Chapter 43: The Enemy Chen

Zhi rested in bed, surrounded by several doctors.

Feng Ran's heart tightened, and he hurried forward, asking, "What's wrong?" Chen

Zhi looked up and smiled, "Nothing."

The nurse complained, "Don't talk! The wound has opened!"

Cotton balls quickly stained red, and Feng Ran was sweating with anxiety. "What's going on? How could it open? I was just out for a moment..."

Shen Zhi asked, "Where did you go?"

"I... went downstairs for a walk."

"I told you not to talk! You're still talking!" the nurse scolded again, and the two of them quickly shut up.

Fortunately, the wound was only a superficial tear, and the bleeding stopped after simple treatment. The doctor sternly warned Shen Zhi not to engage in any strenuous exercise alone, especially not to lift heavy objects.

Feng Ran learned that his grandmother's son had suddenly run into an emergency while fetching water, and he happened to see him exercising alone, so he handed him the water bottle. The bottle was too heavy, and when he returned, he found the wound bleeding.

"Why are you showing off? I can do it." As soon as the nurse left, he complained to Chen Zhi, "Just stay in bed when I'm not around. This guy is really something. He can give it to anyone else, but he gives it to you. Doesn't he know you just had surgery?"

Grandma felt guilty after hearing this and said, "Oh, this is his fault. I'll definitely tell him later."

Chen Zhi said innocently, "It's okay, Grandma. He's been gone for a long time, and I couldn't wait."

... Only ten minutes.

"I just went out for a cigarette," he said. "By the way, I just heard a loud noise. What's going on?" Shen

Zhi said, "I don't know. It's not on this floor, is it?"

Grandma spoke again, "It was on this floor, Xiao Shen. You were out at the same time. Did you see anything? Oh, my heart is pounding. I thought someone was in trouble." Shen

Zhi said, "Well, I didn't see anything, so it probably wasn't on this floor."

Grandma muttered, "But the nurse said they couldn't find anyone all afternoon..."

Since it was nothing serious and none of their business, Feng Ran put the matter aside. As he sat down, he noticed a roll of medical tape on the bedside table, which had become much thinner.

There were some bloodstains on it, dark red, and still fresh.

It had been in the cupboard before. Feng Ran said, "How did the tape get taken out?"

Chen Zhi took a look and said, "I don't know."

Feng Ran said okay, lowered his head to change his shoes, and saw that Chen Zhi's leather shoes had also moved.

He asked casually, "Did you just put on your shoes? You can't bend down, how did you put them on when I wasn't around?"

"I stepped on them directly, don't worry."

He habitually lifted the shoes and put them back in place, but saw several deep concave marks on the toe of the shoes, almost penetrating the upper. The smooth arc, shaped like a dotted line, was messily carved on it, with a little blood.

Like tooth marks.

He said nothing and put the shoes back in place.

Shiwu couldn't go home again. Ren He called again and again. Feng Ran handed him the hospitalization form, and he reluctantly believed it, saying that he would leave in the spring and they didn't know when they would meet again.

Feng Ran couldn't say "I'm sorry" in his throat.

Ren He said nonchalantly, "The important thing is to pay me back the money as soon as possible, with interest. Three thousand for a meal, you two grandsons are such a spendthrift."

He already knew Feng Ran's phone was being tapped, and his riddles were becoming increasingly smooth.

Feng Ran could only agree, "Yes, yes, I'll take you to something more expensive next time.

" "Tsk, mind your own business. When you have time, contact Lu; he might give you some gold bars."

Grandma's son had been beaten.

Feng Ran didn't see him until three days later.

For the past few days, Grandma had been sighing and crying, blaming her son for not visiting.

When he arrived, she was horrified and cried out, "Zhuangzhuang'er, what's wrong with your face?"

Feng Ran glanced over. The man's face was beyond description; his head was swollen twice as big, looking both comical and pitiful. One of his legs was broken, and he walked with a limp.

Remembering the man's actions over the past few days, he didn't feel any joy. He just kept silent and, as usual, massaged Shen Zhi and applied medicine.

Like him, Chen Zhi was uninterested in the farce and focused on his latest art collection.

Grandma screamed and raged, but the man, losing his former composure, whispered to her to stop. However, he refused to say a word about what was going on.

The argument continued, and Grandma became extremely agitated, crying and threatening to call the police. She even dragged Feng Ran over for an "injury assessment," alarming the nurses on the first floor.

The man sent the nurse away, and mother and son erupted in their most intense argument ever. Their faces flushed, their argument harking back to a family matter from years ago, attracting dozens of spectators on the same floor. Finally, the man, his face livid, berated his mother, "That's enough! I told her I couldn't come, but you insisted! Now you're acting like you're dying! You killed my dad, and now you're killing me too!"

He stormed off.

Feng Ran offered words of comfort, but the woman was crying so hard that it was no use.

He had no choice but to go out with two pots of water. When he returned, the woman had been wheeled out of the ward.

Chen Zhi said nervously, "Grandma suddenly fainted and was taken away."

Feng Ran frowned. "What happened?"

"I don't know."

The chattering onlookers dispersed, and Feng Ran put down the kettle and closed the door.

"What did the doctor say?"

"Nothing."

Grandma didn't come back until late at night, and Feng Ran heard the news from He Chuan at noon the next day.

He couldn't help but curse.

"What happened?"

"You just said that group of people who were causing trouble—Chen Zhi beat up the leader. It happened a few days ago."

He Chuan's brains were quick and understood. He said, "Transfer to another hospital."

"Where? How?" Feng Ran said. "He's being discharged soon. I didn't know he'd recovered so well. Shit."

So well that he could lock a grown man in the bathroom and beat him for more than ten minutes without him being able to fight back.

He didn't hesitate for long. He finished his cigarette and went upstairs. As soon as he entered, Shen Zhi's eyes followed him closely.

He didn't have time to think about why Shen Zhi had been waiting for him with his eyes wide open lately.

"Something happened." He walked over slowly and grabbed Shen Zhi's shoulder, "Tell me, what happened that day?"

Shen Zhi had never seen him with this expression.

"Tell me!" Feng Ran almost roared.

Shen Zhi turned his head away indifferently: "He was just tied up and kicked a few times. This guy is really mean."

"What's wrong with your shoes!"

"He was too noisy and broke a few teeth. My leather shoes are broken... Don't worry, the teeth are stuck in my mouth, not in the hospital."

"Where's the tape? What did you use the tape for? What did you wrap?"

"...Mouth, hands, and feet."

Feng Ran felt his teeth itching: "You are really... I don't know what to say to you!"

"Do you need to beat me up to vent your anger?"

"No, I can't beat you!"

Shen Zhi was silent for a moment, then asked, "What happened? What happened to grandma?"

"No."

He looked up suddenly.

"Her son is causing trouble downstairs." Feng Ran threw him some clothes. "Come on, get dressed and pack your things. Hurry up. I'll get you discharged."

"Why?"

Feng Ran sneered. "Why? You can't tell me just by looking at his posture. I'm a stranger in Hai City, and there are more than a dozen of them, armed with weapons. If they take the opportunity to come up and cause trouble for you, can the hospital stop them? Can you beat them? Huh?" Shen Zhi

felt guilty, so he pushed himself up and got off the bed, then started packing his things.

He still had an IV drip on his hand, so he moved slowly. Feng Ran said, "Get out of the way," and quickly stuffed all his things into his schoolbag.

He looked at Shen Zhi's jade-like hand, pressed the tape on the back of his hand, and pulled out the needle: "It's done."

The door to the ward opened, and He Chuan stood at the door, watching them.

Feng Ran said, "Well, I, he..." Chen

Zhi was still calm: "Let's go first."

He Chuan said, "The car is downstairs, you carry him first. Let's go separately."

Feng Ran still had a big bag on his back. He turned around and looked at Chen Zhi and then at him.

Chen Zhi would rather die than have any physical contact with He Chuan. Feng Ran threw the bag to He Chuan, carried him on his back, and went downstairs from the emergency passage.

The other hospital He Chuan found was in the suburbs, a private one. After listening to his introduction, Feng Ran finally calmed down a little.

He followed the navigation, looked at the buildings towering into the clouds from a distance, and said, "Did you advance the expenses?"

He hummed.

"...Thank you." He said dryly. "

It's as a repayment to you."

Shen Zhi was lying flat on the back seat alone and had fallen asleep. After all, he was still seriously ill and couldn't stand the tossing and turning.

At his previous hospital, He Chuan had paid tens of thousands, but the fees at this private hospital couldn't possibly be on the same level. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, "Where do you get the money?" He Chuan was usually frugal, and upon reflection, he realized he'd never seen him short of money.

"What do you think?" He Chuan said calmly, "Is it for free?" "

...a dishonest businessman." Feng Ran glanced at him again. "Exorbitant profits."

"..." Riding

in the car with He Chuan, Feng Ran had almost grown accustomed to silence, turning up the music.

Jazz music streamed through the car, and He Chuan muttered, nonchalantly, "Li Yige came to see me."

"Who?"

"Xiao Muzi."

Feng Ran pondered for a few seconds before retrieving the key word from his memory. Reflexively, he glanced behind him.

"What's wrong with calling you?"

He Chuan said. "I saw me delivering food, so I thought you were sick."

"Ah."

"He's from Hai City."

"What a coincidence."

Feng Ran thought He Chuan was just saying it casually, but before getting out of the car, he added in a low voice, "Be careful."

Although he didn't say it explicitly, the two of them understood it tacitly. He nodded, and the matter was put aside.

The service they paid so much for really made a difference. Not only Chen Zhi, but Feng Ran's food and accommodation also improved significantly.

He Chuan disappeared, and Chen Zhi didn't bring it up. Feng Ran tactfully didn't bother to make any inquiries, and thus they spent the last week or so of his hospital stay peacefully.

On the day Shen Zhi was discharged, Feng Ran asked, "Do you need someone else to come?"

"It's up to you."

From the sound of it, he seemed reluctant. So he didn't ask He Chuan to come.

Although he was discharged, the real recuperation period had just begun. For the next month, all of Shen Zhi's food and drink had to be accurate to the gram, and there could be no mistakes.

Feng Ran, balancing nutrition with taste, rarely left the house, his energy focused on post-operative meals, even relying on delivery for ingredients and seasonings.

Chen Zhi found time to video chat with the orphanage's teachers. Ruoruo was terribly worried. Upon seeing Chen Zhi, tears welled up in her eyes, her mouth gaping, unable to utter a single sound.

He, too, was about to burst into tears, but Feng Ran stopped her, snatched her phone away, and soon coaxed the child back to life.

Over the weekend, Feng Ran was helping a single player gain points when Shen Zhi suddenly said, "Someone's here."

The wind chimes by the door chimed.

After his game, Feng Ran went to open the door. It was He Chuan, whom he hadn't seen in a while.

He was wrapped tightly in a scarf and hat. Feng Ran asked, "Sorry for keeping you waiting." He nodded, peering inside, "Come out with me." Shen Zhi,

upon hearing this, forced himself out, saying, "Feng Ran."

Feng Ran was deeply troubled, but He Chuan refused to budge, staring intently at him, as if something serious was amiss.

After all his previous help, Feng Ran naturally felt obliged to do so.

Chen Zhi said calmly: "If you have anything to say, just say it here, is that not okay?"

"No."

Chen Zhi said: "The money owed has been repaid, what else do you want? Feng Ran will not go with you."

"Then what are you afraid of?"

Feng Ran said anxiously: "Okay, stop talking. I'll go with you."

He turned to the pale man in the room: "Have a good rest, I'll be back soon."

Seeing him change his shoes neatly, Chen Zhi said: "Go ahead, you will definitely regret it."

He left a harsh word, turned and went into the bedroom, slamming the door.