Chapter Fifty-Three: The Bottom Line

"You get out of here too!" Lu Hao shouted at Xu Juan, pushing her away without the slightest mercy. To Lu Hao, Xu Juan was now no different from Sun Wenguo—there was nothing left to say to her.

At that moment, Lu Hao tightened his grip, seizing Sun Wenguo’s other hand as well.

"Sun Wenguo, let me tell you— you took Xu Juan from me, made her swallow the one hundred thousand yuan I gave as a betrothal gift, and tried to bulldoze my clinic. All that, I could have let slide, because stooping to fight someone as brainless as you would only lower myself. But when you laid hands on my family, you crossed the line."

With that, Lu Hao struck Sun Wenguo’s left wrist with his palm. There was a sickening crack, and Sun Wenguo’s left hand bent into an unnatural, horrifying arc.

Even so, his left hand was not as badly damaged as his right. With modern medicine, there was still a chance to save it.

"Ah!" Sun Wenguo howled in agony, his whole body convulsing from the pain.

"Help! Help! Somebody help me!" Sun Wenguo finally tasted true terror. The Lu Hao before him was no meek medical student to be bullied, but a savage, human-shaped tyrannosaurus.

Just then, a commanding voice rang out from beyond the courtyard.

"Stop!"

Everyone turned to look. A low-key Mercedes sedan had parked outside the clinic at some point, halting all the excavators. A dignified middle-aged man strode through the doorway, flanked by four burly, steady-footed bodyguards, all wearing identical black sunglasses.

These men were of a different caliber entirely from the second-rate thugs in the Sun Group’s security department. Their imposing physiques and hawk-like eyes alone made it clear they were not to be trifled with.

This, in turn, spoke volumes about the status and background of the man who had arrived.

"Who are you? Who gave you the right to hurt someone like this? Apprehend him at once," the middle-aged man commanded, his deep, unhurried voice exuding utter confidence and authority—an aura only those long accustomed to power could possess.

The man was none other than Sun Linhai.

"Yes, sir," replied the four bodyguards, stepping forward as one. Each of them was a battle-hardened, retired special forces soldier—far exceeding ordinary men in skill.

They moved in a flash, aiming to subdue Lu Hao and rescue Sun Wenguo.

But just then, Song Xiong appeared before them in an instant, taking on all four at once and driving them back with ease.

"Whatever Mr. Lu intends to do today, no one will stand in his way," Song Xiong said coldly, his icy gaze making the others shiver involuntarily.

"And who are you?" Sun Linhai was startled by Song Xiong’s prowess. His own four bodyguards had, in their military days, been champions among their peers—by the standards of the underworld, at least third-tier martial artists, the kind who would be champions of national or even world combat competitions. Yet, they had been beaten back with ease.

"It doesn’t matter who I am," Song Xiong replied indifferently. "All you need to know is that no matter who you are or what power you wield, today you cannot touch Dr. Lu."

If, here in this small Peach Blossom Village, anyone could shake the Song Group’s authority, it would be nothing short of laughable.

Lu Hao, still seething with anger, tightened his grip on Sun Wenguo’s left hand and continued, "Sun Wenguo, apologize to my mother this instant, or I’ll cripple your legs as well!"

Sun Wenguo, delirious with pain, could only scream for help, oblivious to everything else.

Not far away, Sun Linhai watched his nephew being so brutally handled and finally lost his temper. "Release Wenguo at once, do you hear me?"

"If you don’t, I’ll see you all in court and ruin you—your families will be destroyed!"

"Let him go!"

But Lu Hao ignored him entirely, unmoved by Sun Linhai’s threats, while Song Xiong tacitly supported Lu Hao’s actions. He would not assist Lu Hao in punishing anyone, but no one would be allowed to obstruct Lu Hao either.

The situation teetered on the edge of spiraling completely out of control.

At that critical moment, Zhang Qingfan rushed forward, crossing the distance in a few quick strides to reach Lu Hao.

"Teacher, do you still want to keep running this clinic? If you actually kill him, how will Green Dragon Clinic survive?"

Her words jolted Lu Hao back to his senses. Suddenly lucid, he looked down at Sun Wenguo, whose hands—both now twisted and bleeding, with splintered bone protruding—were a shocking sight.

He had made a terrible mistake.

Sun Wenguo was, after all, the young master of the Sun Group. Having ruined his right hand, how could the old men and uncles of the Sun family possibly let Lu Hao off so easily?

But things had come this far—there was no room for regret. Sun Wenguo had come to push him to the brink, even striking his mother. In all reason and emotion, Lu Hao had every right to hate him and dole out harsh punishment.

Sun Wenguo had brought this upon himself.

"Sun Wenguo, be grateful this is all you suffer today. If you dare come at me again, I’ll end your worthless life. If you don't believe me, try it and see."

"That’s enough, Dr. Lu. I’ll take full responsibility for what happened today. You need to leave, now," Zhang Qingfan suddenly said to Lu Hao.

"Auntie, if Dr. Lu won’t go, please take him and leave," she signaled to Liu Xiulan, indicating she should hurry away with Lu Hao.

Otherwise, the wrath of the Sun Group would be more than Lu Hao could withstand alone.

As for Zhang Qingfan, her family still had some influence; going up against the Sun Group would not be a problem.

Liu Xiulan, finally regaining her wits, grabbed her blood-stained son, preparing to leave.

But just then, Xu Juan rushed up to block their way, shouting angrily, "Where do you think you’re going? After hurting my husband like this, you think you can just walk away? Today, you’re not going anywhere!"

"The clinic’s shares include my stake. I’ll bear all the responsibility," Zhang Qingfan stepped forward at that moment.

Her stunning beauty and confident bearing instantly outshone Xu Juan, leaving her speechless.