Surrounded by everyone, I walked out of the hotel. Xiao Zhu drove, and Hammer opened the car door to check me before letting me in. I didn't say a word the whole way, and Xiao Zhu focused on driving. He probably assumed that something must have happened between me and Princess in the room, so he didn't ask me. Hammer, seeing that I didn't look too good, didn't say anything either and just sat in the front passenger seat.
I closed my eyes, stretched out my body as much as possible in the back seat, and was still trying to process the information the princess had told me in the room!
This is... absolutely stunning!
This information was crucial to me! Thankfully, the princess told me... this will prevent me from being caught off guard in the future!
What shocked me first was that old Thorin really was dying! The princess told me that the old man had never been in good health. After his most recent checkup, they discovered he had cancer! If it were early-stage cancer, with old Thorin's wealth, he could certainly afford the best medical care, and early-stage cancer isn't impossible to cure… But the problem was, by the time of diagnosis, the cancer had already spread!
Old Thorin had esophageal cancer. I don't know much about this disease, but I do know that people with this kind of cancer suffer a lot in the later stages... because once the esophageal cancer progresses, a person can no longer eat normally, and in the end, they often become frighteningly thin...
I don't know the exact state of old Thorin's health, but according to the princess, there's definitely no hope of a cure. The doctors estimate he has at most eight months to live. Of course, to maintain secrecy, even the doctor who examined him has been silenced.
I suddenly remembered the negotiation I had with him in old Thorin's castle. It was a head-to-head confrontation, a back-and-forth of threats and inducements, and in the end, I managed to exploit the old man's only weakness—his daughter—and successfully force him to compromise and make an agreement with me.
In retrospect, the more important reason was that he already knew he didn't have much time left. When an elderly person is nearing death, it's natural to want to make plans for their children... and it was under these circumstances that I was able to persuade him.
I suddenly realized a very serious problem… According to the princess's calculations, when old Thorin was diagnosed with cancer, the doctors thought he would live for about eight months… But don't forget, the diagnosis happened before I went to Hollywood!!
Subtracting the six months I spent in Hollywood... well, from now on, in the next two or three months, old Thorin will be meeting his maker.
"No wonder..." I rubbed my forehead and sighed. No wonder he was so eager to turn on Allen! Actually, when I learned about Old Thorin's actions over the past few months from Ciro, I was also vaguely puzzled, because his actions seemed too hasty. Although he acted cleverly and skillfully, he was a bit too hasty. This didn't quite fit the old fox's usual steady and methodical style.
It seems he has no choice. He must clear all obstacles for his daughter before he dies!
Although I didn't say anything and just leaned back in the car seat, my heart was actually pounding! I even felt a little relieved! Because although the princess acted recklessly, although she hated her father, and even conspired with Allen to scheme against old Thorin...
Fortunately, she didn't do the most fatal thing this time!
Thorin kept the news that he wouldn't live much longer a strict secret, and the princess didn't tell Allen this! This was absolutely crucial!!
If Allen finds out that old Thorin doesn't live much longer—that guy is no pushover! Who knows what kind of trouble he might cause! He might take some drastic measures immediately! Moreover, I'm not even sure if old Thorin, who's nearing his end, could handle Allen if he suddenly rebelled now! The princess's position isn't stable, and old Thorin's life is already nearing its end… In this situation, if Allen openly rebels and announces old Thorin's critical condition… I even doubt that old Thorin would be able to control Allen!
If Allen succeeds in taking over, that's definitely not the outcome I want! Allen must hate me to death... If he gets control of the Hells Angels... then I can forget about having a peaceful life in Canada!
And now, old Thorin has also kept me in the dark, which I understand. After all, I'm just his partner; he can't possibly trust me completely. I reckon that if he succeeds in taking down Allen, then at the very last moment, he'll meet with me and entrust his daughter to me like a guardian angel… asking me to fulfill our agreement.
"Thank goodness!" I sighed. I still had time!
If old Thorin can take down Eren, then everything will be fine! But if he slips up… then I'm in trouble. Either way, I have no intention of entrusting my fate to someone else. I won't put my future in old Thorin's hands; I want to take control of my own destiny! I can't rely entirely on old Thorin! I have to do something myself!
Having made up my mind, I opened my eyes and suddenly said, "Xiao Zhu."
"What is it, Fifth Brother?" Xiao Zhu asked without turning around while driving.
"Drive faster! Get to the hospital... Then, call Xiao Huang..." I thought for a moment, then sneered, "Don't kill those two guys who tried to assassinate me at the wedding yet. Keep them alive, give them good food and drink, and lock them up well! They might come in handy later!"
I paused for a moment, then continued, “Hammer, send a few men to that hotel right now! Find a few trustworthy and reliable people to keep an eye on the area around the hotel! That man who came to Vancouver with the princess, his name is Allen. Hammer, you should have seen him before, and Xiao Zhu, you've seen him too. Have your men search for him and see if he's still in Vancouver. Start by checking the passenger records at the airport! I suspect this guy is still in Vancouver. If he is, find him! But don't alarm him, just keep a close watch on him. This is very important, you guys get it done tonight!”
Seeing the seriousness of my words, neither of them dared to ask any further questions and immediately agreed.
**********************
It was quite late when I arrived at the hospital. I first found a doctor who treated my injuries and gave me painkillers. After that, I went upstairs to the intensive care unit. The person guarding the door stood up immediately when they saw me. Hmm, it seems everything is normal here.
As I was thinking this, I pushed open the door and entered the room, only to see a scene that made me utterly speechless...
In the once spacious hospital room, Yan Di had already woken up on the bed. She sat up and leaned against the headboard, cross-legged, while Mu Tou A Ze and Qiao Qiao were also sitting on either side of the bed... These four guys were actually playing cards!!
When I walked in, Aze had two mustaches drawn on his face with watercolors, and two big circles drawn on his eyes, like glasses. Even Yan Di, the injured one, wasn't spared; her face was still a little pale, but she seemed to be in good spirits. When I entered the room, I saw that my most obedient and precious little girl had several notes stuck to her face!
The most exciting one, of course, is our fierce and invincible Miss Qiao. Miss Qiao had already changed out of the tattered dress she wore when she ran away. Now she was wearing a set of clothes that she brought from home, a very pure and innocent fitted mid-sleeve T-shirt and a pair of low-waisted jeans. She looked very refreshing... However, she had a few more things on her!
She was wearing a bra over her T-shirt! And even more outrageous, she was wearing underwear over her pants!!
When I came in, Miss Qiao was holding cards in her left hand and a cigarette between her right, shouting recklessly, "Go ahead and bet! Go ahead and bet! This time I'm going to fight you to the death!!"
"..." I looked at the guys in the room and almost laughed out of anger. I couldn't help but yell, "What the hell are you guys doing?!"
The four of them were playing cards. When they saw me come in, Yan Di immediately exclaimed "Ah!" and blushed. She quickly ripped off the note stuck to her face and looked at me with a hint of fear. Qiao Qiao, on the other hand, seemed fearless, not even the King of Heaven himself. She merely glanced at me and said casually, "Oh, you're here? Quick, quick, you switch with Yan Di! This girl is terrible at cards, it's so boring. Now everyone's here!"
I was both annoyed and amused, and strode over: "I don't care if you guys play cards... but Yan Di is a patient! She should rest properly!"
Qiaoqiao scoffed and laughed, "We have a professional doctor here! Don't worry, your wife is perfectly fine, just a minor scratch. She was unconscious because her head hit the ground, but she's completely okay now. She slept until evening and can't fall back asleep... Actually, she could go home now. But considering she needs a follow-up brain scan tomorrow, we decided to stay overnight to save us the trouble of running around." Seeing my suspicious look, Qiaoqiao nudged Mutou's chest with her elbow: "Hey, Mutou, say something! Am I right?"
Wood didn't say anything, glanced at me, and nodded.
I know Mu Tou is the most reliable person; if he says he's fine, then he's definitely fine. But seeing these three guys acting so recklessly in Yan Di's hospital room, I couldn't help but sigh: "What are you guys doing... You! Qiao Qiao, why are you wearing your bra and panties on the outside?" My tone was a little unfriendly.
Aze cheered and laughed, "Xiao Wu is jealous! Qiao Qiao, hurry up and explain!"
Qiaoqiao glared at Aze before looking at me and saying, "We're playing our old game, the Adventurers' Game! We play cards as punishment. The loser of each round has to do one thing! No matter how difficult or sordid it is, you can't refuse! Didn't the four of us used to play this game all the time back in China?"
Then Qiaoqiao briefly explained the current situation... Given that Yan Di was shy and was injured, she received special treatment. Everyone was too embarrassed to make things difficult for her, so they didn't ask her to do anything too outrageous. They just made her do the simplest punishment—sticking notes on her.
The other three wolves were not so simple. Not only was Aze's face painted with a mustache and glasses, but he was also forced to go to the hospital reception with this look, and despite his painted face, he flirted with a chubby, middle-aged Black female nurse!
The bra and panties Qiaoqiao was wearing over her clothes weren't something she took off herself (this relieved me; although I knew Qiaoqiao was always bold, she was still my woman, and I didn't want her to take off her underwear in front of so many people). The bra and panties she was wearing were something she was forced to steal from the hospital's women's changing room as punishment after losing!
"There's bound to be news about an underwear thief at this hospital tomorrow," Qiao Qiao sighed helplessly.
I glanced at them a few times, and was surprised to find that the wooden figure was completely clean, with no notes, no smeared face, and no underwear on the outside...
"Huh? Wood, how come... you haven't lost at all?" I couldn't help but ask in surprise, "I remember your card skills used to be the worst among us."
I had just finished asking when I saw Mu Tou looking utterly dejected, while Qiao Qiao and A Ze next to him immediately burst into laughter, the two of them laughing so hard they were doubled over. Even Yan Di couldn't help but have a strange smile on his face...
Wood sighed and said, "Fine, I'll confess myself..." He looked at me with a calm expression: "Weren't you wondering why I looked so clean? That's because those two bastards are so insidious... Do you know what punishment they've made me do?"
As he spoke, Wood began to unbutton his coat. After he unbuttoned his coat, my eyes widened immediately! Because inside this guy's clothes, on his chest, he was wearing a woman's bra... and it was black lace!
With an innocent expression, Mu Tou said, "Qiao Qiao lost twice, so she stole two sets of women's underwear. She wore one set on the outside... and the other set is on me now. The difference is, she wore it on the outside, while I... wore it on the inside." He paused, then smiled wryly, "I won't show you the thong I'm wearing underneath!"
Qiaoqiao grinned wickedly: "Wooden head, stop rambling... You lost this round again! Don't try to get away with it. You'd better solve the punishment problem we agreed on right now!"
His wooden face looked as if he had been slashed in the face. He gritted his teeth and asked, "Do you really want to tell me?"
“I will tell you!” Qiao Qiao answered firmly.
"You absolutely have to tell me?"
“I will tell you!” Aze said decisively.
"Okay!" Mu Tou had a resigned look on his face, then stood up and walked to the bedside to press the call light on the bedside table.
A moment later, the door to the ward opened, and a nurse on duty walked in. She was a short, plump girl with freckles, wearing a nurse's uniform. As she entered, Wood immediately went to greet her, a lewd smile spreading across his face. He walked to the plump nurse's side and uttered a classic movie line with a seductive air…
"Sincere one, may I have the pleasure of having a look at your breasts?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the other two jackals beside him were laughing so hard they were practically dying.
**********************
When that nurse ran away, I guessed they probably thought we were all crazy. I forced a laugh and managed to shut these guys up, then forced a serious face and said, "Okay! Stop acting crazy. This is a hospital..."
Before I could finish speaking, Qiaoqiao jumped up: "What's wrong with the hospital! We had even more fun back in Nanjing! Have you forgotten your classic performance from that time?! Hmph... We remember it very clearly, the three of us filmed it with our phones!"
Yan Di immediately looked curious: "What classic performance?"
"That was during the first snowfall of 2002..." Aze stood up and explained with deep emotion, "The location, well, it happened in a famous bar in Nanjing... In front of more than a hundred people... a handsome young man, with a tragic expression, walked to the bar counter in the middle of the bar. Then he suddenly shouted, attracting everyone's attention... At that moment, under the astonished gaze of more than a hundred pairs of eyes, he bravely climbed onto the bar counter and did twenty push-ups in one go!"
I was so angry my face turned white, but Yan Di couldn't help but say, "It's just doing push-ups... it's not that shameful."
"It's not that simple..." Aze said, suppressing a laugh, "That handsome guy was shouting loudly as he did it..."
At this point, Aze glanced quickly at Qiaoqiao, who immediately understood and shouted in a sickeningly sweet voice, "Oh...Yeah...Oh...Oh...Oh...Yeah!!! Yeah!!! Harder! Faster! Faster..."
Aze was laughing so hard he was almost out of breath. Yan Di looked at me with an incredulous expression: "Chen Yang...you...you really did that?"
I was furious and embarrassed: "Damn it! I'm a man of my word!" Then I glared at my three buddies: "How long are you planning to blackmail me with this! Here's the deal, didn't you film it on your phones? I'll give you each a million dollars! Sell me the video on your phones! Take the money, sign a contract, and don't try anything funny again!"
Aze rolled his eyes: "One million... Pfft, I don't even care."
Qiao Qiao smiled sweetly and said, "Do you think I'd ever be short of money?"
Damn, I almost forgot that both of these guys are rich. So I turned my attention to Wood.
"I really want a million." Wood looked at me sincerely, his tone incredibly earnest: "But as brothers, I can't lie to you... I posted that video online a long time ago... I heard it got over a million views in three days, and a week later it was already number one on the search rankings..."
"..." I gritted my teeth: "You...which website did you post it on?!"
Wood smiled mysteriously, then sighed: "Love life, love Mop..."
……"I kill you!!!!!"
**********************
I punched and kicked the bastards out of the ward, slammed the door shut, and turned around to see Yan Di looking at me strangely. Her face was originally a little pale, but she had laughed too much just now, and now a blush appeared on her cheeks.
I coughed and walked to the bedside, saying with a wry smile, "Ignore them. The four of us are used to playing around like this."
Yan Di suddenly smiled strangely and said in a low voice, "I suddenly remembered... I think I really saw that video before. It was very popular on the internet back then." She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "But Mu Tou was quite lenient. He blurred the faces in the video."
Seeing my sullen expression, she quickly stopped talking, sat up straight from her knees on the bed, leaned closer to me, her face flushed and showing a hint of shyness.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked, noticing her strange expression.
"Hmm..." Yan Di thought for a moment, then suddenly said softly, "We...we're already married, right?"
"Of course," I laughed. "Although there were some hiccups at the end, the wedding is over. Now you're my wife..." I suddenly chuckled and said, "Come on, call me 'husband' and let me hear it."
"Husband..." Despite her shyness, Yan Di still called out softly, but then a look of worry appeared on her face: "What happened at the wedding today... was someone trying to harm you? Are you... are you in danger?"
I looked at her, then reached out and cupped her face in my hands, letting her rest her face against my chest. Then I said solemnly, "You don't need to ask about these things, and you don't need to worry about them. Rest assured, I will handle everything perfectly. You are a woman, so you don't need to worry about these things. Leave them to your man."
"Hmm..." Yan Di said softly, "I'm just worried about you... After all, we're married now, we're husband and wife. Shouldn't husband and wife care more about each other?"
I smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead: "You've already cared for me so much. It's just that I haven't cared for you enough in the past, but I'll spend more time with you from now on."
Yan Di leaned quietly against me, but after a while, she suddenly said, "Qiao Qiao came today... are you planning to let her stay..."
I gently covered her mouth, then looked down into her eyes, gave a bitter smile, and whispered, "Alright... today is our wedding day, at least tonight. Right now, let's not talk about this, okay? I still feel guilty about this, and talking about it now will only make me more embarrassed. Let's not discuss this, okay?" I then said softly, "It's a pity... if no one had caused this mess, tonight should have been our wedding night. It's a pity we have to spend it in a hospital room." I sighed, "Yan Di, I feel so sorry for you. Even our wedding has turned into this mess, and on our wedding night, you have to spend it in a hospital room..."
Wood is right, Yan Di is completely fine now. The minor injuries are nothing, she was just a little shaken. She also bumped her head on the ground; I touched the back of her head and sure enough, there was a big bump. Since she has a follow-up check-up early tomorrow morning, we might as well stay at the hospital tonight.
I simply held Yan Di and slept fully clothed on the hospital bed. Although it was our wedding night, she was injured, and my injuries were probably more serious than hers, so naturally, I couldn't do anything. Moreover, in the latter half of the night, my wounds were both painful and itchy while I lay in bed. I guess the anesthetic and painkillers the doctor gave me when they treated my wounds at the hospital had worn off. I was woken up by the pain in the middle of the night, but I endured it without making a sound so as not to disturb Yan Di in my arms.
I slept fully clothed that night, and Yan Di had no idea that I was injured. So much had already happened that day, and I didn't want my wife to worry about me anymore.
Moreover, to be honest, I did go to see the princess that night, and the injuries on my body were caused under "that" special circumstances, which is really hard to explain if I were to say it out loud.
I slept fitfully through the night, and the next morning, I heard a knock on the door, followed by Xiao Zhu calling out, "Fifth Brother... Fifth Brother..."
I woke up, glanced at Yan Di who was still fast asleep beside me, gently rolled over, walked over, and opened the door a crack. I saw Xiao Zhu standing outside the door, looking tired and with bloodshot eyes, clearly having not slept all night.
A thought struck me: "So? Is there any progress on what I asked you to do?"
Xiao Zhu was somewhat excited: "Yeah, last night I had my men keep watch outside that hotel... We discovered that the princess left the hotel overnight and took a car to a villa on the east side of the city. She didn't come out until just this morning. Our men were watching the area around the villa with military binoculars. According to the reports, the princess was very agitated when she came out, and seemed very angry, as if she had been arguing with someone. Also, that Allen you asked us to find, he was indeed in the villa! Our men saw his face peek out of the window with their binoculars!"