Chapter 4: He Jiaqing's Mouth

Li Banfeng sat in the hospital room, looking at He Jiaqing on the bed. After two full days of emergency treatment, He Jiaqing's life was saved, but he had fallen into a deep coma, with no one knowing when he would wake up. The cause of the coma was unknown, and the hospital had not yet formulated the next stage of his treatment plan.

According to the hospital, the next phase of treatment would depend on He Jiaqing's physical condition, as well as on the financial resources of both Li Banfeng and He Jiaqing. Li Banfeng's meager living expenses had all been used up. Even after deducting the portion covered by medical insurance, it was still far from enough. He Jiaqing had some savings on his card, but since the password was unknown, the money couldn't be withdrawn for the time being.

Li Banfeng tried to contact He Jiaqing's family. Although the two were good friends, Li Banfeng didn't know how to reach his family. He didn't even have Lu Xiaolan's contact information. At this rate, Li Banfeng wouldn't even have money for his next meal, and He Jiaqing's oxygen tube might not be maintained.

Fortunately, on the third day, things took a turn for the better: a man named He Haisheng appeared. He claimed to be He Jiaqing's third uncle. Although Li Banfeng had never met him before, that didn't matter. The uncle promptly covered He Jiaqing's medical expenses. Someone who voluntarily offers money is, in all likelihood, not a swindler—provided, of course, that they actually pay.

"You're Li Banfeng, aren't you? The school mentioned you've been looking after Jiaqing these past two days. You've gone through a lot of trouble." He Haisheng peeled an apple for Li Banfeng.

"Well, what happened was..." Li Banfeng took a bite of the apple and was about to explain the situation when He Haisheng interrupted him.

"Other matters can wait," He Haisheng said, pulling out his wallet. He took out a wad of cash and handed it to Li Banfeng. "This is just a small token of my appreciation; don't think it's too little."

Li Banfeng desperately needed money; he had nothing left to eat. But he didn't want to accept the money. "I don't lack money. Jiaqing needs the money right now."

"It's nothing else, just a small token. If you don't take it, it means you think it's too little!" He Haisheng forcefully stuffed the money into Li Banfeng's pocket.

After a moment of silence, He Haisheng sighed. "The school told us to call home, saying Jiaqing had an accident. I thought my second brother and sister-in-law would rush over quickly, but neither of them is reliable. It's my fault for arriving late and making you go through all this trouble, Banfeng. Go back and rest; I'll take it from here."

Li Banfeng left the hospital room. He hadn't slept much for three days and was indeed exhausted. As he walked down the hospital corridor, his legs felt weak.

Just as he approached the elevator, his phone suddenly rang.*Click-clack-clack~*It was a message, and the number still showed He Jiaqing's name.

Li Banfeng immediately frowned. The message still contained those four words: "Brother, save me."

Li Banfeng replied, "Who are you?"

"I am He Jiaqing."

"Where did you get this phone?"

Li Banfeng had seen He Jiaqing off at the station, watched him board the train, only for He Jiaqing to suddenly reappear in Li Banfeng's bed. Before this, Li Banfeng had even called He Jiaqing, and after that, He Jiaqing had sent Li Banfeng messages. This whole situation was very strange, so strange that Li Banfeng couldn't grasp the logic behind it. But no matter how bizarre the events were, the current outcome remained unchanged. He Jiaqing was lying in the hospital. Although he had no identification or phone on him, it was unmistakably He Jiaqing; Li Banfeng couldn't be mistaken.

So, the question was: Who had answered the phone before? And who was sending the messages now? The only logical explanation was that He Jiaqing's phone had been lost, and the person who found it had answered Li Banfeng's call that night, imitated He Jiaqing's voice to deceive Li Banfeng, and was now sending him messages. If he found the phone, why was he still contacting me? Isn't this a classic scam?! This matter should be reported to the police. Li Banfeng felt there must be some connection between He Jiaqing's coma and this person.

There was no reply for a long time. The elevator arrived. Li Banfeng put away his phone, about to head downstairs, when a lean middle-aged man with a broad forehead and slender face blocked his path. He smiled at Li Banfeng, then pulled out his identification from his pocket. "I'm a police officer. You're Li Banfeng, aren't you? There are a few things related to He Jiaqing I need to ask you."

The man, who appeared to be in his fifties, had a raspy voice, as if he had phlegm stuck in his throat when he spoke. *I was just about to report it, and a police officer shows up...* Li Banfeng wanted to examine the man's identification closely, but the middle-aged man put it back in his pocket and whispered a few words to a doctor in a white coat nearby. The doctor seemed quite familiar with him. He led the middle-aged man and Li Banfeng into an empty hospital room. The doctor closed the door from the outside, leaving only Li Banfeng and the middle-aged man in the room. They sat facing each other on two adjacent hospital beds.

"Don't be nervous," the middle-aged man chuckled. "My surname is Chen; you can just call me Old Chen. I just have a few simple questions for you. You're the one who brought He Jiaqing to the hospital, right?"

"That's right," Li Banfeng nodded.

"How did you realize something was wrong with him?"

"He was sleeping in my bed, and his complexion and breathing weren't normal. I immediately called for an ambulance."

Old Chen nodded, sizing up Li Banfeng. His gaze shifted slightly. He was looking at Li Banfeng's face, but not at his eyes; instead, he was focused on Li Banfeng's forehead. "I heard you two had a drink together that day?"

"Yes!" Li Banfeng nodded. "He was going home, so I saw him off."

"You saw him off?"

"Yes, I took him to the train station and then came back by subway. When I got back to the dorm, I suddenly found him sleeping in my bed."

Li Banfeng's words were completely illogical. If He Jiaqing went to the train station, how could he possibly reappear in the dorm? And on Li Banfeng's bed, no less. Old Chen didn't seem surprised by the answer. His expression remained calm, and his gaze was still fixed on Li Banfeng's forehead.

"Do you and He Jiaqing usually have any conflicts?"

*Conflicts?* Li Banfeng thought carefully. *I've seen some photos of his girlfriend; does that count as a conflict? That clearly wasn't the point. The point was the unspoken implication of the question.*

Li Banfeng looked at Old Chen, his expression calm as he said, "Are you suspecting me of harming He Jiaqing?"

Old Chen shook his head. "I wouldn't say 'suspect'; I'm just asking. If I truly suspected you, I wouldn't be questioning you here. I heard you have some degree of mental health issues?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "I do have a slight issue, but I'm not crazy. You can check my medical records. I saw He Jiaqing and Lu Xiaolan off on the train together; they were both going back to their hometown. You can verify this with Lu Xiaolan."

"Lu Xiaolan..." Old Chen pulled out a cigarette, glanced at the hospital room, decided it wasn't appropriate to smoke, and put it back in the pack. "Who is this Lu Xiaolan you just mentioned?" Old Chen continued to ask.

"She's He Jiaqing's girlfriend, a classmate from our school. I took both of them to the station; she boarded the train with He Jiaqing. She can testify for me."

"If both of them boarded the train, why did He Jiaqing end up back in your dorm?"

"I don't know," Li Banfeng replied honestly. "You should ask Lu Xiaolan about that; they were together the whole time."

"Do you have Lu Xiaolan's contact information?"

"I don't, but the school should have it, and train ticket information should also be traceable."

"Which train did they take?"

"How would I know that..." Li Banfeng thought for a moment, and a series of numbers suddenly came to mind. Train 1160.

"Train 1160, they took Train 1160," Li Banfeng said, recalling the voice of the platform announcer.

Old Chen rubbed his lips with his fingers. With his line of inquiry hitting a dead end, he really wanted a cigarette. "It seems Lu Xiaolan won't be easy to find either."

"Why won't she be easy to find?" Li Banfeng didn't understand what Old Chen meant.

Old Chen continued to rub his stubble-covered upper lip and slowly said, "On the night He Jiaqing had his accident, Train 1160 derailed and plunged off a cliff. No survivors have been found on board to this day."

Li Banfeng blinked. Thunder seemed to be rumbling in his mind, and amidst the thunder, He Jiaqing's voice repeated incessantly: "She can sleep more than me, she sleeps so deeply, deeper than a pig, she wouldn't wake up even if the train derailed!"

The train really did derail. Lu Xiaolan might really be dead. Did He Jiaqing's words have some prophetic power? Or did he already know something? He seemed to have told me that Lu Xiaolan was deceiving him. Was it not just because of Teacher Song's peaches? Why exactly did he tell me to go back to the dorm and call him?

Old Chen continued to stare at Li Banfeng's forehead and asked in a low voice, "What are you thinking?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "Nothing, I'm just worried about Lu Xiaolan."

Old Chen seemed very interested. "What's your relationship with Lu Xiaolan? Is there something... between you two and He Jiaqing?"

"Are you trying to suggest a love triangle?" Li Banfeng's lips curled into a slight sneer. He was getting annoyed.

P.S. Esteemed readers, are you satisfied with the first day's update?Not satisfied?No worries, there's another chapter coming!