Chapter 5: Hospitalized After the Beating

Guan Jiujui had never heard a man’s voice quite so pleasant; in her heart full of despair, a faint glimmer of hope and warmth was kindled. Yet that abrupt command to halt startled not only Lin Yaodong and his companions, but also the few leaders who had been heading back to their private room—they, too, stopped in their tracks. Everyone turned toward the source of the voice, watching as a young man slowly approached from behind.

“Ah! Yang... Yang Dong, what are you pretending for?” Wu Hui exclaimed in shock when she recognized him, then, flushed with anger, pointed at Yang Dong and shouted, “Must you make yourself the center of attention everywhere? Didn’t you see the leaders present? Are you trying to disgrace the General Affairs Division of the City Administration?”

With these words, Wu Hui deliberately exposed Yang Dong’s identity, with malicious intent.

“Oh? He’s from the City Administration?” Deputy Secretary Tang from the Municipal Party Committee’s office looked surprised, then turned to Tian Guanghan.

“Yes, he’s from our General Affairs Division, name’s Yang Dong. Secretary Yin personally brought him into the City Administration after the last municipal exam,” Tian Guanghan replied, his face dark as he glared at Yang Dong. Since the deputy secretary from the Party Committee office had asked, he dared not delay his answer. Though they both held the title of deputy secretary, the other was a proper division-level official, whereas he himself was only a deputy division chief.

“Yin Tiejun? No wonder...” Deputy Secretary Tang’s gaze sharpened, and he shook his head with a complicated smile.

Wu Jiancai stared coldly at Yang Dong, asking angrily, “Trying to play the hero? And who’s your father?”

“My father’s a farmer, from the countryside,” Yang Dong replied.

“What? The son of a peasant dares to block my way?” Wu Jiancai had sobered up long ago, but his pride was at stake. He, a renowned building materials magnate in Lingyun City, had been interrupted repeatedly—where was his dignity?

This was no longer about drinking—it had become an issue of face.

“Mr. Wu, with your status, bullying a girl—what does that prove?” Yang Dong spoke calmly, meeting the eyes of Wu Jiancai and the city leaders. “And with all the leaders here, if word got out, wouldn’t the public have plenty to say?”

At this, the expressions of several leaders changed. The warning and veiled threat were plain to hear. If this matter were to spread, it might not pose any real danger, but it would certainly bring them trouble.

“The young man is right!” Deputy Secretary Tang from the Party Committee office chuckled amiably, effectively settling the matter. “Old Wu, don’t quarrel with a youngster. Come on—let’s go back and continue our drinks.”

Though Wu Jiancai was inwardly fuming, he could only smile and nod in agreement. “Of course, I’ll follow the leaders’ instructions.”

He released Guan Jiujui’s wrist, giving Yang Dong a mocking thumbs-up. “Kid, you’ve got guts.”

Yang Dong ignored Wu Jiancai’s hostility and stepped forward, pulling Guan Jiujui to his side. Wu Jiancai turned back toward private room 103, but exchanged a meaningful glance with his secretary, who immediately slipped away.

“Are you alright?” Yang Dong asked Guan Jiujui with concern.

Her eyes were red as she rubbed her wrist, now marked with red welts. “I’m fine. Thank you, Yang Dong.”

She shook her head as she thanked him. She knew Yang Dong—she’d met him a few times before when he was dating Han Wen, though they were never close. Yet, of all people, it was Yang Dong who proved himself a real man tonight.

Han Wen, you really misjudged him.

“Group Leader Yang, a real hero, aren’t you?” Lin Yaodong sneered as he passed Yang Dong, shooting a glance at Guan Jiujui before leading Han Wen into private room 101.

Han Wen never once looked at Yang Dong. Instead, she said to Guan Jiujui, “Go home, Jiujui.”

She was upset—her engagement party ruined by Guan Jiujui and Yang Dong, nearly causing her boyfriend to lose face, and herself as well. Had she known, she’d never have invited those two.

“I understand,” Guan Jiujui replied with a pleasant smile, but in her heart, she no longer considered Han Wen a friend. One incident is enough to see a person’s true nature. A single detail can reveal the heart.

“Do you need to go to the hospital?” Yang Dong asked.

“What for? I’m a nurse myself—don’t worry,” Guan Jiujui said with a laugh, finding Yang Dong rather amusing.

Under the watchful eyes of their colleagues from City Administration and the hospital, the two walked out of the KTV. Not a single person came to see them off, nor offered a word of concern.

As they walked down the street beneath the night sky, Guan Jiujui, after a long silence, asked, “Aren’t you worried you’ve offended several leaders and Mr. Wu tonight?”

Of course Yang Dong was afraid. But fear alone couldn’t become an excuse to do nothing. To stand by and watch a girl be bullied—he simply couldn’t. Even if it were a stranger, he would have intervened. Just last year, he’d had a chance to be promoted to deputy section chief, but when he witnessed urban management officers bullying a fruit vendor, he lost his temper, argued, and even fought with them. As a result, his promotion was canceled, and Secretary Yin, worried about the impact, put it off for a year. Recently, the topic had come up again, but then Secretary Yin got into trouble, and the matter was likely to stall once more.

“It’s them—get them!”

Guan Jiujui was about to ask Yang Dong another question when she was suddenly struck with terror. From a van parked by the roadside, seven or eight burly men jumped out, wielding clubs and batons, and charged straight at them.

Yang Dong reacted instantly, pulling Guan Jiujui into his arms to shield her. There was no time to run—the attack had come too suddenly.

The gang surrounded them, raining blows with clubs and fists. They said nothing, only beat him relentlessly.

Yang Dong felt as though every bone in his body was breaking; his back hurt so badly he couldn’t straighten up. Yet still, he protected Guan Jiujui with his own body, refusing to let her be harmed.

The beating lasted over a minute.

Finally, Yang Dong felt a blow to his head—a club smashing down—and everything went fuzzy. He forced his eyes open, just in time to see their assailants running back to the van and speeding away, leaving nothing but a cloud of black exhaust.

But he remembered the license plate.

Then, everything went black.

“Yang Dong! Yang Dong!” Guan Jiujui screamed as she saw him collapse to the ground, his head covered in blood. Quickly regaining her composure, she pulled an elastic bandage from her bag and wrapped his wound to staunch the bleeding. As a nurse, emergency care was second nature to her.

She then pulled out her small Nokia phone and dialed the hospital’s ambulance service. “This is Guan Jiujui from OB-GYN. Someone’s been attacked on the street—please come quickly. The address is...”

After calling for the ambulance, she could no longer hold back her tears and sobbed as she dialed her mother.

“Mom... Mom, I’ve been bullied, Mom...”