Chapter 18

Facing me, Tang mentioned the soup.

Qin Hainian felt a little embarrassed and said in a low voice, "I studied dentistry, and besides, whenever my mom nourished my sister and me, she would always stew this soup for us to drink."

"Your life is so simple; you just apply what you know. I really wonder how you grew up so big?" As I spoke, I shook my head and glanced at my watch, then said seriously to Qin Hainian, "Alright, let's wait another twenty minutes. If Old Zhou doesn't wake up, I'll take you back."

"No room for negotiation?" Qin Hainian's glasses slid down to the tip of her nose, and the clear, delicate face beneath them became somewhat ingratiating towards me.

She understood our closest friends' personalities. Once I became serious and said something, there was no room for negotiation.

"Right, no room for negotiation." I picked up the newspaper beside the sofa and started reading it. Too many things had happened in the past two days, leaving me in a state of confusion. Although it seemed like things had come to a temporary end, was it really over?

I frowned slightly, not in the mood for chatting.

Moreover, Qin Hainian was like a buddy to me. I didn't need to be overly polite to her. She was used to my sudden silences or doing other things while talking, so she didn't bother to argue with me when I looked absent-minded with the newspaper.

Besides, she kept staring at Old Zhou's bedroom door, as if it were a precious treasure, her eyes full of hope. She probably hoped that Old Zhou would wake up within twenty minutes.

Time passed quietly, second by second. Contrary to my expectations, it didn't take twenty minutes. In less than ten minutes, I saw Old Zhou's bedroom door suddenly open, and he stumbled out, looking flustered and pale. But the next second, he saw me and seemed a bit more at ease.

Then, he inevitably saw Qin Hainian. He clearly wanted to talk to me but was momentarily stunned. The next moment, he said in an exaggerated tone, "Haidafu, why are you here?"

"Ha ha." I couldn't help but laugh, almost dropping the cigarette in my hand.

After so many years, I should have been used to it, but every time Old Zhou called Qin Hainian "Haidafu," I couldn't help but laugh. It was a coincidence that Old Zhou loved watching Stephen Chow's movies. One time, while he was rewatching "The Deer and the Cauldron," Qin Hainian happened to be nearby. Whatever she did annoyed Old Zhou.

Old Zhou blurted out in a fit of anger, "Haidafu, can you disappear right now?" It was a slip of the tongue because the movie was showing a scene about someone named Haidafu.

So, Qin Hainian was inexplicably given the nickname "Haidafu." To get back at her, she also gave Old Zhou a nickname—Zhou Dagui.

But the impact of "Zhou Dagui" was clearly not as strong as "Haidafu." Moreover, I wondered if it revealed a girl's subtle thoughts.

Sure enough, just like every time, when Old Zhou called Qin Hainian "Haidafu," she couldn't help but lose her cool. She immediately stood up, pointed at Old Zhou's nose, and scolded, "Zhou Dagui, don't take my kindness for granted. If Zhang Yang hadn't told me you were feeling unwell and that you hadn't shown up all day, I wouldn't have been worried. I finished my thesis and came over after the soup was done. Don't bully me!"

"Right, Old Zhou, Haidafu made you some chicken soup," I said, trying to suppress my laughter.

Actually, I liked this about Qin Hainian. Even if she was troublesome or absent-minded, she always brought unexpected joy to life. She was generous and carefree, never really holding grudges against us.

She genuinely cared about her friends, which made her very likable.

After I spoke, the corners of Old Zhou's mouth twitched, and he nervously scratched his head, looking at Qin Hainian and saying, "Haidafu, do I look like I need to sit the month?"

"Ah?" Qin Hainian glared at me fiercely, and I ignored her as usual. Besides, I thought Old Zhou seemed much better than I expected. Although I was curious about how he recovered so quickly, I stood up and said, "I don't want to deal with you two. You two stay together. I'm going back."

As I spoke, I put the newspaper back in its place and walked straight to the door. Just as I reached the door, I suddenly remembered something and walked back to Old Zhou, saying, "Give me the chain around your neck. If anything happens, we'll talk about it tomorrow."

Old Zhou reached out and felt the chain, then with a strange expression, took it off and handed it to me. He knew me well. I had some quirks, like not wanting friends to come to my house.

Additionally, there were two things I absolutely wouldn't let friends touch: the dog hair charm on my keychain and the chain that Old Zhou considered ugly.

He didn't understand why I had given him this chain.

But before Old Zhou could say anything, something even stranger happened. The moment he took off the chain, his face turned pale, and he almost lost his balance. I had to support him, and he said, "Old Three, why do I suddenly feel dizzy, and my head hurts?"

I ignored the headache because I knew why. I had knocked him out so many times that day; it was no wonder his head hurt.

What puzzled me was why he was only now showing signs of spiritual weakness.

However, life often comes at you 'swiftly.' This means that after giving you one shock, it doesn't give you time to think before giving you another. Just as I was about to think, Qin Hainian suddenly rushed over, placing her hand on Old Zhou's forehead for the first time, and exclaimed, "Oh my God, Zhou Zheng, why are your soul and spirit unstable, as if you just recovered?"

I was stunned, instinctively turning to look at Qin Hainian. My heart raced so violently that I could hardly breathe or speak.

What did this mean? I knew very well because my spiritual senses were not strong. Even I couldn't tell at first glance that Old Zhou's soul and spirit were unstable, as if he had just recovered. I could only conclude this from his symptoms.

How did Qin Hainian know? This could only mean one thing: Qin Hainian was an 'insider' and definitely not a charlatan. She was a true expert! But how did she end up in our lives, and how was she studying dentistry?

My mind raced, recalling the first time I met Qin Hainian. She timidly followed behind Old Zhou, wearing glasses that looked like they were from the 1970s, dressed in 1960s-style clothes, and black cloth shoes. She spoke with a heavy accent, calling people "Big Brother" and "Big Sister."

Now, all of this seemed suspicious. Who would wear 1960s-style clothes to register as a freshman? At that time, Old Zhou was still a medical student, a long time ago, but it was still the 1990s. No one dressed like that.

Moreover, I later found out that Qin Hainian was not financially struggling. As a man, I was carefree and didn't think much about it. But the 1960s-style clothes were not an exaggeration. Only in the 1960s would people wear brand new green military uniforms.

My mind was a whirl of thoughts. I suddenly found it absurd that after five years of searching for the world of cultivators and true practitioners, as my master had described, I hadn't realized that this girl, who brought so much joy to my life, was one of them!

Neither Old Zhou nor Qin Hainian noticed my complex expression. Old Zhou, though dazed, was still angry and shouted, "What do you mean by unstable soul and spirit? You're a dentist who's about to start working. Tell me, are my teeth loose?"

How extreme was Old Zhou? I knew this, and so did Qin Hainian. She realized she had said the wrong thing, withdrew her hand from Old Zhou's forehead, and was at a loss for words, but her worry didn't diminish.

Qin Hainian, of course, didn't notice my gaze and had no idea how shocked and excited I was.

I took a deep breath and suddenly stood up, supporting Old Zhou and said, "Don't talk too much. Since you're feeling dizzy, go lie down again."

Old Zhou looked at me helplessly and whispered, "I feel a bit scared. You don't know, I—"

"I know everything. Don't worry, I won't go back tonight. I'll stay at your place. You rest assured, nothing will happen." I whispered, trying to reassure him.

Old Zhou still seemed uneasy and said, "You really want to stay?"

I nodded, comforting him. I knew how terrified Old Zhou must have been to act so weak. In the past, probably only his mother would have seen this side of him.

Finally, Old Zhou managed to lie down again. I walked out of his room and saw Qin Hainian still standing at the door, her eyes filled with great concern.

I looked at Qin Hainian and said bluntly, "Do you want to know what's going on with Old Zhou's soul and spirit?"