Li Banfeng sat in the hospital room, watching He Jiaqing on the bed.
After two whole days of emergency treatment, He Jiaqing's life had been saved, but he had fallen into a deep coma, and it was unclear when he would wake up.
The cause of the coma was unknown, and the hospital had not yet formulated a treatment plan for the next stage.
According to the hospital, the next stage of treatment depended on He Jiaqing's physical condition and also on Li Banfeng's and He Jiaqing's wallets.
All of Li Banfeng's living expenses had been poured into He Jiaqing's care. Even after deducting the portion medical insurance would reimburse, it was still vastly insufficient.
He Jiaqing had some savings on his card, but because the PIN was unknown, it was impossible to withdraw money for now.
Li Banfeng attempted to contact He Jiaqing's family. Although the two were close, Li Banfeng didn't know their contact information; he didn't even have Lu Xiaolan's.
If things continued this way, Li Banfeng wouldn't even know where his next meal was coming from, and He Jiaqing's oxygen supply might be cut off.
Fortunately, on the third day, there was a turn for the better when a man named He Haisheng appeared.
He claimed to be He Jiaqing's Third Uncle. Although Li Banfeng had never met this Third Uncle before, it didn't matter. This Third Uncle had immediately covered He Jiaqing's medical expenses.
Someone who willingly offers money is unlikely to be a swindler—assuming, of course, they actually provide it.
"You're Li Banfeng, right? I've heard from the school that you've been taking care of Jiaqing these past two days. You've worked hard," He Haisheng said as he peeled an apple for Li Banfeng.
"It's like this..." Li Banfeng took a bite of the apple and was about to explain the situation when He Haisheng interrupted him.
"Let's talk about other things later," He Haisheng said as he pulled out his wallet and handed a stack of cash to Li Banfeng. "This is just a little token of gratitude; don't think it's too little."
Li Banfeng desperately needed money; he couldn't even afford his next meal.
But he didn't want to accept this money. "I'm not short of money. It's Jiaqing who needs it right now."
"It's nothing much, just a small gesture. If you don't accept it, you're implying it's too little!" He Haisheng insisted, stuffing the cash into Li Banfeng's pocket.
After sitting in silence for a moment, He Haisheng sighed. "The school contacted the family, informing them that Jiaqing had an accident. I thought my second older brother and sister-in-law would come over as soon as possible. Turns out, neither of them is reliable. My apologies for arriving late and causing you so much trouble, Ban Feng. Go get some rest. I'll take care of things here."
Li Banfeng left the hospital room. He hadn't slept much in three days and was truly exhausted. As he walked down the hospital corridor, his legs felt weak.
As he approached the elevators, his phone suddenly rang.
PING!
It was a text message. The sender ID still showed He Jiaqing's number.
Li Banfeng frowned immediately. The message contained the same four words: "Brother, save me."
Li Banfeng replied, "Who are you?"
"I am He Jiaqing."
"Where did you get this phone?"
Li Banfeng recalled seeing He Jiaqing off at the train station, where He Jiaqing had boarded a train, only for him to suddenly appear in Li Banfeng's bed. Before that, Li Banfeng had called He Jiaqing. After that, He Jiaqing had sent him messages.
The situation was bizarre, so much so that Li Banfeng couldn't comprehend the logic behind it.
But no matter how bizarre the events, the present reality remained unchanged.
He Jiaqing was lying in the hospital. Although he had neither ID nor phone on him, that was undeniably He Jiaqing; Li Banfeng wouldn't mistake him.
Then the question arose: who answered the phone before? And who was sending messages now?
The only reasonable explanation was that He Jiaqing had lost his phone. The person who found it must have answered Li Banfeng's call that night, mimicked He Jiaqing's voice to deceive him, and was now sending him messages.
If they just found the phone, why are they still contacting me? This is a typical scam, isn't it! This matter should be reported to the police.
Li Banfeng felt that He Jiaqing's coma must have some connection with this person.
There was no reply for a long time.
The elevator arrived. Li Banfeng put away his phone and was about to go downstairs when a middle-aged man with a broad forehead, long cheeks, and a lean figure stepped in front of him.
He smiled at Li Banfeng and took out a badge. "I'm a police officer. Are you Li Banfeng? There are a few questions related to He Jiaqing I need to ask you."
The man looked to be in his fifties and had a voice like a drake's. When he spoke, it sounded as if his throat contained a piece of Old Tan.
I was just about to report to the police when they showed up...
Li Banfeng really wanted to have a closer look at the man's badge, but the middle-aged man had stowed it back into his pocket and was whispering something to a doctor in a white coat standing nearby.
The doctor seemed familiar with him. He led the middle-aged man and Li Banfeng into an empty hospital room.
The doctor closed the door from outside, leaving only Li Banfeng and the middle-aged man inside. They sat on two adjacent hospital beds, facing each other.
"Don't be nervous," the middle-aged man smiled. "My surname is Chen. Just call me Old Chen. I just want to ask you a few simple questions. You're the one who brought He Jiaqing to the hospital, right?"
"Yes," Li Banfeng nodded.
"How did you realize something was wrong with him?"
"He was sleeping in my bed. His complexion and breathing were abnormal, so I immediately made an emergency call."
Old Chen nodded, sizing Li Banfeng up and down. His gaze shifted slightly.
He stared at Li Banfeng's face but did not look into his eyes. Instead, he focused on his forehead.
"I heard that you two had drinks together that day?"
"Yes!" Li Banfeng nodded. "He was going home, and I saw him off."
"You saw him off?"
"Yes, I took him to the train station and then returned to my dorm by subway myself. When I got back to the dormitory, I suddenly found him sleeping in my bed."
Li Banfeng's story made no sense.
If He Jiaqing had gone to the train station, how could he have then appeared in the dormitory? And in Li Banfeng's bed, no less.
Old Chen wasn't surprised by such an answer. His expression was genial, and he continued to fix his eyes on Li Banfeng's forehead. "Do you and He Jiaqing have any conflicts normally?"
Any conflicts? Li Banfeng thought for a moment. I've seen some photos of his girlfriend. Does that count as a conflict? Obviously, that wasn't the point. The emphasis was on the implications behind the question.
Li Banfeng looked at Old Chen, his expression calm. "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... mental health issues?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "A bit of a problem, but I'm not crazy. You can check my medical records. I saw He Jiaqing and Lu Xiaolan off together on the train. They were both returning to their hometown. You can verify this with Lu Xiaolan."
"Lu Xiaolan..." Old Chen mused. He took out a cigarette, but then, glancing around the hospital room, decided it was inappropriate to smoke and put it back in the pack.
"This Lu Xiaolan you mentioned, who is she?" Old Chen pressed.
"She's He Jiaqing's girlfriend, our classmate from the same university. I took both of them to the station. She boarded the train with He Jiaqing. She can vouch for me."
"If they both boarded the train, why did He Jiaqing end up in your dorm?"
"I don't know," Li Banfeng answered truthfully. "You should ask Lu Xiaolan about this. The two of them were always together."
"Do you have Lu Xiaolan's contact information?"
"I don't, but the school should have it. The train ticket information should also be traceable."
"Which train were they on?"
"How would I know that…" Li Banfeng paused. Suddenly, a series of numbers appeared in his mind. The 1160 train. "The 1160 train. They were on the 1160 train," Li Banfeng recalled, the voice of the station announcer echoing in his memory.
Old Chen rubbed his lips with his finger. He seemed to be at a dead end and clearly wanted a cigarette. "It seems Lu Xiaolan won't be easy to find."
"Why not?" Li Banfeng didn't understand.
Old Chen continued rubbing his stubbly upper lip and spoke slowly, "On the night of He Jiaqing's incident, the 1160 train derailed and fell off a cliff. To this day, no survivors have been found on board."
Li Banfeng blinked. It felt as if thunder was rolling within his head. Amidst the booming, He Jiaqing's voice kept echoing: "She sleeps more heavily than I do, so soundly, even more heavily than a pig. She wouldn't wake up even if the train derailed!"
The train really derailed. Lu Xiaolan might indeed be dead. Was He Jiaqing's mouth blessed? Or did he already know something? It seemed he once told me that Lu Xiaolan was deceiving him. Was it not just about Teacher Song's peaches? He asked me to call him back at the dormitory, but what for exactly?
Old Chen continued to stare at Li Banfeng's forehead and asked in a low voice, "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing much, just worried about Lu Xiaolan," Li Banfeng shook his head.
Old Chen was intrigued. "What is your relationship with Lu Xiaolan like? Between you two and He Jiaqing, is there a bit of a…"
"Are you trying to suggest a love triangle?" Li Banfeng's lips curled up, a hint of anger in his voice.