Becoming a Scum A in an Old-School Melodramatic Novel - Chapter 7

The other end of the phone was noisy and chaotic. Lin Qinghan’s voice came through,
“Shen Xian, take the child to Mom’s place first. Something came up here. I’ll go pick up Tian Tian later.”

“Alright. What happened over there? Do you need me to come?” Shen Xian could vaguely hear a man talking about borrowing money, which made her uneasy.

“It’s nothing. Just take good care of Tian Tian.” With that, Lin Qinghan hastily hung up the phone.

Still worried, Shen Xian picked up little Shen Tian.
“Tian Tian, Mommy will take you to Grandma’s house first, okay? Something came up at Mom’s work. I’ll go pick Mom up later, alright?”

As soon as Shen Tian heard it was about Mom, she obediently replied, “Okay. Then Tian Tian will wait for Mom and Mommy.”

Not wanting to waste time, Shen Xian quickly took Shen Tian home.

“What’s going on? Why the rush?” Fang Jinglan asked curiously while holding the child.

“Something’s happened with Qinghan. I need to rush over. I’ll explain when I get back.” Shen Xian dashed out, hailed a cab, and headed straight to Ren Nuo Hospital where Lin Qinghan was.

Sure enough, at the hospital entrance, a man was tugging at Lin Qinghan and speaking harshly. A crowd had gathered to watch, but only one man beside Lin Qinghan was actually helping.

Without a second glance, Shen Xian strode over and yanked the man back a few steps.

The man flailed and shouted loudly, “Who the hell pushed me? I was just about to ask someone to pay my medical bills!”

Seeing it was Shen Xian, Lin Zhixin sneered, “Well, if it isn’t my ex-brother-in-law. You still have the nerve to interfere? Don’t you know why my sister divorced you? If you’ve got money, give it to me instead of making me ask my sister. Otherwise, I’ll go ask my new brother-in-law.”

Lin Qinghan’s expression turned cold.
“Lin Zhixin, stop spouting nonsense. I told you I don’t have money to give you. Don’t come to my workplace again.”

“Come on, Sis. You’ve still got it, huh? Your ex-brother-in-law can’t let go, and your current one isn’t idle either — romance and career, both in bloom.” Lin Zhixin said with a lewd smile.

“Stop it. Dr. Lu is just a colleague. I have no money for you. Stop making a scene here.” Lin Qinghan pushed him a few times but couldn’t move him.

“Xiao Lin, this isn’t right,” Lu Jianbai adjusted his glasses and advised, “You’re in your twenties. How can you still be asking your sister for money all the time?”

“Oh wow, not even my brother-in-law yet and already trying to lecture me? Hey, come look, everyone! If you want me to acknowledge you as my brother-in-law, fork over some cash. Let’s see if you’re even worthy.” Lin Zhixin showed no shame, shaking his head like a clown.

“Dr. Lu, you should go. I’ll handle my own problems.”

A few nurses nearby couldn’t stay quiet anymore.
“Exactly. With a brother like Lin Qinghan’s, no one would want to marry her. Besides, she’s divorced and already has a three-year-old. Where does she get the confidence to go after Dr. Lu?”

“Yeah, the kid’s already that big. I’ve never liked her anyway.”

These two nurses, Liu Wenwen and Zhao Qing, were usually at odds with Lin Qinghan. Both had a crush on Lu Jianbai and were thrilled to see her embarrassed, eager to mock her as much as they could.

Their voices weren’t loud, but Shen Xian heard everything clearly. She turned to them coldly and said,
“If you’re not going to help, then move aside. This isn’t a place for your entertainment. You’re here to work, not to act like you’re fighting for attention in some harem drama.”

Liu Wenwen and Zhao Qing immediately looked embarrassed.
“Who cares about your messed-up family drama anyway? Zhao Qing, let’s go. I’ll treat you to a manicure.”

“Yeah, who wants to watch you guys? Eyesore.” Zhao Qing chimed in.

Once the crowd dispersed, Shen Xian turned to Lin Zhixin with a cold voice,
“Get lost. As far as you can. I haven’t even asked you for money, and you have the nerve to come to me for it? You’ve got guts now, huh?”

“What? I’m just asking my sister for money. That’s only right. Even if I went to Mom, she’d tell her to save money for my wedding. I might as well die. My sister wants me to starve. Neither of my brother-in-laws will give me money! Come on, everybody, take a look!”

Lin Zhixin simply sat down on the ground and began wailing and rolling around.

When Shen Xian turned around, she saw Lin Qinghan’s eyes red with fury, fists clenched, barely holding back. Clearly, Lin Zhixin was using her pride to threaten her. The only way to deal with someone like him was to throw pride aside altogether.

Shen Xian simply kicked Lin Zhixin, catching him off guard.

“You already said I’m your brother-in-law, right? Then it’s my job to teach you some manners — can’t have you running around barking like a mad dog.” Shen Xian rolled her wrists and ankles. In her past life, she had trained plenty. Coupled with her recent exercise, she felt noticeably stronger. She knew Lin Zhixin well — just a cowardly bully. A good beating and he’d never show up again.

“You dare hit me? Not afraid I’ll call the police?” Lin Zhixin was still trying to process what happened.

“Go ahead. I was hoping someone would. I already recorded everything you said while you were flailing around. Let’s take it to the police station — once there’s a record, if you ever harass Qinghan again, we’ll have that on file. Scumbags like you need to be dealt with.” Shen Xian glared at Lin Zhixin, daring him to cause more trouble.

“Screw you! Who do you think you are, Shen Xian? Teaching me a lesson? I’ll beat you to death!” He charged at her.

But Lin Zhixin was all bark and no bite. He barely had any strength. Shen Xian grabbed his wrist, twisted it, and tripped him. Once again, Lin Zhixin went down hard.

He refused to believe it and threw another punch at Shen Xian. Shen Xian dodged it, used the momentum to grab him, and Lin Zhixin fell flat on his face like a dog eating dirt. This time he learned his lesson — those two hits had hurt him badly. So he turned to Lin Qinghan, trying to grab her for money instead. But Shen Xian immediately stepped in front of her, glanced at Lin Zhixin, and said coldly, “If you’ve got something to say, say it to me. Stay away from her.”

“What’s it to you if I talk to my sister? She’s the jerk who hit me and it hurts!” he said, pointing at Shen Xian, only for his index finger to be caught and twisted by Shen Xian.

“If you can’t talk properly, then don’t talk. Got such a filthy mouth — want me to help you rinse it out?” Shen Xian applied more force, and Lin Zhixin cried out in pain.

“Sis, brother-in-law, I don’t want money anymore, really! Sis, please, beg brother-in-law for me — my finger’s really gonna break! If you don’t tell her to let go, I’m gonna tell Mom! You know Mom loves me the most! Please, tell her to let go!” Lin Zhixin was sweating from the pain.

In her past life, Shen Xian had undergone plenty of similar training. She knew exactly where to hit to cause pain without leaving evidence. Hearing that Lin Zhixin not only didn’t change his ways but was even planning to tattle, she immediately kicked him in the leg. “Doesn’t seem like you’re hurting at all if you’ve still got the energy to snitch. Tell me — are you gonna do it again?”

“Hiss… I won’t, I swear, brother-in-law! You almost broke my hand! I was wrong, I was wrong, I won’t ask my sister for money again. I’ll leave right now!”

Lin Qinghan just felt exhausted. She lightly patted Shen Xian’s shoulder, her tone full of helplessness. “Forget it. Let him go.”

Shen Xian glanced at her, then shot a glare at Lin Zhixin. “Get lost. If I see you asking for money again, I’ll hit you again.” With that, she let go of his hand. Lin Zhixin stumbled back a few steps before shouting, “Just you wait! You’re not giving me money now? Fine, I’ll go ask Mom! Mom will still make you give it to me! And I’ll tell her you’re fooling around and got a bunch of lovers to beat me up!”

As soon as he said that, he ran off, afraid Shen Xian might hit him again.

What kind of miserable life was the female lead living? Her brother was just as disgusting as the original version of her.

Shen Xian turned to her and asked gently, “He didn’t hurt you, did he? Why didn’t you tell me over the phone? I could’ve come earlier.”

Lin Qinghan’s eyes were still red. She hadn’t expected Shen Xian to actually come help her. She had thought she’d be stuck dealing with her brother for a long time today. Lin Zhixin had already called and asked her for money several times. She knew her brother was a bottomless pit, so she didn’t give him any. But just because of that, her mother had called and nagged her endlessly, saying she didn’t care whether her brother lived or died.

But who was going to care whether she lived or died? Her ex-wife constantly came asking for money. Her daughter was still so young — she had to save for her daughter’s education. Every month, she still had to send money back to her parents. And if the money were actually being used for them, she wouldn’t mind. But her parents either used it to pay off her brother’s debts or saved it up for him. No one ever thought about her.

Well, now her coworkers at the hospital all knew her brother was a scumbag.

Honestly, when she’d been shielded just now by her own good-for-nothing ex-wife, Lin Qinghan had felt a flicker of warmth in her heart. The fragile wall around it cracked just a little — but only for a moment. Tears started streaming down her cheeks.

Shen Xian immediately took out some tissues and gently dabbed her face, coaxing softly, “Don’t be mad anymore. If he dares to do it again, I’ll beat him so badly his own mother won’t recognize him. Don’t cry. He’s not worth it.”

Lin Qinghan, eyes red, glared at Shen Xian, sniffled, and snatched the tissue from her hand to wipe her tears. She was determined to maintain her usual cold demeanor in front of Shen Xian, and muttered in a muffled voice, “I’m not crying. My eyes are just dry. It’s the wind.”

Shen Xian smiled and gently agreed, coaxing her in the same soft tone she’d used, “Yeah, the wind has been strong lately. It’s fine, just wipe it off. If nothing else is going on, let’s head home. Tian Tian’s still waiting for us.”

Lin Qinghan looked at Shen Xian and gave a small nod.

Shen Xian, sharp-eyed as always, noticed that Lin Qinghan’s favorability had gone from [‘-140′] to [“-110″], and the curve of her lips deepened.

The two of them were about to get on the scooter when they suddenly remembered — someone had been standing nearby the whole time. They’d completely forgotten that Lu Jianbai was still there.