Zhou Wan Nong had personally witnessed Chen Xiao incapacitate Ye Yin Huan's bodyguards with just a few punches a few days prior, and knew that despite his lean physique, Chen Xiao was exceptionally skilled.
However, concern clouded her judgment, and she remained worried that Chen Xiao might not be a match for Xiao Wang.
More importantly, she absolutely did not want to see Chen Xiao become an enemy of her maternal grandfather, Long Ao Tian, due to Lin Mei Qiao and her son, Long Xiao Lin.
For a moment, she even set aside her thoughts on Chen Xiao and Luo Lin's relationship, making a move to pull Chen Xiao into her Porsche, saying with palpable anxiety:
"Chen Xiao, fighting won't solve anything. Why don't you come to my place first? I promise I'll do my best to explain things to my grandfather for you."
Chen Xiao remained unmoved, a half-smile playing on his lips as he addressed Xiao Wang:
"Isn't being able to hide behind a woman's skirt a skill you can only envy? But you're mistaken about one thing. I'm not hiding like a coward; I simply disdain to lay a hand on a lackey like you. However, since you insist on humiliating yourself, I'll certainly oblige!"
As he spoke, before Zhou Wan Nong and Luo Lin, who were shielding him, could react, he suddenly lunged at Xiao Wang like a leopard. The Da Meng Jin Gang Shen Gong activated instantly, and with a powerful kick, he sent Xiao Wang flying.
"Ah—"
The next second, accompanied by a pig-like wail, Xiao Wang was sent hurtling backward, crashing heavily onto the front of an ambulance parked nearly ten steps away. The impact flattened both front tires of the ambulance, and Xiao Wang himself lay motionless, like a fly splattered against a wall, blood gushing from his eyes, nose, and mouth. He had lost consciousness on the spot, and the front of the ambulance was visibly deformed.
"Mom... Mom..."
Seeing this, the other bodyguards were terrified, crying out in fear and fleeing with their heads in their hands.
Even Luo Lin was stunned into silence. She could never have imagined that Chen Xiao not only possessed unparalleled looks and heaven-defying medical skills but also astonishing martial prowess. After a moment of shock, she couldn't help but exclaim in disbelief:
"Mr. Chen, I never expected you to be such a hidden martial arts master! The dark energy cultivation required for that move alone is far beyond mine!"
At that moment, she truly felt fortunate that she had resolutely chosen to betray Ye Tie Zhu at Jin Fang Pharmaceutical. She couldn't even bear to imagine the consequences of continuing to oppose Chen Xiao alongside Ye Tie Zhu. Unconsciously, she had broken out in a cold sweat.
Zhou Wan Nong was equally astonished. Even having witnessed it firsthand, she couldn't comprehend how Chen Xiao, who was often bullied by his colleagues, possessed such superhuman strength.
However, she felt that her priority was to protect Chen Xiao, especially to find an opportunity to explain things to Long Ao Tian as soon as possible. She continued to tug at Chen Xiao's arm, her voice more anxious:
"Chen Xiao, hurry and come home with me!"
As she spoke, her eyes, filled with a mixture of surprise and fear, began to redden, on the verge of tears.
Yet, she was still worried that Chen Xiao might not go with her. So, disregarding Luo Lin's presence, she couldn't help but choke out with a sob:
"I feel like my illness is acting up again. If you don't come to my place tonight to treat me, I'm going to suffer terribly, woo..."
Chen Xiao was clearly taken aback. He had never expected his usually cold and aloof senior attending physician, who was as frigid as a thousand-year-old ice mountain and ten-thousand-year-old snow, to be clinging to his arm and weeping. He was both surprised and nervous, though he couldn't deny a slight sense of smug satisfaction. He said:
"Deputy Director Zhou, please don't cry. I didn't say I wouldn't go to your place."
When he had arrived at the central hospital's emergency room in Luo Lin's car, he had intended to have Luo Lin drive him back to Jin Fang Pharmaceutical after he finished. After all, the night was long, and he worried if Leng Shan could single-handedly guard the Sumeru Mustard Paste, which had been painstakingly produced through overtime work.
But now, with Zhou Wan Nong crying and refusing to let go, he truly couldn't bear it. After some thought, he said to Luo Lin with a wry smile:
"Auntie Lin, could you go and help Leng Shan first? I have something else to attend to and won't be back for now. Call me anytime if anything comes up."
"Boss, I wish you and the boss lady a wonderful evening."
Luo Lin, being in her forties, could only force a smile despite her envy of the young and beautiful Zhou Wan Nong. With a feigned air of nonchalance, she waved goodbye and got back into her car.
Zhou Wan Nong's face immediately flushed, and her heart pounded wildly at Luo Lin's remark. Her crying abruptly stopped. As she drove Chen Xiao, who was in the passenger seat, towards her home, she couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Chen Xiao, why did that auntie call you boss just now?"
Chen Xiao noticed the undisguised confusion on Zhou Wan Nong's face and guessed that Long Ao Tian hadn't told her about his acquisition of Jin Fang Pharmaceutical. So, he gave a half-truthful, half-evasive explanation:
"My mother acquired a small pharmaceutical company, and Auntie Lin is an employee there, so she was just joking."
"Shouldn't Auntie Qing be recuperating from her injuries? How did she suddenly acquire a pharmaceutical company? Did she buy it before she was injured?"
Zhou Wan Nong was suspicious but didn't press further. After a pause, she said with concern:
"Alas! The pharmaceutical industry in Ju Xian City is currently dominated by Jiu Ding Pharmaceutical, leaving very little room for other companies to survive. Even Jin Fang Pharmaceutical, which once made a name for itself internationally, is rumored to be on the verge of being swallowed by Jiu Ding Pharmaceutical. If Auntie chooses to enter the market at such a critical juncture, I fear... I fear her prospects are bleak!"
Chen Xiao replied without hesitation:
"It's alright. My mother and I will do our best."
Seeing Chen Xiao's confident demeanor, Zhou Wan Nong realized that the Chen Xiao before her was no longer the intern she supervised but a Super Doctor King with heaven-defying medical skills. She felt a bit like she was worrying unnecessarily. She smiled apologetically and added:
"By the way, why did you send my cousin to the hospital?"
She wanted to explain things to Long Ao Tian on Chen Xiao's behalf, so she needed to understand the whole story first.
Chen Xiao guessed her intention and didn't hide anything, recounting the incidents where Long Xiao Lin had caused him trouble.
"He deserves it! He absolutely deserves it!"
Zhou Wan Nong already had a poor impression of Long Xiao Lin, and after hearing Chen Xiao's account, she became even more enraged.
Soon, as Chen Xiao arrived at her home and began preparing the Ba Ni Tang, she, without even changing out of her white coat, hurried to her bedroom to call Long Ao Tian. She said indignantly:
"Grandpa, Auntie must have already complained to you about Cousin being beaten by Chen Xiao, right? Please don't listen to Auntie, because it was all Cousin's own doing and he deserved it..."
After a torrent of words detailing the two conflicts between Chen Xiao and Long Xiao Lin, as well as Lin Mei Qiao's outrageous behavior at the central hospital, she still felt unsatisfied. Worried that Long Ao Tian might not believe her, she hesitated, then nervously added with a guilty conscience:
"Gra... Grandpa, actually... actually, I'm already Chen Xiao's person. What's done is done... If you really intend to make things difficult for him because of Cousin, I... I'll die to show you!"