The fatty now felt that his role as a third wheel was becoming brighter and brighter. At this moment, he could only cough incessantly to remind the two people to be mindful. He had finished his meal and was full, so he didn't need to eat any more dog food to add to his snacks.
"Alright, Brother Ye, we've finished eating. Let's set off immediately."
The fatty couldn't help but urge them. If they didn't leave the restaurant right away, he didn't know how much more affectionate Ye Tiancheng and Hou Mingzhu would become. In any case, the fatty felt rather uncomfortable.
"Okay, let's go home first. We'll have your sister-in-law stay at our place for now. It's not convenient to go home in our current state, and I don't want others to look at your sister-in-law with strange eyes."
Ye Tiancheng considered Hou Mingzhu in every way, which made Hou Mingzhu feel very warm. The fatty immediately agreed with Ye Tiancheng's view and made further arrangements. The fatty said he could go to the company dormitory to stay. Coincidentally, there was a lot of work that had piled up. Staying at the dormitory, which was only a few minutes' walk from the company, would be convenient for him to handle official business. It would also be more convenient for Ye Tiancheng and Hou Mingzhu to live together in that small house. Otherwise, the fatty would inevitably be a third wheel eating dog food next to them in the future.
"Alright, Brother Ye, I can see your deep affection. Sister-in-law is truly fortunate to have such a good partner as you. It's settled then. Let's drive to the repair shop to get the car fixed, and then we'll head straight home. No more delays in between."
The fatty had planned everything quite well, thinking that no more accidents should happen. Both Ye Tiancheng and Hou Mingzhu were not in good condition, so it was best to be safe and not cause any more trouble.
Thus, the three of them set off. Along the way, Hou Mingzhu slept soundly. After this incident, Hou Mingzhu was truly exhausted. Surviving the ordeal made Hou Mingzhu finally realize something: as long as one is alive, everything is a great gift. She no longer dwelled on so many things, but instead felt that as long as she was alive, there would be hope. By Ye Tiancheng's side, even for an extra second, Hou Mingzhu would cherish it dearly, unlike before when she would often do strange things, sometimes not out of her own volition, but hurting everyone's feelings.
"Fatty, drive a little slower. This rickety car is swaying, and I'm afraid it will wake your sister-in-law."
"Understood, Brother Ye. I'm afraid it will be dark soon, otherwise I wouldn't be rushing. The wheels of this broken car have been bitten by those zombie rats and are in a mess. To drive properly, we really need to be careful."
The fatty slowed down, trying his best to prevent the car from shaking too much. However, even after slowing down, the car continued to sway incessantly. There was nothing he could do, as the entire tire was in a negative state, and driving like this was indeed not very stable.
"Brother Ye, it seems not to be working. I've tried my best, but this car is still shaking. I don't know what to do."
"It's alright. The car swaying makes me a bit sleepy. This is normal. I'll sleep for a while too. If there's any unusual situation, Fatty, you must wake me up. Don't bear it alone."
Ye Tiancheng's stamina had been exhausted to the limit. He had only been holding on, thinking that if he stayed awake, he might be able to protect Hou Mingzhu. But now he really couldn't hold on any longer. For him, the greatest gift at this moment was to rest well; nothing else mattered.
Ye Tiancheng soon fell asleep, emitting a soft breathing sound. The fatty further slowed down the car. After driving for a short while, they finally reached the repair shop. The repair shop was already closed. The fatty had no choice but to park the car properly and then go knock on the large iron gate.
"Is anyone still here? I need to get the car repaired urgently. Can you work overtime to fix it? I can pay you more."
After knocking for a long time, the large iron gate was finally opened. It was getting dark, and the repair shop was definitely closed. Only an apprentice-like person was left, who didn't seem to know much about repairing cars. He was likely an incompetent novice.
"What's wrong with the car?"
"The tires were bitten by something. You'll know when you see it. But try to keep the noise down a bit. Someone is sleeping inside, so try not to wake them up."
The fatty regarded this apprentice with suspicion, but now there was clearly no one else to help him. Ye Tiancheng could only try his luck and temporarily trust this apprentice to help fix the car.
"It's late, and everyone has gotten off work. It's already good enough that I'm working overtime for you. How dare you be so demanding? I hate fussy customers the most."
It was unclear where this young apprentice got his confidence from, but he spoke with quite some force. However, he couldn't afford to offend him right now. The fatty was too lazy to argue with such a young brat. Since he wanted to vent some unpleasant words, the fatty wouldn't stop him; he'd let him have his way.
"I'm sorry. Please, young master, help me take a look at the car. As long as you can fix it, your repair fee will not be lacking."
"Understood. Seeing your good attitude, I'll take a look. But don't be long-winded, and don't affect my judgment of this car."
This young master was putting on quite an act. The fatty said nothing, but he wanted to see how skilled this person was. Not only were the tires of the car damaged, but the connection points also had some problems. It wasn't a simple matter of changing the tires; it required a certain skill to fix the car properly.
"This car can't be repaired. It's already ruined to this extent. It would be better to send it directly to the junkyard. I feel like you're deliberately trying to make things difficult for me."
The fatty had been holding back for a long time. This young master clearly lacked skill and was probably incapable of the repair task, which was why he was talking nonsense. The fatty had bought the car not long ago, and it shouldn't have reached a point where it couldn't be repaired. This was clearly this shameless fellow deliberately causing trouble and upsetting people, with no other purpose.
"You're quite the actor. If you can't do it, just say so. Do you know that I, Fatty, hate people like you who pretend to be profound the most? Seeing people like you makes me want to vomit. If you keep being arrogant, I really want to hit you."
Since that little fellow was unable to fix the car, the fatty's attitude changed quickly. There was no need to be polite with someone who couldn't even fix a car.
It was best to scold such a fool directly, without any reservation or deserving any respect, especially since this person was being rude first.
"What did you say? You even call yourself '爺' (Ye)? Who gave you the courage? Don't think that just because you're bigger, I can't beat you. I've practiced Taekwondo, and I'm a black belt. Beating a fatso like you is quite easy."
It had been a long time since the fatty had been called "fatso." He admitted that he was fat, not just because of flesh, but because his bone structure was naturally larger than others. His being fat was an undeniable fact. However, being called "fatty" was acceptable, but adding "fatso" before it was purely intended to provoke him to death.
The fatty was already feeling a bit depressed, and now that a punching bag had willingly appeared, the fatty didn't feel the need to be patient with such a person. He might as well just act.
The fatty slapped him with one hand, and it felt like he was spinning a top. He sent the young fellow spinning around. After spinning, he almost couldn't stand still and immediately shouted loudly.
"Don't you know that hitting people is illegal? You actually hit someone. It seems there's no justice. I'm calling the police right now to have you arrested, you scoundrel!"
"It's not that I, Fatty, am bullying the weak, but you're too much of a jerk. You've already crossed so many of my boundaries today. Seeing you makes me want to hit you. If I don't give you a good beating, I feel like I've lived in vain."
After saying that, the fatty was about to make another move. The other fellow, crying and shouting, turned to run, but the fatty grabbed him by the collar, and he couldn't escape.
"Spare me! I was wrong! I won't be so glib anymore. I know I was pretending to know things I didn't. I only started as an apprentice less than a month ago and haven't learned much yet. So, I don't know much about car repair. The car should be repairable, but my master has already gone home and won't be back until 7 AM tomorrow. Otherwise, you can stay here for the night. I won't charge you. Although it's a bit basic, the place is quite spacious."
Clearly, to avoid further beatings, this young apprentice was quite desperate, trying his best to appease the fatty, hoping that the fatty would not hold a grudge and continue to beat him. The so-called Taekwondo black belt was all fabricated nonsense.
Even if he had Taekwondo, it would be useless. As long as the fatty took out his shovel, any demons or ghosts would be unable to hide from him, let alone a young man who was naturally weak. Such a person could only be crushed by the fatty, with no room for resistance. The fatty had already been quite lenient; otherwise, this young apprentice would have been beaten to death by him. The fact that he still had a chance to beg for mercy showed that the fatty was still kind-hearted and hadn't used lethal force.
"Why is it so noisy?" Ye Tiancheng woke up amidst the apprentice's shouting and quickly asked the fatty for an explanation of the situation.
"Brother Ye, it's nothing. We've arrived at the repair shop, but it's too late. This apprentice is very enthusiastic and invited us in for dinner, and also provided us with a place to stay. Let's just stay here for the night for now. It's not very safe to travel at night. When the apprentice's master comes to fix the car tomorrow morning, it will be safer for us to leave."
It was really not suitable for them to continue traveling, especially since the tire had serious problems. If they insisted on driving, the car might even be completely ruined.
"Alright, let's arrange a place to stay first. I don't feel very hungry since we didn't eat long ago. Let's settle the people first. Your sister-in-law is still weak, so let's try not to cause her any trouble."
The fatty just glanced at the young apprentice, and with a look, the apprentice immediately understood what was going on. He hurriedly nodded like a pecking chick.
"Got it. I'll arrange the accommodation and everything. You don't need to worry about it. Leave it all to me, and everything will go smoothly."
The reason this young apprentice was being so proactive was to gain some favor with the fatty. If he were to be beaten again, the apprentice seriously suspected that he would suffer brain damage. Therefore, it was best to play the role of a subordinate to ensure his safety and well-being.