31: The Scumbag

Grabbing a jacket, Shen Yifei followed behind Su Muqing.

"Why are you following me?" Su Muqing asked with a frown.

"To protect you," Shen Yifei said with a faint smile.

Su Muqing looked at Shen Yifei's nonchalant expression and said casually, "Do what you want."

The two of them left the villa.

Since the local supermarket wasn't open yet, Su Muqing drove to a slightly more distant farmers' market. This was the first time Shen Yifei had gone shopping with Su Muqing, and he found the experience quite novel. Although the Iceberg Beauty beside him was a little cold, a goddess was still a goddess. On the street, she attracted the gaze of every man they passed.

A crowd of men looked at Shen Yifei with a mix of envy, jealousy, and hatred. This kid was incredibly lucky to have such a beautiful girl by his side.

On the way back, Shen Yifei was driving the Audi convertible when he passed a bus stop. He saw a familiar figure who seemed to be in some trouble, and his brows furrowed.

Shen Yifei suddenly slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a screeching halt.

Screech...

The tires screeched against the pavement. Su Muqing was unprepared, and her body lurched forward, her head hitting the car window. "Ah!" Su Muqing cried out. A large bump had formed on her forehead.

"I'm sorry, Su, I have something to take care of. You can drive home first."

With that, Shen Yifei unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. Su Muqing rubbed her throbbing forehead. By the time she realized what had happened, Shen Yifei was gone. Furious, she poked her head out the window and yelled, "Shen Yifei, you bastard, get back here!"

When she got out of the car, she realized they were in a no-parking zone and there was a camera for issuing tickets. Su Muqing's face twisted with rage.

"Bastard! When we get home, I'll give you a piece of my mind!"

Su Muqing wasn't that delicate, but she let out an annoyed huff. Rubbing her head, she got into the driver's seat and drove away.

Shen Yifei quickly ran to the patch of greenery not far from the bus stop. On one side of the green patch, a middle-aged man with a pockmarked face was counting a stack of cash. The petite Lin Cai'er was kneeling beside him, looking wronged.

"Is this all the money you have?" The middle-aged man's face was menacing as he held up a stack of thousands of RMB (Chinese currency) and yelled at Lin Cai'er.

"This is all I have left. It's my salary from last month," Lin Cai'er said softly, her voice trembling. Her eyes were red.

"Hmph, go get me fifty thousand RMB. Give it to me in a few days," the man said, stuffing the money into his pocket without a hint of politeness.

"Where am I supposed to get that much money?" Lin Cai'er was stunned, then gasped in surprise.

"Hmph, I don't care if you borrow it from someone or go sell your body, but you better get me the money!" the man said without hesitation.

"Even if you kill me, I can't come up with that much money! Besides, my mom's illness requires a huge amount of money..." A tear rolled down Lin Cai'er's face.

"Hmph, you don't have the money? I don't believe you!" The man roared and reached for the wallet in Lin Cai'er's hand.

"That's my mom's life savings! You can't take it!" Lin Cai'er grabbed the man's clothes and cried out, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Get lost!" The man snatched the wallet and kicked Lin Cai'er to the ground.

Seeing the man hit Lin Cai'er, Shen Yifei was instantly enraged. He charged forward and, with a swift kick, struck the middle-aged man in the abdomen. "Ahhh!!!" A sharp shriek followed. The middle-aged man's body flew through the air, his forehead hitting the trunk of a large tree. He slumped to the ground limply, blood seeping from his forehead.

"Scumbag!" Shen Yifei spat, glaring at the man. He had thought the man was a thief trying to rob Lin Cai'er.

"Are you okay?" Shen Yifei quickly helped the fallen Lin Cai'er to her feet. Lin Cai'er, surprised to see Shen Yifei suddenly appear, panicked and rushed to help the man under the tree. "Dad, are you okay?"

"Dad?" Shen Yifei was stunned, and his expression turned a little strange. "He's your dad?"

"Yes," Lin Cai'er said, biting her lip and nodding.

"But why did he hit you?" Shen Yifei asked.

Lin Cai'er closed her eyes and shook her head, not saying a word.

"Alright, never mind. Let's get your dad to the hospital first."

Shen Yifei directly carried the middle-aged man on his back, with Lin Cai'er following close behind. They hailed a taxi.

About an hour later.

Outside a hospital room at the Huahai City First People's Hospital (a fictional location name).

"I'm sorry, I didn't know he was your dad," Shen Yifei said awkwardly, scratching his head.

Lin Cai'er shook her head, still not speaking, a tear still clinging to her eyelashes. Shen Yifei felt a little helpless. He'd caused such a mix-up and figured Lin Cai'er must be angry with him.

"Who are the patient's family members?" a doctor asked, opening the door to the hospital room.

"I am. Dr. Li, how is my dad?" Lin Cai'er asked anxiously.

"He's fine. He just had a head injury, but it's been stitched up. The surgery and hospitalization fees total ten thousand RMB, and you need to pay for it now," the doctor said.

Lin Cai'er's face looked troubled. "Dr. Li... can I pay six thousand first? I really don't have that much money on me!"

"No, you have to pay at least eight thousand. The hospitalization fee cannot be delayed!" the doctor said with a professional expression.

Seeing Lin Cai'er's anxious expression, and assuming she didn't have enough money, Shen Yifei said, "I'll pay for it. I just need to go withdraw some money. Assistant Lin, wait for me."

Shen Yifei left the hospital and went to a nearby bank. He cashed the one-million RMB check he had extorted from Qiao Lan and transferred the money to his own card. The feeling of sudden wealth put Shen Yifei in a good mood.

Returning to the hospital, Shen Yifei quickly paid the eight thousand RMB for Lin Cai'er.

Lin Cai'er said in a low voice, "Thank you, Mr. Shen. I'll pay you back later."

Shen Yifei scratched his head, embarrassed. "No need to pay me back. I was the one who hurt your dad."

Lin Cai'er said apologetically, "Thank you, but I'll still pay you back. It's my fault. I always cause you so much trouble."

Shen Yifei sighed. This girl was quite stubborn. "Why did your dad hit you?" Shen Yifei asked.

"That..." Lin Cai'er hesitated.

"Is it something you can't talk about?" Shen Yifei asked in surprise.

After a moment of silence, Lin Cai'er finally told Shen Yifei what had happened. The middle-aged man Shen Yifei had kicked was her biological father, Lin Xifu.

Lin Cai'er was gentle and well-behaved, but her father was a piece of work. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a scumbag. After being laid off, Lin Xifu had been idle at home and hadn't gone to look for a new job.

Recently, Lin Xifu had become addicted to gambling, and it had spiraled out of control. He had squandered every penny the family had. Lin Cai'er was an assistant in the public relations department at Aya International, so her salary was decent, but her mother had uremia and was bedridden for years. She had to earn money for her mother's monthly dialysis treatments and was also constantly being asked for money by Lin Xifu for his gambling. In the last few days, because of his gambling addiction, Lin Xifu had borrowed from loan sharks, and with them pressuring him for repayment, he had no choice but to demand money from Lin Cai'er. Lin Cai'er had only been working for less than a year. Her mother's illness had already incurred significant expenses, and what little savings she had left were all given to Lin Xifu. Just now, Lin Xifu had taken the last bit of money she had, and she didn't even have enough to pay for her mother's medical treatments.

The more Shen Yifei listened, the angrier he became. "How can a father be so shameless?"