A new day began, and it was Saturday, which meant Shen Xingkong didn't need to go to the hospital for his internship.
After waking up around seven, he sat on his bed, staring at his new phone in a daze. According to his plan, the local newspapers should have already published his ads today. So why hadn't anyone called his "hotline" yet?
"Darling, you've got a call... Darling, you've got a call..." Suddenly, his phone finally rang. Shen Xingkong had changed his phone but not the ringtone.
His eyes lit up instantly. Without even checking the caller ID, he quickly answered, "Hello, hello, you're calling...?"
"Calling what? Have you lost your mind, Old Shen?" A familiar, mischievous voice came through the phone—it was Chang Le.
Shen Xingkong instantly deflated, like a balloon with a hole, collapsing back onto his bed.
"Yeah, I've lost my mind. Now I feel like killing anyone I see..."
"Haha, cut it out. You're lucky if no one kills you first," Chang Le laughed, his voice becoming even more suggestive. "Hey, buddy, nothing going on this weekend, right? Let's hang out! I've found some pretty girls today—maybe one of them can help you say goodbye to your virginity."
"No mood for that..." Shen Xingkong replied weakly.
"Wow, you're not interested even with beautiful girls around? Are you planning to become a monk for life... No, wait, don't tell me you prefer men?"
"Yeah, sure, why don't you come over and offer me your *ahem*?" Shen Xingkong wasn't uninterested in girls; he was just too eager for that call from some mysterious rich person, hoping to earn millions by curing a disease.
"Gross! You're disgusting. Fine, if you're not coming, I'll just enjoy myself."
"Wait a minute!" Shen Xingkong suddenly stopped Chang Le. He'd realized that sitting around waiting wasn't helping. Maybe getting out and having some fun would help clear his mind.
"I'm at home. Come pick me up!"
Chang Le, ever efficient, quickly drove over and parked below Shen Xingkong's building. Today, he wasn't driving his Audi but a van filled with three or four young girls, all dressed in skimpy outfits. They fluttered their eyelashes at Shen Xingkong as he got in the car.
Chang Le had already introduced Shen Xingkong to them on the way over, spinning tales about his family's long history as royal physicians and calling him the godfather of beauty. These girls were all hoping Shen Xingkong could work some magic on them too.
But Shen Xingkong sat in the car like a modern-day Liu Xiahui, not even glancing at the girls. It wasn't that he had any issues with women; he just wasn't impressed by these particular ones. They all seemed so eager, almost desperate, that he felt only women with a certain class and taste were worth his attention.
Chang Le drove them out to the countryside, where they first hiked up a mountain and then had a picnic together. But Shen Xingkong couldn't fully relax, his mind constantly on the "hotline." The girls found him boring and eventually gravitated towards Chang Le, who was more than happy to entertain them with open arms.
It wasn't until around four or five in the afternoon that Chang Le drove back to the city. He suggested they go sing karaoke, but Shen Xingkong, feeling uninterested, made an excuse about being tired and wanting to go home to rest. Chang Le didn't push it and dropped him off at home before heading off with the girls for more fun.
Standing on the roadside, Shen Xingkong watched the sunset, feeling somewhat disappointed. Could it be that his ad was too over the top? Should he go back to the newspaper office tomorrow and make some changes? If there were no customers, there wouldn't be any business. He might as well go back to doing beauty treatments for Aunt Song and her friends—at least he could still make a few thousand bucks that way.
He walked lazily into his apartment complex, the dilapidated courtyard giving off a strange vibe, though Shen Xingkong didn't notice. He kept walking until... he realized he couldn't walk any further.
Standing in front of his building's entrance were seven or eight people, all with sinister expressions and arrogant smirks. Shen Xingkong recognized every one of them. Leading the group was Xu Jianhui, with Wang Lei at the rear, and the others were male classmates from Shen Xingkong's school.
"Heh, you're back?" Xu Jianhui sneered, stepping closer with a cold glint in his eyes.
"I don't want to say 'good dogs don't block the way,' but you're blocking my path," Shen Xingkong replied, his guard up but his expression indifferent, as if these people were nothing more than harmless statues.
"Hahaha..." Instead of getting angry, Xu Jianhui laughed out loud at Shen Xingkong's words. "Alright, I'll admit you've got guts. But I'm not here to waste words with you today. I'm here with Brother Lei and a few buddies to have a little chat."
"If we're not on the same path, there's nothing to discuss. What could we possibly talk about?" Shen Xingkong replied while discreetly scanning his surroundings, thinking about what he should do if things got dangerous. Should he run?
"To put it simply, I want you to go to the hospital on Monday and tell them you don't want to intern there anymore, that you want to go back to school," Xu Jianhui bluntly stated his shameless intentions for coming to Shen Xingkong's place.
"Sigh..." Shen Xingkong let out a long sigh, taking a step back to maintain a safe distance from Xu Jianhui. "Xu Jianhui, can I give you a piece of advice?"
"What?" Xu Jianhui asked, slightly taken aback.
"You... need to stay on your meds. Don't skip a dose," Shen Xingkong said sincerely.
"Damn it!" Xu Jianhui couldn't hold back anymore. His eyes bulged in rage, as if he wanted to tear Shen Xingkong apart. "You little—"
"Xiao Hui, hold on a second!" Before Xu Jianhui could explode, Wang Lei, who had been silently watching, stepped forward, arms crossed and looking thoroughly bored. Xu Jianhui managed to swallow his anger, knowing that with Wang Lei here, he wasn't the one calling the shots.
Wang Lei walked over, giving Shen Xingkong a cold, dismissive glance, as if sizing up a piece of trash he could toy with at will. Wang Lei was here to help Xu Jianhui in exchange for a favor—1,000 yuan, to be exact. Xu Jianhui had asked him to pressure Shen Xingkong into quitting his hospital internship, and Wang Lei thought it would be a piece of cake.
So he didn't even bother with pleasantries, just coldly ordered Shen Xingkong, "You'll do as Xiao Hui said on Monday. If I don't see you back at school in the afternoon... Shen Xingkong, you'd better be ready to eat your own shit! Let's go!" With that, Wang Lei signaled to his group and started to walk away with a swagger.
"Hmph!" Xu Jianhui, pleased with Wang Lei's "help," was confident Shen Xingkong wouldn't dare disobey. He followed behind Wang Lei, feeling smug.
As Wang Lei's group was about to exit the complex, Shen Xingkong's voice suddenly called out from behind, "Sorry, I'm not as fond of eating shit as you are, Wang Lei."
"Hmm?" Wang Lei stopped in his tracks, not turning around, but his already menacing face darkened with a flash of malice. "What did you just say, Shen Xingkong? Say it again."
"Sigh, not only do you love eating shit, but your hearing isn't too great either," Shen Xingkong sighed, pulling a leather roll from his waist pouch.