After the gang members left the store, Alex heard a voice behind him exclaim, "You're truly amazing, do you practice Kung Fu?" It was Hon Ira, asking with excitement, her eyes sparkling like stars. Alex modestly replied, "I just know a little."
"Oooooh, that's great!" Hon Ira said with great joy, but Alex felt embarrassed when he saw her enthusiasm and didn't know what to say. Before he could speak again, he heard her voice turn sad: "Sorry for dragging you into my troubles."
At that moment, Alex realized that she felt guilty. He smiled and gently said, "Don't worry about it. Even if I hadn't intervened now, they would have come for me when I opened my café."
Hon Ira smiled upon hearing that and said, "Thank you, you're a kind person."
Alex was surprised and asked, "Why do you think that?"
Hon Ira responded with a smile: "Because of the seeds you bought." Alex was confused and asked, "Seeds?"
"Yes, didn't you say you wanted to plant roses in your garden?"
He replied, "Yes, but what's that got to do with kindness?"
Hon Ira smiled gently and said, "Flowers reflect the type of person. For example, lilies indicate beauty and elegance, and Bird of Paradise flowers represent joy and kindness."
Alex scratched his head in embarrassment and tried to change the subject: "It seems like you know a lot about flowers."
Hon Ira smiled bitterly and said sadly, "They're the only thing that cheers me up and keeps me going."
Alex saw the sadness in her eyes and remembered his own past life, where his garden was his sanctuary on nights of sorrow. He found peace in it despite the pain he lived through. Feeling the need to ask, he gently inquired, "Sorry for being rude, but can I ask what happened to your legs?"
Hon Ira responded sadly: "I was in a car accident four years ago, and my legs were paralyzed. I've seen many doctors for treatment, but it was all in vain."
Feeling sympathy for her, Alex spoke seriously: "If you allow me, Miss Hon, I know a little about Chinese medicine. Could I examine your legs? Maybe I can help you."
Hon Ira was surprised by his offer, but she smiled when she saw the seriousness in his eyes and said, "Okay, you can."
Alex knelt on one knee and pulled out silver needles from his pocket. He looked up at her and asked, "Can you expose your legs?"
Hon Ira blushed and lifted her skirt to her knees, revealing a leg as beautiful as jade. She said shyly, "You can examine me now."
Alex took hold of her leg and inserted one of the needles into her leg, asking, "Do you feel anything?"
"No, I don't feel anything."
Alex changed the position more than four times, but on the fifth try, he found droplets of water on his hand. He looked up and met Hong Ira's green eyes, and saw that she was crying. He wanted to ask, but suddenly, her voice trembled as she said: "I... I felt a cold current pass through my foot. I felt something in my foot!"
Alex got excited and immediately changed the needle's position and asked, "What about now?"
She responded with joy: "Yes, I feel a warm current now."
Alex continued changing the needle's position, and after ten minutes, he removed the needle and looked up, saying: "I can treat your legs, but it will take time."
Before he could finish speaking, Hong Ira hugged him with tears in her eyes, saying, "Thank you, thank you so much."
Alex was surprised by her action, but he returned her hug, enjoying the beautiful feeling of being embraced by someone.
Hon Ira's POV
When I heard Alex suggest examining my legs, claiming to know a little about medical skills, I didn't have much hope for a cure. I had lost hope a long time ago, so I didn't mind much what would happen. I watched as he pulled out a silver needle from his pocket and inserted it into my foot. I didn't feel anything at first, just light pricks that didn't affect me. But after several attempts, something unexpected happened: I felt a cold current pass through my leg.
"Did... did I feel cold in my leg?" This was a sensation I hadn't known since the car accident that paralyzed my legs. I hadn't felt anything in them, even if they were injured, but now... now, there was a new feeling that brought back hope. My tears began to fall without me realizing it. Alex looked up, gazing at me with his black eyes, eyes full of focus and care.
I said with a trembling voice: "I... I felt something in my foot! I felt a cold current pass through it!"
My tears kept falling, but this time they were tears of hope, tears of anticipation for a future I hadn't dared to think about. Alex continued changing the needle's position, and every time he changed it, I felt something different, something alive in my legs.
After several minutes, Alex removed the needles and looked at me with a calm smile and said: "I can treat your legs, but it will take time."
His words pierced me like an arrow, but they were words filled with hope. I felt like my heart couldn't handle this overwhelming flood of emotions. I hugged him and cried on his shoulder, all the gratitude and joy that I couldn't express in words manifested in that embrace. I needed this hug, this feeling of warmth that I hadn't tasted since my father's death.
In that moment, I felt like I wasn't alone, like hope had returned to warm the rest of my life...
--- Narrator's POV
"Alright, I'll visit you tomorrow to continue your treatment," Alex said with a smile, looking at Hong Ira, who was staring at the ground, avoiding his eyes.
"Okay," Hon Ira replied in a quiet and shy voice.
Alex continued, "I'll leave you my phone number, if anything urgent happens, call me."
"Thank you," Hon Ira answered with great gratitude, lifting her head with a small smile. Then Alex left the store and headed towards the hotel, leaving Hong Ira who was gazing at him with a sweet look.
After Alex arrived at his room in the hotel, he pulled out his laptop and started hacking into some secret websites.
"Snake Gang, Tiger Gang, Shark Gang, Swan Gang..." Alex muttered as he browsed through the information. These gangs controlled the underworld in the magical capital.
The Tiger Gang ruled the north under the Mo family, the Snake Gang ruled the east under the Luo family, the Shark Gang ruled the south under the Jiang family, and the Swan Gang ruled the west under the Li family.
Alex gathered all the available information about the Snake Gang, then copied it to a small flash drive, shut down his laptop, changed his clothes, and decided to go directly to the Snake Gang's headquarters. "I know these kinds of people will come back to mess with me, but I'll give them a warning before they disturb my life."
In a dark bar, a gray-haired man with a snake tattoo on his arm was sitting behind a table. Luo Zan, the leader of the Snake Gang, was looking coldly at the person standing in front of him.
"Are you saying that you went to collect protection fees, but someone beat you up like pigs?" Luo Zan said in a calm but threatening tone.
"Yes, sir. When I told him about our gang, he didn't care, he cursed us and beat us," the yellow-haired man responded nervously.
Luo Zan smiled coldly and said, "Very good. Gather some men and go bring him here."
"Alright, sir, I will..." Before he could finish, the door was forcefully opened, and a mysterious figure entered, saying in a cold voice, "No need for that, I'm here."
Everyone froze in place, staring at the person who had barged into their headquarters...