Chapter 163: Enjoying Praise
After expressing her gratitude, the young nurse carried a pile of medicines to the ward at the end of the corridor.
Si Xu looked at the girl's back as she left, with a thoughtful expression.
Noticing the change in his expression, Jiang Ran stepped forward and waved her hand in front of his eyes. When he looked over, she smiled slyly, "Does being praised make people feel good?"
Touching the top of the little girl's head, Si Xu did not deny: "At least it won't make you feel worse."
Jiang Ran grabbed his hand and led him out of the sanatorium.
"When I was a child in an orphanage, my favorite thing to do was to help others and then wait for the director to praise me."
"Will the dean's praise make you very happy?"
"Of course. But there's another more important reason." Jiang Ran's fingertips caressed the man's bony fingers absentmindedly. "The dean will reward me with all kinds of candy."
Si Xu raised the corners of his eyes slightly, with a light in his eyes and a smile: "Do you like candy?"
"I don't particularly like it, but I always feel happy when I get a reward." Jiang Ran smiled mysteriously, "The dean gave me candy as a reward, and I would share it with everyone. Then everyone would like me very much, and the dean would like me very much too, and I would be even happier."
“…”
"A child's happiness is this simple—being recognized and praised. How wonderful it would be if people could always be children. They wouldn't have so many desires and greed, and they wouldn't be obsessed with intrigue every day."
The little girl spoke casually, holding his hand restlessly and rubbing it along his slightly cool skin.
Her fingers were warmer than his, unlike his coldness, and they felt warm and soft on her skin.
Si Xu indulged her little thoughts: "You seem to like my hands very much?"
"Your hands are beautiful," she said, holding his hands. "Beautiful things are always attractive—just like your face."
This was also a compliment, and Si Xu accepted it all: "Jiang Ran, there was one thing you said just now that was wrong."
"What?" Does he think his hands and face are not beautiful?
"Everyone, at any time, has their own greed and desires—however, most children have pure hearts, and their thoughts are born from their hearts. Pure greed always makes people positive and optimistic, so no one will stand up to criticize them."
"...Ah, actually that's true." Just like when she was a child, she always hoped to be praised and recognized, so she would work harder to show herself - this was also her greed, but no one would accuse her of doing anything wrong.
"As people grow up, they want more and more things, and they become more greedy. They are so greedy that their own abilities cannot achieve their goals. Some people learn to cut their losses in time, while others choose crooked ways." In this world, how many people can truly be free of desires?
"Si Xu." Acknowledging his words, Jiang Ran tilted her head to look into his eyes, curious, "Are you greedy yourself?"
If in her eyes everyone in the world is greedy, then he is the one who transcends the world.
He is not obsessed with life and death, not obsessed with beauty, and not greedy for money... It's like, there is nothing in this world that can attract his attention or is worth his stopping.
"Yes." Si Xu answered her question without hiding anything, "You." His attitude was as serious as when he was doing experiments and writing reports.
Jiang Ran's cheeks flushed slightly as she teased him, "Does this count as indulging in love, Professor Si?"
"You're not right." Si Xu corrected her, "I'm obsessed with you." Just because that person is you, I have endless greed.
Jiang Ran snorted and muttered, "I'm just coaxing a kid..." The smile in his eyes became brighter and brighter, like the moon reflected in the winter snow and the stars pouring down.
…
The crisis of the zombie tide has been resolved, but there are still many injured people and a shortage of medical staff, so many patients in the slums have no one to take care of them.
Qiao Yi led his team out of the city twice to search for medical supplies to solve the urgent needs of the slums. However, the supply was insufficient to meet the demand, and the death rate in the slums continued to rise.
To prevent the spread of the disease, the base set up protective fences around the slums and strictly controlled the entry and exit of people.
"I live here, why can't I go in?!"
"A person with superpowers living in a slum? Are you kidding me, miss?"
"Who said people with special abilities can't live in the slums? My family is here, so I live here too, is that wrong? How does my living in the slums bother you? I'm not eating your rice!"
"Miss, the slums are under strict control now. You can't go in and out as you please."
"Hey, you..."
Outside, there was a faint sound of quarreling. In the cabin, a young man was lazily leaning on the sofa, eating melon seeds.
"It's Qiao Qiao." Yi Xi and Zhou Jian came in from outside. Yi Xi briefly explained the situation outside. "They must be looking for you. They got into an argument with the guards outside."
"Just right." Qiao Yi bit a melon seed and said vaguely, "Don't let her in. I get upset when I see that girl."
Qiao Qiao must have come here on Xue Weixin's initiative. He just couldn't stand Xue Weixin's desperate look for women, so he jumped out of their team.
The quarrel continued. Zhou Jian hesitated, "If we let them continue quarreling like this, nothing will happen, right?"
"No." Qiao Yi sneered, "If she can't get in, she will go back obediently."
Sure enough, not long after, the noise outside disappeared.
Qiao Yi shrugged: "Look."
Zhou Jian: “…”
The three of them were silent for a moment, and Yi Xi said, "We've almost searched all the pharmacies around the base. Are you going out today?"
"We're not going out." Qiao Yi said, "Those people want to trap us to death, so we'll just do as they wish."
"What?" Zhou Jian blurted out, "Who wants to trap us to death?"
She has always felt strange. This phenomenon in the slums has been going on for a few days. Why are there suddenly cordons these past two days? Is it that someone is deliberately targeting them?
Yi Xi knew who he was talking about: "Did she find out about you?"
"I'm afraid so." Qiao Yi rolled his eyes. "Otherwise, why would they block this place off?"
Yi Xi sighed, "I can't just sit there and wait for death."
"Let's not just sit there and wait for death. Let's wait for someone to rescue us." Qiao Yi turned over and sat up, resting his arms on his knees, laughing wildly. "They made such a big noise, it's only a matter of time before Jiang Ranran hears about it."
"You expect her to save you?" Jiang Ranran is probably too busy taking care of herself to save them.
Qiao Yi took it for granted: "She is my sister, how can I stand by and watch her die?"
Choked by his shameless tone, Yi Xi frowned. Seeing that he didn't seem anxious at all, he didn't want to continue to refute him, so he turned and walked out.
"I'll go and inform them not to get into conflict with the people outside these few days."
…
The telescope clearly showed the situation outside the slum isolation line. Luo Rui kept adjusting the angle and stared carefully at the people coming and going at the exit.
Xie Chengzhi poured her a cup of tea and put one hand on her shoulder: "Are you sure that person lives in the slums?"
"Yeah." Luo Rui said, "I lost the person I followed last time at the entrance to the slums, but I can confirm that he has entered the slums."
"Ruirui." Xie Chengzhi frowned, not really understanding Luo Rui's thoughts. "With such a big fanfare, that person won't show up easily."
Luo Rui put down the telescope, picked up the teacup and took a sip: "It doesn't matter. I don't believe he will stay in the slums forever."
"If you find him..." Xie Chengzhi said, "how are you going to deal with him? If that person is really Si Xu's man, I'm afraid Si Xu won't let it go if he's killed casually."
"Knowing both yourself and your enemy is the key to a hundred battles without defeat. First, find out the forces under his wing, and then see if we can find a reason to uproot that vine."
They now have a legitimate reason under the pretext of isolation, and even Si Xu cannot stop their actions.
Once we find that person, we will eliminate him in the quarantine area without anyone knowing. What can Si Xu do?
(End of this chapter)
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