Chapter 22: An Apology Comes Knocking
Not long after Dr. Zhang left, Jiang Yu heard noisy voices coming from the hallway outside.
Curious, Aunt Chen opened the door a crack and stuck her head out to take a look. After watching for a bit, she came back in and locked the door again, her eyes shining with gossip as she said to Jiang Yu, “Someone’s here to see you. I heard them mention your name. There are six people—two young ones using crutches. They’re probably the two kids who ambushed you.”
“Heh. Those little brats beat me up, and now the elders are here too. Do these people really think I’m made of clay—so easy to bully?” Jiang Yu was genuinely angry. Real-life thugs were far more infuriating than online trolls.
[Mr. Jiang, these people say they’re here to ask for your forgiveness. They don’t look like they’re here to cause trouble.] Dr. Zhang suddenly sent a message.
Jiang Yu sneered and replied: [Don’t be fooled. There are a lot of them. Once they see me, what if they gang up on me? Will you protect me? I’m not seeing them—wait until Han Cheng gets here.]
[Alright then.]
Jiang Yu listened to the commotion outside for a while. Suddenly, it stopped. A moment later, Han Cheng’s face appeared in the glass, knocking on the door.
Seeing Han Cheng, Jiang Yu was suddenly filled with a sense of security. His whole body relaxed at once.
Aunt Chen glanced at Jiang Yu. Jiang Yu nodded, and she went to open the door. To their surprise, a lot of people were packed outside.
Han Cheng; Han Cheng’s secretary, Liu Yong; Jiang Yu’s assistant, Wang Huan, whom he hadn’t seen for several days; six strangers; Dr. Zhang; and Jiang Yu’s personal nurse.
Even more doctors and nurses gathered to watch the spectacle, along with all kinds of patients and their family members—some supporting their waists, others leaning on crutches. However, all the onlookers were stopped at the door by the bodyguards Han Cheng had brought.
From the crowd, Jiang Yu heard someone exclaim softly, “It really is Jiang Yu—I’ve seen him on TV.”
Aunt Chen only let Han Cheng, Liu Yong, Wang Huan, and the six strangers inside. Dr. Zhang and the nurse were refused entry by Han Cheng. Aunt Chen quickly shut the door and locked it, then covered the glass in the door with a towel, blocking out the incessant flashes from phones outside.
Jiang Yu stared at Han Cheng, silently demanding an explanation.
Han Cheng smiled and said, “Let me introduce them. Tao Ran and Wang Qianqian—both are second-year high school students. These are their parents. They’re here to apologize to you.”
Han Cheng looked coldly at the six of them.
The two kids seemed utterly terrified. Jiang Yu could see the crutches they were leaning on trembling. Both kept their heads down, not daring to look at him, completely lacking the arrogance they’d had the day they kicked him.
Among the four parents, the two mothers had red, swollen eyes, as if they’d been crying.
The two fathers’ eyes were bloodshot as well, their faces stubbly. It was obvious they’d shaved in a hurry but hadn’t done a thorough job; dark stubble was clearly visible. Their faces were bruised, with several streaks of dried blood.
All six of them looked utterly miserable. The father standing beside the boy forced an ugly, half-crying smile and said to Jiang Yu, “Mr. Jiang Yu, I’m Tao Ran’s father. We never imagined he would skip school and come out to attack you.
“Look—his leg was broken for kicking you. We’re not even planning to treat it. Crippled is better; let him remember this lesson for the rest of his life. How could he beat someone up over a small celebrity? Don’t you think that’s sick in the head?
Today, you have the final say. However you want to punish them, as long as you’re satisfied—just spare his miserable life.”
Tao Ran’s father spoke with the air of righteously punishing his own child, then suddenly turned obsequious, smiling ingratiatingly at Jiang Yu. “You can hit him or scold him, whatever you want. If you’ve vented your anger and feel better, could you please give him a chance to study?
He’s a good student—always in the top ten of his grade. He’s our family’s only hope.
His mother and I quit our jobs and took odd jobs near his school just so we could stay with him, let him focus on studying, and get into a good university.
This fall he’ll be in his third year of high school, and next year is the college entrance exam. If he drops out now, it’s like the sky has fallen for our family.
Mr. Jiang Yu, please show mercy and let him go back to school.”
As soon as Tao Ran’s father finished speaking, Wang Qianqian’s parents suddenly dropped to their knees with a thud, banging their heads on the floor over and over. “Please give the children a chance to study.”
