knock sounded from outside.

“Who is it this time!?”

“Don’t!”

Seeing that Ye Dong was about to lose his temper and start cursing, Huiyan hurriedly stopped him.

“Don’t rush. We’ve only just begun, haven’t we?”

“Hehe.”

Ye Dong maintained his smile and spoke softly.

“Then I’ll go see who it is.”

The moment he turned around, the anger on his face emerged. He cursed inwardly without pause.

“Is ruining other people’s romantic moments really that much fun!?”

Bang!

Ye Dong flung the door open. The curse was already leaving his mouth.

“If you have so much free time, why don’t you go get yourselves checked for prostate problems!?”

“What did you say!?”

The person standing before Ye Dong rebuked him in a low voice.

“Uncle Wang? Why is it you?”

Seeing Wang Xiongfei’s displeased expression, Ye Dong’s face instantly went pale.

“I was scolding Little Treasure and Dachun! You just happened to appear out of nowhere.”

“Hmph!”

Wang Xiongfei said coldly, “Master Chen and Officer Li want you all to return to the safe house to discuss the matter.”

Before Ye Dong could reply, Tianxia pulled him aside with one hand, clearing a path for Wang Xiongfei to enter the ward.

Only after Wang Xiongfei had gone inside did Tianxia release Ye Dong’s arm. Then he asked coldly:

“You! You’re He Wentian!?”