His good brother had become a scapegoat for himself, receiving a beating from that beast Zhang Dahhu. While the injuries were not severe, the incident felt like a sharp knife plunging deep into Ye Fan's heart. It hurt even more than if he had been the one beaten.
"Zhang Wei, you take good care of yourself. I'll remember this grudge, and I swear I'll make Zhang Dahhu pay with his own blood," Ye Fan clenched Zhang Wei's hand tightly, his teeth gritting in rage. Zhang Wei could even hear the grinding of Ye Fan's teeth, a clear sign of his fury.
With great difficulty, Zhang Wei squeezed a smile onto his face, which pulled at his wounds and made him gasp involuntarily. Then he said earnestly, "Ye Fan, Zhang Dahhu beat me up to let off some steam; I guess this will just blow over. Zhang Dahhu is wealthy and influential, not someone we can afford to provoke. I think... I think we should just let it go. Look at me, my injuries aren't that serious."
As a good brother, Zhang Wei did not want Ye Fan to take risks.
As ordinary laborers, how could they stand a chance against Zhang Dahhu? Although Zhang Dahhu wasn't an especially formidable figure, he was still wealthy and certainly not someone that Ye Fan and Zhang Wei, the ordinary laborers, could afford to provoke.
"Don't worry. I won't act recklessly on things I'm not sure of," Ye Fan said in a deep voice, not wanting Zhang Wei to worry. Therefore, he planned to seek out Zhang Dahhu in secret.
As a longtime good brother, how could Zhang Wei not understand Ye Fan's current thoughts? He hurriedly said, "Ye Fan, you can't do something foolish. Zhang Dahhu has plenty of money, and with just a call, he can have many people work for him. By then, it's not just about vengeance, even staying in Ninghai City might become a problem."
"Rest easy. I won't do anything stupid," Ye Fan replied. Although he was quite angry, he didn't lose his cool and started to think about how to deal with Zhang Dahhu properly. This vengeance had to be claimed, and he intended to make Zhang Dahhu pay a steep price because Ye Fan couldn't swallow this humiliation.
The nurse pushed the door open, glanced at Zhang Wei, then turned to look at Ye Fan, and said emotionlessly, "It's time to pay again. The two thousand yuan you've paid has run out. If you don't pay up, we'll have to ask you to leave."
At the mention of money, Zhang Wei's face instantly fell. As a laborer, after paying rent and living expenses, he had only a little money left each month. Now, he had just spent over two thousand yuan, which was already painful enough, and now he had to pay more. Zhang Wei truly did not want to part with his money.
Without much thought, Zhang Wei shakily got down from the hospital bed and said, "I've almost recovered. Please proceed with my discharge."
Before Zhang Wei could take a step, Ye Fan held him down on the bed, speaking softly, "Your injuries are severe; what you need now is to stay in the hospital for treatment. I'll take care of the money issue." Then, Ye Fan turned to the nurse and asked, "How much?"
The nurse snorted and said, "He needs to stay for another week, which will cost seven thousand yuan. Of course, if you don't have the money, you can choose to stay for three days."
The disdain in the nurse's tone made Ye Fan extremely uncomfortable. It's often said nowadays that people are afraid to get sick. Why? Because hospitals are too exploitative. You work half a year for nothing once you're in the hospital. Now, it seemed, there was no fabrication in that statement.
Hearing that seven thousand yuan was needed, Zhang Wei was shocked. That was nearly three months' worth of his salary.
"That's too expensive. Let's go. My injury isn't serious. Some ointment and a few days' rest at home should do," Zhang Wei said as he tugged on Ye Fan's arm, wanting to leave.
The nurse glanced at Zhang Wei and said sarcastically, "If you don't have the money, leave within five minutes and don't waste our hospital's beds." Then, the nurse began to hurriedly fix up the bed, as if impatient.
Ye Fan took out the ten thousand yuan Ellor had given him and slapped it on the nurse's head, scoffing, "Here's ten thousand yuan for a week's stay."
The nurse, who thought she was hit by a sneak attack, looked furious. But when she saw the money rolling on the floor, her face immediately lit up with a smile. She quickly picked up the cash, squeezed it in her hand, and then, with a smile plastered across her face, said, "It's enough."
"Take good care of my friend. If he isn't satisfied, I'll sue your hospital right away," Ye Fan said angrily. "Understood?"
As the saying goes, money talks. Once the nurse had the money in hand, she immediately nodded obsequiously, promising to take care of everything, then took the money to process the hospitalization.
"Where... where did you get so much money? Did you rob a bank or something?" Zhang Wei stared at Ye Fan dumbfounded. Having been close for many years, Zhang Wei was well aware of how much Ye Fan could earn and save in a month. Even a thousand yuan was difficult for Ye Fan to come by, let alone ten thousand.
Ye Fan smiled and said, "Don't worry, I earned this money. I've found a new job with a much higher salary, and the boss is a good person. Just focus on recovering here, and I'll come to visit you regularly."
Zhang Wei said with a surprised face, "You're lucky to have found a good job so quickly. I was just worried about you losing your job."
Ye Fan pretended to be relaxed and said, "If one place doesn't hold me, another will. It's Zhang Dahhu, that piece of scum, who fired me—it's his loss. Now I've found a better job. Enough about that for now. I have some things to sort out. I'll come to see you in a few days."
Zhang Wei smiled and said, "Go ahead. Once I'm discharged, we'll have a good drink to celebrate your new job."
After leaving the hospital, Ye Fan's expression became very solemn. He had planned to find trouble with Zhang Dahhu in a few days, but he hadn't expected Zhang Dahhu to have beaten Zhang Wei. This was a grievance that had to be addressed; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to get over it.
Regaining his calm, Ye Fan didn't impulsively go after Zhang Dahhu right away. He knew very well that seeking out Zhang Dahhu without proper preparation would be like throwing himself into the wolf's mouth, a sure way to be beaten to a pulp. After much thought, Ye Fan returned to his apartment.
Back in his room, Ye Fan lit a cigarette and sat on the sofa contemplating. Today at the Antique City, when he exchanged blows with the security guard, the opponent's movements seemed slower to him, and at times he was even able to predict their trajectory and where they would land.
Ye Fan also noticed that his reflexes and strength had improved considerably. Perhaps it was because of the accident he'd had; not only did it give him the amazing ability of clairvoyance, but it also enhanced his physique. But by how much? After much deliberation, Ye Fan decided to conduct an experiment.
So, Ye Fan quickly left his apartment and looked for a fitness club nearby. Judging from the decorations outside, the club was very high-end. According to their rules, any first-time customers were free of charge, a business tactic for attracting new patrons.
In the luxurious fitness club, which was filled with luxury and sports elements, everyone coming in and out was either a muscular man or a woman with a devilish figure. Ye Fan glanced at the price tag next to him: 80,000 for a yearly membership, 30,000 for a quarterly, and a staggering 15,000 for just one month. Ye Fan couldn't help but be shocked by the extravagance; it was too steep for ordinary people to afford.
Curious, Ye Fan walked over to the fitness area, where he saw treadmills, steppers, abdominal boards, barbells, and other equipment. There were quite a few people inside the spacious club, mostly beautiful women and handsome men—probably rich second-generation kids with time and money to burn on fitness.
"Isn't this the hero who played the savior? What brought you to such an upscale place?" A voice filled with sarcasm rang in Ye Fan's ear, sounding extremely grating.
Ye Fan turned his head and saw that it was a former colleague from his company, Li Dongliang, who was known as the company's top salesman and one of Zhang Dahhu's most valued people. He threw his weight around in the company, causing trouble without anyone daring to provoke him. Ye Fan had had conflicts with Li Dongliang before, and now upon meeting, Li Dongliang immediately started picking a fight.
Today, Ye Fan came here to test his physical abilities, not to argue with Li Dongliang, that piece of shit.
So, faced with Li Dongliang's mockery, Ye Fan didn't even look at him and continued on his way.
Seeing that Ye Fan didn't react, Li Dongliang felt very humiliated. He put down the barbell he was holding, walked over quickly, and blocked Ye Fan's path, looking arrogantly at him and said, "Poor bugger, this is a place for us wealthy people. The daily fee here is more than what you make in a month. If you don't want to go hungry, you'd better get lost."
"Oh right, you've been fired by Director Zhang," Li Dongliang laughed out loud.
At that moment, a woman with an enchanting figure walked over and seductively wiped away non-existent sweat beads from her face. It was Liang Mingyan, the same woman Ye Fan had saved from Huo Zilong's harassment. At just over five feet, her stature was quite average, but she had a pair of captivating, seductive eyes.
"Liang sister, tired? I've ordered you a glass of juice," Li Dongliang said with a flattering face as he handed the prepared orange juice to Liang Mingyan.
"That's just what I need. I'm a bit thirsty," Liang Mingyan said lightly, taking the juice and sitting down next to her. She took a sip, then turned her head to look at Ye Fan with a flash of surprise in her eyes. She had heard that Ye Fan was severely injured by Huo Zilong, yet now she saw Ye Fan fit as a fiddle in front of her.
This was hardly the reaction one would expect from seeing a lifesaver. Ye Fan felt extremely annoyed inside. Logically, after his chivalrous act of confronting Huo Zilong, a major client of the company, to protect Liang Mingyan from being taken advantage of, the least he could expect upon seeing her again would be a word of thanks.
But not only did Liang Mingyan not say thank you, she didn't even look him in the eye.
Ye Fan was close to exploding with fury, wanting to slap himself for his previous actions. Because of Liang Mingyan, he lost his job and nearly died, and now she couldn't even utter a word of thanks. It was thoroughly disproportionate.