Chapter 34: Unexpected Discovery [5K]
“Where to?”
Jiang Li looked down at the hand that Lu Yibei suddenly grabbed around her wrist, then glanced towards the hospital’s main entrance. “Let’s go to the dock to get some fries.” Lu Yibei said seriously.
Jiang Li tilted her head.
What is this guy thinking again?
Reading the expression in Jiang Li’s eyes, Lu Yibei sighed silently, lifted her hand, and pointed towards a nearby small supermarket, explaining, “Just buying some things. How can you go visit the sick empty-handed?”
Saying this, she lightly tapped her work ID badge resting against her chest twice, “Even with this thing, it can help people recognize us as volunteers from a charity organization, but going empty-handed, who would pay attention to you?”
“We’re not here to investigate urban legends; many of the methods won’t be applicable, and we can only get close to them.”
Jiang Li thought for a moment and felt Lu Yibei made a good point, nodding her head as she turned to follow Lu Yibei towards the small supermarket. However, after just a few steps outside, she frowned again.
Her gaze shifted down to her right hand; Lu Yibei hadn’t let go but adjusted her grip to hold Jiang Li’s small hand more firmly. Jiang Li tried to retract her hand, but found that Lu Yibei held on tighter, even going so far as to poke her palm with her fingers. This was clearly no accidental behavior; it was premeditated!
From the profile of Lu Yibei, Jiang Li caught a glimpse of mischief in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she adjusted her quickening heartbeat, lifted her chin slightly, then suddenly exerted force at her wrist, breaking free from Lu Yibei’s wicked grip.
Caught off guard, Lu Yibei stayed momentarily dazed, still lost in the sudden wave of disappointment. Jiang Li, having escaped, swiftly took hold of Lu Yibei’s hand instead.
Their fingers intertwined, flipping the dynamic!
She widened her eyes and turned to look beside her, only to see Jiang Li with her chin slightly raised and a hint of smugness in her gaze. This level of teasing was useless against Jiang Li.
Moreover, when two people have mutual feelings, teasing should not be called teasing, it should be called flirtation!
After buying some milk, fruits, and flowers at the small supermarket, and with the convenience of the volunteer ID badge, paying a deposit to borrow two trolleys, Jiang Li and Lu Yibei walked into Shancheng Central Hospital, heading straight for the oncology department’s inpatient area.
Modern hospitals have barrier-free passages, allowing the two pushing trolleys to move smoothly. Along the way, Jiang Li highlighted the key points, explaining to Lu Yibei her purpose for this visit.
What does highlighting key points mean?
Most buyers who purchased paintings from Tan Qiuming are suffering from malignant tumors, and several have been hospitalized long-term at Shancheng Central Hospital; this is the key point.
And discovering someone in the buyer list who has the same name and age as her mother is irrelevant.
“I roughly understand,” Lu Yibei said, pondering slightly before asking, “Could it be that Tan Qiuming promised them something?” For patients with malignant tumors like these, if their condition is serious, they are essentially waiting to d*e, and when a person is in such state, their will is most vulnerable.
Cancer might not destroy their immune system, but it will certainly destroy their mental resilience, making them easy to deceive.
Before the night turned long, various scammers targeting these patients had already emerged, and with the gradually rampant spirit energy now, those scammers could likely enhance their original tricks.
Hearing Lu Yibei’s words, Jiang Li’s eyes brightened slightly, but soon her expression became serious, “You think so too?”
If it was just her holding this viewpoint, she would feel it might be biased, but hearing that Lu Yibei also thought this way made her feel that the chance of Tan Qiuming deceiving those patients was higher.
“Mm.” Lu Yibei nodded, her expression neutral, “In the past, I came across a deceived patient. While collecting supplies for preparing home-cooked meals, I encountered a memory from a deceived cancer patient.
That memory stemmed from a bracelet made of unknown plant seeds, simply engraved with some chants for refreshing and relieving pain, which could indeed ease cancer pain in the short term, so it was treasured by the owner of that memory, bought at a high price and always kept close.
At first, Lu Yibei thought the scammer selling that bracelet had some conscience, at least the bracelet could help alleviate patients’ suffering.
But then she realized, if it weren’t for the scammer’s flowery language and the bracelet just providing temporary relief, that memory’s owner wouldn’t have delayed their best treatment time.
That bracelet was one of the few lost items that couldn’t find its owner.
The inpatient area of Shancheng Central Hospital comprises four buildings arranged in an “E” shape, with the oncology inpatient ward situated in the farthest horizontal four-story building, number four, at the second floor, with a large park behind it.
As they walked towards building number four, Lu Yibei, who observed the hospital environment, couldn’t help but murmur, “Don’t say, the arrangement for the oncology patient rooms in this hospital is quite interesting.”
Hearing this, Jiang Li looked around, “Mm, placing it on the second floor is likely to facilitate emergency rescues at any time, and the humidity and temperature conditions are slightly better than on the first floor, and placing it in the far corner is probably because they worry that other patients might be emotionally affected by those cancer patients; after all, not all cancer patients can face their illness positively and optimistically. On the contrary, many patients, suffering from pain, gradually become irritable, reclusive, or depressed. In short, they won’t greet others with a pleasant expression.
Traversing the small garden between several inpatient buildings, they entered building number four, climbed the stairs, and officially entered the oncology ward.
Just as they passed through the doorway marked with a sign for the “Oncology Inpatient Department,” Jiang Li and Lu Yibei exchanged a knowing glance.
In stark contrast to the serene elegance they felt earlier in the small garden, the long corridor gave off a cold feeling, with a strange odor lingering in the air.
It was the scent of various medications, sweat, food, vomit, bl**d, and other things, mixed together, lingering and sedimenting for a long time, forming an indescribable odor.
Walking down the corridor evoked an inexplicable feeling, as if one was nearing a person covering their face with both hands, trying desperately to suppress their pain and not cry out loud.
Before Jiang Li set out to Shancheng Central Hospital, Zhong Hui had already pre-arranged and completed the initial negotiations with the hospital. The two went to the duty room of the ward to show their work IDs to the attending doctors, indicating their purpose, and were immediately warmly welcomed by the on-duty doctor.
“Great! It’s wonderful that you can come to care for these patients; it’s incredibly beneficial for them to maintain good moods during their illness. However…”
“However?”
The young doctor, with a slightly plump face, smiled but suddenly stiffened, adjusting his black-rimmed glasses.
“You all should know, those patients are almost constantly tormented by pain, which makes their tempers less than pleasant; past volunteers often got upset because of them, and after a while, no one would come back.”
“Haha, didn’t expect two of you to come at once today, and both are young ladies!” Before them, the two girls stared coldly at him, making him feel a bit awkward in his youth, and he quickly gathered his smile, moving to say with a serious demeanor, “I want to mention that if any patient gets angry at you later, try to bear with it; they’re not really malicious; they’re just suffering too much.”
“Don’t worry, we won’t take it to heart. If it can help them feel better, they can give me two punches.” Lu Yibei nodded in understanding.
Although, just like Mr. Xianxun wrote, “The joys and sorrows of humanity don’t connect; I only find them noisy,” in this world, there’s truly no genuine empathetic understanding.
If you haven’t suffered their illnesses, if you don’t have similar experiences as them, you will never know what they feel.
However, in her experience collecting materials for home cooking, she had witnessed too many similar situations: the bedridden elderly venting their pain on their children, the seriously ill woman driving away her loved one in a nearly cruel way; she felt at least she could understand a fraction of their feelings.
“Miss, don’t joke; how could they hit you?”
“I mean if they wanted to! And besides, if they really want to hit me, I won’t back down.”
Jiang Li glanced at Lu Yibei and found she was indeed speaking the truth.
She quietly watched Lu Yibei talk to the doctor and couldn’t tell if it was her imagination, but she felt Lu Yibei seemed somewhat different than before.
How to put it? Even while maintaining her urban legend status, she seemed more like a living person than ever before?
Right, doctor!” Lu Yibei said, “Recently, have there been any interesting things happening in your inpatient department? Uh, anything you find strange, warm, or moving would count.”
Hearing this, Jiang Li turned to look at Lu Yibei with a somewhat surprised expression.
Although the goal of this visit was to investigate the connection between Tan Qiuming, the offspring of the X deity, and those cancer patients, asking so directly might not be too appropriate.
Jiang Li thought, then promptly heard Lu Yibei say, “Well, after our activities today, we’re planning to write about what we observed and post it online, urging more people to join us in caring for cancer patients.”
“Rest assured, all articles will not reveal real names; it won’t affect you.”
“That’s a good thing!” The doctor exclaimed excitedly, slapping his thigh, but then he furrowed his brows, “However, recently it seems there hasn’t been much… oh, wait, there has been!”
“Recently, the number of patients suffering from respiratory tumors has significantly increased, which isn’t as bad here, but my classmate works at the military hospital, and he told me their inpatient department is almost overflowing, with no spare beds in the corridors.”
“Respiratory? Why is that happening? Do you have any clues?” Lu Yibei pressed.
“That’s a mystery, hence it’s strange!”
Lu Yibei took out her phone and skillfully recorded the doctor’s comments in her notes, inquiring, “Anything else? Like a patient who left a deep impression on you?”
“The patient…” The young doctor pondered, “There is one, but what I remember about him isn’t a good impression; it just felt strange, and I can’t quite describe it. Are you sure you want to hear?”
Technically, doctors shouldn’t disclose patient information irresponsibly, yet when his gaze met the girl in front of him, his heart inexplicably raced, and he subconsciously felt he could tell this girl anything.
As if cursed.
“Mm-hm.” Lu Yibei nodded.
Jiang Li glanced at Lu Yibei and noticed a faint crimson glimmer in her eyes. She opened her mouth but said nothing, only letting out a silent sigh, shaking her head.
Although using powers on ordinary people is not allowed by the Siye Society, Lu Yibei’s current identity as an urban legend means as long as she doesn’t apply her abilities in improper ways, it’s fine.
What worried her was that using charm abilities on doctors would leave some aftereffects.
Fortunately, the aftereffects would only make the doctor unable to see any other living beings for a short time, which was still tolerable.
“In our inpatient department, there used to be a patient named Tan Qiuming, who was said to be a painter, but I’ve seen his paintings, and it’s hard to say…”
Upon hearing this, Lu Yibei and Jiang Li both paused in unison, looking at each other.
Lu Yibei: [Didn’t expect that guy was also a cancer patient; does this count as an unexpected discovery?]
Jiang Li: [Mm, coming here might lead us to crucial clues.]
After exchanging glances, both turned their attention back to the young doctor’s words.
“When he was undergoing treatment, he often wandered to other wards; but when he went, he didn’t interact with the other patients like normal; rather, he frequently kept in close contact with the families of the patients, often found whispering with them.”
“And then?” Lu Yibei asked.
“Then his illness just got better.” The young doctor said, amazed, “To be honest, he was already in the third stage of liver cancer, yet he recovered without any aftereffects—it’s like a miracle.”
Hearing the word “miracle,” an image of Fang Ji inexplicably flashed through Lu Yibei’s mind, but she quickly shook her head, dispelling the quietly rising thought.
With the involvement of the X deity and the Solar Eclipse Society, this matter is already quite complex; if the Miracle Cult gets involved, that would be trouble!
Moreover, if Tan Qiuming were truly a member of the Miracle Cult, he probably wouldn’t come to the hospital for treatment but rather wait at home for his body to miraculously overcome his illness, right?
“Could you conveniently tell us which family members of the patients he interacted with?” Jiang Li interjected.
Hearing this, the doctor glanced at Jiang Li, not hiding his disdain.
Shifting his gaze from Jiang Li to Lu Yibei, the young doctor’s expression suddenly turned strange; after a few seconds of silence, he said, “Although I remember some of the family members he interacted with, to be honest, many of those patients have already been discharged.”
“Discharged?” Lu Yibei asked, puzzled. “Why? Could it be they all recovered?”
“Some recovered, others have passed away; perhaps it’s just a coincidence?”
“Not a single one left?” Lu Yibei pressed.
“There are still two: one is a five-year-old girl in ward 202; she is probably away for chemotherapy right now and should be back soon. The other is a middle-aged businessman in ward 227; when not undergoing chemotherapy, he only comes to the hospital for a short visit every afternoon; he refuses to listen to advice.”
Hearing this, Jiang Li gave Lu Yibei a meaningful glance.
[It seems that to know more, we can only start with that little girl and her family.]
Lu Yibei nodded. [Mm, let’s go check it out later.]
“Oh, right, one more thing: after Tan Qiuming was discharged, he nearly became a legend among the patients, and even now, family members sometimes ask us for his contact information, saying they want to buy his paintings, as if those paintings could cure illnesses.”
The young doctor added.
“I just can’t understand; if a few paintings can cure illnesses, what do we doctors even do?”
Lu Yibei replied.
“Yeah, if those paintings can cure illnesses, what do we doctors even do? Unless those paintings are problematic and really can ‘cure’!”
Thinking this, Lu Yibei turned to Jiang Li, and from her gaze, realized she had a similar suspicion.
After exchanging glances, Lu Yibei put away her phone, stood up, and bowed slightly to the young doctor. “Thank you, doctor; we’ll go visit those patients now.”
Seeing this, the young doctor stood up, seemingly wanting to accompany them, but Lu Yibei suddenly winked at him and said, “See you later!”
After hearing this, he seemed dazed, obediently sitting back down.
Jiang Li raised her hand to her forehead and rubbed her slightly throbbing temples.
Today she suddenly realized that having a more beautiful and charming boyfriend than herself is quite enough!
After leaving the duty room, Lu Yibei and Jiang Li pushed the borrowed trolleys, delivering items of consolation one by one to the cancer patients.
During their stops and starts, they realized the scenarios from movies rarely appear in actual oncology wards.
Not to say there aren’t patients facing their illnesses with positivity like in movies, but such patients are indeed rare; at least they hadn’t seen any today.
What they saw were patients lying in beds, with vacant eyes and a sallow complexion.
It was the needle marks on each patient’s hand.
It was children holding back their sadness, showing concern for their parents, yet after just three sentences, retreating to the restroom to cry.
“Did you hear?” As they pushed the cart that was half empty down the corridor, Jiang Li suddenly asked Lu Yibei, “That elderly man just now told his son, ‘I’m a burden to you; once I get better, I’ll repay you well.'”
As a mother, giving life to her child and raising them through hardship—what kind of mindset leads her to use the word ‘repay’ towards her child?
“I heard.” Lu Yibei replied briefly.
Jiang Li took a discreet glance at her and found she was remarkably calm—not a façade masked behind a poker face, but rather as if she had witnessed too many similar events in the past, her heart had stopped stirring.
At this moment, Jiang Li suddenly felt that Lu Yibei, who had just seemed so much like a living person, transformed into a “deity” not of this world.
Just as she was somewhat lost in thought while looking at Lu Yibei’s profile, a stretcher emerged from the elevator at the end of the corridor, turning into ward 202.
The two exchanged glances and quickly followed behind.
