11 - Blind Date

11 - Blind Date

"Of course I didn't take any money. You have to believe I still have some professional integrity."

Li Bai chuckled and shook his head. He'd underestimated the wave of online outrage; someone had actually come after him.

On the other hand, Yao Bing really had managed to make himself universally hated, provoking this much public fury.

"How did you diagnose that Yao Bing with a mental illness? He's clearly fine."

Su Mei stared at him, wide-eyed and bewildered.

The exposé online had revealed quite a bit of information, including the fact that Li Bai had conducted Yao Bing's psychological evaluation.

Until then, everyone had known that the rich young master wasn't mentally ill at all. The purpose of getting the diagnosis was as obvious as lice on a bald head: he wanted to use mental illness as an excuse to escape legal punishment.

Schizophrenia most often developed in young adults, with a slow or subacute onset. That clearly didn't make him a mildly mentally ill person who could be held fully criminally responsible. Even if he had to serve time, his sentence could still be reduced or mitigated. There was plenty of room for maneuver, and if things were handled properly, he might not even have to set foot in prison before his sentence was up.

"Who says he isn't? Schizophrenia, accompanied by hallucinations and delusions."

Li Bai winked at Su Mei. The kindhearted nurse was different from Chen Sheng, who had ulterior motives; Li Bai hadn't used any of his tricks to fool her.

"Ah! So yesterday was real?"

Su Mei cried out, then quickly covered her mouth, eyes widening.

She felt that the young Doctor Li was hiding something.

"Shh! Don't ask too many questions!"

Li Bai made a shushing gesture.

The situation was still brewing and was far from over. He didn't want to drag Su Mei into trouble.

"Hurry and find a way to prove you're innocent. Otherwise, those people are capable of anything."

Being warmhearted didn't mean she was slow to react, and being kind didn't mean she was stupid. Su Mei knew full well that the internet had sparked countless real-world incidents. Not everyone was acting out of righteous indignation; some had ulterior motives, and even malicious people might take the opportunity to stir up trouble.

"Don't worry. I can handle it."

Li Bai's calm demeanor reassured Su Mei, and at last she smiled sweetly.

Just then, a pair of 110 patrol officers arrived, along with several SWAT officers. The moment they flashed their silver handcuffs, the five self-proclaimed defenders of justice lost their nerve. They were hauled into the police car without much effort.

The local "17th Floor" forum exploded again.

"Fukua: New developments in the rich second-generation heir Yao Bing's murder case! A group went to the Seventh People's Hospital to teach the doctor who issued the mental illness diagnosis a lesson. The police caught them—all of them!"

"Cat Who Doesn't Eat Fish: The police wouldn't be that unreasonable, would they? What exactly happened?"

"Laichubute: I was there. Five burly guys, and they beat up the wrong person!"

"Relevant Department Trouble Department: Ah!"

"Relevant Department Minister: Ah!"

"S117: What happened? How did they hit the wrong person? How did a straightforward tower demolition turn into jungling?"

"Laichubute: The doctor they beat up was surnamed Chen. He was right next door to that Li guy, but then the guy surnamed Li showed up."

"Is the Leader Awesome: Hurry up, tell us! Did the guy surnamed Li get beaten up? You have to give him a good thrashing. He shouldn't take just any money from now on."

"KFC Who Doesn't Flirt: Grabbing a little stool and waiting!"

"Cat Who Doesn't Eat Fish: Same!"

"Laichubute: Two guys went to beat up the guy surnamed Li, but he took them both down in one move. They were big, burly men, broad-backed and thick-waisted. Just looking at them made your legs go weak."

"Relevant Department Communications Department: Damn, he's that good? He's not a doctor; he's an assassin, right? Terrifying!"

"Laichubute: No, someone secretly fired anesthetic darts. Those two hadn't even reached the guy surnamed Li before they collapsed. Then the police arrived, and the whole group got taken away. I had no idea there was an expert in the hospital."

"Fukua: ..."

"Relevant Department Minister: ..."

"Relevant Department Trouble Department: ..."

"Relevant Department Communications Department: ..."

A video of Chen Sheng, a psychiatrist at the Seventh People's Hospital, getting beaten up by five burly men was soon uploaded online. The attackers had put up a good fight, and the victim had taken a brutal beating, but they'd still hit the wrong person. Those five self-styled heroes would probably spend ten days or half a month in the detention center.

"Cat Who Doesn't Eat Fish: I really want to see the guy surnamed Li get beaten up!"

"Fukua: I really want to see the guy surnamed Li get beaten up!"

"S117: I really want to see the guy surnamed Li get beaten up!"

A string of netizens lined up to curse him, all hoping to see Li Bai get beaten up.

Over the next few days, several suspicious people of unknown identity loitered for a long time on the fourth floor of the Seventh People's Hospital's outpatient department. But the two neighboring consultation rooms were empty, and under the security guards' wary, suspicious gazes, they eventually left in disappointment.

After tossing a few odds and ends from the consultation room into his personal locker in the changing room, Li Bai walked out of the hospital empty-handed.

He stared wistfully at the traffic on the road, then slapped his forehead as he remembered that Old Dad had given him the number of a girl for a blind date the night before. Better sooner than later. He might as well ask her out.

He could find someone to eat dinner with. If she was easy on the eyes, he might even manage a few extra bowls of rice.

With that thought, Li Bai looked up a number on his phone.

"Hello, is this Dong Keyan? Hi, I'm Li Bai. Yes, are you free tonight? How about we find somewhere to have dinner? Great, five thirty. Do you have a place in mind? Tuman Restaurant? Sounds good. I've been there. I didn't know you were a meat lover. Okay, let's meet at the entrance."

Life in modern society was getting faster and faster. Asking a girl out was quick and straightforward.

No need for meaningful glances, passing notes, friends covering for you, or romantic confessions. Just get straight to the point and see whether your house, car, money, brains, and looks met the girl's standards. If things worked out, great; if not, goodbye.

If the two hit it off, there were even people who ended up in bed together that very day.

The idea of breaking up and staying friends was wishful thinking.

Those who were good at it might have several girlfriends at once or keep a few backups on hand. The stories of chastity and lifelong devotion belonged only to classical literature.

There was still plenty of time before their date at five thirty that afternoon. Li Bai had no intention of going straight home, so he decided to walk to Tuman Restaurant.

He passed a pet shop on the way and bought a pet carrier. He had an Azure Flood Dragon at home, and letting it race around the whole house wasn't ideal if someone happened to see it.

Carrying the pet carrier, he strolled along at his leisure. Two hours later, Li Bai arrived at Tuman Restaurant. Since it wasn't busy yet, he took a seat.

Tuman Restaurant was an authentic German restaurant. By Chinese standards, it was the sort of place where you could drink beer by the bowl and eat meat by the slab. Its specialties included salted pork knuckle, all kinds of sausages, and dark beer.

Li Bai had barely sat down when his phone rang. The caller ID showed the girl he'd arranged to meet. At the same time, he spotted a young woman in a white trench coat at the entrance, holding her phone and looking around as if searching for someone.

The moment Li Bai saw her, she spotted him too.

As if by telepathy, they both lowered their phones without answering the call.

"Are you Li Bai?"

The young woman had short hair cut to her ears, a pointed chin, long lashes, slender brows, and cherry-red lips. She was the very picture of a bright, beautiful young urban professional.

"Hi, I'm Li Bai. You're Dong Keyan, right? Please, have a seat."

Li Bai stood up and courteously pulled out a chair for her.

She was very punctual—she'd even arrived fifteen minutes early.

"Thank you. Did you just get here?"

Dong Keyan noticed the cup of black tea on the table, still sending up wisps of steam.

"Yeah! What would you like to drink?" Li Bai nodded, called over a waiter, and asked for a menu.

"I'll have what you're having. Hmm? You have a pet?"

Dong Keyan noticed the pet carrier beside their table and looked slightly surprised.

"Yeah. I just bought it while passing by a pet shop."

Li Bai nodded.

"You must be a very caring person."

Dong Keyan offered a small compliment.

"Haha!"

Li Bai laughed.

Imagine being unhinged enough to keep a monster as a pet.

In the other world, people had often called him the Great Demon.

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