Chapter 71: Gao Qi’s Situation

  Zhang Yang quickly ran up to the fourth floor and found Gao Qi squatting in the stairwell corner, crying so hard she could barely breathe, clutching her phone. Zhang Yang hurriedly picked her up and asked anxiously, “What happened?”

  “My dad… my dad was beaten badly… he’s in critical condition and being rescued at Zhongshan Hospital…” She threw herself into Zhang Yang’s arms, tears streaming down her face. “Zhang Yang, you… you’re the only one who can save him.”

  Zhang Yang frowned. Her father went on a trip to the Maldives and wasn’t supposed to return until the day after tomorrow. How could he suddenly be in critical condition?

  But there was no time to ask. He carried her downstairs while comforting her, “Don’t panic. Let’s go to Zhongshan Hospital first and see what’s going on.”

  Gao Qi’s crying startled Xu Danlu, who had been resting. Hearing what happened, she immediately joined Zhang Yang and rushed to Zhongshan Hospital.

  Along the way, Gao Qi only cried. Zhang Yang and Xu Danlu could only keep comforting her. When they arrived at the hospital, Zhang Yang finally learned that the person who called Gao Qi was He Shan from the reception desk—and the father she spoke of was actually He Shan’s father.

  What shocked Zhang Yang even more was that Gao Qi, He Shan, and He Mei—the one who was raped by Bai Liangfeng and jumped off the building—were biological sisters. He Mei was Gao Qi’s real younger sister, but since their family was poor when they were young, Gao Qi had been adopted by Gao Wen and his wife, the owners of Qingyuan Hotel.

  Zhang Yang finally understood why Gao Qi had been so obsessed with avenging He Mei—it all made sense now.

  From the doctor and He Shan, Zhang Yang learned that Gao Qi’s biological father, He Ting, had been surrounded and beaten by a group of unidentified men at his usual street stall.

  His injuries were extremely severe—cranial trauma, a fractured right arm, two broken ribs, a shattered left foot, and chest cavity infection due to foreign object intrusion.

  The attack happened in broad daylight—seven or eight men beating a nearly sixty-year-old man. Onlookers didn’t dare intervene since the attackers carried machetes. Judging from He Ting’s injuries, their methods were brutal.

  If a patrol team hadn’t happened to pass by, He Ting would’ve been dead already.

  Witnesses said the attackers were incredibly arrogant, shouting that even if they killed him, they’d only get five years at most. The incident occurred near Qianshui Street.

  After more than six hours of emergency surgery, He Ting was transferred to the ICU, but he was still in critical condition.

  Outside the ICU, Zhang Yang glanced in and suddenly realized that He Ting looked familiar.

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  A spark flashed in his mind—he remembered this was the same old man he had saved at Deyuan Building that day. Back then, the man was being beaten by four or five security guards, and he and Qiao Xier had stepped in.

  He Ting? The old man? Deyuan Building… the Bai family!

  This had to be related to the Bai family! Zhang Yang clenched his fists tightly, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes.

  Zhang Yang told Xu Danlu to withdraw 200,000 yuan to cover Gao Qi’s medical expenses, then pulled her and He Shan aside to ask, “Did your father get beaten by the security guards at Deyuan Building a while ago?”

  Gao Qi looked surprised and nodded. “How do you know about that?”

  Zhang Yang glanced at her and didn’t answer directly. “So your father went to Deyuan Building to demand justice for He Mei, right?”

  Gao Qi nodded. “Every year on my sister’s death anniversary, my dad goes to Bai Group’s gate to demand an explanation. But their power is too great. My adoptive father keeps telling us it’s pointless to fight them—it’s just a waste of time and energy. My dad wouldn’t listen. He was already beaten once, but a kind passerby saved him.”

  “So, if we make a reasonable guess, your father’s protest at Deyuan Building last time embarrassed the Bai family, and now they took revenge. How likely does that sound?”

  “No need to guess. My dad’s a simple, honest man with no enemies. Only the Bai family would do something this cruel.” Gao Qi’s eyes glimmered with barely contained hatred.

  Zhang Yang nodded, held her in his arms, patted her back gently, and said softly, “I’ll get to the bottom of this. No matter who’s behind it, I promise—they’ll pay tenfold, a hundredfold.”

  Zhang Yang had Xu Danlu stay with Gao Qi and her sister. Still uneasy, he called Li Jindong to come to the hospital and help watch over them before leaving himself.

  It was already ten at night. Zhang Yang took out his phone and called Qiao Xier.

  Qiao Xier sounded half-asleep and annoyed. “Why aren’t you home? And why are you calling so late? Don’t you think your sister needs sleep?”

  Zhang Yang frowned. “Have you been drinking?”

  Qiao Xier paused for a moment before curiously asking, “How did you know?”

  “How did I know? I’ve known you long enough. You’ve only drunk three times, and every time your throat gets raspy afterward. You sound exactly like that now. You think I can’t tell?” Zhang Yang paused, then asked, “Are you hiding something from me?”

  Qiao Xier was silent for a bit before cursing, “Idiot. Fine, tell me—what’s so urgent you had to call me this late?”

  “Lend me a million. I need it right now.” Zhang Yang said after a short pause.

  Qiao Xier froze. Then Zhang Yang heard her rustling as she got dressed. “Zhang Yang, are you in trouble?”

  “No, not me. A friend’s seriously ill and in surgery. We’re short on money.” Hearing the concern in her voice made Zhang Yang feel guilty—she probably thought he was in danger.

  “Oh, I see. One million, right? Give me your account number—actually, never mind. Where are you? I’ll bring it myself.”

  “Senior, you forgot you’ve been drinking?” Zhang Yang sighed. “It’s late. I don’t want you going out alone.”

  There was a pause on the other end, then Qiao Xier muttered, “Hmph, you underestimate me. Fine, I’ll take June and Senior Tian with me.”

  “No need. I’ll be back before midnight.” Zhang Yang thought it over—he couldn’t let her get involved in this mess.

  Qiao Xier snorted a few times before grumbling, “Fine, whatever. I won’t meddle in your crap. Send me the account number.”

  After hanging up, Zhang Yang texted her his bank account number.

  Less than ten minutes later, he received a message from the bank—one million yuan transferred. Zhang Yang stared blankly at his phone, wondering how she’d managed that so fast.

  Pocketing his card, Zhang Yang hailed a taxi straight to Qianshui Street—where the nightlife was just getting started.

  Neon lights filled the streets, packed with people. Thugs with cigarettes in their mouths roamed arm-in-arm with scantily clad girls, swaggering between pool halls and bars.

  Near a small convenience store, two punks with ear piercings, nose hooks, and dyed green hair were chatting with a blond thug whose right elbow moved awkwardly.

  One of the green-haired punks pulled out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, offered one to the blond, and leaned in to light it with his lighter.

  But before the flame even sparked, the cigarette was suddenly gone—snatched right out of the blond’s mouth.

  One punk turned around, furious, to see a tall, handsome young man with a scholarly air standing behind them. The cigarette meant for the blond was now held delicately between his fingers.

  “You looking to die, asshole?” The punk exploded instantly, raising his hand to punch the man.

  But before he could even swing, the blond thug slapped him hard across the face.

  “Fuck! Who the hell do you think you’re talking to? Are you blind?” The blond punched the green-haired punk again, then smiled obsequiously at the young man. “Brother Zhang, what brings you here?”

  Zhang Yang rubbed his dry lips, glanced at the neon-lit street, and said coolly, “I’m looking for Chen Tianxiong.”

  Chen Tianxiong was the real name of Ah Gou’s boss, Brother Xiong. Li Jindong had told him before. Zhang Yang remembered that when they fought at Qianshui Street last time, that was the name the guy reported—whether it was real or not, he’d soon find out.