Chapter 379 Your Dad Isn’t Dead

• Darius Harrington heard that and his blood pressure spiked. “Babe, let’s go! If they won’t appreciate it, why the hell should we help? Why should we slap a warm face on a cold butt?” Darius grabbed Lenora Nelson’s hand, ready to leave. The Yangs instantly blocked him. “You loser, why are you dragging Lenora away?” “Exactly! Lenora is helping because we’re family. Who are you to say leave and then leave?” Lenora held Darius’s hand and said, “Honey, don’t stoop to their level. Right now we need to fix the clinic mess first.” Darius nodded, helpless, then asked, “So what do you think we should do?” He was testing Lenora, too. Giving her experience handling a PR crisis wasn’t a bad thing. She’d need it sooner or later. Lenora thought for a moment. “We need to open the door and talk things through. Get the facts. If it’s our clinic’s fault, we pay up and apologize. If not, we call the cops or sue, then decide our next move.” “Darius’s brain is fried—did yours go soft too? Anyone can see someone’s targeting the Yang Clinic!” “Yeah! It was fine before. Now bam—everyone gets sick at once? That’s clearly a rival’s hit job!” “I disagree! Open the door and you’re walking right into their trap!” The whole Yang family pushed back. Darius nodded, relieved. His wife could handle things. In situations like this, stalling and keeping the door shut was useless. Darius looked at Yang Kuo. If Yang Kuo refused, he’d grab Lenora and leave on the spot. Luckily, Yang Kuo wasn’t senile yet. He sighed, waved his hand, and said, “Open it.” “Okay!” Lenora took a deep breath and headed for the main doors. Seeing that, the Yangs all backed away. They’d seen how wild these medical rioters could get. Several security guards had already been bashed bloody. The moment the doors opened, the guards formed a human wall, blocking the raging crowd. Inside the doorway, Lenora stepped out with a grave look on her face. Seeing someone come out, the troublemakers erupted. “Yang family, get out here!” “Garbage clinic—pay up!” “Bring my dad back!” The moment Lenora appeared, the scene spun out of control. A bunch of people swung their makeshift weapons, aiming to rush her. “Shut the hell up!” Darius drew a breath and unleashed a roar like a lion’s. It cracked like thunder, making the mob’s eardrums thrum and heads swim. In an instant, the chaos froze. Darius stepped in front of Lenora and said coldly, “We came out to talk. This is Lenora Nelson, CEO of Huamei Group. If you’ve got questions, talk to us.” The rioters exchanged looks. A few seconds later, a big, unshaven, heavyset man lumbered forward with a shovel in hand, face twisted with rage. “What’s there to talk about? Kill for a kill, pay your debts! Your clinic killed my dad and a bunch of others. Pay up!” “If you don’t pay, we’re tearing your clinic down today!” “Yeah! Pay up! Apologize! And shut this place down!” Others piled on, cursing loud and fast. The Yangs heard the shouting and shrank back inside, too scared to come out. There’s that saying—if everyone’s doing it, the law won’t punish them all. If this mob lost it and started swinging for real, what would the Yangs do when they got hurt? “If you want money, at least give us a reason. And what’s the number? We should talk that through, right? If you refuse to talk and only demand cash, I’m gonna assume you’re professional rioters.” Darius’s voice was calm. Hearing that, the crowd settled a bit. They huddled up, whispered for a while, then spoke one by one. “I had a sore throat. Came to the Yang Clinic for a prescription. After I took it, my mouth and face broke out into sores.” “I’m worse. I just caught a chill and got a little fever. Took a basic herbal fever remedy. Look at me now—covered in red welts! It’s driving me insane!” “The Yang Clinic’s meds are definitely bad! You have to pay and apologize! And you must shut down! Otherwise we won’t let this go today!” “Yeah! Not letting go!” “…” As they kept talking, the crowd worked itself up again and started swearing. The reporters were thrilled, fanning the flames. They waved at their cameramen to start a live feed. “Ms. Yang, why did the Yang Clinic have such a major incident?” “Is the Yang Clinic owned by Huamei Group? Will this hurt the ‘Biyue’ product line?” “Huamei Group barely found its footing after so many setbacks. Will the clinic sink it?” The crowd buzzed like a hive. Some reporters even tried to drag the Yang Clinic mess onto Huamei Group’s lap. Lenora froze, stunned and speechless. Darius was thinking hard too. Was someone deliberately picking a fight? Or was there really a problem with the clinic’s herbs? The herbs came from Huamei Group. Normally, they shouldn’t have issues. But so many people coming to riot at once—if it was a setup, it was a little too obvious, wasn’t it? “Quiet.” Darius stepped up to the reporters, pulled Lenora behind him, and said, “Until we’ve figured things out, don’t talk nonsense. The Yang Clinic has nothing to do with Huamei Group.” “Also, if you want compensation, come talk one by one. If you all shout at once, who can hear anything?” With those two lines, Darius steadied the scene. Next, he walked over to the coffin and reached toward the old man’s nose. “What the hell are you doing? Don’t touch my dad!” The big guy raised the shovel and swung for Darius’s head. Darius’s left hand flashed out. He caught the shovel, then squeezed. With a sharp twist, the shovel head snapped clean off. The bruiser staggered back several steps, legs shaking. Was this guy even human? He just broke a shovel head with one hand? How much strength did that take? But with so many people watching, he forced himself to bark, “Trying to destroy evidence? My dad’s already dead because of you. What more do you want?” Darius shot him a look. “Did you bring the medicine your father took?” “Yeah! Right here! Don’t you dare say it isn’t yours!” The bruiser shoved over some unused packets. “My dad took your meds this morning. Not long after, he collapsed and never woke up.” Darius took the packets and sniffed them. His brows pinched tight. These folks might not be here just to cause trouble. The meds were actually bad. The herbs weren’t fresh—warehouse stock gone stale, toxins way over the limit. If the authorities checked, the Yang Clinic really would have to pay, apologize, and shut down. But Darius couldn’t say that out loud. Huamei Group was the supplier. If this blew up, his wife could end up in jail. Darius’s eyes flicked, then he said, “It’s not the herbs, and it’s not the Yang Clinic’s fault.” “I knew you’d say that! Hear that, everyone? He’s trying to weasel out! I—” “Calm down and let me finish.” Darius drew thirteen silver needles from his waistband. “Your father isn’t dead.” Boom. The words hit like a bomb. The entire crowd froze, stunned and speechless. The bruiser blinked, then exploded, “What a load of crap!” “My dad’s not breathing. He’s cold to the touch. And you say he’s not dead?” “You think we’re idiots?” “If I wake him up, then what?” Darius asked, full of confidence. “If you wake my dad, I’ll apologize and leave. But if you can’t, you owe me a billion.” The bruiser’s voice was icy. He’d already had doctors confirm the meds were bad and his father was dead. That’s why he’d brought people to riot. Darius nodded. “Deal.”