Chapter 45: The Crown Prince

Ling Wu did not believe that someone like Qi Yu, who would later become a villain capable of stirring up storms, would simply wipe away the bullying he had previously endured just because of a short period of friendly interaction.

It would be better to borrow Ming Tan's hand; it was simple, efficient, a clean transaction, and settled once and for all.

Ling Wu took an ordinary, password-free bank card from his pocket, handed it to him, and said indifferently, "The money inside is enough."

Ming Tan was suspicious: "Are you sure?"

He even saw several identical cards in Ling Wu's pocket; didn't TV shows and novels always write about black cards, platinum cards, and diamond cards?

This card... was just very plain.

"Regardless of anything else, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda." Ming Tan said thank you with rare awkwardness: "Thanks."

Ling Wu didn't speak, watching Ming Tan's back as he walked away.

【Lending a million just like that, the supporting male character is too kind.】

【The villain is at least half a friend to Ling Wu, right? This bit of money is just a drop in the bucket for him. If it were me, I'd lend it too, what's the big deal?】

【No... why is this plot heading in an increasingly wrong direction? Is the author trying to whitewash the supporting male character?】

【Kind supporting male character baby!】

【To the one in the comments saying you'd lend it too, you're all talk. In reality, you're living in a 10-square-meter rental, sponging off your parents, and have to deliberate over a 6-yuan bowl of noodles, pfft!】

【The sister above has such a sweet mouth.】

【Isn't this what he should have lent?】

【Regardless of what the supporting male character's intentions are, he saved Grandma Liu's life in the end. A gentleman is judged by his actions, not his heart; if judged by the heart, there are no saints.】

"Qi Yu, the surgery fee is here!" Ming Tan slammed the card onto the payment counter and said quite firmly: "Pay the bill, we're paying it all at once, hurry up and schedule the surgery!"

The clerk at the payment counter judged people by their appearance; after swiping the card and confirming the balance was sufficient, they said reluctantly: "Got it."

"Medical staff will be over in a moment."

Ming Tan still had some pent-up frustration: "What's with the attitude?"

"Acting so high and mighty, and they're just a lowly clerk."

The clerk glared at him.

I really don't get it, where did two poor wretches manage to scrape together so much money? Could it be they agreed to some unspeakable dirty business?

The clerk's gaze toward the two became even more disdainful.

Qi Yu pulled Ming Tan to the side and asked him: "You only ran out for a few minutes, and when you came back, you had the surgery fee. Where did this money actually come from?"

"You..."

"I have a distant relative who works at the hospital, I borrowed it from him!" Ming Tan hurriedly interrupted his words and completely distanced Ling Wu from this matter: "This money is from a legitimate source, don't worry."

"We can earn the money back slowly, but Grandma Liu's condition can't be delayed. Qi Yu, you know what's more important."

Qi Yu was extremely sharp and quickly grasped several key points from this statement. He had recently felt an inexplicable sense of incongruity about Ming Tan, though he couldn't put his finger on exactly where it was.

Personality?

That's right, it was the personality.

The previous Ming Tan was firm and courageous, like a wildflower blooming in the Slums, usually open and polite to others, rarely showing deep hostility toward anyone.

The current Ming Tan was always targeting Ling Wu, but the latter had excellent cultivation and had never held it against him. And then there was what Ming Tan just said to that clerk...

The two had a good relationship in childhood, later separated, and then reunited at Sike Academy. Because they were both Special Students, they helped each other as peers, which was how they added each other's contact information.

But they were just ordinary friends.

Qi Yu's gaze was sharp, his eyes as deep as a lake. It was a terrifying look that could pierce through flesh and bone to stare directly into your soul: "Ming Tan, your family's situation is no better than mine. Where did you go to meet such a wealthy relative?"

"Also, how did you know I was at the hospital?"

Ming Tan felt his skin crawl under that gaze, as if he had been stripped naked and dragged out into the scorching sun, with his last shred of dignity completely wiped away.

He stammered: "I..."

Only then did he realize that the person before him was not a simple youth, but a villain who had experienced torture and suppression since childhood, suffered from hunger and cold, struggled at the very bottom, and still managed to carve out a path through a mountain of blades and a sea of blood.

He was not so easy to redeem.

Ming Tan was still unwilling to give up this chance to farm favorability: "Grandma Liu's house made such a big commotion, I heard it from the neighbors a long time ago."

"You... don't ask so many questions. Just remember that I'm helping you, that's all."

Qi Yu's expression changed slightly: "I will pay you back."

Ming Tan frowned.

Pay back?

Isn't this just rushing to draw a line between them?

Ming Tan felt a faint sense of unease. What exactly went wrong? He was the protagonist, the child of destiny in this comic; why couldn't he handle a single villain?

Grandma Liu was soon moved into the operating room.

The Empire's medical equipment was advanced, so the surgery went very successfully. Combined with inpatient observation and treatment, there were basically no major problems left.

The night was quiet.

Ling Wu stood outside the ward, back against the wall, listening to the conversation between Grandma Liu and Qi Yu inside.

"Good child, it's my old bones that have dragged you down. How much does this ward cost? It's truly a sin, why didn't I just fall to my death?"

Qi Yu: "Please don't say that."

Grandma Liu: "Fate is a cruel thing. You're still in school, this sum of money will crush you. How... how are we ever going to pay it back?"

"..."

The conversation inside the ward was intermittent.

Ling Wu looked through the ward's glass window and saw rows of comments scrolling by:

【Don't use the family-love blade to kill me, I'm crying to death.】

【So miserable, since ancient times, there has never been a villain who wasn't miserable.】

【It's a good thing the male supporting character lent money, otherwise we wouldn't be able to see this heartwarming scene.】

【Grandma Liu, you mustn't think like that. You must live to be a hundred years old. Once Qi Yu regains his status as Crown Prince, you will have endless glory and wealth to enjoy!】

Crown Prince?

Ling Wu had excellent eyesight; after confirming that they had read the words correctly, they continued to observe the barrage, catching a few similar ones.

【By the way, it's still two years until Huo Xi General finds the villain, this Crown Prince, right?】

【The villain is miserable enough; originally of noble imperial blood and kin to the emperor, after experiencing the rebellion, he fell from a prince to a commoner bullied by everyone.】

【The duke who sent the villain out of Beidu City back then died long ago, which is why the Imperial Army never managed to find him.】

【When it comes down to it, it's still the fault of the aristocratic families!】

Qi Yu was actually a prince of the Empire's imperial family left out in the world.

Ling Wu was just born when the Empire's regime collapsed; as an infant, they had almost no memory of the raging war. By the time they could remember things, the scars left by bullets and artillery fire had long been smoothed over by time. The Empire had already undergone a change in power and was waiting to be rebuilt; countless ruins had been reconstructed, presenting a thriving scene where all things lived in harmony.

Having obtained this important information, Ling Wu withdrew their gaze, turned around, and left the hospital.