Qiming Chapter 22

Chapter 22

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Opening his eyes to look at the precariously hanging sun outside the window, Xu Chengyue felt as if the entire world was spinning frantically.

The sharp sound of cicadas filled his ears, Xu Chengyue had no choice but to close his eyes and try to take deep breaths. He felt as if he was drifting into outer space, entering a vacuum where gravity vanished and his hearing failed.

This sensation persisted for an hour before he struggled to sit up from the floor but failed.

In the midst of the dizzying spins, his phone, which had been flung two metres away, started ringing incessantly. The ringtone was like a sudden clap of thunder on a clear day, partially restoring his hearing. A few seconds later, he vaguely heard several voices outside the door.

The doorbell rang.

"Shunfeng Express delivery, is anyone home?" The voice was from Gu Yunfeng. Xu Chengyue opened his mouth slightly to respond, but no sound came out. His hand barely managed to grasp the table leg, clutching the tablecloth that was about to fall.

"Boss, is this Professor Xu's home?"

"Captain Gu, are you sure he's home?"

"The phone's GPS shows this neighbourhood, and this is the address he filled in," Gu Yunfeng stood in the doorway, studying the door.

There was an electronic display screen by the doorframe, showing fingerprint and iris recognition. When he placed his hand on it, it kept flashing red with 'ERROR ERROR'.

"Damn, this door is really sturdy." He punched the door twice and rubbed the back of his hand.

Seeing that there was no response and they were unable to reach him by phone, Gu Yunfeng squatted down, trying to see something through the gap that was too small for even a hair.

"Looks like Professor Xu didn't encounter any robbers or thieves, so it's probably a sudden illness. You guys keep knocking while I think of a way." With that, there was a strong, continuous knocking and kicking at the door.

Xu Chengyue couldn't remember contacting them, only that he had accidentally touched something on his phone when his consciousness was blurred. Supporting himself on the floor with his right elbow, he reached out with his left hand for the ringing phone by the wall. Sweat poured down like rain, his capillaries engorged and expanded under his skin, his body too heavy to move more than slightly.

"No one's here."

"Break the door open," Gu Yunfeng said calmly and steadily.

After some rustling sounds, a few minutes later, someone answered him reluctantly, "I can't pry this door open. Even with a key, it might not open." They pointed at the electronic screen that was still flashing warnings.

"Shu Pan, focus your strength on the handle of this security door and see if you can kick it open."

There was a series of loud bangs, and the door emitted a dull thudding sound that made Xu Chengyue's heart ache and his blood pulse.

"It's still not working..."

"Wait here, I'll go get the door breaker and we'll take the door down, you keep kicking it."

Door breaker? Although Xu Chengyue couldn't move, his consciousness was gradually clearing. He suspected that if this continued, his house might be destroyed.

Swallowing with difficulty, he used all his strength to crawl to the edge of the sofa. The mirror on the wall reflected his unusually pale face.

"Stand back," Gu Yunfeng's heavy footsteps and voice came through again. Xu Chengyue, kneeling on both knees, finally exhausted all his energy to lean against the sofa. He grasped the sofa armrest and mustered enough strength to shout towards the entryway:

– Do! Not! Kick!

As his voice fell, the door of his house was completely destroyed with a loud crash. Gu Yunfeng, fully armed and holding a gun, appeared in front of him with a group of people.

It was over, he would have to sleep on the streets.

—————

That shout almost caused Xu Chengyue to collapse again. He leaned powerlessly against the side of the sofa, a line of sweat sliding from his forehead to his chin, his eye sockets purple, and his face so pale that the tiny blood vessels under his skin were visible.

Gu Yunfeng crouched down and touched his forehead, noticing the scattered sweets by the table. "Low blood sugar?"

"I'll call an ambulance right away," he said, dialling the number directly.

Before the call connected, Xu Chengyue struggled to raise his arm and tugged at his sleeve. "No need for an ambulance... I should recover in a while."

"Professor Xu, low blood sugar is no small matter, it could cost you your life," Wen Xin poured a cup of hot water and placed it next to him. "Don't worry about the cost of the ambulance. It's work time, you can claim it as a work injury and get reimbursed."

"... It's not low blood sugar." He exhaled deeply, his face showing a bit of colour. "It's Ménière's disease, inner ear vertigo, probably caused by autonomic nervous dysfunction after the surgery last year."

"Have you had attacks before?" Gu Yunfeng brought the cup of water to his mouth.

"No, it's the first time." Xu Chengyue waved his hand. "I can't drink water."

"You're pretty impressive, diagnosing yourself. When I was a kid and had a nosebleed, I diagnosed myself with a blood disorder," Gu Yunfeng couldn't help but mock him, drinking the cup of water himself. After a while, seeing that Xu Chengyue's condition had slightly improved, he extended both hands towards him.

"Can you stand up? Shall I carry you?"

"Where to?"

"To the hospital!" Gu Yunfeng glared at him. "Let the doctors check your nerves, with how little you take it seriously."

Xu Chengyue lifted his head and saw that Gu Yunfeng was so exasperated that he might hit him the next second, and he suddenly felt a bit happy. So many people surrounded him, regardless of the situation, pulling at his arms and legs to take him to the hospital for a full check-up.

"It really will be okay in a little while," he said cheerfully. This room, which had been cold and lonely for years, suddenly felt alive with the bustle of so many people.

He rubbed his eyes and asked, "Why did you all come here?"

"You sent a WeChat message to Captain Gu asking for help," Shu Pan explained. "We didn't know what you were talking about. He thought you'd been attacked by criminals and tracked your location, then called us over."

"Are you really okay now?" Wen Xin tilted her head to look at him.

Xu Chengyue shook his head awkwardly. He genuinely didn't need to go to the hospital. This condition made him feel on the brink of death when it flared up, but it would be calm again once it subsided. However, he felt bad for having unintentionally summoned so many people.

"Alright, everyone stop crowding around." Seeing Xu Chengyue's insistence, Gu Yunfeng waved his hand. "Professor Xu needs to rest, everyone disperse and get back to work."

"What about you, Captain?"

"Can you stay a while longer?" Xu Chengyue pleaded before Gu Yunfeng could answer, forcing a smile. "I have a class this afternoon, I need to take a leave..."

"I'll do it for you." Gu Yunfeng helped him sit on the sofa to rest and then asked for Lu Yong's phone number to call him.

As he walked to the hallway to make the call, he noticed a group photo hanging there. In the picture, Xu Chengyue sat indifferently beside a doctor, dressed in plain cotton clothes, recovering from a serious illness. His eyes in the photo were different from now, cold and empty, as if looking at a completely unfamiliar world.

"Where's your personal doctor? Why is she missing at such a critical time?"

"She went on a business trip to Beijing and won't be back for a month," Xu Chengyue replied, listening to the others gradually leave his house. He saw Gu Yunfeng finish the call and sit next to him, sweat on his forehead, intently surveying the medicines on the table.

One box was an over-the-counter neuro-nutrient given by Ying Xizi, mainly containing ginkgo biloba, which he had been taking as a health supplement.

The other box was Sibelium, a vasodilator for long-term use, which he frequently used after the surgery due to recurring headaches.

"Are you really okay?" Gu Yunfeng, holding the boxes of medicine, carefully read the instructions. After reading the side effects, he looked at Xu Chengyue with a complicated expression.

"I'm fine." Xu Chengyue nodded, rubbing his temples, finally feeling a bit more strength returning.

By this time, the earlier dizziness had completely disappeared, and his bodily functions were gradually returning to normal. He flexed his finger joints and tossed the cushion beside him to the other end of the sofa.

He had a reason for asking Gu Yunfeng to stay. The moment they broke in, he knew he had to face a situation that needed to be resolved urgently.

"Captain Gu, is my door... still usable?"

If the door was broken, he didn't know whether he should stay home tonight to guard it or find a hotel to sleep in. If he stayed home, would he sleep through the night or stay awake until dawn? If he went to a hotel, who would be responsible for any property damage?

"Your door... is quite sturdy, and its construction is different from ordinary ones." Gu Yunfeng smiled awkwardly. "So we just removed it."

"The lock doesn't work either, and the door itself, probably can't be reinstalled for now."

"You're damaging a citizen's property," Xu Chengyue said seriously.

"... Wasn't it a desperate attempt to save you." Gu Yunfeng cleared his throat, glancing at the clock on the wall, and then started picking up the things scattered on the floor and placing them into the fruit bowl on the table.

"How about staying at my place for the night? We'll fix the door tomorrow, it's too late to do it today."

He continued, "This is a high-end neighbourhood, your belongings should be safe."

Then he peeled an orange in a few seconds and handed it to him. "I have a meeting soon, and I'm not comfortable leaving you looking like you're going to wind up in the hospital at any moment.. I'll call someone to look after you, do you have any students or colleagues nearby?"

Xu Chengyue shook his head, saying it wasn't necessary.

He attempted to stand up. His limbs were still weak, but his complexion was gradually returning to normal in the mirror on the wall. He changed into a custom-tailored suit jacket, loosened a button at the collar of his white shirt, and took a black tie from the coat rack, tying it on.

Then he weakly waved his hand in front of Gu Yunfeng's bewildered face. "Don't you have a meeting this afternoon? I'll go with you."

"Huh?" Gu Yunfeng was still in shock, standing there dumbfounded. The robot vacuum cleaner bumped around his feet, spinning left and right.

Not going to the hospital when you're sick and taking leave to work on a case? Truly a model worker of our time.

"If I don't go with you back to the office and you run off, I'll be left homeless tonight." Xu Chengyue, the newly promoted model worker whose body had not yet healed, put on his shoes and shook his car keys. "Take some responsibility, will you?"

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: July 2, 2024 by Angel

Edited: July 18, 2024 by Angel