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Chapter 72: They died and got hurt because of you.
Qin Ge remained busy during the day. This week, he and Qin Shuangshuang began conducting unified “sea area” tests for the teachers at New Hope Academy. Zhang Xiao, a member of the Special Management Committee, had returned to Warehouse No. 3 and was unable to assist the Crisis Office with its work.
To avoid delaying Xie Zijing’s “sea area” reconstruction, Qin Ge had to rush to the hospital after work.
Xie Zijing spent the entire day idly in the hospital room. His physiological indicators were all normal, but he was heavily guarded by the hospital because he had run out of his room the previous night, causing the attending doctor and head nurse considerable anxiety. Without his phone, he could only turn on the TV and watch, having spent the whole day going through every channel’s dramas about mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships. He believed he had gained the ability to write scripts and create stories.
A young nurse, finding him handsome, gave him an apple. Xie Zijing carefully peeled it with a small knife, cut it into pieces, and stuck toothpicks into them.
Qin Ge liked eating loquats but disliked peeling them. When it came to any fruit that required peeling, Qin Ge always politely declined. Whenever they were together, it was always Xie Zijing who handled the peeling and pitting. He would advise Qin Ge to eat apples with the skin, saying, “The skin is nutritious.” Qin Ge, without even looking up, would reply, “Then you eat the skin, I’ll eat the flesh.”
These incidents were noted meticulously in a little notebook, with detailed entries here and there. Today, Xie Zijing had flipped through that notebook at least ten times, remembering every detail clearly.
As the fruit flesh gradually turned brown, he heard the sound of the hospital room door opening, and instantly, his whole demeanor perked up.
“Have you eaten?” Qin Ge put his backpack aside, “Just apples for dinner? That’s not good.”
“For you,” Xie Zijing pushed the plate towards him, and thinking it wasn’t enough, he proactively picked up a piece of apple with a toothpick and offered it to Qin Ge.
Qin Ge didn’t take it, instead picking up a piece himself to eat, “You should eat more; you like this.”
Xie Zijing stared at him and soon saw a fleeting blush on Qin Ge’s face.
“How do you know I like this?” Xie Zijing asked with a smile.
“…We’ve been colleagues for so long, of course I know.” Qin Ge, not having much appetite, quickly sat down beside his bed and asked, “Have you rested well? Let’s start.”
Xie Zijing put the plate back on the bedside table, “Aren’t we going to chat a bit?”
Qin Ge set an alarm for an hour later, “There’s nothing to talk about.”
Xie Zijing: “But I have something to ask you.”
Qin Ge: “Go ahead.”
Xie Zijing: “Have you abandoned me?”
Qin Ge: “…”
He thought he had heard wrong—”Have you”?
“I… I didn’t abandon… No, wait, what do you mean by I abandoned you?” Qin Ge felt that this question was familiar, having heard Xie Zijing say it before. His eyelids almost started twitching immediately: a foreboding feeling that Xie Zijing was about to play the pity card.
Sure enough, Xie Zijing lowered his eyebrows and pouted, “When I came back last night, I saw Tang Cuo. He told me you’ve already transferred me away.”
Qin Ge thought, oh, so you remember Tang Cuo… but can’t remember my things.
He immediately felt a bit upset and, with a stern face, said, “Transferring you wasn’t my decision. If you have complaints, take them up with Gao Tianyue.”
Xie Zijing: “Who’s Gao Tianyue?”
Qin Ge: “…Is your brain selectively remembering things?”
Xie Zijing smiled ambiguously. This Gao Tianyue had never appeared in his little notebook.
Just as he was about to speak, his ears suddenly twitched, and he quickly turned to look out the window.
Night had already fallen, and it was very quiet around. Being on the top floor, Xie Zijing could only see the pitch-black sky.
“What’s wrong?”
“…There was a strange noise.” Xie Zijing thought for a moment, got out of bed, and walked to the balcony of the hospital room. The balcony was blocked by barriers to prevent patients from falling. Xie Zijing pushed the window with all his might, but could only open it a hand’s width. He looked down through the gap but saw nothing except the tall poplar trees surrounding the inpatient building.
After observing for a moment, Xie Zijing retreated.
As he closed the balcony window, the branches of the poplar tree rustled.
A person’s hand pressed against the wall of the inpatient building, gouging out a fist-sized hole.
Carefully avoiding the surveillance of 267th Hospital, the person climbed upward, using the poplar trees as cover. As he emerged from the foliage, moonlight illuminated his face.
It was Meng Yu.
Almost simultaneously, a sharp whistle descended from the sky: several small hawks swooped down from the rooftop, directly attacking Meng Yu.
These were the spirit bodies of the sentinels from 267th Hospital’s Security Department. Meng Yu had been detected by them the moment he emerged from the trees.
Meng Yu no longer carefully chose his footholds. He swung his arms to fend off the invisible guardians and tightly gripped the edge of a balcony above him, nimbly flipping himself onto it.
He heard the alarm sounding sharply throughout the hospital grounds. This sound also startled someone in the hospital room. That person was not lying in bed but was curled up in a corner of the room, hugging their knees. Upon hearing the alarm, they lifted their heads in confusion.
Meng Yu took a deep breath and raised his fist. As an underground dweller, his bones and muscles had changed due to the rock virus, making a sheet of glass no match for him.
The window shattered. Meng Yu’s hand reached through the hole, opened the window, and jumped into the room.
The small hawks followed closely, darting inside, while the room’s door was almost simultaneously flung open, and Xiao Liu and the on-duty Crisis Office personnel rushed in.
Meng Yu completely ignored everyone. Before his feet even touched the ground, he leaped in front of the person curled up in the corner, grabbed him by the neck, and lifted him forcibly.
“Meng Yu! Don’t do anything stupid!” Xiao Liu’s voice cracked, “Let go of Bian Han!”
Meng Yu’s face was grim, one hand gripping Bian Han’s neck, the other hand pinching Bian Han’s fingers.
“I just want to say a few words to him.” Meng Yu turned to Xiao Liu, “I asked you before, you wouldn’t allow it, so I came myself.”
“Bian Han can’t communicate with anyone right now,” Xiao Liu quickly explained, “He even refuses all guides’ counseling. But don’t worry, our adjustor… you know him, Qin Ge—he’s right here in 267th Hospital. As soon as he finishes his current task, he’ll come to check on Bian Han.”
Qin Ge sneezed.
“Someone’s thinking of you,” Xie Zijing said, “Or maybe speaking ill of you?”
Qin Ge: “Is it you? Are you speaking ill of me in your mind because I don’t want you?”
Xie Zijing quickly defended, “I wouldn’t.”
Qin Ge rubbed his nose. He had to stay in Xie Zijing’s “sea area” for an hour, then go downstairs to Bian Han’s room to check on him. He was incredibly busy, with no time or energy to worry about matters between himself and Xie Zijing. His mind was filled with complaints about Gao Tianyue and a desire to train new spirit adjustors.
When he looked up at Xie Zijing, he saw the same familiar pitiful expression on Xie Zijing’s face.
“I don’t know the people from the Criminal Investigation Department,” Xie Zijing asked, “Can I refuse?”
Qin Ge was momentarily distracted. Had Xie Zijing’s personality not changed? He began to doubt Lu Qinglai’s professional competence: why did this person instinctively know how to act pitiful to gain his sympathy both before and after?
And it always worked.
Qin Ge scratched his head, “The Criminal Investigation Department is good too. Your idol is in the Criminal Investigation Department.”
Xie Zijing: “Who?”
Qin Ge: “Lei Chi.”
Xie Zijing: “Oh…”
The notebook mentioned Lei Chi, but only in two sentences. One was “Lei Chi is pursuing Bai Xiaoyuan, but Bai Xiaoyuan doesn’t like him,” and the other was “Lei Chi is quite formidable, but I’m no less.”
Qin Ge looked at him seriously and said, “Transferring you wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. You might not remember, but back then, Gao Tianyue was the head of the Crisis Office. Sorry, we usually call him by his name in conversation, I’m used to it. Before you came to the Crisis Office, you were at the Western Office…”
He quickly recounted how Gao Tianyue brought Xie Zijing to headquarters.
“He wanted you to join the Adjustment Department under me, first to find out about the Luquan incident from your memory, and second to help restore your ‘sea area.’ Xie Zijing, you’re an outstanding sentinel, with a very powerful spirit capable of executing complex tasks. The Adjustment Department is not where you belong, you’re suited for the Criminal Investigation Department.”
“…You think so too?” Xie Zijing asked.
Qin Ge nodded, “You have no idea how happy your lion is running on the rooftops of Wangdu District… Do you remember what happened in Wangdu District?”
Xie Zijing had a vague impression but immediately shook his head, “Tell me about it?”
Qin Ge glanced at his watch; more than ten minutes had already passed.
“Let’s focus on the task at hand,” Qin Ge reminded helplessly, “I have other work to do later.”
He indeed looked tired. Xie Zijing opened his mouth, and in that moment, several questions hovered on his tongue: Did you sleep well? Are you still leaving the lights on? Have those fears of the dark returned to haunt you?
“…You need to rest well.” He didn’t ask, but sincerely reminded.
“The formal transfer will only begin once you’re fully recovered,” Qin Ge said, holding his hand. “Don’t worry. Let’s address your ‘sea area’ issues today. Xie Zijing, if your ‘sea area’ has mostly recovered, I’ll attempt to delve into your memory to uncover what happened the night of the Luquan incident. This might be somewhat uncomfortable… can you handle it?”
Xie Zijing nodded, and Qin Ge saw a trusting warmth in his eyes.
For a moment, Qin Ge felt like a beast tamer—though not a very skilled one.
A furry little creature emerged from their clasped hands, squeezing its tiny head through their fingers, and stared intently at Xie Zijing with a slightly timid expression. Its long fur almost covered its black eyes, which Xie Zijing brushed aside, then smiled at it.
As he closed his eyes, he once again heard the strange noise from outside. But Qin Ge’s spirit body aura had already enveloped him, and he, feeling completely calm and safe, opened up his “sea area.”
Two sentinels in 267th Hospital’s Security Department uniforms crouched on the balcony, their eyes fixed on Meng Yu inside the room.
Xiao Liu gestured for them to stay calm.
“Do you recognize me?” Meng Yu asked, “What are you staring at? What are you doing here?”
Bian Han’s mind was in a haze. After a long time, he finally looked at Meng Yu. His expression was painful, and he couldn’t utter a word, mouthing “I’m sorry” silently.
“What are you wasting time for!” Meng Yu grabbed Bian Han’s cheeks and shouted hoarsely, “You killed Siyuan! You killed your partner! You also attacked Tang Xing!”
Bian Han’s features twisted, and he gasped for breath as his throat was constricted, screaming sharply, “I’m sorry!”
Meng Yu glared at him, and the hand gripping Bian Han’s fingers slowly moved.
A soft crack sounded, and Bian Han cried out in pain—his little finger had been broken by Meng Yu!
The intense pain immediately brought a cold sweat to Bian Han’s forehead. He briefly regained his senses, trembling and looking at Meng Yu in terror. In his wavering vision, Meng Yu’s cold and angry gaze pierced him like a nail.
“They died and got hurt because of you,” Meng Yu shouted, grabbing his collar, “Take responsibility, Bian Han!”
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