Chapter 129:The Attending Doctors Meeting |
The brick in Gu Shu’s hand crumbled like a stale cookie as his lips were pursed tighter than a constipated clam and his eyes blazing with fury as he pinned George with a withering stare.
George squirmed, his instincts screaming louder than a banshee that it was time to flee. He spun on his heel, ready to make a break for it, but Gu Shu’s single, icy word froze him in place.
“George.”
The sound sent a shiver down George’s spine as he reluctantly turned back to face the music. Gu Shu’s piercing gaze seemed to bore into his very soul, his dark presence enveloping the room like a harbinger of doom.
“Did you deliberately tell me this news to see me make a fool of myself?” His tone was glacial, his words dripping with malice.
George’s heart skipped a beat as he struggled to come up with a plausible response. He had indeed wanted to see Gu Shu humiliated, but he wasn’t foolish enough to admit it now. Not after tricking the attending doctors into coming to this meeting under false pretences, claiming to deal with the ‘Deaf Descendant,’ just to spite Gluttony. The stunt had backfired, resulting in docked pay and grunt work for all involved. George wasn’t about to poke the bear again.
But he couldn’t throw Yu Xiao under the bus either, or the other doctors would think he was in cahoots with the humans.
George forced a fake smile, attempting to sound nonchalant. “Come on, would I do that? I simply happened to hear about it and thought you should know.”
George: “…”
**
Meanwhile, Chao Ge bustled around the room, serving tea to Yu Xiao and offering her a steaming bowl of tea eggs.
He couldn’t fathom why the hospital had sent an inspection team to disrupt their peaceful lives. Being an attending doctor was the cushiest gig in the joint – one doctor, one instance, no competition, and total autonomy. But with the inspection team’s arrival, those halcyon days were numbered.
Chao Ge let out a despairing sigh as he delicately peeled a tea egg. “So, boss lady, any idea why the higher-ups suddenly decided to send an inspection team?”
He handed the egg to Yu Xiao, who took a bite, her eyes widening in surprise. “Mm, delicious!”
Chao Ge beamed with pride, his eye behind the monocle gleaming mischievously.
“Here’s the scoop,” Yu Xiao said, gesturing with the half-eaten egg. “Gluttony was dissatisfied with his position and wanted a change. He set his sights on becoming an attending doctor and targeted St. Elizabeth.”
Chao Ge’s eyes widened in understanding. “I see. I was wondering why the attending doctors would gather, despite their differences and busy schedules. They didn’t even invite me.”
Yu Xiao explained, “The big shots are paying attention now. They believe this chaos occurred because the hospital’s promotion system is outdated. To prevent these kinds of incidents in the future, they’ve formed an inspection team to evaluate everyone and use the scores for promotions and demotions.”
Chao Ge’s face turned red with rage as he slammed his fist on the table, causing the teacups to rattle. “Damn you, George!”
If that sneaky bastard hadn’t deceived the other doctors into joining him against Gluttony, this whole situation would have blown over. But no, he had to stir the pot, and now they were stuck with this inspection team bullshit.
Yu Xiao savoured the sweet taste of another settled grudge, her lips curling into a satisfied smirk.
‘Oh, George, you two-faced weasel,’ she silently thought, ‘always trying to one-up me, aren’t you? Just wait until you realise you’ve pissed off every single soul in this place. Then you’ll come crawling back, begging for my help.’
Yu Xiao didn’t have a personal vendetta against Chao Ge, but she wanted to put the fear of God into him, make sure he thought twice before screwing over another patient. And when it came to collecting grudges, Yu Xiao was like a kid in a candy store – the more, the merrier!
“Sure, George is a grade-A douchebag,” she chimed in, “but something tells me this shit-show is just getting started.”
Chao Ge cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
Yu Xiao leaned in, her voice taking on a conspiratorial tone. “Well, our pal Gluttony has found himself in the unemployment line, and he’s desperate to become an attending doctor. You think he’s gonna throw in the towel after one little setback? Nah, he’ll be back for round two. George might’ve caught wind of it, but the other docs? They’re sitting ducks.”
Chao Ge’s face turned ashen, his eyes wide with concern. He knew he was no match for Gluttony in a throwdown. Not that he was selling himself short or anything, but let’s be real – you could count on one hand the number of attending doctors who could take that gluttonous bastard down.
Yu Xiao let out a sympathetic “tsk.” “What a shame.”
Chao Ge turned his head like a snake, his eyes locked on Yu Xiao. “What a shame about what?”
Yu Xiao replied, “It’s a shame that Gu Village only has you. If there were more powerful NPCs, that would be a different story…”
“There’s one in the temple.”
Yu Xiao nodded, “Yeah, I know about that one. But c’mon, it couldn’t even beat Gu Shu in a fight.”
Chao Ge’s face fell, the reality sinking in – the temple’s resident was only as strong as a single attending doctor. Between the two of them, they didn’t stand a chance against Gluttony.
Yu Xiao mused, “If only Gluttony would go pick a fight with Qing Shi…”
Chao Ge’s eyes lit up with recognition. He knew about Qing Shi and the notorious difficulty of his Sage Hospital instance. “Do you think Qing Shi can take down Gluttony?”
“Qing Shi alone? Maybe, maybe not. But don’t forget, we’ve got a certain someone pulling a community service at Sage Hospital as we speak.”
And just like that, it clicked. Chao Ge’s eyes lit up like he’d just had a goddamn epiphany.
Yu Xiao watched him closely, her mind going back to when Qing Shi had given her phone number to Gluttony. And then there was Wang Shu, that former delivery guy who still wanted revenge. Yu Xiao wasn’t going to give him the chance to make a move.
To give Chao Ge some peace and quiet to think up his next evil scheme, Yu Xiao excused herself to take a stroll and visit the temple to investigate the Gu village’s god.
As Yu Xiao stepped out of Chao Ge’s cosy little wooden shack, she was greeted by the familiar sights of Gu Village. Not much had changed, really. The locals still looked like they were on death’s door, and that annoying plague showed no signs of leaving anytime soon.
As she wandered through the village, she stumbled upon a group of people gathered up ahead, several of whom were patients. They seemed to be bombarding the village chief with questions, and Yu Xiao’s curiosity got the better of her. She approached to see what was happening and found out that the patients were grilling the chief with queries.
The baby-faced village chief, looking sharp in his crisp white Zhongshan getup, patiently answered their questions in between dainty little coughs. His pale face was a picture of tranquillity, but that tranquillity was short-lived.
Then, as if he sensed something, the village chief’s head jerked up, and his eyes locked onto Yu Xiao through the crowd. His pale face turned red with excitement as he raised his hand, “You…”
Yu Xiao took off like a shot, leaving the village chief’s words hanging in the air.
“Wait!” he called out, his voice hoarse from coughing.
The patients watched in shock as the delicate-looking village chief suddenly became agitated, reaching out and taking two steps forward before a violent fit of coughing stopped him in his tracks.
Still, he stretched out his hand, “Cough, cough, cough… You… Cough, cough, wait…”
Their gazes focused on a dark figure in the distance, a mysterious dot on the horizon.
The village chief, still coughing violently, stumbled after the figure, his frail body trembling like a leaf with each laborious step. The patients exchanged bewildered looks – what had gotten into the village chief? Was he onto something?
Clutching his chest, the village chief’s small steps turned into a frantic jog, his voice still booming, “You… come back, I want to… divorce you!” The words spilled out in ragged gasps, as if his lungs were ablaze.
The patients’ whispers swirled around them like a whirlpool. “I recognize her,” a patient chimed in. “When we arrived in the village, she was scribbling in a notebook next to the attending doctor.”
“That’s right, it’s her!” The village chief’s demand for a divorce triggered a flurry of questions. Was she his wife? What was she doing with the attending doctor?
Meanwhile, the villagers began murmuring among themselves, their hushed conversations crackling with excitement and curiosity. “She’s back?” “She’s really returned?” The air was charged with the buzz of gossip.
A villager urged, “Hurry up! Go tell Old Lady Gu that her daughter-in-law has come back!” The villagers scattered, chatting in groups, leaving the patients pondering.
They grabbed a villager’s arm and asked, “What’s the story with Old Lady Gu and her daughter-in-law?”
The villager shook them off, grumbling, “Hey, don’t ruin my new clothes!” As they smoothed out their outfit, they continued, “Her son got married, and just a few days later, his wife started cheating on him. Then she disappeared without a word and never came back. Who wouldn’t be furious?”
The patients nodded sympathetically, but their minds were racing – could it be true that you could actually leave Gu Village?
Yu Xiao finally reached the riverside temple, where Gu Jing Rong caught up to her, panting like a wounded animal. His physical strength had indeed improved, allowing him to cover that vast distance.
“D-d-divorce…” Gu Jing Rong stuttered, his eyes brimming with tears.
“Okay, okay,” Yu Xiao halted her escape, a mischievous sparkle in her eye. With no one around to judge, she strolled over to help Gu Jing Rong catch his breath, saying, “Let’s get a divorce, don’t get too worked up.”
Gu Jing Rong’s grip on Yu Xiao’s hand was tight like a vise, and tears streamed down his face like a mini waterfall. The corners of his eyes were so swollen that it looked like he’d been crying for hours.
Yu Xiao’s face went from “what’s up” to “holy crap” in two seconds flat. “What’s wrong? I thought we were good on the divorce front?”
Gu Jing Rong’s sobs were heart-wrenching, like someone was strangling a cat. “I can finally get out of this marriage!”
An awkward laugh escaped Yu Xiao. “Finally? Weren’t you thrilled to marry me in the first place?”
Gu Jing Rong’s pale face contorted in anguish, like a twisted rubber band. In his mind, he was thinking, ‘Which eye of yours saw me jumping for joy about marrying you? You only coerced me into it using my dad’s corpse, for crying out loud!’
But with the divorce looming, Gu Jing Rong didn’t want to get into it. He tugged Yu Xiao’s hand, saying, “Let’s just go home, okay?”
Yu Xiao struggled to break free, asking, “How do we make this divorce thing official?”
“We write it up, simple as that.”
“Fine, then. Lead the way.” Yu Xiao didn’t object.
She’d only married Gu Jing Rong to escape with her life, and now that was ancient history.
“No need to pull me, I can walk,” she added as Gu Jing Rong started dragging her off.
Just then, Old Lady Gu was lounging in bed at home when a bunch of villagers burst in, chattering excitedly about her daughter-in-law’s return.
Old Lady Gu sat up with a start, her eyes wide with shock. “Who? Which daughter-in-law of mine is back?”
“The scary one, your eldest daughter-in-law…” the villagers chimed in unison.
Yu Xiao followed Gu Jing Rong back home, and as soon as they arrived, they were ambushed by a crowd of people in the courtyard. The two exchanged a “what-the-heck” glance, and Gu Jing Rong’s face turned bright red before draining of colour as he hung his head and dragged Yu Xiao along.
Old Lady Gu clutched the doorframe, her voice stern. “Where do you think you’re going? Stop right there!”
But no one was giving her the time of day, which only served to fan the flames of her fury.
She began to stomp her feet, her voice carrying an odd mix of rage and melodrama. “Good heavens! A daughter-in-law who pays her mother-in-law no mind, treating her words like background noise! And a son, with a wife, who forgets his mother’s very existence! Woe is me!”
Back in his room, Gu Jing Rong wasted no time in pulling out a sheet of paper from his drawer.
As they stood by the desk, Yu Xiao’s ears still rang with Old Lady Gu’s wailing from outside. Suddenly, a question popped into her head, “Are you only going to divorce me?”
Gu Jing Rong’s gaze flicked up from the divorce agreement, his expression saying, “But… we need both signatures on this.”
**
Just then, Zhou Xiao Zhen let out a massive “Ah-choo!” and accused, “Someone’s badmouthing me behind my back!”
Zhao Lan, engrossed in her forum browsing, chuckled and asked, “How do you know it’s a person, though?”
Nightmare lay silently in the box, his presence as still as a ghost. The box wasn’t locked, but without Yu Xiao, he didn’t have the heart to emerge.
Zhou Xiao Zhen loved watching him transform into her male idol, but her bravery only stretched as far as Yu Xiao’s presence; without her, she didn’t dare make any demands of him.
As the two friends chatted, their conversation naturally drifted to Yu Xiao, with Zhou Xiao Zhen musing, “She’s back in Gu village, which means she’ll definitely run into our old husband, right?”
Zhao Lan’s knowing smile and nod of agreement only added to the intrigue.
Zhou Xiao Zhen continued, joking, “It’s been so long, who knows how our old husband is doing? When Smiley sees him again, he should be thrilled, right? After all, she’s his first wife.”
Nightmare, hiding in the box, felt his heart sink further. Yu Xiao had not only her two friends, but also an old husband outside. Why couldn’t he have a normal relationship with her like everyone else?
Their laughter and joking were abruptly interrupted by an unfamiliar ringing in the room. Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen exchanged a startled glance, then turned to stare at Yu Xiao’s bed. The sound was coming from their friend’s bed, and it sounded suspiciously like her Nokia phone.
The two friends locked eyes, and Zhou Xiao Zhen jumped down from the bed, rummaging through Yu Xiao’s drawer to find the Nokia phone. The caller ID read ‘Wide Sea and Sky’.
“‘Wide Sea and Sky’ is calling,” Zhou Xiao Zhen announced, holding up the phone for Zhao Lan to see.
Zhao Lan scrunched up her face, her brow furrowed in uncertainty, as she swung her legs over the side of the bed.
The two young women stood frozen, their eyes fixed on the ancient Nokia phone, tangled in a mess of confusion.
“What’s going on?” Zhou Xiao Zhen wondered aloud, her scowl deepening. “He specifically told Smiley to back off and leave him alone, so what’s with the call?”
Zhao Lan crossed her arms, her brow furrowed in uncertainty. She had a bad feeling about ‘Wide Sea and Sky’, like something was off-kilter. But his attitude screamed “stay out of it,” and she was more than happy to oblige, especially since they’d never even met the guy.
The phone’s silence hung heavy in the air, punctuated only by the occasional beep, until the ringing finally stopped.
Zhou Xiao Zhen blinked, her eyes still fixed on the phone. “Should we call back?”
Zhao Lan shrugged. “Even if we should, we should wait for Smiley to get back and let her handle it. He only called because he was looking for her.”
**
Meanwhile, ‘Wide Sea and Sky’ hurled his phone to the ground, the screen’s blue glow flickering out like a dying flame as voice repeated: “Sorry, the user you are trying to reach is currently unavailable…”
His hand clenched into a tight fist, his chest heaving with rapid, heavy breaths. She was furious, he thought, and rightfully so. Who wouldn’t be pissed if their good deed was met with a slap in the face?
But his frustration lingered, a gnawing feeling that had been building for a whole day without a single call. It was ridiculous, he knew. Nearly two decades’ worth of loneliness had prepared him for silent nights and empty mornings. But this new sudden silence, this absence of response, cut deep.
He snatched up his smartphone and opened the forum, where his posts were still being dissected and debated. Maybe, just maybe, he could try calling her own phone number.
He picked up the old phone, the call log displaying a single unfamiliar number. He dialled it, his heart thudding in anticipation.
“Sorry, the user you are trying to reach is not in the service area…” The robotic voice was like a slap in the face, leaving him feeling more frustrated than ever.
It seemed like Yu Xiao had entered the instance and left Tang Jing Zhi’s phone behind.
‘Wide Sea and Sky’ calmed down, his frenzy momentarily contained. But then, his eyebrows furrowed once more. She was jumping into instances way too frequently. This reminded him of his early days in the hospital. He remembered the frantic pace of his initial instances, with each one blending into the next without a break.
This was a recipe for disaster…
**
Yu Xiao signed the divorce agreement, and Gu Jing Rong beamed like a lottery winner, handing her four more copies. “Get the others to sign, okay?” he said cheerfully.
She raised an eyebrow, her gaze lingering on the agreement. “You’re in a hurry to get divorced, aren’t you?”
Gu Jing Rong avoided the question, his eyes filled with curiosity. “What’s it like outside the village, anyway?”
The sudden change in topic caught Yu Xiao off guard, and she tilted her head, a mischievous smile spreading across her face.
“Why don’t you take a walk and find out?” she teased, but Gu Jing Rong’s expression turned sombre, his eyes darkening.
“I dare not,” he said, his voice tinged with sadness. “Outsiders come and go, but no villager has ever left…and returned.”
Yu Xiao’s mind raced, trying to piece together the puzzle. She realized that, despite being bound by the instance’s rules, NPCs weren’t just mindless drones; they had thoughts and feelings. And that led to a question: had anyone from Gu’s village ever broken free?
Gu Jing Rong spoke with a hushed tone. “Outsiders either die or disappear. You’re the first to come back.”
He continued, his voice filled with longing. “Even Doctor Gu left; is it really that wonderful outside? Why did they all want to escape?”
Yu Xiao shrugged in response, followed by a question of her own. “Who was the attending doctor before Doctor Gu?”
Gu Jing Rong looked puzzled. “There was no doctor before Gu. He was the first….”
The sentence trailed off, leaving Yu Xiao’s brain itching with another puzzle. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Or in this case, the creepy ancient village or the even creepier Gu Shu?
The attending doctor could be transferred to another post, but Gu Shu was a different story. He seemed inseparable from the village, sharing not just its name but an unshakable connection.
Driven by curiosity, Yu Xiao swiftly pulled out her phone and dialled George’s number.
**
On the other end, George was hiding at the St. Elizabeth construction site, he was determined to avoid any encounters with other attending doctors until the hospital’s completion. But his peace was short-lived. His phone shrilled to life, flashing “Despicable Human” in bold red letters on the caller ID. George’s heart skipped a beat as he hesitated, then answered.
“Hey, George,” came the familiar, annoying voice on the other end, “I have a question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“Which came first, you or St. Elizabeth’s?”
The question hung in the air, and George’s mind went blank. He had never considered it before, and it left him speechless.
After what felt like an eternity, Yu Xiao’s voice pierced the silence. “Is the question too difficult? Why did you call yourself George?”
Ah, that he knew. George’s mind flashed back to the first batch of patients he had received, including a tasty morsel named George. He had devoured him, and it was the first time he had tasted something so delicious that it moved him to adopt the name.
Yu Xiao’s response was laced with amusement. “You named yourself? Alright then, here’s a new assignment: find out how Gu Shu got his name.”
“I won’t…”
“You can’t refuse, George.”
George’s protest died on his lips as Yu Xiao’s voice dripped with confidence, her words oozing with an air of superiority. “Trust me, I have the power to kick you out of St. Elizabeth Hospital right this minute.”
George responded with silence, slipping his phone back into his pocket and continuing his restless pacing as each step echoed through the corridor. As he turned a corner, he nearly collided with Gu Shu, who was busy hauling bricks.
“Keep your distance, or I’ll kill you,” Gu Shu growled, not even sparing him a glance.
George’s response was laced with sarcasm. “You can’t kill me.” He found Gu Shu’s threats rather dull and predictable. “I have a question for you, though. Why are you called Gu Shu, anyway?”
Gu Shu’s head snapped up, his eyes locking onto George like a predator sensing prey. The air seemed to vibrate with his killing intent, sending shivers down George’s spine.
Just then, Lolita sashayed into view, her intricately beautiful dress a stark contrast to the dirt caking her long nails. “George, you knew Gluttony wanted to kill you, didn’t you?” she accused, her voice dripping with venom. “You deliberately led us on a wild goose chase to deal with Gluttony, didn’t you?”
A complex mix of emotions flickered in Gu Shu’s eyes as he looked at Lolita, as if contemplating how she had finally figured out the obvious and why it took her so long.
George’s face remained a mask of innocence, but his feet seemed to have a will of their own, carrying him away from the scene.
Lolita’s voice followed him, filled with malice. “Although you played us, I think this might be an opportunity in disguise.”
Curiosity got the better of George, and he turned back to face her. “?”
Lolita’s bright blue eyes burned with a desire for revenge. “We can still join forces, discuss how to take down the ‘Deaf Descendant’. Your revenge failed, Gu Shu’s revenge failed. But if we combine our powers, we can make that descendant suffer an agonising death.”
The other attending doctors, including Gluttony, turned their heads to watch the scene unfold, their eyes fixed on them.
Among them, only Qing Shi, who was sitting in a wheelchair, seemed uninterested.
Regret stewed in his gut like a bad case of indigestion. While he had been carrying bricks around the construction site, he had a sudden realization: his disagreement with the ‘Deaf Descendant’ was nothing more than a small argument. If he was being honest, his strong dislike for that troublesome ‘Braised Egg Girl 438’ ran much deeper.
What had motivated him to attend that secret gathering at St. Elizabeth Hospital, anyway? If he could go back in time, he would have stayed away from that place. Why would he trade the comfortable environment of Sage Hospital, which even had a new cleaner now, for the chaos that awaited him at St. Elizabeth?