Chapter 45: The Counterattack Begins

There were too many people around, and Xiaoxiao was a bit shy. She gently rested her head on Lu Feng’s shoulder, her dark, lustrous eyes furtively sizing up those nearby. In the Association of Traditional Medicine, some were friendly with Kanglong Pharmaceuticals, while others had ties to Yun’an Group.

One council member surnamed Wang, upon seeing Xiaoxiao, immediately stood up with a broad grin and said, “Isn’t this little girl the one from the video? Young Master Ye was just accusing us of negligence—now what do you make of this?”

Ye Wuhua saw Lu Feng return with Xiaoxiao in his arms and instantly wore a look of panic. He whispered to Ye Xinglong, “Dad, didn’t you say this little girl was taken away by some people in the underworld? How is she here now?”

Ye Xinglong was equally stunned. He had previously sent someone to investigate and learned that Chen Lan and her daughter had been taken by some gangsters. He had used this to stir up public opinion against Yun’an Group, hoping to carve out a share in the traditional health business. He never expected Xiaoxiao to appear so suddenly.

“Stay calm!” Ye Xinglong, seasoned and shrewd, barked at his son to quell his panic, then calmly observed the unfolding situation.

Su Muqing was delighted now. She pointed at Ye Wuhua and cursed, “You bastard! Speak up! The girl is safe and sound—how could Yun’an be accused of negligence? I could sue you for slander, you know? Bastard!”

Her words not only scolded Ye Wuhua but dragged his father Ye Xinglong into the mud as well.

“Enough! Xiaoqing, that’s no way for a lady to behave,” Su Dao’an quickly reprimanded his youngest daughter for her lack of decorum.

“Hmph! They started the rumors. Why bother with manners for people like them?” Su Muqing retorted, crossing her arms and turning her head away in a haughty gesture.

Ye Xinglong, unwilling to give up, stepped in front of Xiaoxiao with a sleazy smile, as if hawking goldfish, and asked, “Little girl, do you know who saved you? Was it the doctors at the hospital?”

Xiaoxiao immediately shook her head, “It was big brother who saved me.”

“You were unconscious at the time—how could you possibly remember? He must have told you to say that,” Ye Xinglong pressed.

Xiaoxiao shook her head again, “No, big brother saved me. I remember the smell on him.”

“How could you remember a smell? You must be mistaken,” Ye Wuhua insisted as he moved closer, pressuring her.

“I remember it clearly!” Xiaoxiao furrowed her brows, adamant, and pinched her nose, “You smell like cigarettes. It’s awful.”

Lu Feng maintained a faint, ambiguous smile, watching Ye Xinglong and his son, and calmly asked, “Is there anything left to explain? Or shall I point out who truly disregarded human life?”

“What do you mean?” Ye Wuhua asked nervously.

Ye Xinglong quickly grabbed his son, stopping him from speaking.

“You don’t understand what I mean?” Lu Feng countered, his gaze unwavering.

…

Su Dao’an stood below the stage, ever composed. Now that the situation was reaching its climax, he turned and signaled subtly to Councilor Wang beside him.

Wang pulled out his phone, swiped a few times, refreshed a news portal, then exclaimed loudly, “There’s a new video on Phoenix News—it’s the complete version of the earlier clip.”

Many in the hall took out their phones and began playing the newly released full video. One person, surprised, said, “Hey, isn’t that Young Master Ye? So you were at the scene, trying to give first aid to the little girl.”

At this, everyone focused on the first person attempting to perform external chest compressions on Xiaoxiao—it was none other than Ye Wuhua.

The master of traditional medicine, previously displeased by the questioning, now wore a smile. He said, “Though I specialize in traditional medicine, I’ve studied emergency care. Young Master Ye, your child CPR technique is rather unorthodox. Are you really a medical university student? Is this how your professors teach?”

Ye Wuhua’s face flushed red. He had previously ordered Four-Eyes to delete the video, so he felt safe bringing out the edited clip, only to be blindsided by the release of the full version.

Another young man, who held a grudge against Ye Wuhua, chimed in mockingly, “Your technique is off, you didn’t even do basic checks or clear the airway, just started pressing with both hands… and demanded a close-up shot—what, was this a performance?”

“Truly a bastard—can’t save lives yourself, yet when someone else succeeds, you try to frame them, turning the tables with false accusations. Now the truth is out—aren’t you ashamed?” Su Muqing laughed heartily, her mood soaring.

Ye Wuhua was furious, shouting, “Enough! The girl wasn’t seriously hurt; even if he hadn’t helped, I could have saved her!”

“Oh, sure, anyone can say whatever after the fact. I could say I’d do it too!” Su Muqing refused to back down, continuing to pick faults.

“Hmph!” Ye Xinglong had no desire to stay and be the butt of the joke. He snorted heavily and left the hall.

Ye Wuhua, face swollen with humiliation, wished he could crawl into a hole and hurried after his father.

With the troublemakers gone, Su Dao’an approached Lu Feng and said, “Lu Feng, let me introduce you to a few esteemed masters from the Association of Traditional Medicine.”

“I’ll take Xiaoxiao back to her mother first,” Lu Feng replied, taking Xiaoxiao by the hand and walking away.

As they walked, Xiaoxiao’s eyes darted to the food on the tables, especially the cakes and ice cream.

Lu Feng picked up a stemmed glass, asked a waiter to scoop two balls of ice cream, and handed it to Xiaoxiao. “Go ahead and eat.”

“Is it okay?” Xiaoxiao looked anxiously toward her mother.

“It’s a reward from big brother,” Lu Feng said with a nod.

Immediately delighted, Xiaoxiao took the glass and began eating her ice cream.

Chen Lan came over and asked, “Xiaoxiao didn’t disrupt your business, did she?”

“Not at all. Xiaoxiao was a great help, so I rewarded her with ice cream,” Lu Feng replied with a smile.

Xiaoxiao promptly raised the glass in front of her mother, showing that it was a reward from Lu Feng, not something she’d snuck.

“That’s good,” Chen Lan said.

“I have some matters to attend to. You two enjoy yourselves—if you want anything, just ask a waiter,” Lu Feng said.

“All right, go ahead,” Chen Lan replied.

Lu Feng nodded and turned to find Su Dao’an.

Su Dao’an led Lu Feng over to Li Guhe, grinning broadly. “Elder Li, allow me to introduce my nephew, Lu Feng. He’s from a family of traditional medicine practitioners. I hope you’ll look after him in the future.”

“Of course,” Li Guhe replied amiably, his manner warm and welcoming to all who greeted him.

Beside Li Guhe stood a tall, striking beauty with a sharp jawline, prominent nose, and an aloof demeanor that made her stand out.

“So it really is you,” the tall beauty said with a smile upon seeing Lu Feng.