Chapter 489: Conflict

After I drank alcohol, there would be some less obvious small red rashes on my arms and neck. In fact, it was not a strong allergic reaction. I wouldn’t feel the itchiness if I didn’t deliberately pay attention to it. And if I ignored it, those rashes would naturally disappear the next day. On the contrary, if I paid attention to it, I would feel itchy and want to scratch it—and the more I scratched it, the more itchy I would feel…

Because the place where the fight broke out yesterday was outside the restaurant, the police naturally suspected that we were drunk, so they asked me to do an alcohol test in the hospital. When the doctor who bandaged my wound asked me why I didn’t drink, I casually told him about my low alcohol tolerance and alcohol allergy. Therefore, he suggested that before my wound was healed, I should not drink alcohol. Otherwise, once I had an allergic reaction and started to scratch the wound, it may cause infection.

In this season where one would get sweaty easily, it was uncomfortable for my forearm to be completely wrapped in bandages. I hadn’t even drunk any alcohol yet, but my wound was already slightly itchy because of the medicine. So of course, I wouldn’t make it worse for myself. Chu Yuan and Dong Xiaoye had heard the doctor’s advice in the hospital, so they were not surprised to see that I didn’t drink any alcohol, but Liusu was different…

“Oh, right, you mean the small red rash on your forearm after drinking, right?” After remembering the insignificant problem I had after drinking, Liusu chuckled and said, “Why didn’t you say it earlier, you think I would force you to drink or something? Now it makes me look like a bad person…”

Unintentionally, Liusu’s words reminded everyone that I couldn’t drink because I was injured last night.

The atmosphere suddenly stagnated. Liusu and Dong Xiaoye also noticed that they had touched a sensitive topic, and they instinctively looked at Ziyuan to check her reaction. It was already very hard for Ziyuan to pretend that she didn’t notice my wound. Now that my injury was mentioned, if she kept pretending not to see it, it would be too obvious. However, it was also inappropriate for her to ask. After all, she knew better than anyone how I was hurt.

“Since Xiao Nan can’t drink, Liusu, don’t force him. This is different from the last gathering with colleagues. There’s no need for so much formality…” Ziyuan deliberately changed the topic and reached out her hand, wanting to take over the wine bottle and glass from Liusu’s hand like Dong Xiaoye.

Seeing Ziyuan’s reaction, Liusu fell into a daze, feeling even more suspicious. She subconsciously let go of her hands holding the wine bottle and the glass when both Dong Xiaoye and Ziyuan reached out their hands. However, what she did not expect was that Dong Xiaoye and Ziyuan retracted their hands at the same time, thinking that the other party would take the wine bottle and the glass.

Without anyone holding the bottle and the glass, they fell to the table simultaneously. Seeing this, I hurriedly stood up, wanting to catch them and prevent them from falling on the dishes; however, it was still too late. In a series of smashing noises, not only were two plates smashed, I also lost my balance after I collided with Dong Xiaoye and fell on the table. The hot soup oil of the overturned boiled pork was splashed on my injured arm, causing me to let out a painful groan and jump back, but I tripped on the chair again, and fell on the ground on my back.

Chu Yuan had worked very hard in the kitchen for two hours for this meal, but half of the dishes were ruined before we even touched them. Seeing this, her face was livid, and her body trembled with anger.

Now Liusu, Dong Xiaoye, and Ziyuan all panicked. Liusu anxiously said, “What are you two doing? I thought you two wanted to take the bottle and the glass!”

“I thought she would take them…” Dong Xiaoye and Ziyuan said the same thing, only their tone was different. Dong Xiaoye was confident and Ziyuan was guilty.

“Can we talk about whose fault it was later?” Dongfang helped me up and wiped the oil on the back of my arms with a napkin. Seeing that the back of my hand was red and the bandage on my arm was soaked with oil, she panicked. “Oh no, it got into the bandages. Yuan Yuan, go get the scissors, we need to cut the bandage quickly!”

Fortunately, the dishes had been served for a while while we were waiting for Ziyuan. Although it was very hot, it did not cause any serious harm. After rinsing the wound with clean water, the pain subsided a lot.

Dong Xiaoye used a cotton swab to carefully wipe the blood oozing out of my wound. Liusu and Dongfang stood behind me anxiously, not daring to interrupt, because my red forearm was obviously different from the skin on my body. The long scars caused by the car door were not healed yet, but now they were soaked with oil, making the wound look even more scary.

Like Liusu and Dongfang, the more I said I was fine, the more Ziyuan felt that I said it simply because I didn’t want to make them worried. Feeling guilty, she hid far away and didn’t dare to come over. Seeing Chu Yuan’s indifference when she looked at her, I knew this dinner was over.

“Sister Ziyuan, please pass the antiseptic spray over.”

“Antiseptic spray? Oh.” It was normal that Ziyuan would feel strange, because the antiseptic spray was in the medicine box that Chu Yuan could reach with her hand. Chu Yuan just stood by me watching Dong Xiaoye cleaning my wound. She could totally get it herself.

After Ziyuan handed the antiseptic spray to Dong Xiaoye, she couldn’t hide away anymore; she could only watch Sister Tiger dealing with my wound uncomfortably, feeling the sharp gazes behind her back.

I knew that Chu Yuan was dissatisfied with Ziyuan, so I winked at her again and again, trying to signal her not to worsen the situation.

Chu Yuan completely ignored me deliberately and said, “Sister Ziyuan, gauze.”

“Here…” Ziyuan fumbled through the medicine box for a long time before she found the gauze roll and handed it to Chu Yuan. Then Chu Yuan passed it to Dong Xiaoye who was waiting on the side.

Liusu also noticed Chu Yuan’s abnormality. She frowned and said, “Yuan Yuan, the medicine box is right next to you, can’t you get it by yourself?”

“Okay,” Chu Yuan replied innocently. “I’m just curious. Why didn’t Sister Ziyuan ask me to take it by myself? She seemed to be afraid to talk to us.”

Ziyuan’s face instantly turned pale as snow. What I worried the most still happened. I could no longer stay silent and scolded her, “Yuan Yuan, you forgot what I told you earlier?!”

Chu Yuan glared at Ziyuan. “Yes! Because I just can’t stand her pretending like she doesn’t know anything. Sister Ziyuan, are you blind or there’s something wrong with your eyes that you can’t tell that my elder brother is injured?!”

“Yuan Yuan!” I yelled angrily. Chu Yuan trembled, but then she turned to look at me without any fear.

I knew why she was not afraid of me; because Liusu and Dong Xiaoye, without exception, chose to be silent, and their faces had the same emotions as Chu Yuan.

Ziyuan didn’t dare to meet everyone’s gaze. She looked away and said anxiously, “I…I don’t know what I should say…”

Chu Yuan asked aggressively, “You don’t know what to say?! Did you not see how my elder brother got hurt last night?”

I stood up suddenly without waiting for Dong Xiaoye to wrap the gauze. “Yuan Yuan, that’s enough!”

Chu Yuan didn’t look at me at all and continued to question Ziyuan in anger, “Why are you avoiding my elder brother?! Who did you ask those bodyguards to beat my elder brother?!”

Seeing Chu Yuan was so angry that her body was trembling, Dongfang quickly hugged her and said, “Yuan Yuan, calm down, you are going to make Elder Brother Nan angry… ”

Ziyuan’s voice became even quieter. “I didn’t let anyone beat your elder brother…”

“Was that person from last night you?!”

“Yes… no…” Ziyuan hurriedly changed her answer, as if she was worried that she would expose something.

Seeing her evasive attitude, Chu Yuan said angrily, “You can’t even answer a simple question honestly!”

“I said that’s enough!” The veins on my forehead almost burst.

One side was my little sister, the other side was my childhood sweetheart who I was finally reunited with after five years of separation. What should I do? What can I do?!

I raised my arm, wanting to hit Chu Yuan, but my arm stopped in the air.