Chapter 183
But by then, Xie Wendong no longer had the strength to reply to her. After waiting for a while with no response from him, she grew curious. Turning her head, she saw that Xie Wendong had closed his eyes and fainted. Only then did she remember that he had been injured earlier. She hurriedly tried to get up, feeling reluctant once again. Looking at the unconscious Xie Wendong, she felt something entirely different—no more cunning when he was awake, only a hint of childishness. He was so young, probably around her own age! From such close range, she could even see the hairs on his face. It was then she noticed that Xie Wendong’s eyelashes were quite long, resembling two small black doors when his eyes were closed. The old sayings that people with long eyelashes are intelligent certainly applied to Xie Wendong. She couldn’t help but laugh as she watched him. Without opening his eyes, Xie Wendong suddenly said, “There aren’t any flowers growing on my face, are there? A woman looking at a man like this could lead to misunderstandings!”
“Ah…!” The girl screamed as if bitten by a snake, pushing Xie Wendong aside violently and standing up in an instant. When she looked at him again, he was completely unconscious.
Her face turned pale as if blood was about to seep out. Thankfully, Xie Wendong couldn’t see it; otherwise, she would have dug a hole in the ground if one existed, or created one if not. “Even a centipede dies with its legs still moving!” she muttered, wanting to kick him but feeling too reluctant when she raised her leg. In the end, she sighed helplessly, “There’s really nothing you can do!”
When Xie Wendong regained consciousness, he was already in the hospital. Lying in bed, he still felt weak. The bright sunlight streaming into the room was blinding. Someone stood by the window, back to him, surrounded by sunlight like a faint shadow, making it hard to see clearly. Yet Xie Wendong could tell it was a woman, likely the girl who had saved him. He tried to sit up, propping himself up on the bed edge, but collapsed back down due to weakness, sighing inwardly. Hearing the movement, the woman slowly turned around. Upon closer look, it was Qiu Ningshui. He forced a bitter smile. Qiu Ningshui looked at him and said calmly, “You shouldn’t have risked your life for me.”
Xie Wendong stared at the white ceiling and replied slowly, “I consider you a friend. For a friend, I’ll do anything.”
Qiu Ningshui’s expression darkened. “I’m now nothing but a withered flower. Do you still consider me… a friend?”
Xie Wendong said, “I may not be great, but the friends I make are based on sincerity, not just words.”
Qiu Ningshui smiled and said, “Just your words are enough.” Then she turned back to look out the window, tears welling up in her eyes. She didn’t want Xie Wendong to see her tears, nor did she want to arouse his sympathy. Xie Wendong sighed softly, watching Qiu Ningshui’s suppressed expression, feeling a badpremonition. He said gently, “If you want to cry, cry it out. Don’t hold it in, and don’t treat me as a stranger. I’ve said before that if you wish, I’ll accompany you for the rest of your life.”
Qiu Ningshui shook her head slightly. After a while, she turned around with a smile on her face and said, “If you really want what’s best for me, don’t comfort me or feel sorry for me. I’ll still control my own fate from now on.” Xie Wendong wanted to say more, but she added, “You don’t want us to even stop being friends, do you?”
Xie Wendong smiled bitterly and fell silent. Neither of them spoke, and the room fell back into silence—so heavy it was hard to breathe, as if a huge stone was pressing down on their hearts. Xie Wendong didn’t want this, so he changed the subject and asked, “Who sent me to the hospital?”
Qiu Ningshui laughed and said, “A beautiful woman. I heard she seems very concerned about you. What’s your relationship with her?” Xie Wendong replied with a smile, “A normal relationship. She’s… she used to be my enemy. I caught her before and let her go. Maybe she’s grateful, and this time she saved my life too.”
“Enemy?” Qiu Ningshui snorted. “Do I seem that gullible?” Xie Wendong said helplessly, “Not many people will believe the truth.” Qiu Ningshui replied, “No one would believe you!” Suddenly, Xie Wendong remembered the injured Golden Eye and asked, “By the way, how is Golden Eye now?” Qiu Ningshui shook her head, walked to the door of the ward, opened it, and turned back to say, “I’m relieved to see you’re fine. I have to go now. I don’t know how your friend is either. You’d better ask your brothers! And Gu You, stop sending people to ‘protect’ me. I won’t do anything extreme.” With that, she gave Xie Wendong a bright smile, showing that she was really fine now. But in Xie Wendong’s eyes, her smile seemed so forced. He himself was also in pain—letting someone who had nothing to do with him suffer so much was his fault. He asked, “Will… will you continue to be a police officer?” He had intended to ask if she wanted to go back to the Northeast with him, but the words never came out.
Qiu Ningshui said seriously, “Of course! I will continue to do my duty, and I’ll be even more conscientious from now on. Don’t say I didn’t warn you—if you dare to commit any illegal acts in Kunming again, I will definitely catch you without hesitation, no matter what!” Xie Wendong smiled. She didn’t seem like she was lying, and he was truly glad that Qiu Ningshui had a way to prove she wouldn’t do something reckless. He said with a smile, “None of my actions are illegal. The law is in my heart.” Qiu Ningshui pointed at him with her delicate finger and said, “Don’t forget—the law is made by the state, not by you!” Hearing this, Xie Wendong burst into laughter, but the pain from his injury made him gasp twice. After a while, he regained his composure and said, “The law is created by humans. If it isn’t enforced or isn’t enforced thoroughly, it’s as good as non-existent. I’m not an enforcer, but I am the law. What I do is the law of darkness.” Qiu Ningshui sighed and said, “Do you know? You look very arrogant right now. And also very attractive.” She didn’t say the second part, nor could she. She added, “I don’t know if what you said is right or wrong, but I’m a police officer. I’m leaving. I hope our next meeting won’t end with us fighting like the first time.” Without waiting for Xie Wendong’s reply, she turned and walked out of the ward quickly. She looked more like she was fleeing. Xie Wendong stared at the closed door for a long time after she left, muttering to himself, “To be honest, you really can’t beat me.” Soon after, Mu Zi and the others knocked on the door and entered the ward. They came to Xie Wendong’s side and said, “Brother Dong, you’re finally awake! You scared us half to death!” Xie Wendong smiled and said, “I’m fine. It’s just a minor injury!” He glanced at everyone and saw that Shui Jing’s eyes were red. His heart trembled, and he frowned, quickly asking, “How is Jin Yan?” Mu Zi replied, “He’s fine. It’s just a serious gunshot wound. It almost hit his heart. The doctor said he’s lucky. Although he’s not in life-threatening danger, he’ll need to recover for several months at least.” Xie Wendong sighed in relief. “It’s good that he’s not in danger. Seeing Shui Jing with tears in her eyes really scared me.”
Shui Jing felt a bit embarrassed upon hearing Xie Wendong’s words, her face turning red as she quickly lowered her head. Mu Zi laughed and said, “That’s what they call ‘concern causing chaos!’” As he spoke, he pulled at Shui Jing’s sleeve and sighed deliberately, “When I was injured before, it seemed like you never shed a tear, but as soon as Jin Yan got hurt, you cried like the Yellow River was in flood. Heaven really isn’t fair!” Her face turned even redder at his words, and she glared at him fiercely. Somehow, a silver needle appeared in her hand, which she used to stab Mu Zi’s thigh. Mu Zi jumped in pain and growled, “Look, you attack me the moment I hit the nail on the head… Oh? Isn’t that the poisonous silver needle?!” “You’re right!” “Oh! God! Gui, give me an antidote!” “I’ll give it to you when your mouth stops being so foul!” “By then I’ll be dead…”
Xie Wendong watched the two of them with a smile, his mood improving. But Ma Feng’s mood was the opposite. Although he was also injured, seriously injured, he didn’t dare go to the hospital. He was afraid of Xie Wendong, afraid that he wasn’t dead, afraid that he would come after him. Ma Feng had his own private doctor, who quickly removed the bullet and stopped the bleeding. The young police officer who rescued him also had his wrist bandaged, but he was worried and said, “I think we’d better go to the hospital. Brother Ma, your injuries are too serious.”
Ma Feng shook his head. “I didn’t see Xie Wendong die.” The police officer insisted, “But he was shot, right in the chest.” He was confident in his marksmanship. A person shot in the chest would surely die, but that person was Xie Wendong, not an ordinary person. Ma Feng sighed, “Without seeing it with our own eyes, it’s better to be cautious!” The police officer sighed helplessly; it seemed he was terrified. He said, “Now I can’t go back to be a police officer either. Brother Ma, I’ll have to rely on you from now on!” Ma Feng lay on the bed and laughed, “What are you talking about? As long as I have food, you’ll have it too.” He added, “It seems we’ll have a hard time staying in Kunming after all this. After such a disturbance, Xie Wendong must have connected with the police through his connections, and they won’t leave us any room to hide.” The police officer nodded in agreement.
Ma Feng took out a bank passbook from his pocket and handed it to the police officer, saying, “I have some savings in the bank. Go and withdraw it for me. After all, without money, we can’t go anywhere.”
Fucha took the passbook and opened it, his eyes widening in shock—there was 50 million in it. He had never seen such a large sum of money in his life, so many zeros. The normally ordinary passbook now felt heavy in his hands. Trembling, he asked, “Brother Ma, how much should we withdraw?”
Ma Feng pondered for a moment, his face weary as he said weakly, “Withdraw five million first. It’s inconvenient to carry more.” Then he waved him over and said, “Come here, I’ll tell you the password.” The police officer swallowed hard, glanced at the passbook in his hand, and thought to himself: This is 50 million! If it were mine, why would I still follow you around like a shadow? I could live a comfortable life wherever I go.
Money is a good thing—it allows you to buy whatever you want. But money isn’t all good either; it can turn brothers against each other, drive relatives apart, and make people lose their conscience. The police officer thought this, a murderous intent arising in his heart. Although Ma Feng had always treated him well, and it was because of that he had risked his life to rescue him from Xie Wendong, none of that mattered compared to 50 million. He glanced at the doctor who was packing medical supplies, finding him annoying, and winked at Ma Feng. Ma Feng immediately understood what he meant and smiled, saying, “It’s okay! He’s one of us.”
Fucha grunted inwardly, thinking, Well, killing one is no different from killing two. He slowly stepped closer to Ma Feng, lowered his head, naturally placed one hand behind his back, and said with a smile, “Brother Ma, just tell me. I’ll go to the bank right now to withdraw the money.”
Ma Feng’s face was terrifyingly pale, his blue lips moving slightly as he said, “Three… nine…” The police officer strained to hear but only caught the numbers three and nine. His heart burned with urgency as he said, “Brother Ma, say it again. I didn’t hear it clearly.” As he spoke, he pressed his ear closer to Ma Feng’s mouth. Then Ma Feng’s voice grew louder, strong, and full of confidence—nothing weak about it. He said, “You must really want this 50 million, right?!”
“Huh?” The police officer opened his mouth in surprise, sensing something was wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what. Though he didn’t understand at first, he soon realized what was off. Ma Feng, who was weak enough to faint, somehow mustered strength. His eyes widened, and though he was lying on the bed, he moved swiftly—grasping the police officer’s hair with one hand and pulling out a sharp scalpel with the other. He bit down on the handle and stabbed it into the police officer’s neck.
“Yah!” the police officer screamed, stepping back several times in shock. Holding his neck with both hands, he stared at Ma Feng in disbelief and said tremblingly, “You… you’re so cruel…” Before he could finish, he collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from his neck. Who was Ma Feng? Whenever he struck, it was always at a vital spot—his blade had severed the police officer’s artery. Ma Feng raised his head, sneered, then closed his eyes and lay back down. At that moment, the doctor approached, his expression unchanged, still calm, as if he was used to such things. He simply said, “Your injury is serious. Such intense exertion could kill you!”
Ma Feng truly had no strength left this time. He said, “He’s useless now. And dealing with unreliable people who act unscrupulously is a real hassle.”
As the doctor dragged the body away, he said, “You can let me handle it. Why bother doing it yourself?” Ma Feng gave a bitter smile and said, “Contact the Soul Team and ask them what to do now.” With that, he lost consciousness.