375: Chapter 375 Hero Yang Zhizhong

Liu Jing was quick-witted and agile; she caught Yang Yujie, glanced down at her, and said to Han Jingyang, "Boss, she has fainted."

Han Jingyang was not surprised at all and looked at Yang Zhizhong: "Old Yang, it looks like you'll have to pay double."

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said."

Yang Zhizhong was stunned for a moment, then became furious: "Could it be…"

Han Jingyang nodded calmly: "That's right, it's just as you thought. She fainted the same way you did. Of course, her symptoms are relatively milder."

Yang Zhizhong cursed viciously: "Animal! Beast! To not even spare his own niece! Bastard! Son of a bitch, that bastard!"

Yang Zhizhong was so angry that he pounded his wheelchair repeatedly, making the luxurious chair shake and clatter.

Chang Xiaoliang, who was outside the door, saw the commotion and rushed in: "Boss?"

Yang Zhizhong forced himself to suppress his anger and waved his hand: "Keep guarding the door."

"Yes, Boss. What about the young lady?"

"That's none of your business."

"Understood, Boss. I'll be right at the shop entrance; just wave if you need anything."

After Chang Xiaoliang left, Yang Zhizhong sat in his wheelchair, breathing heavily, and looked at Han Jingyang, bowing once more: "Mr. Han, I beg you, save Yujie."

Han Jingyang sighed: "Old Yang, you're putting me in a difficult position."

"Mr. Han, I, I…"

"Let me put it this way: the injuries you and your daughter have are the same, almost identical. However, I can only save one person. You should know my situation. To use the slang of young people, I follow the 'prop path,' the 'dharma instrument path.' All my abilities come from dharma instruments; without them, I am nothing. And right now, I only have one dharma instrument that can heal this kind of injury, and it only has one use left. Once it's used, it's gone."

Yang Zhizhong looked as if he had been struck by lightning. He stared blankly at Han Jingyang, his eyes instantly losing their luster.

On one side was his own life.

On the other was his daughter's life.

Only one person could survive.

The choice lay in the father's hands.

It didn't matter what Yang Zhizhong would choose, but the process of choosing would certainly be excruciatingly painful, especially for a doting father like Yang Zhizhong, who had always protected his daughter so well, only to end up having to choose between his own life and hers.

The one chosen would live.

The one abandoned would simply wait for death.

For anyone with a conscience, this kind of choice is an agonizing torture.

After a long while, Yang Zhizhong looked at Han Jingyang with eyes full of grief and despair. His lips trembled: "Mr. Han, is there no other way?"

Han Jingyang shook his head directly: "No. There aren't many dharma instruments that can heal illnesses and injuries, and those that can treat soul injuries are even rarer. Up until now, I've only managed to save up this one. I originally planned to keep it for myself, just in case. But your sincerity was great, and I was moved. I took out my own spare dharma instrument to use for you. But now, one wounded person has become two. I have to let you make the decision because there really isn't a second such item. If there were a second one, I would have agreed to you readily just now. Don't you think that makes sense?"

Yang Zhizhong closed his eyes in pain, tears streaming down from the corners of his eyes. Then he lowered his head, buried his face in his lap, and began to sob uncontrollably.

No father would ever want to make such a choice.

Either he survives alone and lets his daughter die, or he lets his daughter live and dies himself.

Many people might say they would choose the second option, leaving the chance of survival to their daughter.

It's easy to say, but when truly facing death, how many people could actually do it?

On the contrary, many people would likely fight frantically against their daughter for that one and only chance to survive.

It is precisely because of this that those who truly possess love appear all the more precious.

Han Jingyang was curious at this moment, very much wanting to know what choice Yang Zhizhong would make.

Would he survive alone?

Or would he give the chance to his daughter?

There is no standard answer to such a question; either choice is understandable, because what one has to face is death.

Everyone is equal in the face of death.

Even if Yang Zhizhong really chose to survive alone, he wouldn't truly look down on him; it would just be a case of "fate playing tricks on people."

Time ticked away, second by second.

Suddenly, Yang Zhizhong looked up, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, took a deep breath, and looked at Han Jingyang. He said calmly in a hoarse voice: "Mr. Han, please, you must save Yujie. If you can, please also protect her for a few days. I'm worried that she might still be harmed before I die."

Having said this, he slowly got down from his wheelchair, knelt, and kowtowed, his head touching the floor.

Han Jingyang accepted it calmly, and only then did he help Yang Zhizhong up: "Alright, I promise you."

"Thank you, thank you," Yang Zhizhong seemed to age a dozen years in an instant; the sharp edge he had previously hidden was gone. He looked at his unconscious daughter with loving eyes, then wiped his eye sockets a moment later, saying hoarsely: "Mr. Han, do it. I, I only have about half an hour of consciousness each time. If you are fast enough, I, I can still say a proper goodbye to her."

Han Jingyang smiled: "No regrets?"

"No regrets!"

"You won't change your mind?"

"No, absolutely not," Yang Zhizhong took a deep breath: "I, Yang Zhizhong, am not a good person. I've enjoyed everything I should have in this life, and my social status has reached the limit for an ordinary person. But Yujie is still young. She was just admitted to the Central Academy of Drama; her wonderful life has only just begun. Most importantly…"

"What is it?"

"She is my daughter." When saying this, a faint, sweet smile appeared on Yang Zhizhong's face involuntarily.

Han Jingyang nodded silently.

This man, Yang Zhizhong, was indeed extraordinary. Being able to make such a choice at a critical moment of life and death was truly admirable.

This was definitely not just a casual statement, but the act of giving up the chance to live and choosing to face death alone, just like those great fathers in movies and television shows who, when a monster approaches, let their daughters leave first and then turn to face the ferocious monster, using their frail bodies to try and buy even a few minutes of escape time for their daughters.

What is a hero? What is greatness? What is a father's love that is as heavy as a mountain? Yang Zhizhong's weeping with his head buried interpreted all of this.

Yang Zhizhong slowly walked to his daughter's side, tremblingly extended his palm, placed it gently on her cheek, stroked it softly twice, and then lowered his head to kiss her forehead.

Then, with a tearful voice, he said: "Mr. Han, do it."

Han Jingyang felt a slight ache in his heart.

Liu Jing had already started shedding tears.

Shi Xiaoya also turned her head away uncomfortably, unable to bear witnessing such a scene.

The four Zou sisters hugged each other even tighter, weeping silently with tears streaming down their faces.

This scene, plain yet striking directly at the heart, was more shocking than any related scene in movies or television.

After all, movies are performances.

But this was reality—living, breathing reality.

After Yang Zhizhong let go, Han Jingyang took the golden bell and walked to Yang Yujie's side, preparing to begin the treatment.

However, just as he was ready, a burst of noise came from the entrance. Several people were trying to rush into Jiguang Zhai, while Cu Mawei, Chang Xiaoliang, and the group of bodyguards were trying their best to stop them.

What was going on? Han Jingyang turned his head to look at Yang Zhizhong: "Is that your own brother?"

Yang Zhizhong shook his head, his expression even more complex: "No, it's my… son."

Saying this, he suddenly gritted his teeth and said: "Mr. Han, I beg you, kill him!"

Han Jingyang was instantly stunned.