Chapter 168: Since When Has There Been So Much Fairness

Everyone's talent is limited. If someone like Big Dummy Hui had a slightly more agile mind, he would be a killing machine. The heavens gave him a robust physique, but at the same time, bestowed upon him a clumsy brain.

Chu Dong did not continue to torture this bear-like fellow. Dropping the wooden board, he sat down by himself and panted heavily. Torture, it was sheer torture; after engaging in a brawl with someone like him, one's psychological resilience could jump up a tier.

Sweat trickled down his temples, and the wounds on his back burst open. The medicine applied and the gauze wrapped around him had all gone to waste. Unlike the other prisoners, Chu Dong was not wearing prison garb; he was only being held temporarily, so he was still wearing the clothes he had on when he first entered. Unbuttoning his shirt, he tore off a strip of fabric to wrap around the webs of both his hands. Leaning against the doorframe, Chu Dong was too exhausted to ever want to move again.

Things were getting a bit out of hand in the detention center. If this Big Dummy Hui had won, why had he suddenly gone silent? Just a moment ago he was roaring to the heavens, how could it go quiet in the blink of an eye?

Everyone was straining their ears to listen, having no idea what was happening inside.

Tan Xue was losing her composure. This competitor Chu Dong had pursued her so fiercely in the past, and just when her heart had finally been stirred and she was awakening to romance, this kind of incident had to happen. No one had anticipated that an official assignment would yield such a result. Tan Songhai had called her, but Tan Xue had kept it a secret. With no one to share the pressure, the young girl was almost on the verge of collapsing under this sudden turn of events.

Li Youlan was also feeling anxious. After all, the man had originally come to help. Now look at him—with the old man's casual remark about a complimentary ten-day tour of Beijing, Chu Dong had managed to get himself locked up. It would be entirely unjustifiable if she just ignored it. The last time Chu Dong got into trouble, it was Zhao Baode who had managed to get him out. This time, she had to go beg Li Tianming to borrow Zhao Baode's help once again.

"Girl, don't you know yet? Your Uncle Zhao went to negotiate long ago, but even so, he hasn't been able to see anyone. How can I not be anxious?" Li Tianming's brows had been tightly locked lately, and his expression had not cleared up at all.

"What about others? If that doesn't work, let's find another lawyer." Li Youlan still refused to give up.

"Zhao Baode is considered a top-tier figure even in the capital. If matters he steps in to handle cannot be resolved, finding someone else would be even less effective than him." Li Tianming was also extremely troubled. In just these past two days or so, he seemed to have aged noticeably. With elders above and children below, he dared not vent his anger on the elderly, nor could he bear to let the young ones worry. Caught in the middle, he found it utterly agonizing.

Liu An and Ma Hui had submitted their business reports early on, but unfortunately, no one was in the mood to read what they had written. As a result, the two of them had nothing to do and went out to play together. As the local host, Liu An entertained Ma Hui, and they struck up a good relationship. Naturally, Liu An wanted to call upon his friends, so he sought out Qian Feng, who had been having a streak of bad luck lately.

The three of them sat in a luxurious private room at Liu An's club. At one end of the long orange sofa stood a small bar, where an scantily clad young woman stood ready to mix drinks for them, while several young girls danced gracefully under the soft lighting.

Seeing Qian Feng's grim expression, Liu An asked him why he looked so unsatisfied, as if his desires had been thwarted.

"Sigh, don't even ask." Qian Feng recounted everything that had happened recently to Liu An and Ma Hui.

"That guy's really named Chu Dong?" Liu An could hardly believe such a coincidence existed. He grabbed Qian Feng and stared with wide eyes.

"So what if his name is Chu Dong? Don't tell me you even know a piano-playing street performer?" Qian Feng was utterly puzzled to see Liu An looking so surprised.

"Ha, hey Ma Hui, no wonder I felt the atmosphere in old Li's household has been so oppressive lately. Turns out one of them got locked up inside, ha..." Liu An burst into hearty laughter, high-fiving Ma Hui in the air to celebrate. It left Qian Feng utterly bewildered, his head spinning.

"Hey, are you guys out of your minds? Instead of helping me figure something out when I'm taking hits, do you really have to laugh this hard?" Qian Feng grew a bit angry at this. He picked up a freshly mixed glass of alcohol that had just been brought over and drank it down in one gulp.

"No, brother, there are some things you don't know. There's a lot more to this story, it's just too coincidental." With a smile, Liu An threw an arm around Qian Feng's shoulder and told him all about the Li family's matchmaking competition, pointing out that this unlucky fellow who had offended Qian Feng and gotten locked up was precisely one of the four candidates.

"So you're saying I actually helped you indirectly?" Qian Feng asked, half-convinced.

"Ha, why else would I say this is such a coincidence? Brother, you've done a great deed." Having eliminated a formidable competitor, Liu An was naturally overjoyed. Anyone could see that Li Youlan and the other girl clearly treated Chu Dong differently from them. Now they could finally set their minds at ease; with only three candidates left, who Li Youlan would eventually end up with remained an unknown variable.

"You're happy, but I still have nowhere to vent my anger." Having gained zero benefits, Qian Feng remained sullen.

Xiao Rou did not yet know that Chu Dong had been locked up, but running around busily brought her no joy at all. Her delicate brows were tightly furrowed, clearly tinged with a trace of worry. How could Qian Feng not know that this was because Chu Dong had vanished?

"Who says you didn't get any benefits? Go tell your little sweetheart what Chu Dong came here for, and I don't believe she'll still be stubbornly pining for him. What do you call this? Killing two birds with one stone, understand?" Liu An offered advice to Qian Feng with a triumphant look.

Upon hearing this, Qian Feng immediately grew excited as well. "That's right, why didn't I think of that? People always say I'm romantic and leave a trail of affections everywhere, but this punk is even worse than me. He just has a bit of money, and when he comes to Beijing to 'marry into royalty,' he still doesn't forget to entangle himself with Xiao Rou. The brat is just too greedy. Brother Liu, your words have truly awakened a dreamer! Let's drink! We won't stop until we're drunk today..."

Immersed in revelry, the three of them were in good spirits and began trading toasts.

The next day was Xiao Xiaofeng's kidney transplant surgery, and still, Chu Dong did not appear. Ever since their hurried encounter last time when he went out to buy her dinner, he had vanished completely like a madman, and his phone could not be reached either. Although Chu Dong was not a child, she remained extremely worried. Fortunately, the good news of her younger brother's surgery managed to dilute her anxiety just a little bit.

Early in the morning, Qian Feng arrived. Although he had drank heavily yesterday, he still woke up at the crack of dawn. His short crew cut had been specially styled with hair gel, making him look slick and polished, and he hurried into Peking Union Medical College Hospital holding a large bouquet of fiery red roses.

Xiao Rou held Xiao Xiaofeng's hand, which had become withered and thin from pain, constantly comforting and instructing him to ease his nervousness.

"Sis, I'm fine. How come you're even more nervous than me? Hehe, I'm still waiting to work for Brother Chu after I get better." Tears welled up in Xiao Xiaofeng's eyes as he patted his sister's small hand, putting on a pretense of ease.

"Exactly, you guys don't need to worry. Technology is so advanced nowadays, it's just a matter of closing and opening your eyes, and it'll be over in no time." Carrying the fresh flowers, Qian Feng hadn't had a chance to present them yet. Keeping them hidden behind his back, he tried to comfort the Xiao Rou siblings.

Soon, Xiao Xiaofeng was wheeled into the operating room. When the red light indicating that surgery was in progress lit up above the door, Xiao Rou could not help but grow anxious.

Rubbing her hands together, a mist of tears that refused to dissipate veiled her lovely eyes. Anyone who saw her at that moment would feel an involuntary pang of heartache.

Qian Feng brought the flowers to his chest and handed them toward Xiao Rou. "I know you're worried about your brother, but rest assured, the doctors here are all specialists, and they will make everything go perfectly."

"Thank you." No matter what, Qian Feng had indeed helped out. Xiao Rou forced a meager smile, accepted the flowers, and casually laid them aside.

A bitter taste lingered in her heart. It was painfully obvious that Xiao Rou's attitude toward him was practically telling her not to waste any more effort—it was impossible.

Anger welled up uncontrollably in Qian Feng's chest. Disregarding the occasion entirely, he was determined to expose what kind of person Chu Dong really was. Therefore, even as Xiao Rou lowered her head in silence, he leaned in close to her. "You know the guy who was playing the piano that night, right? The fellow who forked over the money for your brother's medical treatment?"

"Please don't talk about him that way." Xiao Rou brushed aside a lock of hair that had fallen across her face and spoke to Qian Feng with a serious expression.

That day, Chu Dong's disappearance was clearly related to Qian Feng. Xiao Rou had all along suspected that the bloody incident at the hospital entrance was linked to him, but when she asked him, he flatly denied it, leaving Xiao Rou with no way to pin it on him since she hadn't witnessed it herself. Yet calling Chu Dong "that guy" right to her face showed blatant disrespect, something Xiao Rou could simply not accept.

"So what if I did?" Qian Feng nearly shouted. "Do you even know what he came to Beijing for? Do you know why he played the piano at the hotel? You don't know a damn thing, yet you're still here defending him." Qian Feng was losing his mind; the woman he loved showed zero consideration for his feelings.

"Does that matter?" Xiao Rou didn't understand why he was saying this, and her large, watery eyes looked at Qian Feng in confusion.

"Of course it matters, it matters immensely!" Qian Feng's voice suddenly rose. Seeing the people around them looking his way, he lowered his voice again. "He's here on a matchmaking errand. The other party is the eldest miss of Tianhai Group, and him playing the piano at the hotel was one of the test challenges set by the Li family. That young miss from the Li family is the sole heir of the Li clan, with a fortune in the tens of billions. Once he succeeds, he steps straight into the ranks of billionaires—will he still have eyes for you? Even if he spends a little money to keep you as his kept mistress in a golden house, it's not out of the question. Would you even be willing to accept that?"

Qian Feng's words struck Xiao Rou's mind like a heavy bomb, shattering the bright future she had originally constructed beyond recognition. Having been tempered by her brother's prolonged illness, Xiao Rou had become exceptionally resilient against setbacks, and Qian Feng's words did not throw her completely off balance; she naturally understood what intention lay behind his remarks. With a calm, faint smile, she replied, "So what if he does? If Brother Chu succeeds, I'll even go congratulate him."

Now left with pure indignation, Qian Feng failed to notice the increasingly dense mist of tears in Xiao Rou's eyes as he stamped his foot and yelled, "Oh, doesn't he just have a little money? I have money too! I even went to all that trouble to help find a kidney donor! So what, just because he reached out first and took advantage, and I stepped in a step later, I can never catch up? Is there any fairness left in this world?"

"How can there be so much fairness to speak of in this world!" Xiao Rou said firmly and clearly. She turned around, picked up the flowers Qian Feng had given her, shoved them back into his arms, and walked away. Crystal-clear teardrops rolled down her smooth cheeks in a rapid cascade.