Hou Mingzhu was truly calculating. Knowing the current love triangle they were in, she insisted Ye Tiancheng be the one to demand money, clearly intending to make Ouyang Qianqian give up.
If that woman knew Ye Tiancheng was her man, Ouyang Qianqian would have no hope, no matter how much she desired him. At a critical moment, Ye Tiancheng could only side with Hou Mingzhu.
Not only would he not help Ouyang Qianqian, but he would also become her enemy, demanding compensation from her.
"Would it be alright for me to go? I know Miss Ouyang. Although we don't have much of a relationship, it feels a bit too much to abruptly demand money. Besides, twelve million yuan, considering the extent of our injuries, isn't that a bit too much?"
Ye Tiancheng's mere suggestion instantly angered Hou Mingzhu. She cried and shouted, accusing Ye Tiancheng of siding with outsiders, claiming his heart had already been stolen by another woman, and that he was constantly speaking up for Ouyang Qianqian.
Hou Mingzhu always exaggerated, calling Ye Tiancheng an ungrateful wretch, and all sorts of unpleasant words poured out.
Ye Tiancheng was at a loss. He truly couldn't stand Hou Mingzhu anymore, so he had to listen to her.
"Alright, Mingzhu, don't be angry or cry. I'll go and demand money from Miss Ouyang for you right now."
Seeing that Ye Tiancheng was quite sensible, Hou Mingzhu's tears came and went quickly. She wiped them away and looked at Ye Tiancheng seriously.
She even held Ye Tiancheng's hand and solemnly told him, "Ye Tiancheng, I'm counting on you this time. Twelve million yuan, not a single cent can be less. You must get it from the Ouyang family. I'll give you a big red envelope as a reward for helping me get compensation."
Hou Mingzhu's words were so naive. How could it be possible? Even if the Ouyang family was wealthy, they weren't foolish. It was just some minor abrasions.
Hou Mingzhu's injuries were too minor to even require hospitalization; a dab of ointment would suffice. Whether from a legal standpoint or a private settlement, extorting twelve million yuan was absolutely impossible. What a colossal sum that was.
Everyone understood the logic, but Ye Tiancheng dared not say it aloud. He could only offer an awkward smile, "I understand, I'll do my best."
Leaving Hou Mingzhu's ward, Ye Tiancheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. He felt as if he was about to suffocate from Hou Mingzhu's drama.
Marrying such a woman would surely mean not a moment of peace at home; she would likely treat him like a slave. Ye Tiancheng shuddered at the thought.
They had all been sent to the hospital together. Ouyang Qianqian's ward was very close to Hou Mingzhu's, just a few steps away.
Ye Tiancheng felt a bit anxious. He loitered at the ward door for a few minutes before knocking.
Fortunately, Ouyang Qianqian possessed the demeanor of a lady. She didn't kick Ye Tiancheng out immediately because he was Hou Mingzhu's fiancé. Instead, she politely invited Ye Tiancheng in.
"Brother Ye, let's talk inside."
Ye Tiancheng stood there, feeling awkward and out of place. Before he could speak, Ouyang Xunuo arrived with several subordinates, carrying fruit baskets and making a grand entrance.
As soon as Ouyang Xunuo entered, he threw a punch at Ye Tiancheng.
"You must be this brat. Your fiancée, your fiancée, beat up my sister. Your Hou family is good for nothing; you all deserve to die."
Ye Tiancheng was stunned by the blow. After a moment of recovery, he realized Ouyang Xunuo had categorized him as a member of the Hou family.
Ye Tiancheng felt a little wronged. He didn't want to be Hou Mingzhu's man; she was a shrew, and her actions had caused him to get beaten.
Ye Tiancheng was clearly innocent. Ouyang Qianqian quickly pulled her brother aside.
Ouyang Qianqian was still in her hospital gown. She was really going all out for Ye Tiancheng, hastily stopping her brother, fearing he might impulsively harm Ye Tiancheng.
Seeing his sister standing in front of Ye Tiancheng, with her arms outstretched, blocking Ouyang Xunuo and Ye Tiancheng, the Ouyang family's young master was unable to exact his revenge.
Ouyang Xunuo had always been dissatisfied with Ye Tiancheng because Ye Tiancheng had snatched his bride on his wedding day. Now, with old and new grievances to settle, he should have beaten Ye Tiancheng to death.
But his sister was siding with an outsider, which was a disgrace to the family.
"Qianqian, what are you thinking? Hanging out with this brat will corrupt you too. Come here to your brother."
"Brother, I can handle my own affairs. Thank you for visiting me, but please don't interfere too much."
Because Ouyang Xunuo had barely spoken a few words before punching Ye Tiancheng, Ouyang Qianqian was currently angry with her brother and naturally didn't show him a pleasant expression, only a cold one.
"Sigh, Qianqian, don't be fooled by this brat. Do you know he took your sister-in-law away at my wedding? This man is fickle and still entangled with your sister-in-law, and now he's clinging to the eldest daughter of the Hou family. How could you fall for such a shameless man?"
"Oh, brother, don't say such unpleasant things. Ye Tiancheng is quite good; he's not as bad as you say. Please leave now."
Clearly displeased by Ouyang Qianqian's dismissal, Ouyang Xunuo's expression soured. However, he couldn't do anything about his sister, after all, she was his full sister.
Ouyang Xunuo had also doted on his sister since childhood. He could only defer to her for now. "In any case, we won't let the Hou family off this time. If that woman dared to hurt my sister, I'll fight her to the death."
"Oh, brother, please don't bother. Didn't I tell you not to stir up trouble? I will handle my own matters."
As she spoke, Ouyang Qianqian pushed her brother out of the ward. Ouyang Xunuo could only leave reluctantly, of course, along with his entourage of followers.
"Thank you."
Ye Tiancheng felt this "thank you" was very necessary. Ouyang Qianqian, a woman still injured, stood in front of him at a crucial moment, proving she was a brave and good person.
As soon as Ye Tiancheng finished speaking, his nose started bleeding. He hadn't reacted when Ouyang Xunuo hit him, but now he suddenly had a nosebleed.
This startled Ouyang Qianqian. She quickly took out a first-aid kit to stop Ye Tiancheng's bleeding. After a while, they looked at each other and smiled, feeling a bit closer.
"By the way, Qianqian, I heard you were also injured. Are you alright? Brother Ye, don't worry. That woman Hou Mingzhu is no match for me. Although I look thin, I've practiced boxing for five years, and when I'm annoyed, I like to use my fists. Although I'm also injured, don't worry, they are all minor injuries."
After Ouyang Qianqian said a lot, she noticed Ye Tiancheng's troubled expression and realized he must have something difficult to say.
"Is there something you want to tell me?"
"Hou Mingzhu asked me to come and ask you for compensation. Twelve million yuan. I'm just relaying the message; I also think it's ridiculous."
"Ah, alright, twelve million yuan? Then let's set it at that amount. If you want to add more later, I might not agree. I'll have to re-evaluate."
Ye Tiancheng was surprised that Ouyang Qianqian agreed so readily. This was not a small sum. Even if the Ouyang family was wealthy, money wasn't spent like this.
"Miss Ouyang, did you perhaps mishear? I said twelve million yuan, not twelve hundred yuan. I think you should reconsider."
Ouyang Qianqian smiled calmly, "It's okay, it's okay, I heard you. I'm willing to pay twelve million yuan, but there's one condition: I want Hou Mingzhu to break off her engagement with you."
"Ah, Miss Ouyang, thank you, but our marriage isn't that easy to break off. Please don't waste your money."
"Mr. Ye, let me explain. I don't necessarily want to have you. My perspective isn't that narrow. I just hope to stay away from that savage woman, otherwise, your entire life will be unhappy."
Ouyang Qianqian presented a new challenge. Ye Tiancheng tried to persuade her for a long time but failed. He couldn't convey Ouyang Qianqian's intentions, which infuriated Hou Mingzhu.
"Twelve million yuan is indeed too much, which is why she deliberately proposed this condition. It probably has nothing to do with me. I want to discuss something with you: do you think we should slightly lower the compensation standard?"
"No way. Then let's go to court. Twelve million yuan to buy out my company? Truly shameless."
After being tormented by Hou Mingzhu, Ye Tiancheng received a call from Director Chen, asking him to return and complete his unfinished work.
The work still needed to be done. Ye Tiancheng had no choice but to go back and work overtime. The entire building was dark, with only the small office where Ye Tiancheng worked lit, appearing somewhat lonely.
As Ye Tiancheng was working, his phone suddenly rang. It was from Xiao Pang.
He heard that Xiao Pang was much better, but Ye Tiancheng hadn't had time to visit him. Now that the call had come, Ye Tiancheng had to answer to see what was happening.
"Brother Ye, how are you? Are you off work?"
"I'm working overtime. It's going smoothly. Don't worry about the medical expenses; I'll take care of them for you. My salary isn't low now, and everything at work is going well. I'll develop better and better in the future."
Ye Tiancheng said this so that Xiao Pang wouldn't worry. In reality, things weren't going that smoothly for him at the company, and he knew he wouldn't have much development in Hou Mingzhu's company, as she would restrict him.
"Brother Ye, I don't have anything else. I just watched the weather forecast. I'm fine in the ward, so I watch TV every day. The weather forecast says there will be cold air tomorrow, so you should wear more clothes. You were injured before, and your body is weak. Don't catch a cold."
It seemed his good friend was reliable. No one cared about him anymore, only his good friend remained. Ye Tiancheng gritted his teeth, holding back tears. A man shouldn't cry easily; it was too embarrassing.
"Little Fatty, you're so good. Alright, alright, I got it. You also take good care of yourself and recuperate in the hospital. Only when you're fully recovered can we brothers fight side by side."
Ye Tiancheng had never doubted this brotherhood. It was Xiao Pang who, during these most difficult times, if Ye Tiancheng hadn't continued to pay for his medical expenses, Fatty might have lost his life.
"Alright, Brother Ye, I always listen to you. Uh, I won't talk to you anymore. The nurse will come in soon and won't let me use my phone. I'm hanging up now."
"Little Fatty, you must pay attention to resting well. I also have a lot of official business to handle, so I'm busy."
"Then you be busy. I won't talk to you anymore. Brother Ye, we must both be safe."
After hanging up the phone, Ye Tiancheng felt a warmth spread through him. It seemed one truly had friends. With the encouragement of a friend, he felt much better and less depressed.