Liu Lan Ying saw that her body had recovered and thought all problems were solved, not expecting anything to go wrong. She was quite confident, but her expression only turned slightly unnatural after noticing the fatty's look.
"Brother Fatty, can you stop looking at me with such pity? It makes me a little uneasy. Has something happened?"
Liu Lan Ying's perceptiveness exceeded Fatty's imagination. Fatty dared not speak carelessly. If Ye Tian Cheng knew he had come to pressure Liu Lan Ying psychologically, Ye Tian Cheng would probably break his legs.
"It's nothing. No matter what difficulties arise, Brother Ye is here. You know how capable Brother Ye is; he can turn the clouds with a flip of his hand and the rain with another. He can definitely solve it. You just need to focus on recuperating."
Fatty's words were somewhat contradictory. Liu Lan Ying felt she had already recovered and was still wearing a blue and white striped patient gown. She quickly got out of bed.
"Brother Fatty, I won't accept that. Let me show you. I want to show you that I'm all better now, that I can walk and jump."
Perhaps having gone through the intensive care unit, she had gained a deeper appreciation for life. Liu Lan Ying knew life was fragile and thus cherished it even more.
She, who had always been steady, now displayed a rare bit of playfulness. Perhaps she had come to terms with things, believing happiness was paramount. Compared to happiness, any external possessions or temporary setbacks were fleeting and not worth dwelling on.
Liu Lan Ying busied herself for a while, feeling a bit tired, and sat on the hospital bed to rest. Seeing Liu Lan Ying like this, Fatty couldn't be happier.
Having seen Liu Lan Ying with tubes connected, breathing feebly in the ICU, Fatty knew how precious the healthy woman before him was. This preciousness was beyond words; it was a profound sense of relief.
"Alright, Village Chief Liu, you've just recovered from a serious illness. You must take good care of yourself. Even if not for yourself, you must consider everyone in the village. You are the hope of the entire village."
Liu Lan Ying smiled coyly and continued to eat the fruit on the plate. Meanwhile, Ye Tian Cheng, watching all this from outside the room and hearing the cheerful laughter within, suddenly felt it was all worth it.
For this rare peace, anything was worth it. What he wanted to protect was such peaceful and joyful days.
Ye Tian Cheng did not enter the room. Perhaps he was too burdened by his past, and with some lingering bruises and purplish marks on his body, if Liu Lan Ying saw them, she would worry terribly. Ye Tian Cheng chose to leave quietly.
He now had to keep an eye on Ouyang Xu Nuo. Knowing Ouyang Xu Nuo was planning trouble, he had to keep a close watch on him. If anything went wrong, it would ultimately lead to a major incident concerning Liu Lan Ying. Ye Tian Cheng felt he should handle things more thoroughly.
Upon arriving at Ouyang Xu Nuo's room, Ouyang Xu Nuo was fast asleep. Ye Tian Cheng was also very tired but forced himself to get up. He had stayed up all night the previous day, busy with Ouyang Xu Nuo's affairs. Now, the rescued person was sound asleep, while he, with matters weighing on his mind, couldn't sleep soundly and woke up quickly.
"Ouyang Xu Nuo, I know you weren't unconscious. I also know you did it deliberately, leaking your dark energy, just to put Liu Lan Ying in critical condition, to make us search for you, and to embarrass me?"
Ye Tian Cheng was furious. He remembered to clench his fists tightly and grit his teeth to ensure he didn't act impulsively.
"So you already know. Mr. Ye, it's actually better to keep pretending. It's quite awkward to expose everyone like this. Pretending not to know would be much easier."
Suddenly, Ouyang Xu Nuo opened his eyes. He no longer appeared as weak as he had pretended. His words were calm now, showing his true demeanor. There was a hint of hostility in his speech, which felt more real.
"I quite like this unreserved side of you. It's good. It's better than acting in front of me. I really hate it when people act in front of me. It gives me a headache. You should just be more genuine from now on."
Ye Tian Cheng disliked seeing the deliberate affectations put on in front of him. Over time, it not only made it difficult for him to distinguish truth from falsehood but also created a particularly nauseating feeling.
"I'm too lazy to act. I'll be honest with you. Liu Lan Ying's life is in my hands now. If she dies, I can preserve myself, though it will take some time for me to be reborn. But Liu Lan Ying's death will be permanent."
Ye Tian Cheng didn't understand the blood contract well. Previously, Lin Xue, who was knowledgeable in all matters, could be directly consulted for anything he didn't understand. But now that Lin Xue had chosen to slumber, Ye Tian Cheng had no one to ask. When something confused him, he felt helpless and could only guess.
Ye Tian Cheng was now unsure and held a skeptical attitude towards Ouyang Xu Nuo's statement, as this guy was cunning, and only half of what he said could be trusted.
No, perhaps not even half. That was the true cruelty. When communicating with this person, Ye Tian Cheng had to rely heavily on guesswork.
"I know you doubt my words. How about this, Mr. Ye? We're all staying in the same hospital, so it's easy for me to inquire. I've actually already asked. Miss Liu only recently came out of the ICU. You wouldn't want Miss Liu to be sent back to the ICU, would you?"
"You want to hurt Liu Lan Ying by hurting yourself? Are you crazy? You'd go to any lengths for this!"
Ye Tian Cheng's eyes turned red, wanting to roar, but he couldn't shout too loudly. He felt as if he were locked in a confined space, unable to roar out.
"What exactly do you want?"
"Don't try to throw me back into that dark forest again. I want a good life. I want to eat meat and fish."
Perhaps due to past suffering, he had developed some psychological trauma. Now, it was a retaliatory, or rather, a distorted psychology. He had to live a good life for a few days.
"Someone like you deserves a good life? Don't you feel guilty?"
Facing Ye Tian Cheng's questioning, Ouyang Xu Nuo merely scoffed and smiled. "I don't think so. Whatever life I have, it's through my own abilities. I don't think others can interfere with my affairs, nor should they."
Seeing Ouyang Xu Nuo's brazen attitude, Ye Tian Cheng was at a loss. It seemed this person was truly difficult to deal with, and he would have to put in more effort.
"Fine, what do you want? Can't I provide you with good food and drink? Just stop causing trouble and hurting yourself."
Ye Tian Cheng had to take a step back. To protect Liu Lan Ying's life now, he had to swallow his pride. If he relaxed even slightly, Ouyang Xu Nuo might cause more trouble.
"Okay, I need to live a good life."
Ouyang Xu Nuo wasn't hinting; he was stating it clearly. In this situation, Ye Tian Cheng could only endure and try to placate him.
"So, I should arrange for you to live in a villa, eating fresh seafood every day, with someone to give you massages, is that the life you want?"
Ye Tian Cheng said this sarcastically, but Ouyang Xu Nuo took it seriously and immediately rejected the suggestion.
"Someone as wicked as me, you probably wouldn't be willing to give such good treatment. I also feel there's no need to humiliate myself. I'll stay in the hospital, but I want to upgrade from a VIP ward to an intensive care unit."
This meant not only would the room be larger, but it would also come with a private living area. The intensive care unit would also have a dedicated nurse responsible for attending to this patient daily, which was top-tier treatment among patients.
"Alright, money is not an issue. If you're not satisfied with the meals in the intensive care unit, I can get you lobster or hairy crabs. But you must cooperate with me and not hurt yourself again."
Ye Tian Cheng said this on the surface, but in his heart, he had already decided to find a way to break the blood curse. Otherwise, he would always be threatened by Ouyang Xu Nuo, which was very vexing.
"I really like your current attitude. I know you, Boss Ye, are a man of integrity and won't stoop to the level of a small fry like me. You definitely won't trick me, but you'd better keep your word. I don't trust others much to begin with. If you trick me once, I fear we won't have a second chance to cooperate."
While speaking, the warm smile on his face suddenly turned cold and sinister. Even Ye Tian Cheng, who was already familiar with his true nature, couldn't help but feel a jolt in his heart, utterly terrified by him.
"You'd better not give me that sinister look. You know, Ouyang Xu Nuo, I don't have a good impression of you. I'm only being polite to you now out of necessity for a friend. Don't let my fists uncontrollably swing towards your face."
Ouyang Xu Nuo showed no fear towards Ye Tian Cheng's forced, gritted-teeth threat. Instead, he smiled with an innocent and pure expression.
"Heh heh, I know you're a rational person. You won't make such a low-level mistake. You can't, and you don't dare to."
This feeling of being controlled was truly unbearable. Ye Tian Cheng felt he couldn't hold on much longer but still forced himself to endure. For him, sometimes enduring personal hardship was unimportant; the most crucial thing was to protect those around him.
Ye Tian Cheng also forced out a smile. This happiness that didn't come from the heart was truly unsightly.
"Just treat it as being a distinguished guest and recuperate here. I will try my best to provide you with good living conditions. I also hope you understand one thing: the courtesy I show you is entirely because you are threatening my friend's life. You must know when to stop and not push things too far. If my friend suffers any mishap, I will not let you off."
With the words spoken so clearly, Ye Tian Cheng didn't need to elaborate further. Ouyang Xu Nuo's sinister expression barely ceased.
"Then I naturally understand."
He said so, but Ouyang Xu Nuo was not resigned. The brief time spent in the forest was an indelible nightmare for him. Ouyang Xu Nuo had silently记下了 this grudge.
He was never a magnanimous person, otherwise, he wouldn't have been infected by the dark energy. Now, he had directly become the source of the dark energy. To develop such a twisted mentality, like a gang leader, was absolutely not ordinary but extremely prominent.
"Good, I hope you can keep your word."
Perhaps because it was Ouyang Xu Nuo's room, the air was particularly stuffy. Ye Tian Cheng couldn't stand it any longer and quickly left to avoid further discomfort.