My heart was pounding like crazy.
I watched as Du Peilin pinched Zhou Wei's soul between two fingers and, with the aid of the cyan talisman, smoothly peeled it off my shoulder. A nauseous and weak feeling made cold sweat break out on my forehead.
I staggered a bit and quickly sat down beside Zhou Wei's hospital bed, leaning against it. I casually fished out a chocolate bar from my pocket and stuffed it into my mouth.
It was prepared by Si Jiangchen. Ever since something happened to my grandfather, he had always been putting all kinds of snacks in my backpack to fill my stomach.
"Wow..."
As the soul returned to the body, Zhou Wei suddenly spat out a puddle of soy - colored liquid with a "wow" sound, and then he sat up abruptly from the bed.
"Ahhh!! I'm alive again!"
After groping all over his body, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Du Peilin, who was standing by the bed. "Master, save me!! I don't want to be taken away by the White Impermanence. I still want to live!"
Caught off - guard, Du Peilin had a lot of bloodstains smeared on his T - shirt by Zhou Wei. He couldn't help grinning and scolding, "Just be careful not to let your talisman fall off. I guarantee you'll be safe and sound."
I glanced at the talisman on Zhou Wei's forehead. It was a small cyan strip of paper less than two fingers wide, looking like an ordinary sticky note, with some crooked lines drawn on it in silver ink.
At first glance, it just seemed like a prank and one wouldn't really associate it with the esoteric and supernatural.
"Don't worry. I'd rather die than take it off!"
Zhou Wei covered his head with both hands. "If anyone dares to touch my life - saving thing, I'll kill his whole family!"
"Hehe..."
Du Peilin looked at him with a grin. "Now, call your sweetheart. As long as she takes good care of you honestly for seven days, this talisman will merge with your glabella. Not even the White Impermanence, or even the King of Hell himself, can do anything to you before your natural lifespan ends!"
"Okay, okay, okay..." Zhou Wei nodded repeatedly. Suddenly, a look of embarrassment flashed across his face.
He was directly brought here from the mental hospital. Not only did he not have a phone, but even the clothes on him were the hospital gown from the mental hospital.
"Sigh~~~"
Du Peilin let out a long sigh. "Help others to the end, just like seeing a Buddha to its destination... Come on, tell us her phone number, WeChat ID, anything. We'll help you get in touch with her."
"… Uh!"
Zhou Wei was stunned for a moment and scratched his head awkwardly.
Nowadays, people rely so heavily on their phones that hardly anyone remembers phone numbers anymore.
"Hey, why did you sit up?!"
This wasn't a single - patient ward, and since the patient wasn't in immediate danger, the nurses usually came to do their rounds every half an hour.
It was just the time for the nurse's routine round.
A young nurse walked in quickly. "Lie down quickly!"
With that, she pushed Zhou Wei back onto the bed, and then turned to ask us, "Are you his family? Why did you come so late?"
"Yes! I'm his distant cousin. I just heard the news and rushed over today."
Du Peilin told the lie without even blinking an eye.
"That's good. Since the patient is awake, hurry up and find someone to accompany him."
When the patient was in a coma, the nurse could provide first - level care. But after the patient woke up, many family members would choose to accompany the patient themselves to save money.
"Sure, we're discussing it right now."
Du Peilin watched with a mischievous smile as the young nurse finished tidying up Zhou Wei's bed and left. Then he said to Zhou Wei again, "You're really something. You want to spend your whole life with someone but don't even know how to contact her?"
"Who said! Who said I don't know?!"
Zhou Wei blushed with embarrassment. "Her name is Wu Mingyu, and her stage name is 'Xiaoyu'. I've even seen her ID card!"
"Wu... Mingyu?!"
I widened my eyes in surprise. The world was really small!
Could I really run into an acquaintance like this?!!
"What? Do you know her?"
Du Peilin was also startled by my reaction. He probably couldn't understand how I would know a bar hostess.
"An old neighbor..."
I replied vaguely.
"That's great. Xiao He, go and find someone for him to save his life. Then we can make money. It's a win - win situation and everyone's happy!"
The calculation on Du Peilin's face was hard to hide.
"I..."
Hearing his words, Zhou Wei hesitated for a moment. The money Du Peilin would earn was his entire fortune. He covered the talisman on his head and started to calculate in his mind.
"Don't play tricks."
Du Peilin was as sly as a fox. How could he not see what Zhou Wei was thinking? "If you don't want to live, I have a hundred thousand ways to invite the White Impermanence over..."
"No, Master, don't misunderstand. I'll pay. I will!"
All of Zhou Wei's money was in the bank. For convenience, he only had a bank card that could be used for mobile banking transfers. And he had no other relatives. His only son was with his wife's parents, and he had never bothered to take care of him.
"Hehe, that's good!"
Du Peilin had already taken out a piece of yellow paper but put it back after hearing Zhou Wei's words.
"Xiao He, I'll trouble you to go and find that 'Yu'. I'll go and find a phone for the boss so that he can transfer the money to us when I get back."
Du Peilin bossed me around as if I were his little minion.
However, I had important things to do now. How could I put aside my own business and help a scumbag just for Du Peilin?!
"I don't have the time to care about your business!"
I shook my head. "I have a ghost to deal with today!"
"Xiao He, you're trying to kill the donkey after it has done its work! I helped you, and now you're just going to abandon me?!"
Du Peilin wailed like a wronged woman. "I'll go and find your grandfather! Let him judge! Passing up a money - making opportunity. Isn't that just a big fool?!"
I was stunned by this crazy man. How could he be like this?!
I really didn't know how a girl like Zhao Zifeng, from a good family, could fall for such a scoundrel!!
"Hey... What are you guys making a ruckus about here?"
The young nurse who had just left appeared at the door again, glaring at us and shooing us out. "Go and discuss it outside. Come back when you've sorted it out. This is really affecting the patients' mood!"
"Exactly!! He just woke up, and you're already arguing about splitting the money? Have you no humanity at all?!"
Although there was a curtain around the other beds in the ward, the other patients could still hear the general idea.
Everyone knew that although the person who had drunk paraquat seemed energetic now, it was just a false recovery before death. In the following days, no matter what medical measures were taken, they couldn't stop the pesticide from corroding the body. This Zhou Wei would not only vomit a lot of blood but also find it harder and harder to breathe, and finally suffocate to death!
People felt pity for such a doomed person. Now, hearing Du Peilin openly talk about making and splitting money, of course, someone would stand up for Zhou Wei. When the young nurse shooed us out of the ward, someone even clapped and cheered.
"Go! Help me this time! I'll help you tonight!"
Du Peilin was definitely a street - smart rascal. I really couldn't refuse the condition he proposed!!