An Encounter at the Hospital

"You dare say that? It hurts so much..."

Lu Xiaobei pressed hard around the wound, tears welling up in her eyes from the pain.

"This person needs a rabies vaccine..."

I frowned. "Let's go, I'll take you to the hospital!"

"No, it hurts so much..."

She jumped up and hopped around a couple of times, wincing in pain, and said, "Let's go to your place first, find a pair of scissors to cut the stockings open, disinfect them, and stop the bleeding. I don't want to have to take off my stockings like I'm taking off my pants in the hospital, that's so embarrassing..."

"That works too."

I nodded. "Let's go upstairs first. Can you still walk?"

"Maybe."

She held onto my arm, but after a few steps she couldn't hold on any longer, tears streaming down her face from the pain. "No, no, it hurts even more when I walk. Has this Zombie Leopard evolved the genes of a five-step snake? Am I going to die, Ding Han?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

I was speechless for a moment. I looked at her clothes; she was wearing a gray overcoat and a shirt or undershirt underneath, which was quite thick. So I said, "I'll carry you up."

"Um."

The next moment, Lu Xiaobei was lying on my back, while I supported her legs. Instantly, a fragrant scent wafted into my nostrils. This scent didn't seem to be perfume; it was probably the legendary fragrance of a girl.

He went upstairs, supporting Lu Xiaobei with one hand, took out the key, and opened the door.

I helped Lu Xiaobei to the sofa, found some scissors, and cut open her thick stockings. They were already soaked in blood, turning a deep crimson. That Zombie Leopard was indeed ruthless; one of his claws was even embedded in her flesh. No wonder Lu Xiaobei was in excruciating pain.

"Holy crap..."

I sighed and said, "Don't look, I'll help you pull the thorns out."

"Okay, I didn't see it..."

Lu Xiaobei hurriedly looked up, and in that instant, I swiftly pulled off the broken claw. Lu Xiaobei shuddered in pain, but that was definitely not the worst pain. The worst pain was the moment she finally felt pain after waiting for so long; that was the most painful moment.

After using the medicine to stop the bleeding and disinfect the wounds, I couldn't help but shudder as I looked at them. Zombie Leopard was really too ruthless; he had no sense of tenderness towards women at all.

"Ding Han, I don't want to go to the hospital..." Lu Xiaobei said, "I heard that the rabies vaccine hurts a lot."

"Yeah?"

I looked up at her and said, "If you get rabies, you could die. Is that something you want to avoid?"

"Oh..."

"Let's go to the hospital."

The Second City Hospital.

After getting out of the taxi, Lu Xiaobei groaned and limped.

Are you sure you can handle it?

As I supported her, I felt almost all of her weight pressing down on my arms.

"Ouch, that hurts..."

Her eyes were filled with tears. "Ding Han, carry me to the emergency room..."

"Hey, you!"

I bent down and carried her on my back, then walked into the hospital.

"Young man, what's wrong with your girlfriend?"

A nurse stepped forward and asked.

"You got scratched by a cat. Come over here for disinfection and a rabies vaccination."

"Oh, let's go over there and register first."

"Okay, thank you, nurse."

Following the nurse's pointing finger, I headed towards the registration desk. Just then, I saw a familiar figure at the pharmacy next to the registration desk—it was Lin Qingying.

The next second, Lin Qingying turned around and saw me carrying Lu Xiaobei on my back.

"..."

I was stunned and didn't know what to say.

Lu Xiaobei glared at her.

Lin Qingying looked at me with a very complicated expression, but she didn't say anything. She just took the medicine and walked straight out of the hospital.

"Who's this woman? She looks familiar, and she's quite pretty," Lu Xiaobei suddenly said.

"..."

I didn't say anything, I just helped her register and go to see a doctor.

While Lu Xiaobei was at the hospital, I sent Lin Qingying a message to clarify. "Lu Xiaobei was scratched by a stray cat downstairs. She bled a lot and was badly injured, unable to walk, so I had to carry her to the hospital for a rabies vaccination. Xiaoying, why are you at the hospital? What's wrong with your health?"

Unfortunately, she didn't reply after I sent the message; perhaps she was driving and didn't see it.

Not long after, Lu Xiaobei became much more well-behaved after receiving the rabies vaccine.

"Ding Han, I want to eat spicy hot pot..."

"Eat farts."

I glared at her. "Didn't you listen to a word the doctor said? After getting the rabies vaccine, you can't drink alcohol, strong tea, or coffee. You also need to avoid spicy and allergenic foods. Don't eat seafood or mangoes for the next few days. You can have hot pot, but only the clear broth kind."

"Clear broth it is!"

She pouted, as if she would be unhappy if she didn't eat this hot pot.

The two walked along the street for a short while and came across a Hot Pot Restaurant. They went in, since she had come from afar, so I treated her and told her to order whatever she wanted. She indeed ordered a lot of random things.

I just finished eating, so I can only have a quick bite.

"Why are you back so soon? Have you finished everything with Milo?"

"Um."

Lu Xiaobei seemed starving. He stuffed a piece of beef into his mouth and said while eating, "The music video for 'The Ordinary Road' was filmed perfectly, at least that's what the director said. In addition, the rest of the songs on the album have been recorded and are currently in the final stages of post-production. The release date should not be far off."

"That's good."

I looked at her and asked, "And you, what are your plans? You didn't come to Huaining City just to freeload off me for a meal, did you?"

"No."

She shook her head. "Besides seeing you, I also need to go to the internet cafe to check on its actual operation. After all, if you, as the manager, aren't paying attention, I, as the owner, have to be more attentive."

"That's a lie..."

I took a deep breath. "How many days do we plan to spend in Huaining City?"

"Play?"

Lu Xiaobei said speechlessly, "Do you think I'm a multi-millionaire boss like you, a nobody who just plays around all day? My flight back to Beihai is tomorrow morning."

"I'll go with you to the internet cafe later."

"You're the manager, of course you should stay with me."

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Lu Xiaobei seemed to have forgotten the pain of the injection and being scratched, and regained her energy. She happily took a taxi with me and we headed to the Huaining City Flagship Store of Feiyang Chain Internet Cafe.

"Xiao Bei, what brings you here?"

Store manager Chen Xiaoman walked up with a smile and said, "I was just about to leave work. If you had come any later, you wouldn't have seen me. Oh, Manager Ding, you're here too..."

"Yes, that's right..."

I felt a little ashamed, as I had never been here before.

"Sister Xiaoman, you can go home now. Don't bother with anything else. Ding Han and I will just look around a bit and head back to Beihai tomorrow."

"Oh well."

Chen Xiaoman didn't say anything more and went home from work.

After walking around upstairs and downstairs, we finally stopped behind Old K. He was using the machines in the VIP area and was still playing Legend of Mir with his Daoist character. But there was a girl next to him who was actually playing Legend of Mir with Old K. She was playing a mage and was helping Old K fight monsters.

"Old K," I called out.

"Ouch, damn it..."

Old K hurriedly stood up and said with a smile, "Xiao Bei, Ding Han, what brings you two here? Are you rare guests?"

"That's true..."

Lu Xiaobei gave me a sarcastic look and chuckled, "Old K, who is this beautiful lady?"

"Oh, I forgot to introduce her. She's my girlfriend, Wang Xiaomei. We met online."

Old K said proudly, "Isn't it beautiful?!"

Wang Xiaomei stood up, looked at us, and greeted us rather shyly.

"It's really beautiful!"

I wholeheartedly agree, "Her looks are on par with Xiao Bei's!"

In fact, Lu Xiaobei's looks are top-notch. While Wang Xiaomei is also a beauty, she pales in comparison to Lu Xiaobei.

"Alright, you guys get back to work."

I patted Old K on the shoulder and laughed, "Xiao Bei and I just came over for a stroll. We're all done here; I'll take her to the hotel."

"Okay!"

Old K remained engrossed in the game.

In the taxi.

"I never expected Old K to have a girlfriend."

Lu Xiaobei exclaimed, "What did you just say? She's as beautiful as me?"

"So you're going to settle scores later?" I asked, my eyes wide.

"Snort!"

Lu Xiaobei turned her face away angrily.

The driver, however, adjusted the rearview mirror and chuckled, "That young lady is so beautiful, like a fairy. How could anyone be as pretty as her? Young man, you really don't know how to talk."

I was speechless for a moment. This driver was good at adding insult to injury, but he was right. Lu Xiaobei was indeed very beautiful, like a fairy. Of course, this was under the premise that "fairy" was still a positive term in <Star Abyss>.

"What time is your flight tomorrow? Do you want me to take you?" I asked.

"Want!"

Lu Xiaobei said, "I flew all the way from BH City to see you. If you let me go to the airport all alone, can you imagine that scene? Wouldn't you feel miserable?"

"Don't say anything more, I'll take it!"

She smiled, completely satisfied.

After dropping Lu Xiaobei off at her hotel, I immediately took a taxi back; it was already midnight.

But when the living room door was opened, it was completely dark inside. Could it be that Lin Qingying was asleep?

I frowned and knocked on Lin Qingying's door.

"Knock knock~~~"

No one responded.

"Xiaoying, are you asleep?"

Still no response.

I gently pushed the door open, and it swung right in. The room was empty; even many of the cosmetics on the counter were gone. The blankets were neatly folded. Was she... not planning to stay at home anymore?

'No way...'

My heart sank. Was she angry with me? Because I went to the hospital behind Lu Xiaobei's back?

No way?

In my memory, Lin Qingying is not an emotional person. She is the CEO of Yue Ning Group, a person who takes charge of the overall situation, and it is even more impossible for her to be jealous of me. I am aware of this.

However, Lin Qingying's departure still left me feeling very unsettled, so I picked up my phone and sent her a message: "I'm back. Aren't you staying at home tonight?"

Still, no one responded.

For some reason, I started to feel anxious. If I can't resolve this issue, I probably won't be able to sleep tonight.

So, he dialed the phone number Shen Man had left behind last time.

"Hello?"

Shen Man asked, "Ding Han, is something wrong so late?"

"Something's wrong."

I said, "I think I upset Xiaoying. She just moved out of her house, so I wanted to ask if she has another place to stay in Huaining City? If so, please let me know."

"What... what did you do to make her angry?"

"A female friend of mine was scratched by a stray cat in our neighborhood. It hurt so much she couldn't walk. I carried her to the hospital and happened to run into Xiaoying, who was picking up her medicine..."

"Ding Han!"

Shen Man's voice became much sharper. "What can I say to you? You... you might as well just drive me crazy!"

"It's not what you think. We're just friends. She got scratched by a cat in the neighborhood. Don't overthink it. We're really not in that kind of relationship."

"That's alright..."

Shen Man's attitude softened considerably. She said, "Manager Lin also has a villa in the Champs Elysées Villa. I'll send you the detailed address later. Let me tell you, Manager Lin scolded me severely last time because of what happened to you. I can feel that you are really important to her, so don't mess this up for me, or not only Manager Lin, but I won't let you off the hook."

"Okay, send me the address quickly, I'm coming over now."