Chapter 149: Chapter Seventy-Two: Chen Zheng's Love Story

To avoid scaring the hospital's cats and dogs, children, elderly, and beautiful nurse girls, as soon as I shaved my head I bought a big hat and put it on my head. The next day, when I went to visit Pangzi on his sickbed, I was inevitably teased by him again.

Suppressing the urge to beat this scoundrel severely, I left his ward. However, this scoundrel's days weren't easy either. Little Fat seemed to still remember the scene of him being struck by lightning, and from time to time would run over to fight him fiercely, preventing him from resting while he healed.

Immediately after, I went to the orthopedics department to visit Fan Wuchang.

Although Fan Wuchang's physique is much better than an average person's, if it were anyone else, even if you were a top-tier special forces soldier, first being stabbed in the abdomen, then immediately suffering a penetrating wound to the chest, surviving would already be a miracle; without a hundred days of recovery, you absolutely could not be up and about like an ordinary person.

When I went to visit Fan Wuchang, his whole body was wrapped in thick bandages. His mood seemed not good; he looked worried and his face had grown much thinner.

Having gotten along with him for so long, I naturally know what he's worried about. He's worried about Chen Zheng and Dong Yumin. Of course, this is also what we all worry about.

After leaving his ward, I immediately went up to the eleventh floor. Dong Yumin was the most severely injured among everyone, and due to being corroded by parasitic worms, the toxicity on her body was extremely fierce, so the hospital listed her as a critical patient, not only placing her in the emergency room but also isolating her from the outside world. Except for doctors, no one is allowed to enter to see her; even doctors must wear masks and protective gear before daring to go in.

This reason starts from when Dong Yumin was first admitted to the hospital.

When Dong Yumin was first sent to the hospital, a terribly unlucky white coat got stained with her blood; afterward, that unfortunate old doctor lay on the operating table, being rescued by his colleagues for several days, and even now he still lies half-dead on the hospital bed.

After that, the hospital not only listed Dong Yumin as a critical patient but also as a high-risk individual. Apart from QingSongShu and Chen Zheng, who could walk in as if nothing were wrong, the rest of the doctors and nurses, upon entering that ward, were extremely cautious, trembling as if going to the battlefield to face death.

Due to the hospital's strong demands, even Chen Zheng could not stay long in the ward to accompany Dong Yumin. If one wanted to see her, they could only observe through the ward's high-definition camera; unless necessary, they would not enter that ward.

When I arrived at the ICU on the thirteenth floor, Chen Zheng was guarding the small TV with a weary face. The screen showed only a frail woman lying on a hospital bed—none other than Dong Yumin.

Upon seeing me enter, Chen Zheng gave me an apologetic smile, then turned away and continued to gaze affectionately at the image of his wife on the screen.

On the small TV's table, three ashtrays were filled with cigarette butts, and the room was filled with a heavy smoke smell. Besides, there were several boxed meals and cigarettes; from these one could imagine how agonizing Chen Zheng's days had been and how long he had been keeping watch in this small room.

Chen Zheng might still feel guilty, but I don't hate him either; for everyone's sake not to be unhappy, I pretended to forget the past, sat down slowly beside him, lit a cigarette, and smoked together with him. Neither of us spoke, and it was unusually tranquil.

I couldn't bear to disturb him, and at this moment Chen Zheng's eyes held only Dong Yumin.

Suddenly, the silent Chen Zheng slowly spoke, but what he told me was a recollection of his story with Dong Yumin.

"Back then, I was just a loitering street thug, a petty hoodlum despised by everyone. All day I either hacked people or went around collecting protection fees. In my world, there was only chopping people or being chopped, only chasing others or being chased; I… had never imagined I would have a home."

Chen Zheng lowered his head, his tone somewhat desolate, his eyes filled with myriad thoughts; at this moment I became a listener, quietly hearing his confession. Don't ask why— the reason is simple: I wanted to listen, I wanted to know his story with Dong Yumin.

"At that time, she was truly beautiful. Her beauty intoxicated me, drew me in deep, making it impossible to pull away. From the moment I first met her, I had already fallen helplessly in love. I cannot describe that inner feeling, but I could be certain then that she was the first person in my life to evoke such feeling in me. After our chance encounter, I often sneaked to the school to see her, even wishing night would come sooner and day linger longer, so I could have more time to see her."

"I fell in love with her," Chen Zheng said, smoking, giving an undeniable smile, then his tone filled with a hint of bitterness and helplessness.

"Although I liked her, I didn't dare tell her, for my adoptive father once told me. Our path is one paved with bones. Those who mix in society will eventually have to pay; no one can wash their hands clean and leave this road. When you grow old and fade, your past enemies will swarm in—some wanting to kill you, others wanting to step on you to rise. Thus… most who walk our path meet a bad end. We dare not love; at this moment we may be surrounded by crowds, standing above ten thousand people, but the next second we could lie dead in the street, unable to even protect our own lives, let alone give a woman happiness. Those in our line of work are born unable to give women a sense of security."

By then Chen Zheng had finished a cigarette, but soon he lit another. Perhaps the stimulation of tobacco could make his mind clearer.

It was then that I realized Chen Zheng and Dong Yumin's love story was not the version circulating outside. People thought Dong Yumin saved Chen Zheng, after which he came to like her. In fact, Chen Zheng had secretly loved Dong Yumin all along.

But as Chen Zheng spoke, I couldn't help feeling a bit strange. Could it be that the outside rumor of Dong Yumin saving Chen Zheng twice is false? Or perhaps Chen Zheng deliberately fabricated it?

"Perhaps it's fate, or perhaps it's destiny. The first time, I was chased to an orphanage, and she kindly rescued me and even bandaged me. At that time she truly seemed like an angel; she foolishly didn't consider that this hoodlum, once healed, might harm her. I pretended to be indifferent toward her, but in fact she had already taken root in my heart."

Chen Zheng slowly told me, and as he recalled, he also clarified my doubts; the two of them indeed had quite a fateful connection.

"The second time, she rescued me again. After that, we gradually became acquainted and began to draw closer. One night eight years ago, she stormed out of the house in anger, and later clashed with members of the Fierce Tiger Gang at a coffee shop. I protected her, fighting our way out of the shop; I ended up with wounds in three places."

"That very night, shy as she was, she fiercely hugged me and kissed me for a long time. After she finished kissing me, she said, half-playful, half-overbearing: 'Hoodlum, I don't know if you'll remember me for a lifetime, but I want to leave a long, long shadow in your memory—so that whenever you eat strawberries you'll think of me.' She nibbled my lips and told me, 'Remember forever, strawberries are a flavor that belongs only to me.'"

"Only after being stunned did I notice a faint strawberry scent lingering on my lips. Only then did I realize that before kissing me, she had already placed a strawberry candy in her mouth."

As he said this, Chen Zheng recalled Dong Yumin's playfulness, and a faint smile unintentionally crept onto the corner of his mouth.

I chuckled and casually said, "I wouldn't have guessed, but sister-in-law is quite mischievous."

Chen Zheng also turned his head and sighed, "All I can say is, she succeeded. Even if later I hardened my heart and avoided looking at her, the moment I see or eat strawberries, my mind inevitably conjures her; her shadow has become an indelible mark, filling my inner self."

I was somewhat surprised and asked Chen Zheng, "You and your sister-in-law—did you later split up?"

"En," Chen Zheng nodded and continued, "In the two years after we met, something happened that made me think of leaving her."

"At the time, I was collecting a bad debt for a boss when I unintentionally offended an uncle from Eastern Mausoleum, cutting off his source of income. That uncle was a tough guy from Macau, the big shot of three streets. That night he enforced family law on me, beating me half to death; in the end, it was my adoptive father who arrived just in time to rescue me from the brink of death."

"I know my life is cheap, so cheap I don't know when I'll meet King Yama. Therefore I dare not, I dare not burden her; she was born into a prominent family and deserves a better life."

"What happened next?" I anxiously pressed, beginning to become unable to pull myself out of this story. As Chen Zheng's tone shifted, my nerves grew more tense; I seemed to anticipate that Chen Zheng at that time was preparing to leave Dong Yumin.

"Loving someone, if not unavoidable, how could one bear to willingly push her into another's embrace? This world not only has a love called eternal, but also a love called helpless, heartbreaking letting go."

"Not long after that night, I began intentionally or unintentionally distancing myself from her, even having friends bring me to bars to fool around and look for prostitutes. I also tried, in her presence, putting my arm around another woman and being lovey-dovey. Later, she left in a huff, and not long after I heard that her father had arranged a marriage for her—a young nobleman who had returned from overseas studies. Supposedly he made a good impression, and after a brief meeting the two families were already preparing for the wedding."

"How did it end in the end? Did sister-in-law really marry that rich young man?" I anxiously asked, and after asking I realized I sounded foolish, for if Dong Yumin truly married that wealthy man, how could she possibly end up with Chen Zheng?

"How did the final outcome turn out? Did older sister-in-law really marry the son of that wealthy family?" I asked anxiously, and only after asking did I realize I was being a bit foolish; if Dong Yumin really married that rich person, how could she possibly end up with Chen Zheng?

"Upon hearing the news of her marriage, I got drunk for several days. I am weak-loved; I love someone yet can only watch helplessly as she throws herself into another's arms."

"But… I never imagined that just three days before her wedding, she would suddenly find me. Upon finding me, she smashed a bottle cap hard into my head."

After smashing me, she cried and said fiercely: "Chen Zheng, I'm getting married in three days. You watch and decide—if I truly marry him, I will hate you for the rest of my life, I will hate you to death."

The corner of my mouth twitched, because ever since I first saw Dong Yumin, her image had always been gentle; hearing that she would smash Chen Zheng's head with a bottle cap still seemed hard to believe. Of course, this surprise was only temporary; I was more curious about how things would turn out—how Chen Zheng and Dong Yumin would end up together.

I asked Chen Zheng: "So how did you and sister-in-law end up together? Could it be that sister-in-law regretted the marriage on her wedding day and refused to go through with it?"

"No," Chen Zheng shook his head, stubbed out the cigarette, and said, "On her wedding day I directly brought over a hundred people, smashed the church, beat her father to the ground, hoisted her onto my shoulder, and carried her off."

As a listener I instantly froze, the corner of my mouth twitching rhythmically.

After all that buildup, the final line is the punchline. All the setup actually boils down to… one sentence: beat the father-in-law, abduct the bride. This love story really is just that—a thuggish pig beating the pig boss, then right in front of him, carting off his cabbage.

Turns out, after all that fuss, the punchline was the last sentence. All the buildup, when boiled down… is just one sentence: beat up the father‑in‑law, snatch the bride. This love story is really just that: a hooligan pig beats up the pig boss, right in front of him, and makes off with his family's cabbage.