Chapter 26: Straightforward

The two and the robot walked into the house, which did not look like a clinic, but like a normal apartment. The familiar smell of sterile water in the air made Ji Cheying’s frown slightly loosen.

When they walked to a room inside, the door was opened and the woman turned on the lights. The room’s space was quite large, within the placement of some medical instruments, medicine cabinet, etc., and even expensive professional medical equipment.

The woman tentatively took off her jacket and put on a white coat, then put on gloves. “What’s the situation?”

Ji Cheying leaned against the doorway and looked at them, Xie Quan was currently standing with his back to him.

Xie Quan lifted his shirt to show his abdomen to reveal the horrific bruises, and he said succinctly, “Check for ruptured internal organs.”

Ruptured internal organs?

When Ji Cheying heard this, his body stood up straight as he leaned against the door. He walked over to Xie Quan and saw the horrible bruises on his lean abdomen, as big as two of his palms and almost black in some places.

Was this why he was covering his stomach earlier?

His voice tightened. “Why didn’t you say anything if you were so badly injured?” 

Xie Quan saw him looking and dropped his own clothes to cover the wound as he corrected, “We won’t know if it’s serious until after I’ve been examined.”

Ji Cheying took a deep breath and was about to say something when he noticed a searchlight-like sight that made him turn his head uncomfortably and saw the woman looking at them with interest.

When the woman saw him look over, she shrugged. “Don’t look at me, you guys continue.” Then she turned around and lamented as she prepared the equipment for the examination, “Little couple, what an eyesore.”

Xie Quan lay in the examination chair as the woman pulled the irradiator over to his abdomen while Ji Cheying held his arm, tapping his fingers and staring expressionlessly.

The woman first pressed Xie Quan’s abdomen with her hand, and when she saw him frown, she said, “You’re quite calm when there’s a possibility of internal organ rupture.” Her lips hooked. “The infection can be deadly.”

Xie Quan said calmly, “I’m not dead yet, what are you afraid of?”

The woman stared at Xie Quan’s face. “You look good. Sleep with me for one night, and I will waive your medical expenses?”

“Ahem.” Ji Cheying coughed heavily.

The woman turned her head and raised her eyebrows seductively. “You can join too, I don’t mind.”

Ji Cheying glared angrily as he turned his head and looked to the side. The small medical room would apparently still be tasked with surgeries and such, the cabinets next to him were lined with surgical tools, and even a roller cart next to him had a row of scalpels neatly laid out.

Seeing those scalpels, Ji Cheying suddenly remembered the wound test report Henry brought earlier, the medical equipment that caused the wound on the victim’s head was different from the regular instruments circulating in the market. He picked up one of them.

The woman warned in a light tone, “Sir, you can look at it, but don’t move it.” 

Ji Cheying put the scalpel down and asked, “Where did you get these instruments?”

The woman started the machine and raised an eyebrow. “What, a fellow traveler?”

“No, just curious.”

The woman looked Ji Cheying over carefully. “You’re not one of us ‘here’.” She leaned back and rested on the back of the chair, crossing her legs, her halter dress sliding up to reveal her honey-colored thighs. “What brings you here to see me?”

Xie Quan, who was lying on the bed, suddenly said, “I thought you should be clear about what to ask and what not to ask.”

The woman turned her eyes back to Xie Quan. “This gentleman was the one who didn’t know the rules in the first place.”

Xie Quan said, “It will be included in the medical bill.”

The woman’s lips hooked, then said quickly, “There’s a traveling doctor. As far as I know the black clinics in Noel City are sourced from him, no matter where they go to buy.”

Ji Cheying frowned at that. “The police don’t know about him?”

The woman looked at the image obtained on the monitor and replied casually, “Every place has its own rules, and Noel City has its own too. He has access to those things, so he naturally has a way to keep himself from being discovered.”

Pushing the irradiator away, the woman said, “There is a slight rupture of the liver, but it did not cause a complete rupture of the substantial organ envelope. With bed rest, it can recover on its own.”

At these words, Ji Cheying’s heart relaxed a little.

The woman stood up and took some pills and medicine from her medicine cabinet. “After paying you can go,” the woman said while yawning, “I’m going back to sleep.”

This kind of black clinic was never very expensive. Ji Cheying went up to prepare to pay, however, at this time, Xie Quan had already taken out a terminal from his own pocket to complete the payment.

The woman looked at the amount with some surprise, because she received an additional amount of money in the amount she received. But she certainly did not think it was a “tip” given out of Xie Quan’s kindness.

At this moment there was a sound of something falling from the living room, the woman and Xie Quan turned their heads to look, and Ji Cheying walked down the hallway to confirm. “It’s Xiao Bai, I’ll go check.”

The woman furrowed her brow. “Xiao Bai?” 

“My robot,” Xie Quan replied simply.

The woman shrugged, not paying much attention to the matter, but simply asked, “So sir, would you like to order any more services?” She squinted her eyes ambiguously.

Ji Cheying restored what Xiao Bai had knocked out of place and was about to go back to Xie Quan, who was already walking out with something in hand.

The woman followed Xie Quan and asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to stay the night? I promise to let you enjoy yourself.”

Ji Cheying’s temples jumped, he took a big step forward, and avoiding the place where Xie Quan’s wrist was injured, he pulled Xie Quan. “Let’s go.”

“Tch, how petty. Go, go, remember to close the door when you leave.”

The group of punks who were smoking on the road were still there, and the cab couldn’t get in here, so Xie Quan had to go back to the previous place and take a car to leave. Xiao Bai was still leading the way, while Xie Quan looked at Ji Cheying’s hand that he had been holding since a while ago and still hadn’t let go of even now. Xie Quan used a little force, Ji Cheying froze and let go of his hand slightly, while Xie Quan immediately took the opportunity to retract his hand.

When he got back there, the cab called in advance was already waiting there.

Once again, Ji Cheying carried Xiao Bai to the car before he got in.

The vehicle drove smoothly to their apartment, and the long day was finally coming to an end.

In the car filled with the sound of Xiao Bai’s chattering navigation, Xie Quan suddenly asked, “How did you know that something happened to me?”

Ji Cheying, sitting next to Xie Quan, turned his head to look at him and found Xie Quan looking out the window.

“Xie Yi called the police. Xie Yi said he saw you being taken away in front of the hotel, and when he returned to the apartment, he waited for a while and found that you hadn’t returned, so he called the police.”

“Xie Yi?” Xie Quan turned his head with some surprise.

“He seems to be something looking for you, I’m not sure exactly.”

Xie Quan tilted his head. “Then how did you find me?”

Ji Cheying replied casually, “The police have their own means of tracking, I guess.”

Xiao Bai mimicked the navigation voice and said, “Turn left ahead, 2.6 kilometers to the destination!”

The streetlights outside the window formed a strip of light like flowing water, reflecting in Xie Quan’s eyes a shimmering wave. Ji Cheying looked at Xie Quan and asked, “I have a question for you, too.”

“What?”

Ji Cheying asked the question that had been lingering in his mind, “You seem to be familiar with that kind of place, why?”

Not only the red light district, but also the attitude of communication with that woman could show that Xie Quan was very familiar with the rules of this underground world.

That woman could tell that he was not from that underground world, but she never said that Xie Quan was not. And Xie Quan didn’t seem to put that expensive consultation fee in his eyes. Of course, all of this just adds one more brick to the “Xie Quan was unusual” thing.

Ji Cheying knew that Xie Quan was unusual, and he had confirmed this from the security footage as well as from various sources. But whenever he had begun to accept it, he always found that Xie Quan seemed even more unusual than he had previously thought.

An above-average fondness for and ability in robotic construction. A mastery of aristocratic etiquette. And now, a good knowledge of the rules of the underground world.

Yet such a person’s identity on the datebook was just a poor nephew who had no one to depend on and had his property appropriated?

Xie Quan did not seem surprised by Ji Cheying’s question, his expression remained unperturbed. He replied indifferently, “Because, I have a secret.” After a pause, he looked at Ji Cheying and continued, “And you have secrets too.”

Then Xie Quan took a note out of his pocket and handed it to Ji Cheying.

Ji Cheying reached out and took the note, opening it to find a name and a list of addresses.

He frowned and looked up at Xie Quan.

At this point, he had a guess in his mind, but didn’t say anything.

He guessed that it was the name and address of the person who could provide illegal medical equipment as the woman said.

What did Xie Quan know?

At that moment, Xiao Bai cheered, “We have arrived at our destination, please take your belongings and robot off!”

Xie Quan opened the door.

Maybe it was time to think about moving.