Chapter 221 — The Price of a Wandering Hand
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"A bit of both, I suppose." Wei Zhao did not deny it.
Tang Zhi gave a faint huff and said nothing more. Her entanglement with Wei Zhao was growing knottier by the day, impossible to cut clean, impossible to sort out. Just thinking about it made her head ache, so the best course was simply not to think about it at all.
Before long, Director Ma himself wheeled Xiaofen into the ward. Wei Zhao smiled to himself; the director clearly assumed he and Guan Xuewen were on intimate terms.
Once Xiaofen was settled and Director Ma had gone, the ward fell quiet again. Zou Tiandi and Zhao Guangdong and the rest, outside the door, had slipped away at some unknown hour.
"Huh? Boss, that Zou-what's-his-name just left? Didn't he tell us to wait right here?" Kang ** was puzzled by Zou Tiandi's departure.
"Off to fetch reinforcements, most likely?" Wei Zhao was hardly about to believe Zou Tiandi would let it go at that. "Or maybe he has people coming to make trouble and he didn't want the police getting involved, so he left early to distance himself from it."
Kang ** nodded, but before he could say anything, a clamor rose in the corridor, and the next moment the ward door was kicked open with a bang. A bleached-blond youth burst in with four or five thug-looking characters at his heels: "All you men in this room, get out here... eh?"
The blond had meant to order every man in the ward outside, but his gaze suddenly snagged on Tang Zhi. He had not expected a woman this beautiful to be in the room.
The blond was a lecher by nature. He had come to teach someone a lesson, but the sight of Tang Zhi changed his plans somewhat. He threw a glance at the henchman beside him — as the ringleader, he of course could not state his intentions aloud; that would be far too crude.
The henchman was the blond's trusted confidant. One look at his boss's eyes and he understood. He pointed at Tang Zhi: "You too. Out!"
Tang Zhi was momentarily taken aback, then grasped that the blond had taken a fancy to her and meant her no good. She glanced at Wei Zhao with some alarm, only to find the man standing there as though nothing at all were happening, perfectly at leisure.
Annoyed as she was, Tang Zhi steadied herself. With Wei Zhao here, she surely would not come to harm, would she? Though she rather resented how well he treated her, in a situation like this she found herself hoping he would protect her.
Tang Zhi could not make sense of her own feelings either. Strange, all of it, very strange.
Seeing his henchman was quick on the uptake, the blond nodded to himself. Now that it had been said aloud by another, he could act without restraint. He reached out to seize Tang Zhi, intending to drag her out of the room.
Tang Zhi started in fright and tried to shrink back, but as she retreated she bumped into someone. A sidelong glance showed her it was Wei Zhao. She was about to ask what he meant to do when she saw him catch the blond's outstretched hand in his own.
"Your hand's a bit too eager, isn't it?" Wei Zhao smiled faintly, looking at the blond. "I haven't even held her yet, and you want to?"
At these shameless words Tang Zhi's face flushed crimson. She shot him a glare. What do you mean, you haven't held her?
"Kid, since you haven't held her, then she's got nothing to do with you. So you're sticking your neck out for her, are you?" The blond's face went cold. He tugged at his hand, but could not pull it free.
"I never follow any rule when I act. Whether I'm sticking my neck out or not doesn't come into it — I just think your hand is a bit too eager." As Wei Zhao spoke, he suddenly wrenched hard. A crisp crack followed, and then the blond's bloodcurdling howl.
"Awooo... my hand... my hand..." The blond felt a searing pain shoot through his palm and nearly burst into tears.