Luo Shixin opened his mouth, but he had just said the words "accompany to see the doctor". He was stunned for a moment, then resignedly took his female assistant Xiaocai and left again for the doctor’s office.
Chu Keqing discreetly pursed her lips, took a breath, and turned around to see Chen Yan leaning against the door frame of the ward, looking at her with a half-smile.
"Sorry for the embarrassment, senior." Chu Keqing felt a bit awkward.
Chen Yan grinned and said, "That guy Luo, is he your lapdog?"
Chu Keqing was taken aback, but then her face suddenly showed a hint of anger: "Senior, do you see me as a green tea b*tch who uses her looks to charm and manipulate men for her benefit?"
Chen Yan was confused: "Huh?"
He didn’t quite understand why Chu Keqing had such a strong reaction so suddenly.
Chu Keqing lowered her eyelids, her tone filled with resentment and anger: "That Luo Shixin is from the folk culture exchange association and runs an antique auction business. I helped him out with a big favor before, which made him a lot of money, so he owes me a huge debt.
He owes me! I don’t owe him!
This time I asked him for help just to have him repay the favor he owed me.
It’s absolutely not because I’m using my looks to seduce and manipulate men to work for me!
Please, senior, don’t belittle me, Chu Keqing, like that!"
Seeing Chen Yan remain silent, Chu Keqing continued: "I only have a business relationship with Luo Shixin, and our private interaction is just superficial. This time I asked him for help because I was fair in my dealings; my conscience is clear!
He received my favor, and it should have been a simple task for him to repay it and be done with it! But I didn’t expect he would still have designs on me! It’s really frustrating!"
(Well, you didn’t need to explain all this to me...) Chen Yan thought to himself.
Seeing Chen Yan still not speaking, Chu Keqing’s face stiffened further. She turned away and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. When she turned back, she said softly to Chen Yan: "I lost my temper and got emotional just now, please don’t take it to heart, senior."
"Uh, it’s not really a big deal..." Chen Yan mumbled.
Chu Keqing shook her head, sighed helplessly: "Things are settled here. Let’s go back and discuss our next steps."
Chu Keqing took out her phone and sent a message to Xiaocai, then left the hospital building with Chen Yan, walking to the parking lot outside to wait.
As they walked, Chu Keqing gradually calmed down. When they stood by the car in the parking lot waiting for her assistant, Chu Keqing looked at Chen Yan and said: "Senior, what do you make of what Luo Meifang said after she woke up?"
Chen Yan pondered—it had been running through his mind repeatedly.
Don’t eat me, you already ate him, don’t eat me.
"Luo Meifang must have encountered something that consumes people. Whether it’s a person or some creature, I’m not sure yet." Chen Yan shared his thoughts: "However, the line ’ate him’. If there were no other victims, it must refer to your third senior brother.
But it says ’already ate him’—yet your third senior brother’s body is clearly there.
So... what was consumed was not his body, but it was..."
Chen Yan said, as his eyes met Chu Keqing’s, and they simultaneously uttered two words:
Before he died, was your third senior brother’s soul eaten?
Chen Yan thought for a moment and then said: "Your third senior brother’s body hasn’t been cremated yet, right?"
Chu Keqing immediately responded: "Not yet. His disciple told me the funeral arrangements during the first call. The cremation will take place after the seventh day mourning. The farewell ceremony is the day after tomorrow. Until then, his coffin is at his dojo."
Chen Yan’s eyes glinted: "Let’s go! We need to check it out!"
"Right now?" Chu Keqing was surprised but then quickly nodded: "Okay, I’ll get Xiaocai..."
"No, let’s take a taxi ourselves." Chen Yan looked at Chu Keqing with a playful smile: "If you call Xiaocai, Luo Shixin will come along, and you don’t seem very eager to have him around."
Chu Keqing immediately laughed and nodded: "Alright! We’ll take a taxi ourselves."