The online news continued to ferment, with many reporters camped out near the Xu Family residence, hoping to get the scoop on the latest developments.
How to describe the Xu Family situation? It was both significant and not so significant at the same time.
Sure, someone had fallen into the water and couldn't get out, but the Xu Family held a certain status in Rong City. Old Master Xu's mishap now affected the future development of the Xu Group.
The people of Rong City were well aware of the relationship between Xu Xiuhe, the CEO of Heyuan Group, and Xu Guimin. Now, the Xu Group also had Xu Zhengyang.
One born to the ex-wife, one to the current wife - the people of Rong City were eagerly waiting for the drama to unfold. Legally speaking, Xu Xiuhe also had inheritance rights.
Previously, when Xu Guimin hadn't encountered any issues, people didn't see much of a connection between Xu Xiuhe and Xu Guimin. But now it was different. With Xu Guimin's accident, Xu Xiuhe had become a point of interest.
At this moment, Xu Guimin's physical condition became extremely important.
In the hospital, Yang Cui was sprawled across Xu Guimin's legs, crying her eyes out.
"Oh, Xu! You can't have anything happen to you. You must get better quickly. If you leave, what will I do? Who will protect me? Oh, Xu! Guimin! Wake up soon. How will Zhengyang and I manage without you? Boo-hoo, Guimin, wake up!"
Xu Zhengyang sat in a chair, watching his mother cry, at a loss for words.
"Please be quiet. The patient needs rest. He's not dead yet, so why are you wailing like it's a funeral? Don't the other patients need rest too?"
The Little Nurse stood at the door, knocking, her tone rather unpleasant.
Yang Cui couldn't tolerate this. How dare a little nurse speak to her in such a manner?
"How dare you speak like that? Who are you saying is having a funeral? Are you cursing my husband?"
Yang Cui stood up and walked to the door, looking fierce. She raised her hand and slapped the Little Nurse across the face. The nurse cupped her cheek, her mouth agape, seemingly shocked.
She knew this patient's family had some influence, otherwise they wouldn't be in a VIP ward. But Rong City had plenty of influential people, and this wasn't the only one. Several other patients' families had already complained at the nurse's station.
And now she'd been slapped outright. Did they think she was easy to bully? She had people backing her too.
She was used to being overbearing, and when she saw patients or their families not heeding her advice, her tone would turn sour, and she'd start scolding loudly.
"You dare hit me? Who do you think you are?" The young and sturdy Little Nurse put one hand on her hip and swung the other towards Yang Cui.
She slapped Yang Cui three times across the face.
Not only was Yang Cui stunned, but Xu Zhengyang watching from the side was also dumbfounded. He hadn't expected the nurse to be so fierce and brave.
After recovering from the shock, Yang Cui and the Little Nurse began to scuffle. Yang Cui was shorter than the nurse, and as they grappled, Yang Cui slowly found herself at a disadvantage.
"Zhengyang, why are you just sitting there like an idiot? Your mother is being beaten. Come and help me!"
Yang Cui screamed hysterically.
Xu Zhengyang was clearly frightened by the situation. He put down his phone and ran over.
With his addition, the Little Nurse immediately found herself on the losing end.
"Help! There's a hospital disturbance! The patient's family is beating people!"
The Little Nurse's voice was also very loud.
Soon, many people gathered at the door of the ward - other patients' families, doctors, nurses, and even the department head rushed over.
"What's going on? This is a hospital!"
The three seemed not to hear, and the Little Nurse was being beaten badly.
Someone called for security to come up, and finally, the scuffling group was separated.
"Cough, cough."
Xu Guimin on the hospital bed coughed a few times, and the room instantly fell silent.
This was a situation neither Yang Cui nor Xu Zhengyang had anticipated. Hadn't the doctor said Xu Guimin might become a vegetative patient? How was he coughing now?
"Dad, Dad, you're finally awake?" Xu Zhengyang immediately ran to the bedside.
"Where am I?" Xu Guimin's voice was extremely weak, and his gaze was still a bit unfocused as he looked around.
Yang Cui's hair was disheveled, two buttons had fallen off her clothes, and her face was bruised and swollen. Seeing Xu Guimin open his eyes, she burst into tears.
She crawled to the bedside, collapsing onto the bed with her hands on Xu Guimin's legs.
"Oh, Guimin! Why did it take you so long to wake up? Do you know that while you were in a coma, your wife was almost beaten to death? Oh, oh, oh, if you hadn't woken up, how could I go on living? A widow and an orphan, even a little nurse bullies us now!"
"Dad, look at me." Xu Zhengyang's white shirt collar was torn.
In the ward, the others had retreated, and the nurse involved in the fight was led away by security.
Yang Cui suddenly said, "Where is she? Where's that little nurse? I haven't gotten my revenge yet."
Xu Guimin looked at the crazed woman before him with disgust. Was this the same gentle Yang Cui who usually drank tea and tended to flowers?
"Guimin, why aren't you saying anything?"
Yang Cui grabbed Xu Guimin's hand and pressed it to her face.
Yang Cui's face was a mess of tears and snot, her makeup smeared. She looked ugly and frightening, like a shrew, a sight that made one's stomach turn.
"Zhengyang, what happened to your clothes?"
Xu Guimin looked at his son's collar. Even though his voice was weak, his words still carried some authority.
"Dad, Mom was being hit by the little nurse just now, so I went to help break up the fight and got caught in the crossfire."
Xu Zhengyang knew what kind of person Xu Guimin was. Xu Guimin had always been strict with him since childhood, and if he knew that Xu Zhengyang had gotten involved in a fight, he would surely be angry.
"Both of you, please leave. I want to be alone for a while."
Xu Guimin spoke up.
From the moment he woke up, there had been constant chattering and wailing in his ears. It was giving him a headache.
Xu Zhengyang and Yang Cui looked at each other, seemingly unable to believe what they had just heard. Xu Guimin was actually sending them away.
"Dad, you've just woken up. Someone should stay with you. Let me take care of you."
Xu Guimin shook his head and said, "Just go out, all of you. I want to be alone."
The mother and son left the ward very reluctantly.
Xu Guimin lay on the bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, lacking energy. It was as if he had taken a trip to the gates of hell.
The King of Hell hadn't taken his life and had sent him back, but the agony of drowning was worse than death. He never wanted to experience that again in this lifetime.
Outside the ward, Xu Zhengyang looked at Yang Cui and asked, "Mom, what's wrong with Dad? Why did he make us leave?"
Yang Cui shook her head. How would she know?
"Mom, why don't you go back and change your clothes? And wash your face while you're at it."
Xu Zhengyang looked at his mother, noticing her smudged eyeliner. Indeed, she looked rather disheveled, almost ghostly, which was a bit frightening.
"What's the matter, Zhengyang? Is it not enough that your father looks down on me? Now you're ashamed of me too?"
"Mom, that's not it."
Inside the room, Xu Guimin took out his phone.
