Chapter 16 Unless you come to me on your own initiative
With the moon high in the sky, the Royal Bar reopened after a full day of emergency repairs.
The woman didn't reappear until 10:30 p.m., so she probably won't come.
Hua Yu thought this was a good idea.
She no longer had to waste time and money, and he could finally work in peace. It was wonderful; he was genuinely happy.
"Hey, Hua Yu!" A cheerful, chubby man suddenly appeared, but immediately became serious upon seeing his face. "Did someone bully you?"
Hua Yu: "Nobody."
"Then why are you unhappy?" the fat man asked, puzzled.
Hua Yu frowned: "I'm not unhappy."
The fat man blinked, then suddenly pulled a small mirror out of his pocket and held it directly in front of him.
Then he saw a cold, stern face in the mirror.
His face is usually cold.
But it's unusually cold today.
It's like they've written 'unhappy' all over their faces.
Hua Yu: "...Boring."
He turned to leave, but after taking only a couple of steps, he heard the fat man exclaim, "Is that the legendary Sister Yun?"
Hua Yu suddenly stopped and subconsciously looked towards the door.
At the bar entrance, where the disco ball was flashing, a group of waiters fawned over Yun Jin, who was none other than the star being fawned over.
Hua Yu took a deep breath, her brows furrowing even more.
"She's so beautiful, it must be her!"
The fat man didn't notice Hua Yu's emotional change and rushed over immediately after spotting Yun Jin.
Taking advantage of his physique, he squeezed into the center position among the group of thin and weak waiters.
Yun Jin was responding to a waiter's greeting when, in the next second, the waiter was pushed aside, and someone's large face suddenly appeared in front of her.
"Hi, Sister Yun!" the fat man greeted enthusiastically. "My name is Liu Zhuangzhuang. You can call me Zhuangzhuang or Little Fatty."
Yun Jin met his gaze and smiled, "Hello."
Working in a bar is also a youth-oriented job, especially for waiters who don't require much skill. Most of them are around twenty years old. Liu Zhuangzhuang is twenty-five this year, which is relatively older, so he is also relatively better at reading people.
For example, right now, he keenly noticed that Yun Jin's attitude towards him was different from her attitude towards other waiters.
"Have you heard Hua Yu mention me before?" Liu Zhuangzhuang asked expectantly.
He had taken two months off and just returned to work today. As soon as he got back, he heard that a beautiful and wealthy woman was looking for Hua Yu every day. Now, judging from Yun Jin's reaction, he guessed that Hua Yu had mentioned her to her.
This Hua Yu, who usually acts like she doesn't want to get involved, is actually quite thinking about him.
Liu Zhuangzhuang blushed slightly: "Yes, we really are best friends..."
“He never mentioned you to me,” Yun Jin said.
A faint snicker immediately rose from the crowd. Liu Zhuangzhuang's expression froze. Just as he was about to smooth things over, Yun Jin preemptively said, "He's probably afraid you'll steal his thunder."
"Sister Yun, don't joke around. Who could steal his thunder?" Liu Zhuangzhuang said, but his expression clearly brightened. "Are you here to see Hua Yu today too? He's here..."
Before he could finish speaking, he saw that the spot where Hua Yu had just stood was now empty.
“Strange, he was just here a moment ago,” Liu Zhuangzhuang muttered, then looked at Yun Jin, “Please have a seat, I’ll go find him.”
Yun Jin smiled but didn't say anything. Liu Zhuangzhuang took this as her tacit agreement with his suggestion and quickly went to find someone.
Once he left, the other waiters finally managed to squeeze in.
"Sister Yun, is it a private room or a booth today?" a handsome young man asked.
Yun Jin glanced in the direction Liu Zhuangzhuang had left and said, "Let's have a booth."
Liu Zhuangzhuang searched the bar for a long time but couldn't find Hua Yu. Seeing that Yun Jin had already sat down in a booth and other people were starting to sell her drinks, he was very anxious. Fortunately, he soon found her at the back door of the bar.
"A big client is here, why aren't you going to greet him? What are you doing hiding here?" Liu Zhuangzhuang walked up quickly, fanning away the acrid smoke with disdain. "Haven't seen you for two months, has your smoking habit gotten worse?"
Amidst the swirling smoke, Hua Yu lowered her eyes, her expression indifferent.
"Stop smoking, or your big client will be snatched away. Didn't you see the faces of those people just now? They were so eager to get their hands on Sister Yun, like she was a piece of meat..."
As Liu Zhuangzhuang spoke, seeing that he was still unmoved, he immediately snatched the cigarette from his mouth, threw it on the ground, stomped on it twice, and pulled him towards the bar.
Hua Yu was caught off guard and was pulled forward a few steps by him. She immediately became displeased and said, "I'm not going."
Liu Zhuangzhuang: "No, I have to go."
"I said I'm not going!" Hua Yu said irritably, shaking him off.
Liu Zhuangzhuang was thrown back two steps and looked at him in disbelief.
Hua Yu felt even more annoyed by his gaze, and she forced herself to speak coldly, "Don't meddle in my affairs."
"We're friends, if I don't care about you, who will?" Liu Zhuangzhuang was also a little angry. "Don't you need the money? Don't you want your commission? With that meager salary, when will you ever be able to move out of the basement!"
Seeing his genuine concern for her, Hua Yu remained silent for a long time before revealing a mocking expression: "What's it to you?"
Liu Zhuangzhuang was taken aback by his question.
Hua Yu felt irritated by his expression and spoke even more bluntly: "I've said it before, I don't make friends, and you're not my friend either."
After saying that, he stopped looking at Liu Zhuangzhuang's expression and was about to leave, but the next second he met Yun Jin's gaze through a glass door.
Hua Yu paused slightly, instinctively reaching for a cigarette, but before her fingers even touched her pocket, she suddenly felt it was pointless and turned to walk into the dark alley.
Hua Yu left, and Liu Zhuangzhuang sat down on the steps in front of the back door, looking dejected.
He was so preoccupied with his grief that he didn't even notice the door behind him opening until a pair of beautiful shoes came into view, at which point he looked up in a daze.
What a young face!
Yun Jin asked knowingly, "What's wrong?"
Liu Zhuangzhuang wiped his face and immediately stood up: "Sister Yun..."
Yun Jin pressed down on his shoulder, making him sit back on the steps, and then sat down next to him.
Yun Jin looked at Liu Zhuangzhuang's reddened eyes and said in a slightly cold tone, "He's quite good at bullying people."
Realizing that she had just seen it, Liu Zhuangzhuang quickly explained, "No... he didn't bully me."
Yun Jin chuckled: "Even after all this, you're still speaking up for him?"
“He really didn’t bully me, really!” Liu Zhuangzhuang was afraid that Hua Yu would leave a bad impression on the big client, so he couldn’t help but gesticulate excitedly. “He said a long time ago that he didn’t make friends, but I just wouldn’t give up and kept bothering him. It’s all my fault.”
Yun Jin: "Oh."
“He’s really a really good person. I joined the company a month and a half later than him. When I first arrived, I was ostracized by my colleagues, who deliberately made me clean up during lunch breaks. He was the only one who would save food for me. I took leave to go home this time because my dad suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage. When I got home, I found three thousand yuan in my backpack…”
Liu Zhuangzhuang couldn't continue speaking, and his eyes became even redder.
Sister Yun took a tissue out of her bag and gave it to him.
Liu Zhuangzhuang thanked him and accepted the money, wiping away his tears as he said, "The day I left was payday. Everyone else's salary was deposited into their bank accounts, but his was in cash. I knew it was him who put it there. Sister Yun, he's really a very good person, just a little harsh with his words. Please don't dislike him."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Yun Jin with a nervous expression.
In the silence, Yun Jin slowly nodded: "Mm."
Liu Zhuangzhuang pursed his lips, his eyes reddening even more: "You're such a good person."
After saying that, he was about to burst into tears.
Yun Jin reacted quickly and pinched his mouth shut.
Liu Zhuangzhuang: "?"
"Don't cry, it's too noisy," Yun Jin ordered.
Liu Zhuangzhuang stared blankly for a long time before finally nodding.
Yun Jin then released him and took out a wet wipe to carefully clean her fingers.
...It was quite obvious that she disliked him, but Liu Zhuangzhuang thought this woman was quite interesting.
He chuckled briefly, then began to sigh.
Yun Jin: "Don't be sad, he will be willing to be your friend in the future."
"Really?" Liu Zhuangzhuang asked, not entirely confident.
Yun Jin: "Yeah, I'll not only be your friend, but I'll also call you Fatty. If I do anything to offend you, I'll run to your house early in the morning and kneel down to apologize. I'm just not very honest. When I kneel down, I'll put your favorite pillow under me."
"...Sister Yun, I know you mean well and want to comfort me, but isn't this story a bit too exaggerated?" Liu Zhuangzhuang was speechless.
Hua Yu kneeling? No way!
Yun Jin smiled: "Feeling better?"
Liu Zhuangzhuang felt it for a moment and nodded: "Much better."
"Then let's go back to work."
Liu Zhuangzhuang: "Okay, then I'll go first..."
“Wait a minute,” Yun Jin interrupted him, taking out a business card from her bag and handing it to him. “This is my number. I probably won’t be coming anymore. If there’s anything you can’t handle, just give me a call.”
Liu Zhuangzhuang quickly took it, asking curiously, "Why didn't you come?"
Yun Jin smiled but didn't say anything.
Seeing this, Liu Zhuangzhuang stopped asking questions, waved goodbye to her, and went back to the bar.
Yun Jin sat quietly on the steps for a moment before finally walking into the dark alley.
It wasn't yet midnight for revelry, and the long alley was filled with couples whispering sweet nothings, not drunkards. She made her way through unimpeded, finally appearing under a streetlamp at the end of the alley.
Ahead of the streetlights was the entrance to a 24-hour pharmacy. Hua Yu sat on the steps, lost in thought, holding a crumpled, unlit cigarette in her hand.
Yu Guangli spotted a familiar figure. He didn't turn his head, but coldly said, "I thought we had already made things clear this morning."
"Yes, it's clear now." Yun Jin sat down on the steps again, but this time the person next to her changed from Liu Zhuangzhuang to Hua Yu.
She stood very close to him, and her faint fragrance enveloped the floral garden once again.
As if burned, Hua Yu immediately stood up, stepped down the stairs, and looked at her against the light: "Then why did you come?"
Yun Jin calmly raised her head: "Because I'm willing."
Hua Yu: "..."
"And what gives you the right to stop me from coming?" Yun Jin threw the question back at him.
Hua Yu stared at her, realizing she couldn't answer.
Yes, she is a big customer of the bar, and is seen as a benefactor by all the employees. Even Liu Zhuangzhuang, who just returned from leave, knows to greet her with a smile.
He was just a waiter.
What right does a waitress who earns a meager base salary and commission, and can be replaced by someone else at any time, have to stop her from patronizing the establishment?
Hua Yu's hands, hanging by her sides, gradually clenched, so tightly that the veins bulged, then suddenly loosened.
When she spoke again, her tone revealed a hint of helplessness: "Come if you want, but I will not serve you again."
He couldn't control her, but at least he could make his own decisions.
Yun Jin didn't react much to this, but simply asked, "Aren't you afraid I'll report you?"
That's your problem.
Yun Jin raised an eyebrow: "Being complained about by a client of my caliber could cost you your job."
Hua Yu coldly turned her face away: "Whatever."
If she really does that, he'll accept it.
Yun Jin smiled silently, slowly stood up, and walked down the steps one by one until she stopped at the last step. Using the height of the step, she leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "What are you afraid of?"
The wind she exhaled while speaking was a little warmer than the air. Hua Yu, who was not used to physical contact, subconsciously wanted to back away, but stopped abruptly when she met her gaze.
"What?" He turned his head to the side, his face stern as he looked at her, as if that would make him appear more imposing.
But in Yun Jin's eyes, it was nothing more than a harmless baby leopard baring its teeth and claws.
“Although I said I liked you, I didn’t force you to do anything. Every time I came, I just slept in the private room,” Yun Jin looked into his beautiful eyes. “With your looks and this kind of job, there must be a lot of people who want to be with you, right? There must be plenty of people who are more aggressive and extreme than me. Would you drive them away like this?”
Hua Yu was taken aback by her question, and her Adam's apple, which happened to be exposed to her line of sight, silently bobbed.
“You wouldn’t, and you might even have to force yourself to deal with them in order to keep your job,” Yun Jin said with a perfectly measured smile, like a patient and persuasive teacher. “Why do you suddenly become so indifferent when it comes to me? Or to put it another way, you were willing to deal with me just over a month ago, so why would you rather lose your job than have anything to do with me now? What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of falling in love with a married woman?”
"Of course not!" Hua Yu immediately denied, her voice rising two octaves.
Yun Jin smiled genuinely this time, as if she had seen through his attempt to cover up his lie: "So why won't you let me come again?"
Hua Yu stared at her blankly for a long time before realizing that she seemed to have fallen into her trap once again.
She was using a novel approach to subtly shift the focus, attempting to transform his aversion to her into ambiguous feelings.
Hua Yu didn't like being led by the nose, so she answered directly, "For no reason, I just hate you."
"That's really hurtful," Yun Jin sighed, but her expression clearly showed that she didn't take his words seriously.
Hua Yu hated this about her the most; she always looked at him like he was a pet, and she wouldn't get angry just because a pet bared its teeth.
But he is not a pet.
Even though he hadn't lived with much dignity for most of his life, at least when facing her, he inexplicably didn't want to bow his head.
In the long silence, Yun Jin understood his meaning and gracefully extended her right hand to him: "Then let's do this, shake hands, and if you don't take the initiative to contact me in the future, I won't come anymore."
Hua Yu's heart stirred, and her gaze fell on her hand.
This hand has no wedding ring, no watch, and is completely bare.
Hua Yu hesitated to shake hands, and Yun Jin made a move to pull back: "Fine, if you're not going to shake hands, then forget what you just said..."
Before she could finish speaking, Hua Yu grabbed her finger.
"I won't look for you," he said seriously.
The pressure traveled from her fingertips, and Yun Jin smiled: "Don't be so absolute. What if you miss me?"
"impossible."
Hua Yu released her hand, remained silent for a few seconds, and then turned and left.
Yun Jin stood there for a moment, then returned to her home in 2013.
I got home at just past 11 p.m., much earlier than usual.
Yun Jin was very sleepy. As soon as she entered the door, she collapsed onto the sofa and quickly fell asleep.
I woke up again to the sound of my alarm clock.
Amidst a series of rapid clanging sounds, she frowned and opened her eyes, only to find herself still at home in 2013.
It's already 8 a.m., time to go back to work in 2025.
Yun Jin rubbed her eyes and lazily turned her watch clockwise once.
A few minutes later, she appeared in her newly purchased large apartment, calmly took off all her clothes, and walked naked into the bathroom.
Steam soon filled the bathroom, and she stood under the fine mist of the showerhead, enjoying the moment of peace... well, not exactly peaceful, because she felt like she had forgotten something.
What is it?
Yun Jin leisurely finished her bath, leisurely did her skincare and changed her clothes, and finally leisurely went out.
As she approached the company, she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten something.
In the same time and space, at the Liu family home, Hua Cheng stared intently at his phone, his eyes darting around anxiously.
Chen Yueqin went to take Liu Beibei to school, and now it's just him and Liu Zhuang at home.
After Liu Zhuang finished his breakfast, he noticed that the food on his plate was almost untouched and frowned. "Eat!"
Hua Cheng ignored him and continued staring at his phone.
Now Liu Zhuang was also curious: "What are you looking at?"
"Yun Jin," Hua Cheng said slowly.
"Hmm?" Liu Zhuang walked around behind him and looked at his phone.
It was pitch black, the screen wasn't even lit, so where did the brocade come from?
He asked, "Did you put on a privacy screen protector?"
Hua Cheng put down his phone and took a sip of porridge, feeling somewhat dejected: "Today is my follow-up appointment."
Liu Zhuang quickly took the porridge away: "Why didn't you say so earlier? Spit it out now."
Hua Cheng said weakly, "I don't need to have my blood drawn. I can eat breakfast."
"Oh." Liu Zhuang handed the porridge back to him.
Hua Cheng, however, showed little interest, stirring the food with a spoon without any appetite.
"This is a brain-boosting porridge that your sister-in-law specially cooked for you early this morning. If you don't eat it properly, believe me, I'll slap you!" Liu Zhuang sneered.
Hua Cheng glanced at him: "Today is my follow-up appointment."
Why are you saying it again?
Considering he was a patient, Liu Zhuang tried to be as patient as possible: "So?"
Hua Cheng: "I know Lan Li is a very important friend to her. Lan Li is heartbroken, so it's only right that she's there to comfort her. But which is more serious, heartbreak or a terminal illness? It's already this late, and she hasn't sent me a single message. Does she want me to go for the checkup alone? She! Yun Jin! To be with a friend who's just heartbroken, she's leaving her husband, who has a terminal illness, to face the cruel results of the checkup alone?! Is she...?"
Before he could finish speaking, he met Liu Zhuang's complicated gaze.
After a pause of one second, Hua Cheng asked, "What are you looking at?"
"It's nothing," Liu Zhuang sighed, "I just miss Hua Yu when we first met, when she was so quiet."
Hua Cheng: "..."
"Can't you really go back to how you used to be?" Liu Zhuang asked humbly.
Hua Cheng said unhappily, "No!"
"Yes, that's it, keep it up," Liu Zhuang praised.
Hua Cheng: "..."
Although Liu Zhuang found Hua Cheng's nagging annoying, he still took pity on him and accompanied him to the hospital.
On the way there, Hua Cheng kept editing his phone, but couldn't send a single message for a long time.
Liu Zhuang couldn't stand it anymore: "Is it really necessary? You're not a three-year-old. It's okay to go for a check-up once in a while."
“You don’t understand,” Hua Cheng sighed. “The follow-up examination is very important to her. She couldn’t possibly forget it. She hasn’t sent me any messages yet. Something must have happened.”
The older Liu Zhuang got, the more impatient he became. Upon hearing this, his eyebrows shot up: "Really?! Then call her right now! What are you still hesitating about after something like this has happened!"
Hua Cheng: "She didn't message me, which means she can handle it herself. I'm afraid that contacting her now would affect her."
Liu Zhuang: "...You think quite a lot."
Hua Cheng sighed: "There's nothing I can do. A man like me who respects his wife will just think things through a lot."
Liu Zhuang: "..."
There's no need to bother with him.
While the two were talking, the car had already entered the hospital parking lot. After finding a parking space, Liu Zhuang asked as he parked, "Where are we going later?"
Hua Cheng unbuckled his seatbelt and was about to get out of the car when he suddenly paused, then looked at Liu Zhuang seriously: "Brother Pang."
"Hmm?" Liu Zhuang looked over.
Hua Cheng: "I think I'm an adult now, and I can go for the follow-up check-up by myself. If you're free, you can go back first."
Liu Zhuang: "..."
After a long silence, he said, "Hua Cheng."
Hua Cheng obediently replied, "Mmm."
Liu Zhuang: "I can already see the brocade."
Hua Cheng: "..."
In front of the parking lot elevator, Yun Jin stood alone, looking in their direction.
Hua Cheng's plan to get rid of the light bulb failed, and he was instead violently suppressed by the light bulb and forcibly sent to the examination room.
Outside the inspection room, Liu Zhuang handed Yun Jin a cup of milk tea.
Yun Jin thanked her and took it, pursing her lips: "It's hot."
“Your period is coming soon. If you don’t want to suffer excruciating pain, you’d better drink hot beverages.” Liu Zhuang sat down with an air of authority, as if she would suppress any objections with force.
Yesterday I saw him as a chubby, fair-skinned little boy, but today he's become a burly man with the imposing presence of an older brother.
Yun Jin stared at the guy for a few seconds without saying a word, then said, "Fatty, it's not good to lie to kids."
Liu Zhuang: "?"
Yun Jin: "Next time Bei Bei asks you if you were fat when you were young, don't lie."
Liu Zhuang: "?"
Yun Jin: "Also, you should do some maintenance and exercise from time to time. Look at Hua Cheng, he hasn't shown any signs of aging after all these years."
Liu Zhuang: "?"
Although I didn't understand what she was babbling about, I felt like I'd been punched a few times.
After finishing my work, I opened a milk tea and slowly drank it.
The outdoor air was quiet, and the smell of disinfectant permeated the air. There were only the two of them in the long corridor. Even though the central air conditioning was at a comfortable temperature, the cold-toned decor still made them feel chilly.
Liu Zhuang ran to the door of the examination room and looked around several times, but saw nothing. Finally, he could only come back and ask, "How much longer?"
"About an hour. If you're busy, you can go ahead. I'll stay with him," Yun Jin said gently.
Liu Zhuang pursed his lips: "What could possibly happen to me?"
After saying that, he sat down again.
Seeing this, Yun Jin didn't say anything more.
After a while, he suddenly asked, "Have you been waiting here alone for the past year?"
Yun Jin hummed in agreement and poked at the pearls at the bottom of the cup.
The person next to her fell silent. She looked up and, sure enough, saw that his eyes were red.
"Fatty," Yun Jin said helplessly.
"No, I'm fine," Liu Zhuang rubbed his eyes haphazardly. "What's wrong with this hospital? The air quality is terrible, it's giving me a headache."
Yun Jin didn't expose him: "Want to go get some fresh air?"
"Forget it..."
The two of them fell silent again.
Time ticked by, but Hua Cheng still hadn't come out.
Yun Jin quickly finished her cup of milk tea. Liu Zhuang heard the sound of the cup being emptied and reached out to her to help her throw away the trash, but Yun Jin was still sucking on the empty cup.
Liu Zhuang paused for a moment before realizing that she had been spacing out and that drinking milk tea was just a repetitive, mechanical action.
It was only at this moment that he realized that Yun Jin might not be as calm as he had imagined.
"Yunjin, Yunjin?"
Yun Jin snapped out of her daze and looked at him, puzzled.
Liu Zhuang smiled, a reliable older brother: "Don't worry, he's been in such good shape lately, he'll be fine."
Yun Jin stared at him for a few seconds and said, "Brother Fatty, can I ask you a question?"
"Ask away, you can ask anything you want."
Yun Jin: "Do you remember when you and Hua Cheng were working at the bar, and he got hit on the head with a bottle?"
When Liu Zhuang brought up the incident, he couldn't help but sigh: "Of course, weren't we just talking about this the night before last? He was really unlucky. The bottle hit him squarely on the back of the head, and he had to get more than a dozen stitches. Luckily, the doctor we found was skilled, so he didn't get a scar."
Yun Jin casually rested her right hand on her left wristwatch, her tone relatively calm: "You still remember."
Liu Zhuang: "Of course I remember! He was injured so badly that he could have received compensation, but given his situation, let alone going through legal procedures, he even had to hide when the police came. Plus, they couldn't find the person who hit him, and the troublemakers wouldn't admit it. In the end, the bar owner just gave them a thousand yuan to settle things. It was simply..."
He has endless things to say about what happened back then.
The rapid-fire speech added a touch of liveliness to the quiet hospital, dispelling some of the unsettling chill. Yun Jin lowered her eyes, thinking slowly.
Hua Yu, whom she knew, was rescued by the security captain during the fight and was not injured.
She changed the past, but Liu Zhuang's memory remains the same. Does this mean that the 'past' she changed has no causal relationship with the 'present'?
So what exactly was the 2013 she spent in during that time? A parallel universe? A virtual space? Or just a bored fantasy under immense mental pressure?
Most importantly, what if the two timelines are truly unrelated?
Yun Jin lowered her eyes, countless thoughts flashing through her mind, but she remained in an extremely calm state.
Let's wait until Huacheng finishes his examination before we talk about it.
The medical team responsible for Hua Cheng's physical examination was his personal medical team. In the past, each check-up usually only took an hour, but this time it lasted a long time, so long that even Liu Zhuang, who usually liked to talk, fell silent.
At 10:20 a.m., the door to the examination room opened.
Liu Zhuang rushed in immediately: "How is it? How is it?"
“It hasn’t worsened,” Hua Cheng said lazily.
Liu Zhuang frowned: "That's it? That's all? No improvement or anything?"
“It’s already pretty good that it hasn’t worsened,” Hua Cheng said, leaning back in his chair like he had no bones. “This is the only time in over a year that my checkup hasn’t shown any signs of worsening.”
"Really?" Liu Zhuang asked nervously. "That's good news, right?"
Just as Hua Cheng was about to speak, he saw Yun Jin come in from outside. He immediately stood up and offered her a seat: "Wife, sit here."
"...I've been here so long, why haven't you offered me a seat?" Liu Zhuang was speechless.
Hua Cheng: "You're so old, don't be so petty."
Liu Zhuang: "..."
They even knew he was already quite old.
The head of the medical team quickly arrived with the report. Hua Cheng and Liu Zhuang stood behind Yun Jin like two bodyguards, listening to the other party constantly spouting various professional terms.
Liu Zhuang was very concerned about Hua Cheng's condition, but hearing too many unfamiliar English words made him sleepy. Looking at Hua Cheng next to him, he also looked bored.
The two met eyes, and Liu Zhuang asked using lip reading: Do you understand?
Hua Cheng replied in lip reading: I've never understood it.
Knowing that he wasn't the only poor student, Liu Zhuang felt deeply gratified.
Yun Jin was aware of their underhanded tactics, but she couldn't be bothered with them. She listened to the person in charge's report while flipping through the inspection report in her hand.
When Yun Jin saw Hua Cheng's brain CT scan, she suddenly stopped turning the page, pointed to a number, and interrupted the person in charge: "This time the number is three millimeters smaller than it was a month ago."
"Imaging examinations are subject to a certain degree of error," the person in charge explained.
No.
It's not an error.
Yun Jin stared at the explanation under the image for a long time before calmly turning the page.
Liu Zhuang saw her calm expression in the reflective glass, and after a moment of silence, he nudged Hua Cheng.
“…I saw it.” Hua Cheng lowered his voice.
Liu Zhuang: "Although it's not appropriate to say it like that, her expression really gives the feeling that she doesn't care whether you live or die."
Hua Cheng sighed, "Human nature."
Liu Zhuang chimed in, "That's just how cold-hearted we are."
“I can hear you,” Yun Jin said coldly.
Hua Cheng and Liu Zhuang immediately shut up.
Since two of the three were not very useful, the nurse politely asked them to leave, leaving only Yun Jin to talk to the person in charge.
Liu Zhuang, who was kicked out, said: "Hey, Chengzi."
Hua Cheng, who was also kicked out, asked, "What?"
"Are you really not going to be hospitalized? Given your current condition, hospitalization is probably the safest option."
Hua Cheng leaned lazily against the wall: "No."
"Why don't you stay in the hospital? Maybe you'll get better once you're admitted. Don't avoid seeking medical help." Liu Zhuang advised earnestly.
Hua Cheng: "I don't want to stay here."
Liu Zhuang: "...Speak properly to me."
“I really don’t want to live here,” Hua Cheng said helplessly. “I’m going to die in a hospital bed eventually, and until then, I’d rather live at home.”
Liu Zhuang immediately became furious: "What nonsense are you spouting! It hasn't gotten any worse, so how could it die? You better stop spitting and smashing that piece of wood!"
"Pah, pah, pah."
"And there's also knocking down wood!"
"...There's no wood here, don't be unreasonable."
Liu Zhuang: "Then knock on your blockhead, it'll have the same effect."
Hua Cheng: "..."
Liu Zhuang: "Knock."
Hua Cheng: "No, I won't knock."
Liu Zhuang: "Knock!"
Hua Cheng turned and ran, but Liu Zhuang, having anticipated this, immediately pinned him down.
When Yun Jin came out, she saw the two of them squeezing onto the chairs outside, playing Jenga.
She pinched the bridge of her nose, pretending not to see, and walked on. Liu Zhuang immediately chased after her: "Do you know how unlucky your husband is? He actually said..."
“Liu Zhuangzhuang, how old are you to be tattling!” Hua Cheng immediately interrupted.
Liu Zhuang's eyes immediately widened like saucers: "Who are you calling Liu Zhuangzhuang? My name is Liu Zhuang!"
"Come on, your ID card says Liu Zhuangzhuang."
“An ID card is an ID card, and I am who I am. My name is Liu Zhuang!”
Hua Cheng scoffed, "He named his daughter Beibei, but then he felt that Zhuangzhuang wasn't imposing enough, so he changed her name to Liu Zhuang. What kind of person is he?"
"Hua Cheng, come here, I promise I won't kill you!"
"Wife, help me!"
The two men were performing the Qin King circling the pillar around her, which annoyed Yun Jin so much that she punched each of them.
World peace has been achieved.
It was already noon when they left the hospital. Based on Yun Jin's experience, if she asked them what they wanted to eat at this time, it would definitely lead to another argument. So she simply took the initiative and went to a nearby restaurant.
On a weekday lunchtime, the restaurant wasn't very busy, so the three of us booked a private room.
As soon as they sat down, the waiter brought lemon tea. Hua Cheng poured a cup for Liu Zhuang, who drank it and said, "It's cold."
Hua Cheng called over a waiter: "Could you please change it to hot?"
Yun Jin glanced at them and immediately received two innocent smiles in return.
...They are almost seventy years old in total.
She scanned the QR code on the table to order food. After the hot tea was served, Hua Cheng went to the restroom alone, leaving only Yun Jin and Liu Zhuang in the private room.
"Fatty." Yun Jin put down her phone.
Liu Zhuang: "Hmm?"
“I remember you said before that Hua Cheng went back to work at the bar a few days after being hit with a bottle,” Yun Jin looked into his eyes and asked with a smile, “Did something else happen after that?”
Liu Zhuang asked in surprise, "You seem quite interested in things from the past lately."
"I guess it's because I'm getting older; I suddenly find myself enjoying talking about the past," Yun Jin replied calmly.
Liu Zhuang was indeed fooled: "Something did happen, I think I told you about it."
“I did say that,” Yun Jin knew her memory was good, but she still wanted to confirm it again, “You encountered a group of difficult customers, and you accidentally served the wrong wine. They forced you to finish the whole bottle and wouldn’t let you leave until you did. But you had just taken cephalosporin for a cold that day, and Hua Cheng saved you.”
"Yes, taking cephalosporin and then drinking alcohol can kill you. But those people are regulars at the bar, and the boss wouldn't risk offending them for a waiter. He just told me to handle it myself. I didn't want to work there anymore, but those people pinned me down on the sofa and I couldn't leave. In the end, Hua Cheng offered to take my place, and that's when they let me go."
"And then you called the police?" Yun Jin asked.
"I did want to, but our boss at the time was a real jerk. Not only did he not help me, he also warned me not to call the police, saying that if I dared to call the police, Hua Cheng would definitely be called in for questioning, and it was uncertain whether he would be able to get out then." After Liu Zhuang finished speaking, he cursed the unscrupulous boss a few more times.
Yun Jin: "Hua Cheng hasn't done anything wrong, so why can't he come out?"
"At the time, the incident with the wine bottle had only been over for two days. Hua Cheng preferred to pay for his own medical expenses rather than report the case to the police station. In addition, he usually only accepted cash for his salary and refused to provide his identity information... We all thought he had some unresolved criminal record."
So the boss would use Huacheng to threaten him, and he would easily be threatened by the boss. Looking back now, he was really stupid.
Yun Jin didn't think they were stupid. After a moment of contemplation, she slowly said, "I remember there was a follow-up to this matter."
Liu Zhuang glanced at the closed door immediately, and only lowered his voice after confirming that Hua Cheng hadn't returned: "Did I even tell you this?"
"I've mentioned some things, but I don't remember the specifics very well," Yun Jin chuckled.
Liu Zhuang waved his hands repeatedly: "Forget it, forget it quickly, whatever you do, don't let Hua Cheng know!"
Seeing that he remained tight-lipped, Yun Jin decided not to press for details.
After all, she was prepared to resolve the issue once and for all, and not let any subsequent problems arise.
After a while, she suddenly called out to him, "Fatty."
"What's wrong?" Fatty cupped his face.
Yun Jin: "You couldn't call the police or save him at the time, you must have been very anxious, right?"
"Of course I'm anxious! It's a whole bottle of whiskey! I wish I could drink it myself, die there, and extort a huge sum of money from them!"
Yun Jin calmly picked up her hot tea: "If you had a business card in your hand at that time, and you could have saved Hua Cheng without calling the police by simply dialing the number on it, would you have made the call?"
"Attack! Attack immediately!" Liu Zhuang slammed his fist on the table.
Yun Jin lowered her head and took a sip of tea.
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Author's Note: Mr. Yun: Waiting for the call.
Chinese Association: Makka Pakka
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