Hearing the Fatty speak of dedicating himself to a cause now made Ye Tiancheng instinctively fearful. He worried the Fatty would be harmed again because of him, a thought that struck at his very core. Thus, he quickly spoke up to remind him.
"Fatty, you remember this: if you truly consider me your brother, then you'll stay put and not get into any more trouble. Take good care of yourself. If you scare me like this again, I might go before you do."
Ye Tiancheng, who had been crying like a young girl moments ago, was now bossy like a man. His stern expression allowed no room for defiance. The Fatty knew Ye Tiancheng was serious.
He understood his brother too well. Since Ye Tiancheng was serious, the Fatty couldn't be flippant. Instead, he nodded with equal seriousness.
"Understood, Brother Ye. It was indeed my carelessness this time. I've always been careless in my actions, like a reckless youth. I'll definitely correct myself from now on and won't make Brother Ye worry anymore."
Though he didn't know if the Fatty could fulfill his promise, he at least had an attitude of admitting fault. Since the Fatty had apologized, it was up to his actions to prove it. Ye Tiancheng couldn't say much more at this point, lest he dampen the Fatty's enthusiasm.
"Just remember what you said. In the future, I'll try to keep you away from any dangerous situations. The thought of you dying still makes my heart ache."
Ye Tiancheng was truly scared, or rather, he had developed a psychological shadow. Now, any danger to the Fatty would frantically tug at his heartstrings.
"Understood, Brother Ye. I'll be more careful from now on and won't do such foolish things again. Actually, when I was eating it, I felt something was a little off. But I was too hungry then and didn't think much of it. Looking back now, it was truly foolish enough to almost get me killed by a junior apprentice."
"Alright, let bygones be bygones. That junior apprentice has received his due punishment; he's already been taken away by the police. You should stay in the hospital for a few days to recover your health. We'll talk about the rest later."
Upon hearing he had to stay in the hospital, the Fatty's first reaction was strong resistance. Days spent in the hospital were incredibly boring, making him feel extremely irritable. He much preferred to return to his own life. The constant smell of disinfectant in the hospital made him feel suffocated. He really didn't want to stay in that dreadful place.
"Brother Ye, I really feel I've recovered. I don't need to be observed in the hospital. You and Sister-in-law can stay in our place, and I'll stay in the staff dormitory. There are a pile of things waiting for me at the company, and I don't want to waste time. I don't want to stay in the hospital smelling disinfectant for even a day."
He was truly exasperated. The Fatty couldn't make decisions on his own and had to seek Ye Tiancheng's approval for everything, thus using a humble tone to request Ye Tiancheng's understanding.
"That's fine too. I understand you. I can't stand staying in the hospital for a day either. Seeing your spirit is good now, you can go home for observation. Don't stay in the staff dormitory; I'm worried no one will take care of you. I'll cook at home these few days to make things easier for you."
"Brother Ye, to be honest, I don't have much confidence in your cooking. I'm fine in the staff dormitory; I can just order takeout."
"Takeout isn't healthy. You've just been pulled back from the brink of death. How can you be so casual? You must eat well and eat healthy food. If you don't like my cooking, I'll hire a nutritionist to prepare healthy meals with meat, vegetables, and protein every day for your recovery."
"Don't treat me like a patient; it's making me feel bewildered. Just treat me like a normal person. I also feel like I'm fine. I'm not one to fuss, and I'm easy to take care of. Don't let it cause any other trouble."
Thinking about it, the Fatty found it quite amusing. He felt like the nanny of this team, but now he was being treated as a patient, which was rather awkward.
"That's right, then be casual. However, you'll stay at home for three days first, following my plan. After three days, you can do as you please."
Ye Tiancheng conceded, essentially meaning that he wanted to keep a close eye on the Fatty for these two days, and it would be fine to let him roam freely later.
"Alright then, it seems Brother Ye truly cares about me. I can't refuse your kind intentions, or it would seem ungrateful. I'll listen to you. Let's get discharged and go home quickly then."
Since Ye Tiancheng had spoken to this extent, the Fatty couldn't refuse any further. He was prepared to go home first, and with his health recovered, it would be more convenient to do other things.
And so, after the doctor's examination confirmed there were no major issues, the Fatty completed the discharge procedures. Along with Da Bao, Xiao Guo, and others, they all went home.
Lin Xue had gone out for a bit and quickly rejoined the group. The not-so-large room was suddenly filled with many people, but it felt quite warm. Lin Xue had gone out earlier to retrieve some books to thoroughly research how to improve or, ideally, restore the terrifying appearance of Hou Mingzhu, who was cursed.
Lin Xue spent her days secluded in her room, cultivating and reading. Ye Tiancheng prevented the Fatty from going to the company, so he took over, visiting the company himself and handling many matters personally.
Hou Mingzhu dared not return to the Hou family, so she had to temporarily live with everyone. Although they had not remarried, she and Ye Tiancheng had re-established all aspects of their marital relationship.
Upon hearing the news that Ye Tiancheng's ex-wife had moved into his house, Liu Lanying had been somewhat distracted these past few days. She really wanted to visit but felt it would be too intrusive and impolite. After a period of internal struggle, she finally decided to visit. Hearing that the person was also ill, Liu Lanying specially brought some nutritional supplements.
Recently, the entire village had changed its direction in raising pigs. To rapidly enrich the village and maximize profits, they were now raising relatively expensive black pigs. These black pigs were fed with the most natural feed, making the pork exceptionally delicious.
Besides being delicious, it was also very nutritious, and most importantly, it was difficult to obtain. Da Shi Village was a good place, producing feed that was quite natural and nutritious, which quickly fattened the pigs, resulting in very lean pork.
In short, to buy black pork now, one needed to make a reservation. The ones Liu Lanying brought were deliberately kept for Ye Tiancheng, and now they could be delivered as gifts.
When Liu Lanying arrived at the house, the Fatty opened the door. Upon seeing the gifts Liu Lanying brought, the Fatty gave her a thumbs-up.
"Village Chief Liu, you're truly generous! Bringing such valuable gifts right away. You can't buy this now even with money. Da Shi Village's black pork has truly become famous."
"I heard Sister-in-law Ye is staying here and is not feeling well. I also bought a bunch of other nutritional supplements, and I specifically came to see Sister-in-law Ye."
Even if others didn't know, the Fatty definitely knew Liu Lanying's intentions. Moreover, Liu Lanying and Ye Tiancheng had a past connection. Hearing these words, the Fatty could sense that Liu Lanying was deliberately holding back, and she must be very sad in her heart. After all, it was truly difficult to watch the person you liked be affectionate with someone else; it required immense psychological fortitude.
"It's Village Chief Liu, please come in quickly."
Hou Mingzhu had grown accustomed to her role as Ye Tiancheng's wife again, so she naturally extended hospitality.
"Hello, Sister-in-law."
Even with her current appearance, Hou Mingzhu felt no need to hide anything. Close friends like Liu Lanying and Ye Tiancheng would not be kept in the dark.
"Please come in and sit down."
The two women chatted, initially about trivial matters. Later, Hou Mingzhu was direct and revealed the situation with her face, preparing to generously give Ye Tiancheng to Liu Lanying.
"Miss Liu, you are truly a good girl. I think Ye Tiancheng's emotional history is a bit complicated, and he's not quite worthy of you. However, I'd like to discuss with you and ask you to take good care of Ye Tiancheng."
Liu Lanying had absolutely no idea this would happen during her visit and was somewhat stunned.
"What do you mean, Sister-in-law? Aren't your and Brother Ye's feelings very good?" Liu Lanying suddenly realized it might be due to the significant change in her appearance.
"Sister-in-law, I didn't mention the issue of your appearance changing just now because I know Brother Ye is not that kind of person. If he only cared about appearances, he wouldn't have chosen to be with you again. Besides, we all know about this news, which means he's not hiding anything and is very open about wanting to rekindle your past connection."
"Little sister, I'll tell you the truth. These changes I've undergone are all because of Ye Tiancheng. So I also know that the reason Ye Tiancheng is with me has a certain basis; it's mainly because he pities me and wants to take responsibility for me."
"Don't worry about it too much. I believe there's a reason, but it's not the main reason. He also cherishes you very much. We are very compatible. Even if I have feelings for Ye Tiancheng, I'm here today with a heart full of blessings to visit. I absolutely have no intention of breaking you two up, so please don't misunderstand my intentions today."
Liu Lanying dared not disrupt the affection between Hou Mingzhu and Ye Tiancheng. If she knew that her visit had even caused Hou Mingzhu to consider separating, Liu Lanying would truly feel unbearable guilt. Moreover, she would offend Ye Tiancheng. Liu Lanying no longer wanted any romantic entanglement with Ye Tiancheng, but she didn't want to lose this friend with whom she had shared hardships.
"Promise me you'll take good care of him. He hasn't had an easy time along the way. Perhaps his starting point was too low, and he was always looked down upon, barely managing to reach today. I know his hardships. I hope you can give him more understanding."
"Alright, if it's as friends, if you or Brother Ye's family have any difficulties, just ask me. But don't entrust Brother Ye to me alone. The person in his heart is not me. Even if he separates from you, Sister-in-law Ye, one day, he will definitely not choose me."
Liu Lanying knew very well that even without Hou Mingzhu, there was still the ethereal Miss Su. Liu Lanying had witnessed that lady's beauty; she could definitely be called celestial. Ordinary women who went to compete with her for beauty would simply be courting disaster. No one would be that foolish.
"Alright, I'm a bit tired. I'm going to rest. You can chat with Fatty. Thank you for the gifts, and I'll give you a gift too. Please accept it."