Killer Nights

Inside the hospital’s intensive care unit, Cui Jing slowly opened her eyes.  Due to a high fever, her countenance remained very gaunt. She looked around in all directions and recognized her present surroundings.  However, she had no memory of how she had arrived at the hospital.

Cui Jing strenuously moved her body to a sitting position and laid her head on the hospital bed’s headboard.  She was in a two-person hospital room, and from the looks of it, this hospital room was quite well-equipped. The other bed was empty.  Perhaps the other patient had already been discharged, or perhaps there was never another patient to begin with. Cui Jing raised her right arm and saw that a needle was firmly affixed to the back of her right hand.  Obviously, a needle had been inserted into one of the veins on her hand and was currently intravenously feeding her medicine and saline coming from a bottle that hung from a stand next to the hospital bed.

Was I sick?  Yes, I must be sick!  This was what Cui Jing was thinking as she closed her eyes again.  She was not only sick in the body, but she was also sick in her soul.  But who sent me to the hospital?  As that thought entered her mind, she unwittingly half-opened her eyes and looked all around to see if anyone else was in the hospital room.  Could it have been Binbin? At that thought, she let out a soft grunt. She didn’t think it was Li Hongbin who was shameless, but rather herself.  Even in her present state, she still held out hope for a man who had already lain with another woman. Was it A-Jiao?  Her eyes closed briefly again.  No, it couldn’t have been her!  She specifically chose to duck out while A-Jiao was away.

“What’s up?  You’re awake,” came a young man’s voice from somewhere in the hospital room.  In Cui Jing’s mind, she heard an echo of that same voice asking her, “Do you have a death wish?”  Oh, it’s him!  It must be the voice of the person who rescued me…

“I went and got some food for you.  Do you want to eat it yourself, or do you want me to help you?” said the young man.  His voice was deep and husky, but just as emotionless now as when he’d asked her, “Do you have a death wish?”

“I… I can eat it myself,” said Cui Jing as she opened her eyes again and struggled to sit up straighter.  “Thank you. Thank you for saving me.” Even though her body was completely devoid of strength, she nevertheless summoned all she had to thank the man who’d saved her life.

“Don’t worry about it!” said the young man as he smiled at Cui Jing.  His smile was very sincere, not at all like Binbin… ugh! Why was she still thinking about that beast of a man?  In her heart, Cui Jing cursed him with all her might. Perhaps only she knew whether her feelings for Li Hongbin were of love or hate.

“I have some other business this afternoon.  Your attending nurse will come by later to change your IV,” said the young man as he handed Cui Jing a boxed lunch.  “Are you sure you don’t need my help?”

“Oh… I…”  Cui Jing opened her eyes wider.  She had to admit, the young man in front of her wasn’t as handsome as Li Hongbin, but he had a much more muscular body compared to him.  Any normal woman would be lying if she said she wasn’t attracted to a man like this one.

“Do you want my help or not?” the man asked frankly.  He had already started visually searching the room for something that could act as a tray on which to place the bento box.

“I… want your help,” Cui Jing helplessly acquiesced in the end.  At the same time, her eyes belied a feeling of slight disappointment.  Dumb jock!  Big muscles, tiny brain!  Cui Jing thought indignantly.  Is it really that hard for you to help me?  Do I really have to tell you explicitly?

‘Oh, so you do want my help.  Okay.” As soon as the young man heard Cui Jing, he seemed as if his spirit had been immediately lowered.  It looked like he thought Cui Jing would definitely have said no. Well, he was stupid, too. There was an IV hooked up to Cui Jing’s right hand, and she wasn’t a lefty, so how was she supposed to eat without the use of her dominant hand?  By licking the food out of the bento box?

The young man gently moved Cui Jing’s body towards the center of the hospital bed and then sat down beside her.  He then held the bento box with his left hand as he slowly fed spoonfuls of rice porridge to Cui Jing with his right hand.  She was very cooperative with the well-timed opening and closing of her mouth. If anyone were to walk past this hospital room, they would certainly think that the man and woman inside were lovers, not a pair of strangers.

“I’m finished,” said Cui Jing after she swallowed the last scoop of rice porridge.  She looked at the young man with blushed cheeks and said, “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” said the man as he got up.  He acted as if what he had just done was nothing out of the ordinary, as if the person he’d just fed wasn’t a young beautiful female, but a male friend or colleague.  “I’m going to put the bento box here. Someone will come and pick it up in the afternoon. You should get some more rest. I’ve got some business to attend to in the afternoon.  I’ll be back to check on you in the evening.” Afterwards, the man turned around and was just about to walk out the room.

“Hey!  You…” Cui Jing hurriedly called out to the young man when she saw he was about to leave.  “I… what’s your name?”

“Oh, I’m A-Meng,” said the young man.  He glanced at the bedridden Cui Jing one more time before he stepped out of the room.

“A-Meng…” Cui Jing muttered to herself, “What a manly name!”  At that thought, Cui Jing’s face started blus.h.i.+ng again. However, her lips soon pouted, since she was still somewhat unhappy.  Stupid man!  Would it kill you to ask what my name is?

*     *     *

“I’m full!” announced A-Jiao as she picked clean the last kebab before patting her belly.  She gave a satisfied look at Jiang Zhengkai and said, “G.o.d, I’m so full! I don’t think I can eat dinner tonight!”

“Hehe, who told you to eat so much?” Jiang Zhengkai asked as he laughed at the way A-Jiao looked right now.  He originally wanted to say: Be careful when you go to the restroom; if you pa.s.s out again, I’m definitely not going in to save you this time.  However, he bit his tongue and stopped himself.  Who would believe that he would stand idly by if A-Jiao were in distress?

“I’m going to the restroom, Honey!  Are you picking up the check?” said A-Jiao as she stood up and looked sweetly at him.

“Yes, just hurry up and go already!” replied Jiang Zhengkai as he picked her purse off of her chair.  “I’ll wait for you at the front counter. Take care not to slip!”

“Got it!  Don’t worry!” said A-Jiao while walking away absentmindedly and tilting her head back and forth.  She then happily remarked, “I won’t fall down in there and wait for you to rescue me!” Clearly, A-Jiao knew about that incident as well, or at least the parts she’d heard from Wei Xin.

“Hehe!  Just be careful!”  Jiang Zhengkai couldn’t help but laugh.  That girl actually said what he was afraid to say out loud!  Ai! This really was a special woman.

When A-Jiao and Jiang Zhengkai returned to his car, A-Jiao rubbed her belly as she contentedly said, “Honey, are you busy in the afternoon?  I have cla.s.ses this evening, so if you’re busy, I can just eat dinner by myself.”

“Oh, okay.  Why don’t we play it by ear?” Jiang Zhengkai replied ambiguously.  At the end of the day, he still wanted to spend time with A-Jiao. If he had the opportunity tonight, he would definitely not take eating dinner with his colleagues over not eating dinner with A-Jiao.

“Alright then!”  Hearing what Jiang Zhengkai said made A-Jiao feel especially warm and happy.  After all, she hoped in her heart that he would be able to be with her tonight.  “I’ll wait for your call then. Oh right, Honey, do you think what happened to A-Tie is somehow related to the serial murders in the alley?”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking!” said Jiang Zhengkai as he started his car engine.  “Except I haven’t been able to find any evidence linking the two.”

“Then why didn’t anything happen to A-Shun?” A-Jiao casually remarked as she looked out the window.

“A-Shun?”  When he heard A-Jiao mention that name, he was momentarily stunned.  That’s right! A-Tie was attacked, which means A-Shun’s safety… oh no!  Was it possible that A-Shun and his family would face a similar attack from these criminals?  As these thoughts crossed his mind, he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal. “Honey, I’m going to take you back to the preschool right now.  Stay at the preschool this afternoon, and call me when it’s time to eat dinner!”

“Ok, okay!”  A-Jiao didn’t know what had changed.  All she knew was that Jiang Zhengkai was driving super fast: so fast, in fact, that she was starting to get somewhat scared as she sat in the pa.s.senger seat.  However, she didn’t tell him to slow down. Perhaps a former prost.i.tute was more observant than an ordinary woman when it came to men. She knew there must be something urgent that he needed to take care of.

Before long, Jiang Zhengkai’s car was parked in front of the preschool.  A disoriented A-Jiao stepped out of the car and walked towards the school.  Unlike most days, Jiang Zhengkai didn’t wait for her to walk inside before departing.  Before he sped off, he reminded A-Jiao, “Remember to call me before leaving the preschool tonight!”

“I know, I know!  G.o.d, you’re so naggy!” A-Jiao shouted at Jiang Zhengkai’s car before adding, “Be careful when you drive!”