"Hao Xiangqian, how are you feeling?" Junsheng bypassed Haoli, who was blocking the door, and entered the hospital room, his gaze filled with concern.
Hao Xiangqian's parents were puzzled, looking at their son questioningly about who this classmate was.
Hao Xiangqian, his leg in a cast, twitched suddenly, perhaps due to psychological reasons. Wincing in pain and biting his teeth, he struggled to speak to his parents, "Dad, Mom... can you step out for a bit... I want to spend some time with my friend."
His mother, thinking his strange tone was due to the recent excitement, didn't suspect anything. Instead, she was happy that a peer had come to visit her son. "Alright, you young people talk. We'll be outside. Call us if you need anything." After instructing her son, she smiled gratefully at Chen Junsheng and pulled her husband out of the room.
Mr. Hao felt something was amiss but, seeing the clean and clear smile of the young boy, thought he might be overthinking it. He pulled Haoli, who was reluctant to leave, out and closed the door.
Once the family left, Hao Xiangqian's face turned pale, his body trembling uncontrollably. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he nervously looked at the much leaner boy in front of him, as if seeing a ghost.
To him, Chen Junsheng's smile seemed clean and innocent, the face of a good student.
A good student? Before this, Hao Xiangqian indeed thought so. When he declared that Jian Yifeng should be his girlfriend, and this boy approached him, he thought of teaching his future brother-in-law a lesson.
But who would have thought this was no good student, but a complete psychopath!
Remembering those cruel black eyes, Hao Xiangqian shivered.
He asked through gritted teeth, "Chen Junsheng, what do you really want? I've done as you said. What more do you want?"
Chen Junsheng looked at his trembling form, his innocent smile slowly widening, his eyes suddenly changing as he moved closer to Hao Xiangqian, his breath cold. "Why did my sister find out about this? Didn't I tell you to keep it a secret?"
"Hao Xiangqian..." Chen Junsheng glanced at his other leg, saying lightly, "If you don't want this leg either, I can help you cut it off."
Hao Xiangqian, catching a glimpse of the blood flowing back in the IV tube, felt chilled by the sight, stimulating the ferocious beast within Chen Junsheng, eager to break free and tear apart!
Frightened by Chen Junsheng's inhuman, predatory eyes, Hao Xiangqian stumbled backward, stammering, "I didn't tell anyone, not even my parents or sister. They just think I was attacked by boys from Yizhong who like Jian Yifeng... No, your sister. I swear I didn't tell anyone about you!"
He was so scared he dared not even say Jian Yifeng's name, as Chen Junsheng didn't allow other men to say her name.
"You didn't tell..." Chen Junsheng stood up, confusedly muttering to himself, "I didn't tell either, so how did she find out?"
Hearing this, Hao Xiangqian knew he still didn't believe him. Thinking of his other leg, he raised his hand and swore, "If I lied, may my entire family die!"
Chen Junsheng looked at him intently, then nodded and casually said, "Oh, so it wasn't you. Well, get well soon."
Hao Xiangqian let out a sigh of relief.
"Hey!" Chen Junsheng suddenly turned back, causing Hao Xiangqian to tense up again, wary of what Chen Junsheng might do. He thought: This is a hospital; this psycho wouldn't dare to actually hurt me here, right?
Chen Junsheng curiously asked, "Do you have money?"
Hao Xiangqian was taken aback, not expecting this sudden turn from intimidation to asking for money. He quickly grabbed his jeans from the chair, took out his wallet, and handed all the cash inside to Chen Junsheng.
"That's all the cash I have for now. My phone is at home. I'll transfer more to you later. Please, don't trouble my parents. They are honest people."
The once-dominant figure in Erzhong, with over a hundred underlings, now pleaded humbly.
Chen Junsheng took the money, counted it - a mix of bills and coins totaling 1,051.50 yuan. He pondered if his sister would think it was too little.
After taking the money, he left the hospital.
"Brother, who was that? He's so handsome... Huh? Why are you sweating so much?"
Haoli excitedly rushed into the room, stopping mid-sentence when she noticed her brother drenched in sweat, even his hospital gown was soaked.
"Isn't the air conditioning on?" Haoli touched the air, confused, "It's not hot."
Hao Xiangqian, as if exhausted, lay back on the bed, too weak to even scold Haoli. Seeing his parents' worried looks, he casually said he accidentally pulled his leg and then closed his eyes, refusing any further conversation.
He just wanted to be alone for a while.
Jian Yifeng entered the outdoor sports equipment store and quickly scanned the merchandise. She decisively approached the counter and listed her needs:
"Please, I need a military backpack, a set of climbing ropes, a military knife, a pair of ice axes, a medical kit... Also, a pair of combat boots for both men and women, two sets of lightweight sportswear, and two thick protective suits."
The store owner, a middle-aged man and a mountaineering enthusiast, was intrigued to see a young girl in a school uniform requesting such a comprehensive set of equipment. He couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Little miss, you're buying so much gear in one go. Are you preparing for a club activity? Which club is it? I might know it."
Jian Yifeng, unfazed by the owner's enthusiasm, simply stated the sizes for the clothes and boots, took off her backpack, unzipped it, and handed over 7,200 yuan.
The owner, while gathering the items and checking the bill, noticed Jian Yifeng's reluctance to answer and smiled resignedly, not pressing further.
After scanning all the items, the total came to 7,189 yuan on the cash register. Surprised at the precise amount, he skeptically accepted the stack of cash from Jian Yifeng and put it through the bill counter.
The machine quickly counted the bills, displaying the number 72.
"A regular customer?" he asked uncertainly. Otherwise, who could remember the exact prices of each item in his store?
Jian Yifeng smiled slightly, "No need for change."
In an era of ubiquitous mobile payments, the owner didn't have change to give her and didn't want to take advantage of a student. So, he included a small can of pepper spray as a bonus.
He kindly advised, "It's dangerous for a young girl to be alone. Remember to carry this with you. Keep it in your pocket; it's small and won't take up much space, but it can be very useful in critical situations."