Chapter 685 — Common Cold Bro

Kang Xiaobo's appearance let Xiaofen's parents glimpse the dawn, though they could not help worrying: Kang Xiaobo might be fond of their daughter, but would his parents accept her? Before the accident, of course, there would have been nothing to fret over. Their family was not wealthy, but their daughter had grown into a beauty, and the Kang family was no great house of riches either — a match of equals, a handsome man and a lovely woman.

But now their daughter was not only a fallen blossom and a withered willow, she was lame into the bargain. Her mind had improved somewhat, but she still bore the label of mental illness. True, this kind of madness, born of a broken heart, was not hereditary — yet the Kangs might not see it that way, and what if they objected?

So Xiaofen's family fretted, and yet there was nothing to be done but hope Kang Xiaobo could smooth things over.

What Xiaofen's parents never imagined was that Kang Xiaobo would take her to Divine Doctor Kang's birthday banquet — that he would not only come face to face with Kang Zhaoming, but that Xiaofen would meet his parents as well.

This plunged them at once into a state of anxious suspense. They feared Kang Xiaobo's parents would come knocking, would tear the two young people apart. But days passed and no one came; instead Kang Xiaobo kept visiting Xiaofen as before, which made her parents breathe easier and feel a deep gratitude toward his parents.

Only later, when they questioned their daughter, did they learn that the truth was nothing like what they had imagined. Kang Xiaobo's parents had opposed the match at first, but with Wei Zhao mediating, they had now more or less consented.

The reason was simple: Wei Zhao had given Kang Xiaobo a chance to rise in the world, and with it the confidence and the standing to speak up before his parents. After all, he could say that he had grown up, that he could stand on his own, and that he would handle matters of the heart himself.

When Xiaofen's parents saw Kang Xiaobo arrive with Tang Yun and Liu Xinwen, they were delighted, though a little puzzled: "No school today? What brings you here so early?"

"School's on holiday. I thought I'd take Xiaofen to the hospital for a follow-up," Kang Xiaobo said with a smile, greeting them.

"Mm, I've been wanting to visit Uncle Tang at the hospital too. I've wanted to go for ages, but my leg makes it hard, and my parents don't dare let me go alone," Xiaofen said, pleased by his suggestion.

Xiaofen and Tang Yun had been friends since childhood; she had eaten many a meal at the Tang house, and knew Tang Yun's parents well. Now that Tang Jucheng was in the hospital, of course she wanted to see him.

"That's right, we'd like to see Old Tang too. But that Qibing Real Estate — who knows when they'll come to demolish? We don't dare leave the house, afraid that the moment we step out the bulldozers will come and bring it down on our heads!" Xiaofen's parents sighed. "These people are utterly heartless. There's simply nothing to be done..."

"What? Surely not? They'd dare do that?" Kang Xiaobo was startled.

"Why not? They dared push down the Tang family's house even with people inside — what about houses with no one in them?" Xiaofen's father said angrily. "The Niu family in the front yard went out one day, and the bulldozers came and knocked their house flat. There's nowhere to go for justice now; the whole family doesn't know where to live."

"They really dare?" Kang Xiaobo clenched his fists, furious, yet he knew his own strength was not enough to change anything. "If only someone with authority would take them in hand!"

He thought of how formidable Wei Zhao was — he had dared topple even Zhao Qibing's Qibing Tower, had crippled Zhao Qibing, and walked away without a scratch. It was almost unbelievable. What he understood least was why Zhao Qibing never took revenge.

The strong are bullied and the weak are feared — that was the way of the world. In truth, Kang Xiaobo did not know that Zhao Qibing had taken revenge: he had gone after Gu Pengzhan, only to have Wei Zhao defuse it.

"Never mind. We're just ordinary folk. Those people are worse than the triads — how would we dare stand against them?" Xiaofen's father shook his head. "How could Wei Zhao handle all of it? Let's not make trouble for him."

It was not that Xiaofen's parents didn't want to ask Wei Zhao to put in a word with Zhao Qibing for more compensation. But why would Wei Zhao do such a thing for them? He probably didn't care about the money at all — his way of dealing with Zhao Qibing showed as much. He wasn't short of cash; he had done it purely to vent his anger.

Kang Xiaobo did not dare promise anything on the spot. He would have to wait until he saw Wei Zhao and bring the matter up with him. He wouldn't ask Wei Zhao to take on everything, but if he could help Xiaofen's family, he should — she was his girlfriend, after all.

Kang Xiaobo left the shantytown with Xiaofen, Tang Yun, and Liu Xinwen. They flagged down a taxi on the road, and the four of them hurried to the hospital.

Kang Zhaoming was shivering in the ice rink, ignoring the looks of those who took him for a fool. At last he felt he could take no more — his whole body burned and froze at once, his nose ran, his eyes streamed, and he was on the verge of fainting. Only then did he say to Zhu Xiaozhang beside him, "Xiaozhang, feel my forehead — do I have a fever?"

Zhu Xiaozhang hurriedly touched Kang Zhaoming's forehead and jumped. "Young Master Ming, your head's so hot you could boil water with it!"

"Really? Then wonderful — let's go!" Kang Zhaoming gritted his teeth in a wretched smile, a picture of utter misery.

"Yes, we've finally done it!" Wang Shubin was delighted too. Even in his padded coat he was freezing, and he had no wish to stay a moment longer.

"Haha, I've finally caught a cold!" Kang Zhaoming was in pain and bliss at once. He stood up, laughing, and staggered toward the door.

Everyone in the rink was dumbstruck. Was this man an idiot? "Finally caught a cold"? He had come here just to catch a cold? Was he some kind of lunatic?

The girl who had been taking pictures with her phone kept filming the scene, meaning to post it straight online. This was nothing less than "Common Cold Bro"!

Kang Zhaoming, Zhu Xiaozhang, and Wang Shubin left the ice rink and drove the Porsche Cayenne back to the hospital. He was in a hurry to have Guan Xin examine him.

It was a hot day outside, yet Kang Zhaoming still felt himself shivering. Afraid that he might recover if he let up, he did not dare slacken; he ordered Wang Shubin, who was driving, to turn the car's air conditioning to the maximum. Wang Shubin and Zhu Xiaozhang suffered along with him — hot as the day was, you couldn't crank the AC to the highest setting; they would freeze to death.

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