Xu Yang grinned smugly. "Ranran is recuperating."
His gaze fixed on me. "Ranran asked me to bring some questions for you. I wonder if you're up to it?"
Xu Yang was a guy who only had eyes for Song Yiran. Although they were good bros, Fatty and I would never get this kind of treatment.
Uncle awkwardly glanced at the new guy entering the room. Helplessly, he put down his chopsticks again and stared at the beaming young man.
Xu Yang noticed the unfamiliar face in the ward too. He strode towards the hospital bed and flashed Uncle a sunny smile. "Hello, senior. I'm Xu Yang, Chen Mu's friend."
Uncle nodded and turned to tidy up the food leftovers on the table. After cleaning up, he put down the small table and was about to leave. Xu Yang watched Uncle go with a smile.
"Wait, Uncle. Don't rush back. They're all here. We can discuss it together. I've got a lot of questions for you," I said, stopping Uncle from leaving.
Uncle stopped and looked at us with a complicated expression. "Do you really need to bother an outsider like me with your business?"
Fatty put his arm around Uncle. "Uncle, it's just that we're all young and know nothing. We just think you know more than us, so we'd like to ask you."
Uncle never bothered with things that didn't interest him or weren't related to him. He and Aunt didn't interfere in such matters either.
Uncle slapped Fatty's hand away and looked at us. "Why should I help anyone but Mu'er?"
His voice was icier than ever, as if he'd turned into a different person in an instant. I understood Uncle's way of handling things very well. Due to family reasons, he only got close to relevant people.
It wasn't anything to be ashamed of. Every family had its own hard-to-read scriptures. I looked at Uncle and said firmly, "This matter is a bit related to our family."
Uncle was a reasonable man. He knew all the stupid things the Chen family had done over the years. Uncle hesitated for a moment and stood still.
Xu Yang quickly chimed in. "You don't know, Uncle. We've encountered so many things this time. It's incredibly exciting."
Xu Yang's vivid description made people eager to find out more. If I hadn't experienced those miraculous things myself, I might have asked how interesting they were.
Uncle remained calm, as if he were an outsider, deaf to all outside affairs.
Yan Yan also persuaded him. "As an elder, Uncle must have more experience than us juniors. Please share your knowledge."
When the matter had come to this point, it would seem too pretentious to decline further.
Uncle couldn't refuse anymore and had to agree. Once Uncle agreed, things would be much easier. He would do his best to help us. That was just Uncle's style. Once he made up his mind, he would see it through.
With everything settled, the ward fell into silence. No one spoke, except for the sound of Fatty smacking his lips. From time to time, he would look at us to make sure we were all there.
The drip was almost finished. I pressed the call button. A pretty nurse came in a short while. She was startled when she entered. There were all handsome guys in the room.
The nurse gently took my hand, carefully removed the needle, and gave me a sweet smile. She told me to take care of myself and gave me some instructions before reluctantly leaving.
I sat up straight and leaned against the headboard. Fatty unceremoniously sat on the edge of the bed, while Uncle, Xu Yang, and Yan Yan sat on the stools. We all sat down like we were having a small meeting and closed the door.
"Uncle, I'd like to ask you something," I said, looking out of the window. "For example, the Gu worm corpse."
I turned to look at Uncle, and his expression froze.
"You've encountered a Gu worm corpse?"
Uncle didn't answer my question but asked me instead. "Are you hurt?"
I shook my head. "I encountered a Gu worm corpse, but we killed it."
Uncle shook his head. "Gu worm corpses never die. It's the Gu worms that die. Gu worms are endless. There will always be some around each main coffin. Encountering one is a big trouble. You mustn't get hurt."
"Why can't we get hurt?" Xu Yang asked.
"That's what I'm going to say," Uncle said, looking at Xu Yang. "Gu worm corpses live on Gu worms. Once the Gu worms leave their host, the Gu poison will be activated."
Xu Yang's expression became complicated. He crushed the paper cup in his hand. "Then what? If they parasitize in a human body, will there still be an impact after they're removed?"
Uncle looked at Xu Yang in shock. "What did you say? Parasitize in a human body?"
Uncle's voice involuntarily rose. "That's just courting death!"
The atmosphere suddenly dropped to freezing point because we all knew who Xu Yang was talking about. After hearing Uncle's words, our hearts were in our throats.
Xu Yang suddenly stood up and grabbed Uncle. "Uncle, do you have any way to solve this?"
Xu Yang was so anxious that his speech speed quickened. "But he shows no abnormalities. He seems fine."
Uncle slapped Xu Yang's hand away. "There are ways, but they're all unorthodox."
Fatty said, "No matter what the method is, we'll definitely fix it. Uncle, just tell us straight."
Yan Yan nodded and looked at me. I looked at Uncle. "Uncle, this person is our brother who has gone through life and death with us. If anything happens to him, we'll feel really bad."
"Take me to see him," Uncle said. "The sooner the better."
With that, he got up and was about to leave. Xu Yang quickly stood up and grabbed Uncle. "Uncle, I'll drive you there."
Fatty went with them too. I hadn't changed out of my hospital gown, so I told them to go first. Yan Yan didn't go with them. He stayed to wait for me. I picked up my clothes and went to the bathroom to change. A few minutes later, I changed and pulled Yan Yan to find the location Xu Yang had sent.
Xu Yang couldn't stay calm when it came to Song Yiran. He only had Song Yiran on his mind. They didn't send the location until they arrived. Fatty sent it. Xu Yang was too busy to talk to us.
When we arrived at Xu Yang's place, it really lived up to his status as a small boss of a company. The place was so imposing. There were starry lilies all over the small garden.
Fatty came out to greet us. "You're here. Hurry up. The situation is not looking good."
The moment Fatty saw us, he seemed to have found a pillar of support.
"Quickly take us there," we said as we quickened our pace. "What's going on?"
"Alas, you'll know when you see," Fatty said as he led Yan Yan and me into the house. The European-style decoration suited Song Yiran's taste.
We followed Fatty up to a room on the second floor, a room specially prepared for Song Yiran. As soon as we entered, we saw a sight that was hard to forget.
Song Yiran was tied up and fixed on a big double bed. Without his glasses, his face was flushed. There was definitely no sign of love because his scarlet eyes seemed to be suppressing a demon.