In the taxi, Xu Tingsheng sat in the co-driver’s seat while Fang Ruli sat in the backseat.

  “Hey……” She suddenly broke the silence and called out to him.

  “What?”


  “Will he, will that uncle be fine? Aren’t you calling for people to help him?”


  “So you do know how to care about people? That’s a good thing,” Xu Tingsheng joked before adding, “Relax, without this stinky fish there to act as a burden for him, no one can keep him there against his will.”


  Fang Ruli nodded, “Right, he’s awesome. Hey, who’re you calling a stinky fish?”


  Xu Tingsheng did not answer as he smiled, asking, “Even more powerful than your brother?”


  Fang Ruli thought about it. She had seen her brother fighting before, and Du Jiang did seem stronger than him from her impressions. Still, unwilling to submit in front of Xu Tingsheng, she snorted and said, “My brother has a gun.”


  “A gun? Right, Fang Ruju has a gun, so what he met with was a gun as well,” A voice suddenly resounded in Xu Tingsheng’s mind, “If you choose to use fists, you will have to meet with fists. If you have a gun, you will have to meet with guns……am I departing further and further away?”


  “Hey, what’s with you?” Seeing Xu Tingsheng suddenly falling silent, Fang Ruli asked.

  “Nothing much. I was just thinking that since you weren’t saved by me, that would mean that that Uncle Du Jiang has saved you twice, right?”


  “Right.”


  “Your Uncle Du Jiang isn’t married yet.”


  “Huh? ……Oh, you sick pervert.”


  “For saving your life, there is nothing you can repay him with but yourself……” Xu Tingsheng smiled and recited.

  While however childish Fang Ruli was, she must also be aware that Xu Tingsheng was joking, she still felt somewhat unhappy inside, “This sick pervert actually asked me to wed with that Uncle. Isn’t he, towards me……no, no, who’d want him to have designs on me……sick pervert.”


  Fang Ruli had actually looked up Xu Tingsheng online after meeting with him previously. Still, the results of her investigation had left her very disappointed. No one knew about the true face of this sick pervert at all.

  “Huh, what Xishan Tower’s Xu Tingsheng. And there are still so many silly people online who wanna marry him……isn’t he just good at earning money? Tsk, even if a bit good-looking too……but what you people don’t know is that he is actually a pervert……huh, I must definitely expose him on Weibo next time. Who will still want him then?”


  For the remainder of the journey, Xu Tingsheng closed his eyes and rested. Fang Ruli was on the verge of saying something a few times but ultimately refrained……

  The taxi stopped at the entrance of the hospital.

  “24 yuan, thank you,” The driver said.

  “Ask that stinky fish at the back for it,” Xu Tingsheng opened the door and got out of the car.

  “.……The sick pervert is actually so petty? He actually, truly has the face to ask a young girl to pay?” Fang Ruli angrily paid up and got out of the car to chase after Xu Tingsheng.

  “You aren’t to call me stinky fish again.”


  “You aren’t gentlemanly at all.”


  “A petty man is good-for-nothing.”


  “A pervert is really a pervert……”


  Xu Tingsheng simply ignored her.

  “Hey……”


  “What?”


  “Didn’t you say earlier that your girlfriend’s a hundred times more beautiful than me?”


  “Yes, I did say that.”


  “Braggart.”


  Xu Tingsheng just smiled, not saying anything.

  Fang Ruli peered at him curiously, “It’s true?”


  Xu Tingsheng glanced at her, “It’s false.”


  “I knew it,” Fang Ruli raised her head triumphantly.

  “To be honest, it shouldn’t just be a hundred times.”


  “You……”


  Unable to verbally outwit him, Fang Ruli gave up. The two ignored each other for the remainder of their journey to the sick ward.Sounds of an intense argument could be heard from inside.

  Xu Tingsheng waved, indicating for Fang Chen who was leaning against the wall and had already spotted him to come outside.

  “What is it? You can’t decide regarding going overseas?” Xu Tingsheng asked.

  “No, that was decided long ago. Everyone agreed to it,” Fang Chen answered.

  “In that case……why is it so noisy?”


  “Fang Zhong is arguing with Aunt. He says that he’s the oldest of the third generation, and he should be in charge of everyone’s money. Aunt wouldn’t agree……she means to hand the money to me and Yuqing. So, they started arguing.”


  “I see. Is it a lot of money?”


  Fang Chen shook her head, “It’s not that much. Just enough for everyone to live on for one or two years. It’s just that all our assets have been frozen now, with only this sum of money from Grandpa remaining. That’s why……all eyes are on it.”


  Xu Tingsheng understood, harmoniously getting along with Fang Chen for once as he reached out and patted her on the shoulder, “If you find yourself lacking money over there, just tell me.”


  “Right. Yuqing and I won’t stand on ceremony with you.”


  “Like I’d spend his ugly money……huh!” Fang Ruli glared at Xu Tingsheng and entered before plunging straight into her mother’s embrace, crying and sniffling as she spoke of the tragic events that had transpired that day……

  It was just that in her version of events, she had not been bullied by those boys as the incident had been triggered by Xu Tingsheng, with her being the victim.

  Fang Chen smiled apologetically, “Ruli’s misunderstanding of you is pretty deep……it’s your own fault for saying that you like young girls, even emphasising how you moved against Xiang Ning when she was just fourteen……it frightened her.”


  “Didn’t you say anything?” Xu Tingsheng cut her off and went in too.

  “It was him……he caused me to nearly get beaten, even get into a car chase. He even……” Fang Ruli innocently, aggrievedly complained about Xu Tingsheng from the haven of her mother’s arms.

  No one knows a daughter as much as her mother. Knowing her daughter’s personality and Xu Tingsheng’s situation, Fang Ruli’s mother knew that there was no way he would really have gone to bully some boys from junior high and cause an incident for no reason. Thus, it almost definitely had to have been caused by her daughter. It was also probable that Xu Tingsheng had intervened because her daughter had been bullied.

  “About that, little children are insensible. Don’t take offence……thank you for all your help today,” She said.

  “Don’t mention it. It’s only natural,” Xu Tingsheng smiled.

  “Mum?! Why are you thanking him? It was clearly him who……” Fang Ruli persisted stubbornly.

  “Ruli, stop talking nonsense. Do you take your mother for a fool?” Her mother’s face sank.

  Looking a bit embarrassed, Fang Ruli said softly, “Then, even if it wasn’t him who caused it, there’s still no need to thank him. It’s not him who helped me. He’s not that mighty. It was a very awesome Uncle who helped me.”


  “Right, that Uncle still hasn’t come back yet. Could anything have happened to him?”


  “He’s fine,” Xu Tingsheng smiled and responded.

  Du Jiang approached from the other end of the corridor, carrying Fang Ruli’s bag. While there were some residual signs of battle on him, these were nothing serious. He walked over to Xu Tingsheng and said a few things to him in a low tone.

  Xu Tingsheng nodded and turned, saying to those in the room, “It’s like this. The two of us were indeed involved in something. So, I may have to return to Yanzhou first tonight. As for your side, if you have already decided on going overseas, just leave it to me to take care of it. Try to avoid going out as much as possible if there’s no need to.

  “You, you’re leaving just like that?” Fang Zhong stepped forward, full of dissatisfaction.

  “If I stay, will you handle the procedures for going overseas?” Xu Tingsheng asked.

  “I……if I want to leave, I can leave at any time,” Fang Zhong’s words caused everyone to feel shocked and disillusioned: This was the oldest of the Fang family’s third generation? Who’d harbour hopes of him taking care of all the young ones? Who’d still dare hand that final sum over to him?

  “You can try then. I know that you have the documents……you can very well try leaving yourself first.”


  “I……isn’t it for the sake of taking care of them.”


  Xu Tingsheng was very clear on the fact that Fang Zhong actually dared not even leave this building now. Still, he did not intend to be further involved in the Fang family’s internal affairs.

  “How about this. I’ll leave Bro Du here.”


  “Yes, good, good,” Fang Zhong happily nodded in succession.

  “Tingsheng, come out for a bit,” Du Jiang pulled Xu Tingsheng aside before telling him in a low tone, “Tingsheng, about that……Uncle Xu’s instructions, apart from Du Mian taking care of your little girlfriend, were that Wusheng and I are to be concerned about nothing but you and you alone.”


  Xu Tingsheng smiled, “We’ll just not tell my Dad about it then. Relax, no one will move against me in Yanzhou. Moreover, isn’t Bro Zhong there too?”


  “Still, for the return journey……I can’t let you go alone. Otherwise, Uncle Xu definitely won’t let me off,” Du Jiang insisted.

  Knowing that he could not win this argument, Xu Tingsheng suggested, “How about this? Aren’t I only leaving at night. I’ll ask Bro Zhong to drive over to fetch me. I’ll be switching to another car as well. That’s okay, right?”


  Du Jiang hesitated for a while before conceding helplessly, “Well……fine then.”


  Xu Tingsheng flicked him a cigarette, “Get Yuqing to call for a doctor to see to your wounds later. Then, while you’re here, remember not to think of yourself as the Fang family’s bodyguard. If anyone abuses their power, ignore them. If they’re too much, beating them up is fine too.”


  Du Jiang smiled and let Xu Tingsheng light the cigarette for him as he responded, “I know.”


  One thing the Xu family father and son had in common was that the way they treated people was akin to a refreshing spring breeze. They never treated them as underlings or allowed them to be bullied by others outside.

  “Also, don’t go outside,” Xu Tingsheng said in a hushed tone, “Just stay here. The sick ward here may be the most sensitive place in all of Jianhai Province right now. So long as that old man inside is still breathing, I’ll wager no one would dare directly kill their way over, not even those Ling and Xiao families.”


  “Right. I understand.”


  “But just in case, though……on the off chance that anything happens, you should be flexible. It isn’t everyone here that we have to protect. If something like that really happens, if you can bring them along, bring along Yuqing, then Fang Chen……and that little girl too, I guess,” Xu Tingsheng added Fang Ruli to the list as an afterthought, “As for the rest, no need to care.”


  “What about old man Fang then?” Du Jiang committed it all to memory before asking.

  Xu Tingsheng took a deep puff of his cigarette, exhaling, “There’s no need to care about him too.”


  “Alright.”


  Du Jiang ceased asking questions. He knew that he should not pry deeply into some matters. He simply needed to know what he should do.

  After smoking the cigarette, Xu Tingsheng returned to the room.

  “We’re agreed. Bro Du will be staying. Still, I hope you all can understand something……even I myself call him bro too,” Xu Tingsheng said and glanced at Fang Zhong before continuing, “Since it’s been decided that you will be going overseas, you should prepare the relevant documents and give them to me as soon as possible. I’ll make haste in getting it all done.”


  “I must reiterate. No one is to say the slightest thing about your going overseas. Don’t blame me for being merciless otherwise,” Xu Tingsheng threatened coldly as Du Jiang stood menacingly behind him.

  They were all silent. Their current circumstances were such that their Fang family was asking a favour of Xu Tingsheng. Thus, however unhappy they might actually be feeling, they still had to hold it in.

  “Like I’m scared of you……” Someone muttered.

  Xu Tingsheng helplessly glanced at Fang Ruli whose mother had covered her mouth with a hand……he really could do nothing about her.

  “Yuqing, wanna go eat?”


  “Alright.”


  With Fang Yuqing soon to leave, Xu Tingsheng suddenly very much wanted to chat with him. It was not just for the important matters. More of it was……only for the sake of speaking with him alone, however inconsequential it might be. The world was fickle. Who could know when it would be when they next met……