Shen Jingmo slept very uncomfortably that night.
Because he and Xiao Yan were lying on the same bed, although they were separated by two quilts, the bed was very large and the distance between them was very far, but this feeling was very strange.
He wrapped himself up like a silkworm cocoon, fearing that something dangerous might happen, but Xiao Yan’s breathing was steady, as if he was sleeping.
In the end, Shen Jingmo couldn’t hold on any longer and fell asleep.
At this time, Xiao Yan’s eyes suddenly opened, and he sat up. He turned on the bedside lamp, looked at Shen Jingmo in the warm light, then reached out and touched Shen Jingmo’s sunken cheek.
He murmured, “In this world, only you and I can be a teacher and student.”
Only the stars and the moon heard these words.
The next morning, as soon as Shen Jingmo woke up, Xu Hang’s medicine was delivered to him.
Xiao Yan went out to do some work, leaving Liao Qin to look after Shen Jingmo. Shen Jingmo drank the medicine while calling him, “Mr. Liao?”
“Mr. Shen, just call me Liao Qin. I’m just a handyman, I can’t let you call me Mr.”
“But…”
“Ghost Master will blame me for not knowing etiquette.”
Shen Jingmo knew that gangs like theirs had many rules, so he followed his lead: “Liao Qin, you guys… um… what’s the name of the Ghost Master?”
Liao Qin smiled and replied, “Ghost Master told me not to answer such questions before he left. You have to figure it out for yourself.”
Shen Jingmo lowered his head. He didn’t expect to be seen through. He asked again, “What about his age?”
“I can’t say.”
“Place of origin?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“………” Shen Jingmo was a little frustrated, he really had no clue. However, if that person knew him, he must have known him in Hezhou.
After taking the medicine and having breakfast, Liao Qin asked someone to clean up and said, “Mr. Shen, if you want to go somewhere, tell me and I’ll arrange a car to pick you up.”
Shen Jingmo did not hide his surprise at all. “Can I go out?”
“You’re not in jail, so of course you can go out,” Liao Qin explained, “But I have to follow you all the time and bring you back. Also, Ghost Master won’t allow you to see that Mr. Xu.”
Shen Jingmo understood, but he felt that this state was pretty good.
“Then I want to… go to Jici Courtyard.”
————
Today the sky is cloudy, but there is no rain. It looks like it won’t rain.
Xu Hang got off the rickshaw with the medicine box in his hand and stood at the entrance of the Japanese Consulate for a while.
This was the first case he took on today. He was momentarily taken aback when someone told him to go to the Japanese consulate, but he still agreed to it.
Originally he thought it was Kuromiya Keiko who wanted to talk to him, but when he entered the tea room, he saw a pretty lady in a white Western dress.
Although they were all wealthy young women, Gu Fangfei came across as intellectual, Kuromiya Keiko exuded a sexy and cool vibe, while the one standing before him was adorned in lavish, multi-layered attire.
Beautiful, but hard to get close to.
She was smelling the aroma from the incense burner. When she saw Xu Hang coming in, she didn’t even lift her eyelids and lazily said, “Why are you standing there like an idiot? Come over and take my pulse.”
She has a bad temper.
Xu Hang walked forward and took out the medical supplies. She put her hand forward, and Xu Hang gently placed his fingers on her pulse.
Then she said, “You are Xu Hang, right?”
Xu Hang looked at her.
“I was wondering why my brother has been going to the medical hall every day and drinking some disgusting-smelling medicines, so I invited you to come and have a look. Tsk… you’re not that great either, my brother’s appetite is getting worse and worse.”
Oh, it turns out that this person is Zhang Yinxi. Xu Hang said nothing and just concentrated on diagnosing the patient’s pulse.
“But you’re pretty arrogant and showy, you know. I haven’t seen my brother this patient in a long time.”
Xu Hang raised his hand, he had already felt her pulse: “Miss Zhang is in good health. I am not an expert in medicine, so I can’t see any problem.”
Zhang Yinxi sneered when she heard this and took her hand back: “What kind of proud physician are you? You can’t tell anything, what’s the use of you?”
Xu Hang was calm and composed: “I am just an ordinary physician. I can check minor ailments on the body and skin, but I cannot see the problem here.”
He pointed to his head.
“Are you cursing me?” Zhang Yinxi’s eyes widened with anger.
“That’s what Miss Zhang said herself.”
“Heh, now I get it.” Zhang Yinxi crossed her arms and looked at Xu Hang with an air of arrogance. “No wonder my brother’s interested in you, you turned out to be a thorny person.”
Her tone sounded insulting, as if he was some wild horse waiting to be tamed. In other words, in her eyes, she looked at Xu Hang as if he were a toy.
He couldn’t tell whether her hostility stemmed from a sister’s possessiveness toward her brother or from the disdain of someone who saw herself as superior to ordinary people.
“But don’t get too full of yourself. I know my brother—he’s just looking for something fresh. If you’re trying to play hard to get, I suggest you quit it. We won’t be staying in Hezhou City for long. Don’t expect to drive up your price. Just be straightforward, so my brother can give you more money when we leave.”
As Zhang Yinxi spoke, she fanned the fragrance with her hands and closed his eyes to smell it comfortably.
“Straightforward? And what exactly do you mean by that?” Xu Hang asked with a modest tone.
“Hmph, how much do you think you are worth? Name your price.”
Xu Hang found the scent of the incense burner mixed with Zhang Yinxi’s perfume revolting. He paused briefly, then forced a smile onto his face. “Miss Zhang, you actually make a good point. At first glance, you carry yourself just like a top-tier courtesan from one of Shanghai’s eight most famous alleys. There’s no way someone like you could’ve been raised in a small place like Hezhou. This has broadened my horizons, and I will keep it in mind.”
Then he opened the sliding door.
Zhang Yinxi had never been insulted like this in her life, so she grabbed the incense burner and was about to throw it over: “How dare you!”
The incense burner was made of pure copper. If it hit someone, it would definitely be very painful. Zhang Yinxi threw it at the back of the head.
Xu Hang was not afraid. He was about to use the medicine box to block it, but before he raised his hand, he was pulled aside by someone. The incense burner lost its aim and hit the doorframe. The ashes inside flew out and scattered all over the floor.
When he looked up, he saw Zhang Xiuming, who had appeared out of nowhere and had a slight frown on his face, standing in front of him.
He didn’t know when he had appeared outside the door. Dressed in a suit, he looked slightly disheveled, with incense ash powder scattered on his shoulders and in his hair.
What a waste of nice clothes.
Zhang Yinxi’s expression froze, her eyes widened, and she immediately stood up, staring at Zhang Xiuming without blinking.
Zhang Xiuming dusted himself off with his hands, then turned around and looked at Zhang Yinxi: “Xiao Xi, you’re going too far.”
“He’s the one who went too far! Didn’t you hear what he said about me…”
“I know it without even having to hear it.” Zhang Xiuming interrupted Zhang Yinxi, “Mr. Xu would never take the initiative to provoke you. It must be you who took the initiative to provoke him! Apologize to him now.”
Zhang Yinxi stared at Zhang Xiuming as if there were something wrong with her ears, then pointed at Xu Hang sharply with her finger: “Apologize to him? Does he deserve it? Brother, I’m teaching him a lesson for you.”
“It’s not your place to decide anything about my matters. If you don’t apologize, I’ll send you back to Shanghai right away, and you’ll never be able to come out with me again.”
With these words, carrying the weight of an older brother’s authority, the usually relaxed, smiling wolf-like expression vanished, replaced by a serious and stern demeanor as he rebuked his sister in a way that left no room for argument.
Zhang Yinxi likely rarely saw Zhang Xiuming act this way, so she kept quiet, fuming silently for a long time. Her face turned red, and finally, she stomped her feet and ran off, shouting, “I won’t talk to you anymore!”
There was a series of crackling sounds, and the arrogant big young lady expressed her dissatisfaction loudly and hid back in her room.
Zhang Xiuming’s expression softened, and he turned around and said, “Mr. Xu, my sister is ignorant. I apologize on her behalf. I will come to apologize to you another day after I have taught her a lesson.”
Half of his face was still covered in dust, which he hadn’t had time to wipe off, making it seem that his words came from the bottom of his heart and were very sincere.
