Chapter 114: Good deeds should remain anonymous.

Chapter 114: Good deeds should remain anonymous.

Under the moonlit sky, Chi Shen was on his balcony with a watering can, tending to his chrysanthemums.

It was late, and even the city center's illumination couldn't reach his secluded balcony. Thankfully, his exceptional night vision ensured he didn’t miss any plants.

His midnight gardening wasn’t some newfound conscience to alleviate Bai Wan and the red-clothed ghost from their duties. In reality, he only ever bought these plants, never tending to them. Their prolonged vitality was all thanks to Bai Wan, with the red-clothed ghost merely assisting her.

Chi Shen often observed Bai Wan using the second-hand tablet he gave her to watch gardening videos. She followed numerous gardening influencers, engaging with their content and even learning to type using the device!

Tonight's watering spree was inspired by the hospital garden visit. Feeling his own balcony was too monotonous, he contemplated what to add.

Given it was winter, perhaps a plum tree would be appropriate?

Halfway through watering, Chi Shen set down the can, reclined on a lounge chair, and began browsing online for plum trees.

Just as he laid down, Ji Xingchen came over with a blanket. Covered with his small blanket, Chi Shen cheerfully browsed Taobao.

Shortly after, Bai Wan noticed he'd only watered half the plants and decided to take over, beginning to water the rest.

As Chi Shen looked at his phone, his gaze shifted to Bai Wan, primarily because her red dress stood out vividly against the night.

The sparse lights from other buildings illuminated Bai Wan, making the golden ornaments she wore seem even more radiant. It was this glare that drew Chi Shen's attention to her.

Holding his phone in one hand, he propped himself up with the other, lost in thought.

To him, Bai Wan seemed modernized; she'd surf the internet for plant care tips, type, and communicate with others. He once even saw her typing speed – faster than his – and noticed she used emoticons and GIFs. Online, she would pass as someone from the modern age.

However, in reality, Bai Wan still wore her ancient red bridal attire, complete with a veil that obscured her beautiful face.

After watering the plants, Bai Wan went to the bathroom, rinsed the watering can, and then put it away.

"Don't you think our little sister should go out?" Chi Shen said, tugging at Ji Xingchen's hand. "She could wear something else, not that she doesn't look good in this, but a young girl can't just have one dress, right?"

Ji Xingchen looked at him, pausing for a moment on the hand that Chi Shen was holding. He then replied, "She'll go out when she feels like it."

"She seems content here," Chi Shen remarked, tying a brown ribbon into a bow around a chrysanthemum. "But sometimes, as her brother, I feel it's my duty to coax her outside."

Listening intently, Ji Xingchen simply suggested, "Maybe a vacation together?"

Chi Shen rubbed his chin, "We'd need someone to cover expenses. Traveling is expensive, especially for so many of us. Ideally, a free hotel would be great."

Lost in the allure of travel, Chi Shen's phone suddenly rang. He glanced at it and saw it was from Zhong Yi.

Without answering, he instinctively knew what Zhong Yi would say. Picking up, he preemptively declared, "Calling to thank me? No need. I want to visit the place where your grandfather had his incident."

Confused, Zhong Yi responded, "Tha... Uh... What?"

Ji Xingchen smirked subtly, adjusting his glasses, reminding Chi Shen, "Protocol."

Chi Shen sighed, "Alright, what do you want to say?"

Zhong Yi hesitated for a moment before saying, "I called to thank you. We had my grandfather's heart checked and found a parasite – though we all know it isn't truly a parasite. They need to remove it and have scheduled a heart surgery for tomorrow."

Chi Shen dryly replied, "How unexpected."

"You... you..." Zhong Yi seemed to want to say something, but considering that Chi Shen truly saved his grandfather's life, he struggled for words before finally uttering, "Thank you."

Gui Lian, known as the top eavesdropping ghost, rushed over the moment he heard Chi Shen on the phone. He listened in and then remarked, "I think he wanted to ask if you knew all along, right? But he didn't dare voice it out. Boss, what did you do that they're so afraid of you?"

Chi Shen gave Gui Lian a smile. Immediately, Gui Lian chose to zip his lips, concealing his mouth and hiding under a flower pot.

Zhong Yi wanted to express his gratitude further, but Chi Shen cut him off before he could get started. Zhong Yi, not particularly adept at communicating, awkwardly ended the call.

From under the flower pot, Gui Lian muttered, "I feel sorry for him."

Chi Shen, lounging on a recliner and enjoying the view of the plum blossoms, replied, "If he's uncomfortable, it's because of me."

Just as he was getting an idea of the price of the plum blossoms, his phone rang again. It was Zhong Yi.

Chi Shen answered with a hint of annoyance. Zhong Yi apologized, "I'm sorry for the disturbance. I forgot to ask what kind of gratitude gift you'd like. Previously, Bai Ximing wanted our family's secret texts. My father has discussed it with our elders. We were deceived before. My father says if you're interested, we can offer it to you as our greatest token of gratitude."

"What would I do with that?" Chi Shen responded, a bit drowsy after having admired the plum blossoms late into the night. He lazily thought that direct money would be more practical, but he voiced out, "If you truly want to express your gratitude, you can buy me a plum blossom tree."

"Buy... a plum blossom?" Zhong Yi sounded genuinely surprised, as if he might have misheard.

"Yes, buy a plum blossom." Chi Shen switched to speakerphone and started browsing the plum blossom listings he found earlier. "These online sellers are so unreliable. Many claim their trees are fake, and there are so many varieties. I can't even tell which ones are fragrant. The reputable sellers only have saplings, and even a sapling costs more than a hundred. If I want one that's over two meters, wouldn't that cost thousands?"

"Huh?" Zhong Yi was baffled, "Why are we suddenly talking about plum blossoms?"

"So, I need one that's over two meters... never mind, at least one and a half meters will do. A fragrant one. Red or white blossom, either is fine," said Chi Shen.

"Alright," Zhong Yi sounded dreamy, seemingly unable to grasp why Chi Shen would decline the Zhong family's secret texts for a mere plum tree. After a pause, he confirmed again, "You really just want a single plum blossom tree?"

"Just one plum blossom tree," Chi Shen reaffirmed. "My garden is only missing a plum tree. I don't need anything else; they would just be superfluous."

"Okay, okay."

After hanging up, Zhong Yi sat in disbelief for a long moment, feeling as if he was in a dream.

Seeing the inquisitive looks from the Zhong family elders, Zhong Yi raised his head with a perplexed expression, "Is it possible that someone doesn't understand the significance of the Zhong family's texts?"

Zhong Jingsong, observing his son's confusion, recalled Chi Shen's demeanor and then shook his head, "What seems important to us might not be so important to others."

Zhong Yi looked up thoughtfully at his father, nodding in agreement as he conveyed Chi Shen's sentiment.

At this point, it wasn’t just Zhong Yi who was perplexed; everyone else looked equally baffled. Zhong Yi's aunt cautiously inquired, "Does he even care if he's thanked or not?"

Chi Shen truly didn't mind whether he was thanked. In his view, helping Zhong Yi was actually a way of repaying a favor; specifically, the favor Zhong Yi did by sending him to school and the subsequent one where Chi Shen left Zhong Yi hanging. To him, they were square.

As for the Zhong family feeling they weren't even, well, that's a different story.

The next day was a weekend. Chi Shen woke up early and strolled on his terrace, reconsidering its layout. Later, he approached the pot of chrysanthemums, where he had tied a thin line before.

Bai Wan was also observing that same pot.

Overnight, the edges of the chrysanthemum’s leaves turned yellowish-brown, and the entire plant seemed dehydrated, beginning to wilt.

Chi Shen removed the thin line. Though the plant didn’t regain its original vigor, Bai Wan moved it to the sunniest spot on the terrace, evidently trying to revive it.

After storing the thin line, Chi Shen sneezed, "I need to go to the hospital."

Gui Lian was the first to pop up, "Yay! Let's go out!"

Chi Shen picked him up, laughing, and tucked him into his hat, "Come on, let's give you a taste of life during the senior year break."

——

At the hospital.

The surgery on Elder Zhong was in progress.

Several of the older members of the Zhong family sat anxiously outside the operating room.

Besides the few who were taking care of the elderly man in his room, other younger and older members also rushed to the city, awaiting the outcome of the surgery.

Elder Zhong was the backbone of the Zhong family. If he passed away so suddenly and ambiguously, the family would be in turmoil for at least a year or two.

"What on earth was that thing?" someone asked with concern outside the operating room.

Another remarked, “That creature looked so grotesque. It can't be a mere parasite. Why wasn't it detected earlier?"

They had seen the images of the old man’s heart, and the parasitic thing inside it resembled a small eel with a forked tail and a head that looked eerily like a human face.

"Could it have been too small to be detected earlier?" someone else pondered.

Some began to pray, "I hope Grandpa will be okay."

However, there were doubts: "This isn’t something ordinary. Can it work?"

"One of ours is inside the operating room, don't worry," someone reassured. "He's both a licensed physician and a certified exorcist. It should be fine."

"You said the same when the old man went to that resort, that everything was alright. Look what happened now," another countered.

Zhong Jingsong whispered in the corridor, "No arguments, please."

Silence enveloped the area outside the operating room; nobody uttered another word.

Inside, under the bright surgical lights, the lead surgeon carefully incised Elder Zhong's chest with utmost seriousness.

From the imaging results, the parasite was attached to the outer wall of the elder's heart. It wasn't an exceptionally risky surgery; opening the chest cavity and removing the parasite should suffice.

While they'd never seen a parasite of this kind, as doctors, they wouldn't forsake a life due to the unknown.

Upon opening the chest, a chilling cold enveloped them. An area that should have been the warmest in the body was now icy cold.

This unexpected development took the doctors aback. But they had no time to ponder; the parasite needed removal to save the elderly patient.

The chief surgeon began to search for the parasite near the heart. His hand felt as cold as gripping ice. Glancing at the patient’s vital readings, he noticed no abnormalities. The heart seemed long dead, but the man was alive.

A bead of sweat dripped down the surgeon’s forehead when another surgeon gently nudged his elbow and whispered, "The parasite’s gone."

Recalling his prior briefing to remain calm under any circumstances, the chief surgeon steadied himself.

"I can't see the parasite," he announced hastily. "It might have moved when we opened him up. Keep searching."

As seconds turned to minutes, the elusive parasite remained undetected. Suddenly, the chief surgeon felt a sting on his finger, as if bitten. Swiftly retracting his hand to avoid contaminating the surgical environment, he found no visible wound. His puzzled expression was mirrored by a grave look from the surgeon opposite him.

"It’s going to be difficult... but we have to try," the latter murmured.

That surgeon reached into the elder’s chest cavity, and soon, sweat formed on his brow.

Chi Shen glanced at the periphery of the operating room. The Zhong family crowded the entrance, their attention solely on the room's interior, oblivious to him.

That was precisely what he desired. If they swarmed him, demanding to know how he detected the issue with Elder Zhong’s heart, explanations would prove cumbersome. Their current ignorance suited him.

He lingered outside the operating room briefly, then departed.

Meanwhile, inside the operating room, the surgeon with his hand inside the elder’s chest suddenly declared, "Found it."

At that moment, the lead surgeon spotted the so-called parasite. However, it had decayed into chunks, looking like dark blood clots clinging to the heart. Swiftly, he removed the parasite and proceeded to stitch up the chest cavity.

The surgery lasted nearly six hours, and the Zhong family waited outside for the entire duration.

"The surgery was a success." The operating room doors swung open, and the silent members of the Zhong family heard the words they'd been longing for.

The corridor outside the operating room echoed with intermittent sobs. Elder Zhong had been bedridden for almost a month, and many had nearly given up hope. They hadn't expected to hear good news.

Another doctor emerged and nodded to them, "We've secured the specimen. I believe no one here recognizes it. I'll take pictures and share them soon. Once the elder awakens, he might have more information."

He paused for a moment, then added, "I hope that hotel isn't filled with these things."

Zhong Jingsong, relatively composed, felt his eyes moisten at the news of his father's safety. He calmly asked, "Was the procedure smooth? Were there any complications when removing the parasite?"

The doctor glanced at Zhong Jingsong, removed his glove, and revealed a distinct bite mark on his index finger. The mark was intricate, as if bitten by a creature with tiny, needle-like teeth.

"I clearly felt it trying to enter my body through the bite," the doctor sounded perplexed, "but it bit me just once and retreated, coming out with my finger."

"I suspect someone was assisting. But I recognize everyone in the operating room today, and they're all ordinary people. Before I removed the parasite, they couldn't even see it."

"It's very strange."