When night fell, Wen Siqiang called, stating he had something important to report.
I checked the time. It was half-past ten. It seemed there was news from Zhou Yingying's side.
Before long, Wen Siqiang entered, alone.
"Mr. Li, Zhou Yingying contacted Hui Ge through Huo Ge. Hui Ge said to hold back for now, to monitor your movements, and await his command."
This wasn't like Hui Ge's usual behavior. Wouldn't this be the perfect time to end my life? Why hold back?
I felt something was off. Did Hui Ge lack capable personnel, or was he playing a trick?
Hui Ge was inherently suspicious, likely not trusting even Zhou Yingying.
This possibility seemed more probable. After all, Zhou Yingying hadn't been with him for long, and her loyalty was yet to be proven.
The senior stood by. I said, "As expected, there will be activity at the hospital tonight. Remain vigilant, but don't alert them. Let them come in."
The senior looked at me with doubt. "Are you sure they won't make a move?"
"From my understanding of Hui Ge, he first needs to verify if Zhou Yingying has betrayed him. It's likely he'll send someone to probe for information."
The senior nodded. "Then we'll play along. Shall I move you to a different room? It would be safer."
"No need. They're here to see me. If I move, it loses its meaning. Keep things as they are. Let Nana stay with me, and you all continue to guard outside as usual."
I told Qiangzi to return to the hotel and keep an eye on Zhou Yingying.
I couldn't trust Zhou Yingying one hundred percent.
Following Principal Sun's arrest, he confessed to harming my father within the detention facility, thereby clearing my father's name. The principal personally visited our home to apologize and offered my father his position back. My father politely declined, stating that having his name cleared was more significant than anything else. Returning to his post was no longer important.
The police also summoned Zhou Yingying for a statement. She truthfully recounted the process of Principal Sun's coercion and enticement to frame my father. The police took no measures against her and let her leave after her statement clarified the situation.
In a sense, she too was a victim.
Even so, the deep-seated hatred Zhou Yingying had instilled in me hadn't entirely vanished. No matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise, a sliver of it remained in my heart. After all, the fate of my entire family was directly linked to her.
A moment later, a man in a healthcare worker's uniform entered with a bedpan. Without a word, he lifted my covers. Given his attire, the senior didn't pay much attention as he passed, assuming he was attending to a normal patient.
Unexpectedly, he entered the ward directly and proceeded to lift my covers.
The senior lunged forward, striking him on the back. The man froze, looking back in alarm, and asked with an innocent expression, "Didn't you call for me to collect urine?"
The senior's strike was not light, nearly knocking him over.
The senior withdrew his hand, saying angrily, "We have perfectly good legs. Why would we need you to collect urine?"
I saw a shadow flicker at the doorway and quickly said, "Big brother, you might have the wrong room. We don't need this here. You can go."
The man, ignoring the pain, saw me dismiss him and quickly bowed an apology before leaving the ward.
"What needed to be seen has been seen. If I'm not mistaken, we'll have visitors soon."
The senior also understood. The healthcare worker from earlier was a genuine employee, merely being used.
Now that it was confirmed I was indeed lying in bed, would Hui Ge let me go?
The senior went out to arrange for personnel. I asked Nana to get me sportswear from the closet. I had been lying here for several days; it was time to get up and stretch my muscles.
Nana looked at me doubtfully, as if to confirm if I was serious.
I gave her a reassuring look, then turned to get the clothes.
After changing, I arranged the quilt on the hospital bed to make it look like I was still asleep. Then, I signaled to the senior at the door, locked the door from the inside, and turned off the lights.
From the outside, it appeared I had gone to bed for the night.
Nana and I hid in an adjacent room. This wasn't a patient room, but one prepared for accompanying family members. It contained a small bed and a small cabinet.
Nana and I sat on the bed. She snuggled into my arms like a kitten, silent.
She was no longer easily startled like before. After experiencing these events a few times, she had become very composed. However, her worry for me hadn't lessened at all. I could feel it from the strength with which she held me.
It was as if I would disappear if she let go.
I told her not to mind or move, no matter what happened, and that I would handle everything.
She nodded. I gently stroked her. She had fallen in love with me heedlessly, unaware of how heavy this love would be.
My phone lit up. I saw two characters: "Coming!"
I stood up, told Nana to stay seated, and moved to the doorway.
As expected, I saw the curtains shift, and a dark figure floated in through the window.
The senior's message indicated someone was coming, and it certainly wasn't him.
Although the room was dark, some outside light still streamed in, allowing for vague outlines.
I saw the dark figure quietly approach my hospital bed, lift the covers, and plunge a short blade downward.
Before he could react, I lunged forward and kicked his knee from behind. He let out a soft grunt, nearly falling to his knees.
Without letting him retaliate, I grabbed him by the collar and pushed him forward. His head struck the metal bed frame with a crisp sound. He cried out in pain.
I didn't give him a chance to recover, striking his wrist with a palm. The dagger instantly flew from his hand.
I picked up the short blade and held it to his throat, asking in a low voice, "How many of you are there?"
"Just three. Two outside."
Hearing there were only two, I breathed a sigh of relief. The senior could likely handle them alone.
I had him stand up, move to the wall, and face it with his forehead against it. I then asked him to bring his hands behind his back. I took his belt and bound him securely.
I opened the door, and the senior stood anxiously at the entrance.
"These damn scoundrels were playing Tai Chi out here, just circling around. I chased them, but they vanished in the blink of an eye. I sent two brothers to pursue them. Are you alright?"
I said, "No need to chase them. Those two were just to distract you. They wouldn't fight you. The real one is here."
The senior was startled. He had been focused on those two, not realizing they were a diversion.
The senior saw the assassin hiding on the floor and kicked him over.
He deserved to be kicked to death. He had just tried to kill me with deadly intent. A few stabs, and I would have lost more than one life.
I turned on the light and said to the senior, "Quickly settle the discharge procedures. Hui Ge's plan failed, and he won't give up. Instead of passively waiting for him, let's take the initiative. We'll use Zhou Yingying to find his location and take him down!"
The senior nodded, looking at me with concern. "Your body?"
I said, "I'm not that fragile. If Hui Ge insists on our death, what use is this body to me?"