Hearing Liu Ergou's question, Yuan Wenkang immediately burst out laughing. "HAHAHA! Liu Ergou, I hit the nail on the head, and now you're getting flustered, aren't you! As for why I'm with Shuang Yue, do I even need to say it? Of course, it's to expose your true colors! You're nothing but a kept man!"

Hearing this, Liu Ergou was utterly speechless. Since when was I kept? How come I don't know anything about this?

At this moment, Liu Ergou could swear on his conscience. Although he was involved with so many women, he had never taken a single penny from any of them. If he had ever taken even one cent, he swore he'd be hit by a car the moment he stepped outside—and it would be a horrible, messy death!

Before Liu Ergou could speak, Zhang Man, who was next to him, asked with a puzzled expression, "Er Gou, who's on the phone?"

"Did I just hear someone call you a kept man? HAHAHA!" As she spoke, Zhang Man clutched her stomach, doubling over with laughter.

Hearing Zhang Man's teasing, an exasperated look crossed Liu Ergou's face.

On the other end of the line, Yuan Wenkang heard Zhang Man's voice and started raving like a mad dog. "Liu Ergou, and you still dare to claim you're not a kept man! I heard it loud and clear, there's a woman with you. I've already investigated her thoroughly; she's the one who gave you all that money!"

With that, Yuan Wenkang hurriedly handed the phone to Lu Shuangyue. "Shuang Yue, listen! That country bumpkin Liu Ergou has a woman with him! She's the one who gives him money!"

Lu Shuangyue had no intention of dealing with Yuan Wenkang. But seeing how certain he was, she reluctantly took the phone and placed it to her ear. "Hello, Er Gou. Yuan Wenkang says there's a woman with you. Is that true?"

Liu Ergou was about to explain that he was on his way to Zhang Xiuming's place to treat his father. However, Zhang Man cut in first, chirping, "Of course, there is!"

Hearing this, Lu Shuangyue, who had been calm, felt her expression darken instantly. "Liu Ergou!" she snapped, her voice seething with killing intent.

Startled, Liu Ergou shot a fierce glare at Zhang Man and mouthed, "Shut up!"

Zhang Man pouted but finally closed her mouth.

Liu Ergou quickly tried to explain, "Shuang Yue, listen to me, it's not what you think..."

Before he could finish, Yuan Wenkang interrupted him again. "HAHAHA! Liu Ergou, even if you spin the most fantastic tale today, you can't hide the fact that you're a kept man! HAHAHA! You're such a useless piece of trash!"

Yuan Wenkang's words made Liu Ergou's face darken as well. Even a saint has his limits, let alone me. This Yuan Wenkang keeps interrupting me over and over. He's really asking for a thrashing.

Thinking this, Liu Ergou's tone turned icy. "Yuan Wenkang, shut your mouth! Did you have breakfast in a toilet this morning to be spewing such crap? And did your parents die young and fail to teach you any manners? Didn't your mother ever tell you not to interrupt when someone else is speaking?"

These two sentences made Yuan Wenkang jump with rage, looking as if he was about to fight Liu Ergou to the death.

But Liu Ergou simply ignored him and continued, "Shuang Yue, didn't I tell you before? I earned this money by treating patients. You know about Zhang Xiuming! The woman with me is Zhang Xiuming's daughter. She's here to pick me up to treat her grandfather! You have to understand, her father is a boss; he can't be at my beck and call 24/7. Someone has to help him out, right?"

As Liu Ergou finished his explanation, realization dawned on Lu Shuangyue. Beside her, Yuan Wenkang, who had been ecstatic just moments ago, suddenly deflated.

The reason was simple. He knew of Zhang Xiuming. The man was a local powerhouse in the city, involved in more than half of its businesses, and it was common knowledge that his father was gravely ill. So...

At that thought, Yuan Wenkang's eyes burned with fury. He couldn't help but roar into the phone, "Liu Ergou, you country bumpkin! At least try to make your lies believable! With your half-baked medical skills, what makes you think you're qualified to treat Zhang Xiuming's father? You..."

Before Yuan Wenkang could finish, Liu Ergou cut him off. "Whether I can treat him or not isn't for you to decide. How about I let Zhang Xiuming's daughter say a few words to you? To prove that I'm not bragging, Yuan Wenkang!"

That statement completely shattered Yuan Wenkang's last line of defense.

"Liu Ergou, you... you..." Yuan Wenkang was rendered speechless. He never expected things to turn out this way. In his fantasy, once Liu Ergou was exposed as a kept man, Lu Shuangyue would be disgusted with him and fall right into his arms. But now... now it turned out Liu Ergou had earned all that money through his own skills. This...

Before Yuan Wenkang could process it further, Lu Shuangyue spoke coldly, "Yuan Wenkang, do you find slandering people amusing? Leave. Now. Immediately. Get out before I get truly angry. Because if I do, it will be too late for you. Do you hear me?"

Finished, Lu Shuangyue pointed a finger at the door, gesturing for him to get lost.

Seeing Lu Shuangyue's icy demeanor, Yuan Wenkang clearly wanted to say more. He opened his mouth, but in the end, no words came out. He could only lower his head, grit his teeth, and walk towards the door.

However, just then, Zhang Man's voice came from the other end of the line. "Er Gou, I almost forgot something. About our trip to Ting Tian Pavilion to gamble on stones..."

"Shut up!" Liu Ergou cut her off.

Although they spoke quickly, Yuan Wenkang heard every word clearly. When he heard "Ting Tian Pavilion," a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. Ting Tian Pavilion, huh... I'm quite familiar with that place...

With his head down, Yuan Wenkang quickened his pace and left.

After Yuan Wenkang was gone, Lu Shuangyue finally spoke to Liu Ergou on the phone. "Er Gou, I never expected Yuan Wenkang to cause such a scene today. Honestly, I shouldn't have doubted you. It was my fault, I..."

Hearing Lu Shuangyue's words, Liu Ergou quickly reassured her, "It's okay, Shuang Yue, you don't need to apologize to me. Anyone in your shoes would have been suspicious. It would be strange not to have doubts! All right, I've got things to do here, so I'd better get to it."

With that, Liu Ergou was about to hang up. But just then, Lu Shuangyue seemed to have a sudden realization.

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