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墨書 Inktalez
Huang Hai gave me an address, saying, "I'm not too sure; they didn't let me in."
"Why are you so cowardly?!" I snapped. "When they were taking over our territory, you didn't dare to say a word. Now you can't even get in to inquire about something and just get sent back? You have no backbone. You only dare to act tough with me."
Huang Hai felt a bit embarrassed from my scolding, his face alternating between red and white. But he had no excuse to retort; after all, he was in the wrong.
"Ouyang is doing better than you; he's infiltrated the enemy's ranks. By the way, why didn't you ask Ouyang Jian for some information? Aren't you two pretty close?"
"He ran away. I heard Gangzi was getting hammered by the Hakka People, and if he had stayed any longer, he might not have made it out."
Hearing that sent a chill down my spine. For him to know when to retreat, there must have been immense pressure and torment.
I took the paper with the address written on it, changed my clothes, and headed out. Huang Hai came running from another room. "Brother Qiang, wait up! I'm going too."
I chuckled. This was the first time he called me "brother."
"You keep an eye on the shop; I'll handle the conversation and then you can go later."
"I'll go today; you can go later." Unexpectedly, Huang Hai was quite insistent. "If I had known you were this unreasonable, I wouldn't have come back; I would have gone straight to see Gangzi."
The reason I didn't want Huang Hai to accompany me wasn't because I was worried about the goods in the shop, but rather that having him around Fatty would make it difficult for me to say certain things. As for Fatty being in the hospital, I wasn't too concerned; it was likely due to old injuries. The leg he broke in the Hakka People Underground Cavern hadn't healed yet.
However, Huang Hai was very determined; even if we didn't go together, he wouldn't stay in the shop waiting—he would go alone if necessary.
In the end, I had no choice but to nod. "Alright, you win. Lock the door."
Only then did Huang Hai turn his anger into joy. He cheerfully locked the door. He wouldn't let me be the only one showing loyalty in this matter.
He pulled a key from his pocket and raised it towards me. "Get in my car."
"Damn," I couldn't help but curse. "When did you become part of the car-owning crowd?"
I felt a deep sense of imbalance. When I first opened this shop, I was frugal, pinching every penny. I had considered buying a car for convenience, but finances were always tight. Any spare cash I had either went towards the Sand Table Model or some Archaeological Expedition. There was never anything left over.
"It's sponsored by someone else."
I couldn't see any smugness on Huang Hai's face, which puzzled me. This wasn't his usual style. Whenever he had the chance to show off, especially in front of me, he wouldn't miss it.
"Who sponsored you? Why would anyone sponsor you?"
"It's not for me; it's for our shop."
As soon as I heard that, I understood. He must have sold me out to get sponsorship under my name. While I could accept him bringing in goods under my banner, it was hard to swallow that he was doing this just to show off. The benefits from others would have to be repaid, and that repayment would fall on me.
Seeing my displeased expression, Huang Hai limped over to a car and quickly hopped inside, driving it over to me.
When I saw the car, I thought, well, there’s no way I can afford this. Looking at Huang Hai, I thought, aren’t you Fatty ’s guy? Fine, let’s leave this matter to Fatty and see if he can sell off those parts of his to cover the cost of this car. I heard kidneys are worth quite a bit, but one kidney definitely wouldn’t cover the price of this vehicle.
It was a black Black Mercedes SUV. It looked impressive, but I was more concerned about its price; it had to be even more impressive than its appearance.
I got into the car and sat in the passenger seat. There was an umbrella inside. Huang Hai quickly grabbed it and tossed it into the back seat.
I tilted my head and asked, "Why bring an umbrella? It's so sunny."
Huang Hai patted his lame leg. "My leg is better at predicting the weather than the forecast. Don’t be fooled by the sun being high now; it’ll change soon enough."
Fatty was in a private room, which was somewhat inferior to the VIP Room in Kunming, lacking a living area and a companion room. However, aside from that, everything else was available, especially the beautiful nurse accompanying him. This was something the VIP Room in Kunming couldn't compare to.
The stunning nurse, Xiao Ting, appeared more at ease than Fatty. She warmly invited me to sit down, poured me some water, and presented a fruit basket for me to enjoy. I couldn't help but chuckle at the situation; was this some kind of hint? A suggestion that Huang Hai and I had come to visit the patient empty-handed?
However, my anger had been simmering for quite some time—both towards Fatty and Xiao Ting. It was outrageous that they had kept such significant matters from me and even conspired with others against me. In my eyes, their behavior was comparable to that of Liu Squad Leader.
I couldn't muster a smile, casting a cold glance at Xiao Ting and then at Fatty. Turning my head again, I noticed Huang Hai was nowhere to be seen. When I had inquired about Fatty's room, I had seen him getting chummy with the nurse; now he had conveniently vanished. He certainly knew when to make himself scarce.
My icy gaze made Xiao Ting feel awkward; she awkwardly set down the fruit basket and avoided my eyes.
Fatty had thick skin, including his face. I couldn't detect any guilt or unease on his expression; instead, excitement radiated from him.
"Qiangzi, you finally made it! You have no idea how worried I've been," he exclaimed, turning his face towards Xiao Ting. "See? My brother here will be back on his feet in no time."
Fatty habitually patted himself down; I knew he was looking for cigarettes. But this room was spotless—no smell of smoke, no ashtray, and no pockets in his hospital gown.
I let out a cold laugh and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from my pocket, lighting one up. Only then did I see embarrassment and heat flicker in Fatty's eyes.
Yet he said, "I've quit smoking. It's really not good for you. Look at me now—staying away from tobacco has helped my body recover so quickly. You should consider quitting too."
But I noticed him swallow hard.
I had come to tease him and put him down; naturally, I wouldn't give him a pleasant expression or play along with him in front of Xiao Ting.
It was only after getting to know Xiao Ting that I realized Fatty had a flair for acting. Before that, I had mistakenly thought he was an authentic actor who wouldn't play any roles outside of his true self. Clearly, I had been completely wrong.
"Do you want to see Liu Squad Leader? Want to take revenge?" Fatty laughed heartily, as if he had transformed into a different person. "He's right here in this hospital, still lying on the bed. He's in worse shape than you, needing a wheelchair to get around. Shall we go see him? You can do whatever you want to him here; no one will stop you, as long as you don't end up killing him."
As Fatty moved toward the bedside, Xiao Ting panicked. She slapped Fatty. "Wait! I'll push him over; you stay put. What if you touch his wound?"
Fatty flashed a simple smile. "I forgot about that! Good thing you're here; I really can't do without you."
In my astonished and dazed gaze, Xiao Ting's graceful figure disappeared at the door of the ward.
With a flick, the cigarette in my hand vanished. Fatty took two deep drags like a heavy smoker, the flame reaching the filter directly.
(To Be Continued)
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