Kindness and Compensation

Fu Xing was hoping to hear girl problems from this young man... or worse, his broken family. Divorcing parents, cheating exes... yes, they're a lot more normal than what he had in mind at that time. He wanted to cleanse his head with some juice and a random person's story.

However, just as he moisturized his drying throat with juice, he heard it. He choked on his juice all of a sudden. Before the young man could tend to the middle-aged man, Fu Xing grabbed onto the young man's shoulder.

"What do you mean... by those words?" Crap! Fu Xing shouldn't divulge that nature of his job in the maximum-security prison at the edge of the city.

However, hearing 'Xiaodan' from this man's mouth shook his entirety. To think about it, Liu Xiaodan was a college student... this man spoke of a university; was he from Liu Xiaodan's circle of school friends?

"Erm, nothing much..." Ruan Jin panicked when the middle-aged man choked. He thought the man just coincidentally choked, but he had watched too many films to think that this man remembered the name 'Liu Xiaodan'. When his friend was arrested, it was all over the news. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have brought it up."

"I'm okay... I'm okay." Fu Xing only chuckled before wiping his mouth clean. "I didn't mean to react so loudly. I was just surprised to hear someone speak something about Liu Xiaodan."

"Is it really? The media was still raving about his case and the verdict against him." Ruan Jin was extremely sullen whenever he thought about it.

The world was now looking at his friend like he was some kind of gruesome monster when he was rather on the lazy and gentle side. "His trial is tomorrow. Even if it wouldn't be televised, everyone was waiting for the results."

Fu Xing stared at the young man in front of him and felt ache in his heart. He was saved by that man once even if they were practically strangers. Liu Xiaodan even looked at him warmly unlike the other inmates who hated the guards in the prison.

The middle-aged man then scratched his head. "Were you two close?"

Ruan Jin glanced at the old man and laughed as he looked down on the floor again. "Yeah... we were roommates, and we had been with him since first year. Without Xiaodan, we probably would fail our course for real.

"You see, he's really good with our major. If he wasn't academically brainless, he would probably be like Li Feng and a brilliant director when he starts going professional. Too bad this... this all had to happen..."

His lips pursed as he secretly chewed on them. "His parents said that he's all well in prison, but we don't think it's true. Xiaodan hides things very well from his parents. With that kind of reputation, he's probably bullied by everyone in there. All those burly people..."

"Heh, newcomers always get bullied by maximum-security inmates... but Liu Xiaodan isn't one of them." Fu Xing gulped down the remaining of his juice to moisturize his mouth. He could feel the man's gaze at him, but he only answered after drinking.

"Some of them had killed more than Liu Xiaodan had, but all those awful dogs are afraid of him. There's something about him that makes them run for their money..."

"Uncle?"

"Don't tell anyone, but I work in that prison. I get to see Liu Xiaodan every night because I patrol his floor." He only laughed as he still said it. "He's acting fine and all, but there are rumors that no one... no one really dared—as they say it—fuck with Liu Xiaodan.

"Even the boss of the inmates ran away from him yesterday."

Ruan Jin blinked and held onto his mouth to stifle his giggling. Ever since Liu Xiaodan showed up to kill Ren Ditian, his friend knew that their magic one was never the same. Right now, he was bullying the biggest bullies? Whaaa, was he playing king, or was he playing hidden boss instead?

The middle-aged man was about to speak again, but he noticed that the man was actually laughing. Perhaps it was funny to imagine that someone obedient and relaxed as Liu Xiaodan could make the Black Boss run out of the audio-visual room.

Fu Xing only scratched his head again. "Aiya, you must be really friends with that guy. He looked like a shrimp, but he's a jellyfish—I'll tell you. Everyone that touches him gets stung and cries like a little kid."

"Little kid, huh..." Ruan Jin remembered something else with those words. He then sighed. "Guess he's faring well in the prison." After a few seconds, he bowed down to the old man. "Thank you for telling me, Uncle. I know the worse is to come, but at least Xiaodan's doing well."

"Aiya, don't bow down. You're the kind person; this uncle only returned it to you." Fu Xing laughed out and felt a little good about himself for being appreciated. He then looked at the clock on the wall above the vending machine. "It's already that time? Well, I'll be going now.

"Just have faith that maybe the gods will save your friend."

Fu Xing left a few words for Ruan Jin who didn't lift his head up until he was gone. The college student was even teary-eyed as he held onto his face. He didn't know if that uncle was lying to him, but he wanted to believe that he was telling the truth.

When he went to sit down on the bench nearby and enjoy his drink, Ye Ling faded in from his shadow. She then wrapped her arms around his neck affectionately. The woman then rubbed her head against Ruan Jin's. "Ruan Lang, don't be sad. That uncle is telling the truth."

"How did you know? Can you peer into his memories?" The tech guy moved his head and drank his juice, trying not to get too optimistic lest he would cry if he was mistaken.

"Ruan Lang, I didn't need to do that. Do you know? I could feel Guangru's presence on him? He must have contact with the child not too long ago."

It was Ruan Jin's turn to choke on his juice. However, he managed to suppress it and turn to his side to see Ye Ling who had moved a bit to his side. "G-Guangru?! You gotta be kidding—oh, hell..."

Ruan Jin groaned against his palm on his face. "Right, Xiaodan wouldn't survive without Guangru helping him. Gosh... does that mean they were killing people in the prison? That must be his jellyfish venom, right?"

Ye Ling only nodded, but her eyes then flew to the hallway in the distance. She wasn't seen by most, but she made sure she was visible in case someone checked up on Ruan Jin talking to himself loudly. Alas, someone indeed walked in...

The sudden thought of extending the kindness to Liu Xiaodan plagued Fu Xing's mind. Before he could leave the hospital, he backtracked his steps to find that young man again. Liu Xiaodan had saved his life; if he brought back something from his friend, wouldn't that make Liu Xiaodan happy?

That was why Fu Xing shuffled back to the vending machine to see if the young man had already left. Just nice, he was still sitting there with a cute girl. Then again... what was that name he said?

"Guangru?" Fu Xing repeated to himself as the memories of last night flood in vividly. Wasn't that how the child referred to himself? He was the 'Guangru' he spoke of, right? Then again, that child was a ghost... "Was he reading stories at night... to a child ghost?"

Terrified of making contact again, Fu Xing decided to back away and leave the hospital for real. Every time he thought of what that child looked like, he remembered that creature.

He would surely lose his breath and definitely feel weak in the knees. The middle-aged man only went home and locked himself up for the two days that he wouldn't be around.

...

Ye Ling didn't tell Ruan Jin that Fu Xing returned so the young man only proceeded to return to Chuan Nayi's room. He then saw someone else had joined him in accompanying her for the day.

The woman was beautiful and could be compared to the TV actresses her age. She was obviously a mother, but she had kept herself fit and desirable. Perhaps a single mother...

The mother looked at him as well, but her eyes darted to that girl hanging from behind him.

Ye Ling smiled at the woman before Ruan Jin took away the mother's attention with a bow. "Hi, I'm Ruan Jin. Our friend used to be so close to Chuan Nayi so we take her as a friend as well. I'm keeping her company today."

"Your friend? Liu Xiaodan?" Jiang Yanyu heard of what happened to them. It was such a shame that Chuan Nayi chose to move away from Liu Xiaodan as he didn't have his priorities straight.

However, what could they do if something so awful had latched itself onto Liu Xiaodan? "Oh, I'm Bethany Jiang, Nayi's mother. Please have a seat. I can only stay for a while."

"Chuan Nayi seemed asleep?" Ruan Jin looked at Chuan Nayi who had her face turned away from them.

"Not really. I just told her about Ting University's decision to kick her out as well. It seemed that everyone who had deep connections with Liu Xiaodan and his gimmick was being axed down." Jiang Yanyu sighed before hooking her hair behind her hair.

"I believe you guys are about to get kicked out as well. They were attacked by the Li family for kicking out Li Feng alone even if he wasn't the culprit so they appeased Li Heilong by kicking out more students."

"Bastard..." Ruan Jin didn't hold his cursing and even followed it with a growl. He sat down at the other edge of the long couch. "Damn, they already discredited us for all our awesome projects, and now, they even kicked us out? Argh! That school should burn to the ground!"

Ruan Jin then flinched as he slammed a fist at his thigh. "That's it! Li Feng should compensate us! The school's doing this for his father? Then, he should compensate us!"