chapter 23 I'm thirsty

Fernando was taken aback. Inside the house, Ella's parents walked out with grim expressions. Ella's father stepped forward without any explanation and delivered a resounding slap to Fernando. This scene happened to be witnessed by the returning Brian. "Damn!!" Brian instantly erupted in anger, raising his fist the size of a sandbag and charging forward. Dare to harm the Palace Master, and I'll kill your whole family! "Victor, palm strike!" Fernando sternly commanded. Victor immediately stood in front of Brian and delivered a heavy palm strike to his mouth. "Why did you hit me, you dumb Vic?" Brian was left dumbfounded by the sudden attack. Victor leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words, causing Brian to freeze on the spot. So, it was Ella's parents, huh? Well, that was hasty. Victor chuckled inwardly, thinking, This was just a palm strike; compared to what I did that day, it's a much lighter punishment. "What did you just say?" Fernando's deep voice carried obvious anger. With Ella's parents present, Fernando wondered why Brian, as a member of the Palace, was mouthing off like this. "I... I... I'm thirsty!!" Brian roared. Fernando casually picked up a large bucket of purified water nearby. "Thirsty? Drink this. Finish it for me!" "Yes!" Brian took the bucket, tilted his head back, and started chugging the water with loud gulps. Watching Brian's antics, Victor suppressed a smile, thinking: Only this fool could come up with this excuse to cover up... Soon, the entire bucket of water was emptied by Brian. "Burp..." Brian quickly covered his mouth before he could finish his belch, almost spraying water out. "Still thirsty?" Fernando asked. Brian vigorously shook his head; his belly now held at least a week's worth of water. "Get out!" With Victor's support, Brian, taking one step at a time, walked out. "Blargh..." Outside the door came a sound resembling a water balloon being squeezed. "What's this? Young Master Ye, haven't seen you in years, and you've joined the underworld, making friends everywhere?" Colin sneered sarcastically. The misery that befell their family was all thanks to the person standing before them. They harbored a deep hatred for Fernando. "That's right, that day in the hospital, his friend even tried to attack me with a machete," Nora hurriedly added. "Uncle Gu, Aunt Wang, you misunderstood," Fernando began to explain, but Colin interrupted him. "I don't care if you're in the underworld or the upper world. Stay away from my daughter. You've done well disappearing for seven years, so keep it up." Fernando was speechless. At this moment, Ella walked up to Fernando and said, "Dad, Mom, Fernando isn't what you think. He has helped me several times, and he cured Zoey's illness." "Daughter, how can you be so confused?" Colin wore an expression of disappointment. "Have you forgotten how Fernando bullied you in the past? He used such despicable means as drugging. What else is he capable of?" "Dad, the drugging was a setup against him by others," Ella hurriedly explained. "I say, Ella, has this guy drugged you again? Why are you speaking up for him? Can't you see his true colors?" Nora couldn't stand it anymore and pointed at her daughter, reprimanding her. "I..." Ella found it difficult to argue against both her parents, especially when they were accusing her. "Grandpa, Grandma, I won't allow you to bully Mom and Dad!" Zoey's words instantly woke everyone up, realizing the child was still there. "Zoey, dear, how could Grandma and Grandpa bully Mom? We were just discussing someone else's affairs with them. Oh, right, Zoey, didn't you want to play with that street carousel for a long time? Come, Grandma will take you to play," Nora said, leading Zoey toward the door. Zoey wanted to play, but she was still a bit concerned. She shouted back into the house, "Grandpa, you mustn't bully Mom and Dad, okay?" Colin squeezed out a faint smile at Zoey, "Rest assured, we won't." With Zoey happily following her grandmother, they walked away from the house. Once Zoey was a bit farther away, Colin's face suddenly darkened, and he said, "I'll say it again, stay away from my daughter." "Uncle Gu, although Ella and I haven't married, I'm still Zoey's biological father," Fernando tried to persuade. "You know you haven't married Ella, so why did you drug her back then?" Colin asked. "I..." Colin raised his hand again to stop Fernando, saying, "You are Zoey's biological father, I won't deny that, but why did you disappear? Are you so afraid of taking responsibility? And for seven years! If you had taken responsibility back then, I might have reluctantly accepted you. But now, my old man firmly disagrees!" Fernando fell silent. He hated himself too, for not discovering the existence of his daughter Zoey earlier. If he had known about her, even if the Gu Family pursued him relentlessly, he would have returned, even if it meant facing a storm of dangers. "Now that everything has been said, I don't think you have anything to add. Ella, you're a mother now, handle your affairs. We'll take Zoey home today; you sort out your matters," Colin said, sighed, and walked out with a sweep of his hand. The two remained in a brief silence. Ella spoke softly, "Fernando, don't take my parents' words to heart. They've had a tough time these years, living on meager monthly salaries, sacrificing everything for Zoey's medical expenses." Fernando nodded; he was well aware of this. It was precisely because of this sacrifice that Fernando respected Ella's parents. If he found out they mistreated his daughter and her mother, he wouldn't easily forgive them. "I understand. Don't worry; I won't take it to heart. By the way, did you go for a checkup today? Is Zoey okay now?" Fernando didn't want to dwell too much on this issue. "Yeah!" Ella nodded vigorously, instantly happy. She couldn't help but take Fernando's hand, "Zoey is cured! We had a checkup today, and the doctor said everything is normal, just a bit underweight. We need to pay more attention to nutrition from now on." "That's good." Fernando smiled gently. "Fernando, how did you cure Zoey? I've seen so many doctors, and they all said she needed surgery?" Ella still couldn't understand. Fernando wasn't a doctor, so how could he have cured her daughter? Fernando thought for a moment and replied, "Maybe that day Zoey lost too much blood. I gave her a blood transfusion, and inadvertently, it cured her illness." At this point, Fernando still didn't want Ella to know his true identity. It was a form of protection for both her and Zoey. When everything stabilized, he would naturally tell her. Ella pondered for a while; there seemed to be no other possibility. At that moment, a roar filled the sky, attracting many onlookers. Zoey, on the street, clearly heard it and shouted excitedly, "Grandma, Grandpa, look, it's an airplane, it's an airplane!" Colin and Nora were also surprised. Could it be the plane Brian called earlier? The Black Hawk Helicopter approached slowly. Colin smiled; he was from a big family and recognized that the aircraft was a fighter jet, not something casually dispatched by ordinary people. Due to the lack of a landing environment, the Black Hawk Helicopter hovered not far from the ground. Its massive rotor blades spun rapidly, whipping up a strong wind. The cabin door opened, and someone jumped down, causing a stir among the surrounding crowd. The person ran while vomiting water all around. "Little princess... your airplane has arrived."