NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 12 - Two slaps
The sudden change brought about an eerie silence.
Even the instigator was momentarily stunned. Chu Yu put down his crossed leg and straightened his back.
Jiang Zi supported Tang Yuan and softly called out, “Tang Yuan…”
Tang Yuan raised a hand to her head, and under the dim light, she could still see the bloodstains on her fingertips.
Dazed, she steadied herself by holding onto Jiang Zi’s shoulder, then turned to face Chu Yu.
[You bastard, you’ve got quite a grip!]
Hearing Tang Yuan’s inner thoughts, Jiang Zi’s once-distracted gaze focused on the sticky substance in Tang Yuan’s hair.
Tang Yuan wiped the blood from her fingers on her skirt, and without hesitation, she raised her hand and slapped it towards Chu Yu’s face.
Chu Yu reacted quickly, intercepting her wrist.
“Slap——!”
The resounding slap still landed squarely on Chu Yu’s face.
The man looked up in disbelief, meeting a pair of pitch-black eyes. Jiang Zi, having slapped Chu Yu, had raised her hand, but for some reason, it remained suspended in mid-air.
In her eyes, there was a genuine glint of murderous intent.
He muttered, “Jiang Zi…”
“Slap——!”
Another loud slap landed on the other side of Chu Yu’s face, causing his head to twist painfully.
Tang Yuan had seized the chance to break free from his grip, and with a forceful swing, she slapped him, her anger seemingly driving her to the brink of losing her composure. “Chu dog! How dare you hit me!”
“From now on, I, Tang Yuan, and you, Chu Yu, will be irreconcilable enemies. Don’t let me see you again!”
Chu Yu sprang to his feet, his rage boiling over. No one had dared publicly humiliate him like this, slapping his face.
“Tang Yuan, don’t think I don’t dare to take action against you!”
The commotion had grown so loud that the entire entertainment venue fell silent, with everyone quietly watching the scene.
“Of course, you dare. You’ve already cracked open my head. What wouldn’t you dare!” Tang Yuan’s voice was loud, her head pounding with pain.
The expensive necklace was nowhere to be seen now, but now no one was paying attention to it.
Chu Yu was speechless, aware that he was in the wrong. But having been slapped, he couldn’t swallow this humiliation, his face growing darker with each passing moment.
“Good, good.” He pointed at Tang Yuan, grinding his teeth, and said, “From now on, don’t blame me for showing no mercy!”
Tang Yuan clutched Jiang Zi’s hand tightly, her head throbbing painfully. Tears streamed down her face like scattered pearls, and she remained silent.
[Fall out with the male lead Chu Yu, mission completed. Mission reward: -10% of the male lead’s protagonist halo. Male lead’s current protagonist halo: 89%. Please continue to work hard~]
Hearing the mission completion prompt, the tension in Tang Yuan’s mind finally eased. She felt a wave of darkness before her eyes. Wiping away her tears, she called out, “Dong Ling.”
Jiang Zi tightened her grip on Tang Yuan’s hand, pulling her into her embrace. Her voice was slightly panicked. “We need to go to the hospital.”
Tang Yuan clutched at her sleeve and called out again, “Dong Ling!”
“Ah… ah?” Dong Ling stepped forward, glancing between Tang Yuan and Chu Yu, who was sulking on the sofa, his face still marked by the slaps. Dong Ling hesitated, “Me?”
“Drive… take me to the hospital.”
Dong Ling looked at Chu Yu, who was sitting silently with a dark expression, both sides of his cheeks with clearly visible slap marks.
“Ah? Oh… okay.” Dong Ling chose to take Tang Yuan to the doctor first.
Having known each other since childhood, Dong Ling found himself in a difficult position.
He stepped forward to take Tang Yuan from Jiang Zi, but Jiang Zi held on tightly, unwilling to let go.
A weak voice came from Tang Yuan, “Go get the car…”
Dong Ling scratched his head and led the way.
Behind, Chu Yu kicked the table in frustration, shattering a wine glass on the floor. After a couple of minutes, he stood up and left.
Jiang Zi placed Tang Yuan in the back seat, fastening her seatbelt before opening the driver’s door, which had just closed. “You’ve been drinking, I’ll drive.”
Dong Ling looked up at her, “I didn’t drink. I only had grape juice. I’m allergic to alcohol.”
Before he could finish, the car door was slammed shut. Jiang Zi moved to the other side and sat in the back seat, her tone cold. “Drive.”
Dong Ling rolled his eyes, they were treating him like a chauffeur.
Though he grumbled internally, Dong Ling still obediently drove.
Checking at the hospital, the wounds weren’t severe. The doctor cleaned the blood from her hair, bandaged her up, and had her take painkillers.
After bandaging her wounds, the doctor handed her a prescription and said, “The main reason for your dizziness is low blood sugar. You haven’t had dinner yet, have you?”
“Though your scalp injury isn’t serious, it’s best to get an X-ray to check for any concussion or any internal bleeding. After that, eat something immediately, and make sure to eat well, okay?”
“Alright, family members, please come and settle the medical fees.”
Jiang Zi followed the doctor out to handle the payment while Dong Ling went to buy some food.
Dong Ling looked at Tang Yuan quietly eating porridge and suddenly sighed, “Tang Yuan, have you and Chu Yu really fallen out?”
Jiang Zi, sitting next to Tang Yuan, glanced at her, curious about her response.
Even though she knew Tang Yuan was not the actual Tang Yuan, she was still concerned about her thoughts.
“We have indeed fallen out.” Tang Yuan set down her spoon, “So you should think about whether you’ll side with him or me.”
Dong Ling’s eyes widened in shock, “What are you saying!”
“Do you think I’m your ‘child”? You guys are the ones arguing; why do I have to decide which side to take?”
The room’s atmosphere dropped several degrees at those words.
Dong Ling belatedly glanced at Jiang Zi. She remained silent, sitting there quietly. After meeting his gaze for a moment, she looked away, pulled out a tissue, and gently wiped the corner of Tang Yuan’s mouth.
“Eat slowly.”
Dong Ling: …?
He had a bold guess.
“Wait a second…” Dong Ling put his hands on his hips. “Ah Yu and I have been friends for years. I can’t just cut ties with him.”
“You two can handle this however you want.”
“My issue with that Chu dog involves both the Tang and Chu families; it’s not as simple as cutting ties.” Tang Yuan took a couple more bites of porridge and then pushed the empty bowl forward, her expression serious as she looked at Dong Ling.
“Think it through. You’re either breaking ties with him or with me.”
“I…” Dong Ling irritably ruffled his hair. “What kind of mess is this!”
He grabbed the empty bowl and tossed it into the trash bin.
“I’m not driving you home. Call your driver to pick you up.”
With that, he slammed the door and left without looking back.
Tang Yuan shrugged, and the person sitting to her right gently took her hand.
“I’ll take you home.”
Tang Yuan beamed and leaned closer. “It’s still sister who’s the best. Men are so unreliable.”
Inadvertently, her red lips brushed Jiang Zi’s chin, causing her to stiffen momentarily.
Jiang Zi released her hand, adjusted her pillow, and gently laid her down on the bed. “You rest for now. I’ll go check on the report.”
“Alright.”
When Jiang Zi looked down at her, Tang Yuan’s eyes sparkled, resembling a cute little animal.
【Damn it, I tried to sneak a kiss but missed! How did I mess that up? What’s wrong with my mouth!】
Jiang Zi cleared her throat and headed toward the door.
Today, she slapped Chu Yu and didn’t have any uncomfortable reactions.
Just recently, she couldn’t even resist a simple command like “come here.”
Is it because Tang Yuan completed another mission?
Opening the door, Jiang Zi glanced back at Tang Yuan; seeing her smiling brightly, she felt a sudden softening in her heart.