Translator: CinderTL
"Get along well with Du Feng and the others over there," Jiang Cheng said while kicking. "His head fell off, so he might not be very convenient when doing things. You should help each other more."
"Wuwuwu..."
Feeling that it was about enough, Jiang Cheng stopped to catch his breath.
Wang Changguo clung tightly to Jiang Cheng's leg, crying with snot and tears, not a trace of his earlier arrogance left.
"Mr. Jiang, I was wrong!" Wang Changguo trembled all over, not even daring to glance in the direction of the elevator.
He was afraid he might see Du Feng standing inside the elevator, waving at him or something.
"Please, please, be magnanimous and give me a chance!" Wang Changguo pleaded pitifully.
"You want a chance?" Jiang Cheng asked.
"Yes!"
"Will you talk back again?"
"No, never again," Wang Changguo said with utmost sincerity, as if grasping a lifeline. "Mr. Jiang, from now on, I'll do whatever you say. Please forgive me this once!"
Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes and sneered, "You'll do whatever I say?"
"Yes!"
"Then why didn't you get in the elevator when I told you to?" Jiang Cheng suddenly asked, then kicked Wang Changguo hard again.
Hearing noise in the hallway, a door not far from the elevator opened, and someone stepped out.
It was an elderly man, thin and seemingly in poor health, walking unsteadily. He wore a pair of gold-rimmed reading glasses and looked like a university professor.
The old man clearly hadn't expected such a scene outside and quickly spoke up, "What are you doing here?"
"Young man," the old man said, looking at Jiang Cheng, "Why are you hitting him?"
Seeing someone come out, Wang Changguo's expression grew even more pitiful.
But before he could start crying again, Jiang Cheng said in a chilling tone, "Hold it in!"
Wang Changguo was so frightened that he immediately stopped, not daring to let out a single sob. Tears welled up in his eyes but didn't fall.
Seeing Wang Changguo like this, the old man stepped forward and helped him up. "Young man, can't you talk things out properly? Look, he's not young anymore. Is this how you should treat him?"
"If you keep hitting him, I'll have to call the hospital security!" the old man continued, his voice tinged with anger.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Cheng seemed completely unfazed. He glanced at Wang Changguo and asked in a meaningful tone, "Did I hit you?"
Wang Changguo was stunned.
The old man was also taken aback.
After a moment, Wang Changguo shook his head and whispered, "N-no."
Adjusting his glasses, the old man looked at Wang Changguo, then at the calm Jiang Cheng, his mind filled with questions.
Although he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he had heard everything clearly through the wall. Had he just imagined it all?
Thinking this, the old man looked at Jiang Cheng very seriously and said, "What are you talking about? If you didn't hit him, how did he get those injuries?"
"The old man is asking you a question," Jiang Cheng said to Wang Changguo in a calm tone. "We still have to take the elevator later."
Hearing this, Wang Changguo shuddered and immediately said, "I fell earlier!"
"Fell?" the old man frowned.
"That's right," Wang Changguo nodded vigorously. "It was in the stairwell. I missed a step and fell down. It was this gentleman here," he pointed at Jiang Cheng, "who saved me."
If it weren't for the dozen or so shoe prints on Wang Changguo's white shirt, the old man might have believed him.
Earlier, another short and stout old man had walked out of the old man's ward. Unlike the old man who was confronting Jiang Cheng, this one was shuffling in slippers, his face covered with sticky notes, looking quite comical.
"Old man," the sticky-note-covered old man said, "what are you doing out here? We're all waiting for you!"
"I'll be right back," the old man shouted in response.
Before the old man could delve deeper, Jiang Cheng naturally stepped forward. "Sir," he said politely, "it seems you've been here for quite a while, haven't you?"
"For some time now," the old man replied casually.
According to Director Qi, the hospital had its share of strange rumors that surfaced every night. This seemed like a good opportunity to ask him about it.
Thinking this, Jiang Cheng became even more courteous to the old man, and before long, the earlier unpleasantness was quickly forgotten.
The old man told Jiang Cheng that he was a regular at this hospital because his health wasn't great, and he often had to stay here for periods of time.
Fortunately, he had a few old buddies to keep him company.
It seemed the old man's "buddies" were the other elderly men in the ward, who had likely been playing cards together earlier.
As they talked, the old man reached into the pocket of his coat, fumbled around for a bit, and then awkwardly licked his lips.
Seeing this, Jiang Cheng walked over to Wang Changguo, reached into his pocket, and pulled out half a pack of cigarettes, along with a lighter.
"No, no," the old man's eyes lit up at the sight of the cigarettes, but he still put on a show of declining. "How could I possibly accept this!"
But when Jiang Cheng handed him a cigarette, the old man immediately took it. Jiang Cheng then extended his hand with the lighter and lit it for him.
The old man bent over, cupping the flame with his hand, and took a satisfying drag. Instantly, his whole demeanor changed.
Even his opinion of Jiang Cheng improved significantly.
"Young man," the old man said, holding the cigarette and exhaling a puff of smoke, "I see you standing here. Where are you headed?"
"We want to go downstairs."
At this, the old man's expression turned slightly odd, but he quickly masked it with another puff of his cigarette. "Downstairs, huh," he muttered to himself. "Why not take the stairs? It's only the second floor; it's not far. Why bother with the elevator?"
"Phew—" Jiang Cheng sighed, giving Wang Changguo a look that screamed "I'm dealing with an idiot," and slowly said, "Sir, believe me, I'd love to, but as you can see, my friend here has congenital cerebellar atrophy, which affects his motor nerves. He barely took a few steps on the stairs and ended up like this."
"If he keeps going, I'm afraid he might just fall to his death."
"Cough, cough..." The old man choked on the smoke, coughing violently for a few moments before recovering slightly.
He glanced at Wang Changguo, who was giving him a look that said, "I know what's going on, but I'm not saying anything."
"Then why not get a caregiver?" the old man suggested. "The caregivers here are quite responsible."
"No need, why bother when there's an elevator?" Jiang Cheng said as he reached out to press the elevator button.
"Wait!"
Jiang Cheng turned around and noticed the old man staring at him with a strange look in his eyes. At that moment, he became certain that the old man must know something.
Something related to the elevator, or perhaps even the entire hospital.
Yet, the old man's face showed a completely baffled expression. "Old man," Jiang Cheng said, widening his innocent eyes as he looked at him, "do you... have something to say?"
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (NS) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c700. [+4] 🎉
🔑Early Access at $1.
✍Translated (6) Series, (3K+) Chapters, (4.2M+) Words.