Read Novel Full Chapter 69.1 – The Protective Dr. Ning (I)
Chapter 69.1 – The Protective Dr. Ning (I)
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Ma Xiu’e screamed belatedly, her face covered in tea dregs. “What are you doing?!”
Xia Mian sneered, “I have no parents, so I have no manners—that’s what you said, isn’t it?”
No one had expected her to take action so directly. Even Mr. Mi was stunned. This girl looked so gentle, yet her method was quite blatant and ruthless!
Behind Xia Mian, Sun Yuexin and Li Lizhen were practically itching to shout, ‘So cool!’
Ma Xiu’e tried to lunge again, but Mr. Mi quickly held her back. She could only point at Xia Mian’s nose, cursing, “Do you know how much this dress costs? How could paupers like you afford to pay for it? Ill-mannered little brat…”
Xia Mian calmly picked up another teacup. “Care to repeat it?”
Having learned her lesson, Ma Xiu’e had no choice but to hold her tongue.
At that moment, Hao Jianguo stepped in with a forced smile, trying to smooth things over. “Now, now, Ms. Ma, calm down. Kids are impulsive. If you speak so harshly, of course she’ll be upset.” Then he turned to Xia Mian and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll pay for Ms. Ma’s clothes. But you are too sensitive, little girl. Ms. Ma’s words may have been unpleasant, but you didn’t have to get physical.”
He sighed. “Now I see why you’ve overblown things with my son. That boy saw you were pretty and simply wanted to tease you a little. He’s been like that since kindergarten! There was absolutely no ill intent—whenever he sees a pretty girl, he likes to joke around, that’s all.”
“It’s good to be cautious when you don’t have parents to protect you,” Hao Jianguo continued, “but you can’t be overly sensitive either. Now he’s got a gash on his head—if I asked you for compensation, the medical bills wouldn’t be cheap.”
Before Xia Mian could respond, he added, “But I won’t hold it against you. After all, my son shouldn’t have teased you like that. Still, sending him to the police? He’s only seventeen.”
Ma Xiu’e, who had been wiping her clothes, gasped in shock. “The police? And she cracked his head open?!”
Hao Jianguo nodded. “Unfortunately. Took several stitches.”
Ma Xiu’e looked at Xia Mian as if she were some kind of heavy criminal, indignantly declaring, “What a vicious girl!”
“But Mr. Hao, you’re just too soft-hearted. You can’t let this slide. People like her need to be taught a lesson,” Ma Xiu’e said coldly. “Only then will they learn their place.”
“Your son’s just a teenager—what kind of grudge could justify throwing someone in jail?”
Sun Yuexin couldn’t take it anymore. She snapped, “Why don’t you ask your darling daughter? Xia Mian never did anything to her, but she spread lies that Xia Mian had a criminal record. If it weren’t for that, would Hao Jian have dared to bring thugs after her?”
Ma Xiu’e sneered, “Who said it’s a lie? Look at her—with that vicious streak, it only makes sense she’s been in jail!”
No one saw when Xia Mian moved. One moment, Ma Xiu’e had just finished wiping her face; the next, she was splashed again with tea. At the same time, a white blur flashed past her head, smashing against the wall behind her with a crisp shatter.
Everyone was stunned. Ma Xiu’e didn’t even react to the fresh tea on her face. Her back went cold, her scalp prickling as her senses screamed danger, and she let out a shrill scream.
Xia Mian picked up another teacup and said coolly, “Auntie, you’d better shut up. Next time, you won’t be so lucky.”
“If you don’t believe me, try it. Anyway, this uncle here will pay for me,” she glanced at Hao Jianguo. “Right, Uncle? A few stitches on the head shouldn’t cost that much.”
Hao Jianguo froze, clearly not expecting this girl to be so fierce.
Even Ma Xiu’e looked a bit scared now. She turned to Mr. Mi and demanded, “Is this how you educate your students?”
“I absolutely refuse to let my daughter go to school with someone like her!”
Mr. Mi finally came to his senses and hurriedly gathered the rest of the teacups from the table. He then reached for the one in Xia Mian’s hand. “Xia Mian! Calm down.”
Xia Mian lowered her hand.
Mr. Mi took the cup with a quiet sigh of relief.
Seeing this, Ma Xiu’e also began to relax. She was just about to curse again when she saw Xia Mian casually pick up the ashtray sitting in front of Hao Jianguo.
Ma Xiu’e: “…”
Now she truly didn’t dare say another word.
Xia Mian turned to her homeroom teacher, looking genuinely puzzled. “Mr. Mi, what exactly is Tian Xueya’s mother here for?”
“Tian Xueya’s matter is already clear. I’ve got no grudge against her, but she keeps insulting me just to cozy up to the Hao family. Isn’t she just begging for a beating?”
Mr. Mi was also annoyed enough and said bluntly to Ma Xiu’e, “Mrs. Tian, you came here for Tian Xueya, didn’t you? We have explained the full story to you, so you should head back for now. Have your daughter return to school tomorrow—high school isn’t like junior high. It’s hard to catch up once you fall behind.”
“And also, you should go home and change. Don’t catch a cold in this freezing weather.”
Ma Xiu’e was never easy to reason with, and now, after swallowing all this frustration, she wasn’t about to back down. “No way. I must meet this girl’s parents today. President Hao may be willing to let it go, but I’m not going to let others trample over my head!”
“This ill-mannered brat needs to learn her place!”
Seeing Ma Xiu’e gearing up for another argument, Hao Jianguo quickly cut in, “Ms. Ma, just sit down and relax. Go warm up by the radiator—don’t catch a cold.”
He had figured it out. This girl had a fierce temper, and provoking her any further wouldn’t do him any good.
Since Hao Jianguo had spoken, Ma Xiu’e didn’t push it further. She gave Xia Mian a vicious glare before hurriedly tending to the water and tea dregs on her face and clothes.
Hao Jianguo turned to Xia Mian, beaming with a smile. “You really are a fiery one, huh? I know it must be my stupid son’s fault, but he never meant any harm, really. He just wanted to tease you a bit. I’ll apologize on his behalf—can you forgive him?”
“He’s only seventeen. If he ends up with a criminal record, his whole life could be ruined,” Hao Jianguo said smoothly, obviously used to negotiating. “As a fellow student, could you maybe take pity on his poor parents and let this one go? I promise to discipline him strictly from now on. It won’t happen again.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t let you suffer for nothing. I’ll give you some compensation for emotional distress. How about five—”
Xia Mian cut in, “Five million?”
Hao Jianguo choked. Ma Xiu’e sneered, “Five million? You’ve got quite the mouth on you. Not afraid of bursting from greed?”
Xia Mian couldn’t be bothered to argue. She said directly, “Uncle, I think you’ve misunderstood something. Yes, I made the report—but I’m not the one who decides the verdict.”
“There’s clear audio evidence. The police will use it to determine the charges. Coming to me is pointless. I’ve done what I was supposed to do, and don’t need apologies or compensation.”
Hao Jianguo’s face darkened. “Little girl, don’t be so hasty. Think it carefully—with one word, you could save my son. Why make enemies when you could make friends?”
“Even if he gets a record, my son will be locked for a few weeks at most. Since you go to school here, your home must be nearby. Wouldn’t five thousand yuan to improve your family’s situation be better than having my idle son watching your family like a hawk?”
“Are you threatening me now?” Xia Mian asked.
Hao Jianguo’s eyes were cold, though his face kept its smile. “Of course not. I’m just laying out the facts. Our Hao family still has some influence in this area. Isn’t it better to stay on good terms?”
Xia Mian said, “Sorry, I’m not interested.”
Seeing that she wouldn’t budge, Hao Jianguo’s gaze turned menacing. “Little girl, I think it’s best if we sit down and come to an agreement. Don’t you think?”
Xia Mian replied, “So what you want is for me to change my statement and say your son was just joking around, right?”
“But the recording is already in the police’s hand. If I lie in my statement, that’s perjury. A crime.”
“Tell me—why would I become a criminal to protect someone who wanted to harm me? Just for five thousand yuan?” She met Hao Jianguo’s eyes head-on. “If you were me, would you do it?”
Hao Jianguo narrowed his eyes and said with a chuckle, “What a sly little girl! Five thousand isn’t enough for you, huh? Then name your price.”
Mr. Mi frowned and stepped in front of Xia Mian. “Mr. Hao, that’s not what Xia Mian means. Besides, this isn’t something she can resolve. You should hire a lawyer and speak with the police.”
“I’ve already hired one,” Hao Jianguo said with feigned helplessness. “Mr. Mi, kids are naïve—I didn’t expect you to be too.”
He sighed. “Maybe we should wait for her brother. I bet he’s more reasonable than she is.”
Xia Mian peeked out from behind her teacher. “Uncle, you asked me to name a price? Shouldn’t you first tell me how much you have?”
Hao Jianguo finally lost his patience. “I’ve got two million to my name. Even if I give it all to you, do you dare take it?”
“Two million?” Xia Mian scoffed. “I wouldn’t even look at it.”
Ma Xiu’e sneered, “A pauper with such a big mouth! When your brother shows up, you shall pray he won’t take it either. Wouldn’t want to embarrass yourself, would you?”
Xia Mian rolled her eyes and was just about to deliver another scathing remark when the phone in her pocket suddenly rang.
She had borrowed this phone from Ning Shaobai after overhearing Hao Jian plotting, to make it easier to call the police. After Ning Shaobai picked her up from the station, he’d been worried there might be more trouble, so he let her keep it for the time being.
She glanced at the caller ID and answered the call.
Ning Shaobai’s voice instantly came through. “I’m at your school. Where are you?”
Xia Mian paused. “Weren’t you busy?”
“I’d just finished surgery and hadn’t gone back to the office yet. I’m already at the high school building. Where should I go?”
“The conference room on the east end of the second floor,” replied her.
“Wait there. I’ll be right there.”
As soon as Xia Mian pulled out the mobile phone, Hao Jianguo’s expression turned serious. He’d only seen that kind of phone once before, in the hands of a bigwig he had tried to butter up.
What impressed him the most was that even that bigwig was reluctant to use the item, saying he was going to use it as a gift for an even bigger bigwig. Rumor had it there were only a hundred or so in the entire country, going for over a hundred thousand yuan each on the black market. He had been trying to pull strings to get one—who would’ve thought this girl would casually whip one out?
Still, Hao Jianguo was nothing if not flexible. He immediately retracted his threatening look and smiled amiably, “Oh, how rude I have been! Little girl, what does your brother do?”