Chapitre 72: Chapter 72: Breaking News
Liu Kai wasn't hostile towards them. He was simply too young to bear the pain he was currently experiencing. His emotional outburst was perfectly normal. Right now, all he wanted was to recover from his injuries; he had no other thoughts in mind.
In the hospital corridor, Lin Fan and Old Zhang were feeling down. They had come with the joy of visiting a friend, only to be turned away.
"Are we really that annoying?" Old Zhang asked in a low voice.
"No, we're not," Lin Fan replied with a smile, though it was a bit forced.
They didn't take the elevator, opting to walk down the twelve flights of stairs. It was an odd choice. Their peculiar attire attracted curious glances. The brave surveillance person Li Laifu had assigned to follow them was puzzled by their decision to take the stairs instead of the elevator. He concluded that their eccentric behavior was to be expected, given their supposed mental illness.
They left the hospital building, alone. Having lived together for so long, they had no friends. They had hoped to find someone willing to befriend them, but it seemed they had been overly optimistic.
Passersby steered clear of them. It wasn't their clothes that were frightening; rather, as people approached, they sensed a strange, oppressive aura emanating from the pair. If they had to guess, it was the aura of loneliness.
"Make way! Make way!"
A commotion erupted ahead. Several men carried an elderly man hurriedly towards the hospital. A woman in her fifties, her face red and contorted with rage, violently grabbed the hair of another woman.
"You slut! Seducing my father! You're even trying to make money off your neighbors? You know my dad has a stroke, yet you try to shirk responsibility, saying it has nothing to do with you! Come to the hospital with me!"
The woman's plump physique added to her shrewish demeanor. A crowd gathered, mostly to watch the spectacle. No one thought to intervene. Some even filmed the scene with their phones, grinning.
"Hey! It's kind sister!"
Lin Fan recognized the woman whose hair was being pulled. He wasn't entirely familiar with her, but he knew for sure that she was the kind person who had helped them before. They were overjoyed to unexpectedly see her at the hospital.
The situation seemed about to escalate. The plump woman raised her hand to slap the other woman, but just as her hand descended, it was caught and held firmly.
"Kind sister, we meet again!" Lin Fan waved, a bright smile on his face.
"Let go!" the woman roared, struggling in vain.
Lin Fan released her hand and looked at her with a gentle smile. The woman rubbed her wrist and started berating Lin Fan, but he maintained his smile, his gaze soft. He understood her anger. If being yelled at made her feel better, he was willing to help.
"This has nothing to do with you. Please leave," the woman pleaded. She knew they were mentally ill and worried that any further stimulation might trigger an unpredictable reaction.
The plump woman yelled until her throat was dry. She began to think Lin Fan was crazy; his unwavering smile made her uneasy, and she avoided his gaze.
Suddenly, murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Look at their clothes, Qingshan Mental Hospital."
"Whoa! They're mental patients? This woman's bold, scolding mental patients. Isn't she afraid of getting attacked?"
"Let's stay back. Don't get involved."
Hearing the whispers, the plump woman looked closely at their clothes and their persistent smiles. Panic welled up inside her. She pointed at the other woman and said, "You're something else, getting mental patients to help you! Just you wait!"
Truly frightened, the plump woman scurried into the hospital. She wasn't afraid of weakness, but she was terrified of the unpredictable. These two were definitely unpredictable.
As the crowd gossiped, the woman quickly led Lin Fan and Old Zhang away until they were out of the spotlight. She hadn't expected to encounter the two mental patients she had briefly met before. While others might be afraid, she wasn't. She felt pity for them.
"Why are you here?" she asked.
"We came to visit a friend," Lin Fan replied, "but he didn't seem to welcome us."
Old Zhang looked dejected. "We snuck out last night just to see him. He even pawned his most prized possession to borrow money to buy him a gift."
The woman didn't know who their friend was, but hearing that they had snuck out last night, she understood the situation.
Old Zhang's stomach rumbled. He was clearly hungry.
"Thank you for helping me. Let me buy you breakfast. Come with me," the woman offered.
Lin Fan was about to decline, saying they needed to go home, but Old Zhang grabbed his hand, clearly eager to eat. Lin Fan relented. He wondered how Old Zhang could be hungry again after eating half a hotdog.
At the breakfast stall, Old Zhang cradled a bowl, happily slurping down porridge. "It's so delicious," he declared, "as good as Sprite!"
"Is it good?" Lin Fan asked with a smile.
Old Zhang nodded. "Yes, very delicious."
The woman, still affected by her earlier ordeal, found herself smiling at their cheerful demeanor. She realized that despite her troubles, she was freer and more stable than they were. If they could find joy and happiness, she shouldn't dwell on her negativity.
Lin Fan and Old Zhang had hearty appetites. Old Zhang had already finished three bowls of porridge, while Lin Fan was on his second.
"Is it enough? If not, I'll order more," the woman offered.
Old Zhang was about to request two meat buns, but Lin Fan patted his leg under the table and shook his head.
"We're full," Lin Fan said with a smile.
"I'm full too," Old Zhang echoed, beaming. They had never eaten such delicious food outside before.
Seeing their expressions, the woman couldn't help but smile. She called out, "Boss, two baskets of meat buns, please."
Then, turning to them, she said, "It's okay, two baskets of meat buns won't break the bank."
Lin Fan and Old Zhang exchanged glances, a spark of delight in their eyes.
"Okay," they said in unison, their hearts filled with contentment.
Just then, the television on the wall began broadcasting the news.
"To all our viewers, we interrupt this program for a breaking news bulletin…"
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone