"Officer, officer, help! We—we were beaten!"
No one expected that Qian Bao, who had been stunned by two slaps, would suddenly scramble to his feet. Panic-stricken, he rushed into the crowd of police officers and shouted loudly, causing everyone still standing to look at him in surprise.
Qian Bao was not an unknown figure. Xi Hengsheng knew him, Old Peng knew him, and even the police knew him. With a father who was the mayor, it was impossible not to know who he was. In daily duty, if they encountered someone like this, they naturally had to tread carefully.
Police officers were people too—they had salaries to earn and families to support.
The leading officer suppressed a smile, his face slightly flushed, and said awkwardly, "Everyone, please come with us to the station to give a detailed statement. Please don't make things difficult for us."
Except for Guan Xing, the officer knew everyone present. They were all well-known figures in Jingdu City, not people a small team leader like him could afford to offend, so his tone remained extremely polite.
"All right, I'll go with you," Old Peng spoke first. "Doctor Guan, sorry about this. I guarantee that nothing like this will happen again." He shot a fierce glance at the trembling Qian Bao and then turned to leave.
Xi Hengsheng also said, "Doctor Guan, go back to work. We'll explain everything clearly to the police here."
The officer naturally knew that the one who had truly beaten people was Guan Xing, but with both the chairman of Feiyang and the underworld figure Old Peng speaking up for him, the words that reached his lips were swallowed back.
He neither dared nor wanted to cause trouble.
He was a smart man and knew clearly what he should do and what he should avoid. A young doctor who could be protected by both of these men was certainly no ordinary person.
He immediately extended his hand in a welcoming gesture and said with a smile, "Just a routine statement. Please, gentlemen."
Qian Bao wanted to say something too, but when he saw Old Peng's grim expression, he knew the old man was truly angry. He merely pursed his lips and kept silent. He also knew that even his own father treated this man with great respect—how could he dare to offend him?
The group quickly withdrew. The unconscious men in black were taken away by the police, and the injured security guards were helped out by their colleagues—those who needed hospitalization were sent to the hospital, and those who needed rest went to rest. Before long, only Guan Xing was left behind.
Guan Xing understood the intentions of Xi Hengsheng and Old Peng. They were helping him smooth things over.
Although Guan Xing wasn't afraid of going to the police station, it would indeed be troublesome. Having them handle it was much easier. After all, he was just an unknown doctor, while they were prominent figures in the city.
Several cleaners came in and began clearing away the shattered glass and bloodstains. Guan Xing was about to leave when, at the doorway, three hurried figures rushed in.
They were the most striking trio at Feiyang Company—graceful as orchids, pure yet seductive, coming straight toward Guan Xing.
"Doctor Guan, are you all right?" The first voice was Hua Rubing's. Forgetting all sense of propriety, she reached out and checked him from head to toe. The concern in her eyes was sincere—she had already truly fallen in love.
Cheng Yunya and Qin Yunlu followed closely behind, their expressions different. Cheng Yunya wore a playful, flirtatious smile, while Qin Yunlu looked worried and observant. Perhaps because Hua Rubing was there, she restrained her impulse to step forward and check him more closely.
"All right, don't worry," Cheng Yunya stepped forward, placing a hand on Guan Xing's shoulder. Looking at Hua Rubing's anxious tenderness, she laughed cheerfully. "Who is Doctor Guan? The number one fighter in the city! How could he be afraid of a few hooligans?"
In truth, she had been hiding next door watching the entire scene unfold.
At first, when she saw the security guards being beaten, she was startled. She hadn't forgotten that the patches on Qian Bao's chest were her handiwork. Although he had been unconscious at the time, she still felt guilty and didn't dare to show herself.
But the moment Guan Xing appeared, sweeping through the ten men in black with overwhelming force, she felt the situation completely reverse. When his kick landed squarely on the skinny man's face, she almost burst out laughing.
She didn't know why, but with this man present, everything turned around instantly. Without realizing it, even her own heart began to stir.
Only after everything had settled did she call Yunlu and Rubing, who rushed over in a hurry.
"Hmph, men are always so violent," Hua Rubing said irritably, lowering her hands, perhaps realizing her actions had been too impulsive and intimate. "You could have just called the police. Why did you have to fight them yourself? What if you got hurt?"
Qin Yunlu stepped forward as well, scanning Guan Xing from head to toe. Seeing that he was indeed unharmed, her worry eased, and she joked, "So what if he got hurt? We just live our own lives. Doctor Guan can just lie in the hospital—what does it have to do with us?"
"You—" Hua Rubing raised her head angrily, about to retort, but when she saw the teasing expressions on Cheng Yunya's and Qin Yunlu's faces, she immediately realized they were deliberately provoking her.
A shy blush instantly spread across her beautiful face. Her delicate expression bloomed like a narcissus flower—women were most intoxicating and alluring when they were in love.
"F-fine, it has nothing to do with me," she snapped, pretending indifference. "Show off all you want. If you get hurt, don't come looking for me." With that, she turned and stormed off.
Behind her, Cheng Yunya and Qin Yunlu covered their mouths, laughing uncontrollably.
"Doctor Guan, looks like you're really something," Cheng Yunya said teasingly. "You've only been here two months and our ice-cold beauty has already fallen for you. Hehe, Yunlu and I should be careful too—three of us being your girlfriends would be a huge loss."
She then tugged at Qin Yunlu's arm. "Let's go, Yunlu. From now on, we'll stay away from Doctor Guan. Safety first, safety first!"
Laughing, she dragged Qin Yunlu away, leaving Guan Xing standing there alone.
The incident quickly spread throughout Feiyang Company. Cheng Yunya told the story to two department managers, and it passed down layer by layer. By the time work ended, almost everyone knew.
There was no helping it—women were natural broadcasters, and ninety percent of Feiyang's employees were women.
Everyone who saw Guan Xing gave him a thumbs-up and said, "Doctor Guan, you're amazing—so impressive!"
It left Guan Xing feeling quite embarrassed. There really wasn't anything worth talking about.
In the afternoon, Xi Hengsheng returned from the police station and told Guan Xing that the ten men in black had been detained according to procedure. He also conveyed Old Peng's message, telling him not to worry, and handed him a phone number.
"Old Peng said if you ever need help, just call this number. It's open twenty-four hours a day," Xi Hengsheng said, with a hint of envy in his voice.
Although the underworld and the legitimate world did not mix, in Jingdu City, everyone wanted some connection with this old man. After all, no matter who you were, there were always matters in life that couldn't be handled openly or by the police.
Old Peng's special treatment of Guan Xing made Xi Hengsheng increasingly unable to see through him. Aside from his miraculous medical skills, did this Doctor Guan have some other background as well?
Guan Xing remained as calm and indifferent as ever. He merely asked Xi Hengsheng to convey his thanks. He accepted the phone number, but truthfully, someone like Qian Bao wasn't worth his concern. Everyone knew the real power lay with Qian Bao's father, the mayor—but Guan Xing wasn't worried either. There was nothing about him that could be threatened.
A peaceful life was all he sought now—nothing more.
With a virtuous wife at home, the first thing a man did after work was naturally to go home. For Guan Xing, this was also a change. Although that "wife" was still only in name, after work he didn't go to a bar or drive around aimlessly.
He found himself longing for the warm, steaming scent of home-cooked food.