Chapter 74: Is One Slap Too Few?
Fine beads of sweat broke out on Qi Yunzhao’s forehead. He gritted his teeth, but ultimately, he could only lower his head in dejection.
He knew he could not contend with the man before him. In Yu Xiuqing’s eyes, he wasn’t even worth mentioning—he was merely a tool that could be sacrificed at any time.
He accepted his fate.
From the moment he became this man’s personal bodyguard, he had never expected to live past the age of thirty.
But Meng Nanyi had absolutely no interest in tormenting a bodyguard. He only wanted the person who truly hurt Zhou Xuyan to pay the price.
“Mister Yu, every injustice has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. Can taking revenge on your bodyguard alone make up for what happened to Brother Zhou?”
As he spoke, his eyes remained fixed on the terrified Su Huaiyao. A thick, intense murderous intent welled up in the depths of his gaze, though it was masked by his innocent exterior. He continued, “Brother Zhou was beaten into such a state by your people without rhyme or reason. Do you think you can just brush this off with a half-hearted gesture?!”
The corners of Yu Xiuqing’s mouth curled up slightly. His eyes were cold and ferocious, exuding an irresistible, intimidating aura.
“What do you want? To torture me until I look like your Brother Zhou? Does Young Master Meng have the guts for that?”
Meng Nanyi straightened his back and let out two cold scoffs. Then, he arrogantly lifted his chin. With one hand on his hip and the other pointing squarely at Su Huaiyao, he enunciated every word clearly:
“I can’t do anything to Mister Yu, but! It’s all because this person framed Brother Zhou and caused him to suffer so miserably. No matter what, he must be punished!”
Hearing this, Yu Xiuqing’s expression grew colder. He narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the youth’s arrogant demeanor, and said darkly, “What do you want to do?”
Behind him, Su Huaiyao was already frightened out of his wits. His hands tightly gripped the man’s clothes, terrified that Meng Nanyi would eat him alive in the next second.
From the corner of his eye, he stealthily glanced at the battered and bruised Zhou Xuyan slumped in the corner. He saw traces of fresh blood trickling from the man’s mouth; he looked utterly miserable.
The fear in Su Huaiyao’s heart intensified. His lips trembled several times before he managed to speak through his tears:
“Xiuqing-gege, I… I don’t want to be tortured like Zhou Xuyan! I know I was wrong! Please, save me! I can compensate him—I’ll pay whatever amount he wants!”
Meng Nanyi’s lips curled into a mocking smile. He said coldly, “I don’t lack money!”
This statement was undoubtedly rubbing salt in the wound. Su Huaiyao felt a wave of despair, but he still looked at the man with a sliver of hope. He bit his lower lip, his gaze looking incredibly piteous and fragile.
He couldn’t believe that after all their years of affection, the other man would just stand by and watch him get bullied by outsiders!
Yu Xiuqing met his expectant eyes, but there was no ripple of emotion on his handsome face. He only gave a barely perceptible smirk; no one knew what he was thinking.
But the next second, the crisp smack of a slap shattered the silence. It was like a muffled clap of thunder exploding in everyone’s hearts. Su Huaiyao froze completely, his eyes wide in absolute disbelief!
A burning pain radiated from his cheek, yet he stood rooted to the spot, seemingly unable to feel it.
He wasn’t the only one left dumbfounded; everyone present was startled by the sudden slap.
Yu Xiuqing looked at his own right hand, a flash of pain passing through his eyes. But he quickly reverted to his usual calm, indifferent demeanor, acting as if the slap had never landed on Su Huaiyao’s face, but was merely a passing breeze…
He withdrew his gaze, refusing to look at the young man’s expression, and turned instead to Meng Nanyi with a faint smile:
“Is this enough, Young Master Meng?”
Hearing the man’s words, Meng Nanyi immediately snapped back to reality from the shock of the slap, though he still felt astounded.
He hadn’t harbored much hope of actually punishing Su Huaiyao. After all, everyone in Nangang knew that Yu Sanye exclusively doted on this white moonlight, giving him whatever he desired and maintaining an excellent temper around him. He never expected Yu Xiuqing to actually strike him!
It seemed the rumors weren’t entirely true.
No, to be precise, the CEO of the Yu Group had shifted his affections and fallen for the younger, prettier little thing in the hospital bed. If this got exposed, it would definitely be explosive news, wouldn’t it?
Meng Nanyi curled his lips in a contemptuous sneer, his gaze filled with arrogance and disdain. “Is one slap a bit too light and too few? Can it make up for the suffering Brother Zhou endured?”
As he spoke, he purposefully waved the phone in his hand, his words heavily laced with a subtle threat.
Yu Xiuqing’s expression changed. He instantly understood the implication behind the youth’s words. For the first time, he tasted the bitter sensation of being provoked, and the surging anger within him had nowhere to vent.
He let out a cold snort, clenched his fists, and then released them. He quickly turned around and delivered another vicious slap to Su Huaiyao’s cheek, using nearly all his strength.
The sudden action caught Su Huaiyao completely off guard. He was knocked to the ground, seeing stars from the sheer force of the blow. Half of his face immediately swelled up and turned red, a clear testament to how heavy the strike was.
Wisps of fresh blood spilled from the corner of his mouth as tears fell like broken pearls.
“Xiuqing-gege… you…”
Su Huaiyao groaned. He looked up, staring in disbelief at the tall, slender figure standing before him.
He saw that the man’s face had become terrifying, his entire body radiating a chilling, sinister fury.
A wave of coldness crept into Su Huaiyao’s heart. He never could have imagined things would turn out like this…
Yu Xiuqing had actually hit him without any mercy in front of everyone, all for Shen Yuan, and to seek justice for his rival, Zhou Xuyan! He had slapped his precious, delicate face!
Was this still the Xiuqing-gege he knew? The man who would always protect him suddenly felt like a complete stranger…
Of course, Su Huaiyao wasn’t the only one feeling alienated.
Yu Xiuqing looked at the genius pianist he used to pamper in the palm of his hand, but in this moment, he only felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
Could it really be as Su Huaiyao had just said—that everyone has selfish motives—and that from the very beginning, he had only seen this young man’s pure and kind facade?
Su Huaiyao’s delicate cheeks couldn’t withstand the two consecutive slaps. He instantly yielded, the tiny shred of hope that Yu Xiuqing might show him mercy evaporating entirely.
He now truly felt the terrifying aura radiating from the man. He was terrified that his arms and legs would actually be crippled, leaving him to rot in a dark corner, never able to touch a piano again!
He was the pianist the Su family took pride in!
“Xiu-Xiuqing-gege, I truly know I was wrong… For the sake of me risking my life to save you from the dungeon over ten years ago, can you please let me off…”
Su Huaiyao cried and pleaded for mercy. Supporting himself against the floor with both hands, he crawled over with a face swollen like a pig’s head and hugged the man’s long legs. He looked utterly pathetic.
Those words pulled Yu Xiuqing out of the rage fueled by that surveillance video. He finally regained a sliver of reason. Looking down at the sobbing young man, his heart instantly softened.
How could I treat Xiaoyao like this…
Seeing that the man didn’t immediately kick him away, Su Huaiyao realized his words had worked. He cried even more sorrowfully, a sound that would evoke pity from anyone who heard it:
“I just love you too much, Xiuqing-gege… I care about you too much, which is why I did that. I promise I won’t do it again! I really love you so much… You can hit me or scold me, just please don’t leave me…”
Yu Xiuqing furrowed his brows. The icy frost in his eyes seemed to thaw slightly. He raised a hand to gently stroke Su Huaiyao’s hair, then sternly warned Meng Nanyi:
“Two slaps are enough. I won’t skimp a single cent on the compensation owed to Zhou Xuyan, but if Young Master Meng insists on continuing to lay a hand on Xiaoyao, I don’t mind making an enemy of the entire Meng family.”
Hiding behind the man’s thighs, Su Huaiyao’s eyes curved slightly, revealing a triumphant smile. He looked at Meng Nanyi in front of him, a glint of slyness flashing in his gaze.
It seems Xiuqing-gege still cares about me. How could he ever let a wet-behind-the-ears brat walk all over him!
“You guys are just throwing your weight around! All you know how to do is use my dad to suppress me! I guess Brother Zhou deserved to be beaten like this by you guys! I’m just unlucky to have run into you! You disgust me! Mister Yu, I wish you and your white moonlight an eternity together!”
Meng Nanyi jumped up and cursed angrily. His face was ashen, infuriated by Su Huaiyao’s provocation, but all he could do was stand on his tiptoes, point at the two of them, and unleash another barrage of words: “I curse you both to a terrible death!”
Faced with a mouth full of profanities, Yu Xiuqing irritably ran his tongue over his back teeth. He couldn’t be bothered to stoop to the level of such a spoiled, willful young master. He raised a hand and gestured to the bodyguard standing nearby:
“Throw him out. He’s too loud.”
“Yes.”
Qi Yunzhao nodded. With one hand, he effortlessly hoisted the half-conscious Zhou Xuyan from the floor and walked straight toward the youth.
Faced with this towering and imposing man, Meng Nanyi’s heart inevitably skipped a beat. However, for the sake of the person he liked, he still raised his fists and began pummeling Qi Yunzhao, shouting:
“Let Brother Zhou go right now! Are you crazy?!”
“Shut up.”
Qi Yunzhao coldly rebuked him. With one hand, he effortlessly restrained Meng Nanyi’s head, then raised his leg in a sweeping kick that instantly tripped the youth to the ground.
“Ouch…”
Meng Nanyi cried out in pain. Before he could even react, he was hoisted up by the back of his collar. The sudden suspension terrified him into screaming:
“Ahhh! Let me go…”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he was tossed out of the hospital room by Qi Yunzhao like a little chick. A loud thud echoed beside him as Zhou Xuyan was also unceremoniously dumped outside.
Meng Nanyi’s head struck the floor hard, but he ignored the pain. He scrambled up and began shaking the unconscious man, his voice thick with tears:
“Waaah, Brother Zhou, wake up!”
But Zhou Xuyan remained completely unresponsive.
Meng Nanyi was frantic. He looked around but couldn’t find a single person willing to lend a hand. Left with no choice, he strained to support the heavy man by himself, muttering incessantly:
“Brother Zhou, I’ll take you to see a doctor. Hang in there! It’s all that Yu Xiuqing’s fault! And that dead bitch beside him, they’re the ones who did this to you! Besides, did Shen Yuan ever save your life? Why do you have to protect him so fiercely?!”
Through a hazy daze, Zhou Xuyan heard the sound of crying and cursing. He wanted to say something, but he couldn’t open his mouth.
His entire body was virtually leaning on Meng Nanyi as his legs dragged along the floor.
“Doctor! Help, please!”
Meng Nanyi screamed as if he had spotted a lifeline.
Upon hearing those words, Zhou Xuyan lost his fleeting grip on consciousness and plunged back into a deep coma.
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