Chapter 597 - 514: The Self-Injury Ploy
Chapter 597: Chapter 514: The Self-Injury Ploy
Xiao Man examined Lu Jian Country’s injuries and took his pulse. As she pieced together what had happened, she felt a profound sympathy for Yang Liu’er. ’To think she’s lived two lives and still can’t escape the traps of manipulative men. Last life, it was Bai Junfan. This life, it’s Lu Jian Country. This Lu Jian Country seems a cut above the last one; Yang Liu’er is undoubtedly caught firmly in his grasp.’
Her ex-boyfriend and her current husband got into a fight. In her heart, her ex clearly held a more important position, yet Yang Liu’er had still sided with her husband. She’d even abandoned her ex, who was tied up with the police, and run off crying and shouting with her new man!
Bai Junfan had spotted Lu Jian Country and Yang Liu’er near an overpass. The two of them were strolling leisurely along the sidewalk, talking and laughing, their faces bright with joy. When a bicycle sped past, Lu Jian Country reached out and pulled Yang Liu’er into his arms to protect her. Yang Liu’er didn’t think anything of it, not showing the slightest bit of shyness or embarrassment. Once the bicycle was gone, she stepped out of his embrace and continued telling him funny stories from school. Neither of them had any idea that Bai Junfan was following them in his car. Seeing their intimacy, his entire face darkened. Danger was approaching!
Bai Junfan parked his car, ran up behind them, and snarled through gritted teeth, "Lu Jian Country!" Lu Jian Country didn’t turn around immediately. Instead, he pushed Yang Liu’er to the side before turning halfway and raising a hand to block a vicious incoming punch. By then, Yang Liu’er had also seen Bai Junfan. This was the exact scene she feared most: two men fighting over her!
Yang Liu’er’s mind went blank for a moment. Then, without hesitation, she threw herself at Bai Junfan, trying to stop him from swinging while screaming at the top of her lungs. She hoped to attract a crowd of onlookers, and better yet, a patrolling police officer. That way, Lu Jian Country would be relatively safe!
It wasn’t that she was wholly on Lu Jian Country’s side and didn’t care if Bai Junfan lived or died. In her subconscious, Bai Junfan practiced Ancient Martial Arts and had been to war; he was an incredibly formidable person whom ordinary people couldn’t harm. Lu Jian Country, on the other hand, had just recovered from his injuries and was, at best, physically weaker than average. He stood no chance against Bai Junfan. Therefore, she had to protect Lu Jian Country. No matter what, she couldn’t let him get hurt again!
As expected, Bai Junfan was worried about hurting Yang Liu’er. He stopped chasing Lu Jian Country and instead grabbed Yang Liu’er, pulling her into his arms. He looked up and glared at Lu Jian Country, cursing him as a beast. "Liu’er was staying at your house! She respected you and called you Brother Lu, and I considered you a friend! But what did you do? Who gave you permission to lay your hands on Liu’er? You don’t mess with a friend’s woman, don’t you understand that principle? You deserve to die!"
Lu Jian Country watched Bai Junfan calmly and replied, "I wouldn’t dare aspire to be your friend. Yang Liu’er is my, Lu Jian Country’s, wife. We were properly and officially married, with the neighbors as witnesses and a marriage certificate issued by the Civil Affairs Bureau! Young Master Bai, you can let go of my wife now. Otherwise, I’ll take you to court and sue you for disrupting a legal marriage and family!"
The consequences of these words were predictable. Bai Junfan found confirmation in Yang Liu’er’s expression. Shocked and enraged, his bloodshot eyes welled up with tears. He shook Yang Liu’er forcefully and demanded hoarsely, "Why?" Seeing Bai Junfan’s heartbreak, Yang Liu’er felt an inexplicable pang of pity. With tears streaming down her face, she couldn’t answer. Lu Jian Country rushed forward to protect her, and the two men inevitably started fighting again.
Driven mad with fury, Bai Junfan looked at Lu Jian Country as if he were already a dead man. Lu Jian Country had no strength to fight back, letting Bai Junfan punch and kick him. He only retreated toward the edge of the road. Soon, Bai Junfan sent him flying with a kick that knocked him off the roadside embankment. It was a sloped greenbelt under construction, connecting to the overpass, with bricks and stones piled everywhere. Lu Jian Country tumbled down over the rocks and rubble, rolling all the way to the bottom of the dry bridge, where he lay motionless!
Yang Liu’er covered her mouth in terror. When she came to her senses, she let out another cloud-piercing scream. By now, a crowd of people was running over. Bai Junfan didn’t care whether Lu Jian Country was dead or alive; he just wanted to take Yang Liu’er with him. But she refused to let him near, picking up a rock from the ground and throwing it at him. She pointed at him and shouted to the gathering crowd:
"This man is a robber! He tried to steal from me and hurt my family! Please, someone help! Call the police! Have them arrest him!"
Officers from the police station arrived after receiving the call. The crowd worked together to carry Lu Jian Country back up. Without giving Bai Junfan a single glance, Yang Liu’er followed the helpful bystanders and took Lu Jian Country to the nearby De Ren Hospital. He woke up shortly after they entered the emergency room. The doctor’s diagnosis was "temporary shock due to excessive blood loss."
As it happened, Sun Yiming was making his rounds in the emergency department. Yang Liu’er grabbed him and insisted he take a closer look at Lu Jian Country. After examining him, Sun Yiming told her frankly, "It’s just some external injuries, nothing too serious. Take some anti-inflammatory medicine, go home, and he’ll be fine in a few days. He doesn’t need to be hospitalized."
Yang Liu’er was very unhappy. She thought Sun Yiming’s attitude was terrible and that he was just brushing her off. ’How can it not be serious? He lost so much blood he went into shock!’
Xiao Man lit a mental candle for Sun Yiming. She looked with a faint smile at Lu Jian Country, whose head was wrapped in several layers of gauze, with square patches on both cheeks. Lu Jian Country blinked at her furiously. He could clearly speak, but he pretended his cheeks were too injured to open his mouth, only making muffled "Mmm, uh, uh" sounds. This won him even more of Yang Liu’er’s sympathy and pity. In the end, she didn’t even try to make him talk, simply guessing his needs and acting on his behalf.
’This man was really going all out to trick his wife into his grasp!’
Bai Junfan practiced Ancient Martial Arts and was skilled, but was Lu Jian Country really a weakling? The last time Xiao Man had treated his leg injury, she had detected a powerful internal energy within him. She knew this man was also a Martial Artist. He just hid his abilities well and never mentioned which school or style he belonged to.
To suffer such a crushing defeat at Bai Junfan’s hands yet protect himself from any serious injury clearly demonstrated his power.
Lu Jian Country let out another series of mumbles at Yang Liu’er. Her IQ seemed to drop several points on the spot. She spent a long time using hand gestures to ask him questions before finally determining that he was hungry and wanted porridge. She quickly asked Xiao Man to watch him for a moment while she rushed downstairs to buy some.
Xiao Man almost cried from laughing. She said to Lu Jian Country, "Don’t tell me Liu’er thinks you’ve been beaten deaf and dumb? She’s even using sign language. I’d love to see how long you can keep this act up, Brother Lu."
Lu Jian Country covered the left corner of his mouth with one hand and whispered, "I’m not acting. It really hurts!"
"Is that so? I’m very curious how you got these injuries. This pity play of yours is really one for the books!"
"Who said it was a pity play? That place was high, steep, and dangerous. If Bai Junfan hadn’t kicked me, I wouldn’t have been willing to roll down there."
"If you hadn’t hidden your strength and pretended to be beaten so badly that you tumbled down the embankment, would that silly sister of mine have protected you like that? Women sympathize with the weak. You played the victim card quite well."
"Hiss... it really does hurt!" Lu Jian Country sucked in a sharp breath. The expression he made as he cupped his face and furrowed his brow was utterly ridiculous. "Manman, for Weiwei’s sake, can you keep this a secret for Brother Lu, please? I heard from Shaojun that he used up that Chicken Blood Jade of yours for something. Brother Lu will look around and find you a top-quality one to replace it."
"Alright. Since you’re bribing me, I guess I have no choice but to agree!" Xiao Man’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled with pure, innocent charm.
Lu Jian Country: "..."
’This little girl’s heart is in the right place, but she’s as cunning as they come. This mix of righteous and mischievous is the hardest to deal with. Ugh, what a headache.’