Quenching

Huang Qiaqia turned back and stared at the four characters "Kong Xi University". He gritted his teeth, stuffed his phone into his pocket, helped the old lady up, and gently patted the snow off her legs.

Where are you going? I'll give you a ride.

"Kind person, I need to get medical treatment. This is my money to save my life. I want to kowtow and thank you."

The old lady cried as she stuffed a stack of cash, totaling 10,000 yuan, into Huang Qiaqia's hand.

"You're welcome. Here's the money. I'll take you to the hospital."

Huang Qiaqia helped the old lady up and stuffed all 10,000 yuan back into her pocket.

The remaining snow seemed to tear apart the raging wind, swirling and turning in despair, then stumbling and fluttering toward another place.

******

Upon arriving at the hospital, Huang Qiaqia hurriedly paid for the taxi fare out of his own pocket and accompanied his grandmother to register, queue, consult a doctor, and get her medication.

Sweating profusely, Huang Qiaqia saw that there were quite a few people picking up their medicine. Thinking of the old lady's bone spurs, he told her not to wait at the medicine dispensing area, but to find a chair to sit on while he went to get his medicine.

Huang Qiaqia took the medicine and wanted to go buy water.

"Ouch!" The old lady suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground from her seat.

Huang Qiaqia quickly grabbed a bunch of prescriptions and medicines, ran up to the old lady, and pulled her up by the arm, just about to help her up.

The old lady abruptly shook off Huang Qiaqia's arm and shouted angrily.

"Look at you, you look respectable, you bumped into me, and you think you can just give me some medicine and 10,000 yuan to get rid of me?"

Huang Qiaqia stood there, stunned, staring at the old lady with a bewildered expression.

“Let me tell you, I have children and insurance. You hit me, and you have to take full responsibility for this. Don’t even think about running away. Everyone, come and see! This little girl tried to run away after hitting me. Quick, grab her, grab her!”

The old woman seemed to have suffered a great humiliation, and she burst into tears, pounding the ground in grief and anger.

Suddenly, the arrogant wind lashed at the last two or three withered yellow leaves remaining on the dead tree. The withered leaves, accompanied by the unrestrained wind, slammed against the wrinkled branches with a dull thud.

With a soft "plop," the heavy snow clinging to the branches fell sadly to the cold earth, while a furious gust of wind swept towards the hospital's glass doors like a tidal wave...

“You…you…”

Unaware of what was going on, Huang Qiaqia was so angry that her blood rushed to her head, her round face turned red, and her lips trembled, unable to utter any further rebuttal.

"You bumped into me first. I'm not a senile old lady; I know the whole thing clearly. You're trying to play the good guy now, but you're not going to get away with it. Arrest them now..."

The old lady seemed to be in excruciating pain, her every nerve trembling, and her tears streaming down her face drew suspicious glances from many people around her towards Huang Qiaqia.

"me……"

The old lady was spouting complete nonsense and talking rubbish.

Looking at the old woman twisting the truth, Huang Qiaqia felt a tightness in her chest. A thought flashed through her mind, and she realized the old woman was trying to extort money from her, framing her outright. The evidence? Yes, the phone…

Huang Qiaqia pulled out her phone and suddenly realized with a jolt that she hadn't recorded any video and had no evidence.

The wind blew shattered through the hospital's thick glass windows, then stumbled and staggered away into the distance.

Huang Qiaqia, who was just sweating profusely from the heat, is now sweating profusely from the cold.

Looking at the black screen, Huang Qiaqia felt a chill creep over her, and her whole body suddenly felt cold.

"You have to take responsibility for me. I'm an old man..."

Huang Qiaqia held the medicine, her face turning pale, and her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

"I didn't bump into you, you fell down on your own. I kindly brought you to the hospital, and you're turning around and blaming me... you..."

"Justice resides in the hearts of the people. You can't bully us vulnerable groups just because you're young and strong. In the dead of winter, you knocked me down and left me lying on the ground? I'm an old woman, plagued by illness, and my children are busy. I grit my teeth and swallow my anger, not wanting to bother them. But you, a heartless healthy person, bullying us as a group... I..."

As the old woman spoke, she took out her phone, forcing herself to suppress her discomfort, and called her son.

"I……"

Huang Qiaqia was about to argue, but then realized that there was no point in saying anything more to someone trying to extort money from another person.

Looking at the Voltaren ointment, Flurbiprofen gel patch, Ibuprofen oral solution, and a whole bunch of lab reports and receipts in my hand.

Huang felt that all her good intentions had been wasted, so she simply piled her things on the ground, wrapped herself tightly in the coat her roommate had chosen for her, and turned to leave.

The old woman stood behind Huang Qiaqia, as if Huang Qiaqia were truly a heinous criminal, shouting at the top of her lungs.

"Stop right there, you're trying to escape."

The old lady's "filial" son suddenly appeared out of nowhere and indignantly blocked Huang Qiaqia's path.

Huang Qiaqia watched the old man and the young man putting on a show for the people around them, her eyes filled with indignation. She then took out her phone and told her roommates the whole story.

"At the school gate, right?"

"Yes, she had just walked out of the school gate, a few steps, when she tripped and fell on her own. I didn't bump into her."

"Don't worry, we'll go find your classmates, teachers, and nearby videos and evidence. Don't act impulsively or be afraid on your own."

Huang Qiaqia hung up the phone, feeling a throbbing pain in his temples. He put his hands in his pockets and coldly watched the old lady and her son, displaying superb acting skills.

Ah, the pockets of a coat are nowhere near as warm as the pockets of a down jacket. Down jackets are so much better; when you tuck your hands inside, it feels like you're leaning against a little heater.

For some reason, the sky grew darker and darker, and Huang Qiaqia felt increasingly cold.

******

The night was deep when the servant received a phone call from the old lady's daughter, who had white hair. Wu Haofeng nodded in satisfaction upon hearing the servant's report.

If Huang Qiaqia doesn't go so late, Wanli Fuguang will naturally leave.

Haha, how could my young master's blind date have coffee with Wanli Fuguang twice?

In the pitch-black night, Wanli Fuguang glanced at the dark blue diving watch on his wrist. The slightly out-of-place diamond-shaped second hand ticked away, as if taking away Wanli Fuguang's almost extinguished patience.

The intricately carved diamond pattern on the dial, perhaps because it is inlaid with gemstones, appears particularly glaring and unsettling.

The watch strap was stained with a striking red color.

When Wanli Fuguang first saw this watch strap, which resembled Danxia landforms, he thought it was naturally beautiful and exquisite. Now, however, he finds it terribly ugly, given that it's a diving watch with a dark green dial and a bright red strap.

******

In the hospital, Huang Qiaqia leaned against the cold wall, arrogantly holding up a video her roommate had found to prove her innocence.

The old woman's cries and the kind listeners gave her son no reason to "detain" Huang Qiaqia.

Huang Qiaqia stood tall with her head held high, striding confidently.

As Huang Qiaqia stepped out of the hospital, she suddenly noticed that the sky was beginning to lighten with the first light of dawn.

Huang Qiaqia rushed to the roadside and waved. Luckily, a taxi soon stopped in front of him, and Huang Qiaqia quickly stepped inside.

The driver chuckled, pressed the "vacant" sign, and joked.

"Quite urgent?"

Huang Qiaqia's tired voice carried an extra layer of guilt.

"Don't worry too much, he's probably already left!"

The driver turned his head and looked at Huang Qiaqia in the back seat, noticing that her eyes seemed a little dim.

"Are we still going?"