Chapter 13: The Price of a Broken Lunchbox

Su Yao’s sudden action caused Lin Qing’s entire body to stiffen.

‘He never imagined she would actually do it!’

‘What exactly did this woman want?’

‘Even if she wanted to catch Nurse Li Mei’s attention, there were surely other ways to do it, without going to such extremes!’

“This is truly making it hard to eat.”

However, just as Lin Qing’s body remained rigid, one of the two people who had been chatting at the adjacent table suddenly slammed their chopsticks down.

The sound of the falling chopsticks was considerable, drawing the attention of several nearby tables, including the nurses seated behind Su Yao and Lin Qing.

“Hey, pretty lady, if you don’t mind, why don’t we become friends?”

Blondie, who had thrown the chopsticks, looked every bit the social hooligan just from his attire.

Instead of leaving the cafeteria immediately, he instead pulled up a chair directly opposite Su Yao, his gaze brazenly fixed on her.

Originally, Blondie had come in today for a follow-up on his chest stab wound, intending to teach a lesson to those stubborn troublemakers who dared to injure him.

Yet, the hospital insisted on delaying the results until midnight.

This left Blondie with no choice but to wait in a foul mood. He had simply intended to grab a quick meal with his buddy in the cafeteria, never expecting to encounter such a beautiful girl.

‘Even if she already had a boyfriend, a weakling like this guy could be knocked into a coffin with a single punch.’

‘Useless and unsightly.’

‘She’d be better off with him!’

‘He’d guarantee her a good time~’

“Darling, you must be hungry! Let’s eat first, mwah~”

Whether it was an act for the crowd or simply Su Yao’s mischievous streak, she wrapped an arm around the still-stiff Lin Qing and kissed him again.

She completely ignored Blondie opposite them, her eyes seemingly filled with devotion for Lin Qing alone.

The blatant disregard ignited a furious blaze in Blondie’s heart. He fumed, ‘Usually, women would grovel at my feet. How dare this little girl ignore me!’

‘He wanted to flip the table right then and there, to show her a thing or two!’

‘Women shouldn’t be pampered; a good beating is what makes them obedient!’

Meanwhile, the person who had been sitting opposite Lin Qing, sensing the brewing trouble, immediately picked up their rice bowl and hastened their eating.

‘He had a distinct feeling a fight was about to break out; it was best to finish eating and leave quickly!’

‘To encounter such trouble even in a hospital… annoying hooligans truly were everywhere!’

“You’re so easily embarrassed, it’s simply adorable! Alright, I’ll feed you then~”

Ignoring Blondie’s darkening expression, Su Yao continued to dote on Lin Qing. However, just as she was about to open her lunchbox, Blondie ‘accidentally’ waved his hand, sending the lunchbox crashing to the ground.

The purple wooden lunchbox hit the floor with a resounding crack, shattering into pieces and instantly drawing every eye in the cafeteria.

Since a conventional greeting hadn’t worked, he would have to resort to unconventional methods.

The subsequent events did not disappoint Blondie.

“Oh dear, I’m so sorry! Pretty lady, how about adding me on WeChat? I’ll compensate you.”

Seeing Su Yao finally look his way, Blondie immediately perked up, speaking with a grinning face. He even flashed his phone with the WeChat interface open, eager to add her as a friend on the spot.

‘This girl was too beautiful to let go of; it would be an utter waste!’

“Huzi, stop talking! Let’s just go, quickly! You…”

“Scram, scram! The pretty lady hasn’t added me yet; don’t ruin my fun.”

However, before Su Yao could even speak, the person who had been sitting beside Blondie suddenly rushed over, an anxious expression on their face. They immediately began pulling Blondie up to his feet.

As they spoke, they didn’t forget to glance at Su Yao, their gaze not lecherous like Blondie’s, but rather tinged with a hint of panic.

But having gone this far, how could Blondie possibly let a cooked duck fly away?

Blondie simply shook off his companion’s hand and continued to grin impishly at Su Yao.

“You want compensation? Fine! I was just wondering whether I should call the police myself!”

“I’m a law-abiding citizen, and since it was my own carelessness, of course I’ll take full responsibility… Why do you keep pulling me? Let go, or I’ll get angry.”

As Blondie spoke, he shot a venomous glare at his companion.

The message in his eyes was crystal clear: ‘Don’t you dare ruin this for me!’

“Uncle Li, I’ll leave the rest to you. I’m truly furious today; my darling was almost left hungry… After this is resolved, please get a Japanese meal set from Sakura Flavor, the most expensive one~”

Blondie instinctively shifted his gaze, only to immediately spot a burly man in a black suit.

His hands were calloused, and a prominent knife scar marked his cheekbone.

The silent gaze he now directed at Blondie carried an icy, bone-chilling coldness.

Years of navigating the underworld told Blondie that this man was no ordinary foe.

It was at this very moment that his companion tugged at Blondie’s sleeve, gesturing towards the floor nearby.

This time, Blondie didn’t ignore him as before; he quickly lowered his head to look.

Within the shattered remains of the lunchbox, a large, luxurious lobster lay quietly amidst an assortment of other ingredients.

This single lobster alone was clearly expensive, not to mention the various unrecognizable ingredients surrounding it.

‘This was dinner?’

‘They must be eating gold!’

The commotion from the dropped lunchbox must have attracted everyone’s attention because of this incredibly striking lobster.

‘And he was the only one who hadn’t realized…’

Blondie stared at the lunchbox, dumbfounded, realizing he had truly stirred up a hornet’s nest.

Just looking at these precious ingredients, he knew the price was far beyond what he could afford.

‘He’d probably have to work for free all year just to pay for this meal.’

“Oh, and there’s my favorite small-leaf red sandalwood lunchbox. When I bought it, it cost over a hundred thousand because of the master-level carving… I originally wanted to prepare a delicious meal for my darling, so I specifically used my prized collection lunchbox, but who would have thought…”

As the crowd gasped at the lunchbox’s price, Su Yao’s face clouded with sorrow as she spoke, prompting her to directly embrace Lin Qing, seeking comfort.

This caused Lin Qing, who had just begun to relax, to once again freeze into a rigid, petrified state.

“Miss, please don’t be sad. I will instruct other bodyguards to go to Sakura Flavor and have it quickly delivered to your ward. I also request that you leave this place as soon as possible, to avoid further distress.”

The black-suited brawny man, who had appeared out of nowhere, finished speaking respectfully. He then turned his head, fixing an icy stare on Blondie and his companion. His silent, imposing presence was enough to make a child cry.

Blondie’s legs couldn’t help but tremble; he knew he was utterly finished this time.

He had initially thought he would only have to compensate for an extremely expensive meal. Now, however, he realized the lunchbox itself was ridiculously costly.

‘Even if he sold himself, he wouldn’t fetch over a hundred thousand yuan!’

“Oh… alright…”

Still playing the role of a delicate, vulnerable flower, Su Yao did not refuse the bodyguard’s kind offer after hearing his comforting words. Instead, she took Lin Qing’s hand and rose from her seat.

Lin Qing, who had remained silent throughout the entire exchange, used the opportunity of standing up to glance at the nurses’ table from the corner of his eye.

There, he saw three black skull heads above Li Mei, their mouths wide open, struggling and roaring desperately. The blood-red in their eyes was like fresh gore.

They were utterly frenzied.

This time, they were far more enraged than the previous two occasions.