Zhuang Keluo's troublesome matter was getting that man named Lao Zhou to immediately send his best binoculars to the Fourth Hospital. After hanging up the phone, she turned her head slightly, flashing a smile that revealed her pearly white teeth:
"It's just binoculars, right? My Lao Zhou owns a military supplies manufacturing plant, and military binoculars are one of his flagship products. I had him send over three of his latest models, manufactured for Rio Porter in the US—absolutely top-notch. Not too expensive either, only twenty or thirty thousand each."
Twenty or thirty thousand yuan each of military binoculars? Three of them? Lu Chen was speechless.
Gong Xiaoyi gasped, "So expensive? Sister Luo Luo, you're so good to my brother!"
Zhuang Keluo cleared her throat twice, "I'm not being good to your brother. Anyway, your brother is Chen Ge's brother, so he's my brother; and you, you're Chen Ge's sister, so you're my sister. So, what I'm doing is perfectly normal."
This sounded a little strange to Lu Chen. Why did this act of kindness feel like a show of defiance?
Gong Xiaoyi seemed to realize this too, giving a soft "oh," and snuggling into Lu Chen's arms. Her two newly-ripened breasts pressed against Lu Chen's chest, bouncing slightly.
This made Lu Chen react again, both amused and exasperated.
This Gong Xiaoyi looked like an angel, but deep down she exuded a witchy aura.
However, regardless of whether she was an angel or a witch, Lu Chen felt an ever-growing sense of affection for her.
Zhuang Keluo, who had been smug for a short while, turned pale upon seeing this scene.
Around 10:10 PM, the Audi Q7 returned to the entrance of the Fourth Hospital. Lu Chen and Gong Xiaoyi got out and switched to his Roewe SUV. He felt bad for troubling Zhuang Keluo and suggested she go home and rest. However, Zhuang Keluo was currently on high alert; how could she go home? She stubbornly insisted on staying.
She said, "My binoculars haven't been delivered yet!"
Gong Xiaoyi suddenly grabbed Zhuang Keluo's hand and timidly said, "Why don't you let Sister Luoluo come along?"
Lu Chen scratched his ear; what could he do?
The three of them bought some fruit and nutritional supplements at the hospital entrance, with Zhuang Keluo insisting on paying. All the items cost less than a thousand yuan; for Miss Zhuang, a thousand yuan seemed like nothing.
Upon reaching the foot of the inpatient building, the three of them noticed something unusual.
A large crowd had gathered at the building entrance, seemingly watching something exciting. Suddenly, a hoarse, sorrowful voice came from inside: "We're not going to stay here. I'm waiting for my daughter to come back. She doesn't have a phone, I can't contact her, and she's still not back so late. I have to wait for her to come back before I leave!"
Gong Xiaoyi trembled instantly, and she cried out, "It's my mother!"
She immediately pushed her way through the crowd, shouting, "Mom! Mom! I'm back!"
All eyes were fixed on the two groups of people facing off in the open space by the entrance.
However, the two groups were clearly unequal in strength, a clear distinction between the powerful and the weak.
On the powerful side were four or five male doctors, though wearing white coats, whose arrogant and domineering expressions couldn't be hidden; seven or eight security guards in camouflage uniforms; and three or four police officers.
On the weak side were two elderly people, around fifty years old, who were even swaying slightly as they stood, and a young man in a wheelchair whose legs revealed mottled, festering wounds.
The elderly couple appeared very frail and needed the support of wheelchairs to stand steadily.
A man in his fifties, with slicked-back hair and a similarly oily face, wearing a white coat, spoke up: "What exactly do you mean by this? In the current system, hospitals are not welfare institutions. Hospitals need market operations to ensure their sustainable and healthy development, and to serve and contribute to more patients!"
"You already owe more than 20,000 yuan in medical and hospital fees. In the spirit of serving patients, we are waiving these fees, but you must leave! If you don't leave, you are causing trouble, understand?"
His words were spoken in a high-sounding manner, but towards the end, his voice became harsh and threatening.
Hearing his words, both the elderly couple and the young man in the wheelchair appeared indignant and helpless.
At this moment, Gong Xiaoyi had already run to the side of the three men.
"Dad, Mom, Brother! I'm back! What happened?"
Her expression was one of despair. Seeing her family gathered at the entrance of the hospital building, with scattered packages at her feet, gave her a bad feeling—her parents and brother had been kicked out.
The young man in the wheelchair was naturally Gong Jiu, while the two elderly people standing were Gong Jiu's father, Gong Dafu, and mother, Huang Ailian.
Gong Jiu looked even worse than his parents, appearing haggard and bewildered.
Seeing their daughter return, all three were overjoyed. Huang Ailian choked back tears, tightly hugging Gong Xiaoyi and slapping her back twice forcefully: "You brat, where have you been? Why are you only coming back now? What happened? Your father, your brother, and I were so worried!"
As she spoke, Huang Ailian burst into tears.
"Mom, I'm fine. I'll tell you properly later. What happened to you all? Why aren't you in the hospital room?" Gong Xiaoyi asked, her voice trembling with tears.
The greasy-faced man in the white coat spoke again: "Oh, Xiaoyi, you're back? Perfect timing. Have you managed to raise the medical fees for your dad, mom, and brother?"
His question carried a sarcastic tone. Moreover, his lecherous eyes lingered on Gong Xiaoyi's developing, curvaceous body, seemingly with great interest.
At this moment, Lu Chen and Zhuang Keluo also stood to the side. However, Lu Chen didn't rush to see Gong Jiu; he wanted to first understand what was going on.
It was initially clear: Gong Jiu and his parents had been evicted because they couldn't afford the medical fees. They still owed more than 20,000 yuan. Looking at this, Lu Chen felt a little uneasy.
Four days have passed, and the entire family of three is down, some injured, some sick. They spent four days in the hospital and already had the 100,000 yuan he gave them gone?
Given the high cost of hospitals these days, it's not impossible. But to have spent it all and still owe over 20,000 yuan is truly outrageous. Moreover, Lu Chen found the expression on that man in the white coat utterly unpleasant; it seemed incredibly sinister.
Although Gong Xiaoyi was very beautiful, the way that guy looked at her made Lu Chen feel uneasy.
Zhuang Keluo spoke up, "Brother Chen, did you see the way that guy looked at Xiaoyi? There was a smug look in his eyes. I reckon he's definitely up to something."
Hearing her say that, Lu Chen became even more certain of his judgment. He sneered, "If he really dares to do anything to Gong Xiaoyi, I'll break all three of his legs, hmph!"
He immediately regretted it, realizing he'd accidentally swore. Everyone knows humans have two legs, but what about a third leg? A rich heiress like Miss Zhuang probably wouldn't know, right? What if she gets curious and asks?
To his surprise, Zhuang Keluo solemnly agreed, "Yes, break all three legs! Humph! As for the third leg, I'll have someone bring a big pair of scissors to cut it off!"
If it weren't for the miserable state of his brothers and family, Lu Chen would have burst out laughing. Zhuang Keluo's words stirred something within him. Unable to resist, a mischievous thought crossed his mind, and he lightly patted Zhuang Keluo's firm, round bottom, scoffing, "You brat, you actually know about a third leg?"
"Why wouldn't I know? I've traveled all over the country!" Zhuang Keluo seemed surprised, then hooked her arms around Lu Chen's, smiling sweetly. She whispered coquettishly, "You're so mean, spanking my bottom!"
The feel of the pat was still lingering in Lu Chen's memory; it felt like being bounced back. He said in a serious, low voice, "If you misbehave in the future, I'll hit you again!"
Zhuang Keluo smiled even more sweetly, "Okay! If I misbehave, I'll stick my butt out for you to hit, alright? But you're not allowed to slap me anymore, I'll agree to a butt spank!"
This smile made Lu Chen's blood boil, and he really wanted to grab Zhuang Keluo and give her a good spanking, making a satisfying "plop, plop" sound. But he quickly realized that this thought was wrong and quickly changed the subject: "However, this matter is a bit difficult to deal with. Why are there so many people out of the hospital? The security guards are one thing, but there are also police?"
This was indeed a problem. Was it really necessary to use so much manpower to deal with this family who couldn't even kill a chicken?
Look at those seven or eight security guards, they were even carrying batons. And those police officers were all carrying guns.
This situation made Lu Chen realize that even if he wanted to intervene, he had to consider his own capabilities. After all, this wasn't dealing with organized crime; it was dealing with a cog in the vast machine of China.
To deal with this cog, sheer power wasn't enough. A single move could have far-reaching consequences, and she might be immediately overwhelmed. Back in Jiaying City, this would be a minor matter. Several members of her family were influential figures in government, with one even holding a deputy party secretary position in the Health Bureau!
But in Yunzhou City, it was different. Although she knew a few powerful people, she couldn't necessarily rely on them to deal with these guys. Besides, she really didn't want to owe anyone favors.
Just as Lu Chen was pondering, Zhuang Keluo spoke up: "It's just that in recent years, medical disputes have frequently occurred in hospitals, giving rise to a new profession called 'medical disturbance'. Therefore, to prevent such incidents, all hospitals at level II or above have upgraded their security measures. First, all security guards are trained and managed by a security company; second, each qualified hospital is equipped with a dedicated public security supervision office to handle medical disturbances."
"So, judging from the current situation, this hospital is treating your brother's family as a medical disturbance case. Even if it isn't, they just want to show off their power and make a spectacle of it, hence this huge commotion."
Lu Chen was stunned: "You know quite a lot!"
Zhuang Keluo shrugged: "Don't forget what our family mainly does; we're primarily an intelligence agency with many subordinate units, including the security company."
Lu Chen suddenly realized: "The hospital's security guards also belong to your family's security company?"