Yunlong City First People's Hospital. For a hospital to be named after the city, its significance is obvious—it represents the pinnacle of medical standards.
A room in the inpatient ward suddenly echoed with an incredibly loud sound, a shout that came from me.
In an instant, I felt several strange pairs of eyes fixated on me. I was immediately embarrassed, realizing I had unconsciously blurted out my thoughts. My face flushed crimson, and I didn't dare look at the surrounding gazes. Instinctively, I sought something to distract from the awkwardness and started to open the food containers.
"Time for blind-box lunch. I'll eat whatever they sent," I mumbled to myself, reciting nonsense, and then opened the containers the man had brought.
Though I had anticipated good food, I was still slightly surprised when I opened it—the meal was excessively rich. It was three dishes and one soup, the soup being King Oyster Mushroom, Greens, and Fish Ball Soup. The names of the other three dishes were unknown to me, but they looked like beef, shrimp, and a plate of fresh stir-fried greens.
My stomach was already rumbling with hunger, and the pervasive aroma instantly whetted my appetite.
Without further hesitation, I picked up my chopsticks and started to eat. I first took a piece of the beef. It was smooth and tender, with a rich flavor.
Mmm, delicious. This must be the work of a master chef.
That was my evaluation, though I couldn't really tell if it was true. After all, how can a wild pig appreciate fine cuisine? The only word that really came to mind was delicious.
Just then, the burly man beside me suddenly chimed in, "Heh heh, how is it? Isn't it good? Ever eaten anything like this before?"
Hearing that, I flared up instantly. Who are you looking down on?
I put down my chopsticks, pointing at him indignantly. "Who would willingly trade a few knife wounds for this meal? Would you?"
Uncle Luo chuckled. "I wouldn't be chased for three blocks. He can't beat me."
I was speechless. I wanted to give him the middle finger, but looking at his physique, I was afraid he'd slap me silly. So, I just pouted, lowered my head, and resumed eating.
The rice was clearly well-cooked, feeling like truly superior rice—plump and separate grains. It tasted excellent.
After a few bites, a question about my deskmate occurred to me. I turned to ask him, "Uh, you, can I ask why Liu Xiaoyu is being attacked? Did he offend someone?"
"My name is not 'Uh, you.' My name is Luo Fei," he said impatiently.
But I had already finished the rest of his name unconsciously, drawing out the final word: "Yuuuu..."
"?"
"Tilapia?"
I felt a question mark appear on the forehead of the tall, dark man. His brow furrowed, and he exuded a menacing aura.
"Haha... It's nothing, I was just saying the name of a type of edible fish, not you," I quickly said with an awkward laugh, trying to cover it up.
Seeing his unfriendly expression, I was afraid he might flip my table and leave me without food. Then he wouldn't be Tilapia; he'd be the Crow of Doom.
"Uncle, don't look at me like that."
Luo Fei glanced at me and then said, "It's better for you not to know too much about this. Just know that someone is after him. Anyway, you should keep your distance from him in the future. That's better for both you and him."
"Huh?" I stopped eating, my bowl held mid-air. I felt like Liu Xiaoyu's background was suddenly extraordinary. My imagination ran wild: he seemed like one of those mysterious scions from a novel, being hunted by countless people.
And me... well, I was just an ordinary fat guy.
"Is it that serious?" I pouted, slightly unconvinced. This was real life, not a TV show. Where would you find people like that? Do you think he's some destined hero with enemies everywhere? Even if there were such people, how would they end up near me?
Besides, Liu Xiaoyu looked so gentle and harmless, not at all like those troublesome little devils from fiction who have a lot of properties.
Even now, I still doubted whether I was attacked because of Liu Xiaoyu. However, since the other party was covering my food, accommodation, and medical expenses, I certainly wasn't going to say anything. If they suddenly refused to pay my medical bills, where would I go to cry? To my mother, to weep at her feet and be kicked away?
Thinking about it, I really was pathetic.
But I quickly shook my head, clearing those thoughts.
Seeing my skeptical expression, Luo Fei looked at me unhappily and said coldly, "I'm not joking. This is serious."
"Oh..." I looked at his fierce face and, adhering to the excellent principle that a smart person avoids immediate confrontation, I feigned good behavior and nodded. What I truly thought inside was another matter entirely.
Luo Fei frowned again, seeing my persistent, thick-skinned demeanor.
I was honestly starting to feel uneasy with his look. I looked at him fearfully. "What are you going to do? Assault an injured person?"
"Haha..." Luo Fei suddenly chuckled a few times, then looked at me and nodded approvingly. "You know what? You're alright, kid. Getting stabbed so many times and you still have such a good attitude?"
I fell silent, pouting, and slowly replied, "If I got stabbed, I got stabbed. It's not like anyone cares. Even if I died, I'd have died a martyr."
It was a lie to say I wasn't scared. I was screaming like a pig at the time, and I was still traumatized. Just thinking about last night made me tremble.
Luo Fei stopped talking, just staring at me, lost in thought.
After a while, he suddenly pulled two bank cards out of his pocket and slapped them onto my table.
I was eating and was instantly startled. The piece of beef I was lifting to my mouth froze mid-air, a perfect tableau. I looked at him dumbfounded. "Uncle, what is it?"
Luo Fei smiled a sinister smile, staring into my eyes, and said with his head held high, "Young man, take fifty thousand dollars. And leave my Xiaoyu alone."
"Pfft..."
The rice in my mouth instantly sprayed out. His serious expression immediately broke, and he quickly dodged out of the way.
"What are you doing?" Luo Fei glared at me, brushing the rice off his clothes.
"Ha... I'm sorry... Uncle..." I struggled to hold back my laughter, apologizing while grabbing a napkin to clean up the sprayed rice.
Seeing my reaction, he seemed to realize I didn't believe him.
"I'm serious," Luo Fei said, his face dark.
"Mm..." The corners of my mouth couldn't help but twitch upwards. Looking at his dead-serious demeanor, I tried to think of every sad thing I could to suppress the laughter, but it didn't work.
"Alright, young man. As long as you stop associating with my Xiaoyu, this fifty thousand is yours," he said with great solemnity and seriousness. His dark face made him look even more imposing.
But this only made me find it funnier. The more serious he was, the more ridiculous he seemed.
"Mm." I forcefully held my face straight and nodded, desperately wishing he would stop talking, or I'd lose it.
"What? Not enough?" His dark face grew darker, and he leaned in, looking at me. "How about one hundred thousand?"
Up close, I could see the hair in his nostrils. Looking at his serious, wide-eyed gaze, I finally couldn't hold back.
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha..."
I burst into laughter, gasping for breath, tears streaming from my eyes. I rolled around in laughter, 360 degrees, no dead angles.
"Ouch..."
But I immediately felt pain across my body. Laughing that hard pulled at my wounds. Yet, I couldn't stop the laughter, only managing to laugh hysterically through the pain.
Seeing my exaggerated display, his face grew even darker, but he also seemed puzzled. He put a hand out and gently stroked his chin. "What's wrong? Is this funny?"
"Nothing, nothing..." I felt the pain surging, and I didn't dare to laugh anymore, grimacing and suppressing the laughter.
"What is it? Do you think it's too little?" Luo Fei looked at me, slightly displeased.
I wiped away the tears of laughter and quickly waved my hands. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. All that money, you should keep it."
"What?" Luo Fei looked at me in surprise. "Isn't this enough money?"
"It's plenty, plenty," I said.
"Then do you agree or not, kid?" Luo Fei seemed impatient, his eyes wide and menacing.
Honestly, his look was a bit scary, and I was slightly intimidated.
"Uncle, what are you talking about? Are you acting in a TV drama?" I said helplessly. What kind of plot is this? Liu Xiaoyu is just my deskmate. We haven't been that close—no secret outings, just asking questions at school and playing games after school. Since my mother crushed my old phone, I haven't even played games with him for days. Luo Fei was clearly just messing with me. Giving me money? Nonsense.
"You don't believe me?" Luo Fei frowned. "I'm serious. You need to stay away from my Xiaoyu from now on. This is for your own good."
I was completely speechless. Looking at his insistence, a strange fire welled up inside me. My tone naturally lost its politeness. "What is it? Do rich kids' lives get a precious pass? I can't even talk to him? If that's the case, why did he come to this school? Can't he hire a private tutor at home? Is the whole class supposed to accommodate him just because of him?"