“Huimin, slap her twice more for me!” Ning Zhou suddenly demanded, her eyes red—not just from grief, but from uncontainable fury!
Without hesitation, Xiao Huimin stepped forward and delivered two more resounding slaps without any mercy.
“Slap! Slap!”
“The first slap is for your wolf-hearted, dog-lunged ingratitude! I was blind to treat you so kindly all these years! The second slap is for your utter lack of virtue and conscience! Nuo Nuo is truly my and Huimin’s child—but Lu Lu and Yue Yue? That’s not so certain! If there’s any bastard in the Xiao family, it’s the one you gave birth to!”
Perhaps Ning Zhou had never spoken with such venom before, but if she could, she would have used even harsher words to wound Wei Xiaoyu—otherwise, it would have been far too lenient on her!
The trauma from her past kidnapping, the nearly twenty years of separation from Meng Ting—this pain, this suffering, those two slaps, and these words were nowhere near enough!
“Heaven’s net has wide meshes; no matter how deeply you hide, there will be a time when your true form is revealed. The longer it takes, the greater the retribution you’ll suffer!”
Before Wei Xiaoyu could even respond, Xiao Xuanmin suddenly lunged forward, gripping her neck with both hands. “Bitch, bitch! I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you!”
Ning Zhou’s words about ‘bastards’ had completely snapped the last thread of Xiao Xuanmin’s rationality. When Wei Xiaoyu had done all these things, where had she placed him? He might not have been as steady or capable as Xiao Huimin, but he wasn’t so useless as to warrant such outrageous behavior from her, was he?
Even though she had given birth to two daughters, he had never once given her a hard time about it, nor had he kept any mistresses. At most, he was a bit playful and neglected his family in his youth. But now, calculating it, how many times had she cuckolded him? Even an old, ugly driver—she could sink that low.
The thought of all the years he had spent with her made Xiao Xuanmin feel utterly revolted, inside and out!
“Pull them apart!” Old Master Xiao naturally couldn’t allow Xiao Xuanmin to commit murder in his study. The bodyguards rushed forward but still couldn’t restrain the enraged Xiao Xuanmin. It wasn’t until Xiao Huimin stepped in as well that they managed to drag him away—by then, Wei Xiaoyu was already half-unconscious on the floor from the choking.
But just when everyone thought the situation was under control, Xiao Xuanmin suddenly grabbed a bronze lamp stand from the antique shelf. He didn’t smash it at Wei Xiaoyu—instead, he swung it at Xiao Huimin, who had his back to him. While he hated Wei Xiaoyu, he probably also hated his elder brother, who was always better than him in every way.
Yan Sui and Meng Ting had been watching quietly the entire time. Occasionally, killing intent and ferocity would surge in Yan Sui’s eyes, but Meng Ting remained perfectly calm, his gaze able to take in every movement of everyone present.
Seeing Xiao Xuanmin about to attack his father, Xiao Huimin, Meng Ting didn’t hesitate. He sprang to his feet, strode forward quickly, and pulled Xiao Huimin out of the way just in time, then delivered a kick to Xiao Xuanmin.
Then, just as quickly, Yan Sui, who had followed closely behind, tugged him back. The bronze lamp missed Xiao Huimin and didn’t graze Meng Ting—instead, it struck Yan Sui’s back as he turned to shield Meng Ting in his arms. He could have dodged it, but Yan Sui wouldn’t have allowed even the slightest risk of that lamp hitting Meng Ting’s foot.
Xiao Xuanmin’s force had already been weakened by Meng Ting’s kick, but the weight of the bronze lamp was still considerable. Meng Ting heard the sound of the impact on Yan Sui’s back clearly—a loud ‘thud!’—it definitely wasn’t a light blow.
“Yan Sui!” Meng Ting embraced him, his voice tinged with panic. Immediately, his eyes reddened. Pushing Yan Sui back slightly, he kicked Xiao Xuanmin, who had just gotten up, sending him tumbling again. This time, he held nothing back. Meng Ting glared at him, a fierce killing intent flashing in his eyes.
“If Yan Sui gets hurt even a little, you’ll never stand on your feet again in this lifetime!”
It was rare to see Meng Ting exude such killing intent. He turned his gaze to Wei Xiaoyu, his expression growing even colder.
“You’re very clever, playing everyone for fools. You were smiling just now, weren’t you? I saw it.”
What love for Xiao Huimin? Even as her schemes were on the verge of exposure, she still wanted to drag Ning Zhou down one last time. It would be perfect if Xiao Xuanmin could smash Xiao Huimin to death, leaving Ning Zhou a widow—then she’d feel satisfied…
After speaking, Meng Ting turned to Old Master Xiao and said very calmly, “Grandpa, just kill her. No matter how clever she is, once she’s dead, it’s useless.”
Except for Yan Sui, who wasn’t too surprised, most others were somewhat shocked by Meng Ting’s words—especially because he delivered such a life-and-death verdict with such an indifferent expression.
Yet Meng Ting stubbornly held Old Master Xiao’s gaze until he nodded in agreement. Only then did he withdraw his eyes, satisfied.
He turned back to Wei Xiaoyu. “Let me tell you, death is terrifying. But no matter how scared you are, you’re still going to die!”
With that, Meng Ting took Yan Sui’s hand and walked out. Pausing briefly beside Uncle Mo, he said, “Send a doctor to my room.”
“Yes,” Uncle Mo replied. Meng Ting had already been acknowledged by Xiao Huimin and Old Master Xiao, so he was now considered his master. More importantly, the words and demeanor Meng Ting had just displayed made Uncle Mo instinctively choose to obey Meng Ting’s words.
Meng Ting couldn’t understand at all why they needed to give these people a chance to argue. Once the mastermind was found, they should just kill or punish them as necessary. Now, Yan Sui had even gotten hurt because of it.
Meng Ting’s current mood could be described as both furious and anxious. As they walked, he kept turning his head to check Yan Sui’s complexion, deaf to his reassurances that he was ‘fine’.
***
Once they returned to their room, Meng Ting pulled Yan Sui to sit on the bed and commanded, “Don’t move!”
“Alright,” Yan Sui conceded helplessly. When Meng Ting reached to undress him, he had no choice but to comply.
Fortunately, the clothes worn in winter weren’t too thin. After taking off the outer jacket, Meng Ting didn’t see any blood, and his heart settled slightly. He couldn’t wait to unbutton the shirt one by one; he just pulled it off. He knelt behind Yan Sui, directly rolling up Yan Sui’s shirt, his gaze following the fabric upward.
Sure enough, a large purplish bruise had formed near the left side of his back. Meng Ting stared at it for a long moment before realizing his throat had tightened unbearably. He leaned in slowly and blew gently on the injury. “It must hurt a lot…”
Although Yan Sui didn’t consider the injury serious, he knew there was no point in telling Meng Ting ‘it doesn’t hurt, I’m fine’ at this moment. He remained seated, allowing Meng Ting to gently blow on the area. The warm breath brought a strange sensation that curled from the wound all the way to his heart; it was no longer just a simple feeling of pain anymore.
Yan Sui didn’t want to dwell on what he was feeling at that moment. He waited obediently as Meng Ting instructed, staying perfectly still while Meng Ting tirelessly blew on his injury until the room door was knocked.
“Come in!” Yan Sui called out. Ning Zhou and Uncle Mo entered with the doctor, and only then did Meng Ting step aside slightly for them.
He watched with wide eyes as the doctor prod and examine the wound on Yan Sui’s back. It must hurt so much. He couldn’t help but doubt the doctor’s skill, yet he was also afraid that ignorance might interfere with the diagnosis.
“No bone damage. I’ll apply some medicine first, but it’s best to get an X-ray,” the doctor said to Yan Sui and Ning Zhou after applying some medicine and letting Yan Sui’s rolled-up shirt down.
“Go! Let’s go now!” Meng Ting gripped Yan Sui’s hand tighter, his anxious expression made it impossible for Yan Sui to refuse. No matter what, he had to reassure Meng Ting first.
“Alright, we’ll go.”
“I’ll arrange the car,” Uncle Mo said, escorting the doctor out and proceeded to make arrangements.
Meng Ting’s gaze remained fixed on Yan Sui. Even now, he likely hadn’t noticed Ning Zhou, who had been in the room for so long. It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen her, but that even after seeing her, he couldn’t think of anything other than Yan Sui.
Meng Ting picked up Yan Sui’s clothes, had him put them on, then got dressed himself before they left the room and walked downstairs.
Xiao Zi’ang and Xiao Zimo had also heard about what happened in the study. Xiao Zimo held Ning Zhou’s shoulder and quickly said, “Mom, don’t worry. Nuo Nuo is just like this. You and Dad stay home; Big Brother and I will go with them. We’ll be back after the check-up. Call us anytime.”
After speaking with Ning Zhou, Xiao Zimo also followed downstairs and got into the car with Xiao Zi’ang, accompanying Yan Sui and Meng Ting to the hospital.
Meng Ting felt distinct discomfort in a hospital environment, but this discomfort was still less important than Yan Sui. Uncle Mo had arranged the car and also pre-booked the doctor, so there was no need to wait or take a number. They went straight for the examination, and the results came out in just over ten minutes: no damage to bones or internal organs.
“Ting Ting, hear that? The doctor said I’m fine. I’m really fine.”
Yan Sui said, carefully pulling Meng Ting into his embrace. He couldn’t bear to see Meng Ting hurt in front of him, but his own injury would also cause Meng Ting pain. Meng Ting’s helpless and blank gaze made his heart ache. Although he was very sure he hadn’t suffered any serious injuries, but if it would put Meng Ting at ease, then coming to the hospital was necessary.
“Really? Is it really true?” Meng Ting continued to ask. Leaning against Yan Sui, his eyes suddenly welled up with tears—both sad and scared. “It’s my fault. I kicked too lightly, and that’s why you got hurt.”
“Really, truly fine,” Yan Sui gently patted Meng Ting’s back. Even with Xiao Zi’ang and Xiao Zimo present, he still kissed Meng Ting’s cheek, again and again, as if to kiss away Meng Ting’s unease.
Xiao Zi’ang and Xiao Zimo exchanged glances. They stepped out of the temporary patient room. Xiao Zimo went to call Ning Zhou, while Xiao Zi’ang continued to guard the doorway. After a moment’s thought, he also called Xiao Huimin. Although he and Xiao Zimo had heard about the incident, they didn’t know the full details—only that their second uncle Xiao Xuanmin had injured Yan Sui. The specific process and reasons were unknown.
As the future patriarch of the family, he should know. Xiao Huimin wouldn’t hide it from him either.
***
Inside the room, Yan Sui was still kissing Meng Ting—softly, tenderly. His hands slid from Meng Ting’s back to his hair, gently caressing. Meng Ting slowly lifted his head. Thinking he had calmed him, Yan Sui was about to speak, but before he could say anything, Meng Ting suddenly kissed him again.
There was urgency in his movements, as if he wanted to directly crash their lips together, but he abruptly remembered he might hurt Yan Sui and restrained himself at the last moment, only letting his lips touch Yan Sui’s. His eyes were wide open, tears glistening visibly, yet those very tears blurred his vision of Yan Sui. With a slight blink, the tears gathered into droplets and rolled down from the corners of his eyes.
Yan Sui’s heart ached again. He gently guided Meng Ting to lie back with him, pressing a hand to the back of his head to keep Meng Ting from pulling away or continue to hesitate. He had only been hit on the back; it wasn’t to the point where he needed to worry about kissing Meng Ting.
But with Yan Sui’s gentle pull, the teardrop that hadn’t yet fallen from Meng Ting’s right eye landed directly on the skin beneath Yan Sui’s eye. Both of them paused simultaneously, but then, the gentle touch turned into a passionate kiss.
Meng Ting’s eyes gradually drifted shut, while Yan Sui kept his open, watching him. He let Meng Ting explore his mouth with reckless abandon, his own hands stroked Meng Ting’s hair, guiding the frantic heat into something slower, gentler—a languid dance of lips and tongue.
When the passionate kiss ended, their lips remained pressed together. Meng Ting slowly opened his eyes, and only then did some vitality return to them. He licked Yan Sui’s lips again, then moved away from the corner of his mouth, trailing soft kisses across Yan Sui’s entire face.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 085.2″]
狼心狗肺 (láng xīn gǒu fèi): lit. heart of wolf and lungs of dog (idiom); extremely cruel and evil; cruel and unscrupulous; ungrateful; biting the hand that feeds one; heartless and treacherous; ruthless and ungrateful; vicious and deceitful; describe a person with a heart as vicious and cruel as a wolf or a dog.天网恢恢 (tiān wǎng huī huī): lit. the law of nature is like a giant web, although sparsely meshed, nothing could slip through; heaven’s net has wide meshes, but nothing escapes it (idiom); fig. the way of Heaven is fair, but the guilty will not escape; natural law; you can’t run from the long arm of the law; The net of heaven has large meshes, but it lets nothing through; justice has long arms; the guilty cannot escape; the law will catch up with you; the way of heaven is like a big net, and bad people cannot escape this net. Those who do evil will be punished. From the 73rd chapter of the Tao Te Ching: 天之道，不爭而善勝，不應而善應，不召而自來，繟然而善謀。天網恢恢，疏而不失。, The Tao of Nature, does not contend, yet easily wins, does not speak, yet always responds, does not summon, yet all things gather, does not contemplate as if at ease, yet all plans were devised perfectly. The law of nature is like a giant web, although sparsely meshed, nothing could slip through.
長話短說 (cháng huà duǎn shuō): to make a long story short (idiom); make/cut a long story shor; make short of the matter; to put sth in a nutshell.
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