Chapter Sixty-Four: Coercion and Temptation

At the entrance to the hospital ward, Zhao Fan caught hold of Yang’s father and gave him a thorough beating. Rubbing his knuckles, his fierce gaze swept over every member of the Yang family present.

“Anything else you want to say? Now’s your chance. Say it all at once, so I won’t have to waste my breath later.”

With a collective shudder, the Yang family took a synchronized step back.

“N-no, we have nothing to say.”

“That’s right, nothing at all.”

Moments ago, they had been swaggering and arrogant, but in the blink of an eye, they caved completely, displaying the essence of bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong.

Zhao Fan had to admit, their reaction was beyond his expectations.

The security guards exchanged glances, and one of them spoke, “If you’re going to fight, could you take it outside? The patients here need to rest.”

Zhao Fan’s lips curled into a smile. “Of course. Don’t worry, I’ll take them out right now. Isn’t that right?”

He shot a look at the Yang family, who all nodded in frantic agreement.

“Let’s go, now.”

Zhao Fan hung back a moment, spoke quietly to his father and mother, then hurried to catch up.

Once outside the hospital, Zhao Fan said coldly, “Three times is enough. I hope this kind of mob disturbance doesn’t happen again. Otherwise…”

The Yang family, so tough when they outnumbered others, now dared not utter a word of protest, even though there were more than a dozen of them facing only Zhao Fan.

He couldn’t even be bothered to deal with them further. Tossing out his warning, he returned to the hospital.

His mother hurried to meet him. “Is it settled?”

“Yes.”

“They…they won’t come back, will they?”

Zhao Fan smiled. “Don’t worry, they won’t dare.”

“Thank goodness.” She patted her chest in relief.

Out of her sight, Zhao Fan exchanged a look with his father—one that conveyed a meaning only the two of them understood.

Half an hour later, his father came out of the ward with Zhao Fan.

“If the Yangs cause trouble again, just cut off the money to Yang Qingqing’s side. That’ll keep them in line.”

No matter how much the Yang family made a scene, they would never abandon their own daughter, especially not with the hospital fees at the First People’s Hospital being so high. They were too stingy for that.

“I understand.”

“And tell your big brother to go ahead and get the divorce over with. Dragging it out does no good.”

If Zhao Fan’s father had ever wavered, the Yangs’ repeated antics had put an end to any doubts.

“Alright.”

His father turned to go, then suddenly stopped and added, “If the Yangs refuse the divorce, make them pay for the child’s medical expenses. Not all—just half will do.”

Zhao Fan felt helpless. Knowing how the Yangs clung to money, they’d never agree to that. Still, he left his words open, deciding to see what they would choose.

Soon after, Zhao Haitian learned of the matter. He hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded his agreement. Deep down, he still had feelings for Yang Qingqing.

Once the business at the hospital was done, Zhao Fan left. He had just gotten into his car when the foreman he’d hired for renovations called.

“We’ve finished the work on our end. When would you like to come check and confirm everything’s done?”

Zhao Fan, having nothing urgent, replied, “I’m free now. I can be there in an hour. Will that work for you?”

“Of course, that’s perfect. I’ll meet you at the entrance in an hour.”

“Alright.”

Exactly an hour later, Zhao Fan’s taxi pulled up at the entrance. As he stepped out, several people came to greet him; at the front was Zhang Zhipeng, the foreman who had just called.

“Hello, Mr. Zhao.”

“Hello!”

They shook hands. Zhang Zhipeng stepped aside and gestured to the open door behind him. “Let’s go in and take a look. Once you’re satisfied, we’ll clear out.”

“Alright.”

Zhao Fan walked around the supermarket, inspecting not only for acceptance but also focusing on the fire safety systems, water and electrical lines, and the overall quality of the renovations—down to the details.

The inspection took two hours. By the time Zhao Fan and the group exited the supermarket, night had fully fallen, the streetlights were on, and the hot wind blowing in made one instinctively squint.

Zhang Zhipeng grinned, “Inspection’s done, so we’ll take our leave now.”

“Hey, what’s the rush?” Zhao Fan clapped a hand on his shoulder and nodded to the side. “Come have a drink with me.”

Zhang Zhipeng quickly shook his head. “No, no, company rules—we can’t…”

“Come on, just a meal and a drink between friends. How’s that against company rules?”

Zhang Zhipeng’s eyes lit up. “Well, in that case…”

“Let’s go.”

The group wandered over to a nearby street, and Zhao Fan picked a restaurant at random. They ate and drank together till nearly eleven before parting ways.

Lying in bed, Zhao Fan was vaguely troubled by the sense that he’d forgotten something. But after thinking it over, he figured it couldn’t be anything important—after all, he never forgot anything vital.

He rolled over and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, he was jolted awake by the shrill, persistent ringing of his phone. Groggily looking around, he fished it out from the corner of the bed. On the screen, a name flashed repeatedly—He Yongshan.

In an instant, Zhao Fan’s sleepiness vanished.

Damn, he had forgotten to contact He Yongshan last night.

The phone kept ringing, stopping, and ringing again. Zhao Fan stared at the name, feeling so guilty he didn’t dare answer.

Finally, the ringing ceased for good, but Zhao Fan didn’t relax. Knowing He Yongshan’s temperament, there was a good chance he’d show up at Zhao Fan’s place any moment.

Time to run!

Zhao Fan sprang out of bed, grabbed his jacket, and rushed to the door. But as soon as he opened it, he froze in his tracks.

“Heh…heh, good morning, Lao He!”

Right there at his door stood He Yongshan, arms folded, face dark as thunder.

“Zhao Fan, you’ve grown bold. You even dare forget what you promised me?”

Rubbing his nose, Zhao Fan said, “If I say it wasn’t on purpose, will you believe me, Lao He?”

“What do you think?”

Zhao Fan’s eyes darted—of course He wouldn’t believe him.

“Lao He, I can explain.”

“Get inside. I’ll give you time to make up your excuses.”

“Excuse? Lao He, calling it an excuse is too much. I really didn’t mean to forget—”

He Yongshan sat down with a thud. “I don’t care if you forgot on purpose or not. Now tell me—are you going back to school or not?”

Zhao Fan fell silent.

He Yongshan wasn’t in any hurry. He just looked at Zhao Fan calmly, determined to get an answer today.

After a few minutes, Zhao Fan sat down opposite him. “Lao He, if I could, I’d definitely go back to school. But…”

“No buts, Zhao Fan. You’d better think it through. What you can learn outside is nothing compared to school. You don’t have much time left, and dragging it out is just wasting it.”

“I know that.”

“So, you’re still determined not to go back?”

“Yes.”

With a sudden movement, He Yongshan slammed his palm down on the table.

“Zhao Fan, are you sure about this?”

Zhao Fan replied, his tone firm, “I’m sure.”

“Fine. Fine. Fine!”

After repeating “fine” three times, He Yongshan stormed out in anger.