Chapter Six: Despicable Kindness
The stranger's car turned out of the dark alley and headed towards the nearest Third People's Hospital. Ju Nian was in the back seat, and Ping Feng lay down, her head resting on Ju Nian's lap. Large beads of sweat gradually smudged the heavy makeup on her face, vaguely revealing her sallow skin underneath.
Ju Nian gently smoothed Ping Feng's hair, praying that they would arrive at the hospital soon. No one spoke in the car except for Ping Feng's occasional faint moans and the sound of the three people breathing. Ju Nian was not good at interacting with strangers, especially since the incident had originated from such a chaotic and embarrassing scene. Therefore, she didn't even dare to openly look at the person in the front seat from behind. She only remembered the hem of his black clothes and the faint scent of cologne.
While waiting at the traffic light, the man rolled down the window, lit a cigarette, and Ju Nian choked on the smoke, coughing uncontrollably. The man turned his head at the sound. Ju Nian felt embarrassed. She knew that it was already a kindness from others and her own good fortune that He Pingfeng was able to get on this bus, and she was afraid that her attitude would be misinterpreted as her disapproving of smoking, making her seem ungrateful. She quickly blushed and stammered, "I didn't... You can smoke, go ahead."
The man shifted his body slightly to the side again, and Ju Nian lowered her head. It would have been better if she hadn't said anything; speaking would have been an overreaction. She thought that what she should have done at that moment was to express her gratitude. They were just strangers who had met by chance, and he had no obligation to help them. Besides, this incident seemed to have led to another unpleasant situation, regardless of whether it was actually caused by them.
"Thank you," she whispered.
The red light had passed, and the cars in front began to move slowly. The man stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette, sat up straight, and focused on the road ahead, offering no response to Ju Nian's gratitude.
Indeed, as his "friend" said, what's so glorious about taking "two prostitutes" to the hospital? Others helped him probably only because he wasn't someone who would stand by and watch someone die; as for her gratitude, they didn't care.
Thinking this way, Ju Nian calmed down and focused only on when to get to the hospital so that Ping Feng's injury would be alright.
The hospital's emergency room was far from peaceful that night. Pingfeng was carried into the treatment room, where medical staff examined her injuries. The diagnosis revealed that, apart from some minor soft tissue damage, the most serious injury was to her leg. The X-ray results were not yet available, but based on experience, the doctor could basically determine that it was a comminuted fracture of the femur caused by external force and recommended internal fixation surgery.
"Are you a family member of the patient?" the doctor asked Ju Nian.
Ju Nian glanced at Ping Feng and nodded. Although Ping Feng's parents were still alive and she had many brothers and sisters, she was the only one she could rely on.
"Prepare the hospital fees. Her injuries are unclear. Go to the cashier and pay the bill first," the doctor said, looking at Ju Nian.
By this time, Pingfeng had regained consciousness. She propped herself up with her hands and asked, "How much?"
"Pay 5,000 first, and we'll talk about the rest later."
"Damn it!" Pingfeng cursed through the pain. "Are you kidding me? Everyone says your hospital is a bloodsucker, is it really necessary to rip people off like this?"
The female doctor in the emergency department sneered, "The money isn't going into my pocket. To be honest, I don't lose anything whether you pay or not. If you go to a folk doctor for your leg injury, they can apply some herbal medicine and use some folk remedies. It'll probably only cost 500 yuan. And you won't die anyway. You'll just walk with a limp. You'll save money and maybe even get a kind of 'disfigured beauty'."
"How dare you speak like that..." Pingfeng was furious and was about to start an argument when Ju Nian quickly held her down. Although she was unwilling to admit it, her leg injury was really tormenting her, and she couldn't be defiant even if she wanted to. She gritted her teeth and secretly hated her bad luck.
Seeing this, the doctor added, "Judging from your injury, you were hit by someone, right? Go find whoever caused it... What, haven't you caught the culprit?"
Ju Nian's face turned deathly pale, and Ping Feng was speechless for a moment. After a while, she took out a small roll of money that Ju Nian had hidden earlier. She had made a fortune today and was eager to protect it with her life. In fact, it was only a thousand yuan. Adding her own savings and everything Ju Nian had, it was less than two thousand yuan.
Pingfeng clutched the money, her eyes slowly dimming. What was she so stubborn about? The hospital was a place of harsh realities; she could delay for a few days, but she'd still have to pay tomorrow. She had nothing of value; her only asset was her young body. If she were crippled, who would pay for a disabled prostitute? She didn't want the doctor to look down on her, but a tear still rolled down her cheek.
"Sigh, you guys think of something." Although the doctor's words were harsh, he still had compassion and didn't make things worse.
"I still have some at home, I'll go back and get them first." Ju Nian patted Ping Feng on the shoulder and got up to leave.
Pingfeng grabbed her arm. "How much money do you have? Do you think I don't know? You also have a child to support."
"I have to find a way." Ju Nian only had less than a thousand yuan at her disposal. The costs of her child's schooling, food, clothing, and shelter were high, leaving her with virtually no savings. She wanted to find a way, but where was the solution? She didn't know. She hadn't found the life of poverty and seclusion bitter, but now, with reality hitting her door, she truly understood the horror of poverty. She didn't know where her cousin was, and she didn't even have anyone to lend her money to.
"Those drivers who hit people and run away are truly hateful," a nurse nearby chimed in, unable to bear it any longer.
Just then, Pingfeng's eyes suddenly lit up. She tightened her grip on Ju Nian's hand, wiped away her tears with her other hand, and said urgently, "He shouldn't have gone far!"
"Who?" Both the doctor and Ju Nian were taken aback.
"I remember now, the guy who brought me here, he's the one who hit me! Don't let him get away..."
Ju Nian stared at Ping Feng in disbelief. Ping Feng's eyes were clear, but pleading. Ju Nian understood what she didn't say: "That man looks rich. What is 5,000 yuan to him?"
"A man? The one who brought you here, the tall one, the one in black?" The female doctor was the first to react.
“Yes, it’s him.” Pingfeng nodded vigorously, her hand pinching Ju Nian so hard it hurt.
Without hesitation, the female doctor immediately instructed the nurse beside her, "Go after them and tell the security guards at the hospital if you can stop them."
Ju Nian opened her mouth slightly, but couldn't say anything as she watched the nurse turn around and run away quickly.
"You guys, why didn't you say something sooner? Don't you even have any self-protection awareness?" The female doctor frowned and scolded, "Why don't you call the traffic police? The person who caused the accident should pay the price." As she spoke, she turned to Ju Nian, "You came with her. She can't move. Go out and take a look. If the security guards catch up with her, you can also identify her."
Ju Nian lowered her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering slightly, light and shadow intertwining. She gently pulled away Ping Feng's hand, which was tightly gripping hers, nodded, and walked out.
As I left the treatment room with the doctor, I saw the nurse from earlier running back from the main entrance, panting. She clutched her chest and said, "Luckily, we ran fast. The security guard stopped one in the parking lot. He was tall and dressed in black. Was he the one who brought you here? I really didn't expect him. He seemed so polite. I thought he was doing a good deed. I almost let him get away."
Immediately afterwards, the man returned, flanked by two security guards on either side.
Ju Nian was in pain. Han Shu had said she was a liar. She had indeed told many lies, but she had never hurt anyone, let alone those who had helped her. Her head was almost pressed against her chest, and all she could see were several pairs of shoes surrounding her, and she could smell that faint scent of cologne again.
His trousers were crisp, and his shoes were neat and clean. Ju Nian could tell that this was someone who lived in a good environment, just like Han Shu. But Ping Feng also had a pair of long, beautiful legs, although she always wore cheap but brightly colored shoes on them; she couldn't afford to be lame. If given a choice, Ju Nian wouldn't do this, but how many of the world's evils are committed voluntarily? Fairness is always relative, just like kindness.
"Take a look and see if it's him!" the female doctor urged.
Ju Nian slowly raised her head, tilting her chin up, to meet those cold, scrutinizing eyes.
"It was him." She was indeed a natural liar; she spoke such distorted truths with remarkable composure.
"Heh." The man turned his face away and laughed, as if making fun of himself. "I hit her?"
"Don't you have one?" the female doctor asked with disdain.
“If I had hit her, I definitely wouldn’t have just left. Unfortunately, it wasn’t me who hit her.” He wasn’t as angry and agitated as Ju Nian had expected, and he explained himself clearly: “The person who hit her was a black Audi, and they left right there. I was nearby, so I took them to the hospital.”
"You're the one who hit me! If not, why would you be so kind as to bring us all this way? Do you think you're some kind of Good Samaritan? Who would be that stupid?" Pingfeng, in her wheelchair, was pushed out by the nurse and shouted. Her beautiful phoenix eyes, marred by smudged mascara, looked somewhat ferocious. Having spent her life in the entertainment industry, she had long since learned how to protect herself; to save her leg, she would do anything.
"Yes, how could I be so stupid?" the young man said expressionlessly.
"Keep it for explaining to the traffic police, they'll be here soon," the doctor said, waving his hand.
"Fine." The man sneered, showing no fear, and walked to a chair to sit down.
"Don't even think about leaving!" Pingfeng shouted shrilly as soon as he moved. She was afraid that her only chance would slip away.
Ju Nian knew the man wouldn't be in a hurry to leave, because he disdained it. Perhaps he knew someone in the traffic police, or perhaps he knew her car had no dents, and with his clear conscience, she couldn't be framed. Ping Feng thought that staying with him meant paying for her medical expenses, but perhaps not.
At that moment, she was the closest person to the man. She lowered her head, smoothed her hair, lowered her voice, and said slowly, "You say you didn't hit him, but the traffic police might want to know what you were doing at the time."
One second, two seconds, three seconds... The man finally stood up. Ju Nian forced herself to face his anger and contempt. What a vicious and despicable woman she was. Let him see it clearly.
The man's eyes never left Ju Nian's face. He looked at the woman whose face was flushed, whose hands were clasped together in front of her and trembling slightly, yet she had just managed to grab his vital point.
After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Okay, I was the one who hit it. How much do you want?"
The doctors and nurses standing by couldn't help but exchange bewildered glances at this sudden turn of events. Pingfeng's eyes, however, lit up; there were plenty of easy targets out there.
"Twenty thousand, no..."
“Pingfeng!” Ju Nian interrupted the slightly agitated words of the person in the wheelchair.
“5,000 yuan, consider this a private settlement, and you will have nothing to do with anything else afterward,” she said blankly to the man.
The man gave a mocking laugh. "Can you speak for her?"
Ju Nian glanced back at Ping Feng.
Pingfeng hesitated for a moment, then said, "Of course she can."
When the traffic police arrived, seeing that both parties seemed to have reached a consensus and basically accepted the private settlement, they naturally didn't pursue the matter further. After completing the routine procedures, they let the parties leave. At this time, Ju Nian also successfully completed Ping Feng's hospital admission procedures.
"Wait, please wait a moment."
The man walked to the car and heard that timid voice calling from behind again. He let his hand fall from the car door handle, took a deep breath, and turned around with restraint.
With no one around, Ju Nian walked to within two meters of him.
"I thought you knew when to quit while you were ahead, but it turns out you're the one with the biggest appetite, wanting to pocket the rest, huh?" He feigned sudden realization, his eyes filled with suppressed anger.
Ju Nian wrung her hands together. "Could you give me an accurate address so I can contact you?"
He steadied his bike, as if he'd just heard a really lame joke. "Did I just give you the impression that I had a lot of money and was incredibly stupid? My contact address? Ha!"
Ju Nian didn't say anything, stood quietly in place for a while, and when she was sure that he wouldn't tell her on his own, she said in a low voice, "If you don't give it to me, I can ask the traffic police for it."
Perhaps Ju Nian should be thankful that she had met a well-mannered man; otherwise, while she could accept his outbursts or vicious insults, it would have been extremely embarrassing. But this man named Tang Ye was different. Although Ju Nian could see his hands clenched so tightly they were white, it was clear that he was enduring it and was quite wary of his own private feelings.
"What exactly do you want?" His voice had turned icy cold.
Ju Nian lowered her head and said, "Do you believe I will return the money to you?"
Her response was another cold laugh.
"Well, let's say I need to figure out what to use to shut me up before I come to you." Ju Nian rarely spoke so quickly.
His silence was clearly a deliberation; in the end, he pulled out a notebook and pen from the car, hastily wrote something down, and tore off a page.
"Everything you wanted is on here." He said calmly, handing it to Ju Nian. Just as Ju Nian reached out to take it, he let go, and the paper fluttered to the ground.
Ju Nian bent down to pick it up, and by the time she stood up straight, he was already sitting in the car.
She put the paper in her pocket and patted the closed car window one last time before the car drove away.
The man rolled down the car window; his restraint was already on the verge of collapse.
Ju Nian slipped something through the crack in the car window.
"Excuse me, you dropped your pen."
Pingfeng's surgery was scheduled for the next day. The hospital had already taken necessary measures to treat her wound. She repeatedly told Ju Nian that she could handle it on her own, that there were nurses around, and that she didn't need to stay overnight. Besides, Ju Nian had an early shift the next day.
Ju Nian didn't insist. She told her to rest well and went home alone, luckily catching the last bus home.
After getting off the bus, she unfolded the note that had made her bend down to pick up under the streetlights, walking along in a daze, thinking about the sudden changes that had occurred that night. Pingfeng, Wangnian, Tang Ye… Ju Nian sighed, and then there was him, Han Shu.
Chapter Seven: The Best Compensation
Ju Nian saw Han Shu sitting on the steps in front of his house’s broken iron gate, tearing at the loquat leaves in his hands piece by piece. He didn’t know how long he had been doing this, and there were many torn “remains” scattered around his feet.
"Okay, it's only a hundred meters, and you walked for five minutes." He threw the leaves in his hand on the ground, stood up, and carefully brushed the dust off his pants. He suddenly realized that his mood hadn't actually worsened because of the wait.
Ju Nian didn't go any further, stopping about ten meters away. She just wanted to return to her own little courtyard. She was tired tonight, and even being perfunctory with him felt tedious.
"Is something the matter?" She gripped the strap of her bag tightly, the wind constantly whipping her loose hair against her cheeks, as if the wind would not cease even if the tree wished to remain still.
"What do you think?" Han Shu walked up to her in a few steps. She was so close, but Han Shu was still a little nervous. He had been sitting for a long time, rehearsing in his mind what he should say, what he should do, and how he should behave, but as soon as she appeared in his sight, he couldn't help but panic and lost his composure.
At this moment, Ju Nian stood in the night wind, her hair disheveled, her face weary, and the hem of her clothes fluttering slightly. In that instant, Han Shu felt that the person he feared was so weak and helpless. The woman before him and the woman in his memories overlapped again and again, and that indescribable feeling awakened every pore of his body, gathering in his heart into a murmur that no one could understand.
What was so special about her? What made her so captivating? Admittedly, Han Shu had been smitten with Xie Junian in his youth. But what boy hasn't experienced such innocent feelings during his adolescence? He had his moments of passion, envisioned their future together. However, if Junian had fallen in love with him then, and they had shared those innocent years of misunderstanding, only to part ways in the end, perhaps they would have remained merely gray shadows in each other's hearts. Or perhaps Junian's life had never intersected with his; she didn't love him, and he thought of her from afar, imagining her as a faint star in the sky, nothing more. But she pushed him away at the edge of the cliff, cutting through his life in the most tragic way, his bright and sunny youth instantly fading away. The past can never be reversed, and Xie Junian became an untouchable yet irreplaceable presence in Han Shu's heart.