"What money?" Zheng Rui was stunned by the question.
He had been waiting, bored, so he got out of the car to smoke a cigarette. After a few steps, he saw Li Zhonglou rushing out of the hospital building from a distance.
Then, Li Zhonglou got entangled with four people, and it looked like he was in trouble.
Although Zheng Rui didn't like Li Zhonglou, Brother Lang had instructed him that if Li Zhonglou got beaten up, it would be a great failure of his duty.
So, he hurried over.
Unexpectedly, when the conversation turned, these four people were also involved in the underworld, and they even wanted to give him money.
"Stolen money, just robbed. Take it. Maybe the police will arrest you later," Li Zhonglou said with a cold sneer as he saw the blonde guy trying to curry favor with Zheng Rui.
To give Zheng Rui the freshly hot money, obtained from robbery, money that was supposed to save a life, as a meeting gift.
This blonde guy, named Chen Tian, was truly a piece of work.
Or perhaps, he was smart.
If he could befriend Zheng Rui, this money would be a meeting gift.
If Zheng Rui looked down on him and didn't give him face, and then called the police, whoever had the stolen money would be unlucky.
Killing two birds with one stone.
Unfortunately, such a shallow trick could never deceive Li Zhonglou.
Upon hearing this, the blonde guy's face instantly turned grim.
He turned around and pointed at Li Zhonglou, cursing, "Go to hell, you hillbilly. If you keep talking nonsense, do you believe I'll tear your mouth apart?"
"I'm talking to boss Zheng. What's it to you?"
"You've got the guts of a bear and the heart of a leopard."
He still hadn't connected Zheng Rui with Li Zhonglou at all.
This was not entirely his fault, as Li Zhonglou spoke with a Qin Zhou accent, which was evident immediately.
Zheng Rui was a genuine Yong'an native and a senior figure in the underworld.
The two were worlds apart. With the pre-existing notion, he would never have thought of them being related.
*Bang!*
Before he could finish speaking, Zheng Rui kicked the blonde guy hard in the abdomen.
The blonde guy, who was turning to curse at Li Zhonglou, had no chance to defend himself and instantly fell to the ground, sitting on his backside.
His face was filled with astonishment as he looked at Zheng Rui.
His eyes held infinite grievance, as if asking why.
The two younger brothers standing beside him, along with one sitting on the ground, dared not move.
In front of a seasoned thug like Zheng Rui, they were mere juniors.
Even without fighting, just by his aura, Zheng Rui could suppress them.
"You little brat, are you playing me for a fool?"
Zheng Rui's face contorted, and he cursed, "You want to frame me by giving me the stolen money you robbed?"
Seeing Li Zhonglou being cursed at, Zheng Rui actually felt a sense of satisfaction.
Due to Brother Lang's face, he couldn't help Xiao Liu get revenge, and he had to elevate Li Zhonglou. Although he was loyal to Brother Lang, everyone had a temper.
He felt unhappy, suppressing it all along.
He couldn't fight, of course, but being cursed at by someone else was not his concern.
Therefore, he didn't directly clarify things with the blonde guy.
"No, no, no..." The blonde guy immediately reacted and hurriedly defended himself, "Boss Zheng, you've misunderstood. I definitely didn't have that intention."
"It's that bastard, that hillbilly who's instigating. Don't believe him."
As he spoke, he scrambled to his feet, using his hands and feet.
He pointed at Li Zhonglou with a venomous threat, "Hillbilly, if you're smart, hurry up and kneel down."
"Apologize to our boss Zheng by kowtowing. On boss Zheng's account, I'll at most cripple your arm today."
"If you're not sensible, you'll be in a living hell with three inches and six feet of flesh."
The blonde guy's expression and attitude towards Li Zhonglou and Zheng Rui were completely different.
One was imperious and condescending.
The other was servile and fawning.
This stark contrast, appearing simultaneously on one person, even made Li Zhonglou sigh in admiration.
A perfectly good person, forced to live like a dog.
"I don't have time to play with you. Give me the money," Li Zhonglou extended his hand for the third time, his gaze gradually turning cold.
There was no point in getting entangled with this kind of scum. He needed to quickly return the money to the girl and then arrange for his mother's discharge.
"I've already shown my respect to boss Zheng with this money. You still dare to be reckless? Even the Great Immortals can't save you, you hillbilly, today!" the blonde guy sneered repeatedly.
Li Zhonglou really lacked foresight.
He still dared to be so unrestrained in front of a senior figure like Zheng Rui.
"Give me the money," Zheng Rui saw that Li Zhonglou's mood had changed and that continuing to play around might lead to trouble.
So he reached out and called to the blonde guy.
"Sure." The blonde guy eagerly handed over the money bag with both hands.
Zheng Rui accepting his money meant he was accepting him.
Following such a senior figure meant a direct upgrade, enjoying the good life without needing to rob.
For a moment, the blonde guy was lost in his fantasies.
*Slap!*
The next second, Zheng Rui, without even looking at the money bag, threw it directly to Li Zhonglou.
Li Zhonglou took the money bag and walked towards the hospital building.
He said lightly, "These guys are your responsibility now."
This scene instantly turned the blonde guy into a wooden statue.
This...
What was going on?
Why did boss Zheng give the money his subordinate had painstakingly robbed to this hillbilly?
The blonde guy suddenly woke up and was about to speak.
In front of him, a slap was growing larger and larger.
*Slap!*
His left cheek felt like it had been hit by a train. Stars flashed before his eyes, and with a clang, he fell directly to the ground.
The intense pain, coupled with the numbness on half of his face, made his expression one of utter horror.
Zheng Rui's arm, which reached his knees, swung down with immense force.
He actually knocked out one of the blonde guy's molars.
His mouth was full of blood.
Then, Zheng Rui squatted down, grabbed the blonde guy's hair, and smiled, "Chen Tian, is it? Blonde guy, is it? You even dare to provoke Brother Lang's friend. I think you're really looking to die."
"Cursing a bit to vent your anger is one thing, but you even dare to tell him to kneel."
"Now, he's given the word that you're to be handled by me. How will you handle it?"
"According to the rules of the underworld, handle it yourself."
Zheng Rui's voice was devoid of any anger, calm and composed, but it sent chills down the spines of the blonde guy and his companions.
What rules of the underworld?
Where were these rules?
No one had ever told him about any rules in the underworld.
For a moment, the blonde guy's scalp tingled, and his hands and feet went cold.
*Clang.*
The next second, a brass knuckle was pulled out of Zheng Rui's pocket and thrown in front of the blonde guy.
This brass knuckle could not only be worn on the fingers as a glove.
It also had the function of cutting fingernails.
Of course, it could also cut fingers.
Seeing this, the blonde guy's pupils widened to the extreme, his eyes filled with terror.
"Zheng... Boss Zheng, Master Zheng... I was blind and ignorant. Please spare me..." the blonde guy stammered, turning and kneeling before Zheng Rui, pleading incoherently.
Zheng Rui was clearly asking him to cut off his own fingers.
He made a living in the trade of theft.
If he cut off his fingers, wouldn't that be cutting off his own path to survival?
"Say one more word, and I'll cut one more," Zheng Rui's tone was extremely ruthless.
After speaking, he glanced back at Li Zhonglou, who was already nearing the building.
Li Zhonglou didn't care at all how he dealt with these people. He handed them over to him because he didn't want these four petty thieves to rob at the hospital again anytime soon.
Finally, the moment he stepped into the building, he heard the heart-wrenching screams from the flower bed in the distance.
Entering the lobby.
The girl whose money had been stolen was being helped up, weeping profusely.
"Take your money, don't let anyone steal it again," Li Zhonglou walked up to her and handed her the bag.
In that instant, the girl's tears stopped.
With her teary eyes wide open, she looked at the money bag in Li Zhonglou's hand.
As if stunned, her pretty face showed a series of intense changes, but she dared not reach out.
She couldn't believe it was real.
When the money bag was snatched away just now, no one had helped her chase the thief, and she had completely lost hope.
She never expected that in such a short time, the money bag would be recovered.
"Don't just stand there, count it to see if anything is missing," Li Zhonglou reminded her.
The girl grabbed the money bag, opened it, and saw six stacks of unopened money. Tears flowed again.
But this time, it wasn't from sadness and despair.
It was tears of joy.
Li Zhonglou hated seeing girls cry, regardless of the reason. He turned and walked towards the payment counter.
Since the money had been recovered, there was no need to say anything further.
The people queuing up saw this and took a step back, voluntarily making space in front.
That was originally Li Zhonglou's spot, but it was taken because he went to chase the thief.
Now that he had brought the money back, no one could help but secretly praise him.
Li Zhonglou didn't stand on ceremony and took his place in the open spot.
"Big brother... Thank you, thank you so much. You saved my father, you saved my whole family..." After more than two minutes, the girl seemed to have recovered. She ran to Li Zhonglou's side, bowed, and thanked him.
In her red and swollen eyes, there was gratitude and respect.
In this society where indifference was ubiquitous, someone had risked their own safety to snatch her money back for her.
How precious was that?
It was a life-saving kindness.
"Hurry up and pay, don't lose the money again," Li Zhonglou didn't take this to heart at all.
"Please, big brother, you must give me your phone number. When my dad is discharged, I will definitely repay you!" The girl didn't leave but pleaded.
Li Zhonglou shook his head and refused.
It was completely unnecessary; it was a small favor.
He didn't even want to talk much. His mind was entirely occupied with how to deal with Li Hanlong.
He had no interest whatsoever in any repayment.
"Why are you so proud? The girl is being kind. You can't even ask for her number?"
"Exactly. Pretending to be a good deed done anonymously. Aren't you just eyeing the pretty girl and acting all high and mighty..."
"I think you're just silly. If it were me, I'd take the opportunity to get close to this beauty, maybe even get a girlfriend!"
...
Some sarcastic voices chimed in from the side.
They were all young men who hadn't shown courage earlier. Li Zhonglou's actions had undoubtedly shamed them publicly.
Now, they found an opportunity to criticize him to highlight themselves.
"No, big brother definitely doesn't think that way..." Before Li Zhonglou could speak, the girl became anxious, her face flushed, and she defended him.
Her saying this actually drew more attention.
"All of you, shut up!" This finally angered Li Zhonglou. He roared, his voice like thunder.
These noisy voices were instantly suppressed.
Especially those few young men who were caught in Li Zhonglou's gaze, their scalps tingled, and their bodies trembled.
What kind of eyes were those?
Heartless, seasoned!
One glance could decide life and death, as if containing infinite might.
One more word, and it might invite a catastrophic disaster.
None of them dared to say another word, and they didn't even dare to look directly at Li Zhonglou.
"Give me your phone," Li Zhonglou, too lazy to bother with them, said to the girl.