Clang.
The moment the private room door was opened, Lin Xiao Tian was utterly speechless.
It truly was like the unfortunate mother giving birth to an unfortunate child, an epitome of bad luck.
Now that Zhao Man saw the scene before her, wouldn't she lose her mind?
As it turned out, she did.
When Zhao Man opened the door and saw Lin Xiao Tian holding Xia Qing Ling's hands, and Xia Qing Ling's face contorted in pain, Zhao Man was on the verge of going mad.
Worst of all, Xia Qing Ling let out a pitiful moan at this very moment, clearly from the pain of the needles inserted into her.
"Auntie, I..."
Before Lin Xiao Tian could even explain, Zhao Man lunged forward.
"You beast, how dare you... how dare you do this to my daughter!"
Before Zhao Man's words even finished, her hands lashed out.
A woman's maternal instinct is fierce. Though Zhao Man appeared frail, her strength at this moment far surpassed her usual limits.
"Auntie, please calm down, let me explain. I haven't done anything to Qing Ling, I'm saving her right now!"
But Zhao Man refused to listen to Lin Xiao Tian's explanation.
"You dare lie to me? Do you take me for a fool? To think the old man trusted you so much, only for you to do something like this?"
"Lin, I will make you pay a terrible price!"
Seeing that explanation was futile, Lin Xiao Tian hardened his resolve, deciding to stop explaining and focus on administering the needles.
Just two more needles and Xia Qing Ling would fully regain consciousness, and he could then clear his name.
At this moment, with two women present, Lin Xiao Tian held one hand steadying Xia Qing Ling to prevent her from thrashing about, while his other hand was being pulled by Zhao Man, making even a slight movement incredibly difficult.
Yet, despite this, Lin Xiao Tian gritted his teeth, broke free from Zhao Man's grasp, and inserted the second needle.
Mm...
Xia Qing Ling let out a muffled groan, clearly in pain.
However, the effect of this needle was also significant. Xia Qing Ling's eyes became more focused, indicating she was regaining consciousness.
Lin Xiao Tian raised his hand, preparing to insert the final, crucial needle.
"Animal, what have you done? Stop it!"
Hearing her daughter's groan, Zhao Man assumed Lin Xiao Tian was torturing Xia Qing Ling, and her anger intensified.
The usually well-mannered family matriarch was now completely devoid of her usual grace.
Lin Xiao Tian saw Zhao Man pick up an object from the table, ready to attack him.
It was a vase. He wasn't made of adamantium; if it hit him, he'd surely end up bleeding profusely.
But at this critical juncture of administering the needle, he couldn't spare the energy to deal with Zhao Man, as he still had to restrain Xia Qing Ling.
As the vase was about to fall, Lin Xiao Tian raised his right hand, intending to block it.
Clink!
The vase shattered directly onto Lin Xiao Tian's arm, breaking into pieces.
A sharp pain shot through his arm, and a trickle of crimson blood began to drip from it.
Zhao Man was startled by the sight. She had never even killed a chicken in her life. Seeing the blood on Lin Xiao Tian's arm, she froze for a few seconds.
It was precisely these few seconds that gave Lin Xiao Tian a chance to breathe.
Ignoring the intense pain in his arm, Lin Xiao Tian administered the needle again, hitting the final acupoint.
In just a moment, Xia Qing Ling let out a sigh.
"Hiss... it hurts." Xia Qing Ling's voice finally sounded normal.
Soon, she saw Lin Xiao Tian before her.
She had been conscious before, but the effects of the medicine had rendered her unable to speak. Now, seeing Lin Xiao Tian's hand covered in overflowing blood, she looked frightened.
"Lin Xiao Tian, are... are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just lost a little blood. Consider it a donation." Lin Xiao Tian forced a smile. "What about you? Are you feeling better now?"
"Mhm!" Xia Qing Ling nodded. "Thank you just now for..."
Xia Qing Ling wanted to thank Lin Xiao Tian for saving her, but the next second, she was stunned by what happened before her eyes.
Bang!
A loud sound echoed.
Immediately after, countless shards of glass scattered.
Xia Qing Ling's eyes widened. She watched as the glass vase exploded on Lin Xiao Tian's head.
"Lin... Lin Xiao Tian!"
Xia Qing Ling screamed with all her might.
But she hadn't fully recovered, and her voice was weak, completely unable to match the sound of shattering glass.
"Hiss..." Lin Xiao Tian touched his head.
Without needing to be told, he knew who had done it.
And at this very moment, the perpetrator had already moved past Lin Xiao Tian and was by Xia Qing Ling's side.
"Qing Ling, are you alright? My dear daughter, Mom is late."
Zhao Man's eyes were red, her face filled with self-reproach.
She shielded Xia Qing Ling behind her, then looked at Lin Xiao Tian with vigilance.
Xia Qing Ling behind her wanted to explain, but she was too weak now to muster any strength.
There was nothing to be done. The effects of the Aphrodisiac were still present. Lin Xiao Tian's actions had only suppressed its impact on her consciousness. To truly cure it, medicinal assistance was required.
Of course, if it were done in another way, she wouldn't feel any weakness at all right now.
"Lin Xiao Tian, I advise you to leave now. Otherwise, even if it costs me my life, I won't let you off lightly!" Zhao Man was like a bristling cat.
But Lin Xiao Tian merely touched his head and said calmly,
"Auntie, you've truly misunderstood."
"Get out!"
"Don't worry, I'll leave immediately. However, don't pull out the needles in Qing Ling's body easily. Otherwise, my blood will have been shed in vain. It's okay if you don't believe me, but have someone else take a look, and you'll understand me soon enough."
Seeing that Zhao Man was still acting aggressively, Lin Xiao Tian decided not to make a fool of himself any further and turned to leave the private room.
After leaving the room, Lin Xiao Tian found the hotel's restroom to wash up, as his arm was now covered in blood.
As he was halfway through washing, a surprised voice called out from behind him.
"Boss Lin?"
Lin Xiao Tian turned around and saw that the speaker was none other than Zeng Yue, the head chef of Jinyuan Grand Hotel.
"Oh my, Boss Lin, what happened to you? Why are you covered in blood?"
Zeng Yue looked genuinely worried.
He recalled the past: when Lin Xiao Tian first arrived and came to the hotel to sell fish, Zeng Yue, looking down on him as a country bumpkin, had tried to dismiss him without a second glance.
But now, where was Zeng Yue's past arrogance?
At this moment, Zeng Yue addressed him as "Boss Lin" with such familiarity.
"I just tripped and fell, it's nothing." Lin Xiao Tian grinned.
"You're bleeding, how can it be nothing? Boss Lin, wait here, I'll get someone for you."
Zeng Yue finished speaking and rushed out without looking back, impossible to call him back.
A short while later, Zeng Yue returned, but this time, he was accompanied by Xue Zi Yan.