Chapter 28 Asking for Wages Cheng Shiyun leaned closer and rubbed against his palm...
At 10 a.m., Xie Shijin, carrying a black backpack, took a bus to Yichuan City Hospital.
In the inpatient department, the nurse at the information desk said, "I'm sorry, we can't tell you which ward the patient is in. If you want to visit, you can call the patient's family first."
Xie Shijin nodded his thanks: "Sorry to bother you."
He walked to the waiting area for picking up his medicine, where there were empty chairs to sit on.
Unzipping the backpack, the little tabby cat rummaged around and pulled out two paws, revealing two rows of tiny white buns.
"Aren't you bored?" Xie Shijin asked.
"It's not boring at all."
Cheng Shiyun popped her head out briefly, then quickly withdrew it, afraid of being discovered. She saw Xie Shijin operating her phone: "Meow? Are you calling Director Qian?"
"Hmm." The phone rang for a long time until it automatically disconnected. Xie Shijin said, "No one answered."
It's understandable that someone wouldn't be able to answer the phone when their own son is in such a serious situation.
Today is the weekend, and office workers who can't take time off and students who can't miss school are all taking advantage of the weekend to come to the hospital for medical treatment. Doctors and nurses are especially busy, and the inpatient department is bustling with people.
Suddenly, several uniformed men strode in through the door.
Cheng Shiyun patted the boy's hand: "Xie Shijin, look, a policeman."
...
The police took the elevator to the 14th floor and pushed open the door to a hospital room.
"We have found that your son has been spreading videos of cat abuse online, with over 100,000 views and reposts, which is suspected of disrupting public order. Please cooperate with the investigation."
The lead police officer spoke in a serious tone, saying that they had obtained basic evidence.
"Xiao Xuan abused a cat?" Qian Juan was stunned for a moment. After realizing what she meant, she felt not only incredulous but also somewhat angry. "Officer, you've got the wrong person. We have cats at home too, how could we possibly abuse them?"
Qian Juan sneered. This was utterly absurd. Instead of arresting the perpetrator who harmed her son, the police were interrogating them: "I know my child better than anyone. If he had abused cats, he wouldn't be lying here now."
The police officer didn't argue with her, but instead handed her a cell phone: "Take a look for yourself."
Qian Juan hesitated before taking the phone.
There were several videos inside. She clicked on one of them, and a bloody, gruesome image suddenly assaulted her eyes. After watching for less than two seconds, Qian Juan screamed and threw her phone away: "Ah! What is that?"
The mournful meows of a cat came out intermittently from the phone's speaker, sounding utterly pitiful.
The police officer said, "It's the video of your son abusing cats."
Qian Juan turned pale with fright, patted her chest, and said, still shaken, "Take it away, take it away quickly."
The police officer picked up the phone, pulled up another video screenshot, held it to the bedside, and asked, "Guo Xuan, is this person in the video yours?"
"So what if I am?" Guo Xuan glanced at the police officer, remaining calm and composed. Instead, he glared at him. "Is killing a few stray cats illegal?"
“There is indeed no legislation in our country that specifically targets stray animals, but you didn’t only abuse stray cats.” The police officer’s voice turned colder as he pulled up another screenshot. “The owner of one of the cats saw this video online and reported it to the police.”
Guo Xuan scoffed, slumped against the headboard, and said nonchalantly, "Oh, so what? They're going to arrest me? I'm still a minor, so I'll go to jail too?"
"Shut up!" Qian Juan was trembling with anger, not knowing what to say to him, so she could only point at him and say, "You! You're always causing me trouble!"
"Alright, just give them the money they owe," Guo Renyi, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke up.
"Regarding civil compensation, you need to negotiate privately with the cat owner. We are responsible for investigating the disturbance of public order."
The police officer closed the logbook, his tone softening slightly: "Considering that Guo Xuan is a minor, this time we will focus on warning and education. However, if similar behavior occurs again, we will need to ask his guardian to come in."
Guo Renyi nodded and shook hands with the police officers: "Thank you for your hard work, everyone."
As the police were leaving, Qian Juan asked again, "Officer, how's the investigation going with the person who hurt my son?"
“That case wasn’t our responsibility,” the police officer said. “You can wait until Officer Yang Shengnan arrives and ask her; she’s the one in charge of this case.”
After the police officers left, Qian Juan picked up the bowl of millet porridge that was at the perfect temperature from the bedside table, scooped a spoonful, and brought it to Guo Xuan's lips: "Son, have some porridge. Aunt Lin cooked it all morning and brought it over from home. Eat a little; it's good for your health."
Guo Xuan turned his face away: "I said I'm not eating."
Guo Renyi glanced at him and said to Qian Juan, "If he doesn't want to eat, just leave it. He's a grown man; he'll eat when he's hungry."
Qian Juan put down her bowl and said softly, "What would you like to eat? Mom will go buy it for you."
Guo Xuan looked at her and uttered two words: "Cat meat."
Qian Juan suddenly felt a chill run down her spine: "Xiao Xuan... how did you become like this?"
"What did I do?" Guo Xuan gritted his teeth. "I only killed a few cats, and you're criticizing me for that?"
"..."
"Is this how you talk to your mother?" Guo Renyi said with a look of disappointment. "I've always spoiled you too much. You even got your eyes scratched out by a cat. You have no brains at all."
"I'm brainless?" Guo Xuan pointed at his bandaged eyes and roared, "Did I want to get scratched by a cat?!"
Qian Juan: "Stop arguing!"
She closed her eyes and touched Guo Xuan's face: "Mom will go downstairs to buy you some other food. Eat whatever you want when you're hungry."
Qian Juan stood up, just as a knock sounded on the door.
A tall, handsome young man stood at the door, dressed in a neat white shirt, looking as clean and refreshing as a breeze.
"Xie Shijin!" Guo Xuan blurted out.
Qian Juan glanced sideways, somewhat surprised: "Xiao Xie..."
Xie Shijin nodded: "Principal Guo, Director Qian."
Guo Xuan sat up in bed and shouted, "Mom! Call the police! Call the police now! Arrest Xie Shijin!"
The doctor said he's gone blind in his right eye and can no longer be a pilot. His eyeball cannot be transplanted, so he'll only have one eye from now on.
Guo Xuan wished he could gouge out Xie Shijin's eyes too, but that wouldn't be enough; his future and his prospects would be ruined!
Guo Xuan blinked, then suddenly grabbed Guo Renyi's sleeve and said forcefully, "Dad, call the Education Bureau and have his college entrance exam results canceled!" If he can't be a pilot, Xie Shijin can forget about going to university!
Before he could finish speaking, a slap landed on his face.
Guo Xuan covered his face, a burning pain shooting up his temples. He looked up at Guo Renyi in disbelief: "Dad, you hit me?"
"Xie Shijin is the reason I'm like this, why are you hitting me instead of him?!"
Xie Shijin came here today just to see him make a fool of himself. His father actually sided with Xie Shijin instead of him and even beat him up!
"Guo Xuan! How many times have I taught you that loose lips sink ships!" Guo Renyi pointed at him and berated him, "Do you think you're somewhere where you can just say whatever you want?!"
"So you hit me?" Guo Xuan asked obsessively, "Am I your biological son or not?!"
Seeing that the father and son had gotten into such a fight, Qian Juan quickly stepped forward and grabbed Guo Xuan's arm: "Xiao Xuan, say less. Your dad is only doing this for your own good..."
"If it were for my own good, you should have killed him!" Guo Xuan roared, glaring at the boy at the door. "Kill him! Kill him!"
Xie Shijin said, "Principal Guo, Xiao Xuan's injury has nothing to do with me or my cat."
Even when defending himself, his tone remained calm and his voice was neither hurried nor slow.
"Do you dare swear to God?" Guo Xuan roared, "Swear that your cat didn't bite my eye out? Swear that you didn't do this behind my back!"
Xie Shijin said calmly, "Why wouldn't I dare?"
"You, you..." Guo Xuan had never seen such a shameless person before, and he coughed in anger.
“Take a deep breath, son…” Qian Juan was extremely anxious. “Take a deep breath… Mom will call a doctor for you.”
Guo Renyi glanced at the mother and son in disarray, then looked up at Xie Shijin and said in an unquestionable tone, "Whether this matter has anything to do with you or not, the police will find out. We trust the police."
“The police have already contacted me,” Xie Shijin said.
Guo Xuan gritted his teeth: "Then you still dare to come?!"
"You call me teacher, so it's only right that I come to visit you after something happened to you." Xie Shijin's voice was calm, without any extra emotion.
After saying that, he looked at Guo Renyi and Qian Juan and said, "I would also like to take this opportunity to resign from my position and settle my wages for this period of time."
Guo Xuan's eyes widened as he listened, he could hardly believe it: "Mom, did you hear that? He wants more money!"
Guo Renyi's face also darkened, his eyes filled with a complex and unsettling darkness.
Guo Xuan tried to get out of bed, but Qian Juan grabbed him and said, "What are you doing getting out of bed! You're still on an IV drip!"
"Mom, we can't give him the money!" Guo Xuan grabbed her arm, glaring fiercely at Xie Shijin. "He ruined me, and now he wants our family's money! Don't even think about it!"
"Alright!"
Qian Juan was very upset. Compared to an outsider, Qian Juan naturally trusted her son more. Although there was no conclusive evidence, Qian Juan was convinced that Xie Shijin's cat had hurt Guo Xuan.
But she couldn't understand why.
They gave Xie Shijin a job with a decent hourly wage. Even if Xie Shijin wasn't grateful to them, he shouldn't repay kindness with enmity.
Although he may not have done it intentionally, cats are still animals, wild and uncontrollable.
Xie Shijin denied it, so she could only attribute it to Xie Shijin's fear of taking responsibility.
She had thought the boy was mature and steady, but it turned out she was blind and misjudged him, which harmed her own son.
Qian Juan took out her phone, transferred money to Xie Shijin, deleted him from WeChat, and didn't want to say anything more to him: "Xiao Xuan doesn't need a tutor anymore, and you don't need to come again."
After confirming receipt of payment, Xie Shijin turned and left with her backpack on.
In the corridor, many people were queuing for the elevator, while Xie Shijin took the emergency exit down to the 14th floor.
There were few people in the stairwell, so Xie Shijin let the cat out and showed her his phone.
"Meow! Eight thousand one!" Not a penny less. Cheng Shiyun's eyes widened. She hugged his arm, her eyes filled with admiration. "Xie Shijin, you're so amazing! I thought Director Qian wouldn't pay you."
"Why won't she pay me?" Xie Shijin said. "This is my rightful wage. If she doesn't pay me, I can call the police."
Qian Juan and her husband were already overwhelmed with work because of Guo Xuan. If he called the police now, it would only create more trouble. It was better to avoid trouble, and Qian Juan would definitely give in.
Cheng Shiyun nodded, was happy for a few seconds, then seemed thoughtful.
Xie Shijin asked, "You're not happy because you didn't work for free?"
"I'm happy! How could you tell I'm not happy? I'm very happy."
Although Cheng Shiyun said this, her mood was clearly low: "Is Guo Xuan really blind?"
She was in the schoolbag just now and didn't see Guo Xuan's current appearance, but he sounded quite distraught.
Cheng Shiyun wasn't pitying him; Guo Xuan deserved to lose both eyes.
She hated evil as if it were her enemy, and she despised those who bullied the weak, but she seemed to... feel no pleasure at getting revenge.
Xie Shijin pondered: "With the eyeball ruptured, there is no possibility of restoring sight."
Thinking of the other party's aggressive and unrepentant attitude, Cheng Shiyun snorted again: "Serves you right!"
"He just tried to make you swear an oath. Who does he think he is?" Cheng Shiyun sneered twice. "At such a young age, he's swearing all the time. How did Director Qian and Principal Guo raise such a son?"
"Antisocial personality disorder is a sign of an inherently bad personality."
The cursing suddenly stopped.
Xie Shijin lowered his head and saw that the little tabby cat had a frown on its face and its whiskers were taut.
"What's wrong?"
"Meow!"
The little tabby poked his chest with its paw: "And you, you swore an oath just because he told you to? You just listen to him like that, don't you know you can't just swear an oath like that?"
Xie Shijin spoke casually, but Cheng Shiyun thought he was really going to swear an oath at that time.
Xie Shijin raised an eyebrow slightly, feeling somewhat surprised and a little uneasy: "It's just a sentence, what can't be said?"
"Because we need to avoid prophecies." Cheng Shiyun said with a serious, cat-like face, "Oaths like these only work when they're bad, not good ones."
Xie Shijin frowned slightly: "It's not that serious."
"Of course I did," Cheng Shiyun said earnestly, in a tone of someone who'd been there before. "Whenever something really outrageous happened to me before, I liked to say that I'd been hit on the head by a car or something like that..."
The girl said slowly, "Look at me now."
I was really hit by a car.
She traveled to two years in the future and became a cat.
"Meow~"
The little tabby cat tilted its head.
"No, turning into a cat seems to be the better thing for me." Cheng Shiyun realized again, having gotten herself into a mess. "Although I used to say things without thinking, God still favors me."
"I survived being hit by a car; I'm incredibly lucky." Cheng Shiyun was even a little impressed with herself.
Xie Shijin silently gazed into her eyes.
The girl looked delighted, even a little smug.
It seems like this is truly a stroke of great luck, something to be very grateful for.
The pain of the car accident, the loss of family and friends, and the unattainable future are all replaced by a sense of fulfillment through rebirth.
But none of this should have happened in the first place.
Through her water-washed eyes, he could almost see the girl's face, as vivid and real as it had been two years ago.
Xie Shijin suddenly felt that everything in front of him was somewhat unreal. He reached out his hand, wanting to touch her face.
The girl was in his arms, so close, yet he hesitated to let go.
Cheng Shiyun sensed something was off about him and tilted her head to look at him.
The boy lowered his brows, his eyes like they were veiled in a thin, dark mist, concealing the heavy emotions within them.
Seeing that he remained silent, Cheng Shiyun felt that the topic was a bit too serious, so she leaned over and rubbed her hand against his palm: "I'm very lucky, but you might not be."
"Anyway, you're not allowed to swear any oaths from now on."
The kitten's cheeks were warm and fluffy, gently rubbing against his palm.
His heart felt like a cotton ball soaked in water, squeezed in someone's hand, forcing out all his aching and painful emotions.
Xie Shijin lowered her long eyelashes and said in a hoarse voice, "...I didn't send it."
If oaths were effective, the driver who caused the accident wouldn't have remained at large for two years.
The idea that good people are rewarded and that God will punish every bad person was the biggest joke he had ever heard.
"Guo Xuan's mouth is so foul, I should have just bitten his mouth off too." Cheng Shiyun regretted it as she thought about it.
Xie Shijin shifted the cat's head: "It has no teeth left."
Cheng Shiyun chuckled and stretched out her kitten paw, holding it up to his face: "Meow, can you see that?"
The kitten's paw is tiny, pink and delicate, with only four fingers.
Xie Shijin pinched it and said, "There's no mud, it's very clean."
"...Look again, open your eyes and see what this is?" The kitten's paws opened and closed.
Xie Shijin raised an eyebrow: "Claws."
"wrong."
Cheng Shiyun shook her head: "The pliers have a bite force no less than that of an African lion!"
Crackling sound—
Xie Shijin smiled and carried the cat to the lobby on the first floor of the inpatient department.
A large crowd had gathered in front of the information desk, and a quarrel broke out.
"This is my student ID. Guo Renyi is the principal of Yichuan No. 7 Middle School. Isn't that enough to prove that I am his student?" Yuan Shao held an exquisite fruit basket in one hand and leaned on the information desk with the other, handing over his student ID.
"Student, as I've already said, if you want to visit a patient, you need to call their family to confirm first. Otherwise, even if they're a relative, it's not allowed," the nurse said helplessly. "If you need to make a call, please go somewhere else to make it. Don't block the way and delay the other patients from seeing their doctors, okay?"
Yuan Shao also got angry and shouted, "What kind of attitude is this? I already said I can't get through to Principal Guo on the phone. I'm not a bad person. Just tell me which ward he's in, that's all!"
The nurse shook her head again: "No, we have no right to tell you your patient's privacy."
Yuan Shao was about to say something more when a girl with a shoulder bag tugged at his sleeve and said, "Brother, let's go..."
People around them were watching them.
Yuan Shao glanced around irritably, then suddenly spotted a familiar face in the crowd.
The girl looked over too.
The boy holding the cat stood in the bustling crowd, his brows and eyes aloof and cold, his profile sharp and clean, revealing a sense of indifference and detachment.
Yuan Shao was taken aback at first, and the moment their eyes met, he felt a pang of guilt.
Xie Shijin had already reached the main gate when Yuan Shao quickly caught up with him and called out, "Xie Shijin, are you here to see Principal Guo's son too?"
Xie Shijin lifted his eyelashes, his attitude indifferent: "No."
"..." Yuan Shao choked. He wasn't familiar with Xie Shijin, so Xie Shijin's attitude towards him was understandable. He pressed on, "Then do you know that Principal Guo's son is hospitalized?"
Last time, he told Guo Xuan that Xie Shijin had stolen his cat, and he thought Director Qian would fire Xie Shijin, but two days passed without any news. This morning, he went to Lushan International again and happened to run into the nanny leaving home, where he learned that Guo Xuan was injured and hospitalized.
Xie Shijin didn't say anything, but glanced at the fruit basket in his hand.
The girl nudged Yuan Shao's arm: "Brother... is he Xie Shijin?"
He's nothing like his brother described—dull-witted at all.
Yuan Shao introduced, "My younger sister will be starting high school this semester." The middle school entrance exam had a total score of 710, and his sister scored 700, ranking first in Yichuan City. She is very likely to be the top scorer in the provincial college entrance exam three years later.
"Hello, my name is Yuan Qing." The girl adjusted the bag slung over her shoulder and extended her hand.
The girl had a round face and big eyes, with shoulder-length short hair curled at the ends with a curling iron, giving her a very pretty appearance.
Yuan Shao is such a shameless person, yet he has such an obedient younger sister. I hope she doesn't corrupt him.
Cheng Shiyun blinked her cat-like eyes, her gaze sweeping over the girl before settling on her shoulder bag.
Girls at this age often like to act mature. At fifteen or sixteen, they want to act like adults, wearing high heels, carrying leather bags, and trying their best to look more mature.
But there are always one or two details that reveal the adorable thoughts of a girl of this age.
For example, the keychain hanging on her bag.
Cheng Shiyun's mind went blank for a moment. Suddenly, she grabbed the boy's arm and whispered, "Meow, Xie Shijin, that looks like... my keychain..."
Xie Shijin also saw it.
The girl followed his gaze and looked down, only to find that he was staring at her bag, or more precisely, at the pendant on it.
"You...like this pendant?"
She touched the pendant, which was a tabby cat, a gift from her brother. Then she was surprised to find that the pendant looked a bit like the cat in the boy's arms.
She looked up, and a sudden gust of wind ruffled the boy's hair, his pale lips pressed tightly together as he stared intently at her.
The girl felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and instinctively tried to hide behind her brother.
However, the next second, the boy gripped her wrist tightly. The boy, who had always been aloof and taciturn in his brother's account, was now asking her sternly, "Where did you come from?"
The girl frowned: "It hurts..."
"Damn it, Xie Shijin, what are you doing?" Yuan Shao cursed. "Bullying a girl? Let go!"
Xie Shijin: "Where did the keychain come from?!"
The girl was taken aback by his shout.
Yuan Shao pushed him away, pulled his sister behind him to protect her, and scolded, "Xie Shijin, are you crazy?! This is what I bought for my sister."
The girl grabbed Yuan Shao's arm, stopping him from making a move, and said to Xie Shijin, "If you like it, I'll give it to you..."
Xie Shijin stared intently at him with her deep eyes: "This keychain belongs to Cheng Shiyun."
"Cheng Shiyun?"
Upon hearing this name, Yuan Shao felt a chill run down his spine.
Cheng Shiyun has been dead for so long, why are we suddenly mentioning her?
In the period immediately following Cheng Shiyun's death, several girls who were close to Cheng Shiyun were always crying in class, including her deskmate. It was considered very unlucky.
But perhaps because he had said too many bad things about Cheng Shiyun in the past, he kept having nightmares during that time, dreaming that Cheng Shiyun was scratching his face and tearing his mouth, which was terrifying. Later, he even burned paper money for Cheng Shiyun, asking her to stop bothering him.
The sudden mention of Cheng Shiyun sent a chill down Yuan Shao's spine, but remembering that he hadn't killed her, he immediately became righteous and said, "Are you kidding me? There are plenty of keychains like this in the world. What makes you think you're talking about Cheng Shiyun?"
Xie Shijin said, "12813."
Yuan Shao: "What?"
Xie Shijin's voice was dry: "The numbers engraved on the bottom of the pendant."
Yuan Shao scoffed, "How could that be?"
The girl removed the pendant, her face showing horror.
"Brother...it really is."
Cheng Shiyun was just as shocked as she was.
Meow? ? ?
How did Xie Shijin know that the pendant base was engraved with numbers?
She hasn't posted any detailed photos.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Oh my god! Someone's little secret is about to be exposed! [Glasses]
Please leave lots of comments, like paw prints [cat paw] or confetti [confetti], otherwise I feel it's too quiet [laughing]
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