8 – Still Using Me

Episode 8: Still Using Me

“This elderly gentleman’s name is Zhuang Zhiqiang. He’s a resident of the redevelopment demolition area.”

Thirty minutes later, staff from the city hall homeless shelter arrived. They thanked the medical staff and Xie Qingcheng’s group before explaining the situation.

Xie Xue and Bai Jing, who had forced her way into the car and squeezed in next to him, had come up from the underground parking lot and were sitting on the clinic sofa, listening to the detailed circumstances.

“Mr. Zhuang Zhiqiang… well, his situation is a bit unique, so he’s been a constant headache for our shelter as well.”

The staff member, who had been rubbing his hands together, drank the tea the nurse had prepared in a paper cup. After savoring the taste for a moment, he sighed and continued.

“Was it about three years ago? He came to us saying he was looking for his daughter, but when we checked his family registry, he was a senior living alone. His family home is a dugout in Shanzhou. Honestly, it’s a remote mountainous area where even animals would struggle to live. Forget neighbors; you have to walk a long way just to fetch water once. Shelter staff visited the village for an investigation, but the locals only said the old man was eccentric; they didn’t know the detailed circumstances.”

“You can’t avoid responsibility with excuses like that! He’s such a dangerous person; shouldn’t you have arrested him beforehand? It’s bad for the city’s image, and he could harm citizens!”

Bai Jing shouted, unable to bear it.

“Miss, that may be true, but…”

The staff member looked troubled.

“Homeless people are citizens too, so we can’t just arrest them haphazardly. Providing shelter and medical treatment is the best we can do…”

At those words, Bai Jing huffed.

“What does that matter? Mentally ill people should be forcibly locked up. Abnormal humans like this should be isolated from society, right?”

From the start, He Yu felt nothing for this woman. His moral baseline was quite low. Put another way, his standard for tolerance was rather high. Thus, even after hearing the inner workings of the situation from Xie Qingcheng, he remained indifferent. Everyone has their own way of living and their own choices.

However, Bai Jing’s few words about mental illness triggered Young Master He.

Suddenly, a faint sneer played on He Yu’s lips. He lowered his head in silence.

The shelter employee, wiping away hot sweat, spoke.

“Miss, please calm down for now. I promise you. Given the current situation, there’s a high possibility that Mr. Zhuang Zhiqiang’s symptoms will worsen. In severe cases, he may lose his civil capacity. So, once his symptoms improve, we’ll move him to an affiliated psychiatric hospital for custodial treatment…”

At that moment, Xie Qingcheng abruptly asked.

“Which psychiatric hospital?”

“For now, I think it will be Chengkang. The facilities are old, but Wanping’s contracted capacity is full, so we have no choice.”

Only then did Bai Jing mutter with satisfaction.

“Well, that’s acceptable…”

While the conversation continued for a while, the emergency room doctor approached.

The doctor explained that thanks to the timely emergency treatment, Zhuang Zhiqiang had passed the critical stage. He added that if they wished, one representative could go inside.

“A woman would be better. He’s still semi-conscious, but he keeps searching for his daughter.”

“I’ll go.”

Xie Xue stood up and soon followed the doctor.

He Yu, leaning languidly against the backrest of the reception sofa with his elbows, simply listened to the conversation with a blank expression, head lowered. Then, as Xie Xue left the room, he moved his long legs to prepare to stand.

Xie Qingcheng, his guard fully raised, spoke.

“Stay there.”

“Why?”

“Why do you keep following my sister all day?”

The young man sat back down on the sofa and remained silent for a moment. Contrary to his kind and polite tone, a mocking light was evident in his rounded eyes.

“Then, should I follow Mr. Jin Zongyi all day instead?”

“…”

He Yu spoke in a friendly tone.

“It would be a bit awkward to keep intruding when you have a blind date partner. I’ll clear the way so I don’t interfere.”

Then, as expected, Bai Jing shouted.

“I have no intention of seeing him again!”

He Yu chuckled at that, ignored Bai Jing, and turned his head, lowering his voice so only Xie Qingcheng could hear.

“Mr. Xie, I guess your charms don’t work anymore now that you’re at your age. You can’t even hook one young, green girl like that.”

“…”

Vicious brat.

I wonder if his ancestors’ graves were converted into outhouses. Otherwise, there’s no way a child less than a beast could have been born.

Xie Qingcheng’s lips twitched with a cold expression.

“Get lost. Now.”

He Yu grinned and suddenly raised his hand, reaching behind Xie Qingcheng. For a moment, Xie Qingcheng flinched. He wondered what kind of irrational act this refined piece of human trash was about to commit. Soon, as He Yu leaned his upper body forward, the scent of hormones characteristic of a man in his twenties wafted over. Even without touching, he could feel the heat emanating from the other’s chest.

The pressure exerted by a young man like this made Xie Qingcheng, a fellow man, uncomfortable. With his strong macho instincts, he became anxious, as if another male had invaded his territory.

Just as Xie Qingcheng was about to push him away, the young man, who had breached the safety distance, straightened his back. He was holding a large coffee bag that had been sitting on the table behind them.

—It was the coffee He Yu had ordered for delivery earlier, which he hadn’t distributed to the people yet.

“Hyung, I was just grabbing the coffee.”

Watching the man’s distorted face, a clearer sense of mockery appeared on He Yu’s lips. He handed out the coffees in the paper bag one by one to the shelter staff, the doctor, the nurse, Xie Xue, and Bai Jing.

However—.

“Ah, look at my memory. I’m truly sorry. I forgot yours, sir.”

After a brief moment of consideration, he handed his own iced coffee to Xie Qingcheng.

“Do you want mine?”

His voice lacked even a grain of sincerity. He held the coffee, already with a straw inserted, and pushed it toward Xie Qingcheng’s lips.

He did it expecting Xie Qingcheng to refuse.

Unexpectedly, however, Xie Qingcheng didn’t get angry; he only glared gloomily. It was a reaction that completely defied He Yu’s expectations. Sitting on the sofa in an elegant posture as if being served, he parted his pale lips slightly, looked up at He Yu, and slowly took the straw in his mouth.

Then, closing his lips and staring intently at He Yu, he took a ruthless sip.

Soon, Xie Qingcheng’s Adam’s apple bobbed provocatively.

“Put it next to me.”

The lips that released the straw were smoothly wet. The gaze directed toward him was purely sharp.

“You’re quite good at respecting your elders.”

“…”

Watching the sequence of him lowering his head and opening his mouth to take the straw, He Yu felt a stifling sensation in his chest, as if heat were rising. He even felt an indescribable restlessness. Originally, he had only wanted to see Xie Qingcheng feel awkward or embarrassed.

To show such an arrogant attitude without even flinching.

For a moment, He Yu sincerely wanted to pour the iced coffee over that haughty old fogey’s face. He wanted to see that sight again—water dripping down his face and his clothes soaked through.

But in the end, he smiled and gently placed the coffee on the table. As he lowered his head, he spoke in a low voice.

“Fine. Since you like it so much, drink it without leaving a single drop. If you’re still lacking after emptying it completely, call me. I’ll bring you more.”

“I’m quite humbled. Not only did you serve as my driver and wallet all night, but you’re offering to be my coffee delivery boy as well.”

Scoffing, Xie Qingcheng took the coffee, stroking the condensation-covered plastic cup with his long fingers.

“Then go take care of your business.”

Then, he waved the cup toward him.

He Yu left the spot with a stiff face.

Thus, the blatant verbal sparring came to an end. Others, recognizing the formidable personalities of the two, looked on with awkward expressions. Of course, Xie Qingcheng was unfazed.

While everyone watched, he stood up and threw the coffee in the trash. Ordering coffee at this hour. I’m already exhausted from getting older; is he telling me to stay up all night or what?

Sitting back down, he looked at the shelter staff with a calm expression and spoke.

“I apologize. That boy is still immature, so he showed you a ridiculous sight.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine.”

The staff members gave stiff smiles.

“Where was I? Ah, right… Is it certain that Zhuang Zhiqiang has no daughter?”

At Xie Qingcheng’s question, the employee snapped back to attention and answered.

“Yes, that’s correct. Mr. Zhuang Zhiqiang had no family. Our job is to contact relatives or workplaces on behalf of the homeless, but this gentleman had no one to contact.”

Xie Qingcheng fell into silence.

Based on experience, Zhuang Zhiqiang’s symptoms did not seem to be groundless seizures. Clearly, the actual existence of a ‘daughter’ had become a knot of resentment within him.

“My daughter…”

The old man, lying on the hospital bed in a semi-comatose state with an oxygen tube inserted, murmured to someone who might have been an illusion.

“My wonderful daughter. This old man watched you grow from a child into an adult. I saw you study with your little backpack, saw you get accepted into college, saw you go to the big city…”

A brief silence followed. Soon, cloudy tears seeped through wrinkled eyelids.

The old man’s sleep-talking was a mixture of grievance and sobbing.

“Why… why can’t you come see this old man again…”

The soft-hearted Xie Xue spent the entire time shedding tears beside him. With the nurse’s permission, she gripped Zhuang Zhiqiang’s hand tightly.

“Mister, please don’t cry. I… I’m here. I’ll stay by your side. So you have to get well quickly…”

The time allowed to contact the patient was not very long. While she was comforting the semi-conscious old man, the doctor eventually approached and told her it was time to leave.

After finishing disinfection and leaving the emergency room, Xie Xue searched her bag for a tissue to wipe her tears. But come to think of it, she had already used up all the tissues she had.

At that moment, a fair hand handed her a man’s handkerchief.

Xie Xue lifted her red, swollen eyelids. He Yu was smiling kindly at her.

Though he had shown a face like human trash to Xie Qingcheng, he acted quite human in front of Xie Xue. The handkerchief he handed over was very luxurious and clean. There wasn’t even a fold mark on the snow-white silk cloth.

“Wipe it.”

“Th-thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

He Yu had known Xie Xue would be crying.

Xie Xue had lost both parents shortly after birth and had no grandparents, so since she was young, she had envied others who called out titles like Mom, Dad, Grandpa, and Grandma. All she could do on ancestral rite days was stand under the black umbrella held by Xie Qingcheng, holding a beautiful bouquet of chrysanthemums and murmuring softly toward the cold, wet tombstone.

That was why she couldn’t bear to see children neglecting their elders.

“Doctor.”

Wiping her tears, she spoke to the emergency room doctor.

“Could you contact me when the grandfather is moved to the psychiatric hospital? I’d like to go with him.”

At those words, He Yu’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Why on earth would you go to a place like that?”

“It’s okay. Actually, the school told students to visit places like prisons or psychiatric hospitals for a field trip. They said it might be a special experience for directing students. It hasn’t been relayed to you guys yet.”

Xie Xue sniffled.

“It’ll be good to go while I’m at it.”

When she put it like that, there was nothing more to say. He Yu had no choice but to walk over and pick up the yellow dog.

As a hand suddenly entered under its plump armpits, the dog flailed its legs, which were a mix of yellow and white fur. The moment its black-bean-like nose aligned with its almond-shaped eyes, the dog stiffened slightly.

He Yu spoke kindly.

“I’ll register your pet chip, so let’s stay at my house for a bit. I’ll take you back once your owner recovers.”

The dog whimpered and trembled.

The ability commonly called animal intuition detected the intimidation and antisocial nature hidden beneath a person’s smile. The terrified dog cautiously licked He Yu, as if trying to appease him with its soft tongue.

He Yu smiled and stroked the dog’s head with his fingertips. As the dog licked his fingertips, his gaze deepened.

“Good boy. You’ve got better intuition than that man.”