Gold-Devouring Bottom: A Guide to Pampering - Chapter 21

Two male students, running in a desperate hurry, nearly collided with Ye Xiuchen. Seeing Professor Bai standing beside him, they stammered out apologies: “Sorry, sir! We were in a rush, so sorry.”

Professor Bai was notoriously strict with students. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and said coldly, “You’re university students; stop acting so recklessly. What are you in such a hurry for?”

The two students exchanged a glance. One pointed toward the basketball court. “Professor Bai, we heard some outsider came to the school to cause trouble and even beat someone up. We wanted to go check it out.”

Lincheng University was a key institution in the city and ranked among the best in the country. Usually, common thugs wouldn’t dare cause trouble here. Professor Bai was taken aback. “An outsider causing trouble? Are any students hurt? Do the faculty know about this? How did campus security even let such a person in?”

The students had only heard bits of news and didn’t know the full story. “We don’t know if any professors are there yet. We’re just heading over to see.”

Professor Bai turned to Ye Xiuchen. “Xiuchen, I’ll leave you here for now. I need to go see what’s happening.”

Ye Xiuchen nodded. “Of course, Professor.” He watched the professor leave and then headed toward the campus gate.

After walking a distance, he checked the time. Estimating that Shen Xinghuai should be finished with his business, he dialed his number.

It took a while for the call to connect. The background was noisy, and Shen Xinghuai’s voice sounded weak and dejected: “Brother, something happened on my end. I’ll be back a bit late. You go on ahead.”

Shen Xinghuai had felt embarrassed when he saw Nan Yang, but hearing Ye Xiuchen’s voice, he suddenly felt an inexplicable surge of grievance.

Ye Xiuchen paused for two seconds. “What happened? What’s the situation?”

Shen Xinghuai looked at the growing crowd pointing and whispering at him, feeling even worse. “I, I got into a fight.”

Ye Xiuchen instinctively looked back in the direction Professor Bai had gone. “Where are you?”

“The basketball court.”

“Wait there.”

Professor Bai was startled to see Ye Xiuchen returning. “Xiuchen? Why are you here too?”

Ye Xiuchen recalled Shen Xinghuai’s frail, pathetic voice on the phone, sounding like a child who had been bullied. “That ‘outsider’ causing trouble is likely my kid.”

“You know them?” Professor Bai’s expression immediately became grave, appearing even more anxious than Ye Xiuchen. “There might be a misunderstanding. Let’s hurry.”

Because he was with Professor Bai, Ye Xiuchen easily cut through the layers of onlookers.

His kid was currently clutching one knee, sitting on the concrete ledge of the rest area. Seeing him approach, Shen Xinghuai looked up with wide, pleading eyes.

A nameless fire flared up in Ye Xiuchen’s heart. At home, Shen Xinghuai would complain if the blankets were too thin and kept him from sleeping well, yet here he was sitting on a hard concrete ledge under the scorching sun.

He strode over in a few long steps. Nan Yang, seeing the dark-faced man approaching Shen Xinghuai, instinctively moved to block him. “Who are you?”

Ye Xiuchen didn’t even give him a glance, his eyes fixed solely on Shen Xinghuai. “Move!”

Nan Yang choked on his words and sheepishly stepped aside.

Ye Xiuchen let out a slow breath, crouching down in front of Shen Xinghuai and furrowing his brows. Shen Xinghuai lowered his gaze and murmured a small “Brother.”

Ye Xiuchen’s eyes landed on the hand covering the knee. “Move your hand. Let me see.”

Like a naughty child who had caused a mess, Shen Xinghuai was hurting like hell but stubbornly tried to hide it. Ye Xiuchen didn’t indulge him; his brow sharpened as he brushed the hand aside, though his movements to roll up the trouser leg were surprisingly gentle.

The knee was flushed red, and the joint had swollen up like a steamed bun. Ye Xiuchen pressed it lightly with his thumb. He didn’t use much force, but Shen Xinghuai hissed in pain.

“To the hospital.” Ignoring the crowd of onlookers, he scooped Shen Xinghuai up in a princess carry.

Seeing him try to leave, Zhang Lei and the professor who had called the police stepped in to block them. “You can’t leave!”

Zhang Lei pointed at the tissue stuffed in his nose. “He beat someone up and thinks he can just walk away? My nose is bleeding! Even I’m not in a rush for the hospital!”

Ye Xiuchen’s temper wasn’t something he could suppress for just anyone—especially not the person in front of him. “Get lost.”

With so many classmates around to back him up, Zhang Lei wasn’t afraid, even though Ye Xiuchen’s expression was terrifyingly cold. “Are you a lunatic? You just open your mouth and insult people? Do you not have parents? Did no one teach you manners growing up?”

Professor Bai grabbed Zhang Lei, looking like he wanted to physically cover the boy’s mouth. “Shut up! You’re the one being impolite!”

Shen Xinghuai could feel the muscles in Ye Xiuchen’s body tensing. He was furious, and the consequences would be severe.

Ignoring Professor Bai’s warning, Zhang Lei smirked at Ye Xiuchen, completely unaware of whom he had provoked. The onlookers followed suit, letting out a few mocking laughs.

Amidst the mockery, Ye Xiuchen actually laughed. “Whether I have parents isn’t important. What matters is that your parents will be kneeling and begging me for mercy because of what you just said.”

Zhang Lei’s father was a faculty member; he felt the campus was his home turf. He found Ye Xiuchen’s words hilarious. “The one kneeling will be you! You orphan, do you even know who my father is?”

Professor Bai had taught Ye Xiuchen for a time years ago and understood his temperament. He knew Zhang Lei had invited disaster today. “Zhang Lei! Stop talking! Apologize to Xiuchen immediately!”

At the name “Xiuchen,” Zhang Lei faltered. He sized Ye Xiuchen up for a moment before stammering, “He’s Ye Xiuchen?”

Professor Bai couldn’t be bothered with this idiot. Offending Ye Xiuchen wouldn’t just ruin the boy’s parents; it would be a nightmare for the university as well. “Xiuchen, please don’t be angry. I’ll notify Zhang Lei’s father right now to come and deal with him and apologize to you.”

Ye Xiuchen looked down at the person in his arms. “Professor Bai, I’m in a hurry. But do pass a message to Mr. Zhang for me: When their family leaves Lincheng, I will personally see them off at the airport.” He then cast a glance at the professor who had called the police. “Handle everything through my lawyer.”

Professor Bai understood perfectly. Ye Xiuchen wasn’t just going to make the father lose his job; he was driving them out of the city entirely.

But while the professor understood, the fool did not. Zhang Lei assumed Ye Xiuchen was scared and trying to flee. “Hmph, a pervert who likes sleeping in doghouses—what are you acting so high and mighty for? You really think people forgot your disgusting habits just because a few years passed?”

He pointed at Ye Xiuchen and shouted to the crowd, “You don’t recognize him, do you? He’s the lunatic from the Ye family! A freak who likes to hide in doghouses to sleep! Back then, Senior Lu Zhao found out about his shameful secret, and he ended up a vegetable because of this man! He’s still unconscious!”

F*ck! Enough is enough!

This time, even if Ye Xiuchen could endure it, Shen Xinghuai could not. While Ye Xiuchen’s body went rigid, Shen Xinghuai let go, ignored the pain, and leaped from his arms.

The moment his feet hit the ground, the pain in his knee nearly made him buckle, but he gritted his teeth and held on. Despite the limp, his movements were lightning-fast. Before anyone could react, he swung a fist and smashed it into Zhang Lei’s punchable face.

This time, Zhang Lei wasn’t just bleeding from his nose; his mouth was filled with blood. “You dare hit me again!”

“I’ve been holding back for a long time! If you dare say one more word about him, I’ll beat you so hard your own mother won’t recognize you!”

Zhang Lei wanted to retaliate, but Professor Bai immediately signaled for nearby students to pull him away.

The professor who had called the police, now realizing Ye Xiuchen’s identity, performed a total 180. He bowed and scraped in apology. “President Ye, I will report today’s incident truthfully to the school leadership for serious disciplinary action. I will also make sure Mr. Zhang brings Zhang Lei to your door to apologize personally.”

Ye Xiuchen’s gaze remained fixed on the retreating Zhang Lei. The boy’s words had struck his ultimate nerve. “I will handle it personally.” Mad dogs barking deserve a beating, but those whose wounds bite deserve to be put down.

His current state was so haunting that the faculty member didn’t dare plead further, fearing any wrong word would drag him down too.

Finally, Professor Bai, relying on their long-standing relationship, spoke up. “Xiuchen, about today.”

“Professor Bai, he has an injury on his leg. We need to go to the hospital.”

Given Professor Bai’s attitude, it was clear that no amount of persuasion would deescalate things today. He simply sighed and said, “Alright, go on then.”

Shen Xinghuai turned to Nan Yang. “We’ll meet another day.”

Nan Yang wanted to step closer to speak, but he was pinned in place by Ye Xiuchen’s terrifying aura. “Yeah, okay. Hurry to the hospital; we’ll talk later.”

Shen Xinghuai could clearly feel Ye Xiuchen’s fury mounting. He stayed quiet and allowed himself to be carried to the hospital, looking like a completely different person from the one who had just been a bristling ball of rage a moment ago.

After X-rays and an examination, Lin Xiao diagnosed it as a ligament contusion. The swelling was severe, so he recommended staying in the hospital until it went down before heading home to recuperate.

Throughout the entire process, Ye Xiuchen barely spoke, remaining shrouded in a heavy, low-pressure atmosphere. Lin Xiao, acutely aware that something was wrong, dropped his usual playful banter. “Xiuchen, come to my office. Let’s talk.”

Ye Xiuchen’s body remained rigid. His eyes stayed fixed on a single point ahead, his voice cold and blunt: “I have things to do later. I’m not talking.”

Lin Xiao stared at him meaningfully for a moment. “Don’t leave. I’ll contact him to come pick you up.” With that, he turned and left the ward.

Shen Xinghuai had no idea who this “he” was. He lay on the hospital bed in silence, quietly observing the man’s face. He realized now that he had been naive before; this—this was the true face of madness. This was Madman 2.0: The Enhanced Edition.

He couldn’t fathom why, though. The incident Zhang Lei had mentioned was a hidden plotline in the book that he hadn’t encountered yet. One thing was certain: the event had a profound impact on Ye Xiuchen. Simply mentioning it was enough to trigger a total meltdown.

After much deliberation, he decided to test the waters. “Brother, please don’t be angry anymore.”

Ye Xiuchen looked up. The raw, violent glint in his eyes gave Shen Xinghuai a jolt. In that split second of eye contact, it felt as though he were seeing the bloodthirsty, crazed version of the man from his nightmares.