Chapter Eight: A Stinging Rebuff

Almost instinctively, Lin Yang blurted out his words.

“Heh, I’m just embarrassed by Lin Yang’s awkward expression,” Bai Gu teased. Ning Ni, oblivious to the danger she courted, proudly showed off her lovely figure, completely unaware of the consequences.

Lin Yang was about to lose his mind. Fortunately, he threw himself onto the sofa, turned his head aside, hoping that out of sight would mean out of mind. He truly couldn’t guarantee that if he took one more glance, he could keep control over himself.

Seeing his reaction, Ning Ni shook her head helplessly, sighing inwardly that her plan to seduce him had failed. After a moment’s hesitation, she tiptoed toward the bedroom.

The night passed in torment. Because he’d gone to bed especially late, the clock showed ten in the morning before Lin Yang, still sprawled on the sofa, sleeping like a log, was finally awakened by the relentless ringing of his phone.

After fumbling around, he managed to retrieve his phone from his pocket. Seeing it was Su Xiaodong calling, he answered, puzzled, “Xiaodong, what is it?”

Yesterday, Su Xiaodong had played the guinea pig. As the son of the East District Police Chief, he naturally had connections among those both on and off the streets. Nowadays, many people straddle the line between black and white, but few can manage both worlds with ease. Su Xiaodong admired Tiger, a man even his father, with his considerable authority, had to show respect to—proof of Tiger’s remarkable methods.

Tiger, in his early days, was a formidable figure in Jinhai, but even the bravest can’t always win against overwhelming odds. His ferocity brought him heavy costs, the worst being a broken right calf. Though the treatment went well, he was left with a lasting ailment that still affected his walk.

He’d made countless hospital visits, but old injuries like his flared up whenever the weather cooled, bringing unbearable pain like thousands of ants gnawing at his leg. In recent years, he’d suffered greatly.

Yesterday, after his surgery, Su Xiaodong was back to his handsome self and in a great mood. He took several of his brothers to a nightclub—one of Tiger’s territories, as usual. The two were close as brothers; everyone in the club affectionately called him Brother Dong. When he saw Tiger suffering from his leg again, he immediately thought of Lin Yang, whose miraculous medical skills had restored collapsed bones.

Knowing Lin Yang’s rules for treatment, Su Xiaodong crawled out of a woman’s bed early to call him, worried that any delay would affect Tiger’s recovery.

“Yang, Tiger’s situation is like this. What do you think…?” Su Xiaodong asked quietly, unsure of Lin Yang’s temperament and afraid he’d refuse. He’d just spent some time praising Tiger to smooth things over.

“All right, come over in a bit. I’ll reserve a slot.” Lin Yang agreed readily, thinking it wise to befriend someone his father respected.

He hung up, climbed off the sofa, and glanced toward the bedroom, seeing the door slightly ajar. His curiosity was piqued: did Ning Ni really sleep last night without even closing the door? She was certainly trusting. His thoughts raced, but his steps didn’t pause.

Peering through the gap, he found the bedroom empty. Not a trace of her. He hurried to the kitchen, bathroom, and shower, but she was nowhere to be found. Just as Lin Yang began to worry, Ning Ni strolled in, carrying two or three plastic bags.

“Yang, you’re up. I saw you were still asleep, so I didn’t disturb you. I just went downstairs to buy some breakfast,” Ning Ni said, smiling as sweetly as blossoming peach flowers.

“You little rascal, you nearly scared me to death,” Lin Yang grumbled.

“So, what are your plans next?” He stuffed a soup dumpling into his mouth and asked casually.

Ning Ni shook her head energetically, then seemed to think of something. She exclaimed, “Oh right, Yang! Didn’t you open a hospital? How about I become your nurse?” She spun in place, radiating the confidence of a beloved princess who would surely bring prosperity and good fortune to his hospital.

Her words reminded Lin Yang that this girl had learned clinical nursing from her doctor mother for some time. She was more than qualified to be a nurse at his humble Thirteen Blade Hospital, and he just wanted her to have something to do. He nodded quietly in agreement.

There was no denying that Ning Ni was unpredictable. The moment Lin Yang agreed, she bounced up gleefully, darted over, and planted a light peck on his cheek, quick as a woodpecker.

A comical scene ensued: on Lin Yang’s stiff, frozen face, a bright red lipstick mark stood out.

Ning Ni was unfazed, chirping, “Thank you, Yang, for taking in a damsel in distress. Consider this your reward.” Without waiting for Lin Yang to respond, she bowed her head and began battling breakfast.

Lin Yang, finally coming to his senses, watched her devour her food with no trace of ladylike manners and sighed—wasn’t he just asking for trouble by bringing such a character home? To avoid misunderstanding with Tang Yixue, he knew he had to lay down some ground rules for this unruly girl.

“Ning Ni, let’s discuss something.”

“What is it?” Ning Ni mumbled, cheeks stuffed, not lifting her head.

“From now on, try to be more ladylike in public. What happened just now must never happen again, understand?” Lin Yang’s face was serious, his voice low.

Ning Ni swallowed her mouthful of breakfast with a gulp of milk, looked up at him for a long moment, and finally nodded gently.

“Also, this afternoon we need to find you a place to live. Staying here isn’t suitable; it could cause misunderstandings,” Lin Yang continued.

“What’s there to worry about? We haven’t done anything shameful.” She clearly misunderstood his meaning.

“No, absolutely not.” This time Lin Yang was firm, not open to discussion.

“Fine!” Ning Ni pouted, clearly reluctant.

After breakfast, Lin Yang was about to deliver a car to Tang Yixue, but she called to say she was rushing to handle company business and would leave the car with him for now.

So, he took Ning Ni to the hospital. He didn’t want to keep his patients, who regarded him as a god, waiting too long.

Su Xiaodong also brought Tiger to Thirteen Blade Plastic Surgery Hospital as quickly as possible.

After Lin Yang had finished treating his three selected patients, Su Xiaodong finally arrived.

Stepping out of the car, Su Xiaodong led a burly, imposing man with a pronounced limp—Tiger—over.

“Xiaodong, are you kidding me? Is this the so-called Thirteen Blade Hospital you mentioned?” As soon as he got out of the car, Tiger’s face, which had been expectant, darkened instantly at the sight of the shabby hospital. His cold voice questioned Su Xiaodong.

His words had barely landed when Lin Yang, who had seen them through the window, heard everything. Being questioned never put anyone in a good mood, especially someone from a prominent family like Lin Yang. So his reply was curt.

“If you don’t trust my medical skills, you can leave. No one begged you to come.”

For years, no one had dared contradict him; sitting in the boss’s seat, Tiger was used to feeling superior. His face turned even darker, his tone arrogant, “Kid, you’re asking for trouble.” He instinctively raised his hand, ready to slap.

Su Xiaodong quickly stepped in to stop him. He hadn’t expected both men to be so stubborn, and now, before treatment even started, they were at odds. He had to work hard to smooth things over.

“Hmph,” Tiger refused to give an inch. He was hot-tempered and rarely showed respect to anyone of lesser status. If he knew Lin Yang’s background, who knows how long he’d keep up his cold facade.

“Yang, what’s going on?” On her first day at work, Ning Ni was uncharacteristically earnest. She was a far cry from the unruly girl of last night. It’s true what they say: a serious woman is different. She’d just finished tidying up her things when she heard raised voices outside and came out to ask.

“It’s nothing, just an unruly dog barking here,” Lin Yang replied bluntly, thinking, “If you want to act tough, I won’t even bother with you.”

Tiger’s face twitched at the sight of Ning Ni, though it was fleeting—still, Su Xiaodong noticed and couldn’t help but take a few extra glances at the pretty nurse.

“Oh, Miss Ning Ni! I was just joking with this brother,” Tiger’s attitude shifted instantly upon recognizing the beauty in nurse’s uniform as the heiress of the Ning family in Jianghai. His arrogant manner vanished, replaced by a complete reversal.

Lin Yang had never seen someone so shameless. Just seconds ago, Tiger was acting tough, and now, in less than a second, he was a different person—so polite it was almost surreal.

“Oh, so it’s Tiger! Who’s been bothering Yang? It’s you, huh? Haven’t seen you in a while, and your temper’s gotten worse,” Ning Ni said, her words sharp as knives, giving Tiger no face at all. To her, Lin Yang was the most important person—more than her father. Seeing anyone bully Lin Yang was enough to bring out her fiercest side.

A slap in the face—this was an utterly blatant humiliation.

Tiger was nothing if not shrewd; his ability to change his demeanor was like flipping a page. His previous arrogance vanished, and he turned to Lin Yang, apologizing profusely, his sincerity almost over-the-top.

Tiger’s skill in navigating both the underworld and legitimate society depended on his ability to talk his way out of anything.

With his repeated apologies and Su Xiaodong’s mediation, Lin Yang wasn’t one to press his advantage unnecessarily, so he accepted the apology. Yet he had no intention of letting it end so easily; his cold smile made it clear: “But…”