Wan Tong learned the whole story from Second Brother Yan.
During this period, Second Brother Yan and Zhou Rui had private interactions and gradually developing feelings for each other, but it was discovered by Father Zhou.
Today, Father Zhou fired Second Brother Yan and strictly forbade him from approaching Zhou Rui. After Zhou Rui found out, she had a big argument with her Dad, then dragged Second Brother Yan away.
However, they almost got hit by a car on the way. In the moment of danger, Yan Qinglu suddenly pushed them away, but he himself got hit by the car.
“Why did you come here, Tongtong?” Second Brother Yan asked Wan Tong, his gaze also passed over Chen Hou and the other two behind her.
He still didn’t know about the relationship between Wan Tong and Yan Qinglu.
Wan Tong glanced towards the direction of the operating room and sat down beside Second Brother Yan, “Is he seriously injured?”
Only then did Second Brother Yan realize what was going on. She must’ve had an unusual relationship with Yan Qinglu, otherwise Yan Qinglu’s men wouldn’t have found her so quickly.
“He passed out at the time and we didn’t know what was going on.” His voice became even hoarser, guilt written all over his face.
Wan Tong pursed her lips. Shishi said that Yan Qinglu was seriously injured. Although she had already asked Shishi to use medical skills on him, she still didn’t know what was happening inside the operating room.
“What about Yan Qinglu?” At this moment, Yan Wan’ying also came running over, panting.
Second Brother Yan was surprised again, “Youngest Sister, why are you here too?”
Yan Wan’ying didn’t answer, the situation in front of her also surprised her. How come her Second Brother was here too?
She came because she heard the system’s reminder that Yan Qinglu was in critical condition.
“Second Brother, how is Yan Qinglu?”
Second Brother Yan glanced at his two sisters, shook his head, so their recent quarrels were because of Yan Qinglu?
After a long time, the doctor finally came out of the operating room and said that Yan Qinglu was no longer in danger, which relieved everyone.
Liu Zi ran out with tears in his eyes to inform others of the good news.
However, the doctor also mentioned that Yan Qinglu’s legs were hit hard by the impact, and initially they thought they might have to be amputated. But during the surgery, it was found not to be so severe, so his legs were saved.
Wan Tong’s heart finally relaxed.
By the time Yan Qinglu woke up, it was already dark outside.
Wan Tong was guarding by the bedside, and the room was crowded with people.
Seeing Yan Qinglu slowly opening his eyes, Wan Tong reached out and held his hand, “You’re awake…”
“Brother Lu!” A uniform shout made Wan Tong’s eardrums tingle.
Yan Qinglu furrowed his brows, then he saw about a dozen people squeezed in the room like salted fish. He scanned the room, his voice low but not weak, “Everyone, get out.”
“Yes, Brother Lu!” Another uniform shout, then about a dozen people queued up and walked out.
In the hospital room, only Yan Qinglu and Wan Tong remained.
Yan Qinglu suddenly took a deep breath, then grasped Wan Tong’s hand back, his pale handsome face showing determination, “Tongtong, how long have I been lying down?”
“Not long, about five or six hours.” Wan Tong bent down and asked him again, “Are your legs uncomfortable?”
Yan Qinglu blinked his dark eyes and tried to move his legs, but immediately frowned, “I can’t move.”
Wan Tong opened her mouth, feeling a bit anxious. She lifted the blanket covering him and gently touched his legs, asking, “Can’t move? Does it hurt?”
His left leg was in a cast, while his right leg only had some external injuries wrapped in bandages.
Wan Tong didn’t dare to touch his wounds, so she gently poked the uninjured areas, asking him as she moved from his calf to his thigh, “Do you feel anything?”
In fact, Wan Tong was afraid that he might suffer the same fate as her Second Brother in the plot.
Yan Qinglu looked down at her, lips tightly pressed together. Suddenly, he reached out and held her hand, his voice unexpectedly hoarse, “Yes.”
As he spoke, Wan Tong noticed something different, watching as his body underwent an indescribable change.
“Yan Qinglu…” Wan Tong gritted her teeth as she spoke his name. He had just returned from the brink of death, what was he thinking?
Yan Qinglu also felt he was being too aggressive, so he quickly pulled up the blanket to cover himself, hiding his body.
“Cough… Little Fourth Yan, you were the one who started it first.” His originally pale face was now flushed red, even his ears were surprisingly reddened.
This shy demeanor made Wan Tong unable to laugh or cry. How come now he seemed more like she was teasing a gentleman?
Soon, Yan Qinglu felt he was being too timid, so he straightened up and spoke to her again.
“Come here.”
Wan Tong leaned closer to him, and he reached out, pressing her head down.
When their lips were about to meet, he suddenly stopped.
Wan Tong knew what he was thinking, so she smirked and took the initiative to press closer.
With her initiative, Yan Qinglu, who was already burning with desire, instantly lost control.
—D*mn, it felt good.
After being intimate for a while, both Yan Qinglu and Wan Tong felt their bodies heating up.
The side effect of Wan Tong’s beauty skill was making her particularly sensitive. Just a kiss was almost unbearable for her.
At this moment, Second Brother Yan, Zhou Rui, and Yan Wan’ying all walked in, followed by Chen Hou and Lin Daxiong, who were watching vigilantly from behind.
In their eyes, Yan Qinglu now seemed as fragile as a delicate flower, so they naturally wanted to keep a close eye on him.
Especially Yan Wan’ying, she was too good at making trouble.
At this moment, Yan Qinglu’s thoughts were all focused on Wan Tong. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, even ignoring that Second Brother and Zhou Rui were speaking.
It wasn’t until Wan Tong secretly pinched his palm that he snapped out of it. “What’s wrong?”
“My Second Brother is thanking you,” Wan Tong reminded him softly.
Only then did Yan Qinglu look at her Second Brother and replied without hesitation, “No need to thank me.”
Yan Qinglu saved him purely because he was Tongtong’s brother.
Wan Tong : “…”
Second Brother Yan & Zhou Rui : “…”
This was a matter of life and death, and he was just brushing it off like that?
Yan Wan’ying sat down on the other side of the bed, glaring at Wan Tong and reaching out to grab Yan Qinglu’s arm.
But Yan Qinglu dodged quickly and naturally.
“Yan Qinglu, how long are you going to avoid me? What makes Fourth Sister better than me? You weren’t like this before!” Yan Wan’ying looked at Yan Qinglu with sadness and resentment, feeling like she was dealing with a scumbag.
However, Yan Qinglu didn’t even glance at her, but his face showed a hint of impatience. “Chen Hou, see the guests out.”
“Alright!” Chen Hou immediately came over.
Yan Wan’ying didn’t know how many times she had been driven away by him. Her temper exploded, and she stood up, yelling at Yan Qinglu, “Yan Qinglu, who do you think you are to treat me like this!”
She had never felt so pathetic before. Not only was there no progress in the mission, but she also had to be treated like this by him. Was she worthless?
Zhou Rui originally wanted to leave with Second Brother Yan, after all, resolving a love triangle was not easy.
But Second Brother Yan spoke with a serious expression, “Tongtong, Youngest Sister, come out with me.”
Although he was grateful to Yan Qinglu for saving his life, it didn’t mean he would sit back and watch his two sisters vie for his attention and antagonize each other.
After his voice fell, Yan Qinglu’s gaze shifted towards him.
He couldn’t help but ask, “Xiao Yan, do you have something to say?”
He was older than Yan Qinglu by a few years and hadn’t interacted much in the village, but that’s what his father called him.
Yan Qinglu’s face became calm, and he spoke softly, “Let’s talk privately.”
Second Brother Yan was momentarily stunned but nodded.
Wan Tong glanced at Yan Qinglu, receiving a comforting look from him, before following Zhou Rui out.
Meanwhile, Chen Hou also half-dragged Yan Wan’ying away.
“What’s going on between you and my two sisters?” Second Brother Yan asked first.
“I only like Little Fourth Yan,” Yan Qinglu said seriously, “and she likes me too.”
“What about my Youngest Sister?”
Yan Qinglu blinked, “You’ll have to ask her yourself. At most, I can only be her brother-in-law.”
“…” Second Brother Yan was speechless, staring at him in disbelief.
After a while, Second Brother said, “But Youngest Sister said you accepted her gift.”
Perhaps that misled her.
But Yan Qinglu thought for a moment before smiling wryly, “If her gift was the Xiao Huang1, then yes, I did accept it.”
“Xiao Huang?”
“The duckling Tongtong raised.”
Second Brother Yan rubbed his forehead.
Why could Yan Qinglu always say something that left him speechless?
“I can sense that Tongtong also likes you, but… I don’t think you can pass my father’s test.”
Yan Qinglu had already stepped into the boundaries of the underworld, and Second Brother Yan was actually worried about Tongtong being with him. However, he would respect Tongtong’s choice, and besides, Yan Qinglu had saved his life, so he couldn’t outright reject him.
Not to mention, aside from their father not allowing Tongtong to marry someone from the underworld, her Eldest and Third Brothers would surely oppose it too.
After hearing Second Brother Yan’s words, Yan Qinglu’s expression also became cloudy.
As Second Brother Yan was about to leave, Yan Qinglu stopped him again.
Brother Yan looked back in confusion, only to hear him softly say, “Don’t be harsh on Tongtong when you go back.”
“…” Brother Yan walked out with a black face.
What does Yan Qinglu mean? Is he someone who might be abusive at home???
After coming out of the ward with a strange expression, Second Brother Yan left with Wan Tong and Yan Wanying.
No one knew how many brothers Yan Qinglu has guarding the hospital. Within a few minutes from the ward to the hospital entrance, about twenty people came to greet Wan Tong one after another.
Wan Tong was already used to it. She didn’t know those people, but they knew her. Moreover, according to Yan Qinglu’s order, they had to greet her when they met, calling her “Miss Yan.” In the eyes of others, it was quite impressive.
Second Brother Yan and Zhou Rui had no expression on their faces, pretending to be calm, once again experiencing Yan Qinglu’s capability in City A.
In just a few months, he had already consolidated his foundation here.
Yan Wan’ying, on the other hand, remained sullen from beginning to end. She always felt that all this glory should belong to her, but it was snatched away.
The incident of Yan Qinglu being injured made it to the newspaper in City A, and there was even a photo of him on the front page.
The journalist who wrote this report had obviously been tracking his story for a long time. The report detailed his rise to fame since his arrival in City A, recruiting followers, expanding his forces, ambitiously taking on several major projects, but such a person actually got seriously injured for the sake of a young couple.
The photo was quite clear, taken on a construction site, with Yan Qinglu surrounded by his men, suddenly turning his head, coincidentally looking at the camera.
The journalist was a woman who was quite artistic. In the report, she portrayed Yan Qinglu as a person born in poverty, with an unfortunate childhood, who relied on violence for a living, but still retained a trace of kindness, portraying him as a morally ambiguous figure.
Most people in the city had heard of Yan Qinglu’s reputation, and some had even seen him, but usually, they didn’t dare to look him in the eye due to the pressure he exerted.
It was different in the newspaper. In the photo, he was a handsome man, his eyes seeming to pierce through the paper, and what’s even stranger was that Yan Qinglu was holding not a weapon, but a carrot…
Combined with the text in the report, many people began to be curious and wanted to know more about him.
Hmm… Especially the young ones who were just experiencing love began to admire Yan Qinglu even more.
In the hospital room, Chen Hou was passionately reading the report, while Zhong Youqian and Liu Zi laughed heartily. Yan Qinglu, leaning against the head of the bed, expressionless, picked up the bedside cup and threw it at Chen Hou.
Chen Hou caught it and said, “Brother Lu, this journalist is really talented. If I were a woman, I would fall in love with Brother Lu!”
“Ugh, don’t you dare! That’s too disgusting.” Lin Daxiong happened to come in, shouting loudly.
Yan Qinglu reached out to Chen Hou, “Give it to me.”
Chen Hou immediately handed over the cup, flattering, “Brother Lu, please go easy on us~”
“Brother Lu! Here!” Zhong Youqian and Liu Zi beside him cooperatively handed over their shoes, causing a foul smell to fill the air.
Yan Qinglu’s mouth twitched, and he said to Chen Hou, “The newspaper!”
Chen Hou escaped unscathed and quickly handed over the newspaper, “Brother Lu, did you secretly develop connections in the newspaper without us knowing?”
Yan Qinglu glanced at the reporter’s name, then looked at the photo again, his black eyes narrowing slightly.
He remembered the day the photo was taken. There was a disturbance at the construction site, so he went over to calm things down.
That day… Tongtong was there too.
And if he remembered correctly, Tongtong was the one who took this photo.
Chen Hou thought Yan Qinglu cared about his photo being published, so Chen Hou said, “Shall I take some people and go to the newspaper to have them retract it?”
“I think you’re just idle,” Yan Qinglu shot him a glance, and the newspaper hit him, “Have you got any results on the matter you were investigating?”
As soon as this was mentioned, Chen Hou became serious, “There hasn’t been any progress. It seems they know they can’t touch Sister-in-law, and our people are around her every day, haven’t seen anything strange. And Sister-in-law has good relationships, no real enemies. If anyone had the biggest conflict with her, it would be Yan Wan’ying.”
But even if there were conflicts within the family, it wouldn’t lead to murder.
So, Chen Hou directly ruled out Yan Wan’ying.
Yan Qinglu frowned, remaining silent for a moment.
When Wan Tong entered the hospital room, she found the atmosphere strangely quiet, everyone maintaining silence.
“What’s happened?” she walked to the bedside.
“Nothing, nothing,” everyone snapped out of it, then under Chen Hou’s lead, they gradually left.
Wan Tong put down the thermos, and Yan Qinglu lifted his chin slightly, gesturing towards the newspaper that was thrown on the ground, speaking somewhat awkwardly, “Little Fourth Yan, what are you hiding from me?”
When Wan Tong heard the way he called her, she knew he was feeling aggrieved again.
She helplessly sat by the bedside, “When the journalist interviewed me, she mentioned you, saying she couldn’t sneak a photo of you, and I happened to have one, so I gave it to her.”
She also mentioned Yan Qinglu’s situation in the village to the journalist.
The journalist were surprised to know they were from the same village. The journalist even thought about visiting Datang Village to see if the Feng Shui there was particularly good2.
“That journalist is young and pretty, seems to have a special liking for you. You can tell from her words, you should cherish it.” Wan Tong added a few more sentences.
In the world’s plot, there was a journalist who had been keen on reporting on Yan Qinglu’s outrageous deeds since he was young. But she was accidentally injured by someone involved in a fight during a tracking report and died in the line of duty.
Yan Qinglu’s lips curled slightly, his arm around Wan Tong’s slender waist, pulling her closer, “Are you jealous?”
Wan Tong gave him a sidelong glance, “No, get up quickly and drink the soup.”
As soon as the last two words came out, Yan Qinglu’s lips stiffened, “What soup?”
“Pork bone stew.”
Wan Tong served the soup, and the smell of carrots spread throughout the hospital room.
Yan Qinglu : “…”
He had been eating particularly bland food lately, gnawing on carrots for no reason. He was almost turning into a carrot himself.
“Little Fourth Yan, you’re torturing me.” Yan Qinglu said softly, but when Wan Tong brought the spoon to his lips, he obediently drank it.
After swallowing, he stared with his pitch-black eyes, “Little Fourth Yan, my mouth is getting so bland I can hardly taste anything.”
And he hadn’t dared to kiss her lately, afraid she would reject him again. After all, it was a matter of a man’s dignity.
Wan Tong brought the spoon to his lips, watching him drink obediently, without responding to him.
His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he continued to grumble, “Little Fourth Yan, I went to see the doctor, and he said there’s nothing wrong with my mouth.”
His expression and his tone were all full of grievances.
At this point, Wan Tong also felt a bit complicated. How did the boss become so talkative? And always acting pitiful.
*Clack.* She suddenly put down the soup bowl, the spoon hitting the bowl with a crisp sound.
Yan Qinglu blinked his black eyes, thinking he had made her angry. Just as he was about to coax her, the girl suddenly pressed his shoulder, turned his head, and kissed him.
Author’s note :
Wan Tong : Stop babbling, I’ll just shut you up.
- literally means Little Yellow. Presumably he named it to make a pair with Tongtong’s dog, Da Huang. ↩︎
- Feng Shui is a traditional Chinese practice based on the belief that the arrangement of objects and spaces can affect the flow of energy, known as “qi” or “chi,” and influence aspects of life such as health, wealth, and relationships. The journalist thought that the village must have good arrangement and location (which means, good Feng Shui) that two people who just came out of the village could achieve incredible success. ↩︎