With a bang,
the hospital room door flew open, and a young nurse rushed in.
"Help! The patient is trying to kill himself!"
Her startled cry echoed through the ward. Ye Bufan raised his head in confusion, his hand trembling involuntarily.
"Suicide? Me?"
Suddenly, Ye Bufan's body stiffened.
He slowly lowered his head and stared blankly at the silver needle embedded in his skin.
Oh no!
My life is over!
Then he collapsed stiffly onto the bed.
"Oh no, the patient has passed out!"
The next second, a huge crowd surged into the room.
"What happened?"
The young nurse pointed at the silver needles in Ye Bufan's body, opening her mouth but unable to say a word.
Half an hour later,
Lin Chongwu, who had received the news, rushed frantically to the hospital.
Ye Bufan was his only hope of making a breakthrough. Nothing could happen to him.
"Elder Lin."
The lead physician looked nervous.
"How do you people do your jobs?!"
Lin Chongwu's voice was low, filled with rage. "If he doesn't wake up, all of you can wait to be fired!"
The group trembled, lowering their heads without daring to argue, their faces filled with fear.
For one thing, this really had been their oversight. Who would have thought that a perfectly fine person would suddenly decide to kill himself?
For another, with this old man's status, getting them fired would only take a word. They might even lose their lives.
Before a behemoth like the Lin Family, they were no more than ants.
Who knew when they might suddenly get into a car accident or some other mishap?
"Elder Lin, the patient has only temporarily lost consciousness, but..."
Hearing that Ye Bufan was not dead, Lin Chongwu let out a slight sigh of relief before sternly asking,
"But what?"
"Because the silver needles went in too deeply, they may damage his nerves and cause paralysis."
"Paralysis my ass! You bunch of quacks."
At that moment, Ye Bufan suddenly sat bolt upright in bed, glaring at everyone indignantly.
"Young Friend Ye, you're awake."
Lin Chongwu waved his hand, telling everyone to leave.
If I hadn't woken up, I might have ended up getting amputated, damn it.
Though he had been unconscious, Ye Bufan had heard every word of the conversation clearly.
Afraid those quacks would do something stupid, he had forcibly mobilized his Inner Force to stimulate his brain nerves, which was how he regained consciousness.
However, that also worsened his internal injuries. For the time being, he could no longer mobilize his Inner Force, which meant he could not use silver needles to channel energy and treat himself.
"Elder Lin, thank you."
After resting for a while, Ye Bufan spoke solemnly.
Lin Chongwu's words had deeply moved him. He had not expected that, aside from Qingcheng and the others, someone else would care about him so much.
"Young Friend Ye, you're too polite. It was only right."
"I wonder if Elder Lin would mind having another son?"
Ye Bufan grasped Lin Chongwu's hand, his tone utterly serious.
Cough, cough.
Lin Chongwu had been stroking his beard. Caught off guard by Ye Bufan's sudden words, he yanked out a clump of beard hairs before he could react.
Were young people these days all this forward?
"What do you mean, Young Friend Ye? Surely you're joking?"
Lin Chongwu's expression stiffened. He could not understand what Ye Bufan was up to.
Ye Bufan shook his head and said seriously,
"I, Bufan, have drifted through half my life. If Elder Lin does not disdain me, I am willing to acknowledge you as my adoptive father."
This was the conclusion he had reached after careful consideration.
The Jiang Family was powerful. If he wanted to deal with Jiang Cheng, he needed a force capable of standing against them.
The Lin Family was a good choice. Once he became Lin Chongwu's adopted son, he could use the Lin Family's power. Perhaps he might even take control of the Lin Family someday.
It was just calling someone Dad. This deal was guaranteed profit with no loss.
Earning money through ability was nothing shameful.
Simply put, Ye Bufan did not want to work hard anymore!
Lin Chongwu's mouth twitched wildly, but he began to ponder it inwardly.
"Since that is the case, we shall do as you say, Young Friend Ye."
Ye Bufan was delighted upon hearing this and decisively called him Father.
"Haha!"
Lin Chongwu patted Ye Bufan's shoulder in satisfaction and called Lin Pengwen in.
"Pengwen, from today onward, Bufan is your younger brother."
"Greetings, Elder Brother. Please accept this younger brother's bow."
Lin Pengwen: "..."
At the Lu Family residence,
Jiang Cheng rang the doorbell.
Before long, a white-haired old man opened the door, his voice somewhat hoarse.
"Young Master Jiang."
"Butler Lu, is Lu Ming home?"
"Brother Cheng, you're here."
When Lu Ming saw Jiang Cheng, he hurried downstairs and immediately gave him a bear hug.
Jiang Cheng shoved Lu Ming away in disgust.
"Where are Uncle and Auntie?"
Lu Ming curled his lips. "Where else could they be besides the company?"
As he spoke, Lu Ming's expression darkened slightly, though he still forced a smile.
Jiang Cheng sighed. Because Lu Tiannan and his wife were busy with the Lu Group, they were rarely home year-round, so Lu Ming had essentially been raised without supervision.
When he was young, while everyone else had their parents by their side, Lu Ming could only ride home alone in a luxury car after school every day.
Growing up in such an environment, Lu Ming had become withdrawn and was ostracized and bullied by others.
Fortunately, Jiang Cheng had stepped forward. Over time, Lu Ming gradually became Jiang Cheng's lackey.
"Aren't you going to offer me a cup of tea?"
"Of course."
Lu Ming chuckled, his mood improving considerably.
Sitting on the sofa, Jiang Cheng looked around.
He had come to assess the situation and, incidentally, ask about Lu Tiannan's living habits.
How could a man in the prime of life possibly die of cardiopulmonary failure for no reason?
"Brother Cheng, this is Maofeng Tea my dad has been saving."
At that moment, Lu Ming came over carrying the tea.
"How has Uncle Lu been lately?"
While Lu Ming was pouring the tea, Jiang Cheng casually asked.
"Does ordering ten at once count as being healthy?"
Huh?!
The question Jiang Cheng had been about to ask got stuck in his throat, and he hesitated to speak.
He could not exactly tell Lu Ming that his father would die of cardiopulmonary failure. That would only make the kid worry.
Being an older brother really was exhausting.
Thinking he would not get anything useful out of Lu Ming, Jiang Cheng casually wandered around the Lu Family residence to see if he could find any clues.
But even after searching the entire residence, he found nothing.
"I have something to do, so I'll be leaving first."
Jiang Cheng informed Lu Ming before leaving.
Ring, ring.
Just as he got into his car, A Long called.
"Young Master, Ye Bufan tried to kill himself."
Pfft!
Jiang Cheng's eyes widened. The Protagonist... tried to kill himself?
Surely such a minor setback was not enough to drive him that far?
"But he didn't succeed."
A Long told Jiang Cheng everything that had happened at the hospital.
That was not suicide at all. Ye Bufan had clearly wanted to use silver needles to treat his injuries, only for his hand to shake by accident.
Jiang Cheng immediately knew what Ye Bufan was plotting.
Hmm... I've got it!
Jiang Cheng was delighted. Although he did not know what had caused Lu Tiannan's illness, he had a way to save Lu Tiannan's life.
After all, Ye Bufan had accidentally swallowed the Heavenly Mountain Ice Toad whole and gained a body immune to all poisons.
And with a rare creature like the Ice Toad, bringing the dead back to life and growing flesh on bones was hardly surprising.
Ye Bufan had only fully absorbed its medicinal power after becoming a Grandmaster.
In other words, the current Ye Bufan was practically a walking human medicinal treasure!
He had to make good use of him. He absolutely had to make good use of him.
That was the Protagonist for you. He was reliable when it mattered most.
Stroking his chin, Jiang Cheng had already begun plotting how to draw some of Ye Bufan's blood...
Before you continue