ward
Jiang Zhi walked over with a smile: "Why are you here? Didn't you go back?"
Fang Chengyin took a step back.
Jiang Zhi suddenly stepped forward and grabbed his waist. Fang Chengyin reacted by punching him in the face. As he was about to push him away, he noticed a sharpened wooden stick behind him.
"Why were you so impulsive?" The doting voice was like the triumphant sound of a hunter catching his prey.
Jiang Zhi pulled him into her arms and moved a few steps away from danger.
Fang Chengyin felt his arm tighten around his lower back, and when he met his eyes, his deep gaze held a mystery.
"Help...help me..."
The scarred man's weak voice came crashing down on them one after another.
Fang Chengyin pushed Jiang Zhi aside and took out his phone.
Jiang Zhi stared blankly at his empty hand, then withdrew it, his expression returning to normal: "I've already called an ambulance."
He's already called an ambulance, which means he didn't intend to hurt him? No, it's also possible he didn't want to cause a death, but only wanted to punish him?
"Are you cold? Your hands are shaking." Jiang Zhi stood behind Fang Chengyin and hugged his hand that was tightly gripping his phone.
Fang Chengyin's attention was not on Jiang Zhi, but on the three steps stained with a lot of blood.
Jiang Zhi stroked the back of his hand and explained, "I was walking around the orchard when I passed by here and saw him acting suspiciously upstairs, so I came to check it out. These buildings have been abandoned for a long time, but most of them are shops, and there are still a lot of food on the shelves. When he came down carrying the snacks, his shoes slipped and he fell."
Fang Chengyin looked at the scarred man and saw that there were indeed many snacks scattered around him and not far away, and a fruit cart was indeed parked there.
It turns out I misunderstood him.
"I'm sorry, I—" Fang Chengyin suddenly grabbed his hand, "Why are your hands so cold?"
Jiang Zhi froze, his eyelids drooping as he stared intently at Fang Chengyin, his eyelashes fluttering, his expression focused beneath the damp hair on his forehead, his lips gently pursed... A slight blush crept up Jiang Zhi's ears, and the cherry blossom pattern on the back of his neck shimmered with a soft light.
Fang Chengyin turned around, frowning as he looked at his slightly bluish lips. "Could it be that you've caught a cold?"
Jiang Zhi laughed, "No, it's just a little cold."
"You go back first, I'll wait for the ambulance here." Fang Chengyin let go of his hand and was about to take off his coat.
Jiang Zhi stopped him and put his hands back into Fang Chengyin's palms: "It's okay, you've warmed up a lot after you rubbed them, you can warm them up for me again."
Looking at the innocent and harmless handsome face, Fang Chengyin felt a little hot for no reason and lowered his head to warm his hands.
Changing the subject: "When will the ambulance arrive?"
Jiang Zhi leaned closer to him, "About five minutes."
"Oh." Sensing the other's breathing, Fang Chengyin wished he could bury his head in the ground. "You came here with me today, did you not sell any apples?"
Jiang Zhi lowered his head, his gaze fixed on Fang Chengyin's rain-moistened lips. His tone was soft, as if he had strayed from the topic, yet he managed to continue the conversation: "It's okay, I'll set up a stall on the pedestrian street after evening self-study. There are more people there, I can sell everything..."
"oh……"
A warm breath brushed against his ear and cheek. Fang Chengyin unconsciously turned his head and looked at the other person's lips, which were no longer bluish-purple. His heart pounded, and the hand he had been covering turned into an ambiguous caress.
Their auras gradually merged, and the distance between them continued to shrink...
drop--
The sound of a horn broke the ambiguity.
Fang Chengyin froze on the spot. Jiang Zhi was the first to react. He wiped Fang Chengyin's lips, looked up, and hugged him. He then raised his hand to the ambulance across the alley: "The injured person is here. I made the call!"
Medical staff carried the stretcher over quickly.
"And this is...?"
"My friend was frightened." Jiang Zhi tightened his grip on her arm after saying that.
Fang Chengyin felt his earlobes burning.
Furthermore, Jiang Zhi's chest was heaving violently, and his heart was pounding loudly.
The scarred man was carried away, and the paramedics said, "Shall we get in the car together?"
Jiang Zhi: "No need, my car is over there, we can just ride in that one and follow behind."
The ambulance sped away.
Fang Chengyin sat in the fruit cart, still somewhat dazed, until he finally relaxed completely when he opened the convertible top and disappeared into the semi-enclosed space.
I can't believe I'm attracted to Jiang Zhi, whom I've only known for less than two days...
After some self-reflection, the image of Jiang Zhi's handsome face, so close to his own, flashed through Fang Chengyin's mind again, and he angrily punched the metal sheet.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Zhi was driving and turned to look at him.
"It's okay, just drive carefully."
"Okay." Jiang Zhi turned back.
Fang Chengyin sat outside the operating room, soaking wet. Jiang Zhi was nowhere to be seen. There were many ghosts around, and he unconsciously curled up his legs, burying his head between his knees, adopting a self-protective posture.
"Are you cold?" Jiang Zhi draped a towel over him.
Fang Chengyin looked up, and the ghosts had all disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Jiang Zhi shoved the ceramic cup into his hand. "Drink some hot milk."
Fang Chengyin stared at him blankly.
Jiang Zhi laughed: "What? You've fallen for me?"
Fang Chengyin countered with a serious expression, "And you, have you fallen for me?"
Jiang Zhi paused for a moment, then smiled.
Fang Chengyin laughed too, saying it was just the suspension bridge effect.
·
When the scarred man woke up, only Fang Chengyin was by his bedside.
Fang Chengyin asked, "Was it really because your shoes slipped when you went downstairs?"
The scarred man glanced at the bandaged limbs, his狰狞 face simply contorted in a grimace, and he didn't intend to say anything.
Fang Chengyin looked straight at him and said, "Medical expenses are very expensive."
The scarred man stared at him suddenly, then burst into tears like a child.
"So I hope you tell the truth. If you've been framed, then medical expenses aren't something you should worry about. On the contrary, you can get compensation."
The scarred man looked at him like he was grasping at a straw, and after hesitating for a moment, he finally mustered up his courage: "I didn't—"
"What are you talking about?" Jiang Zhi's appearance interrupted the man's words.
The scarred man lowered his head when he saw Jiang Zhi, his courage almost completely gone. Fang Chengyin noticed that his hands were trembling slightly.
Jiang Zhi didn't seem to care and looked at the scarred man: "The doctor said the injury wasn't as serious as we thought. He can be discharged after a month of rest. I've already paid the medical bills."
Jiang Zhi paid his medical bills.
Fang Chengyin looked at the timid scarred man and knew he couldn't get any more information out of him.
After leaving the hospital, Jiang Zhi rushed back to school for evening self-study.
Fang Chengyin didn't go back immediately, but just wandered around aimlessly. The rain had stopped, but it was too late to get to his last extra job.
The production team did not contact him. Extras are usually insignificant and not present. If someone else is unable to attend, they will be replaced.
"Give me back my sister!" came the sharp, mournful cry of protest.
A woman stood at the main entrance, which was marked with yellow tape, crying and shouting. Her voice was hoarse and rough. She held up a banner that was swaying incessantly, and her thin body was about to collapse in the autumn wind.
Many citizens stood by and watched, most of them holding their phones and criticizing her.
The kindergarten has been designated as the crime scene, but there's no one inside. The woman's intention is simply to force the investigation bureau to find the murderer as soon as possible.
A middle-aged woman stepped forward to dissuade him, saying, "Please accept my condolences; this can't go on."
The woman was even more grief-stricken: "There are security cameras everywhere, I just want to know how the murderer got in! Why did they say they couldn't detect the murderer going in!"
Fang Chengyin abruptly crossed the cordon and looked towards the center of the playground. Apart from the outline of the corpse drawn in white chalk, there was nothing there.
The yellow talisman and black fluff I saw that day were gone.
"The motion-sensor cameras here are notoriously advanced; even strangers without registered facial recognition will make a racket if they step inside... How did this criminal get in?! He's either a student's parent, a school staff member, or someone inside helping him! There's no other possibility! I repeatedly begged the school to re-verify the information of those who entered the school that day, but I haven't received a single response! What are they afraid of keeping such a tight-lipped account of?!"
The scene erupted in uproar, and citizens quickly uploaded related videos to the internet, some with their faces blurred and others without.
The woman wore exquisite makeup, and her reddened eyes were incredibly moving. You couldn't tell that she had just lost her sister; instead, she looked like a popular online celebrity leading lady in a short drama.
Few people would sympathize with this behavior; they would only think that she wanted to use her sister's death to get a satisfactory and high compensation fee.
Fang Chengyin turned away indifferently, thinking of Song Zixin. In the five years since Fang Bokang disappeared, she had always been out and about without makeup. As a famous actress, her weary figure was everywhere on the internet—no glamorous dresses, no cutting-edge makeup.
She simply doesn't have time to take care of herself.
People generally believe that once you lose a loved one, you have no time to dress up.
Fang Chengyin took out his phone, opened Weibo, and saw that the hashtag #SheIsActing# was trending and quickly became the top trending topic.
The bright red "explosion" character can represent both the public's satisfaction at the exposure of corrupt officials and celebrities' tax evasion and other illegal and criminal activities, and people's indignation at the bullying of ordinary citizens.
Never before has a social topic been met with such a barrage of mockery of women in the comments section, with a few comments even inciting gender antagonism.
Fang Chengyin was about to leave when he saw a boy wearing the uniform of Yanyang No.1 Middle School standing outside the crowd, glancing intentionally or unintentionally at the guardhouse.
Fang Chengyin walked over and asked, "Aren't you in class? At this time."
The boy turned to look at him. He was clearly outstanding, but his gaze was dark and menacing, as if he hated something intensely.
The boy didn't intend to pay attention to him and turned to leave.
"Do you like apples?" Fang Chengyin called out to them.
The boy was puzzled and looked back at him. High school students never hold back their emotions when they are hostile to others.
Fang Chengyin said dismissively, "Someone you know is involved in this incident, right?"
"It's none of your business."
Fang Chengyin laughed: "I just said the same thing to someone, but do you know what he said? He said it wasn't enough, far from enough."
The boy looked displeased and naturally had no idea what the person in front of him, who seemed to be the same age as him but wasn't wearing a school uniform, wanted to do.
Fang Chengyin said, "Take me to see the person you know; perhaps I can do something about it."
"Do something?" The boy scoffed lightly before his face turned cold. "Are you a reporter? Or an internet celebrity? You lock onto a target, dissect the process, publish the story, guide netizens to attack the target, and then laugh as you count your money. You're quite adept at this combo, aren't you?"
Being labeled with two professions he disliked left Fang Chengyin in a rather unpleasant mood. He didn't like interacting with people who stirred his emotions, whether it was Jiang Zhi or this high school student in front of him. But... if interacting with them could get him what he wanted, it wasn't unbearable.
"I'm sorry, I'm not a reporter or an internet celebrity. But I remember that Yanyang No. 1 High School organizes students to watch 'Yanyang News' every night, so this incident should have been reported..."
"What exactly are you trying to say!" the boy said impatiently.
Fang Chengyin stepped forward. The two were about the same height, but Fang Chengyin's gaze was more intimidating, though his tone was very soft. "I was the citizen who was the first to chase after the suspect."
The boy suddenly looked up, as if trying to glean something from the other person.
Having achieved his goal, Fang Chengyin stepped back to create some distance, asking, "Now, can you come with me to buy apples?"
He finished speaking and walked away, his sneakers pausing before following behind.
Instead of going to the fruit stall across the street, Fang Chengyin plunged into the "Shanling Fruit" store, which had suddenly sprung up in recent years.
Zhong Qiqian had bought it for him once before, but then refused to buy it again, firstly because it was too expensive, and secondly because the taste wasn't very good.
It's yet another brand that's been over-packaged.
The boy didn't go inside; instead, he waited at the store entrance.
Soon after, Fang Chengyin stepped out of the fruit shop, carrying a basket of fruit in his hand, his face as dark as if he owed someone millions.
He clenched his teeth so tightly that the money from one part-time job was gone.
"It's very expensive," said the boy who was a step behind, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, as if he were speaking to Fang Chengyin, or perhaps to himself.
Fang Chengyin stopped and walked alongside the boy. They had just reached a fork in the road, and he needed the boy to lead the way. "It's nothing to splurge once in a while."
The boy stopped talking and turned right.
Soon after, the two entered Yanyang Hospital and took the elevator to the seventh floor.
The boy pushed open the door to room 4-1002, saying, "The person you want to see is there."
There are three beds in the room, separated by curtains. In Yanyang Hospital, the multi-person rooms with curtains are for seriously ill patients who have to share because they don't have enough money.
The room smelled strongly of medicine. Fang Chengyin followed the boy's gaze to the bed by the window. The curtains were drawn tightly, as if the bed didn't want to see anyone. The curtains of the other two beds in the room were open, and the family members sat silently peeling apples, their eyes vacant and ignoring everyone.
The boy followed behind him, saying, "Whether he wants to see you or not is up to you."
The implication is that the curtain should not be lifted casually.
Fang Chengyin placed the fruit basket on the reception desk and said respectfully, "Hello, I am Luo Cheng. We met on the day of the incident. I'm here to ask you something."
There was no sound from inside. Fang Chengyin stopped talking and just waited silently. The boy looked at the basket of expensive fruit, lost in thought.
A few minutes later, the family members next door couldn't stand it anymore, mainly because the two grown men were just standing there and it was annoying to watch.
"Asking for forgiveness can wait until someone is fully recovered, otherwise they'll just get angry again."
Fang Chengyin said to the man, "Excuse me, please allow me to stay a little longer."
The family member quickly pulled the curtain shut, out of sight, out of mind.
A few minutes later, a haggard-looking woman came in carrying a lunchbox, looking at Fang Chengyin and the boy suspiciously. "May I ask who you are?"
Fang Chengyin breathed a sigh of relief at the polite tone. "I've met this patient once before, and I wanted to ask him something."
The woman's gloomy expression instantly brightened. "Are you planning to help us get justice? After the mining accident, those bastards shirked their responsibility and haven't given my husband any compensation to this day. He's worked for them for so many years, and not only has all his money been swallowed up, but he probably won't live much longer..."
The woman choked up as she spoke, and the man silently left the room. Fang Chengyin quickly apologized to the woman, saying that he had the wrong person and that the basket of fruit would be a token of his apology.
As I left the ward and closed the door behind me, the boy was waiting against the wall.
"Why did you lie to me?" Fang Chengyin asked calmly.
The boy gave him a quiet look. "You knew I was lying to you, but you still cooperated, didn't you? You're no better; you weren't using your real name just now, were you?"
Fang Cheng smiled. The moment the ward door opened, he knew that the patients had nothing to do with the kindergarten incident. The Criminal Investigation Bureau would not be happy to let the parties involved or related parties blend into the crowd; they would only keep them in places that they could see, touch, and control.
If the boy lied to him, then he should just play along and indulge in his pranks. High school students are easy to manipulate anyway.
"You're very smart, no wonder you dared to skip class. Can you take me now?"
The boy didn't reply, but turned and led the way.
In the elevator, the boy pressed the button for the 34th floor. Fang Chengyin glanced at the chest of his school uniform; he wasn't wearing a school badge, so there was no name on it.
Fang Chengyin said, "Shall we exchange names?"
“There’s no need.” The boy rejected Fang Chengyin; to be precise, he rejected all strangers.
The boy was good-looking, and Fang Chengyin was curious about what it would be like for him to cry next to a seriously ill family member; it must be quite a sight.
bite--
Fang Chengyin chuckled self-deprecatingly, wondering what kind of nonsense he had been thinking.
As expected, it was colder at higher altitudes; the temperature seemed to drop several degrees suddenly, and the corridor was eerily quiet.
The boy entered the password to the ward door, and the white-haired man on the bed turned around. It was Liu Desheng, the security guard from Flower Kindergarten.
The person who crawled covered in blood that day.
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