Chapter 18



Before Pei Manning could ask more questions, Han Jingchen and Dr. Yang came in together.

As they walked, Dr. Yang said to Han Jingchen, "Captain Han, the cup has been checked inside and out. It only contains boiled water, nothing else."

The cause of Pei Manning's illness has not been found, and blood tests show no abnormalities. However, current examination instruments are not omnipotent, and perhaps there is something they have not discovered yet.

"No poison?"

“No poison.”

Han Jingchen looked grim as he walked into the ward in military boots and nodded, "I understand."

Pei Manning suddenly asked for a drink of water, which he found strange. However, under his nose, she did not do anything to the cup.

At the moment Pei Manning fainted, he thought a lot. Maybe someone was afraid that something might happen to Pei Manning, so they killed her to silence her. If that was the case, things would become complicated.

Or perhaps Pei Manning poisoned herself in order to protect a secret and avoid interrogation.

However, these two thoughts were denied by him after he knew that there was nothing wrong with the glass of water. Pei Manning never left his sight from beginning to end. Apart from the glass of water, she did not touch anything else. All the things on her were searched away.

Could it be that she was really too nervous during the interrogation, her heart was beating abnormally, and she fainted?

Han Jingchen narrowed his long, dark eyes and his gaze turned cold. He didn't think that woman was so timid. She must have had some intention when she asked for water.

What is the purpose?

It's like a puzzle with a key link missing.

As he was thinking this, his eyes met a pair of sleepy eyes. Pei Manning was lying on the hospital bed, as if she had just woken up, with her black hair spread out like a curl of satin. Her originally fair skin now looked as pale as snow because of the illness, and her long eyelashes half covered her eyes.

Seeing him come in, she was stunned for a moment, then looked away uncomfortably.

Han Jingchen paused and frowned. Is he that scary?

"Are you awake?" he asked.

Maybe because he had been in the army for a long time and was used to the concise commands, even though it was just an ordinary question, it sounded like an interrogation.

Pei Manning clutched the quilt tightly and looked at the tall and strong Han Jingchen. He was wearing a military uniform, with broad shoulders and long legs. When he stood in the room, the whole room instantly became small and depressing.

She didn't know whether Han Jingchen wanted to question her background, so she nodded: "Yes."

Doctor Yang also stepped forward, examined Pei Manning, and asked, "I am the doctor who treated you. Do you still have chest pain now?"

"A little more."

"Have you ever fainted like this before?"

Pei Manning was silent for a moment and shook his head: "No."

"Is this the first time this has happened?"

Pei Manning nodded, then looked nervously at the gentle-looking female doctor and asked, "Doctor, what's wrong with me? Is it serious?"

Doctor Yang saw that she looked worried and comforted her, "Don't be nervous. It's just that you had tachycardia and fell into a coma. It might be caused by being too nervous. Just pay attention to controlling your emotions in the future."

Pei Manning then revealed a reassuring smile: "Okay, thank you, doctor."

After making sure that Pei Manning's condition was stable after waking up and that her heart rate would not be rapid, Dr. Yang nodded to Han Jingchen and walked out with the nurse.

Pei Manning and Han Jingchen were the only ones left in the ward. It became quiet in an instant and neither of them spoke.

Han Jingchen walked to the bedside, stretched his legs, hooked a chair and sat down.

After a while, Pei Manning mustered up her courage and met his sharp gaze, her pale lips slightly parted: "Han Jingchen, I know you are suspicious of my origins, but I am really not a spy. If I were, I would at least arrange an identity for myself in advance, right?"

Han Jingchen narrowed his eyes and stared at her.

Indeed, he had always been skeptical about whether Pei Manning was a spy.

If she was, as she said, without even an open identity, and suddenly appeared beside him, she was simply walking into a trap.

In addition, Pei Manning has an outstanding appearance. No matter where she is, she will attract extra attention. If she wants to do underground work, it will be a big disadvantage, unless... she is using sex to seduce people.

Most importantly, real spies have all undergone rigorous professional training, are good at disguising themselves, and possess superhuman willpower and psychological qualities... However, Pei Manning obviously does not have these, she is just a little better than the average person.

If she wasn't, he couldn't find any trace of her previous life. Apart from illegally entering the country from abroad, he couldn't think of any other possibility.

In addition, Liao Weiguo and his team did not check where she stayed in An County.

It is precisely because there is no conclusive evidence that she is staying here now.

There are principles and disciplines in their army, and they cannot convict people simply because they are suspected.

"Whether it is true or not, we will know after the investigation is thorough. I only look at the final result." Han Jingchen does not believe in any guarantees, he only believes in evidence.

Pei Manning nodded: "When will there be a result?"

It's impossible for her to be deprived of her freedom until they can't find out the truth, right?

Hearing this, Han Jingchen glanced at her and said coldly, "If you want to get the results of the investigation quickly, you should hand over your background as soon as possible. As long as your previous identity, experience and interpersonal relationships are verified and there is no suspicion, you can be let go."

Pei Manning: “…”

Even if she handed it over, Han Jingchen had no way to verify it with Da Zhou. Instead, he would just think she was lying.

She didn't say anything, and Han Jingchen didn't press her further, fearing that she would get nervous and beat too fast.

"Brother Chen? The food is here." Jiang Ye walked in from outside, and then saw Pei Manning sitting on the bedside, and asked happily, "Pei Zhi, you finally woke up?"

He quickly put the two aluminum lunch boxes in the net bag aside, "You haven't eaten for a day, Brother Chen asked me to go to the cafeteria to buy some food for you."

In addition to his salary, Han Jingchen also received a food allowance of RMB 3.50 every month. However, he usually ate in the cafeteria, so he paid the money to the cafeteria, but he had to pay separately for Pei Manning's meals.

Pei Manning looked at Han Jingchen in surprise, then whispered to the two of them, "Thank you."

Jiang Ye opened the aluminum lunch box and handed it to her along with the chopsticks: "Why are you being polite? Come and try the cooking of our cafeteria chef Liu. His dishes go really well with rice."

When Pei Manning took the lunch box, Han Jingchen noticed that there were several scars on her palms, some of which looked like they were cut by a sickle, and some looked like blisters. The mottled marks were particularly obvious on her white and clean palms.

Pei Manning's hands were very beautiful, with snow-white skin, slender and beautiful, as tender as green onions, and you could tell at a glance that she was a person who never touched womanizing, but now her hands were covered with scars.

The wounds seem to have almost healed, so they should not have been there in the past two days.

Han Jingchen frowned. What had she been doing all this time?

Moreover, everything she carried with her was checked, and apart from clothes and some daily necessities, she was left with only thirty-two cents.

He had clearly left her some extra money at the hospital, enough for her to live on for a while while she was away from home, but where were her bracelets and rings? Did she take them to the black market to exchange for food?

Or... did you use it for something else?

Out of habit, Han Jingchen was about to question Pei Manning, but when he saw her sitting on the hospital bed and eating silently, although her manners were still elegant, she ate much faster than when they first met.

At that time, Pei Manning ate slowly and chewed carefully. If the food didn't taste good, she would frown and force herself to swallow it.

Where is it like now?

He swallowed the words that were about to come out of his throat and changed his tone stiffly: "You will stay in the hospital for the next two days. I will ask the nurse to bring your luggage and daily necessities to you."

Pei Manning paused, then nodded: "Okay."

Han Jingchen and Jiang Ye both had a lot of work to do and didn't have much time to stay here. After staying for more than a few minutes, they took their aluminum lunch boxes and left the hospital.

Before leaving, Han Jingchen waved to the little warrior guarding the door of the ward.

"Guard the door tightly for the next two days. No one is allowed to enter or contact her. Also, no gifts from others are allowed to be brought in." Han Jingchen had to say a few more words just in case.

"Yes, the Korean team."

As soon as Han Jingchen and Jiang Ye left, Pei Manning slowly moved down from the bed.

Having been lying there for too long, she felt a little weak all over. She slowly moved to the window and took a look at the scenery outside.

The hospital building was quite tall, and she lived on the third floor, but her view was still blocked by tall trees. She could only see a large building in the distance with a fluttering flag in front of it.

Pei Manning observed for a while. The crisscrossing roads were hidden between buildings and trees, and a thin layer of snow pressed on the branches.

She frowned, holding the gourd jade pendant on her chest.

She wasn't sick, she poisoned herself.

Pei Manning knew a flower called Ku Qingling. Its juice was very special. After consuming a large amount of it for an hour, it could make a person's heart beat faster, causing them to die suddenly and killing people without leaving any trace.

But consuming too much of the juice would only make people look like they were having a seizure and fall into a coma for a short period of time, and even the imperial doctors would be unable to find the cause.

This kind of flower is also one of the raw materials for making a kind of poison. At that time, she was going to go to the northwest alone and prepared some self-defense drugs and poisons.

Unexpectedly, she would use it on herself first.

At that time, in order to prevent the juice from remaining in her mouth, she also drank some water. Fortunately, the inspection methods here could not detect it.

Pei Manning didn't dare to trust anyone, she only believed in herself.

She did this not only to avoid Han Jingchen's pressing interrogation, but also to take the opportunity to leave the heavily guarded place with a guard post every five steps and a sentry every three steps.

She knew that Han Jingchen would definitely send her to the hospital, because as long as Han Jingchen wanted to find out the truth, as long as he suspected that someone had poisoned her, he would definitely find a way to save her.

Pei Manning clenched the jade pendant tightly.

If Han Jingchen and his team determined that she was innocent after investigation, she could leave the hospital with a clear conscience.

But if, once they determined that she was a spy and wanted to torture her or even execute her, she would have to find a way to escape.


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