Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The Jiang Family Hospital had a significant reputation, and within just two days, they had successfully negotiated a collaboration with New Life Hospital. Both parties agreed to allow the doctors and nurses from the Jiang Family to observe and learn on Monday. In the submitted documents, Song Bunan was listed as Liu Xing, while Xin Yi was changed to Xiao Fan. When they gathered again at Bunan's small shop, Xin Yi walked in to find Song Bunan rolling on the floor, expressing his dissatisfaction with exaggerated gestures. Initially, he was unaware of the reason behind this behavior until Xiao Mei handed over the finalized false identity documents.
With the vast difference in their roles—attending physician, resident physician, intern physician, and intern nurse—it was understandable that Song Bunan was acting out.
He maneuvered around the rolling figure on the ground, contemplating what details he needed to discuss with Shui Su. As he passed by Song Bunan, his gaze inadvertently fell upon him. The man, who had just finished burning something, still had ash smeared across his face; his glasses lay on the table beside him, and his face was dirty. The man, resembling a scruffy cat, remained oblivious to being watched as he dramatically shouted that everyone was bullying him.
“Stop pouting, you old brat,” Xiao Mei suddenly appeared and pushed him aside, pinching his round face with her equally dirty hands to make it even dirtier. In contrast to the commotion, Shui Su remained composed at the table brewing tea, not sparing a glance at the chaos. He slowly added water to the teapot and gestured for Xin Yi to sit down and observe.
“This is a common sight,” said the man with short hair, looking more stern than when he had long hair. His tone was calm. “They always make a fuss.”
The tea in their cups was light but fragrant with jasmine. After finishing her antics with Song Bunan, Xiao Mei returned to her seat and wiped her hands with a wet tissue while saying, “Today is Thursday. To ensure we can disguise ourselves better when we go to New Life Hospital tomorrow, the Jiang Family wants us to start staying at their hospital under false identities to familiarize ourselves with how it operates. We don’t need to follow patients; we can just sit in the office or stroll around the hospital. Xin Yi, is that okay on your end?”
Xin Yi nodded in agreement and began reading through the materials regarding his new identity. The man who had been rolling on the ground got up and sulkily rested his head on a bench while mumbling about why he was the only one assigned as a nurse. When Xin Yi looked up, he met the man's bright black eyes; without his glasses, he could clearly see a tear mole at the corner of his eye and a small scar hidden between his brows—he resembled a small animal, though it was hard to pinpoint exactly what.
“Stop complaining. As an intern nurse, you have to stick with Xin Yi throughout. If you need to act separately, you must report it,” Xiao Mei said indignantly. The sulking man slowly sat up on his stool and gulped down his tea before mysteriously smiling as he pulled out a stack of photos from his bag and tossed them onto the table.
The photos depicted various rooms—some single rooms, some corridors, and fire escapes—taken from odd angles that suggested they were secretly snapped. Among them, one photo stood out: it showed a hatch embedded in the floor of a single room. However, due to poor lighting during the shot, the image was blurry; one could vaguely see a protruding lock on one side of the hatch.
“What is this…” Shui Su spoke up.
Seeing that he had successfully captured everyone's attention, Song Bunan proudly raised his chin with an expression of smugness and said, “These are photos from New Life Hospital that I got from a friend. They said this hospital has many vacant rooms; its actual occupancy rate doesn’t match what’s publicly reported. In one of those rooms, they found a hatch leading to an underground passageway that is quite concealed. According to laboratory practices, they would definitely place their main experimental sites underground; there wouldn’t be many clues above ground in such a hospital.”
The serious demeanor of Song Bunan now contrasted sharply with his earlier antics on the floor; if not for his dirty face and clothes resembling those of a scruffy cat, Xin Yi might have thought they were two different people. As they exchanged glances, Xin Yi could see the smile on Song Bunan's face that made his eyes squint.
“Is it really that impressive?” Xiao Mei scrutinized Song Bunan with an assessing look. “Why didn’t you take clearer pictures?”
"Go ask Brother Ming Hua; he took the photos. He even said that if he has time, he’ll come to the hospital to see us."
Xiao Mei frowned in confusion and asked what he was going to do at New Life Hospital. Song Bunan shrugged and replied, "Ming You is working at New Life Hospital now, and he occasionally asks me if I want to hang out. But she’s not a doctor; she’s in finance."
Xin Yi noticed a momentary seriousness on Shui Su's face, and the man immediately followed up with, "When did she start working there?"
"Just a day or two before I went to Mang Mountain to help Mighty Falcon. Anyway, she’s always changing jobs and has no fixed residence." Normally, having an acquaintance nearby would be a good thing, but given the current situation, she could become the biggest uncontrollable variable. Shui Su continued to ask if she had been informed of their plans, and Song Bunan shook his head seriously, indicating that he hadn’t disclosed anything to anyone. Ming Hua was helping him take photos because she knew he was investigating New Life Hospital.
"Brother Qian Gu escaped from the lab, and Brother Ming Hua is super concerned about anything related to the lab. When she found out I started investigating, she offered to help. I even asked Ming You about the office location there; he said the finance office at New Life Hospital is on the top floor and is generally not allowed access to the patient area. After work, there’s a special elevator that goes straight outside." Song Bunan's smile deepened, his bright eyes sparkling with cunning, exuding an air of confidence.
Xin Yi had no doubts about his meticulousness but was quite curious about this person named Ming Hua. After all, she was a former colleague and seemed to have a close relationship with people from the lab. While pondering this, Song Bunan turned to him and said, "Brother Xinyi hasn’t met Brother Ming Hua yet, right? I’ll definitely invite him next time we gather; he’s really nice."
Gathering? It was a term that felt distant from his life. Xin Yi nodded slightly to indicate he understood and turned to ask Shui Su what else needed to be discussed.
"The main purpose of today’s visit is to inform you of your identity information and these matters at hand; there’s nothing else. Just come directly to the hospital tomorrow." The man spoke concisely and handed over a bag containing documents, indicating that if there were any issues, he could leave directly.
As they spoke, the aroma of grains wafted from the kitchen, filling the entire room. Song Bunan and Xiao Mei dashed over as soon as they caught a whiff, followed by sounds of chatter and laughter. Xin Yi instinctively leaned forward while Shui Su remained calm beside him, sipping tea before slowly saying, "Song Bunan cooked corn and sweet potatoes; he says they’re very sweet. If you’re interested, stay for dinner before you leave."
Xin Yi withdrew his gaze and looked directly into Shui Su's eyes for the first time. Those calm eyes revealed no excess emotion, resembling a robot programmed to display expressions. He steadied his mind and raised his teacup softly, saying, "You are very different."
Compared to the taciturn figure in white at the hospital, Shui Su appeared more ambiguous in Xin Yi's eyes at this moment. This ambiguity stemmed from his composure; his calm demeanor remained unbroken by any action or words—even when he smiled, it felt insincere. The last time Xin Yi felt this way was when someone from Renbu came to check on things; that man had a similar ambiguity as Shui Su.
"Thank you." The man refilled his tea with a slight smile that seemed very formulaic. Between them lay an unfathomable chasm that felt impossible to cross.
"As a young master of the Jiang Family, why are you personally involved in this matter?" Xin Yi wasn’t very familiar with several families in Rongcheng; having spent decades focused solely on tasks, he hadn’t intended to delve into various family gossip. However, he still picked up bits of information during discussions with teammates. For instance, regarding the Jiang Family—after several generations down to this one, there was only one legitimate heir left.
Everyone said that this young master was smarter than the designated heirs of other families from a young age, excelling in wisdom, courage, and even skill. He was often mentioned by the current patriarchs of other families, truly a "child of someone else's family." He lived up to the praise, showcasing extraordinary talent at such a young age, effortlessly handling both management and diplomacy.
The only criticism he faced was his elusive nature; he could appear in any secret location and always seemed to have the upper hand. Even when suspected of eavesdropping for information, there was never any evidence against him.
"This matter is significant; I must be involved." The man had strikingly handsome features, with a beauty mark near his lips that moved as he spoke, standing out against his fair skin.
Xin Yi found it hard to say anything further. Just as he chose to remain silent, Song Bunan came over carrying a large basin, while Xiao Mei held a corn cob, frantically blowing on it as if trying to cool it down. Xiao Mei had clearly washed her hands, but her face was smudged with dirt. Song Bunan, due to the heat and sweat, looked even messier than when he was just watching in the kitchen.
He set down the basin and fixed his large eyes on the corn cob at the top, biting his lip as if hesitating. His gaze darted between the food and his dirty hands, growing more anxious as Xiao Mei approached. Finally, when Xiao Mei’s hand came into the basin's range, a corn cob with fingerprints appeared in front of Xin Yi.
Song Bunan grinned widely and said, "Watch this for me; I’m going to take a shower."
Suddenly entrusted with this task, Xin Yi felt a mix of helplessness and amusement. He nodded in agreement as he watched Song Bunan cheerfully hop away. Xiao Mei shot him an annoyed glare and muttered about him acting like a dog while guarding his food.
"What’s wrong?" Shui Su asked, voicing his confusion.
Xiao Mei continued to blow on her corn cob, sounding displeased as she explained, "Ha! Song Bunan pinched a kernel off each corn cob and said that one was the sweetest. This one in my hand is the second sweetest. To prevent me from taking it, he specifically grabbed it with his dirty hands."
This explanation was unexpected. Xin Yi felt speechless, marveling at the peculiar logic of Song Bunan. Shui Su, not one to hold back, grabbed another corn cob from the basin and smiled genuinely for the first time, saying that since he only touched the husk, it didn’t matter.
"Indeed," Xiao Mei said quickly as she snatched the corn cob from him. She effortlessly split it in half and handed an equal piece to Xin Yi. "Just say you ate it."
Comment 0 Comment Count