The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 230 - 229: He Lang, You’re a Fine One

When He Lang arrived at the hospital, the wound on Xue Yue’s head had already been bandaged. The doctor said Xue Yue had a slight concussion but the wound wasn’t serious, and recommended she stay overnight for observation.

In the hospital room, Ruanruan and Shiyi were gathered around Xue Yue, fussing over her.

Mrs. He stood by the bed, her expression complicated as she watched He Lang walk in.

Xue Xingzhou was also there. Mrs. He hadn’t been able to move Xue Yue, so she had asked Daya to get Xue Xingzhou, who then brought Xue Yue to the hospital.

Right now, Xue Xingzhou’s expression was darker than ever before.

He didn’t even glance at He Lang when he entered, his gaze fixed on Xue Yue on the bed, his eyes dark and profound.

He Lang walked to the bedside and took Xue Yue’s hand, then noticed dark bruises on her arm as well.

"What did the doctor say? Does anything hurt?"

Xue Yue was awake, but she felt incredibly dizzy, and her vision was spinning.

"You’re back. I’m okay, just dizzy."

He Lang looked at Mrs. He. "Mom, what exactly happened? Who did this?"

Mrs. He shook her head. "I don’t know. I was in the courtyard and I thought I heard Yue’er shout. When I came out, I saw your wife arguing with a man. He threw her against the wall, and Yue’er’s head started bleeding. I ran over, but the man ran away. I don’t know him."

He Lang turned back to Xue Yue. "Was it someone you know? Who was it?"

Fighting her dizziness, Xue Yue said, "Niu Hongjun."

He Lang had never heard the name before. "Who is Niu Hongjun?" he asked, confused.

Xue Yue explained, "He’s the man from the house next to ours. We go to the same school. He’s always harassing me, talking to me and getting handsy."

The moment Xue Xingzhou heard this, he started walking out. Alarmed, Xue Yue gave He Lang a push. "Go quickly! I’m afraid my brother will do something rash and kill someone."

He Lang shot to his feet and chased after him.

He caught up to Xue Xingzhou at the hospital entrance and grabbed him.

"Big Brother, don’t be reckless."

Xue Xingzhou glared at him, deeply dissatisfied. "My sister was beaten like that right at her own front door. As her older brother, I can’t just stand by and do nothing. He Lang, ever since you came to Beijing City, you’ve been busy with your work day in and day out, doing nothing but making money. Yue’er has to go to school and take care of the house. Now your parents are here, but they’re just helping you shoulder your responsibilities. He Lang, you can never earn all the money in the world. Your career will never be more important than your family."

He Lang’s heart clenched. He said to Xue Xingzhou, "You’re right, Big Brother. I have been too busy lately, with no time to look after Yue’er and the others. That’s why this happened today."

Xue Xingzhou sneered. "No. You’re a very busy man, aren’t you? When are you ever free? You have such a dangerous person living right next door, and you’ve never even heard his name. You think you’re not at fault? From what Yue’er said, this wasn’t the first time he’s harassed her, and you didn’t even know. He Lang, you’re really something else."

He Lang nodded, feeling deeply guilty. Seeing Xue Yue injured, he was overwhelmed by an uncontrollable heartache.

"It’s my fault, Big Brother. I know I’ve been neglecting Yue’er and the others lately. I’ll change, please believe me. But stay out of this. Once I figure out what’s going on, I won’t let him get away with it."

Xue Xingzhou glanced at He Lang a few times, said nothing, and turned back to the hospital.

After Niu Hongjun ran off that morning, he was filled with regret. He felt he had been too impulsive. Although he was interested in that woman, he couldn’t be so hasty. He should have taken a slower approach to win her over. But she was just too cautious, making it impossible to get close to her.

Every time she saw him, she would stiffen up, covered in sharp thorns, very prickly to the touch.

That evening, when he returned, he deliberately stopped in the alley to listen carefully. Hearing no movement from next door, he finally went home.

Li Lanying saw that Niu Hongjun had been gone all day. In a casual glance, she noticed fresh scratches on his face—thin lines that look just like they were made by fingernails.

She suddenly flew into a rage, grabbing a bowl and smashing it on the floor.

"Gone all day, and you just now come back with scratches on your face. Where have you been?"

Niu Hongjun touched his face. So he had been scratched. No wonder it stung and itched a little.

"Where could I have gone? I just went out for a walk."

Li Lanying snapped, "Who are you kidding? Those are clearly a woman’s fingernail scratches! Where were you fooling around? Coming back at this hour! Do you even care about this family at all?"

Niu Hongjun had no patience left. "Think whatever you want."

With that, he started to head back to his room.

But Li Lanying wasn’t about to let him off that easily. Her anger from the morning had been simmering all day, and seeing this now, she finally exploded.

Ignoring the two children beside her, she lunged at Niu Hongjun, grabbing his ear and tearing at his hair.

Niu Hongjun had been wandering outside all day and was exhausted. Now, neither he nor Li Lanying would back down, and they quickly began to scuffle.

Just then, their front door was suddenly kicked open from the outside.

The couple stopped fighting and turned to look. A man walked in through the doorway, his eyes completely black and his face devoid of any expression.

Niu Hongjun didn’t recognize He Lang. He shouted angrily, "Who are you? Don’t you know how to knock? You kicked my front door in, you’ll have to pay for it!"

Li Lanying stared at He Lang for a few seconds before whispering to Niu Hongjun, "That’s our neighbor Xue Yue’s husband."

Hearing this, Niu Hongjun shivered. ’From the looks of it, he knows what happened today and is here to settle the score.’

Niu Hongjun glanced at He Lang’s build and put on an obsequious smile. "Oh, so you’re my neighbor! We live right next to each other, but I’m usually busy with school, so I haven’t seen you around. How about this? Let me take you out for a drink. We can get to know each other."

He Lang didn’t speak, just kept staring at Niu Hongjun. His gaze was sinister and terrifying.

Li Lanying sensed something was wrong. She tugged on Niu Hongjun’s arm. "This doesn’t seem right. I haven’t done anything to provoke their family recently. What’s he here for?"

He Lang finally spoke. "You’re Niu Hongjun? The one who bullied my wife in the alley today and gave her a concussion. That was you, wasn’t it?"

Li Lanying frowned. ’What?’

She turned to look at Niu Hongjun and saw his face flush red as cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.

Then she noticed the scratches on his face again. ’So he wasn’t out with some other woman,’ she realized. ’He went to bother Xue Yue.’

Niu Hongjun’s mind was in turmoil, but he quickly came up with an excuse and began to shift the blame to Xue Yue.

"Brother, it wasn’t me bullying your wife. It was your wife who started provoking me every time she saw me, acting all seductive to lure me in. This isn’t the first time, either. I thought to myself, I’m a family man, I can’t make that kind of mistake. So I just tried to talk some sense into her, but she got angry out of shame and slapped me twice. If you don’t believe me, look at my face! The scratches she left are still there! I thought this was an ugly affair, so I didn’t make a big deal out of it. I never expected she’d have the nerve to tell you about such a shameless thing. Let me tell you, brother, a pretty woman is nice and all, but you have to keep her in line. Otherwise, you’ll never know when you’ll end up with a green hat."