Medical Sage

”Accuse me of reneging? Young Master Dong, you can’t just say things like that. It’s clear this kid cheated! Otherwise, how could a golf rookie like him score a hole-in-one? No, this round doesn’t count. We’ll start over!” Upon hearing this, Dong Jianhui’s expression shifted slightly, but he still gritted his teeth, his attitude firm.

A joke? If he conceded now, he would be loath to part with the ”huge sum” of three million yuan, to say nothing of having to yell ”I admit defeat!” three times in broad daylight for all to see. How was that possible!? If he, Xiao Hao, actually did that and chose to submit, the moment he walked out the doors of the Dongyun International Private Club, he would become the laughingstock of his entire social circle, the butt of everyone’s jokes. He would never stand to see that happen!

So, at this moment, even knowing his shameless actions would mortally offend Dong Jianhui and make them sworn enemies, he went ahead without hesitation. Clearly, he didn’t take Dong Jianhui’s anger seriously. After all, his surname was Xiao, and he had an uncle who doted on him. What did he have to fear?

With that thought, he dropped all pretense, straightened his back, and sneered, ”Young Master Dong, don’t blame me for being blunt, and I’m not trying to lecture you, but... other than the three of us, did anyone else hear what I said just now?”

”What do you mean by that?” Dong Jianhui asked, his face turning ugly. He wasn’t stupid; he had already guessed what the other man was implying.

”What do I mean? Isn’t it obvious? Just now, I didn’t say anything, nor did I agree to any extra bet... However, congratulations, Young Master Dong. You’ve won one million from me.” Though he had lost, a victorious smile curved Xiao Hao’s lips. He was utterly pleased with himself.

One million? He spent more than that on a casual car purchase. Compared to the pride of Young Master Xiao Hao, it was practically worthless! He was truly in awe of his own ”genius.” How could he be so clever?

”You... you...” Dong Jianhui was clearly about to explode with rage. He stared at Xiao Hao, his face dark as the muscles in it twitched uncontrollably.

”Heh.”

Just then, Chen Fei couldn’t help but let out a derisive laugh. A smirk played on his face as he looked at Young Master Xiao Hao and said, ”Thinking of backing out? You can try. But do you really think that just because no one else heard you, you can simply go back on our agreement?”

”So what if I do? What can you do to me? Kid, don’t think for a second I’m looking down on you, but who do you think you are...” Xiao Hao shot back mockingly, preparing to launch into a condescending tirade about how Chen Fei was out of his league. But just then, the smug look on his face froze.

A knowing smirk on his face, Chen Fei took out his phone and casually tapped on a recording app. A familiar conversation began to play, stunning Dong Jianhui and causing Xiao Hao’s pupils to shrink in panic.

*”Heh… Since Young Master Xiao has agreed, why don’t we raise the stakes? After all, I only get one shot. What do you think, Young Master Xiao?”*

*”...Alright, to give Young Master Dong some face, I, Xiao Hao, will play along. Go on, what are these higher stakes?”*

*”The new rule is simple. The loser not only has to fork over three million but also has to shout ’I admit defeat’ three times in public…”*

*”…Satisfied, satisfied! As expected of Young Master Dong, so straightforward. Shall we continue now?”*

…

Hearing his own unmistakable voice coming from Chen Fei’s phone, Xiao Hao felt like his chest would burst with rage, his expression turning thunderous. He never imagined his opponent would be so cunning as to record their conversation without him knowing.

”As expected of Brother Fei, you’re really something else!”

Seeing this, the displeasure on Dong Jianhui’s face vanished, replaced by a deep, gloating satisfaction. ”Xiao Hao, seeing as you’re so pitiful, I won’t even bother with that one million. But this recording... I’ll make sure everyone in our circle gets to enjoy it. HAHAHA!”

”No! You can’t do that!”

Xiao Hao’s face changed dramatically, as if he’d been slapped a thousand times until it was bruised and swollen. He pleaded desperately. That recording was far from honorable; it was damning evidence of the side bet he’d made. But the alternative—to bow his head in public and shout that he admitted defeat three times—was something he could never bring himself to do.

”Can’t? Why can’t I? Who do you think you are, giving me orders?” Dong Jianhui retorted with a contemptuous sneer, shutting him down completely. ’Can’t?’ You say ’can’t’ and I’m supposed to listen? Who the hell do you think you are? Pah!

”Wait, it looks like there’s another part here. Should we listen to the rest?” Chen Fei suddenly interjected. As he spoke, another conversation began to play from his phone.

*”Young Master Dong, don’t blame me for being blunt, and I’m not trying to lecture you, but... other than the three of us, did anyone else hear what I said just now?”*

*”What do you mean by that?”*

*”What do I mean? Isn’t it obvious? Just now, I didn’t say anything, nor did I agree to any other additional bets... However, congratulations, Young Master Dong. You’ve just won one million from me.”* This was followed by someone’s wild laughter, which now sounded incredibly grating to Xiao Hao’s own ears.

”You, you, you...” His face contorted with rage as he pointed a trembling finger at Chen Fei, his lips quivering, unable to form a complete sentence.

Seeing this, Chen Fei curled his lip in disdain, a mocking arc forming as he spoke as if no one else was there. ”Jianhui, what do you think the consequences would be if both of these recordings got out?”

”Consequences?” Dong Jianhui echoed, a similar mocking smile on his face. ”Oh, nothing too serious. It just means that in our circle of government officials’ sons, we’ll have one more juicy piece of gossip to discuss at the dinner table, another laughingstock to ridicule when we’re bored!”

Xiao Hao shuddered, his expression turning ferocious. ”Dong Jianhui, don’t push it!” He couldn’t imagine how he, Xiao Hao, could ever show his face in Tongzhou City again if that happened. The humiliation would be absolute.

”Push it? And what can you do to me if I do?” Dong Jianhui looked at him as if he were an idiot and gave a cold, faint smile. ”Or is it that only you, Xiao Hao, are allowed to renege and act shameless, but I, Dong Jianhui, am not allowed to expose your hypocrisy for all to see?”

”I... you... I...” Xiao Hao was completely speechless, his face grim, with no argument left to make.

”Looks like I won’t be getting my three million. Oh well. Watching this show has been entertaining enough. Let’s go, Jianhui,” Chen Fei said abruptly.

”Mm,” Dong Jianhui nodded, ready to leave with Chen Fei.

”Wait!”

Just then, Xiao Hao quickly stepped forward to block their path. Rage still burned in his eyes, yet he actually bowed his waist slightly and lowered his voice. ”Young Master Dong, I, Xiao Hao, was in the wrong today. I sincerely apologize... Could you do me a favor and let’s just let this matter drop?”

Evidently, to have gained such prestige in the provincial capital of Tongzhou City, Xiao Hao didn’t rely solely on his family, the Xiao Family. He had some sense of his own and knew that a wise man submits to circumstances. He knew when it was time to bow his head.

The problem was, while he had indeed bowed his head, he was still too arrogant and self-important. He had apologized only to Dong Jianhui, completely ignoring Chen Fei, who stood right beside him. Perhaps from start to finish, Chen Fei held no weight in his eyes, just some insignificant nobody, so he had naturally chosen to disregard him.

”Give you face? Who do you think you are?” Chen Fei’s dark, clear eyes flashed with disdain. ”Do you really think that just because we’ve been entertaining you for half the day, you’re someone important, someone worthy of respect? Sorry, but you’re not that important.”

”What did you say? Do you have any idea who I am? How dare you speak to me like that?” Xiao Hao erupted in fury. He couldn’t believe this ”nobody” from outside his circle would dare to use such an insolent tone with him. The nerve!

”Shut your mouth! Xiao Hao, who the hell do you think you are, daring to talk to Brother Fei like that?” Seeing Xiao Hao yell at Chen Fei, Dong Jianhui’s expression changed instantly as he roared in his defense.

”Dong Jianhui, you...”

Xiao Hao froze, stunned by this turn of events. Brother Fei? What Brother Fei? He knew exactly who Dong Jianhui was: the son of Secretary Dong Wencheng, one of the top five leaders in the province, a top-tier figure in their circle of government officials’ sons. Countless peers had to respectfully call him Young Master Dong or Brother Hui. Even Xiao Hao’s own status was half a step below his.

But now, this very same Dong Jianhui had become so enraged over a single remark he made to someone else. He had jumped out so quickly to defend him, even calling him ’Brother Fei’. What did that imply? It implied that the kid he had been ignoring possessed a shocking background, one that even Dong Jianhui didn’t dare to slight.

At this realization, Xiao Hao couldn’t help but nervously lick his lips. He slowly turned his gaze to Chen Fei and forced a smile. ”It seems I, Xiao Hao, was blind earlier. My friend, I apologize for the offense. Please forgive me.”

”Forgive you?” Chen Fei’s lip curled slightly. ”There’s nothing to forgive. Didn’t we agree? Three million for the shot, plus the other terms of the bet. Young Master Xiao, all you need to do is fulfill your end of the bargain, and this will all be over, won’t it?”

If the other man had backed down earlier, before all this nonsense, Chen Fei’s personality was such that he couldn’t have been bothered to pursue the matter. But now, after Xiao Hao had tried to pull a fast one right in front of him, only to fail, there was no way he would let him off the hook.

He was just that type—he responded to reason, not to pressure, and he couldn’t stand this kind of behavior.