Chapter 701: Maybe You Guys Should Find a Temple to Pray At…
Chapter 701: Maybe You Guys Should Find a Temple to Pray At…
The hospital walls were a cold light gray, the overhead lights casting an even paler pallor over everything. The air was thick with the pungent smell of disinfectant, and signboards on either side ahead marked the directions to various departments in English. Medical staff frequently pushed carts by, the wheels rolling across the floor in a steady, rhythmic sound.
It wasn’t particularly crowded or chaotic here, but there was a tense, quiet, busy atmosphere that made you feel strangely suffocated after being here for a while.
Lao Qi sat slumped on a chair in the lobby, staring despondently at the ceiling ahead.
Tch. What a mess today… I could really use a cigarette.
The man’s eyes shifted, finally landing on the no-smoking sign nearby. His hand, which had been fumbling through his pocket, stopped abruptly. He then ran his fingers along his left broken eyebrow in frustration.
Lao Qi knew his employer was a genuinely good person who wouldn’t blame him for something like this. But what had just happened was infuriating enough. He had already been serving as a driver-turned-bodyguard, and now this had to happen. Lao Qi almost felt too embarrassed to face everyone else now.
“Sigh—”
Lao Qi let out another sigh. His gaze swept over the no-smoking sign once more as he forced himself to calm down. What he should do now was get back to Manager Liu and the young assistant immediately, just in case something dangerous happened again.
But just as he wiped his face and steadied his gaze, he heard a familiar voice calling from behind him.
“Lao Qi!”Lao Qi whipped his head around and sure enough, saw his boss approaching him with a grim expression.
From the way the boss was dressed, it was clear he had come straight from the crime scene. He was still wearing the same hip-hop hoodie from the morning’s event, but combined with his current gloomy expression, he looked like the toughest, most vicious troublemaker outside a school.
The kind of guy who, if thrown into an American high school, would be the most ruthless bully.
But Lao Qi knew that Xiao He was actually a very, very good person.
And that only made him feel more awkward.
Lao Qi took a deep breath and immediately stood up, bowing sincerely to Xiao He as he apologized: “I’m sorry, Teacher Xiao.”
Xiao He stopped, looking the middle-aged man up and down. Seeing how tightly his fingers were clenched, he paused for a moment before asking, “Are you okay?”
“Huh?”
Lao Qi was startled. He looked up at Xiao He and saw that the coldness in the young man’s eyes had already faded, replaced only by concern for him.
“I’m asking if you’re injured?”
Xiao He repeated.
In this team, Lao Qi had always been the most silent one. His relationship with Xiao He was neither close nor distant. He treated him purely as a respected boss, always addressing him as “Teacher Xiao.” He never voluntarily joined in on the daily joking around, mostly just silently playing the role of the driver, an unremarkable background figure.
But without a doubt, his presence had greatly facilitated many of Xiao He’s work schedules. He had always been reliable, an indispensable part of the team.
That’s why Xiao He wasn’t angry at Lao Qi. Instead, he was more worried about his physical condition, afraid that he, like Sister Liu, might be hiding an injury.
“I, I’m fine.”
Understanding the meaning behind Xiao He’s words, Lao Qi hurriedly waved his hands to prove he was perfectly fine, while feeling a lump forming in his throat.
Teacher Xiao really was a great person.
And facing concern instead of criticism only made Lao Qi feel more guilty.
Seeing Lao Qi getting more dejected, Xiao He gave a helpless smile. Out of kindness, he didn’t continue that topic and instead asked, “The police came earlier, right? What did they say?”
“Ah, they took our information and gave me a case receipt. They’ve gone back to check the surveillance footage now.”
Lao Qi immediately handed over the receipt, along with the hospital’s paperwork, for Xiao He to look at.
Xiao He took it, glanced over it quickly, and then asked, “How much stuff did we lose?”
“Two DSLR cameras and four lenses, plus two tablets, and two hard drives…”
“Wait, you’re saying there were two tablets in there?”
Xiao He cut off Lao Qi.
“Yes.” Lao Qi nodded, then explained further, “One was the team’s work tablet, and the other was the one Xiao Chen used for photo editing…”
“Alright, I understand.”
Xiao He nodded slightly. “Do you remember those two guys?”
Lao Qi nodded firmly, a determined light flashing in his eyes. “Even though they were wearing helmets, I’ll never forget their builds, their clothes, and the motorcycle they were riding!”
“Good. Now come with me to check the surveillance. Watch closely, say little. The moment you see those two show up, tell me directly.”
Xiao He said this decisively, then turned and walked outside.
Lao Qi didn’t hesitate for a second. He immediately followed Xiao He out of the hospital.
---
In the upstairs hallway, Xiao Chen was still confused. “Sister Liu, are Brother Xiao and them not coming back for now?”
“Mm. Let’s head back first. After everything we’ve been through today, we’re all exhausted.”
Liu Rulan turned around and thanked James beside her. “Thank you for all your trouble today, Mr. James. We’d also appreciate it if you could help us find someone to liaise with the police…”
Getting robbed in a foreign country would most likely end with them having to accept their losses.
Even if there was a result later on, they’d probably already be back in their home country by then, not about to fly all the way back just to handle this personally.
So they still needed James, a local, to help them out.
“I understand.”
James nodded. Then, as if remembering something amusing, he deliberately said it to lighten the oppressive mood: “But you guys really have had terrible luck. Last time Xiao ran into a serial killer, and this time you guys got robbed… Is it always like this back in your home country?”
Going everywhere and running into crime wherever you go? It wasn’t really the reincarnation of that death-bringing elementary school kid, was it?
Good thing James was a foreigner, or else he might have advised Liu Rulan and the others to go find a temple and pray to get rid of the bad luck.
Liu Rulan’s mouth twitched slightly.
But Xiao Chen, who could also understand the foreign language now, started thinking seriously. “Come to think of it, we do run into things like this a lot back home too. But I guess it’s been better lately.”
Liu Rulan, however, was reminded of the birthday party poisoning case that was still in litigation, and she rubbed her forehead in exasperation.
“Maybe…”
“We really should go find a temple to pray at.”
When it came to fate, it was worth believing in a little.
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