Chapter 3: At the Hospital

"You're pretty lucky you didn't suffer worse injuries than this."

Doctor Yi Sheng was staring at me sternly, his hands cladded in rubber gloves ass he tested a syringe.

"I heard about what happened," he continued. "And while I admire your courage, I cannot approve of your recklessness."

"Sorry." I lowered my head. The doctor chuckled and brushed my arm with an alcoholic swab, to clean the area before he slid the needle into my vein.

"I'm giving you an anti-tetanus injection, just in case." I felt a prick but didn't wince. Compared to the blows I suffered at the hands of Qi Fu Ren and his cronies, this much pain was nothing. "But be more careful next time. I know you youngsters are prone to fighting, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't value your wellbeing. I would prefer not to have to treat such cases, not when there are other patients with more serious conditions."

"Sorry. But if I didn't act, then right now you would be treating my friend's injuries instead of me."

"True," Doctor Yi Sheng conceded with a sigh. "I don't understand what the matter is with young people these days. Spouting all the 'strong is weak' nonsense and using that as justification for bullying other people. Honestly, they haven't experienced real suffering in their lives. Back during the days of the Revolution, we scholars and doctors had to fear for our lives. Millions of people starved to death during the agricultural reforms. Now, life is so much better and people are so much more affluent. We don't have to worry about famines, starvation or purges, yet these youngsters still indulge in their 'law of the jungle' and 'survival of the fittest' fantasies. They truly have no idea how difficult life was back then."

I studied the doctor. He was over seventy, his hair and beard completely white, and his face full of wrinkles. He probably had been through a lot.

"Anyway, go home and rest. That's an order. Don't do anything reckless again."

"Yes, sir." I bowed my head. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. It's a doctor's duty to save lives and treat patients. Anyway, I've written you a prescription. Grab these antibiotic ointments from the counter and apply them to your injuries, to prevent infection."

"Understood."

After collecting the medicine from the pharmacy, I was free to go. And so I headed straight home.

By now, lessons should be over, so there was no point returning to school. The doctor also told me to go straight home, and his orders superseded that of the teachers. If anything, I could just produce a medical certificate.

And I was in no mood to go back to school anyway. At least not for today.

*

"Excuse me, is there a patient named Shu Cong?"

The nurse glanced up and smiled when she caught sight of the asker. He was a handsome young man with wild hair and a muscular physique. For some reason, he was dressed in a tacky purple suit with stripes.

The nurse thought that the attire didn't suit him, but she didn't say anything. As a professional, she knew she couldn't comment on visitors' sense of fashion. Besides, having worked in a hospital, she had seen stranger costumes. Particularly patients who ended up in special types of accidents.

"Hmm, let me check." The nurse scrolled through the computer for a moment, searching up Shu Cong's name. She then shook her head. "I'm afraid he is no longer here. According to the records, he was discharged a couple of hours ago."

"Ah, damn." The guy shook his head. "I just missed him then. I can't believe it. I went to his school and they told me he was sent here after getting beaten up by his schoolmates, but by the time I arrived here, he's already gone."

"Oh, don't worry. He wasn't injured that badly." The nurse giggled, interpreting the young man's frustration as worry for the patient. "He only received outpatient treatment. There wasn't even a need to hospitalize him."

"I know he won't die so easily." The young man sighed exaggeratedly. "I assume he went home then?"

"That's right."

"Do you have his address?"

"I'm afraid not. Even if I did, it's classified as private information. I am not at liberty to tell you." the nurse shook her head. In truth, she could access the patient's home address from the computer, but there was no reason to tell the young man that.

She felt a sense of unease, particularly when the strange young man grumbled about the patient not dying so easily. For a moment, she instinctively sensed danger. She was probably exhausted from working so many hours – it was already six hours into her shift – but she swore that for a second she saw a demon shrouding the young man.

The nurse rubbed her eyes. She was hallucinating. She had to be.

"Ah, that's too bad." The young man shook his head. He seemed to watch her, and the nurse noted how predatory his eyes seemed. She couldn't help but shudder at the bloodlust in those crimson pupils. Fortunately, the young man turned away. "Hmm, I shouldn't be too reckless. He'll be going to school tomorrow, right?"

"I…I suppose so. His injuries aren't too severe. He should have no reason to skip school."

"Excellent." The young man smiled mysteriously and turned away. "Thank you for the information, beauty."

"Ha ha, I'm not that beautiful." The nurse giggled, embarrassed. She glanced away shyly, and despite the danger she felt, she couldn't help but feel attracted to the handsome young man. There was a predatory air to him, yeah, but that was exactly made him so appealing. The animalistic aura, the cocky demeanor and air of arrogance…the swagger.

All she needed to do was swap the tacky purple attire for something else.

"Um, you know," she said, mustering her courage. "My shift is about to end in an hour or so. If you don't mind…maybe we can go shopping after this?"

"Shopping?" the young man raised an eyebrow. The nurse nodded hurriedly, wrangling her hands anxiously.

"That's right! Your clothes, they seem a bit odd. I was thinking of helping you pick fashionable clothing. You know? Something that doesn't stand out too much."

"Ah, you're right. On my way here, I received a lot of stares." The young man glanced at his purple suit, his nose wrinkling with scorn. He then turned back to smile at the nurse, who couldn't help but swoon. "I would appreciate it if you help me choose something that's more…appropriate."

"O…of course!" The nurse beamed in delight. She glanced at the digital clock hanging in the lobby. "About forty or so minutes until my shift ends, so if you can wait until then…"

"Certainly." The young man nodded before striding over to the chairs and dropping into one of them. "I have all the time in the world."

"It's a date then!"

"If that's what you like to call it."

The nurse continued to smile, and as she resumed working, she couldn't help but hum happily to herself.

*

"Alamak, Shu Cong…how you get injured until like that?"

"Sorry, Mom."

I lowered my head, trying to plaster a shameful expression on my bruised face. My parents were having none of it, though.

"We heard from your school that you got into a fight?" Dad folded his arms and watched me. I grimaced and nodded, unable to say anything. There was little point in denying it, not when my teachers already told them everything.

"Ya lor. They attacked me first."

"Ai yah…" Mom sighed. "Why they bully you?"

"Actually, I heard that they bullied your friend, but you intervened." Dad looked at me strictly. "I understand that you want to help your friend, but you shouldn't get reckless. Try to avoid getting involved in fights, okay?"

"But Pang Zi is my friend," I protested. "I can't just stand aside and watch him get bullied by other people."

"I understand," Dad assured me. "I'm not blaming you. I'm not saying that you were wrong. But it's still not good to get involved with delinquents and get into fights. If they pick on you, then you have no choice but to fight back. But if they are targeting other people…"

He sighed.

"I won't tell you to pretend not to see anything, but just don't be reckless, okay?"

"Yeah, why you want to interfere in other people's business, huh?" Mom asked. "You think you are a hero, is it?"

"No, but…they are my friends."

"Friends doesn't mean you need to sacrifice yourself for them what. If they die, you die with them, is it?"

"Uh, I'll rather save them from dying in the first place."

"Let me talk to Cong," Dad told Mom, raising a hand. He turned back to me with a sigh. "I understand that you want to do the right thing, but you must remember, we will be worried whenever you get into trouble. We are your parents, right? Of course we will be concerned if our son gets hurt."

I remained silent, unable to refute his words, but at the same time also unable to promise that I would just abandon my friends to the wolves. Do unto others what you want others to do unto you. I lived by that creed. It wasn't as if I was helping people with the intention of receiving their help in future, but I placed myself in their shoes and knew that I would desperately wish for someone's help when I was in trouble. Whether I got it or not was another thing, but I didn't want anyone to feel that sense of helplessness. It was a terrible feeling.

"Well, as long as you are all right." Dad placed a hand on my shoulder. "Let's have dinner. You should rest early tonight."

"How?" Mom asked me, visibly concerned. "Pain or not?"

"No, not at all," I assured her. "The doctor already gave me some medicines. I'll heal very quickly."

"Ai yo. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"Yeah, I will."

"All right, let's prepare for dinner. You're hungry, right?" Dad changed the subject fairly quickly, for which I was grateful. I nodded.

"Go change first," Mom instructed. I realized that I was still in my school uniform, so I hastily headed toward my room. As I did so, I passed by the television room. While waiting for me, Dad had left the television on and it just so happened that the news were on right now.

"Investigations are underway," the anchorwoman was saying. "Regarding the mass murder at the Ni Ann construction site. The construction workers claim that it was the work of a single, naked man, but as of yet the police says they have yet to apprehend any suspects. Ma Dong, the leader of the infamous Jian Wu Gang, was murdered, along with six of his subordinates. The thirty-three year old gang leader was found dead in the construction site, with his neck broken and his corpse stripped of clothing. Police continue to investigate and they believe it might be the work of other gangs…"

"It's getting really dangerous outside, huh?" Dad sighed when he dropped onto the couch, staring at the screen. He shot me a glance. "This is why your mother and I are so worried whenever you get into fights. These gang members don't hesitate to maim or even kill other people."

"You must be careful hor," Mom told me sternly. "Don't stay outside so long, don't come home so late. Otherwise these evil people will come and disturb you."

"Don't worry lah," I replied dismissively. "You know I won't anyhow get involved with gangs."

"It's not a matter of whether you get involved with them or not." Dad sighed. "These gangs have become active, especially really recently."

"Ya lor." Mom nodded. "Last week got another gang fight, right? I heard got people die."

"Yeah, a fight between some shark gang and some snake gang." Dad grimaced. "About twelve gang members got killed. It was pretty bloody."

He then turned to me.

"So if your friends are involved in gangs, don't go anyhow help them and get involved, okay?"

"Okay," I said and rolled my eyes. "Don't worry. I don't think any of my friends are gang members. Rather, they are more likely to get targeted by gang members."

Dad gave me an ominous stare before he sighed heavily. "That's exactly what I'm worried about."