When Chen Yanfei returned, she finally brought back some food that Han Lie could eat.
Brother Lie sipped the bland porridge, tears brimming in his eyes.
It wasn't from being moved; it was just so damn painful.
Even a grain of rice touching the wounds in his mouth caused severe pain.
Forget it. Suffer the bitterness now for a big payday of one hundred fifty thousand later... I can take it!
After struggling through a bowl of millet porridge, Han Lie immediately burned his bridges and started to shoo her away.
"It's almost 9 o'clock. You should head back."
Chen Yanfei's eyes widened, feeling quite put out.
Me, Chen Yanfei, the goddess of Second High! It has always been my prerogative to leave first; never has a man rushed me out!
She instantly put on a dramatic act, looking as if she were on the verge of tears.
"You despise me..."
"Yes," Han Lie confirmed with a decisive nod, looking at her as if she were an imbecile. "Isn't it obvious?"
"You!"
Chen Yanfei was so angered she almost laughed. Just as she was about to retort, she looked into Han Lie's eyes and suddenly paused.
"Huh?! Your eyes look so different without your glasses!"
Han Lie didn't explain why, instead arching an eyebrow smugly. "Wait a bit. Once my injuries heal, the change will be even greater."
Curious and amused, Chen Yanfei asked disdainfully, "So, you're saying you're actually a handsome guy, but your good looks were sealed by your glasses, is that it?"
"Smart!" Han Lie gave her a thumbs-up, grinning as he nodded.
"PFFT!" Chen Yanfei hastily bundled up the leftovers, stuffed them into a trash bag, and turned to leave.
"Keep dreaming. I won't disturb you. See you tomorrow!"
"Hey, hey, hey, listen to me brag a little longer, won't you?"
"Tomorrow! You'd better organize your thoughts. Tomorrow you can brag to my dad!"
Han Lie was taken aback, his playful demeanor vanishing.
Why is her dad coming? Did his Fiery Golden Eyes see through my intention to get close to his precious daughter?
Han Lie couldn't figure it out, but he didn't dwell on it for long.
Who cares! I'll cross that bridge when I come to it! College is four years; anything can happen. He might not even end up being my father-in-law. For now, we'll just be buddies!
Han Lie was completely unconcerned, not taking it seriously at all.
He read for a while, changed his dressings, and then slept comfortably until dawn.
「Around half-past eight, Chen Yanfei and her father arrived.」
This time, she was wheeling a suitcase.
Han Lie hurriedly sat up, putting on an obedient expression as he greeted them, "Hello, Uncle! Thank you for coming to see me."
Though he acted like he didn't care, in reality, he cared more than anyone.
"Don't move, don't move! Young Han, you just lie there," Mr. Chen said, quickly walking over to stop Han Lie from trying to get out of bed.
He then sat on the stool by the bed and asked with concern, "How are you? Does your body still hurt? Are you still dizzy?"
"I'm much better, thank you for asking."
"That's good, that's good!" Mr. Chen had seemed like a mere spectator yesterday, but in truth, his interpersonal skills were quite high.
"Young Han, this unfortunate disaster befell you mainly because our Yanfei didn't properly handle her relationship with her classmate. As her father, I feel extremely guilty! Yesterday's situation wasn't appropriate for me to speak up, so I waited until today to visit. Please don't hold it against me. I came in a hurry and didn't bring anything. Apologizing with impractical gifts wouldn't show much sincerity either. So, I've prepared a red envelope for you. Inside is a check for fifty thousand yuan. Please consider it compensation from me for your nutritional expenses. Please accept it."
"No, no, no..." Han Lie, taken aback, quickly refused. "What does Pan Shaohang's madness have to do with Chen Yanfei? I can't accept this!"
Mr. Chen took a thin red envelope from his pocket. He didn't try to press it into Han Lie's hand but placed it directly on the bedside table, his attitude remarkably firm.
"Let's take this one step at a time. If Yanfei had known how to handle emotional matters privately, and if her attitude had been a bit more gentle and tactful, how could you have been injured so severely? Legally, we may not have a responsibility, but morally, we can't escape blame. The sum of fifty thousand, compared to the injuries you've suffered, is trivial. But since responsibility has been clearly assigned, we're simply making a gesture, seeking to ease our own consciences in this matter with you. Young Han, please accept it. Otherwise, Yanfei will always have this weighing on her conscience. Don't you agree this is reasonable?"
Damn! This guy is impressive...
Han Lie was so effectively cornered that he didn't know how to begin refusing.
However, I definitely can't accept this money. Accepting it would change the nature of the situation. What I want is for Chen Yanfei to feel guilty. Otherwise, how can I make her feel indebted to me?!
After a moment of silence, Han Lie organized his thoughts and tried his utmost to appear sincere.
"Uncle, every situation has many perspectives. Depending on one's position, what one sees will naturally differ. From my perspective, Chen Yanfei is also a victim. I suffered physical injuries; she suffered psychological harm. We can't make her bear responsibilities that aren't hers just because my injuries appear more severe. I definitely won't accept the money. I still don't think Chen Yanfei did anything wrong. You can't judge her approach as incorrect just because the outcome was bad. Faced with such a volatile, irritable, and unpredictable little tyrant, what exactly would have been the correct way to handle him? No one knows. You think she should have refused him privately, but what if Pan Shaohang had become enraged and harmed Chen Yanfei then? Wouldn't the outcome have been worse? So, in matters like this, we absolutely cannot judge solely by the outcome. How is that different from 'blaming the victim'? As long as Chen Yanfei's intentions were proper, then she did nothing wrong. For you to apologize to me for this, I'm afraid I cannot accept it. We are comrades on the same side. It makes no sense to apologize to a comrade for shells fired by the enemy, does it?"
Han Lie took the red envelope and respectfully handed it back to Mr. Chen.
"Uncle Chen, please take the check back. And please rest assured, I'm not saying this just because of Chen Yanfei. No matter who was involved in the trouble, my stance would be the same. I have a rather strong personality and never accept those 'it takes two to tango' kinds of muddy, compromising solutions. Giving both sides fifty lashes regardless of who's right or wrong—what kind of justice is that? Please don't blame Chen Yanfei, and don't apologize to me. I'm clear in my own mind about right and wrong."
Mr. Chen was stunned.
What in the world? Was this something an eighteen-year-old could say?
Chen Yanfei was also dazed. She couldn't fully comprehend the profound wisdom in his words, but she could sense Han Lie's uniqueness.
This man is so cool!
She wasn't a particularly superficial woman who cared only about appearances—meaning, she liked handsome men, but she valued a man's inner qualities more. And the comprehensive qualities Han Lie had displayed in just a single day had even overturned her perception of her peers.
It was simply unbelievable.
Mr. Chen took a moment to recover, finally accepting the reality. Dream City might be just a small, resource-based city, known for its unreliable rich kids, but it wasn't entirely out of the question for it to produce such an exceptional individual.
And wasn't this one right here?! Geniuses don't play by the rules.
Mr. Chen mused to himself. He put away the red envelope, and his demeanor became even more friendly and kind.
"Young Han, where do you go to school? Judging by your caliber, it must be at least Fudan or Jiao Tong University, right? If it's not too far, I'll have to trouble you to look after Yanfei more in the future. This girl of mine... she really falls far short compared to you!"
Chen Yanfei felt a little belittled but wasn't angry. Instead, she looked at Han Lie with great anticipation. They hadn't known each other long; she truly hadn't had a chance to ask Han Lie about his school.
Now, she suddenly began to hope.
To hope for the best possible outcome.
To hope for a surprise.