Volume One: First Signs of Brilliance Chapter Thirty-One: Visiting the Hospital

After returning to the house, Wang Jue entered the living room and was surprised to find his mother sitting on the sofa. Before he could say a word, she rushed over, her eyes scanning him anxiously. “Xiao Jue, I just heard a loud crash at the door and didn’t dare to look. Are you alright? Did those people do anything to you?”

“Mom, don’t worry. I’m fine, really.” Wang Jue smiled to reassure her, then frowned. “But, Mom, what’s going on? Why did those people block our doorway?”

Though he had driven them away, their actions had already disrupted his family’s life. On the surface, his mother seemed her usual self, but despite her efforts to hide it, the worry in her eyes lingered, refusing to dissipate with the departure of the troublemakers. Wang Jue also noticed her hands trembling slightly ever since she saw him—a detail that explained why he hadn’t gone looking for Fatty and the others.

His mother was an ordinary housewife. At home, she was the one who made all the decisions, big or small. Yet faced with this, it would be a lie to claim she felt no fear or anxiety. Even if she was scared out of her wits, she still did her best to keep her children from noticing anything amiss.

She sighed. “It’s all because of Xiao Hao. We never imagined he’d give our address to those loan sharks.” Wang Jue’s mother’s face darkened, her tone tinged with frustration. “I was coming back from your aunt’s restaurant this afternoon when those men were already waiting at the stairwell. At first I thought they were looking for someone else, but as soon as I got inside, they started banging on the door. I ignored them, but then they blocked the entrance.”

So that’s how it is. Wang Jue was not the least bit surprised; he had suspected as much. He glanced around the room—his father and little sister were nowhere to be seen. His expression shifted. “Mom, where’s Yu’er and Dad? Nothing happened to them, did it?”

“Don’t worry, they’re fine. Your sister should still be at school. I was afraid she’d run into those people on her way home, so I called her teacher to keep an eye on her until I could pick her up later.” Fully aware of the situation, his mother didn’t hide anything. “As for today’s mess at the restaurant, your uncle got into a fight with those men and took a fall. He’s in the hospital now, with your dad by his side. I would’ve stayed too, but I was worried Yu’er wouldn’t be able to get in, so I came home first, planning to pick her up after school. Who knew I’d be trapped here instead? I don’t even know how your dad and uncle are doing at the hospital.”

“They dared to cause trouble at the restaurant? Didn’t you call the security team?” Wang Jue asked, puzzled.

His mother gave a bitter smile. “We did. But it was useless. The security officers said it was an economic dispute and told us to handle it ourselves.”

Wang Jue could hear the helplessness and resignation behind her words. He guessed that she and his aunt had already decided to compromise with the loan sharks. “What about Hao? Has anyone found him?” Wang Jue nodded, understanding most of how things had come to this. Ultimately, everything stemmed from Yang Hao—that “root of all evil.” Unless they dealt with him, even if both families worked together to settle things, Wang Jue knew from experience that it would only happen again.

But for now, no one had the time or energy to deal with Yang Hao. The loan was the pressing issue. Over a hundred thousand yuan was no small sum, and even pooling their resources, both families would have trouble raising it. Wang Jue himself had sixty thousand, which might lighten the burden, but the remaining amount would be hard to scrape together.

In his view, the best solution remained what Fatty had suggested—negotiation and compromise. As for force? At this point, he didn’t even consider it.

That punch earlier had been to make sure those people had no thoughts of harming his family. But, he suspected, this matter would not be resolved so easily. Even if those men didn’t dare bother his family again, they’d surely go after his aunt’s. After all, technically, his family had nothing to do with the debt—Yang Hao was their son, and it was reasonable for the lenders to seek repayment from them.

“We found him. Xiao Hao came back.” His mother explained, “He’s at the hospital now with your aunt, taking care of your uncle. Your dad is helping out however he can.”

The two families had always been close, and even with Yang Hao’s trouble, the adults didn’t truly blame him. After a moment’s thought, Wang Jue made up his mind. “Mom, I want to go to the hospital and see how Dad and the others plan to handle this. Do you want to come?”

His idea was simple: now that everyone involved was at the hospital, it was the perfect time to discuss a solution. If things couldn’t be worked out, he would step in himself.

“Yes, I’ll go with you. You don’t know which hospital they’re in—I’ll take you.” His mother agreed without hesitation.

…

An hour later.

Peace Town First Hospital.

Fifth floor, inpatient department, Room 509.

As soon as Wang Jue and his mother entered the ward, his aunt Liu Wenting hurried over. “Wenjing, Xiao Jue, what brings you here?”

“Auntie, Uncle, Mom and I came to see if there’s anything we can do to help.” Wang Jue greeted everyone, his gaze settling on the bruised and battered youth beside his aunt. He nodded to him. “Hao.”

Yang Hao, knowing he was in the wrong, stood awkwardly, offering only a sheepish grin, not daring to move. His uncle on the bed and his aunt sitting beside him managed a strained greeting. “Xiao Jue, come sit down, don’t just stand there.”

Both his aunt and uncle forced smiles, but the awkwardness in the room was palpable. Because of their son, their troubles had now spilled over to affect Wang Jue’s family. Yang Hao might be shameless, but they certainly weren’t. Especially in front of the young man they’d watched grow up, they wanted nothing more than to crawl under a rock. Never in their lives had they felt so utterly humiliated.

Seeing the two who had always doted on him, Wang Jue offered a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, everything will pass.”

He truly wasn’t worried about his aunt and uncle, but Yang Hao was another matter. Seeing how oblivious he was to his mistakes, Wang Jue couldn’t help but wonder if, before the loan issue was resolved, Yang Hao might cause even more trouble.

Just then, noticing his mother’s hint to leave, Wang Jue quickly asked, “By the way, where’s my dad?”

“He went to get us food. We haven’t eaten since this afternoon.” His aunt looked grateful. “We don’t have any appetite, but we can’t let your dad go hungry after running around all day. We’d feel even worse if he did.”

Ever since entering, Wang Jue had been quietly observing everyone’s expressions while chatting. It was clear that his aunt and uncle had no idea how to handle the situation—let alone a good solution, they didn’t even have a plan. It was almost certain they would end up compromising with the loan sharks.

As the saying goes, speak of the devil and he appears.

“I’m back. What were you saying about me?” Just as Wang Jue was talking, Wang Jianbin arrived at the door, carrying several lunch boxes. In the hospital, only Wang Jue’s uncle, as an admitted patient, was provided meals; the rest had to buy their own.

Wang Jue didn’t say much. Given the circumstances, it was clear this wasn’t the place for a serious conversation. “Dad, I’ve got something school-related to ask you about. Wanted your opinion.”

For now, he just wanted to know what his parents were thinking.

He helped his father set the food down, then pulled him out of the ward.

Outside, Wang Jianbin looked confused. “So, what is it? Are you short of money again?”

“No, it’s not that.” Wang Jue shook his head, wasting no time. “I know most of what’s going on with Aunt’s family. I just want to know what you and Mom are planning to do.”

His mother hadn’t given him any details earlier, so he had no idea what his parents or aunt’s family intended.

“You…” Wang Jianbin fell silent.

“Come on, don’t try to brush me off. Just tell me the truth.” Seeing his father’s hesitation, Wang Jue cut him off. “Those people already came to our house—you really think I’d bring this up if I didn’t know?”

“What? They came to our house? Why? You’re all okay, right?” Wang Jianbin grew anxious, scanning Wang Jue for injuries and relaxing only after confirming he was unharmed.

As if anything could happen with him around! If he couldn’t protect them, what was the point of being a martial artist? He might as well be an ordinary person. Honestly, it was the others who needed looking after.

Wang Jue’s lips twitched in silent amusement. With his current abilities, he could hold his own against martial artists stronger than himself, let alone a few ordinary thugs.