Sitting in the taxi, Su Chen pressed his lips into a thin line.
The young woman sat in the back seat, her heart fluttering with anxiety.
The man before her was clearly someone of uncommon status; the buttons on his shirt were edged in gold and engraved with a logo she couldn't recognize.
A designer shirt, on top of the medical fees for removing the fishhook, had to be quite a hefty sum of money.
She estimated it would wipe out several days' worth of commission from her live-streaming orders.
"We've arrived at Kanghui Hospital," the taxi driver reminded them.
The girl hurriedly reached for her wallet, but Su Chen beat her to it, taking out his phone to pay.
"Thank you so much, mister. How much was it? I'll transfer it to you."
"No need, I'm in a hurry."
The girl instinctively reached out to steady Su Chen's arm.
"Don't touch me!"
Su Chen snapped coldly.
Startled, the girl winced and quickly pulled her hand back.
Entering the clinic together, Su Chen was surprised to find that the doctor on duty today was none other than Doctor Lin.
Taking in the wound on Su Chen's neck, Doctor Lin led him into the next room.
The girl paced back and forth in the waiting area.
When she tapped back into her live-stream, the viewer count had suddenly surged again.
Comments filled with various questions and guesses were flying across the screen like snowflakes.
Looking at those expressions of concern, the girl couldn't summon a smile.
"Family, today was definitely not an auspicious day—unfavorable for everything!"
"When I was casting my line earlier, it caught on someone's clothes and tore a hole."
"Then, the big guy got mad, waved his arm, and the hook snagged his neck instead. He's inside the hospital getting his wound treated right now."
"Don't worry, though, he's fine—it's just that your little sister here has had some terrible luck."
After muttering this under her breath, the chat room erupted in laughter.
"This is destiny, little streamer! You've reeled in a catch of a lifetime!"
"Aww, the young lady is so pitiful. Sending hugs."
"Pat, pat. This too shall pass."
"Little streamer, was the guy you hooked with your rod that handsome hunk? Let us have a look!"
"Curiosity plus one!"
The girl shook her head like a rattle-drum.
"No, no way. That man is way too fierce, radiating so much hostility. I can't handle it."
Just as her voice trailed off, someone in the stream actually sent a virtual gift!
Seeing the consecutive gift notifications pop up, the girl didn't know whether to feel happy or distressed.
At that moment, the door to the adjacent office suddenly opened.
"Alright, Mr. Su, there shouldn't be any major issues now. Just make sure the wound doesn't get wet for the next couple of days."
"Thank you, Doctor Lin."
Su Chen's voice was magnetic, and the expression on his face had softened considerably.
Yet the moment he turned to look at the girl, his face froze over with frost once again.
The girl's hand gave a little twitch.
The camera lens happened to point directly at Su Chen.
Since he was on duty, Doctor Lin gave a few brief concluding instructions before leaving.
In the hallway, only the girl and Su Chen remained.
"Mister, how much was it? I'll transfer it to you."
"Is this about money? There are huge signs explicitly prohibiting fishing, yet you deliberately acted like you couldn't see them—do you have any civic sense at all?"
"Did it ever cross your mind that you could hurt someone? What if you had hooked someone's eye?"
"If it had hit a major artery, someone could have died!"
The more Su Chen spoke, the angrier he grew, letting the final sentence slip out without a second thought.
As for whether it really could have hit an artery or caused a death, he hadn't had the time to process that!
"I was wrong. I was just making that motion... I don't even know how to fish..."
"If you don't know how to fish, what are you flailing around for? Trying to look cool?"
"Mister, I sell fishing rods..."
The young woman's voice grew softer and softer, finally trailing off like the buzzing of a mosquito.
Su Chen was completely speechless!
Recalling her awkward flailing earlier, he figured she must be some sort of shopping host.
After a brief silence, Su Chen turned and walked away, and the girl hurried to follow him once more.
"Mister, today really was an accident. How much did everything cost in total? I'll transfer it to you."
"Forget it. Save your money and go read up on some public service announcements about civic duty instead!"
Su Chen didn't break his stride, marching straight ahead.
The comments in the live-stream exploded across the screen once more.
"Oh my god, look at those long legs on that handsome guy! Total eye candy!"
"That cold, imposing aura is so charming. Little streamer, you cannot let him get away!"
"Fate has brought you together, you have to seize the moment! Otherwise, you'll regret it forever."
"Girl, use paying him back as an excuse to stick with him. You've gotta find out more about him!"
"Quick, turn the camera around so we can feast our eyes again!"
"Gift sent! I'm backing the little streamer in her pursuit of the handsome guy!"
The phone chime rang out once again.
The girl paid it no mind, but Su Chen abruptly stopped in his tracks.
"You—turn off the stream!"
"Ah, oh, right away."
Meeting Su Chen's sharp, piercing gaze, Bai Xiaonian obeyed instantly as if following a military command.
"You really have zero bottom line, don't you? Even at a time like this, you're still thinking about streaming to make money!"
Irritated, Su Chen found fault with everything she did.
Bai Xiaonian looked aggrieved, lifting her eyelids to peek at Su Chen before quickly lowering her gaze again.
The look she wore made her resemble an utterly wronged little white rabbit.
Su Chen waved his hand dismissively and said with annoyance, "Alright, just go!"
"No, I can't leave this debt unsettled. My grandma always said that money is easy to repay, but favors are not. The hardest debt in this world to clear is a favor. Tell me how much I owe you so I can pay you back, and then my conscience will be clear."
From the moment the incident began until now, this was the longest speech Bai Xiaonian had given.
Su Chen narrowed his eyes into slits and spoke in an icy tone.
"Let me make this clear: don't follow me, or I swear I'll slap you across the face!"
"Hey, what is wrong with you? I genuinely admitted my mistake, and I sincerely want to make it right. Why are you being so vicious? We don't have any deep-seated grudges, yet you're looking at me like you want to beat me to death. Is that really necessary?"
With that, Bai Xiaonian puffed out her cheeks and angrily plopped down onto a nearby bench.
Truth be told, she wasn't actually tired—she was just terrified.
That man constantly radiated an aura of "keep away from strangers," and managing to spit out that long speech had completely drained every ounce of her vitality.
If she weren't worried about being exposed, Bai Xiaonian would have loved to take a few deep breaths.
At that moment, a sharply-knuckled hand suddenly appeared right in front of her.
"Scan it. Transfer the money!"
"Huh? Okay!"
Without thinking twice, Bai Xiaonian immediately tapped WeChat and opened the scanner.
Then, she froze instantly!
Her pretty eyes widened in shock, and her voice trembled.
"Su Chen?!"
"No way... you're Su Chen?"
Springing to her feet, Bai Xiaonian grabbed Su Chen's arm, staring at him as if she wanted to burn his face into her memory!
"Let go of me!"
Su Chen tried to shake her off, but Bai Xiaonian happened to grip the exact spot where he was wounded.
Is this woman out of her mind?
She threw a fit when he wouldn't let her pay, and now that he told her to transfer the money, she pulls this stunt!
There really are too many scammers these days!
Staring intently, Bai Xiaonian took a rapid step forward, pressing almost flush against Su Chen.
Su Chen hastily retreated. "I'm warning you, if you keep this up, I'm calling the police!"
"Fine, go ahead and call them!"
"Are you mental?" The fury in Su Chen's eyes looked ready to burst into flames.
Instead of backing down, Bai Xiaonian broke into a wide grin.
"So it really is you! Brother Chen, look at who I am. Don't you remember me?"
Jumping up and down with joy, Bai Xiaonian spread her arms and spun in a circle right in front of him.
"Remember me yet?"