Chapter 70

Chapter 70 - 70 069 Xingxing is bewitched by Gu Changling deals with Chapter 70: 069: Xingxing is bewitched by Gu, Changling deals with Old Lady Liao (second update) Chapter 70: 069: Xingxing is bewitched by Gu, Changling deals with Old Lady Liao (second update) Xie Shang examined the corner of her eye and noticed a tiny scratch. He fetched some ointment from the room, washed his hands again, dabbed a little ointment onto his finger, and gently spread it over the scratch.

Her eyelashes didn’t move as she watched Xie Shang.

She tilted her head back slightly, the bangs that usually masked her facial contours were blown aside by the wind. Her pupils, unobstructed by lens barriers, were bright and lively.

There was a contradictory quality about her, as if she had seen through the worldly ways, yet seemed as if she was new to the world. Her doe-like eyes were innocent, stubborn, unyielding, and unaccommodating.

“Xie Shang.”

“Hmm.”

She was smiling.

Unsure what was making her happy.

She called him, “Xie Xingxing.”

Xie Shang didn’t respond.

“When I call you, you should answer.”

Without her glasses, her beautiful eyes resembled a witch’s mirror, a mirror that could bewitch people into shedding their skins, reflecting a version of themselves they didn’t recognize.

“Xie Xingxing.”

She called again.

Xie Shang paused in his application of the ointment, “Hmm.”

“Xingxing.”

“Hmm.”

He responded.

Wen Changling smiled even more delightedly, tilting her face up so Xie Shang could apply the ointment to her eye corner.

Xie Shang had a habit he wasn’t even aware of. He disliked it when others called him by his nickname, yet he indulged everyone who could call him Xingxing, including his maternal grandmother, his mother, and Gu Yihuan during moments of mischief.

*****

The old lady Wen Changling bumped into was named Liao.

Old Lady Liao fractured her right foot and had multiple abrasions, so she was hospitalized in Dihong Hospital. When the traffic policeman Old Cheng was taking her statement, she vehemently accused Wen Changling, “She did it on purpose! She ran over my leg!”

Old Cheng thought the old lady was confused.

“How could she have done it on purpose?”

Old Lady Liao replied angrily, “When I fell, her electric scooter had already stopped. She pretended not to see and stepped on the accelerator, running over my leg. She did it on purpose.”

The other party involved told a different story.

The other party said, “The old lady suddenly dashed out. The scooter was going too fast, and I accidentally ran over her leg because I couldn’t brake in time.”

Old Cheng believed the other party more.

“Why would the young girl have any reason to intentionally run over your leg? Do you believe what you’re saying?”

Old Lady Liao indignantly replied, “How would I know why she ran over my leg? Maybe she’s just born bad, picking on the elderly.”

Old Cheng, who had seen all kinds of people, knew the old lady was tough and not easy to bully.

Adhering to the principles of fairness, justice, and transparency in his investigation, Old Cheng asked, “Do you have any evidence that proves it was intentional?”

“Isn’t my injured leg evidence enough?” Old Lady Liao raised her voice in the hospital room, “I want to sue her for attempted murder.”

With a swish, the curtain beside them was pulled open.

“And I want to accuse you of scamming and extortion.”

It was Sister Tao.

Talk about a coincidence, Wen Changling was in the next bed because of a slightly swollen leg. The head nurse, caring for her colleague, insisted that she rest and receive an IV drip to reduce the inflammation.

Since Wangwang was undergoing surgery in Dihong Hospital, Liu Shifang was also there.

Sister Tao was visiting the sick, but little did she know, she struck right at the heart of the matter upon her arrival.

Sister Tao, who could not stand losing, spoke up, “Officer, I have something to report. I suspect this old lady is a professional scammer.”

Old Lady Liao shouted back furiously, “You’re talking nonsense!”

If it weren’t for Old Lady Liao’s injured leg, she likely would have leaped up to strike someone.

Unperturbed by the oath-old lady’s outburst, Sister Tao pressed on, “Officer, this old lady just had a scraping incident with my neighbor last week, also with an electric scooter.” Sister Tao pulled over the socially anxious and usually quiet Liu Shifang, “This person was involved. We both took the old lady to the hospital.”

Liu Shifang quickly nodded in agreement.

Sister Tao, both rational and righteous, continued her statement, “It’s been only a few days, and the old lady has been hit by a scooter again. Quite the magnet for accidents, especially targeting scooters without dash cams. Don’t you think it’s suspicious, officer?”

Officer Cheng also felt it was suspicious.

Unable to remain seated, Old Lady Liao dragged her fractured leg and approached, shouting, “You widow, stop slinging mud here!” She spoke so loudly, wishing that everyone passing by would hear and judge the situation, “They are all in this together, surely trying not to compensate and falsely accusing me, an old woman.”

Old Cheng then asked Old Lady Liao, “Did you have any rub or scrape with anyone last week?”

When asked this question, Old Lady Liao became evasive, “That’s a different matter. Last week’s issue has already been resolved, and I didn’t ask them for a dime.”

Sister Tao snorted, “The examination alone cost two thousand three hundred.”

“That’s because she hit me. At my age, if I don’t get checked, who would be responsible if something went wrong?”

You admitted it.

Sister Tao gave the traffic police a look that said “See, I told you it’s extortion,” and then sarcastically addressed Old Lady Liao, “How convenient, not hitting anyone else but always you, and once a week at that.”

Old Lady Liao’s eyes nearly popped out of her head, “You hit someone and still you have the nerve to talk!”

“Not as much nerve as you have scamming people.”

“With a mouth that foul, no wonder your husband died!”

Sister Tao became furious in an instant, couldn’t hold back, and rolled up her sleeves, “Say one more word, and even if it kills me, I’ll beat you to death, you old shrew.”

Liu Shifang and Wen Changling quickly grabbed Sister Tao, one on each side.

They couldn’t fight; it would definitely be treated as extortion.

Old Lady Liao spat on the ground, pushing her head against Sister Tao’s hand, “Come on then, hit me here, if you don’t kill me, you’re a son of a bitch.”

“...”

Never seen someone so shamelessly brazen.

Sister Tao was so angry she was practically bursting at the seams.

Old Cheng was in pain too, stepping in between them, “Enough, enough, this is a hospital, what’s all this commotion!” He assured the other party involved, Wen Changling, “We will definitely look into this matter thoroughly. If it’s a scam, there will be no clemency.”

Upon hearing this, Old Lady Liao began crying and cursing that the world was unjust and bullying the elderly, then she called her grandsons, sons, and nephews at home.

*****

Around four o’clock, Xie Shang came back.

Qian Zhouzhou poked her head out from the counter, “Boss, Mr. Gu is waiting for you inside.”

Gu Kaiyun had arrived about half an hour earlier and was in the tearoom. The tearoom, recently set up by Xie Shang, was a semi-open space with windows on all sides.

Gu Kaiyun had already poured himself some tea.

“How did you find the time to come over?”

He said, “I am quite free today.” There was a chessboard on the table in the tearoom, and he asked Xie Shang, “How about we have a game?”

Xie Shang sat down.

The rules of Go state that the older or higher-ranked player grabs the stones to guess who goes first.

Gu Kaiyun grabbed a handful of white stones from the board, while Xie Shang presented two black ones. Then Gu Kaiyun opened his hand, revealing eight pieces, an even number.

Xie Shang guessed correctly and played the black stones first.

Back at the hospital.

Traffic policeman Old Cheng didn’t realize until he checked that Old Lady Liao was a habitual offender. She had been involved in six traffic collisions in just the past two years, targeting electric vehicles without dashcams. This figure included only the recorded incidents, not the privately settled ones.

Old Lady Liao, with hardly any teeth left, was incredibly stubborn and flat-out refused to admit anything. When questioned, she would throw tantrums and create a scene.

Old Cheng’s colleague also checked the private hospital where Old Lady Liao had her examinations and found out that the director of the trauma center was Old Lady Liao’s nephew. The two were in cahoots; one staged accidents while the other profited from the examination fees.

Once the private hospital found out, they immediately reported to the police, and the traffic accident case was turned into a case of extortion. Considering Old Lady Liao was still hospitalized, she was not detained yet.

Old Lady Liao had been causing trouble all afternoon.

She smashed a nurse’s tray and stubbornly refused to get an injection, “Call that Wen guy over here.”

Nurse Xiao Zhan picked up the things one by one, “She’s not from our department.”

Old Lady Liao threw a fit, “Call him over or I’ll file a complaint against you!”

About to go to jail, and still so defiant.

Nurse Xiao Zhan, tired of talking, walked over to restrain the old lady, but unexpectedly, she was unusually strong and pushed Nurse Xiao Zhan into the table.

“I’m not getting the injection, get away from me!”

Nurse Xiao Zhan was speechless.

Just about to call the security staff outside, Wen Changling came over, walking with a slight limp because of an injury to his leg.

“I’ll handle this.”

Nurse Xiao Zhan nodded and before leaving, reminded Wen Changling, “Be careful, this old lady is surprisingly strong.”

The other patients in the room had gone for examinations, leaving Old Lady Liao alone in the three-person room.

Wen Changling closed the door.

The previously arrogant Old Lady Liao suddenly became a bit flustered, “Why are you closing the door?”