Zhang Chuanlei pointed and scolded Zhou Ming, who didn’t dare to even breathe loudly.
“You! You’re going to be my team member from now on, so listen up! Otherwise, I’ll definitely make you regret it.”
“Gadelia was kind enough to save you, you should be secretly thrilled. I just checked her account balance—seven zeros! Enough for you to earn in a lifetime.”
Zhou Ming muttered, “I’m not after her money.”
She’s after my life!
“Building a good relationship with her privately won’t hurt you. Zhou Ming, do you want to avenge your parents?”
Zhou Ming’s head snapped up, his eyes fixed intently on Zhang Chuanlei.
Zhang Chuanlei blinked and looked away.
A moment of silence passed.
“You understand what I mean, right?”
Do the Lantern Bearers take side jobs? Or are they looking for unregistered ability users? Surely they wouldn’t hire a whole convoy?
“I will avenge them through my own efforts. I don’t need anyone’s help.”
“Fine.” Zhang Chuanlei stood up.
Zhou Ming suddenly spoke up, “Contact information. We haven’t exchanged contact info yet.”
“We’ll talk about that when you get to Lantern Bearers.” Zhang Chuanlei waved his hand dismissively and turned to leave.
Looking at the basket of fruit, Zhou Ming suddenly felt a pang of hunger. He realized he hadn’t eaten all day.
He pressed the call button, and a female nurse hurried in. Zhou Ming made his request: he was hungry and wanted food.
After spending several times more money than he would outside, Zhou Ming finally got a boxed meal. The taste was average, but it was definitely much better than Gadelia’s cooking.
Zhou Ming had completely lost faith in Gadelia’s culinary skills. That bowl of chicken soup was enough to haunt him for a lifetime.
He had to admit, Gadelia was a peerless genius on the path of “dark cuisine”—a Culinary God would close their eyes at the sight, a Food God would weep at the smell, and even the legendary Little Chef Fugu would kneel in surrender.
After eating, Zhou Ming lay on the hospital bed, scrolled through his phone for a while looking at random information, and then prepared to sleep.
Gadelia hadn’t returned since she left, and Zhou Ming couldn’t be bothered to contact her.
Not long after, reporters from the Yu City Evening News and Yu City Channel showed up. First, they congratulated him on his heroic act, then began the interview.
The questions ranged from family background to eating habits, and even his views on the Lantern Bearers, making Zhou Ming’s head spin. He vaguely expressed his reluctance to continue, his tone growing increasingly impatient.
The reporters tactfully prepared to leave.
Just then, the hospital room door was pushed open, and Gadelia returned, carrying a fragrant-smelling meal.
“This is the person he saved. He’s very grateful for everything you did for him,” a reporter immediately introduced.
“Ah, hello, Miss. We are reporters from the Yu City Evening News and Yu City Channel. Mr. Zhou Ming risked his life to save someone, and we’d like to do a feature on it.”
“Is that so? I thought all these small newspapers had gone out of business,” Gadelia said offhandedly. “Are you two from the same company?”
“We are government-supported media; we don’t just go out of business,” the reporter replied, sounding somewhat awkward.
“You came to interview Zhou Ming? He acted bravely and deserves the publicity. The interview should be over, right?”
“Not quite. Miss Gadelia, could we trouble you for an interview as well? We believe a hero needs not only courage but also supporters. Only by combining your contributions with Zhou Ming’s actions can we truly inspire the public.”
“Do I need to be interviewed too?” Gadelia was taken aback.
“Yes.”
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
Twenty minutes later, the reporters finally left.
The room returned to quiet, but Zhou Ming grew even more tense—Gadelia was still there.
She looked at Zhou Ming, a faint smile in her eyes. She had no ulterior motive; she simply wanted to get closer to him.
“Eat. I waited in a long line to get this.” She handed the meal over.
Zhou Ming secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as she didn’t make it herself, it was fine.
He opened the box. The rice grains were golden and plump; the braised pork belly was coated in a glossy, tempting sauce; shredded carrots were scattered throughout; a clear soup with a slight sheen of oil floated with egg drops.
“Eat,” Gadelia said. “I left in a hurry this morning. I forgot you hadn’t eaten all day and didn’t know if you had or not.”
Zhou Ming ate hungrily, took a sip of the soup, and then spoke.
“It’s pretty good.”
“Really? For me, as long as it’s edible, it’s fine. The taste is all about the same anyway,” Gadelia said flatly.
Having been tormented by various noises for so long, she had long since lost sensitivity to taste. Only intensely stimulating food could pique her interest.
“Hmm?” Zhou Ming was about to ask for details but quickly averted his gaze.
“It’s nothing. I’m not a picky eater,” Gadelia explained.
Zhou Ming thought to himself: You can eat that and you’re not picky?
After the meal, Gadelia tossed the empty container into the trash.
Zhou Ming glanced around the private room, thinking she would probably go back home tonight.
“I’m staying here tonight. I’ll be taking care of you for the next few days,” Gadelia stated calmly.
She didn’t want to be too far from Zhou Ming. His influence on her had a limited range, and there were no suitable places to stay nearby, so it was better to just remain in the hospital room.
“Don’t worry about me sleeping. I can sleep just fine leaning over something.”
I’m worried about myself.
Zhou Ming had no choice but to accept it.
Then, at four in the morning, he opened his eyes and found himself staring directly into a pair of jade-green ones.
“You… you’re not asleep yet?”
Zhou Ming had only wanted to get up to use the bathroom, but now his scalp was tingling with fright.
“Didn’t I say I would take care of you?”
“You don’t have to take care of me like this…”
“I was worried you might have an accident during the night. Besides, I’m not sleepy right now. You don’t need to worry about me.”
I’m not worried about you. I’m worried about whether you’ll scare me to death.
Images from horror movies involuntarily flashed through Zhou Ming’s mind:
A stormy night, wind howling, thunder crashing incessantly, windows rattling, the lights in the hospital hallway flickering on and off.
The sound of high heels tapping echoed in the silent space.
Boom—
A flash of lightning illuminated a pale arm, nails painted a dark red.
Eyes gleaming with an eerie light.
Inside the hospital room, he was sound asleep. Suddenly, he jolted awake. That person was standing over him, hand raised high, revealing a bizarre smile in the lightning flash…
Zhou Ming shuddered violently, now completely awake.