Alright, so we get to the hospital, and man, things were way worse than I thought.
Turns out, my father-in-law didn't just get hurt, he actually got beat up!
Me and Lu Wan aren't exactly old, and my father-in-law's only in his fifties, plus he's usually pretty strong.
Back when I was chasing after Lu Wan, getting past her dad was a whole mission, let me tell you.
In my mind, my father-in-law wasn't someone you'd mess with.
I was also wondering, who in the world would pick a fight with him?
I followed my wife into the hospital, and in the lobby, I saw someone I really didn't want to see.
This guy used to be in the same class as me and my wife. His last name was also Zhao.
I think his name was Zhao Zheng.
But more than his real name, I knew him by his nickname.
That nickname was pretty famous back in our school. I remember everyone calling him "Pretty Boy."
It wasn't because he had a fair complexion, but because his actions totally lived up to the name.
I remember very clearly that Pretty Boy got kicked out of school.
He was a notorious troublemaker back then, a real menace.
I was super curious about why Pretty Boy was at the hospital.
But then, something even more unexpected happened.
My usually gentle and refined wife walked right up to Pretty Boy and slapped him hard across the face!
I was instantly stunned.
I couldn't figure out where my wife got the guts to provoke a big-time hoodlum like Pretty Boy.
I thought for sure Pretty Boy would get furious, but instead, he just looked at my wife with a smirk, like he wasn't even mad.
A thug who can survive in society must have his ways. I guess this Pretty Boy could really hold back his anger.
My wife suddenly yelled, "Pretty Boy, I'm telling you, you can look for my brother, you can even come looking for me, I don't care! But you can't hurt my dad!"
It hit me like a ton of bricks. That jerk Pretty Boy was the one who beat up my father-in-law!
Honestly, I was still a little scared of Pretty Boy because he used to beat me up a lot when we were kids.
I knew this guy was ruthless.
And in this situation, picking a fight with Pretty Boy wouldn't do me any good either.
So, I chose to stay quiet.
Pretty Boy seemed to ignore me being there. He gave my wife a creepy smile and said, "My beauty, I've been missing you so much! Every time I think about your dad marrying you off to that loser Zhao Jian, I get so angry! Who else am I gonna punch?"
Openly flirting with my wife right in front of me? No man can stand for that.
I immediately rushed in front of Pretty Boy, pushed him away from my wife, and said, "Pretty Boy, if you've got a problem, come at me! What are you yelling at my wife for?!"
Pretty Boy shifted his gaze to me. He looked me up and down a few times and said, "Look at you, tough guy! Been out in the real world for a couple of years, huh? Now you dare to talk to me like that."
Back in school, Pretty Boy was the top dog. Even after all these years, his temper hadn't changed a bit.
If we were still in school, I would've chickened out a long time ago, but in this situation, I wasn't scared.
This is a society with laws. I really didn't believe Pretty Boy would dare to start a fight in the hospital lobby.
To try and intimidate Pretty Boy, I said, "Pretty Boy, I'm not letting this go. You beat up my father-in-law. We'll settle this at the police station!"
With that, I pulled out my phone to call 110.
Seeing all this, my wife seemed to panic. She ran over and snatched my phone away.
I looked at my wife with surprise, feeling totally bewildered.
I mean, I was trying to get justice for my father-in-law! Why was my wife taking his side?
When we were in school, my wife hated guys like Pretty Boy the most. So, I was certain she wouldn't have anything to do with him.
And the reason Pretty Boy got kicked out of school in the first place was because he got a girl pregnant.
That was huge news back when we were in junior high.
So, I just couldn't understand why my wife was helping Pretty Boy.
Pretty Boy's arrogance grew even stronger. He said, "Go ahead, call them! Why aren't you calling?"
Clearly, he had something to rely on, and I had no idea what it was.
Just then, my wife pulled me aside into a corner and said, "Pretty Boy didn't go looking for my father for no reason. It's because my older brother owes him a lot of money."
Hearing my wife say that, my face instantly turned pale.
Because he dropped out of school early, Pretty Boy had been mixing with the wrong crowd for a long time, so he had a lot of street smarts.
Someone as cunning as him wouldn't beat up my father-in-law for no reason. There must be some hidden story.
I quietly asked, "What happened?"
My wife continued, "Isn't it obvious? My brother caused this mess. He lost a lot of money gambling and borrowed a huge loan with crazy interest from Pretty Boy."
Hearing that, I immediately felt deflated.
Pretty Boy had been in the loan shark business for years. That's how he made a living, to be honest.
A guy like him would never give up if he didn't get his money.
I quietly asked my wife, "How much money are we talking about?"
My wife shook her head and said, "I'm not exactly sure of the amount, but it sounds like it's over half a million."
Hearing that number made me break out in a cold sweat.
Someone like me, who relies on a fixed salary, wouldn't be able to save up half a million even in a lifetime.
I knew my wife's older brother was lazy and still didn't have a proper job.
But I never imagined he could owe so much in high-interest loans.
No wonder Pretty Boy beat up my father-in-law. If he doesn't get his money, he'd go crazy and might even kill someone.
For people like them, money is everything. It's the foundation of their survival in society.
I walked up to Pretty Boy with a dark look on my face.
"So, Zhao Jian, have you thought about it? I can give you a chance to call the police."
I suddenly felt so useless, not even being able to protect the person I loved most.
It seemed like in this world, money really was everything.
Pretty Boy pointed his finger at my chest and said, "Don't think you're a big shot just because you managed to hook up with the school beauty. If Lu Feng dares not to pay back the money, I dare to sleep with your wife."
As a man, you've gotta have some self-respect, and at that moment, I felt like mine was being completely trampled on.
I don't know where I got the courage, but I suddenly lunged at Pretty Boy.
Compared to his build, I was actually taller and bigger, and I looked like I'd be a better fighter than Pretty Boy.
But that wasn't the case at all.
Back in school, Pretty Boy was known for his fighting skills, while I was just a well-behaved kid.
After entering society, I heard that he had injured people with weapons several times. He was a notorious tough guy.
At first, relying on my larger size, I pinned Pretty Boy down and relentlessly punched him in the head.
At that moment, I wanted to vent all my anger.
In my mind, Pretty Boy's head was just a punching bag.
When my wife saw this, she immediately started screaming.
There were security guards on duty in the hospital lobby. When they saw what was happening, they immediately rushed over to break up the fight.
Even though I was tall and strong, I couldn't resist the pulling of several security guards. They forcibly dragged me off of Pretty Boy.
That son of a bitch stood up and suddenly charged at me.
Before I could even react, he landed a heavy punch right on my face.
My head spun, and I thought, man, that punch from Pretty Boy was brutal.
That's the true nature of someone who lives in the streets.
Before I could even recover, the security guards who were breaking up the fight came over again and separated the two of us.
One of the security guards said, "If you guys fight again, I'm calling 110."
I thought about it. If this matter was handed over to the police, I would be the one at a disadvantage.
Because I was the one who started the physical fight, the police would definitely hold the initiator responsible first.
Damn it, that guy was really ruthless, not willing to take even the slightest loss in a fight.
But I was still very confused. Why didn't my wife hit him back when she slapped him earlier? And why was he still smiling?
Back in school, my wife was recognized as the school goddess. And even back then, I heard Pretty Boy say that he would definitely get his hands on Lu Wan.
Thinking about that, I actually felt a little proud, because now Lu Wan had become my wife.
It seemed like I was more of a winner in life.
Could it be that this guy still had some gentlemanly feelings?
At this moment, my wife came over, gently touched the swollen area on my face, and said with concern, "Honey, are you okay?"
Actually, at that moment, I felt really happy because at least I had stood up for myself in front of my wife.
Just then, a young man in his late twenties came over to us. He was Lu Wan's older brother, Lu Feng.
Maybe everyone in the Lu family was good-looking. Speaking of Lu Feng, he was tall and handsome too.
Logically speaking, Lu Feng's looks should have been attractive to girls, but this guy was unreliable.
Seeing Lu Feng made me angry. If it weren't for this guy taking out a high-interest loan, those people wouldn't have come knocking on our door.
But after all, he was my brother-in-law, so I couldn't really say anything.
It was my wife, Lu Wan, who glared fiercely at Lu Feng, looking extremely angry.
But even if she was angry, what was done was done. It was too late to say anything.
My wife sighed softly and asked Lu Feng, "Which ward is Dad in?"
"Room 1307," Lu Feng said in a low voice, looking like he had no confidence.
Lu Wan didn't say anything and walked straight towards the ward area.