Translator: CinderTL
Seeing the concern in Zhao Ru's eyes, a strange emotion flickered in Jiang Cheng's gaze, but it quickly transformed into a tender look. "Thank you," Jiang Cheng said sincerely.
Zhao Ru's face flushed slightly as she nodded, accepting Jiang Cheng's gratitude.
Just as the two were about to take their interaction further, someone arrived outside.
It was a man, dressed in an outdated plaid suit with a red tie.
He exuded the aura of a nouveau riche.
"Hey," the man called out, knocking on the glass door. "It's time to change the medicine for the patient in Room 309."
Zhao Ru opened the glass door and politely explained to the man that she hadn't received any notification and that the patient in Room 309 wasn't under her care.
She suggested he go to the nurse downstairs.
The man, with his triangular eyes, impatiently retorted that he had just come from downstairs and that the nurse there had sent him up.
Before long, the man's tone grew increasingly hostile.
After making a phone call, Zhao Ru told the man to return to the room and wait while she went to the pharmacy to get the medicine.
"That's more like it," the man said, strutting away with an air of arrogance. "If it weren't for your young age, I'd have reported this directly to your hospital director."
Jiang Cheng guessed the man was likely in construction and had just received his project payment.
"Sorry about that," Zhao Ru said, her eyes filled with reluctance as she looked at Jiang Cheng. "I have to get back to work."
Jiang Cheng smiled and replied, "No problem. You go ahead. I'll bother you again when you're free."
Hearing this, Zhao Ru's steps became noticeably lighter.
She quickly tidied up and left.
As Jiang Cheng watched Zhao Ru's retreating figure, that strange emotion buried in his gaze resurfaced.
Since meeting this girl, everything seemed to have become simpler.
In less than a day, she had already brought him many surprises.
Moreover, the information she provided appeared to be independent, with no fixed connections between each piece.
But when strung together, they all pointed to one person.
Director Qi.
She had only been here for a month.
And she was just an intern.
Was it really that easy to obtain such information? As Zhao Ru's figure grew distant, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but think of someone else.
Another woman.
Xiao Wan from the ancient brothel in a previous scenario.
The one who, along with her sister Xuan Ji, was known as one of the two peerless beauties.
These two women gave him a similar feeling.
Both seemed to be playing the role of bait, luring him into a trap.
Of course, Jiang Cheng had no evidence so far; this was merely his speculation. As for the truth, he would need to continue observing.
Perhaps she really was just an extremely lucky, innocent girl who happened to be captivated by his charm.
After all, as the top performer in the night scene, Jiang Cheng had that much confidence.
Returning to Room 209, everyone was gathered together.
Seeing Jiang Cheng enter, Huai Yi, who had been speaking to the group, stood up and introduced that through their recent inquiries, they had obtained a crucial lead.
There was an elderly person in the hospital who might know about the events that occurred ten years ago.
"This old man has been at the hospital for many years," Huai Yi introduced. "He used to be in charge of the hospital's boiler room. Later, as he got older, had no relatives, and his health wasn't great, the hospital kept him on to do odd jobs."
"We went to see him earlier, but before we could say much, he chased us out," Cao Yang said with a grimace. "He definitely knows something, but he just doesn't want to talk."
The old man had a terrible temper and was fond of drinking. He rarely interacted with others in the hospital and lived in a small room in a corner on the first floor.
The room didn't even have a window—it was a dark, enclosed space.
It was said to have been a storage room in the past.
"We're planning to go again. This time, we bought some liquor," Cao Yang said, stepping aside to show Jiang Cheng the half-case of baijiu under the bed.
It seemed they were planning to get the old man drunk and then pry information out of him.
Jiang Cheng didn't have much to say about that, but what he couldn't understand was... "Just this?" Jiang Cheng stepped forward, pulled out a bottle, and found a small line of text on it. The alcohol content was a staggering 70%.
"70% alcohol, straight up?" Jiang Cheng shook the bottle. "You're not pairing it with any snacks?"
Cao Yang was momentarily stunned. "We... we didn't have time to buy any."
"Fried peanuts, sliced pig's head meat, and a few side dishes," Jiang Cheng instructed. "And grab a couple of cases of beer while you're at it."
"Make sure the beer is ice-cold, the colder the better," Jiang Cheng added.
"We asked around. The restaurant owner nearby said the old man doesn't drink beer, only this," Cao Yang explained, holding up a bottle of baijiu.
"That's for us," Jiang Cheng said, stretching his neck.
Seeing Jiang Cheng's demeanor, Huai Yi couldn't help but frown. This didn't seem like the behavior of someone new to the Nightmare.
Though he thought this, Huai Yi's expression remained calm. "Mr. Jiang," Huai Yi said, "we'll leave it to you, then."
"Aren't you coming along?" Jiang Cheng asked.
"I was thinking of taking this time to look around outside," Huai Yi said earnestly, then lowered his voice and continued, "This hospital should have an archives room. If we can find it, it would be very helpful for our next steps."
"I see," Jiang Cheng said, looking at Huai Yi with admiration. "Then you must be extra careful. The weather outside..."
Jiang Cheng glanced out the window and didn't finish his sentence.
But everyone understood. The sky outside was almost completely dark, the clouds hanging so low it was practically indistinguishable from night.
Those clouds seemed to press down on their hearts.
It gave everyone an indescribable sense of oppression.
As if trying to lighten the mood, Huai Yi smiled at everyone. "Actually, I'd like to go with you, but I can't drink. It would be pointless for me to go."
"How's your drinking capacity, Brother Jiang?" Huai Yi asked curiously.
After all, their goal was to get the old man drunk and then slowly extract information. If they ended up getting drunk themselves and saying something they shouldn't, it could cause trouble.
So they had prepared for a battle of attrition from the start.
"My drinking capacity is average," Jiang Cheng said, spreading his hands. "But my friends say I handle my liquor well."
Hearing this, Lin Wan'er's lips curved into a smile, and the light in her eyes as she looked at Jiang Cheng's profile seemed to glow faintly, as if just looking at him made her heart happy.
Cao Yang gritted his teeth and said, "I can barely manage."
Then everyone turned their gaze to Wang Changguo, but he shook his head outright, refusing, "My health isn't good. I can't drink."
Du Feng wasn't even in the consideration of the group. His psychological resilience was too weak, and seeing his timid demeanor, Jiang Cheng had no interest in bringing him along.
After making a phone call, the restaurant sent over some dishes to go with the drinks. Jiang Cheng and Cao Yang then carried the alcohol and food over.
Worried about being discovered by the hospital staff, they wrapped everything in clothes.
(End of the Chapter)
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