Chapter Nine: Taking Off His Pants?

"But what?" The Tiger's brows knit tightly for a moment, but he soon relaxed, opening his mouth to ask. As long as the other party wasn't too unreasonable, he wasn't foolish enough to attempt some scorched-earth revenge or hatch any underhanded schemes. In their line of work, without a certain degree of cunning, who knew when you might be maligned or even hacked to pieces.

From the way Leng Nini was so protectively inclined toward this seemingly harmless young man, even a fool could sense something was amiss. This young man was either some rich heir out for a thrill, feigning poverty and sophistication, or he was simply a kept pretty boy. These days, people's motives were impossible to guess. Either way, Tiger dared not offend him. Not that he wouldn't have liked to, but the girl's background was simply terrifying.

"Little Dong said you have connections in both the underworld and respectable circles, and that you have quite a reputation, so you must know plenty of people." Lin Yang's words were a masterclass in the art of the backhanded compliment—he slapped you with one hand and offered candy with the other.

"Of course, of course." Tiger's thick skin was something to behold; insulted, he still managed to boast, as if he had just won a Golden Horse Award, puffing out his chest with unspeakable pride.

"That's good, then. You must have heard of my rules for treatment—Little Dong told you, I presume?" Lin Yang cast a pointed glance at Su Xiaodong, speaking in a low, deliberate voice.

Tiger looked at Su Xiaodong in confusion, his expression clearly saying, "What rules? This brat never mentioned any!"

Realizing the jig was up, Su Xiaodong couldn't keep playing dumb. He scratched his head awkwardly, his mouth stretching into an apologetic grin. "Well, I drank too much last night and got up in a hurry this morning. It just slipped my mind."

Tiger had the overwhelming urge to curse. If not for the company present, he would have boxed the kid's ears. "Forgot? Forgot your damn head, and you didn't even check the man's background. Now look what trouble you've landed me in."

"In that case, let me explain..." Lin Yang said, adopting the authoritative air of a sage as he gave Tiger a lesson.

"Do you understand now?" Lin Yang asked, a hint of mockery in his tone.

"Understood." Tiger now felt an almost irresistible urge to slap Su Xiaodong, regardless of his father being the head of the district police bureau.

"So, do you still want the treatment?" This time, Lin Yang grew serious. As a doctor, he was guided by a sense of duty; when it came to treating patients, he was always professional.

Tiger hesitated. The terms were clear enough—treatment came at a steep price. And not just money, but other conditions as well; to call them harsh was no exaggeration. This young man truly was setting a precedent.

"What, there's really no such thing as a free lunch in this world," he muttered to himself, then asked in a low voice, "So, what do you need me to do?"

Lin Yang grinned. "So you agree to the treatment. I haven't decided what I need yet. When the time comes, I will let you know."

With that, the storm between two sides turned out to be a tempest in a teapot—family not recognizing family. Lin Yang, ever diligent, began examining Tiger's injuries.

Tiger's wounds were old, and his lower leg bone had once been completely broken. It was like a tree snapped in half; even if it grew back, a gap remained. The same was true of Tiger's bone injury. With the thick layer of flesh, a simple manual examination would reveal little; Lin Yang had to rely on his inner energy to diagnose. The moment his energy entered Tiger's body, Tiger couldn't help but stretch out in comfort. If he had less self-control, he might have moaned aloud.

But in the blink of an eye, Tiger understood the true meaning of "heaven and hell"—the sweetness before the bitterness. Agonizing pain, as if his flesh were being sliced off piece by piece, made cold sweat stream down his forehead, soaking his cheeks and dampening his shirt.

The nurse assisting nearby looked on, bewildered. The director had barely touched the patient—why was he in such pain? But it was a question without an answer.

Withdrawing his energy, Lin Yang's expression grew grave. He hadn't realized the extent of the injury until now; even he, who had just looked down on Tiger, couldn't help but be impressed. Such a severe and disabling injury, yet the man could still walk—what kind of willpower did that take? As a doctor, Lin Yang knew just how remarkable this was.

"What's wrong? Is it hopeless?" Seeing Lin Yang's tense expression, Tiger couldn't help but show a trace of disappointment. Only he knew the pain this leg had brought. He had contemplated amputation countless times, but it was never an option for him.

"No, in fact, I rather admire you now." Lin Yang was not one to hide his thoughts, and he spoke his praise sincerely, swearing by all that was holy.

"What's the use of admiration? I'm still a cripple, and the pain is unbearable." Tiger sounded dispirited, but then, as if suddenly recalling Lin Yang's earlier words, he clutched Lin Yang's sleeve in a frenzy. "You have a way, don't you? You must have a way!"

Lin Yang said nothing, nodding, then shaking his head. He did not yet have absolute confidence in curing the injury.

The newly grown bone showed clear traces of toxins. In the end, Tiger's bone injury had been poisoned—a slow, insidious kind, hard to detect. No wonder the hospital that had set his bone had missed it.

As for the specific toxin, Lin Yang would need to extract a sample to be sure.

Though Tiger was hot-tempered, he was sharp and quick-witted. He understood Lin Yang's ambiguous nod and shake, but since the matter concerned his own body, he didn't hesitate. "Whatever it takes, if you can cure me, you’ll be my big brother from now on. I'll follow your lead, no questions asked."

Such a promise, coming from a man at home in both the underworld and society, carried great weight. Lin Yang would have been lying if he said he wasn't moved. After a moment's hesitation, he shifted the topic back to the injury—it was meaningless to discuss anything before a cure was found. Pursing his lips, he asked in a low voice, "Did you know your wound was poisoned?" He had his reasons; if Tiger already knew and still hadn't been cured, that would be a tough problem indeed, or maybe Tiger had a sample of the toxin, which would save him the trouble of collecting it himself. With his limited strength, every bit of energy was precious.

Tiger nodded heavily, his brow furrowing as if recalling some unpleasant past. His face turned so dark and twisted it was almost unrecognizable.

"Do you have a sample?" Since Tiger had nodded, Lin Yang asked directly, not bothering with pleasantries.

"I do, but..." Tiger hesitated. A simple bone examination had revealed the poisoning—he was now fully convinced of Lin Yang's skill. But since no hospital had been able to identify the toxin, he doubted whether Lin Yang could cure it.

"It's important. Otherwise, I'll have to collect a new sample, and that will cost time and put you through more pain," Lin Yang warned, his tone making it clear that if Tiger didn't mind suffering, he was quite happy to cut him open twice and double the fee.

"To tell you the truth, no hospital has been able to clear it. I brought the sample with me—it's in the car trunk. I'll go get it." Though he had not found an antidote, he had gotten used to carrying the sample to each hospital consultation, hoping for a miracle.

"No need—I'll go. Your leg isn't up to it." Lin Yang pressed Tiger back onto the bed and strode out to get the keys from Su Xiaodong, then returned with a glass vial about the size of a test tube. He sniffed it carefully.

Colorless, odorless, no toxic fumes—truly hateful! Lin Yang couldn't help but wonder who Tiger had crossed to be dosed with such a poison, or, more importantly, how someone had managed to concoct a toxin that not even the best hospitals could identify.

But those were questions for another day, after Tiger had been treated.

Tiger, sitting on the hospital bed, felt as if he were dreaming. Madness! He thought today's actions were sheer madness. With his injuries, seeking out a plastic surgeon rather than an orthopedic specialist was a crazy decision, yet today, he had indeed gone mad.

Watching Lin Yang sniff and scrutinize the vial, Tiger couldn't help but ask, "Can you make sense of it?"

Lin Yang replied only with silent indifference. Tiger realized he was being ignored—wasn't he just asking for trouble? With the doctor so busy, how could he expect a response?

Unable to identify the poison by sight or smell, Lin Yang was no Shennong, willing to test poisons on himself for the sake of righteousness. With no answer to be found in the toxin itself, he would have to resort to other methods.

Carefully storing away the sample, he rose and walked over to Tiger, who was fidgeting on the bed. Seeing his restlessness, Lin Yang snapped coldly, "What, you can't sit still for even a moment?"

Today, Tiger felt he might as well bash his head against a wall. He felt he'd made a foolish decision—he was just asking for suffering.

Ignoring Tiger's embarrassment, Lin Yang quickly suited himself up—sterile gown, mask, and a set of gleaming knives that looked nothing like the standard hospital fare.

"Take your pants off," he commanded, his tone brooking no argument, the words laced with innuendo that was almost impossible to ignore.

Tiger was no exception, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Are you sure? Take my pants off?"

"Absolutely. Stop dithering and get your pants off—quit acting like a bashful maiden," Lin Yang barked, his patience clearly at an end, annoyed that Tiger was acting like a blushing virgin on her wedding night.