Chapter 40

The next morning, Xie Xubai first took Jiang Kaile and the others to find Dr. Wu.

When the old man first heard about Jiang Kaile's situation, he was very alarmed and racked his brains to think of a way to fabricate a lie to cover for the boy.

He turned around and saw Xie Xubai wink at him suggestively, and he was immediately taken aback, then realized what was going on.

Dr. Wu was utterly shocked. He forced himself to calm down and tried to cooperate: "Thank you, Dr. Xie. Don't worry, this is a hereditary disease that every member of the Jiang family has. It will fall off automatically after you grow up."

Jiang Kaile's eyelids twitched violently. How could the teacher possibly believe such an unfounded explanation?

Xie Xubai did not immediately show that he believed it.

He then asked a few more trivial questions, and after Dr. Wu answered them one by one, he suddenly realized and said, "This kind of hereditary disease in the Jiang family is really strange, but it's good that Jiang is alright."

Jiang Kaile looked at Xie Xubai in disbelief.

These explanations sounded far-fetched to him, yet the teacher actually believed them?

Xie Xubai couldn't help but chuckle and tapped his forehead: "But since you're teething, shouldn't Jiang control his appetite and eat less candy and snacks?"

Jiang Kaile instantly felt like a cat whose neck had been grabbed. Without even wondering whether Xie Xubai believed her or not, she quickly said, "Didn't Dr. Wu already say that these teeth will eventually fall out on their own? Why do we need to protect them?"

"It won't fall out until it grows out. What if it gets cavities during that long period?" Xie Xubai pretended to scare him. "It will hurt a lot."

Jiang Kaile couldn't think of a rebuttal, so she looked to Dr. Wu for help.

Xie Xubai interjected with "Don't spoil him, old man," and the old man, who was about to say something, shut his mouth, revealing a helpless look in his eyes.

Jiang Kaile pouted and said sullenly, "But I've already made a promise with Chansheng..."

Xie Xubai glanced at Chan Sheng, who was peeking in through the door, and said with a smile, "Consider it a celebration for our classmate Jiang to have gained a friend. I'll bring you some candy later, but you should eat less of it for now, understand?"

Upon hearing the first part of the sentence, Jiang Kaile's ears turned red, and she retorted in a dry tone, "Who's his friend?"

Xie Xubai looked at him with a smile, and even Dr. Wu didn't look worried, but rather had a cheerful expression, both of them looking like they saw through him but didn't say anything.

Jiang Kaile felt extremely uncomfortable under their gazes, as if there were thorns growing under the stool. She couldn't sit still and got up, rushing towards the door: "I'm not talking to you anymore! Didn't the teacher want to ask Dr. Wu about something else? I'll go out and wait first."

After leaving the house, Jiang Kaile hooked his arm around Chansheng's shoulder and said something that made the latter look at him with admiration again: "You are really amazing."

The boy immediately became smug, his eyebrows dancing with pride.

Seeing this, Dr. Wu felt an indescribable sense of relief and sighed, "If only time could stand still at this moment."

Let us linger in these ordinary, joyful moments, without having to face the cruel and absurd ending.

Xie Xubai caught a glimpse of Jiang Kaile's perked-up ears out of the corner of his eye, knowing that the boy was still secretly eavesdropping on their conversation, and replied with a smile, "Everyone has to grow up eventually."

Dr. Wu snapped out of her daze and looked at him with a complicated expression.

He had thought Xie Xubai was oblivious, but the young man had seen through everything, which made him feel a sense of hope.

After regaining his senses, Dr. Wu realized that his idea was too absurd.

Even with Xie Xubai's remarkable willpower, he couldn't escape the fact that he was just an ordinary human being. With only mortal eyes and no magical abilities, he would eventually be corrupted by the Jiang family.

He should have warned Xie Xubai to stay away from the Jiang family members other than Jiang Kaile; how could he put someone in danger?

"Dr. Wu, do you know much about Mrs. Jiang?" Xie Xubai asked. "I heard she returned this morning, but I haven't been able to find an opportunity to visit her."

Dr. Wu suddenly snapped out of his daze and met Xie Xubai's sincere gaze; in an instant, he broke out in a cold sweat.

He never expected his hopes to come true. One second he was thinking about getting people out of danger, and the next second they were eagerly jumping into the fire!

But he couldn't bring himself to offer his advice. Xie Xubai smiled as if he had expected this and said, "I suppose Madam Jiang wouldn't care about someone as insignificant as me, but as Jiang Kaile's tutor, it's only right that I meet with the parents. Don't you think so?"

Given that Xie Xubai knew the Jiang family had problems, these words carried considerable weight.

Dr. Wu hesitated, her expression a mixture of surprise and struggle.

After a long pause, the old man finally spoke slowly under Xie Xubai's unwavering gaze, his voice extremely dry: "Madam Jiang has a regular physical examination every year. It was originally scheduled for last month, but because she went home to visit her family this time, the examination was delayed and postponed."

“Yesterday I received a call from the maid, saying that Mrs. Jiang will rest after returning this morning and will come to the hospital for a check-up at 2 pm. If you want to see her, I can arrange it.”

After a pause, Dr. Wu assured in a deep voice, "It won't arouse anyone's suspicion."

He had little say in the Jiang family, and all he could do was try his best to cover for Xie Xubai.

Xie Xubai met the old man's apologetic gaze, composed himself, and said earnestly, "This is enough, Dr. Wu, you have helped me a lot."

Unlike Jiang Shi'an and his group, Madam Jiang always had at least five servants with her wherever she went. No matter how skilled Chan Sheng was, he couldn't take her hostage without alerting anyone.

His actions yesterday were quite high-profile, and it is estimated that they have already attracted the attention of the Jiang family head.

Therefore, during this visit to Madam Jiang, he must not resort to violence or provoke heated arguments; otherwise, he might face nearly a hundred violent bodyguards.

Xie Xubai also considered whether to ask Lü Xiangcai for help.

However, since Lü Xiangcai was not trapped in Shengtian Group in this cycle, there was no reason for him to risk offending the Jiang family.

Moreover, when Xie Xubai checked his phone later, he found only two or three chat records with Lü Xiangcai. The last one was just a message to tell him about working overtime, and the wording was cold and formulaic, not even worthy of being called an ordinary friend.

While he was still at the company, his mind was still reeling from the cycle of restarting, and he hadn't quite grasped the situation, so he went along with it and asked Lü Xiangcai for help.

Looking back now, it's really unbelievable that the other party offered to introduce him to someone.

—A cyclical world is ultimately not a real world.

After entering the Jiang family's residence, Xie Xubai tried to contact Lü Xiangcai. Although the signal was normal and he could access the internet, he couldn't send any messages.

He dialed his home landline, but no one answered.

His beloved little ones and familiar friends are not in this constructed alternate dimension.

Xie Xubai was well aware of this, but hearing the busy tone on the phone, he couldn't help but lower his eyelashes.

At the same time, he became more determined to smash this fake world and escape with Jiang Kaile and the other trapped people.

Soon it was around one o'clock in the afternoon.

Xie Xubai arrived at the hospital ahead of time.

To avoid causing unnecessary trouble, he deliberately went through the back door to avoid the nurses' attention.

Jiang Family Hospital has three floors. The first floor is the outpatient department, the second floor is the operating room, and the third floor is the physical examination room, which is equipped with a lot of sophisticated medical equipment.

Dr. Wu would not normally use those devices, but the cyclical rules gave him a strange ability to operate them.

Without letting the nurses interfere, he insisted on completing all the medical examination items for Mrs. Jiang.

After the project was completed, Dr. Wu asked the nurse to go downstairs to prepare the medical examination report. Looking at Mrs. Jiang, who still looked tired, he offered the prepared excuse: "Madam, the hospital recently introduced a photofacial rejuvenation technique, and the results are very good. Would you like to try it?"

Mrs. Jiang's spirits lifted immediately, but when she turned her head and saw Dr. Wu's deeply lined old face, she instantly lost interest: "Would you like to have photofacial rejuvenation done?"

She clearly didn't believe that Dr. Wu, who was quite old, could master this technique, and spoke in a lazy tone.

Dr. Wu shook his head: "Of course not. The Jiang family has found a beauty expert who has studied abroad, and his skills are absolutely reliable. If you are interested, you can try it first. If you feel uncomfortable or it doesn't work, you can stop at any time."

For a wealthy woman like Mrs. Jiang, photofacial rejuvenation is nothing special. She has VIP membership cards from at least ten high-end beauty salons and has tried all kinds of cutting-edge beauty technologies.

However, Madam Jiang is exhausted from her journey and doesn't feel like moving around much right now.

Secondly, once the cycle begins, her thinking is restricted by the rules, and she will not easily think of leaving the Jiang family unless required by her schedule.

"Then let's give it a try," Madam Jiang said languidly.

They went to the cosmetic surgery department on the same floor. Mrs. Jiang lay down on a chair, feeling a little cold, and asked Dr. Wu to turn the air conditioning up a bit.

Dr. Wu responded and called out into the room. A tall, slender figure slowly entered Madam Jiang's field of vision.

The person was wearing a mask, so their appearance was not visible, but their eyes, which were visible, were as bright as stars and had the tranquility of the misty rain of Jiangnan, making them unforgettable at first glance.

In addition, her clean and tidy appearance, refreshing and stylish hairstyle, and composed demeanor also earned her many points in Mrs. Jiang's heart.

Mrs. Jiang thought to herself, compared to Dr. Wu, who was about to enter his coffin, the young man in front of her did indeed have the air of a beauty master.

She relaxed a little, and then saw the young man bring over an exquisitely shaped glass bottle filled with a pale purple liquid, which he gently placed on the table next to her.

Before Madam Jiang could ask, the young man smiled and explained, "This is incense with added Chinese herbal extracts, which has a calming effect."

"Look." The young man's well-defined fingers gently rested on Madam Jiang's temples, and he began to massage them in a clockwise, unhurried motion. "Doesn't your body feel much more relaxed right now?"

Madam Jiang raised her eyes slightly. The young man's voice was very pleasant; when deliberately softened, it gave one the feeling of a gentle spring breeze caressing the willows on the bank.

She knew that this person had washed his hands carefully before touching her. The water was splashing, and she could hear it clearly.

They must have soaked them in hot water for a while, as all ten fingers were warm.

The cold air inside hadn't dissipated, but those hands were so warm that it was irresistible.

Therefore, Madam Jiang not only did not feel uncomfortable being suddenly touched, but also relaxed her eyebrows and asked casually, "Didn't you say you were going to have a photofacial? Why are you giving me a massage first?"

"Please forgive my presumption." The young man continued his massage, speaking softly, "Seeing how tired you look, I couldn't help but want to soothe you first."

Madam Jiang did not reply for a moment.

When Dr. Wu went out, he adjusted the air conditioner, and the indoor temperature finally started to rise gradually, feeling just right.

Madam Jiang squinted her eyes amidst the delicate incense, the young man's skillful technique making her drowsy.

My exhausted body felt like it was sinking into soft clouds, drifting aimlessly without a foothold.

People are always easier to talk to when they are content, and Madam Jiang was no exception.

She finally spoke again, saying in an ambiguous tone, "But from your tone, there's not a hint of apology for taking matters into your own hands."

Seeing that she showed no sign of blame, the young man smiled and replied, "It's just that I thought about it later, and since I'm serving you, your feelings should be my top priority. Shouldn't rules be people-oriented?"

Mrs. Jiang mumbled a confused "hmm".

It was at this moment that she heard the young man say naturally, "Just like I am Jiang Kaile's tutor, I also hope that he can grow up happily."

Madam Jiang didn't understand what he was saying at first.

About two or three seconds later, his eyes suddenly widened.

Feeling the muscles under his hand tense up instantly, Xie Xubai said softly, "Please don't move. I have essential oil on my hands, and it's hard to wash off if it gets into your hair."

"..."

Madam Jiang's drooping eyelids opened completely, her eyes cold and indifferent, like a surging undercurrent.

She stared up at Xie Xubai, noticing the gleaming silver metal on the shelf beside him, and asked, enunciating each word clearly, "What's next to you? A knife?"

"A knife?" Xie Xubai seemed very puzzled.

Following Madam Jiang's gaze, he turned his head and, with a sudden realization, pulled the item out.

The silver-white outer packaging reflected several bright rays under the beauty lights, making it quite dazzling.

"This is a face mask prepared for you. It was developed by a private team overseas and has not yet been officially released, but the effects are excellent."

After saying that, Xie Xubai put his severed hand down on his neck.

The hand wasn't gripping very hard, but with its fingers as hard as copper and iron, one had no doubt that it had the ability to crush bones.

Xie Xubai remained calm, touching the dry texture of the back of his hand, and said with a gentle smile, "Your hands are a bit dry, probably from sunburn these past few days. I'll give you a hand treatment in a bit."

Looking around the beauty salon at this moment, the scene was truly terrifying.

Madam Jiang herself was still lying peacefully in the chair, but her hand was severed at the wrist, turning into a bluish-black claw that was tightly gripping Xie Xubai's throat.

"..." Madam Jiang got up from her chair.

If she hadn't seen the severed hand gripping Xie Xubai and felt its strong pulse emanating from beneath her neck, and had only heard the young man's calm tone, she would have thought she was gripping a piece of wood.

Madam Jiang couldn't help but scrutinize the young man before her.

No matter how closely she observed him, she couldn't see any spirituality or evil in the young man.

It's obvious that the other party is just an ordinary human being.

Even the Jiang family members before their transformation might not have taken such a person seriously.

But when she met those calm and unwavering eyes, she suddenly felt a sense of loss, as if she held the other person's life and death in her hands, yet was unable to act.

Madam Jiang asked in a deep voice, "Who sent you, Jiang Kaile?"

Xie Xubai said helplessly, "Madam, although it's not appropriate for an outsider to say this, I still want to say it. How can you think so badly of your son? Don't you, as his mother, know what kind of person he is?"

Madam Jiang was not so easily fooled, and said sternly, "Then how did you end up here?"

"I am a beautician hired by the Jiang family, and also Jiang Kaile's tutor. These two roles do not conflict. I just thought that since I rarely get to see you, I would like to talk to you about Jiang's recent studies."

Xie Xubai's tone remained natural, as gentle as a breeze: "When you mentioned Jiang earlier, you weren't as calm as you seemed. You care about him, don't you?"

Madam Jiang remained silent.

But when Xie Xubai touched the severed hand on his neck, the tense muscles there had clearly relaxed.

He gripped the joint of his hand, gently exerted force, and removed the severed hand, reattaching it to Madam Jiang's swollen wrist.

"The massage isn't over yet, perhaps we can continue chatting as we go," Xie Xubai said. "What do you think?"

Author's Note:

I'll definitely stand up tomorrow QAQ