Chapter 211: A Fight at the Drop of a Hat

Chapter 211: A Fight at the Drop of a Hat

Hotel, luxury private room.

The exquisitely laid-out dining table was filled with an array of dishes, all appealing to the eye and nose.

Unfortunately, there was an unwelcome guest sitting across from him, leaving Huo Tingying with no appetite.

Huo Tingying's gaze swept coldly over Ji Ming, his tone icy. "Shameless!"

Ji Ming sneered, "So stingy about a meal, huh, sickly one? Ah Mu, it's best to stay away from a man like this..."

"Cough, cough, cough—"

Before Ji Ming could finish, he saw Huo Tingying suddenly start coughing violently, as if trying to expel his insides.

Yun Mu immediately dropped her knife and fork, worriedly patting Huo Tingying's back.

"What's wrong with you?"

Huo Tingying's chest heaved, his lips devoid of color.

He waved his hand, his voice hoarse and weak. "It's nothing. I might have aggravated my old wound from the fight just now..."

"Is it serious?"

Seeing Yun Mu's concerned and anxious expression, Ji Ming felt a pang of jealousy!

He clenched his teeth in anger.

"Huo Tingying, calling you a sickly one doesn't mean you can really play up to it. Who was hitting whom just now? Did I even touch a single finger on you? And here you are, pretending?"

Huo Tingying sneered, retorting, "Your assets may not be worth much compared to mine. I wouldn't stoop so low as to extort you!"

He needed to show some weakness, act pitiful, and draw Yun Mu's attention entirely to him.

This trick never failed.

Ji Ming instantly understood.

Damn!

Huo Tingying, you shameless man!

Are you using these underhanded, manipulative tactics to make Ah Mu feel sorry for you and stay by your side?

A surge of rage washed over him again. His tone turned sarcastic as he said to Yun Mu, "Ah Mu, don't you see that this man is faking it? Didn't you see how vigorous he was when he hit me? Does that look like someone who's sick?!"

Yun Mu's eyes began to show impatience, and she glared at Ji Ming coldly. "He had brain tumor surgery three months ago and was in a car accident that led to a near-drowning! Ji Ming, do you have any sense of propriety?"

At that moment.

Ji Ming opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word.

Time seemed to freeze for a brief instant.

A dark shadow flashed through Ji Ming's azure eyes, heavy enough to drip water.

He sat stiffly, staring at Yun Mu, his voice calming down.

"I know he crashed into the sea for you. But Yun Mu, ask yourself, have I ever suffered less for you or shed less blood? We've been through life and death together! You feel sorry for him because he coughed a few times, but did you see the bruise on my face?"

Ji Ming usually spoke loudly and dramatically.

But now, his softer tone made him sound quite pitiful.

Like a stray dog abandoned in the rain.

Yun Mu frowned and rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

"Sit on the sofa, I'll apply some medicine."

Ji Ming, "???"

What?

Ah Mu said she would personally apply medicine to him? Such good fortune!

Ji Ming immediately perked up, excited like a wagging puppy, and plopped onto the sofa.

"Ah Mu, it's been a while since you applied medicine to me. Be gentle, okay?"

After saying that, he didn't forget to taunt Huo Tingying with a raised eyebrow.

Watching Yun Mu take the cotton swab and medicine from the server, carefully tending to Ji Ming's wounds, Huo Tingying's face fell.

"When did you two meet? Why did he get hurt and bleed for you?"

The question was directed at Yun Mu, but Ji Ming eagerly took it over.

"Good question! Ah Mu and I have known each other since childhood. From childhood friends to comrades-in-arms on the battlefield, it's been a passionate and unbreakable bond! It's not something a sickly faker like you can match! Give up your delusions and let me take Ah Mu back!"

Huo Tingying's pupils contracted, his gaze lethal. "Try taking Yun Mu away from me!"

"Fine! You're challenging me, right? Do you think your fleeting romance with Ah Mu can compare to our years of... Ah! Ah Mu, what are you doing? It hurts!"

Ji Ming leaped away from Yun Mu, covering his wounded face with a pained expression.

"You're going to ruin your face with all that force! This handsome face is my trademark!"

Huo Tingying sneered in disdain, "So you're just a pretty boy who relies on his looks!"

The murderous intent instantly clouded Ji Ming's handsome face, "Say that again?"

The veins on his pale hand and neck bulged, transforming him from a pitiful little puppy into a fierce wolf ready to tear apart his enemy.

Yun Mu's heart sank, and he hurriedly stepped forward to stop Ji Ming.

"Ji Ming, if you keep this up, I won't let you stay!"

Ji Ming roared, "Didn't you hear what he called me?"

"I heard it. He didn't mean it."

When they were young, Ji Ming was often bullied by other children because of his exotic mixed-race appearance.

Sissy, girly boy.

These insulting words had always been Ji Ming's nightmare.

Anyone who dared mention them would be beaten senseless by him.

"He did mean it! Ah Mu, today you must choose between us. It's either him or me."

Yun Mu looked at Ji Ming as if he were insane, "Are you crazy? You two aren't even in the same place. You came here on your own! Finish eating and go back!"

"No! I came here specifically to take you away!"

Huo Tingying gave a death glare.

"Looks like you don't plan on eating properly, huh?" Yun Mu's tone had lost its warmth.

"I said, I'm taking you away."

"And I'll say it again, I won't go with you." Yun Mu replied coldly.

Ji Ming slumped onto the sofa.

"It doesn't matter. If you won't leave, I won't leave either. Wherever you are, I'll be there. After all, you promised to take care of me for life!"

Yun Mu, "That was in my past life."

Indeed, in the past life.

Is Ah Mu trying to completely cut ties with him?

Ji Ming's throat tightened, and his nose stung.

"I don't care. I'm not leaving... Ah Mu, what are you doing? Let go!"

Yun Mu rolled up his sleeve, grabbed Ji Ming's arm, and dragged him out of the private room, into the elevator, and downstairs.

He shoved him towards his bodyguards and said coldly,

"Watch over your master. Take him back where he came from! Don't follow me anymore!"

Ji Ming's bodyguards knew who Yun Mu was—their boss's boss!

They quickly obeyed, dragging Ji Ming back into the car and speeding away.

"Ah Mu! Ah Mu! I'm not leaving—"

Ji Ming's pitiful cries soon faded in the wind.