Chapter 34: I Guess I Was Wrong About You All

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The rooftop was surrounded by a crowd. Wen Liang and I pushed our way through them and saw Black Brother lying on the ground.

There was not much blood on the floor, but his face and chest were already drenched in it.

Black blood kept pouring from his mouth and nose. He lay there motionless, barely breathing.

“Black Brother!” I rushed to his side. I wanted to stem the flow of blood with my hands, but I had no idea where to begin.

Wen Liang shouted in panic, “Doctor! Somebody get a doctor! Save him!”

This was a hospital. How could there possibly be no doctors?

Before long, several people in white coats hurried up. To my surprise, the one leading them was the hospital director, Zhu Bingtang.

He must have received Luo Weijing’s permission to come up. After all, I had already realized that this integrated traditional and Western medicine hospital was probably one of the industries owned by the Weijing Group.

Someone brought up a stretcher. Together with the doctors, Wen Liang and I lifted Black Brother onto it and pushed him downstairs from the rooftop.

Luo Weijing and his people had all left. Even Zhao Xiangbo and the group from the scrap station were gone.

Little Monkey stayed in Third Master’s ward, while Wen Liang and I waited outside the emergency room.

Sister Yan soon arrived by taxi after hearing the news.

When she saw me, she was startled and asked anxiously, “What happened to you? How did you get hurt so badly? I’ll take you to a doctor!”

I waved my hand and comforted her. “Sis, I’m fine! My face was cut by glass, and I took a blow to the head. They’re only external injuries, nothing serious. Black Brother is the one in danger. The doctors said his internal organs are badly damaged!”

Sister Yan took hold of my arm and wiped away her tears. “We’ll hear what the doctors say about Black Brother when they come out. For now, come with me and have your wounds treated. Be good!”

I did not want her to worry too much, so I nodded and went with her, leaving Brother Liang there to wait.

After my wounds were treated, Sister Yan and I returned to the emergency room. Just then, Director Zhu came out and asked the three of us, “Who are the patient’s family members?”

“We all are!” The three of us stepped forward together.

Director Zhu frowned slightly, then turned his gaze to Sister Yan. “Come with me for a moment.”

“All right.” Sister Yan nodded and followed him.

I was worried and wanted to go after them, but Wen Liang held me back.

A while later, Sister Yan returned, her expression grave.

I hurried over to her. “Sis, what happened? What did the doctor tell you?”

Sister Yan furrowed her brow. “The doctor said Black Brother is in critical condition. Several of his internal organs are damaged, and the surgery alone will cost more than two hundred thousand. Even then, there’s no guarantee it will succeed. It depends on Black Brother’s will to live.

“The treatment afterward will be an even bigger problem. His recovery will cost money too—at least another three hundred thousand.”

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I darkened my expression. “Sis, don’t believe that doctor. He’s in league with Fat Luo! We’ll transfer Black Brother to another hospital. It definitely won’t cost that much!”

Sister Yan shook her head, her face full of worry. “The doctor said we could transfer him, and that he would send a doctor to ensure Black Brother’s safety on the way. But even if we take him to the provincial hospital, the cost will only be higher, not lower. So I believe he wasn’t lying.”

I calmed down and realized that it was unlikely Director Zhu had simply named an outrageous price.

After all, this hospital was not yet a top-tier institution. If its fees were too high, patients would go elsewhere, and he would only be killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.

But where could I find five hundred thousand for the treatment?

Although Sister Yan and I had left the scrap station two years ago and started our own business, we had not managed to save much money.

We had paid the shop’s rent just last month, and there were plenty of other expenses as well. After two years of work, Sister Yan had at most fifty or sixty thousand in savings. Even a hundred thousand was beyond our means, let alone five hundred thousand.

Director Zhu came over as well and said to Sister Yan, “You should make your decision soon. The earlier we operate, the better the chances. But judging by your situation, I doubt you can come up with that much money. My advice is to give up.”

“Give up what?” I asked, turning to him in confusion.

Without expression, Director Zhu said, “Stop treating him. Give up. Letting him go would actually be the kinder choice. Conservative treatment will end in death anyway, and the process will be extremely painful. If you give up now, at least he won’t have to suffer as much…”

“Go to hell!” I snapped, cursing him. “Who said we’re giving up? Even if I have to sell everything I own, I’ll save Black Brother!”

Director Zhu was not angry in the slightest. He simply looked at me and said, “Cursing me won’t help. I’m only telling you the truth. Even if you sell everything you have, you still won’t be able to raise that much money. You’d better think of a solution quickly. Don’t wait until you finally gather enough and find that the best time for treatment has passed. By then, he’ll still be doomed.”

I fell silent, lowering my head as my mind raced for a solution.

Five hundred thousand was nothing to many people. For someone like Luo Weijing, it was not even enough to buy a car.

But for young people like us, people adrift with nothing to rely on, it was an astronomical sum—a fortune we could not save in half a lifetime.

Where could I find five hundred thousand?

After thinking to the very end, I actually came up with an idea.

I took a deep breath and said to Sister Yan, “Sis, I was thinking…”

The words would not come out. I had no idea what consequences this decision might bring her.

Seeing my hesitation, Sister Yan seemed to guess what I had in mind. She smiled faintly at me. “Stone, whatever decision you make, I’ll agree to it.”

I sighed and nodded. “All right. Then let’s go back now.”

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“Go back?” Wen Liang stared at me. “What about Black Brother?”

“Brother Liang, we’ll talk when we get back,” I told him.

Wen Liang’s expression hardened. He glanced at Sister Yan and me, then nodded. “Fine. I’m coming with you.”

We left Little Monkey at the hospital. Sister Yan drove the three of us back to Yan Hui Company.

Wen Liang did not speak to me the entire way. As soon as we got out of the car, he went upstairs.

Sister Yan went inside and spoke with Chen Yinan and Yoyo, who had been waiting in the shop. It seemed there were customers there as well, but I had no heart to go over. I simply stood at the entrance, staring at the sign above us.

After a sigh, I entered the shop and said to everyone, “Everyone, come to the meeting room. We’re having a meeting. There’s something I need to announce!”

“I don’t have time!” Wen Liang came downstairs carrying his luggage and headed for the door.

Sister Yan grabbed his clothes. “Brother Liang, you…”

“Let go!” Wen Liang glared at her. “I’m done. I’m going to the hospital to look after Black Brother!

“Consider me blind for trusting you! I thought you would find a way to save him. I never imagined you’d be so heartless as to abandon him!”

Wen Liang wiped at his eyes and said angrily, “He’s only twenty-four! He’s been with me for nearly fifteen years. You may be willing to let him go, but I’m not!

“Yan, back when you were attending night school and bad people followed you, who waited outside the school gates every day to escort you home? Who did that for three whole years? Black Brother!

“Stone, when someone broke your arms and legs and you needed help even to use the bathroom, who carried you there? Black Brother!

“And now that he’s ended up like this, you’re actually refusing to help him? You’re not human!

“I won’t stay with cold-blooded people like you. Otherwise, every time I sit here and close my eyes, all I’ll see is Black Brother. I hate that I’m useless and can’t save him!”

I stepped in front of him and said with a bitter smile, “Brother Liang, even if you’re leaving, at least wait until I’ve finished making the announcement.”

“Then announce it now!” Wen Liang replied coldly, clearly determined not to enter the meeting room.

I gave Sister Yan a helpless look. When she nodded, I sighed and said to everyone,

“All right. I’ll tell everyone here.

“It’s nothing complicated. I’m only announcing one thing.

“Effective immediately, Yan Hui Company will be delisted and dissolved, because we’re going to sell the property to save Black Brother.”

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