Chapter 27
Chapter 27: Surviving Disaster Brings Blessings
Director Gao and the others quickly said it was nothing, just a small effort. The Du family moved fast and set the flowers and fruit basket they had bought on the way beside the bed.
Everyone silently agreed not to mention what had just happened. Instead, they turned to ask about Yang Jian Tao’s condition: “We heard you were hurt and in the hospital, so we came together to visit you. How are you feeling now? Are you still in a lot of pain?”
Yang Jian Tao lay back on the bed and weakly waved his hand: “It is fine, it is fine. It is just a mild concussion. My head is a bit dizzy right now, so I have to lie down. When I sit up, everything spins. But the doctor said it is not serious. If I rest for a few days, it should be fine. It will not delay the filming.”
When Director Gao heard this, he quickly said: “No, no, no, there is no rush, no rush. More than half of your scenes are already done. I will go back and have someone adjust the schedule and push the rest back as much as possible. We will wait until you are better to film. Your health is more important.”
Being able to arrange it that way was of course the best. A smile finally appeared on Yang Jian Tao’s face as he said gratefully: “All right, thank you, Director.”
Yang Xiao Xiao had calmed down by now as well and added softly: “Thank you.”
After greeting Director Gao and the Assistant Director, Yang Jian Tao’s eyes stayed on Du He Xuan for a few seconds. Then he looked with some confusion at the two people behind him, Father Du and Mother Du, and asked: “And these two are…?”
“They are my parents. When Director Gao and the others mentioned that you were in the hospital, they happened to be there. They were free anyway, so they came along to visit you.”
Father Du and Mother Du were not much older than Yang Jian Tao. He did not know what to call them, so he could only say politely: “Thank you for taking the trouble to come.”
Then he turned his attention to Du An Rao and called to her very carefully: “Miss Du.”
Du An Rao was startled: “Brother Yang, why are you suddenly calling me that? It sounds so distant.”
Her shocked expression amused Yang Jian Tao, and his face was no longer as serious as before. He said: “All right, all right, that was my fault. An An, I am not joking this time. I really have to thank you.”
Everyone in the ward looked at each other. After what had just happened, they all wanted to avoid mentioning it, afraid that a careless word would make the two of them sad again.
They did not expect that Yang Jian Tao, the one directly involved, did not mind at all. He took the initiative to tell them what had happened over the past few days.
It turned out that after Du An Rao did the character reading for him that day, emotionally, Yang Jian Tao really did not want to believe that the wife who had shared his bed for over ten years would turn a knife on him for the sake of her brother. But his rational mind told him that this might not be impossible.
Once doubt took root in his heart, he naturally started paying more attention.
After a few days of careful observation, Yang Jian Tao finally discovered that many of the things that had recently gone missing from their home had been secretly taken out and sold off by his wife.
Thinking back to the reason for their quarrel some time ago, he had at first also believed that his wife was selling those things to help her brother put together a bride price.
He had already planned to go home and have a good talk with her after filming wrapped that day. But because the shoot finished early and he went home ahead of time, he accidentally discovered a shocking truth.
“It turns out that his so-called girlfriend met his parents in the first month they were dating. When she saw what his family situation was like, she broke up with him. So there was never any talk of marriage, and definitely no insanely high bride price. Everything was a lie that woman made up so she could pay off her brother’s gambling debts.”
When he said this, everyone in the ward, except for the Du family who already knew the truth, could not help but suck in a breath of cold air.
Yang Jian Tao lowered his head with a bitter smile: “If it were only that, I might have let it go. But what is even worse is that, after I refused again and again to lend them money and after they had already sold many valuable things from the house, they set their sights on the deed to my apartment and my ID card.”
The apartment where he lived now had three bedrooms and one living room. He had bought it with most of the savings he had built up in his early years after entering the industry. At the time, because he knew his wife was almost crazy about helping her brother, he had deliberately not put her name on the deed.
Because of that, Huang Zhao Di had thrown fits before, but since he had paid for the apartment in full and it was under his name alone, there was nothing she could do if he refused.
He never expected that after all this time, he still could not stop them from targeting the apartment.
Du He Xuan frowned slightly: “I can understand going after the deed. But why steal your ID card?”
“They wanted to use my ID card to apply for a large number of online loans and high-interest loans.”
This answer was exactly what Du An Rao had guessed already. She asked: “And you clashed with them because of this?”
Yang Jian Tao nodded: “That woman told him that the deed was in the safe at home. My ID card is usually on me, so it is hard for them to get it. After they talked it over, they decided to pry open the safe and get the deed first. I was so angry that I went in to argue with them.”
He had clearly underestimated how dangerous a woman obsessed with her brother and a gambling addict could be. He also had not expected that Du An Rao’s prediction that day would come true so quickly.
“I did not think he would bring a knife. When they realized I knew the truth, their first reaction was not to apologize and ask for my forgiveness, but to curse me out for being stingy and selfish. I felt they were truly beyond saving, so I told them to get out of my house. That animal probably realized that once I threw him out this time, he would not be able to come back and cheat money from me anymore. So he simply decided to go all the way. He pointed the knife at me and threatened me, telling me to hand over the deed at once, or he would stab me to death.”
Just from his description, everyone present could imagine how dangerous the situation had been.
A gambler who has gone mad from losing is no longer really a person, only a beast acting on instinct. If pushed, he really might kill someone.
“Is that how your hand got hurt?” When Yang Jian Tao had greeted them earlier, Du An Rao and the others had already noticed that he was not just suffering from a concussion. One of his hands was also wrapped in thick bandages.
“No. Dad hurt his hand to protect me.”
When he thought back to that moment, Yang Jian Tao could not help feeling scared all over again as he said: “While I was arguing with them, Xiao Xiao happened to come home from school. That animal knew I loved Xiao Xiao the most, so he wanted to use her as a hostage to force me to give in. I panicked and rushed over to grab the knife from him. That is how my hand got hurt.”
“If your hand was hurt while you were grabbing the knife, then how did you get the concussion…?”
Yang Xiao Xiao cut in coldly: “That woman hit him.”
Yang Jian Tao rubbed his head, his smile turning even more bitter and mocking: “If our neighbor next door had not heard the noise in our apartment, called the police, and warned the property management to come up early to help, Xiao Xiao and I might already be dead.”
Du An Rao noticed that both Yang Jian Tao and Yang Xiao Xiao now only called Huang Zhao Di “that woman.” It was clear that they no longer saw her as family.
Of course, anyone who had a knife pointed at them and almost lost their life, yet saw their wife or mother still helping the person trying to kill them, would not be able to stay calm.
Being betrayed by a loved one you care about is always more chilling than being attacked by a stranger.
Thinking of this, Du An Rao let out a long breath. She looked seriously at the father and daughter and said: “If you survive a great disaster, blessings will follow. I hope that, even if your days from now on are not completely without bumps, everything will still turn out smoothly in the end, and that you will live in peace and fulfillment.”