Chapter 39: The Strong Must Have Compassion

The woman had already left, and she had left in tears.

I did not take her card; there was no longer a need to raise money.

I sat on the sofa in the reception room, unable to gather my thoughts for a while. Sister Yan approached with a first-aid kit and said to me, "I'm going to change your dressing. Try to bear the pain!"

I didn't speak, just nodded.

As Sister Yan peeled the gauze from my face, she said softly, "Don't be angry anymore. In truth, she is quite pitiable..."

I said quietly, "Sister, I took a look at her earlier..."

Sister Yan's hand paused. She naturally understood what I meant by that look, and she asked in a low voice, "What did you see?"

"Dead Qi!" I suppressed the fear rising within me and told her, "There is a major problem with her body. Her living Qi is beginning to turn into dead Qi. But I don't know if I should warn her, or how I should warn her!"

If there is someone you dislike, and you know they are about to die—if you can foresee it when no one else, including themselves, can—would you warn them?

Hearing my words, Sister Yan’s face darkened, and her hand accidentally pressed against my wound. I let out a hiss of pain.

Sister Yan was startled and hurriedly lightened her touch, saying, "I'm sorry, I was distracted! Did I press on it too hard? Let me blow on it for you!"

I laughed and pulled away, saying, "Sister, I'm not a child anymore!"

Sister Yan sighed and said, "That’s right, Stone has grown up! So you can no longer be as impulsive as you were when you were a child! You must know that this ability you possess can save lives if used correctly, but it can just as easily destroy lives if misused! Regardless of whether Miss Luo's actions were right or wrong, that should not be a reason for you to watch her die. She is still so young, and she isn't some heinous villain. Don't you think what you're doing is cruel?"

I didn't know how to answer and let out a soft sigh.

Sister Yan rubbed my head and said, "Stone, do you know how I felt when Master San said you had the 'Qi-Viewing Eye'?"

She looked directly into my eyes and said, "I was very proud. My little brother is a person of great ability, and he will surely achieve great things in the future! But I am also very worried, because in our environment, without the guidance of parents or the discipline of teachers, it is very easy to lose one's heart once one possesses abilities and achievements beyond those of ordinary people. I am afraid of you becoming cold, heartless, and devoid of principles. The strong must have compassion and a sense of boundaries! You must treat people as human beings!"

I held Sister Yan's hand, looked at her, and nodded earnestly. "Sister, I understand! I will go find Miss Luo later and tell her to go to the hospital for a check-up as soon as possible!"

Sister Yan smiled slightly and shook her head, saying, "You attend to your own affairs; I will go find her!"

Once the gauze was wrapped, I put on a hat and left the company, wandering around the neighborhood.

I had an intuition that Deng Zhiyong was hiding nearby. I didn't know why he was keeping an eye on me, but I felt that he had been helping me all along and held no malice toward me. Had I known, I should have marked his Qi signature; it would have made finding him much easier.

After a fruitless afternoon, I returned to the company feeling exhausted. Everyone else had finished work and was cooking together on the fifth floor.

With the office on the first floor, the living quarters on the fifth, and the second through fourth floors serving as workspaces, the place finally looked like a real company.

The fifth floor featured a large hall that served as both a dining room and a kitchen, with five rooms on either side of the hallway, organized by gender—men on the left, women on the right—serving as dormitories. Including Brother Hei, Brother Liang, and Little Monkey, there were now eight people in the company, which was plenty of space.

In truth, Chen Yinan, Youyou, and Xiangxiang all had their own places to live, but they preferred the dormitories, saying it was lively there. Sister Yan and I indulged them.

Indeed, it was lively having everyone together. Especially Youyou; once a girl so full of despair, she was much more cheerful now. She didn't talk much, but she giggled incessantly every day.

What was even more surprising was that both Xiangxiang and Youyou were talented at cooking; the meals they made could rival Sister Yan's. With them occupying the stove, Chen Yinan and I just had to open our mouths and wait to be fed.

As the fragrant food was brought out, everyone called out and began to eat.

Sister Yan pointed to a thermal lunch box on a small table and said, "I boiled bone broth for Master San and Brother Hei, and angelica ginger mutton soup for Brother Liang and Little Monkey. Once you’ve finished eating, take it to them!"

"Alright!" I nodded and asked her, "Sister, did you go to see Miss Luo?"

Sister Yan stopped eating. Her expression grew somewhat sad, and she sighed. "She had only just found out. She went to the hospital for a check-up in the morning and came here in the afternoon to deliver the money. She said it was a hereditary heart condition; her grandfather and father both died of it. She asked me to thank you and said goodbye to me. She is going back to the countryside!"

Everyone fell silent.

Xiangxiang sighed and murmured, "If one isn't backed into a corner, who would want to debase themselves?"

"Classic!" Chen Yinan gave Xiangxiang a thumbs-up and said, "That line has substance. I'll..."

"Shut up!" Xiangxiang glared at him and scolded, "Nana told me to be careful of a guy like you! So you’d better stay away from me!"

Chen Yinan was stifled and sullenly closed his mouth.

My mood was complex; I didn't know how to judge her. It was true that she had cheated on Brother Hei, but that didn't mean her feelings for him were fake. One could even say her goal was simply to find an honest man to marry. Yet, one could not say she had "played around enough" outside, because the things she did were genuinely to save her mother! She knew she had a terminal illness, and the money she saved wasn't for her own life, but to give to her ex-boyfriend. Who could say she was deceiving others?

I didn't understand this outlook on love, nor could I define whether she was a "scumbag" or not. I could only lament that life is unpredictable and fate plays tricks on people.

After dinner, I took the lunch box to the hospital.

The company only had one car, and fearing that those at home might have an emergency during the night, I didn't drive it and took a taxi instead.

Brother Liang and Little Monkey had already eaten, but upon hearing that Sister Yan had specifically boiled the soup for them, they naturally wanted to drink a couple of bowls.

I carried a bowl over to Master San’s side and fed him with a small spoon. In reality, both he and Brother Hei were on intravenous drips, so they didn't need to eat or drink, and in their current state, they couldn't consume any food anyway. But I had to find a way to help them nourish their bodies and get some sustenance; if they relied solely on those IV fluids, even if they woke up, their bodies would be broken.

However, I was disappointed; not a drop of what I fed Master San went in—it all flowed out from his mouth. Fortunately, although Brother Hei was still in a coma, he could swallow the soup, and he drank the entire pot of bone broth by himself.

The three of us watched in pleasant surprise. Little Monkey said to me, "Brother Stone, please ask Sister Yan to boil more soup tomorrow!"

I nodded and said, "No problem! I'll stay here tonight, and you two go back and take turns resting!"

"No need!" Wen Liang waved his hand and said, "I'll go back tomorrow. Little Monkey has hired a caregiver. There are some things we can't do, so we have to hire professionals."

Little Monkey nodded and said, "I'm used to being here alone tomorrow. With a professional taking care of them, it's two hundred yuan a day. Now that we have money, we shouldn't skimp!"

I kept them company for a while, and seeing that it was getting late, I was shooed away by the two of them.

I took a taxi back to Wanxiang Street. Just as I reached the entrance of the shop, I saw a black shadow stooped over, as if trying to stuff something into the door. My mind buzzed, and I shouted at him, "What are you doing!"