Transfer the Money First, or There's Nothing to Discuss!

Xie Jinran had clearly not expected Xie Ran's actions.

In his eyes, the younger brother he had finally found again was kind and meek. Ever since arriving at the Xie Family, he had been cautious in everything he did, afraid that being even a little conspicuous would invite criticism.

Yet just now, Xie Ran had indiscriminately demanded an explanation and even reached out to shove the village chief.

That unreasonable, overbearing look made Xie Jinran feel utterly unfamiliar, as though he were meeting him for the first time.

Feeling the unusually complicated gaze behind him, Xie Ran hurriedly turned around. "Sorry, Third Brother. I was just too anxious and acted without thinking."

His tearful eyes fluttered as he added, "I was really just too worried about you!"

Concern clouded judgment.

Xie Jinran accepted that explanation and patted Xie Ran's shoulder reassuringly. "It's fine. Third Brother understands. Blood is thicker than water, after all. It's only natural for you to worry about me, unlike certain people."

As he spoke, he glared at Xie Chen. "All he knows is how to side with outsiders, without even a shred of gratitude!"

While the two talked to themselves, the cameraman gave the burn on the back of Xie Jinran's hand a close-up.

Xie Jinran had indeed been burned, but calling it an injury was not quite accurate. His skin was merely reddened, and it would fade on its own after a while. It had already lightened considerably.

By comparison, the kitchen had been thoroughly wrecked. Even the pot on the stove had been smashed through. Pots, bowls, and utensils were scattered across the floor, along with trampled vegetables mixed with egg liquid.

The cameraman recorded all of that before turning the lens toward the village chief, whom Xie Chen was supporting.

The village chief had clearly been badly frightened. Cold sweat covered his forehead and ran down the lines on his face. One hand held his lower back as he tried hard to suppress his groans. He looked disheveled yet stoic, as though afraid of causing trouble, making people feel deeply sorry for him.

The livestream chat immediately erupted in both anger and laughter.

[Are you kidding me? Is such a tiny injury worth all this? It's like his hand is about to be crippled!]

[He shoved the village chief, then turned around to apologize to his brother? Holy shit, what kind of twisted logic is that?!]

[The village chief is so old, and Xie Ran could still lay hands on him?! He really opened my eyes!]

[Xie Ran said rural people couldn't be trusted?! Isn't that regional discrimination?!]

[Why can't he discriminate against a region?! Xie Ran was trafficked to the countryside as a child. It's normal for him to have some psychological trauma, isn't it?!]

The paid commenters had arrived, and public opinion was beginning to be led astray. But viewers soon raised doubts.

[Soybean paste can treat burns. It's a folk remedy from the countryside. Even a brat like me who has never been to the countryside knows that. Would Xie Ran not know?!]

[I seriously suspect Xie Ran is putting on an act and playing the victim. I heard his adoptive parents treated him very well...]

The comments were in a heated argument, but the facts were right there. No matter how the paid commenters tried to derail the discussion, they could not justify Xie Ran's actions. Meanwhile, Xie Chen ignored Xie Jinran's endless nagging and asked the village chief with concern where he was hurt and whether he wanted a massage.

"My waist!" The village chief frowned, his voice weak. "It hurts terribly!"

Farmers who worked under the open sky and did hard labor their entire lives more or less suffered from lumbar muscle damage. Some even developed herniated discs. With the slightest mishap, even one wrong movement could leave them unable to get out of bed.

At that moment, the accompanying doctor rushed over, looked from one to the other, and for a while did not know which "patient" to examine first.

"I only pushed him once. Is that really such a big deal?" Xie Ran still looked as though he were being falsely accused.

When Xie Jinran saw that Xie Chen was worried about someone other than him, he felt deeply uncomfortable. His earlier retort had also been completely ignored, making him even more annoyed. "Look at my hand first. What if it scars?! These hands have to perform onstage!"

The doctor glanced at it. "It's not a serious problem."

He was a licensed doctor with unquestionable professionalism and medical ethics. He certainly could not lie through his teeth just because Xie Jinran was a pianist.

"I think the village chief is in worse condition. Did he injure his waist? If the pain is severe, he needs an X-ray!"

Xie Chen shook his head. "An X-ray is useless. Even if it shows something wrong, the treatment would still be bed rest."

Then he asked, "Village Chief, do you trust me? If you do, I can set your bones for you. It might ease the pain considerably."

"Set bones?!" Hearing that, Xie Ran could not help sneering. "Don't cripple the village chief!"

Xie Jinran also frowned. "Xie Chen, you'd better not show off. Just send him to the hospital and let professionals handle professional matters!"

"Can you two stop yapping?" Xie Chen shot them an irritated glance. "You're like flies, buzzing nonstop."

"You—" Xie Jinran, who had just been called a fly, nearly choked on his breath.

Wasn't this a case of good intentions being repaid with ingratitude?!

"Kid, I trust you!" The village chief gripped Xie Chen's hand. "Going to the hospital won't help my slipped disc either, unless I get surgery! The doctor told me to find someone skilled to massage it. It might relieve the pain!"

Xie Chen nodded slightly. "As long as you trust me. My consultation fee isn't high—just one hundred thousand."

"Huh?!" The village chief froze.

Xie Ran immediately laughed. "You're charging a consultation fee too? Brother Xie Chen, even I can't stand watching this. Are you taking advantage of someone in a crisis? You know the village chief can't afford it."

A wild curve formed at the corner of Xie Chen's lips as he lifted his chin. "Of course I know. That's why you'll pay the fee."

"Why?!" Xie Ran's eyes widened, completely caught off guard by that turn of events.

"Because you caused the village chief's slipped disc by shoving him!" Xie Chen sneered. "If you don't pay the medical bills, who will?!"

Xie Ran wanted to deny it, but then he saw the camera.

With the evidence so conclusive, he had no way to lie.

So he could only argue stubbornly. "Who knows whether the village chief is faking it?! What if you two are working together to scam me?! Yes! That must be it! You two planned this together, didn't you?! You're jealous that Third Brother favors me, so you deliberately set a trap!"

"You think everyone is like you? Always playing tricks behind people's backs?" Xie Chen said unhurriedly. "The doctor is right here. Do you want him to assess it?"

The doctor traveling with the production crew had been sitting in front of the monitor the entire time, ready to handle emergencies at any moment.

He had seen every bit of the Xie brothers' behavior and naturally had strong opinions about it.

Their values were obviously warped!

So he spoke up at once. "As a doctor, I believe the village chief did indeed twist his waist, and the condition is serious. It does not appear to be an act."

"Although I'm not a police officer and cannot determine liability, the fact that you pushed him is beyond dispute!"

Now that Xie Ran had been pushed to the center of public scrutiny, he could no longer argue. He could only grit his teeth and say, "Fine. Then treat him. I'll only pay if you cure him. If you fail, you'll bear the consequences!"

He refused to believe that an illness even the hospital could not cure could be healed by Xie Chen with a little massage!

Xie Chen, who had once been born into a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners in a world-hopping world, curled one corner of his lips. "Transfer the money first, or there's nothing to discuss."