Kian was not injured. The bullies had just pushed him to the ground. Thus, his face was covered in dust.
Upon seeing his dirty face, Kian's grandmother knew that something bad had happened to him. She pulled him close and made a fuss about this as they stood by the kindergarten's gate.
Leon ignored the two and ushered his two nephews away from the place.
In the car, Nine was leaning over the window. Its tongue was sticking out and its tail was wagging furiously. Its enthusiasm had attracted attention from passers-by.
Van's face instantly lit up upon seeing Nine's fluffy head protruding out from the car window. The wind gently ruffled its snow-white fur. He happily ran to the dog and rubbed its head.
"Nine, you're here! Did my uncle bring you with him to fetch us?"
Van's voice was so sweet and clear as he rubbed his cheek against the top of Nine's head.
Don also ran over, patting Nine's head as he smiled and called out its name.
The two brothers spent some time showering the dog with affection before getting into the car together. Meanwhile, Nine kept sniffing at the two.
Leon was still making a phone call outside. He kept his eyes locked on the two kids inside the car.
He briefly told Amy what happened in the kindergarten. He would leave the rest up to her.
After getting inside the car, he noticed that Nine was getting restless. It kept rubbing its body against Van, sniffing at the child until it finally stopped on his left hand.
As Van tried to pull back his left sleeve, Nine bit down on it and began to tug.
"Stop biting me, Nine." With his right hand, Van touched Nine's head comfortingly. Nine was usually clingy and obedient towards Van, but it was acting oddly today.
It continued tugging at Van's sleeve and drag him out of his seat.
Don was starting to get a little scared. He tried to push Nine's head away and shouted, "Stop biting him, Nine. Don't be such a bully."
Van frowned and continued petting Nine comfortingly. "Look. I'm fine. See?"
He stretched out his left hand, fully showing his palm.
Nine finally loosened his sleeve. It looked straight at him, its tongue lolling out of its mouth to lick his palm.
Don let out a sigh of relief. He then touched Nine's head and asked childishly, "Why did you run after Van this morning, Nine? And now, why are you biting his hand?"
Nine turned its head to look at him and then looked back at Van. It pushed its nose against his palm as if it wanted him to overturn his hand. But Van didn't.
Leon witnessed the whole scene unfold. His eyes narrowed.
He then drove the car towards the gate of the Feng Group's hospital. Upon parking the car, he turned around and said to his nephews, "Van, you'll come with me to the hospital to get something. Don and Nine, wait for us here in the car."
Van looked straight into his uncle's eyes, noting the gentle smile on his face. Lowering his head guiltily, he put his two hands around Nine's neck and rubbed it gently.
"Why just Van? I want to go with you." Don sulked.
"Pets aren't allowed inside the hospital. You have to stay with Nine in the car. It won't bite you, but it might bite your brother's clothes if I leave him here instead." Leon unfastened his seat belt and opened the door at Van's side. Together, they walked inside the hospital.
As soon as they entered, he squatted down in front of his nephew and said, "Give me your hand."
Van obediently stretched out his left hand. There were three scratches at the back of it. It looked deep enough to hurt. His skin was broken and bloody.
The most severe of the three scratches looked serious. It was still dripping with blood.
The little girl from the other group was the one who pushed Kian and ordered the other boys to bully him.
Don appeared and warned them off. Then the girl asked the other boys to beat him up instead. Once the group realized that they were at a disadvantage, the girl picked up a small stone, intending to sneak an attack from behind.
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