Chapter 60: Brothers and Sisters
September 14, Saturday, the second day of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.
As noon approached, the city streets were bustling with traffic and people coming and going. At the entrance of C City’s First People’s Hospital, two girls dressed in matching denim skirts appeared, each carrying a bag.
“I told you to rest more these days; why did you come along? Aren’t you afraid of running into someone who might stab you in the back?”
Jiang Yan frowned, looking at Jiang Yao, who had chosen an outfit just like hers. She felt a bit annoyed, sensing that the other girl’s determination to come along today had some ulterior motives.
“Well… anyway, since I have nothing to do, I’ve been lying down for so long; it’s nice to get out for a walk.”
Jiang Yao played with the ends of her hair, grinning a bit foolishly. “Besides, I think Meng Dui isn’t actually a bad person. Although he’s quite unfeeling, very rigid, arrogant, and indifferent… after what you said yesterday, I feel a bit sorry for him.”
“Sigh, your insistence on wasting another dose of the external hormone inhibitor is only tolerated because Brother Zhao Peng spoils you… Never mind, just don’t talk nonsense later.”
Seeing the other girl’s determination, Jiang Yan could only nod helplessly.
…
One with black hair and one with light blonde hair, both wearing identical denim skirts and sporting single ponytails, Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao’s youthful sisterly image caught the attention of passing medical staff and patients in the corridor of the First People’s Hospital, resulting in a high rate of glances. If only their heights matched, it would have been even more perfect.
Having probably been recognized by the nurses in the inpatient area yesterday, Jiang Yan simply registered before leading Jiang Yao into Meng Huai’s hospital room.
When they pushed open the door, both girls were stunned the moment they entered.
Meng Huai, at least outwardly, looked no different from a normal person. Even his hospital gown had been changed to a shirt and slacks, and he was sitting on the edge of the bed. However, in front of him sat a well-dressed young man.
“Zhong… Zhong Jing?”
Jiang Yao looked in surprise at the two young men in the room, then turned to the equally stunned Jiang Yan, unable to believe her eyes.
Zhong Jing’s expression was even more remarkable than the two girls. His mouth was agape, and he hadn’t closed it for quite some time.
“You know each other?”
Meng Huai slightly furrowed his brow and then stood up to take the fruit bag from Jiang Yan’s hands.
“Jiang Yan… Xiao Yao… you know each other?”
Zhong Jing still hadn’t come to his senses and foolishly asked.
“Uh-huh.”
Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao both nodded, unsure of whose question they were actually answering.
The four of them fell silent again, the room enveloped in an awkward stillness, with surprise and discomfort coexisting in a haze of confusion and helplessness.
…
A hastily decided lunch was set at a Chinese restaurant near the hospital. In the private room, the four of them sat in separate seats, and the atmosphere remained somewhat eerie. Aside from Jiang Yan occasionally reaching out to rearrange the dishes, it felt like four unrelated people had haphazardly gathered for a meal.
“Big Brother, your condition is so serious; did the doctor really agree to let you be discharged in a few days?”
Noticing no one was speaking, Zhong Jing contemplated and decided to break the silence while secretly glancing at Jiang Yao, who was downing her food at a rapid pace.
“There’s nothing too serious; I just need to follow the doctor’s advice—take medication and have regular check-ups.”
Meng Huai was leisurely digging into his food without raising his head, but suddenly he seemed to remember something and glanced at Jiang Yao: “By the way, how did you meet?”
Jiang Yao was still somewhat lost in thought, perhaps not even noticing that the question was directed at her, simply exchanging gazes with Jiang Yan.
Seeing no one respond, Meng Huai turned to Zhong Jing, slowly putting down his chopsticks with an unspoken authority in his demeanor.
He was well aware of the reputation of this half-brother’s private life. When he felt that Zhong Jing and Jiang Yao, along with Jiang Yan, seemed to have some acquaintance, a trace of indescribable tension unexpectedly welled up in Meng Huai’s heart.
“It’s been a while; we met at a bar club—she works there… Oh, please don’t misunderstand; it’s a very respectable place!”
Perhaps it was the first time Zhong Jing was explaining his dealings in front of Meng Huai. In the past, there was rarely any exchange of such information between the two brothers.
“A bar? Aren’t you working at a hotel as a waiter?”
Meng Huai sensed something amiss again and looked back at Jiang Yao.
“A drinking establishment is just a hotel, why are you concerned about this…”
No issues there! Jiang Yao quietly murmured while blocking her face with her soup bowl.
“Sorry…”
Although Jiang Yao’s response was quite absurd, Meng Huai seemed to realize he was overreacting, falling silent.
“Is Mr. Meng opposed to bars?”
Jiang Yao put down her bowl and chopsticks with a gentle smile, her face composed, but she felt slightly uncomfortable inside.
In Jiang Yao’s impression, Meng Huai didn’t often drink; his capacity for alcohol was astonishing, and he lived a highly disciplined life. It wouldn’t be too much to say he had a bit of a mental cleanliness obsession. Perhaps the term “bar” was always tied to some unsavory social concepts in his eyes.
“I’ve never been.”
Meng Huai’s chopsticks paused, and after a while, he lifted his head and gently nodded: “Where is it? I might drop by one day.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhong Jing, Jiang Yao, and Jiang Yan were all stunned. Especially Jiang Yao, who thought she had misheard, held her soup bowl in mid-air, frozen for several seconds.
“By the way, I forgot; Dad asked me to bring you some tonics, and I actually left them in the trunk of the car! Xiao Yao, are you done eating? Help me go get them!”
Zhong Jing quickly got up, and Jiang Yao, holding a napkin, also stood up, eager to leave the awkward scene. Suddenly, regretting her decision to come with Jiang Yan today due to some trifling thoughts. As the two hurriedly left the private room, Meng Huai and Jiang Yan each turned away, both falling into a peculiar silence.
“Meng Huai, were you surprised?”
With no one else around, Jiang Yan’s inexplicable emotions began to surface. Or perhaps, when she initially informed him of her hotel job, there was a subconscious desire to avoid self-justification.
“No.”
Meng Huai quickly replied, though he didn’t look up.
…
“My gosh, Meng Huai is really your biological brother! You two don’t look alike at all!”
Standing at the entrance of the restaurant, Jiang Yao pulled Zhong Jing’s arm.
“Hey, a child without a mother… it’s a long story… wait, the main issue isn’t this, right? When did Jiang Yan get to know my brother?”
Zhong Jing took out a cigarette, appearing to be still processing certain information.
Hehe, not just knowing… that jerk Meng Huai is our squad leader! But you, someone flitting between normal folks and bloodlines, are actually the younger brother of the captain of the Xuanjia team!
Jiang Yao covered her face with one hand, unsure how to describe the chaotic and bizarre identities and relationships among the four of them now.
“I mean, do you know what your brother does?”
Jiang Yao took her time organizing her words and finally yanked Zhong Jing into a corner, her face showing a mix of mystery and tension.
“Maybe I know, just that there’s no need for me to verify… If he really is what Master hinted at, it wouldn’t surprise me…”
Zhong Jing took a deep drag of his cigarette, a bitter smile appearing on his face: “This is amusing; it’s a wolf in the tiger’s den; you should be careful… my brother’s straightforward personality isn’t easy to handle.”
“I feel that Meng Huai’s attitude towards my sister is a bit off; what should we do next?”
Jiang Yao frowned, for her, this question had escalated beyond her initial understanding.
“How would I know… whatever, let’s go buy some tonics; we’ve already said it.”
Zhong Jing helplessly tossed aside his cigarette butt, turning and giving a glance to the girl behind him.
“By the way, Zhong Jing, did you come by while I was in hibernation?”
Jiang Yao suddenly asked as she followed Zhong Jing for a few steps.
“Uh-huh, did you sense it?”
Zhong Jing turned back with a smile and slowed his pace, “I just talked to you like a fool, and your sister got tired of me.”
“No wonder it’s noisy around my ears many times, nagging… I didn’t even know what you were saying… Was it something about suggesting I change my hairstyle and outfit?”
Jiang Yao stopped and glanced at the store window beside her. The glass wall vaguely reflected the girl’s charming figure.
It could help you relax a bit more.
Zhong Jing chuckled, recalling that day he babbled on for an hour while suffering from thirst.
“You still want to date me, don’t you? Think I’m pretty?”
Jiang Yao turned her head, staring at Zhong Jing with a guarded look.
“I… I can hardly communicate with you anymore; your thoughts are so filthy. Let’s keep our friendship pure, okay?”
Zhong Jing made a silly face at this moment, seemingly wounded by the other party’s accusation, a rogue smirk on his face: “I just think you should have your own inner and outer beauty, and that can start with your outfit!”
“Oh, so I can just change my hairstyle?”
Jiang Yao ran her fingers through her ponytail, still a bit dazed, obviously distracted by the other person’s topic again.
“Many aspects apply, like you don’t need to always keep the same style as Jiang Yan. She’s taller, a bit older than you, and her personality and emotions are different; she’s like a somewhat aloof beauty, much like Xiao Dong Jie.”
When it came to this, Zhong Jing got excited, directly sharing his thoughts: “You’re not in the same category as her; you’re younger, have more points of cuteness, so you can consider different unique expressions in your clothing…”
“Cuteness? So you really do want to date me!?”
Jiang Yao’s mouth twitched, her eyes widened in surprise, “Zhong Jing, I’m not a fool. I find you interesting, and you find me interesting, that’s enough. We aren’t really the same type of person!”
“No one understands better than I do the difference between you and me; stop being so narcissistic… Let’s go, hurry up and buy something to take back!”
Seeing Jiang Yao’s sudden serious expression, Zhong Jing fell silent for several seconds, finally grinning and patting her on the back, moving ahead.
Zhong Jing’s personality differed greatly from Meng Huai’s. My brother always treats me like a child… I’ve heard from Xiao Ling Jie and Xiao Ping Jie that Zhong Jing is a playboy, super wealthy, with countless girls he has hooked up with, but he happens to be Wan Jie’s disciple; I’m so envious it’s infuriating…
With a jumble of chaotic thoughts rushing through her mind, Jiang Yao found herself meandering down the street behind Zhong Jing.
Zhong Jing was dashing and handsome, while Jiang Yao looked pure and charming. The two maintained a constant distance, neither too close nor distant, silent and seemingly like an upset romantic couple.
People passing by, regardless of age or gender, all gave the two a considerable rate of glances.
…
…
Army General Hospital.
Zhen Guangquan had just returned to C City from the capital; the first thing he did was head to the Medical Support Center of the Dark Arrow Western Monitoring District set up at the Army General Hospital.
Even before boarding the plane, he had already learned about Meng Huai’s deteriorating health and hospitalization.
“Comrade, he refuses to be hospitalized at the Army General Hospital for treatment. What will you do about it?”
Director Tang, with graying hair at the Medical Support Center, gestured toward the medical records on the table, looking troubled: “Although the treatment and tests at the First People’s Hospital are passable, I still recommend he come here; after all, many details and truths can only be grasped by us.”
“Director Tang, hasn’t Meng Huai just been diagnosed with Stage II? How did he suddenly go to Stage III? He hasn’t injected any anti-blood invasion immunoagents during this time!”
In front of him was one of the oldest medical experts in the Western Monitoring District and the entire Dark Arrow Force; Zhen Guangquan of course felt like a junior in his presence.
With a frown, he flipped through the medical condition reports sent from the First People’s Hospital, feeling puzzled.
“His condition has always been quite special. We record and monitor the physical conditions of all the combatants in the Western Monitoring District, but you outsiders only look at the results. Meng Huai, this young comrade, is somewhat different from the others.”
Saying this, Director Tang took a document from Meng Huai’s personal file and placed it on the table: “Meng Huai has officially been in the force for nearly eight years, and according to statistics, including the tests during the combined training period, he has received a total of sixty-six injections of anti-blood invasion immunoagents.”
Zhen Guangquan’s pupils constricted suddenly as he grabbed the document handed to him by Director Tang, his voice trembling: “Sixty-six!? Is there an error in the statistics?”
“Impossible. Do you think our data management at the Medical Support Center is a joke?”
Director Tang smiled in resignation and placed another document on the table, “This form of data tracking has been in place since the anti-blood invasion immunoagent was first put into use. Through long-term statistical analysis, rare blood types typically receive more than forty injections and then progress to Stage II; those over fifty are already marked for Stage III. Up until now, there haven’t been any cases of someone still full of vigor after sixty injections.”
“Look at your past data; for a normal blood type, thirty injections are already astonishing enough. You had to exit the frontline because you hit the Stage II alarm line and spent three whole years trying to recover. If not for that, could you still be alive today?”
Seeing Zhen Guangquan in silence, Director Tang stood up, his expression solemn: “The medical support department at headquarters has the data for the entire army. I don’t know if there are others like him. Looking at just our Western Monitoring District, Comrade Meng Huai is truly one of a kind. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a monster. Moreover, some of his personal information is classified at the highest level by headquarters, and I don’t have the authority to access it, which only makes me more curious.”
“When he initially joined Dark Arrow, he excelled in both physical and psychological tests, but after all, he is still a human body. If he hadn’t worked so hard, he might really have broken your record!”
“Thank you, Director Tang. I will do my best to convince him to receive follow-up treatment and rehabilitation at the Army General Hospital.”
After a military salute, Zhen Guangquan left with Meng Huai’s personal health data.
