Chapter 26: Hiking Up Prices On The Spot
After leaving the police station, Yang Haoran first returned to his convenience store to retrieve his phone, then immediately called Jiang Zhenzhen.
This time, the call didn’t fail to connect as it had last night; it rang only twice before being answered. However, Jiang Zhenzhen's voice on the other end was extremely weak. After asking about her situation, he immediately rushed to the hospital where Jiang Zhenzhen and the middle-aged man had been admitted.
He planned to check on their condition, especially Jiang Zhenzhen, to see if she was seriously harmed.
Though he had other urgent matters to attend to, he couldn't shake his concern for Jiang Zhenzhen. Thus, he decided to temporarily put aside his important affairs and deal with her situation first.
Before even stepping into the hospital, Yang Haoran ran into the middle-aged man. He was physically fine, having merely fainted from fright, and was not planning to remain at the hospital.
To Yang Haoran’s exasperation, the middle-aged man's mood immediately flared upon seeing him. He unleashed a torrent of abuse, accusing Yang Haoran of tricking him and nearly scaring him to death.
Yang Haoran didn't argue with him. The man was clearly in a fit of rage, and arguing would only worsen the situation. He figured that once the man had finished his rant and cooled down, he wouldn't be so agitated.
On the surface, Yang Haoran smiled and absorbed the middle-aged man's fury, but inwardly, he was quite vexed, though he had no intention of voicing his complaints.
He truly hadn't lied to the middle-aged man back then. He genuinely believed that Jiang Zhenzhen’s home had been infiltrated by thugs, which was why he had paid the man for help. How could he have known that instead of thugs, a ghost was wreaking havoc in Jiang Zhenzhen’s apartment?
After the middle-aged man had emotionally vented his anger, he demanded the final payment. Though severely frightened, he hadn't forgotten the five hundred New Beginning Coins he was owed; he remembered it clearly.
However, what was initially agreed to be a total of one thousand, with Yang Haoran paying five hundred upfront and the remaining five hundred later, had now inexplicably ballooned. The remaining five hundred had somehow transformed into two thousand, an increase of a full fifteen hundred.
When asked why, the middle-aged man’s excuse was that he had been so terrified that he deserved an extra fifteen hundred as compensation.
Upon hearing this demand, the smile that had been plastered on Yang Haoran's face vanished. He turned and walked into the hospital, ignoring the middle-aged man completely. From his demeanor, it seemed he had no intention of paying the extra fifteen hundred, or even the original five hundred outstanding.
Indeed, that was exactly what Yang Haoran was thinking. He had originally intended to keep his promise and hand over the remaining five hundred New Beginning Coins to the middle-aged man, after all, it was an agreement made beforehand, and regardless of whether the middle-aged man had actually helped, an agreement was an agreement.
But to his annoyance, the middle-aged man had decided to hike up the price on the spot, adding fifteen hundred to the original amount. Such an act naturally crossed Yang Haoran’s bottom line, which was why he turned and walked away, not intending to give a single coin.
Seeing Yang Haoran walk away without hesitation, the middle-aged man instantly panicked. The anger that had just subsided reignited within him, and he roared at Yang Haoran's retreating back: “Kid, you stop right there! You'll pay this money whether you want to or not! ”
Yang Haoran was already simmering with suppressed anger. From the moment the police officers arrived that morning until now, he had been fuming, and as one vexing situation followed another, his irritation had only intensified. Yet, he had suppressed it, not only preventing his anger from erupting but also masking it quite effectively.
However, the middle-aged man's attitude now pushed him to the verge of explosion. He stopped, his voice chilling as he asked, “And what if I don't? ”
Since Yang Haoran had his back to the middle-aged man, the man couldn't see the expression on Yang Haoran's face. However, he could feel the coldness in his tone, which caused him to shiver slightly.
The middle-aged man was, at heart, a coward; this was not difficult to discern. Earlier, seeing Yang Haoran's smiling, easygoing demeanor, he had concocted the idea of hiking up the price, hoping to extort more money from him. But now, seeing Yang Haoran's firm stance, his heart began to pound.
Humans die for wealth, and birds for food, as the saying goes. Although the middle-aged man felt a little nervous, the thought of potentially gaining more benefits if he persisted bolstered his courage, and he continued, “I said, you'll pay this money whether you want to or not! If you don’t, I’ll call the police and have them get it for me! ”
It was one thing for the middle-aged man to bring up the police, but mentioning them only made Yang Haoran’s anger surge further. Without a word, he scanned his surroundings, his gaze settling on a certain spot. He then strode towards it.
The middle-aged man watched all of this, unsure what Yang Haoran was doing. But when he saw Yang Haoran pick up a brick from a corner and walk towards him with a grim expression, he was instantly terrified, his body trembling!
Yang Haoran, holding a brick, looked far more menacing than he had with a kitchen knife last night. The middle-aged man was already a timid soul, and seeing Yang Haoran approach with such killing intent, he dared not mention the money again. He hurled a final threat and turned to flee.
“You just wait! ”
Watching the middle-aged man slink away, Yang Haoran scoffed. He didn't pursue him, instead tossing the brick aside and heading towards the inpatient building.
He hadn't wanted to fall out with the middle-aged man, but the fellow was truly presuming on his leniency. If he hadn't asserted himself against such a person, the man might have thought him easy to bully, and perhaps two thousand New Beginning Coins would soon turn into five thousand. He believed the middle-aged man was capable of such outrageous demands.
Having scared the middle-aged man away, Yang Haoran not only saved himself fifteen hundred but also the original five hundred. As for whether the middle-aged man would seek revenge later, he wasn’t worried at all. Given the man’s cowardice, he probably wouldn't even dare to, so Yang Haoran had no concerns.
Before coming to the hospital, Yang Haoran had already learned from his call with Jiang Zhenzhen which hospital she was in and her room number.
Jiang Zhenzhen hadn't been discharged like the middle-aged man because she was currently too weak and needed a few days of recuperation at the hospital. Her extreme weakness wasn't just due to fainting last night, but also because she hadn't rested well for a prolonged period.
Working during the day was already exhausting, and then being tormented by a ghost at night. Although it had only been a few days in total, these days felt as long as centuries to her. Both her mental and physical state had been severely depleted. Her body was already frail, and such torment naturally made her even weaker.
Arriving at Jiang Zhenzhen's ward, Yang Haoran saw her sitting up in bed from the doorway. She was on an IV drip, her face pale, and she looked listless and incredibly haggard, like a severely ill patient.
Although the bruises on his face still stung, and his mood had just been soured by the middle-aged man, Yang Haoran still composed himself before entering the ward.
Jiang Zhenzhen seemed to sense eyes on her and looked towards the ward door, just as she saw Yang Haoran. She first froze, then a look of joy spread across her face.
Yang Haoran had already adjusted his demeanor, a faint smile gracing his lips as he walked towards Jiang Zhenzhen.
His smile was natural; an ordinary person would never be able to detect the hidden vexation and anger beneath it. Jiang Zhenzhen, of course, didn't notice either.
However, while his inner emotions remained concealed, the bruises on his face were quite prominent. Not only did Jiang Zhenzhen see them, but everyone else in the ward did too; such obvious bruises would be visible to anyone who wasn't blind.
“Master Yang, your face. . . what happened to your face? Was it injured by that thing last night? ”
When Yang Haoran stopped by her bedside, Jiang Zhenzhen asked him, her voice tinged with concern and a touch of guilt.
Yang Haoran was racking his brain for an excuse for the bruises on his face. Hearing Jiang Zhenzhen's words, he simply nodded, seizing the opportunity. “That thing was too powerful. It took a great deal of effort to deal with her, and I consequently suffered some injuries. ”
Yang Haoran's words were utterly shameless. In his eyes, the rotting old woman ghost was indeed formidable, but it wasn't him who dealt with her. Moreover, this ‘master’ of theirs had also been scared out of his wits at the time. If it weren't for the arrival of that sharp-faced, monkey-chinned young man, who knew what the final outcome would have been?
Indeed, only the ghost knew. Only that rotting old woman ghost knew.
However, how could Yang Haoran reveal the truth? He still relied on this line of work to make a living. If he told the truth, his image in Jiang Zhenzhen’s mind would be ruined. And if Jiang Zhenzhen spread the word, how could he continue to ply his trade?
So, even though he felt choked up inside at the moment, he didn't forget his identity, nor did he forget what role he should play in such circumstances.
Shortly after Yang Haoran appeared, Jiang Zhenzhen had fainted, losing consciousness and collapsing on the floor like the middle-aged man. Therefore, she naturally chose to believe Yang Haoran's words.
At that time, Yang Haoran's pathetic state was known to no one but the sharp-faced, monkey-chinned young man. Even the police officers who arrived later after receiving the alarm only saw Yang Haoran in his boxers, holding Jiang Zhenzhen.
So, there was no problem with him boasting to Jiang Zhenzhen; it was all up to him. As for whether that sharp-faced, monkey-chinned young man would expose him, that was a joke—how could such an expert easily appear before Jiang Zhenzhen, and how could he be so bored as to expose Yang Haoran?
“Thank you so much this time, Master Yang. If it weren't for you, it's hard to say if I'd still be alive right now. ” A hint of lingering fear appeared on Jiang Zhenzhen's pale face. Even now, just thinking about last night's scene made her feel a chill run through her.
Yang Haoran offered no comment on Jiang Zhenzhen's sentiment. Let alone Jiang Zhenzhen, even he, Yang Haoran, couldn't help but shiver when he recalled the repulsive appearance of the rotting old woman ghost. If the sharp-faced, monkey-chinned young man hadn't appeared, he couldn’t be sure if he’d still be alive now either.
“Where's the Death God Pendant I lent you? ” Yang Haoran suddenly remembered something and asked.
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