At this moment, inside A City First People’s Hospital, Li Qian’s emergency surgery was successful; she was out of mortal danger and had awakened, though a small bullet wound remained on her back—perhaps a mark of love.
“Young Master, Miss Li has woken up,” Feng Shi said, a slight ache in her heart as she looked at Yang Yi, who hadn't slept all night.
“Oh!” Yang Yi stood up instantly and walked into Li Qian’s hospital room. Seeing her pale face, a gentle expression couldn't help but surface in Yang Yi’s eyes. He asked softly, “Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere? Are you perhaps hungry? And you…”
“Pfft!” Li Qian smiled, biting her lip, looking at Yang Yi’s tense appearance as if she had completely forgotten the pain in her back.
Seeing her smile, Yang Yi felt inexplicably reassured, yet also a little awkward. He scratched his head sheepishly, sporting a foolish grin. Feng Shi, rarely seeing him so flustered, couldn't help but smile. She said to Yang Yi, “Young Master, Miss Li is probably hungry too. Why don’t I go buy something? You two can talk.”
“Uh, that’s right, are you hungry?” Yang Yi’s gentle gaze and concerned expression conveyed a different side of him to Li Qian, which she deeply felt.
“Mmm,” Li Qian replied with a shy blush.
“Thank you for your trouble,” Yang Yi said to Feng Shi with a smile.
A brief smile flickered across Feng Shi’s face, but her heart felt a pang of disappointment. She didn't know why, but this was the first time she had seen Yang Yi show such concern for someone else. She nodded and walked out of the room.
After Feng Shi left, the atmosphere seemed a bit awkward. Yang Yi remained silent, constantly surveying the room, while Li Qian kept her eyes down, her face slightly flushed, not saying a word. This silence persisted for only a few minutes before…
As if recalling the scene from the previous night, Yang Yi walked to the window, pulled open the curtains, looked out at the view, and asked, “Why did you take that bullet for me?”
Li Qian still didn't speak. She just quietly glanced at Yang Yi’s back as he stood by the window and asked faintly, “What would you do if someone you loved was about to be hurt?”
“Would I sacrifice everything for her?” Yang Yi mumbled inwardly, not answering Li Qian’s question, just standing by the window in contemplation. After a moment, he thought, Am I avoiding this?
Li Qian watched him silently. At this moment, she cared little about what answer Yang Yi might give. She only knew that she loved him deeply. The moment she took the bullet for him, she had known her feelings in the depths of her heart with absolute clarity.
“Qian’er, I…” Just as Yang Yi was about to say something, the hospital room door opened, and two people walked in.
“Boss!”
The two who entered were none other than Xu Ming and Ye Xiaohou. After entering, they seemed to sense something, smiled at Yang Yi, and then nodded at Li Qian. Everyone present was perceptive enough to notice the delicate situation.
Yang Yi glanced at them and said, “Why are you two here?”
“Well, as soon as we heard the Boss was in trouble, we rushed over immediately. If this were ancient times, we probably would have ridden so many horses that they’d have collapsed from exhaustion!” Xu Ming said cockily.
Hearing this, Li Qian couldn't help but smile again, while Yang Yi looked utterly speechless. For this man to be the heir to the Southern Military Region, he was the very incarnation of rogue behavior and shamelessness.
Ye Xiaohou seemed less brash than Xu Ming. He just smiled calmly and asked, “Boss, what happened this time? Was it those people from last time?”
“Heh, you two don’t need to worry about these matters. I’ll handle it. For now, the priority is for Student Li to recover from her injuries,” Yang Yi said, subconsciously glancing at Li Qian. The shift from ‘Qian’er’ back to ‘Li Qian’ made her feel a touch of disappointment.
“Understood. Since the Boss has spoken, your subordinates can only comply,” Ye Xiaohou said with a slight smile as he scratched his head.
Just then, three people walked in from outside the door. One of them saw Li Qian in the bed and rushed to her bedside nervously, asking, “Qianqian, are you okay? Are you hurting anywhere? You don’t know how worried I was when you didn’t return to the dorm all night.”
This person was none other than Liu Qingqing, accompanied by Lin Fatty and Feng Shi.
“Yi Ge!” Lin Fatty called out, halting midway through his words.
“Mmm, I know,” Yang Yi nodded. After a pause, he said to Liu Qingqing, “I’ll leave Li Qian in your care. We won’t disturb you further.”
“En!” Liu Qingqing didn't quite know what had developed between Li Qian and Yang Yi, but seeing Li Qian’s unwavering gaze fixed on him, she could guess something.
After Yang Yi and the others left the room, they walked toward the exit. “Yanran, arrange for a few people to guard this area. Ensuring Li Qian’s safety will put my mind at ease.”
“Yes, Young Master,” Feng Shi replied, making a call. Soon, several large men were lurking near Li Qian’s hospital room.
It was better to be safe than sorry. After all, Yang Yi was now preparing to move against the Vicious Wolf Gang, and Chen Dong was the nephew of Chen Hu, one of the gang's Four Hall Masters. This direct connection required serious attention; if they played dirty, they wouldn't care who you were.
However, when Yang Yi and the others arrived at a coffee shop and found a table, Xu Ming couldn't wait. “Boss, what’s going on? Hurry up and tell us, we’re dying of anxiety.”
“Yeah, Boss, tell us quickly! Whatever it is, we brothers will figure it out together!” Ye Xiaohou chimed in.
Seeing their eagerness, Yang Yi felt a warmth in his heart. He smiled and asked Lin Fatty, “Fatty, what did he say?”
“He agreed, but he said no accidents are allowed to happen, or he won’t let this go easily,” Lin Fatty replied.
“Heh, that’s good then. It saves me worrying about him. However, this old man is quite cautious. I can’t fault him; after all, it’s his granddaughter,” Yang Yi said with a look that was half-smile, half-sigh, deeply confusing Xu Ming and Ye Xiaohou.
“Boss, what are you talking about? We can’t understand a thing,” Ye Xiaohou asked.
Yang Yi and Lin Fatty exchanged a glance, then both nodded. Lin Fatty explained, “Third Brother, Fourth Brother, you shouldn't get involved in this matter…”
“No way!” Xu Ming and Ye Xiaohou interrupted before Lin Fatty could finish, shouting loudly, “Damn it! We’re brothers! How can we stand aside?”
“Uh!” This answer surprised Lin Fatty slightly.
Yang Yi looked at the two of them and asked, “Have you really thought this through? If you follow me into the underworld, Xu Ming might not become the heir to the Southern Military Region, and Xiaohou, you might face obstructions from your family. Have you truly considered this?”
Faced with Yang Yi’s words, both Xu Ming and Ye Xiaohou understood the implications. The underworld and the legitimate world were irreconcilable. If Yang Yi’s goal was the underworld, it meant he aimed to be an emperor beneath the surface, and the nuances between those paths were immense. After a moment of silence, Xu Ming and Ye Xiaohou exchanged a look, seeming to understand each other perfectly, and said, “Boss, we are sticking with you. Even if we go to hell, your brothers will never abandon you.”
[Brothers, please pay close attention; the era of passionate, boundary-pushing action has arrived. The foreshadowing from earlier will now begin to unfold, and the suspense planted in certain spots awaits your guesses to increase your reading interest. Thank you all for your support; please don't forget to bookmark! Thank you.]