"Haha, Master Three Palms, I was there at the hospital that day when you stood up for justice. I saw everything clearly," the shop owner said, seeing Alai's confusion and then explained, "My child was also being treated in the orthopedic department at the time."
Alai understood and asked, "Is Wu Tong at home?"
"How do you know my son, Wu Tong?"
Alai nodded.
"He's doing his homework. I'll go call him."
When Wu Tong saw Alai, he quickly hugged him and dragged him into the house. Alai signaled Fangfang, who was standing in a daze, to come in and sit down to rest.
The shop owner, Wu Yixuan, warmly served tea and chatted. Alai humorously introduced himself, saying he wasn't called Three Palms, but Lei Tianlai.
Soon after, Wu Tong whispered something to Alai, revealing that a few days ago, he had seen Hu San, the man who fought with Alai in the hospital, coming to the shop to buy many masks. Wu Tong, still holding a grudge against Hu San, had tripled the prices. Alai asked which masks Hu San had bought, and Wu Tong listed them: Buddha, Howling Celestial Dog, Jade Emperor...
Hearing this, Alai was startled, realizing that his suspicions were correct.
Muttering to himself, he said, "A leopard never changes its spots. It was them after all."
Wu Tong asked softly, "Did you fight again?"
Alai quickly responded, "No, no." He whispered to Wu Tong, urging him not to tell anyone about him buying masks there. Seeing Alai's serious expression, Wu Tong nodded and raised his hand to swear, but Alai gently lowered it, saying, "Just swear silently in your heart."
Wu Yixuan, observing the two, felt a deep sense of happiness, thinking they seemed like close friends.
Alai then took out the three-section staff and handed it to Wu Tong, saying, "This is a gift for you. No matter what, you must accept it." Wu Tong, overjoyed, accepted it, clearly loving it.
Wu Yixuan, grateful for Alai's gift, insisted on taking Alai, Miyuki, and Mirei to a nearby restaurant for a meal.
Alai politely declined several times but eventually followed him to the restaurant, which turned out to be "Good Again."
Fangfang had already finished work and was waiting inside. When she saw Alai bring two familiar faces, she recognized them immediately.
For safety, Alai requested a private room, thinking it would increase Fangfang's sense of security, especially since the events from the other night were still fresh in their minds.
The waiter, recognizing Alai and Fangfang, asked Wu Yixuan, "Big brother, who are they?"
Before the waiter could finish, Wu Yixuan happily replied, "These are the people I respect the most and my child's friends. Don't ask any more questions. Just bring out the best specialty dishes."
Alai glanced at Miyuki and Mirei, saying, "Master, please bring some vegetarian dishes for my two friends."
"Sure, no problem."
After the waiter left, Wu Yixuan reassured them, "He's my little cousin from my hometown. He's not an outsider. You don't need to be formal."
While waiting for the food, Fangfang secretly pulled Alai into another private room.
"Alai, tell me, did you offend Director Li somehow?"
"I've never met him before. How could I have offended him? What are you trying to say?"
Fangfang explained that the chubby nurse from the night before had been transferred elsewhere.
She herself had been called into Director Li's office for a talk, where he asked her many questions about her and Alai's interactions.
Alai anxiously asked if Fangfang had spilled everything.
Fangfang replied, "How could I? I'm yours now. If I don't side with you, who else would I side with? I didn't say anything I shouldn't."
"Okay, okay, I won't interrupt. Go on."
Director Li, after observing your behavior, speech, and expressions in the hospital, concluded that your so-called special abilities don't exist. He thinks you're suffering from severe hallucinations and auditory delusions, and if not treated promptly, you could develop schizophrenia.
The Renxin Hospital has a psychiatric rehabilitation department, and he suggested that I bring you back so he could treat you for free on a long-term basis…
Alai smiled slightly and interrupted, "Do you think I'm mentally ill?"
Fangfang was silent for a long time before saying, "I don't think Director Li has any malice. You two have no past conflicts and have never interacted."
"Do you want to take me back to the hospital?" Alai asked directly.
"I know it's impossible. You're a stubborn person," Fangfang said nervously, then added, "But I'm still worried about you. If your condition really worsened, I wouldn't be able to ignore it."
Alai sneered, "Do you want to kidnap me?"
Seeing the cold glint in Alai's eyes, Fangfang was terrified. "Don't say it like that. If something bad happened to you, I wouldn't survive either."
Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Alright, alright, don't be upset," Alai said, wiping her tears.
"Grandpa Lei and I just hope you can get into a prestigious university. Then who would doubt your mental health? Getting into college is the most important thing."
"Okay, okay. Stop crying. If the people next door hear you, they'll think I'm bullying you."
Fangfang teased, "You always call yourself the Thunder God, but you can't even get into a top university. How do you plan to accomplish great things?"
Alai had originally planned to stay at the "Good Again" inn with Miyuki and Mirei for a few nights, conduct a thorough investigation of Renxin Hospital, and gather evidence from Li Shiren's office. But it seemed that wouldn't be possible now.
He took a deep breath and thought, "A gentleman's revenge can wait ten years."
He then decisively said, "Let's leave this troublesome place after dinner. I'll focus on my studies and get into college. Otherwise, it'll be hard to marry you."
Fangfang was overjoyed and kissed Alai repeatedly on the face…
"Knock! Knock! Knock!"
Hearing someone at the door, they quickly separated.
Alai opened the door.
"Amitabha, the food is ready. Master Wu invites you to join us," Miyuki said, hands clasped together.
They returned to the private room.
The waiter had just served the last dish and sat down next to Wu Yixuan, glancing at Alai and Fangfang. "Your two friends were tricked by Hu San when they ate here one night."
Wu Yixuan, puzzled, asked what had happened.
The waiter spilled everything he knew, explaining the entire situation.
Finally, everyone understood.
It turned out that one night, Hu San had invited Alai and Fangfang to "Good Again" for dinner. Secretly, he had gathered some cronies to cause trouble. Hu San pretended to be the good guy, defending Alai to gain his favor, using a ruse where he got hurt to force Alai to intervene and also teach a lesson to a bearded man he didn't get along with. A few days later, Hu San returned and settled the bill for all the food and drinks.
The waiter had witnessed everything.
Fangfang, furious, said, "You can't judge a book by its cover. I thought he had turned over a new leaf. I must have been blind."
Alai humorously imitated Wang Zhi's tone, saying, "There are lots of things you haven't seen. No need to make a big deal out of it."
Wu Yixuan, still confused, angrily said, "That local thug is no good. You should stay far away from him and that bearded guy."