Chapter 161: She’s Mine, I’ll Protect Her

Jiangzhou City First People’s Hospital.

Orthopedics Ward 315.

Hu Gugu looked helplessly at his mother and said, “Mom, can you watch less gossip dramas for once?”

“There’s really nothing going on between us!”

“I don’t believe it.” Lin Fang, sitting on a chair, moved aside the fruit basket next to her.

Then she picked out a banana, peeling it as she spoke:

“Our district courtyard isn’t that big.”

“We pretty much know all the gossip among you younger folks.”

“For example, the daughter of Director Yang from the Agricultural Research Institute likes the son of the library director. She’s been trying to get her father to go over and ask on her behalf.”

“Too bad that boy already has a girlfriend from college.”

“Then there’s your Uncle Chen’s son—he’s had his eyes on Yao Yao for years.”

“But that Yao Yao girl’s been smitten with Li Mingwei all along.”

“Recently I heard that Li Mingwei found someone new. Your Uncle Chen’s son was so happy—he nearly set off fireworks at home.”

At this point,

Lin Fang tossed the banana peel into the nearby trash can and continued:

“That girl just now, Jiang Ning, right?”

“She’s the one that punk Li Mingwei likes, isn’t she?”

“Really is a beauty…”

Faced with his gossipy mother, Hu Gugu was completely powerless.

Honestly, his own playful personality probably came from her too—

She just never admitted it.

“Mom, your son got beat up this badly, and you’re not even worried.”

“Now you’re busy gossiping about someone else’s business?”

“That’s different.” Lin Fang shook her head, picked a few dates from the fruit basket,

rubbed them on her clothes.

“The person who beat you up—your mother will deal with him.”

“But that doesn’t stop me from enjoying a bit of gossip.”

With that,

Lin Fang bit into a date.

The unexpected sweetness lit up her expression.

“These dates are good!”

“Sweet.”

“If my son could find a wife who’s this sweet and pretty, that’d be perfect.”

To this,

Hu Gugu could only roll his eyes.

Just then,

the figure who had left moments earlier unexpectedly returned to the doorway.

“Hero, you…”

“Auntie, I’d like to talk to Gugu alone for a bit.”

“Would you mind…”

Before Jiang Ning could finish speaking,

Lin Fang immediately stood up from her chair,

smirking strangely:

“Of course not.”

“I was just starting to get annoyed looking at this kid.”

“I’ll go get some air.”

With that, she left the ward without looking back.

Jiang Ning looked puzzled.

“Your mom?”

“Oh… she’s having withdrawal symptoms.”

“Huh?”

“From a drug called Korean drama.”

Jiang Ning: “……”

After a moment,

Hu Gugu stared wide-eyed in shock at the beautiful girl before him.

“What?”

“That was your friend?!”

“But, she…”

Jiang Ning sighed softly, already knowing what Hu Gugu was about to say.

“I just found out too.”

“Wait, your friend beat that guy up…”

“Why?”

Hu Gugu was full of confusion.

If it was about revenge, it seemed like the other guy got hit first last night.

And he himself was beaten up a full ten minutes after that.

“You guys have a grudge?”

“Something like that.”

Jiang Ning didn’t plan to explain her history with Luo Chengming.

Especially since most of the feud came from a past life.

“So what are you planning to do?”

“I want to protect my friend.”

Hu Gugu understood what Jiang Ning meant.

Don’t be fooled by how calm things looked now—

Both sides were just taking time to sort things out.

Once things were clear,

whether it escalates or gets resolved peacefully is another story.

Jiang Ning knew this too.

So she wanted to get Li Yang out of the way before the fallout came.

Based on her read of the situation,

it would likely end with both sides throwing their “thugs” under the bus, the Luo family paying compensation, and the whole matter swept under the rug.

After all,

it was Luo Chengming who started the trouble.

And on Hu Gugu’s side, there was a district Patrol Bureau chief involved, plus the city’s deputy leader might step in.

The Luo family didn’t need to fight this battle.

It was just a few teeth, after all.

A little goodwill gesture, some maneuvering—and they might even build ties with the deputy leader.

“Who is this friend of yours?” Hu Gugu asked curiously.

“Someone very important to me.”

That reply stunned Hu Gugu.

As far as he knew Jiang Ning,

she’d never spoken of any man like this before.

Unexpectedly,

he felt a strange pang of jealousy.

He couldn’t help but ask:

“Do I know this person?”

“No…”

“Are they… good-looking?”

Good-looking?

Jiang Ning subconsciously recalled Li Yang’s face.

High nose bridge, monolids, thin lips, cold expression.

Just in terms of looks—

Quite handsome and well-defined.

“Pretty good.”

“Then… are they nice to you?”

???

What kind of nonsense…

A vein twitched on Jiang Ning’s forehead.

She immediately caught the implication behind Hu Gugu’s words.

Rolling her eyes, she replied crossly:

“She’s a girl.”

Huh?

In an instant,

Hu Gugu’s jaw dropped, and he nearly sat upright in disbelief.

“You’re saying—a girl beat that guy badly enough for first-degree minor injuries?!”

“She’s a sanda fighter or something?!”

“Shh!” Jiang Ning shot a glare at the overly dramatic Hu Gugu, then glanced toward the door.

After confirming it was tightly shut, she couldn’t resist smacking his bandaged leg.

“Are you trying to die?!”

“Yelling so loud!”

“Want me to give you a megaphone so you can shout it outside?!”

Who would’ve thought—

Jiang Ning’s slap landed right on Hu Gugu’s injury.

The pain made him yelp nonstop.

His screams stopped Lin Fang, who had just been about to walk in.

She hesitated at the doorway for a long while.

After thinking it over,

she turned around and went off for another walk.

Some time later.

When Lin Fang returned to the ward after her stroll,

that pretty girl had already left.

Only Hu Gugu remained.

Half-lying on the elevated hospital bed, frowning as he silently gazed out the window.

Seeing this,

Lin Fang walked over and sat on the stool beside him.

Feeling the residual warmth on the seat, she asked:

“She just left?”

“Mm.”

“What did she say?”

In response,

Hu Gugu didn’t answer right away. He turned his head to look at his mother.

“Mom, can I make my own decisions when it comes to choosing a wife in the future?”

“Huh?” Lin Fang picked up a date, confused.

“I’m afraid I’ll end up with an athlete…”

———

Afternoon.

In the classroom.

While Boss Yang Mei lectured up front,

Jiang Ning sat below, seemingly attentive.

In reality, most of her thoughts were occupied with how to handle this situation.

If her guess was right,

the next phase would be both sides testing each other.

As for what move the Hongsheng Group would make—Jiang Ning had no idea.

But on Hu Gugu’s side, they’ll likely mobilize their connections, getting various departments to start reviewing all documents, big and small, from Hongsheng Group.

Then it’ll be the tax bureau, audit office, business administration, taking turns to go on the offensive.

Finally, a full-scale fire safety inspection across the entire group.

If it doesn’t exhaust you to death, it’ll annoy you to death.

And as long as there’s even the slightest problem, these departments have ways to suffocate the entire company.

If Hongsheng Group is smart, they’ll basically spend money on the surface to invest in Qinghu District, and privately hand over the rest of the attackers and apologize in person.

On the other side, the Hu family can go along with it and help identify the person who hit Luo Chengming.

That would count as a formal reconciliation between both sides.

Everyone wins.

They might even become development partners in the future—one providing capital, the other manpower.

However, that’s just the logical and normal sequence of events.

Now that Jiang Ning has stepped in, there’s no way she’ll let them throw Li Yang under the bus.

Hu Gugu’s side is just being given a heads-up.

The real handling still needs an additional plan.

As she thought about it, Jiang pulled out her phone, ready to send a message to Li Yang.

[Do you know anyone who’s recently gotten into trouble and is planning to run?]

But just as she finished typing the message, she suddenly thought of something.

Her eyes lit up with a spark.

(End of chapter)