Jianghai Hospital.
In a luxurious private hospital room.
"Where... am I..."
Wang Yulan slowly opened her eyes on the hospital bed.
She looked at the unfamiliar ceiling, feeling a bit dazed.
Wang Yulan remembered losing consciousness due to intense pain.
Am I in the hospital?
Did Gu Yan bring me here?
"Are you feeling better?"
At that moment, a reassuring voice that she recognized spoke up nearby.
Wang Yulan turned her head to see Gu Yan sitting in a chair, looking at her with concern.
Seeing this, Wang Yulan felt a warmth in her heart. She shook her head and said, "I'm fine..."
Then, her expression darkened: "I'm sorry, I had no idea Xiao Lin was that kind of person."
Wang Yulan spoke with deep remorse, realizing she had nearly put Gu Yan in a dangerous situation.
If Xiao Lin had beaten Gu Yan in front of her, she probably would never have forgiven herself.
Hearing this, Gu Yan shook his head and said, "I'm fine. But you - you were attacked by that dangerous individual and then passed out in the car."
"The doctor said the back is connected to various organs and nerves in the body. Luckily, that scumbag Xiao Lin held back at the end, otherwise..."
Wang Yulan understood the gravity of the situation when Gu Yan trailed off.
The thought of having such a close brush with death made Wang Yulan feel a bit scared in retrospect.
"But don't worry, Sister Yulan. I've already called the police. They'll arrest that scumbag," Gu Yan said with a smile.
"He'll get the punishment he deserves."
The police?
Wang Yulan was stunned for a moment. Oh right, we have the law.
Such a dangerous person absolutely cannot be allowed to roam free.
"Mm, and about my..."
Wang Yulan nodded, then seemed to think of something and hesitated.
Seeing this, Gu Yan said reassuringly, "Don't worry, I've already spoken to your workplace."
"You should just focus on resting and recovering these next few days."
Hearing this, Wang Yulan felt relieved, but she still shook her head: "No, staying in the hospital is expensive. I'm feeling much better already. Gu Yan, I need to go handle the discharge procedures."
To save money for her mother's hospital treatment, Wang Yulan usually just toughed it out when she got sick.
As she spoke, she tried to sit up, but the movement pulled at her wound.
"Ugh!" The sharp pain made her face go pale.
Gu Yan quickly pressed her back down: "Sister Yulan, don't move! Money isn't an issue. The most important thing now is for you to rest properly!"
"No, no, I... I..." Wang Yulan tried to struggle up, shaking her head anxiously. She wanted to say she didn't have that much money.
And she didn't want Gu Yan to spend money on her behalf.
Seeing this, Gu Yan smiled helplessly. He put on an exaggerated expression of giving in and said, "Alright, alright. How about this?"
"Sister Yulan, just consider this a debt you owe me, okay?"
"You can pay me back slowly once you start earning money again. How's that?"
Hearing this, Wang Yulan was momentarily taken aback.
Looking into Gu Yan's sincere eyes, she could see he was truly concerned for her health. And with him putting it like that, she really couldn't refuse anymore.
So Wang Yulan nodded and said softly, "Okay."
Time passed minute by minute. Gu Yan looked at the time and felt he should be going.
He smiled at Wang Yulan and said, "Alright Sister Yulan, you focus on resting. I'll be heading out now."
"If you need anything, just call the medical staff. I've already paid for your meals, so you don't need to worry about anything."
"Just focus on resting quietly and recovering."
"Oh, and I've put your personal belongings on the chair next to you."
Listening to Gu Yan take such good care of her, Wang Yulan felt a warm glow in her heart.
"Mm, you go ahead and take care of your business. I'll be fine here," Wang Yulan nodded.
Gu Yan left the hospital room.
Wang Yulan's gaze grew increasingly soft.
Gu Yan...
It had been so long since she'd experienced such a warm feeling.
Oh, right.
Wang Yulan seemed to think of something and reached for her canvas bag.
She took out a rice ball that was still slightly warm.
Feeling the warmth, she breathed a sigh of relief.
To save money, she had made rice balls for lunch using leftover rice from the night before.
She had prepared two for herself, but gave one to Gu Yan.
"Gotta eat a good breakfast," Wang Yulan said, holding the rice ball with a hint of happiness on her face.
She wondered if it would suit Gu Yan's taste.
......
.....
Meanwhile, Gu Yan calmly left the hospital.
In his mind, he was already planning his next move.
Wang Yulan's affection level should have reached a bottleneck.
To break through further would require waiting for the next plot point.
Before that, he needed to seek out another female lead who would help the protagonist Xiao Lin in the future.
Thinking of this, Gu Yan took out his phone and made a call: "Hello, is this Uncle Chen?"
"It's like this - there was a violent assault incident at the entrance of Yulin Residential Complex this morning."
"A friend of mine was beaten and hospitalized by someone named Xiao Lin."
"The injuries are quite serious."
"You'll be able to catch him soon? Great, thank you Uncle Chen. I'll come visit you when I have time!"
Click.
He hung up the phone and got back into his luxury car, humming a tune.
Sometimes he really didn't understand.
Why in so many novels, for issues that could be easily resolved through legal means, those antagonists insisted on rushing in mindlessly.
In urban novels, most male protagonists were violent criminals by legal standards.
This was a civilized society - people should handle things in a civilized manner.
Although...
In this world, cultivators did have a higher status than ordinary people, with some even above the law.
Even if Xiao Lin was arrested, he'd likely be out again soon.
But if he could irritate Xiao Lin like this, Gu Yan was quite happy to do so.
The car started.
Just then, Gu Yan noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
It was a rice ball.
He smiled, though it wasn't clear what he was thinking.
Then, as he drove past a trash can,
He casually tossed the rice ball into it.
I don't eat rice balls.
......
........
Tianye Pharmaceutical Technology.
A group of former employees were still gathered at the entrance, demanding answers.
They held banners and shouted through megaphones:
"Give us back our hard-earned money!"
"Tianye Pharma is inhumane! They deceived us!!"
"Pay up! Pay up!"
"Two months without wages!! Don't think you can run away!"
"Pay up! Pay up!"
Inside the security office.
Zhang Qing looked anxiously at Xiao Lin, who sat in a chair with a vacant expression, as if something had happened.
"Xiao Lin, hurry up and go out there!"
"That crowd has already surrounded the place!"
Zhang Qing didn't know what was wrong with Xiao Lin. He had been fine yesterday, so why did he look like this today?