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Chapter Eight: The Bar Incident - Yang Yu Injured
At ten o'clock in the evening, Zhang Qiu was waiting at the entrance of Beiluan No. 1 High School. Cars were parked along both sides of the main road in front of the school, and groups of people were gathered outside the shops, chatting. An elderly man with gray hair stood under a streetlight, looking eagerly down the road, while a sharply dressed man stood beside his sedan, gazing upward. There were also casually dressed uncles smoking and chatting, comparing notes about their children. Women on electric vehicles scanned the surroundings, all sharing the common goal of welcoming their children home from school.
Zhang Qiu recalled countless times he had passed by the entrance of Beiluan No. 1 High School with Chen Kun, often with Chen Kun asking first, “What rank did your child get in this exam?”
Zhang Qiu would reply, “Second, not bad. How about your child?”
“First.”
After Chen Kun finished speaking, Zhang Qiu would laugh heartily with him without caring about the onlookers. Parents waiting nearby would then glance at the two young men and murmur, “We must make sure our children study hard; otherwise, they’ll end up like this, wandering around aimlessly.”
It seemed that he hadn’t contacted Chen Kun in a long time; he had been busy with club activities and rarely sent messages on QQ. He didn’t even know if Chen Kun would return home for May Day. Zhang Qiu took out his phone to message Chen Kun when suddenly two hands covered his eyes from behind, and a sweet voice rang in his ear: “Guess who I am?”
Zhang Qiu grasped the soft hands gently and replied, “I guess it must be my wife.”
“Hehe, what are you doing? Playing with your phone so seriously.”
Jiang Xue had already moved to stand in front of Zhang Qiu, ready to head home with him. Zhang Qiu took Jiang Xue's bag and slung it over his shoulder as they walked, saying, “I haven’t contacted Chen Kun in a while; I should reach out.”
The name Chen Kun was very familiar to Jiang Xue, and she casually asked, “May Day is coming soon; is he coming home?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out.”
Zhang Qiu picked up his phone to continue messaging. Just as his phone touched the screen, a string of numbers popped up. Seeing it was Rui Rui’s number made Zhang Qiu think something might have happened at the bar, so he quickly pressed to answer.
“Zhang Qiu! Where are you? Something happened at the bar!”
Rui Rui shouted anxiously on the other end of the line. Zhang Qiu's mind went blank for a moment as he immediately asked, “What happened? How is Yang Yu? Is he okay?”
"I got a bit hurt, but don't worry, it's not serious." Rui Rui paused for a moment before continuing, "The bar is quite chaotic right now. Can you come over?"
"Okay, I'll be there right away."
Zhang Qiu hung up the phone and took Jiang Xue's hand to leave. Realizing something significant had happened, Jiang Xue hurriedly asked Zhang Qiu, "What happened?"
"There's been an incident at the bar. I need to go check it out."
"You go ahead; I'll head home by myself."
Zhang Qiu pressed Jiang Xue into the back seat of the Electric Vehicle, insisting, "We're going together. I can't leave you alone."
Jiang Xue felt warmth in her heart and nodded, quietly wrapping her arms around Zhang Qiu's waist. Throughout the ride, Jiang Xue didn't say a word; she understood that what her man needed at this moment was not comfort, but silence.
From Beiluan High School to White Day Fire usually took just a few minutes. However, due to the school dismissal rush, it took them ten minutes to arrive at their destination, where two security staff were already waiting.
Standing outside, it was clear that today's White Day Fire was different from yesterday. The parking lot was empty, and the lobby was pitch black, illuminated only by the beams of a few mobile phone flashlights scanning back and forth. Zhang Qiu tightened his grip on Jiang Xue's hand and shouted at the entrance, "Yang Yu, Rui Rui, come out!"
As soon as Zhang Qiu finished speaking, two beams of light approached him. When they reached the entrance, Zhang Qiu recognized their faces. Yang Yu's hair was disheveled, his face covered in sweat, his clothes torn with several rips, and there was blood on his arm. Rui Rui appeared uninjured but looked visibly shaken.
Seeing the injury on Yang Yu's arm filled Zhang Qiu with anger as he shouted, "Who did this?"
"Fatty's people."
Zhang Qiu was taken aback and asked, "Lu Bin?"
"That's right." Yang Yu nodded while recalling the events. The leader had clearly shouted when they attacked: "You think you're tough? Smash everything! A private room costs a thousand; a chandelier five hundred; a counter three hundred. Brothers, smash it! Master Lu's money is ready; we just need you brothers to return victorious." Yang Yu remembered that voice distinctly.
Zhang Qiu wore a serious expression; he never expected Lu Bin's retaliation to come so quickly. The person who had been so scared that he knelt on the ground and almost bowed his head in submission had suddenly become so fierce, daring to bring people to cause trouble. The more Zhang Qiu thought about it, the more suspicious he felt. Even if they were causing trouble, he could understand that, but who were these people? Did Lu Bin really have such power in Beilan County? Did he bring people from the city?
Unable to make sense of these matters, Zhang Qiu decided to put them aside for now. He looked at Yang Yu's bleeding arm and called out, "All injured Brothers come over." He then took out the bank card given to him by Biao Ge and slapped it into Yang Yu's hand, saying seriously, "Take the Brothers to the hospital and get those wounds treated. We can't let them get infected."
"Wait!" Rui Rui stepped forward to stop Zhang Qiu. "You can't let them go to the hospital. With so many people having knife wounds, the hospital staff will call the police, and that would be a big problem."
"They still need to go; we can't just leave the Brothers like this!"
Zhang Qiu's tone was firm and brooked no argument. Rui Rui had already regained her composure from the panic and was trying her best to dissuade Zhang Qiu. She knew the consequences of going to the hospital; it could be more serious than being injured. Not only would those hurt be in danger, but it could also implicate their organization.
"Listen to me, let's go to the hospital and handle it in batches at different hospitals."
Zhang Qiu could not allow the Brothers to remain injured like this. Although he didn't know some of them personally and hadn't fought alongside them, they were all family now. As someone responsible for managing this place, he had to fulfill his obligations. Zhang Qiu roughly estimated that only a dozen or so Brothers were injured, and there were three large hospitals in the county town, along with a maternal and child health hospital and a traditional Chinese medicine hospital. If they went in batches, they should be able to avoid alerting the authorities.
"Zhang Qiu, you can't make decisions on your own!"
Rui Rui ran in front of Zhang Qiu to block him. Looking at Rui Rui with her arms spread wide like an eagle protecting its territory, Zhang Qiu suddenly felt dazed; she seemed different from the girl with beautiful golden curls who had leaned against the bar and flirted with him.
"Listen to me; I've already notified Biao Ge. He'll be here soon, and our organization's doctor will come as well." Rui Rui seemed to realize her earlier outburst and adjusted her tone, patiently explaining to Zhang Qiu.
Internally conflicted, Rui Rui didn't want to go against Zhang Qiu's wishes, but she couldn't let him act recklessly. Zhang Qiu had only just arrived at White Day Fire a short while ago; she had been there for three years. Although this was her first encounter with such a serious situation, injuries within their organization were common. They rarely went public with hospital visits; their own doctors usually handled things.
"Don't act impulsively; since a doctor is coming, you can relax." Jiang Xue stepped forward to comfort Zhang Qiu. She noticed that in this bar, this girl who openly competed with her for Zhang Qiu held considerable power. Moreover, she was not without reason; such injuries indeed weren't suitable for a hospital visit. Zhang Qiu's impulsiveness was merely a result of anger clouding his judgment.
"Brother Qiu, since a doctor is coming, you can rest assured; besides, our injuries aren't that severe." Yang Yu grinned as he tried to reassure Zhang Qiu. The pain from his arm wound throbbed intensely, especially when sweat dripped onto it—it felt like fire. Unfortunately, it was hot outside, and someone had smashed the air conditioning in the bar. Without air conditioning or even lights left intact, White Day Fire had completely extinguished.
"Alright." Zhang Qiu shook his head vigorously; seeing Yang Yu injured caused his mind to short-circuit completely—rationality vanished entirely. He kept reminding himself that no matter what happened, he needed to stay calm; that was essential for someone who aimed to achieve great things. Stay calm—he had to stay calm. While trying to steady himself, Zhang Qiu took out his phone and called Wang Jinghan.
“Zhang Qiu? Why are you calling me so late? Is there something going on, or do you want to know the answer from this afternoon?”
“There is something. Are you at the hospital or at home? You sound like you’re sleeping.” Zhang Qiu detected a hint of fatigue in Wang Jinghan's voice, but the Brothers were bleeding, and he had to act. Although Dr. Rui would be coming, Zhang Qiu still felt uneasy. He had never encountered such a situation and didn’t know when the doctor would arrive. What if the doctor took too long? It was better to ask Wang Jinghan; she was a nurse and had a special relationship with him, capable of helping bandage the Brothers while keeping his secret.
“You’re quite perceptive; I am sleeping. I assisted the doctor in surgery this afternoon and stood for three whole hours. Even though I was just wiping sweat for the doctor, it was exhausting.” As Wang Jinghan groggily recalled Zhang Qiu's question about whether she was at the hospital or at home, she suddenly woke up and shouted, “Zhang Qiu, nothing happened to you, right? Where are you?”
“Don’t worry, I’m fine. It’s just that my Brothers are injured—over ten of them—with knife wounds. It’s inconvenient to go to the hospital. Can you come over and help bandage them?”
“Sure! Where are you? I’ll head over right away!”
“White Day Fire. I’ll wait for you; be careful.”
“Okay!”
Wang Jinghan took off her coat draped over her shoulders, removed her nurse uniform, and changed into her sportswear. A colleague nearby was stirred awake by Wang Jinghan's movements and rubbed their eyes, asking, “Jinghan, it’s rare that there’s nothing going on tonight. Aren’t you going to sleep for a bit? Where are you off to so late?”
“I have something to take care of. Just keep an eye on things for a while; call me if anything comes up.”
Wang Jinghan's colleague responded with an “mm,” watching as she emerged from the pharmacy with a medical kit in hand. Before they could ask her anything further, Wang Jinghan's figure blurred as she left, and they drifted back into sleep once more.
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