**Hospital.**
The surgery had already been going on for four hours, and Xu Xuejiao still hadn't come out.
Jiang Shihan had already fallen asleep leaning against the wall.
Lu Chengwen was on the phone when suddenly, a long sword rested against his neck.
"Lu Chengwen!" Hua Xuening's voice trembled.
Lu Chengwen raised his hands and slowly turned around to face her. He smiled. "Xuening, you've gotten prettier."
"Don't call my name!" Hua Xuening glared, pressing the blade tighter against his neck.
Lu Chengwen took a deep breath. "Are you going to kill me?"
"What else?"
"Why?"
Hua Xuening felt like Lu Chengwen had lost his mind. At a time like this, he was asking *why*?!
"You tricked my young master, got him beaten to a pulp twice in two days, with fractures all over his body. Who else should I kill if not you?"
Lu Chengwen looked at her. "Do you know what your young master came to Snow City to do?"
"Of course."
"Good. He wants to take over the four major families, swallow them whole. After unifying Snow City, he plans to dominate the entire northern region and become the richest man in the north. Right?"
"So what?"
"As the head of Snow City's four major families, if he demands everything, am I just supposed to hand it over? You're from the martial world—if I asked for your head, would you just give it to me?"
"Of course not!"
"Not only would you not, you'd fight me to the death. At that point, it'd be war between you and me, right?"
"Exactly!"
"Good. So if it's war, if I attack you, you're allowed to fight back, right? Or rather, whether I allow it or not, you *will* fight back?"
"Y-yes, of course."
"And the outcome depends on who's more skilled, who's faster, stronger, and who performs better in the moment, right?"
"That's how it is."
"Then why do you want to kill me?"
Hua Xuening was confused. "What are you babbling about? Because you hurt my young master!"
Lu Chengwen said, "What's between him and me is war! A business war. If I don't strike first, he'll swallow us whole—the Leng family, the Lu family, the Xu family, and the Chen family! He came to crush us, and we're not allowed to fight back?"
"This…"
"So this is a fair fight. He can call on beauties like you for help, and every now and then, there's the Four Great Guardians or whatever. Me? I've got nothing but money! Is that fair?"
"Sorry, but that's because you're incompetent! If you're weak, don't blame others. You deserve to be crushed!"
"Well said!" Lu Chengwen clapped. "He's got everything, and I've got nothing! Up until about a month ago, I was just a seasoned simp—Leng Qingqiu hated me, Xu Xuejiao disliked me, Chen Mengyun loathed me… Aside from my parents, Zhao Gang, and Chen Moqun, no one was on my side."
"But in the past month, Long Aotian hasn't gained an inch against me. Know why?"
"Why?"
Lu Chengwen tapped his temple. "Because I'm smart! If your young master schemes against me, of course I'll fight back. If he's too dumb to outsmart me, how is that my fault? It's like two people dueling—if the stronger one loses to the weaker one, not just once but repeatedly, and then comes raging for revenge, does that make sense?"
Hua Xuening was stunned.
The logic was making her head spin.
Lu Chengwen smiled. "If he were capable, the four major families would've been crushed and taken over by now. He's said himself that he wants to leave me homeless, begging on the streets. Let me ask you—if he won, if I really became a beggar, who would stand up for me? You? Would you take your sword to your young master and scold him for ruining my life?"
"You… this… even though it makes sense, but…"
"But what? He tries to screw me over, fails, and it's *my* fault?"
"B-but…"
"No buts! You should go back and ask your young master if he's lost his mind. Tell him Lu Chengwen's brain is 300 times sharper than his, and he has no chance of winning in Snow City. If he's smart, he'll cut his losses and start fresh somewhere else."
"But… why… it feels like you're making sense…"
"Of course I'm making sense! If you're weak, admit it. If you lose, take it like a man. Those are the rules of business warfare. He lost to me because he wasn't good enough. He's been pulling strings behind the scenes, manipulating this and that—did I ever say anything? Did I ever demand he fight fair and square?"
"You didn't."
"Right? So you shouldn't…"
"I shouldn't blame you. This isn't your fault at all."
"Your young master is…"
"He brought this on himself."
"So you should…"
"I should go back and tell him you're too smart—he's no match for you."
Lu Chengwen clapped. "Put the sword away. What will people think if they see this?"
Hua Xuening felt like… something was off, but she couldn't pinpoint what.
She had come here furious, but now she was left with nothing but questions, her mind spinning.
Lu Chengwen pulled her into a side hug. "Look, as long as your young master wants to devour us, we'll fight back. Once he gives up, there'll be no more grudges, and we'll each go our separate ways, right?"
"And hey, if he eventually succeeds in taking over the four families, then that's his skill. At that point, we'll have no choice but to admit defeat, right? So the end result is either he unifies Snow City, or he gives up. This is all business—no hard feelings."
"Even if two people duel, they sign a life-and-death contract, no regrets, right?"
Hua Xuening nodded. "I understand."
She turned to face Lu Chengwen squarely, clasped her hands in a formal salute, and said, "I was rude earlier. Please forgive me. Even though I'm not very bright, I still know right from wrong. Punish me as you see fit—I won't complain!"
Lu Chengwen quickly took her hands. "Don't say that. Everyone makes mistakes."
Hua Xuening felt an electric jolt the moment their hands touched and yanked hers back. Suddenly, she felt something strange when looking at Lu Chengwen.
Remembering everything that had happened between them, her face burned, and her heart raced.
"I… I should go back. I… I need to take care of the young master. I… I'm leaving…"
Lu Chengwen didn't relax until she turned the corner ahead. He slumped against the wall, legs weak.
"Damn, thank goodness it was the not-too-bright Hua Xuening. If it'd been Luo Shiyin, I'd be dead. I need Tie Tuowang and his guys to protect me."
---
**Early morning.**
Finally, the doors of the operating room opened, and Xu Xuejiao walked out, exhausted.
Jiang Shihan rushed over. "Dr. Xu, how's my mom?"
Xu Xuejiao removed her mask and smiled tiredly. "The surgery was a success. She'll be fine—just needs rest and recovery before she can leave the hospital."
Jiang Shihan burst into tears, hugging Xu Xuejiao tightly. "Dr. Xu! Thank you! Thank you so much! Waaah…"
"It's okay." Xu Xuejiao patted her back. "Everything's fine now. No more tears. Wait a little longer—once the nurses finish dressing the wound, you can see her."
Lu Chengwen walked over and saw how pale Xu Xuejiao looked.
A nearly ten-hour major surgery was too much for a young woman.
"Thank you."
Xu Xuejiao glanced at him. "What's between us is a transaction. No need for thanks."
Lu Chengwen knew she was still upset and smiled. "You're exhausted. Get some rest."
"Come with me."
Back in her office, Xu Xuejiao tossed her surgical gown, mask, and gloves into the trash, then headed to the shower.
When she came out, wrapped in a bathrobe, she sat on the couch in front of Lu Chengwen.
"My feet hurt. Rub them for me."
Lu Chengwen frowned slightly but started massaging her feet.
The moment he applied pressure, Xu Xuejiao hissed in pain.
Lu Chengwen froze. "Does it hurt that much?"
"I've been standing for almost ten hours. What do you think?"
Guilt washed over him, and he began carefully kneading her feet.
"You worked hard."
"That's what doctors do."
Lu Chengwen was deeply moved.
[*Other rich kids would never suffer like this. Only Xu Xuejiao. While others were busy comparing clothes and shoes, she was following her mentor into surgeries, even passing out from exhaustion once.*]
[*Her small frame hides unbelievable endurance and strength when it comes to saving lives.*]
[*I should treat her better from now on.*]
Hearing his thoughts, Xu Xuejiao's lips curled into a faint smile.
"Do you sometimes think I'm cold-hearted?"
Lu Chengwen shook his head. "I was just talking nonsense out of anger. I regret it."
"Really?"
Lu Chengwen sighed. "It's like cars—there are affordable brands for everyday people, luxury brands like Mercedes and BMW, and flashy sports cars purely for showing off. We can't morally force Ferrari to make tricycles, right?"
Xu Xuejiao nodded. "One person's strength is limited. Even if Xu Xuejiao had eight hands, the number of lives she could save in her lifetime would still be finite. So…"
"So you only take high-end clients, targeting those who'll pay anything to save their lives. First, it builds your personal brand. Second, it makes a lot of money. And I know part of Houde Group's profits go into charity, medicine, pharmaceuticals, education, and more."
Xu Xuejiao smirked. "You know Houde pretty well!"
She sighed. "To save more people, Houde's reputation must stay strong. Houde Group specializes in high-end private hospitals, charging exorbitant fees—essentially catering to the wealthy. But we've always shared medical advancements, training, and cutting-edge equipment with public hospitals. Saving lives isn't about one person's passion—it's about systems, operations, sustainable funding, and a solid brand."
"Houde *has* to make money. The more we earn, the more we can do for society and patients. So I treat the rich, and the money goes toward supporting more doctors, nurses, experts, and researchers to save ordinary people."
Lu Chengwen said, "But you're ruthless. I've heard about your drugs—same ingredients, same formula, just repackaged. The ones for regular folks are dirt cheap, but the ones for the wealthy are insanely expensive."
Xu Xuejiao burst out laughing. "The rich are willing to pay for peace of mind. They don't trust cheap medicine. For everyone else, we keep prices as low as possible."
"You don't just keep them low." Lu Chengwen rubbed her calves. "You're selling at a loss using *my* money. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"
Xu Xuejiao blushed, giggling. "You knew?"
"But!" Lu Chengwen continued massaging. "The profits from the high-end market cover the losses on the low end. So to keep you happy—since we're still making money—I didn't say anything."
Xu Xuejiao looked at him. "Chengwen, you're a good person. You always have been. Why did you pretend to be a greedy villain before?"
Lu Chengwen smiled bitterly.
[*Good person? Me?*]
"Feeling better?"
"Mhm, not as sore now."
"Let me take you home. It's late, and you're tired."
Xu Xuejiao gazed at him. "I had a falling out with my family. You know that."
Lu Chengwen met her eyes. "So that means…"
"Hold me again tonight, okay?"
Her face flushed, suddenly shy, as she peeked at him nervously.
Lu Chengwen's heart skipped a beat.
[*Damn, I might not be able to control myself!*]