Ever since Mi Xue got together with Zhang Yang, her temper had softened considerably. Now, many people treated her as the kind of wife who was nothing more than a delicate, clinging bird right next to her man. But this didn't mean Mi Xue couldn't get angry or explode in fury. She was one way in front of Zhang Yang, and entirely different in front of outsiders.

It was worth remembering that this was the very temperament Mi Xue carried in school; she was the Ice Rose of Changjing University, and decidedly the thorny kind.

There was a well-known saying: if a dog bites you, you don't turn around and bite it back. Hearing Liu Qianqian boastfully introduce her boyfriend, Mi Xue had no intention of stooping to that level, never wanting to sink to his petty concerns.

However, when Liu Qianqian started speaking of Zhang Yang with increasingly offensive words, she was constantly pushing against Mi Xue's limits. This was precisely why Mi Xue disregarded all restraint and slapped her.

After delivering that line, Mi Xue stood rooted to the spot, watching Liu Qianqian with cold indifference. Her aura, at that moment, was unmatched.

In the bustling, traffic-filled first-floor lobby of the hospital, a brief, absolute silence descended. It was so quiet that the faintest sound of a dropped pin would be audible to everyone present.

"Whoosh..."

The bag, which Liu Qianqian had been clutching like a precious treasure, flew from her grasp, its contents—high-end cosmetics—scattering across the floor.

Since these items were mostly packaged in boxes, with various bottles and jars, they couldn't withstand the impact. Several containers made a distinct sound of shattering.

"Wow, look at all those cosmetics!"

"That brand looks like Dior?"

"Yep, it's Dior. Those are several hundred each! What a waste!"

Seeing the array of cosmetics strewn on the floor, the surrounding people began to murmur. Most of the women recognized the brands, while the men who didn't know cosmetics quickly grasped their value from the surrounding chatter, letting out soft sighs for the broken items.

That single throw had discarded hundreds, perhaps even over a thousand yuan. Most people in the Jinghe Hospital lobby were from ordinary working-class families, and that amount represented a significant sum.

"My cosmetics..."

The sound of the breaking bottles from that bag struck Liu Qianqian like a needle, instantly pulling her out of the daze caused by Mi Xue's slap. She clutched her face, gazing at the scattered makeup with profound sorrow, and tears immediately began to stream down. It was as if her heart was bleeding out over the loss.

"Qianqian, Qianqian, are you okay!"

Su Qifeng rushed forward when he saw Liu Qianqian in that state, frantically holding her face. He didn't know whether to help her up first or wipe away her tears. But sadly, Liu Qianqian’s entire focus was consumed by grief over the smashed cosmetics; she showed no gratitude for Su Qifeng's concern, only radiating disgust!

"Get away from me, you're annoying!"

Liu Qianqian shoved Su Qifeng away. Enduring the stinging heat on her face, she didn't even bother to accuse Mi Xue of the slap. Instead, she immediately bent down to gather the scattered cosmetics, checking precisely which ones had broken in the fall.

Having been pushed aside, Su Qifeng finally processed who the true culprit was. He straightened up, pointed at Mi Xue, and stammered, "You, you dared to hit my girlfriend!"

Su Qifeng considered himself Liu Qianqian's protector. Since his girlfriend had been struck, he felt it was his inherent duty to avenge her and vent her anger. That was why he had brought her to Jinghe Hospital to find Zhang Yang. But now, without even seeing Zhang Yang, his own girlfriend had been slapped by this beautiful woman right in front of him—which felt exactly like a slap to his own face!

The more Su Qifeng thought about it, the angrier he became. His rage mounted. He glared at Mi Xue, gritting his teeth, and suddenly charged forward several steps, raising his hand and swinging it back, intending to slap Mi Xue down!

A sharp glint flashed in Mi Xue's eyes. Having practiced internal strength training with Zhang Yang for a while, she wouldn't be so easily caught by a frail, sickly man like Su Qifeng, who mostly stayed home. But just as Mi Xue prepared to evade the blow, she spotted a familiar figure and halted her movement.

"Slap!"

Just as Su Qifeng's palm was about to connect, a sudden hand appeared behind him and firmly blocked his strike! Simultaneously, Su Qifeng felt a pull from behind, yanking him back several steps forcefully. Then, his arms were seized and restrained tightly by two hands!

When Su Qifeng was about to attack that beautiful young woman, the surrounding crowd exchanged looks of shock. They had never imagined Su Qifeng would actually attack such a lovely girl. But they were too slow to intervene, and their hearts had leaped into their throats. Now that they saw him restrained by a tall man, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

Immediately, the murmurs resumed, condemning Su Qifeng for laying hands on a woman while simultaneously speculating about the identity of this righteous intervener.

"He can't control his girlfriend for slandering people, so he gets angry and violent—what a piece of trash!"

"Yeah, thank goodness this person stopped him!"

"But who is this guy? Has anyone seen him before? Is he a patient here too?"

"No idea, he looks unfamiliar. Probably just some busybody..."

Conversely, the two reception nurses who had witnessed the initial confrontation recognized the man holding back Su Qifeng. While relieved for Mi Xue, they both glanced meaningfully toward Xiao Xiao, who remained huddled on the floor looking pitiful.

"Who the hell dares to stop me!"

Su Qifeng, suddenly restrained, was anything but pleased. As he struggled to turn around, he roared curses. But when his eyes finally focused on the person holding him from behind, the fire in his chest seemed to be doused by a bucket of cold water, instantly turning to ash!

"Hu, Supervisor Hu?"

Su Qifeng's eyes widened. He stopped struggling and called out in disbelief.

"Su Qifeng, have you lost your mind!"

Feeling Su Qifeng cease his struggle, the man holding him released him, then yelled angrily at Su Qifeng.

"Hu Tao? Is that you?"

Mi Xue tilted her head, looking at the man behind Su Qifeng. She had felt he looked familiar earlier, but now she clearly remembered who he was.

The man who stopped Su Qifeng was Hu Tao, a former alumnus from the Sports Department at Changjing University whom Zhang Yang and Mi Xue both knew. Mi Xue recognized him because he had previously collaborated with the then-Student Union President, Zhou Yichen, and that Fan Sizhe to give Zhang Yang a hard time. Later, Mi Xue had heard from Zhang Yang that he had introduced Hu Tao to an internet company founded by Su Zhantao himself. After that, Mi Xue hadn't heard anything about him until now—she certainly hadn't expected to run into him here.

Hu Tao was a Sports Department graduate, and his physical condition was clearly superior to Su Qifeng's. Restraining Su Qifeng was therefore effortless for him.

When Su Qifeng realized the man holding him was indeed Hu Tao, he quickly straightened up and even instinctively adjusted his clothes, which he had mussed during the struggle. His attitude was extremely respectful; anyone could see that Su Qifeng was being more than just politely attentive to Hu Tao.

The crowd was shocked again. Hadn't that Liu Qianqian just claimed Su Qifeng had been favored by a company that invested millions in him? Seeing Su Qifeng's current demeanor, did that mean this Supervisor Hu was the one who had invested millions?

The two reception nurses exchanged bewildered glances. They couldn't believe that the young man named Hu was actually a supervisor, and that the previously arrogant Su Qifeng was showing such deference. Xiao Xiao had never mentioned that this guy held such influence.

The two nurses glanced at Xiao Xiao. Xiao Xiao also seemed to sense the dramatic shift in circumstances. She looked at Hu Tao with shock, and even greater astonishment when she saw Su Qifeng's respectful attitude toward him.

Mi Xue appeared to grasp something, smiling sweetly as she asked, "Hu Tao, you’re doing quite well now, aren't you? You’ve made it to supervisor?"

Hu Tao hadn't noticed Xiao Xiao, who was hidden by Mi Xue on the ground. Hearing Mi Xue call his name, he ignored Su Qifeng completely, quickly stepped forward to place himself in front of Su Qifeng to prevent the man from going crazy again, before forcing out a smile and replying, "Don't tease me, Mi Xue. I'm just trying to make a living at a small internet company. Our boss appreciates me, so he promoted me to supervisor. I thought it looked like you from outside, and after stopping Qifeng, I realized it was you. Mi Xue, it's been a long time. You're still as beautiful as ever."

Mi Xue smiled faintly, then looked at Hu Tao curiously. "How do you know this man?"

At the same time, Su Qifeng stared at Hu Tao in disbelief, exclaiming in a shocked voice, "Supervisor Hu, you know her?"

"Shut up!"

Hu Tao snapped at Su Qifeng irritably, then turned back to Mi Xue, his tone shifting rapidly, almost fawningly. "His name is Su Qifeng. We were online friends before, only meeting recently and becoming friends. But perhaps in the near future, we might even be colleagues. Ah, never mind that. Mi Xue, why are you here? And Zhang Yang—oh, I mean, Brother Zhang?"

As he spoke, Hu Tao scanned the area, but alas, he couldn't see the figure of reverence and gratitude he sought anywhere in the first-floor lobby.

Mi Xue thought for a moment, frowning slightly. "I don't know. But he should be in the operating room. Otherwise, with such a commotion downstairs, he would have been out already." (To be continued)