Thomas Lin and Thomas Xu arrived in front of Qin Yu's clinic but didn't go inside, as they immediately saw Qin Yu sitting in a white Infiniti FX35 parked in front. The car had a very stylish and beautiful streamlined design, and only Qin Yu was inside. She was leaning against the driver's seat with her eyes closed, seemingly asleep, while Nurse William Qian, who had changed into a black T-shirt, was standing by the car with a feather duster, diligently dusting off the car.
As Jack and Thomas Xu walked to the car, they discovered that the engine was still running. From the slightly fluttering hair of Qin Yu inside the car, it was clear that she was enjoying the air conditioning. A melodious song was coming from the slightly opened window, which was one of Thomas Yu's old songs, "When the Song Ends and People Scatter." Those who had heard it knew it was a somewhat heavy-hearted love song.
"Nurse William, are you cleaning the car so well in preparation for a joyride outside the gathering place?" Thomas Xu stepped forward, leaning against the hood and smiling at Nurse William Qian.
"How could that be? We don't have the guts for that; we'd be asking for trouble!" William Qian said, wiping the fine beads of sweat from her forehead with the feather duster. "This car used to belong to Dr. Qin. She likes to listen to music in it when she has free time, so of course, I have to clean it up!"
"Wow! It seems Dr. Qin used to be quite wealthy. This car must be worth at least seven or eight hundred thousand, right? It's a pity it's a Japanese car!" Thomas Xu stood by the car, scratching his chin and glancing at the still-sleeping Qin Yu inside. He asked, "Can I wake Dr. Qin up? My brother is feeling a bit unwell!"
"Well... " William Qian hesitated and glanced at Qin Yu in the car. After thinking for a moment, she said, "If it's not a big deal, you can come back tonight or tomorrow. Doctor Qin has always had trouble sleeping, and she finally managed to fall asleep today!"
"Thomas Xu, let's go. I'm a big man, so what if I took a punch!" Seeing that Qin Yu was asleep was just what Jack wanted. He walked over and said with a smile, "Don't disturb Dr. Qin's rest. I'll be fine!"
"No way! If something happens to you, I'll be in big trouble!" Thomas Xu shook his head and turned to shout into the car, "Dr. Qin, can you get up and take a look at something?"
Thomas Xu's voice wasn't loud; it just barely covered the music playing in the car. However, Qin Yu inside the car seemed startled, suddenly jolting awake with a shudder. Her delicate face was filled with uncontrollable fear. It took her over half a minute to catch her breath and, looking dazed, she glanced at the few people outside the car. Qin Yu immediately furrowed her brows, first pulling out a Thomas tissue to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead, then rolling down the car window to coldly say to Thomas Xu and the others, "What's the matter?"
"Sorry, Dr. Qin, for disturbing your rest. It's just that Brother Lin got accidentally punched by me during training, and you can see his face is swollen, plus it keeps changing from red to white. Is he going to be okay?" Thomas Xu walked to the window, smiling as he spoke to Qin Yu.
"Come over, let me take a look!" Qin Yu turned to Jack, who awkwardly stepped forward and leaned his head toward Qin Yu. She reached out from the car and gently touched Jack's head to check it. Her hand was cool and very soft, making Jack feel an indescribable comfort.
After examining Jack's head, Qin Yu pressed two fingers against the carotid artery on his neck to feel it. Finally, she glanced at the scars crisscrossing Jack's body and said expressionlessly, "If you had come a bit later, the swelling would probably have gone down. Don't bother me with such trivial matters in the future!"
"Uh…"
Jack straightened up, feeling quite embarrassed. He knew that this little injury was nothing serious. Just as he was about to say "Thanks for your trouble" to Qin Yu, she directly rolled up the window, giving him no face at all. He exchanged a glance with Thomas Xu, both feeling a bit awkward.
Jack and Thomas Xu had no choice but to turn back. However, seeing that it was still early, at Thomas Xu's suggestion, the two went to a well-known shop in the slums. This small shop had no name and no specific business scope, but its general function was similar to that of a bar. It was located on the former Wangjiang Tower, occupying the entire second floor. If it weren't for the tall earthen city walls blocking the distant scenery, the view here would have its own unique charm.
Under Thomas Xu's lead, the two climbed the stairs. Although the slums didn't enjoy the same luxuries as the wealthy areas, they still had their own ways to entertain themselves. As soon as they entered the second floor, the spacious loft was bustling with voices—people bragging, playing cards, and even flirting with low-end prostitutes were everywhere. Naturally, those who could afford to spend here were the top men in the slums, who had risked their lives outside the city to find some supplies. Since they didn't want to live in the wealthy area, they would definitely spend their remaining resources in this place.
"Boss lady! Come out and serve us!" Thomas Xu shouted with familiarity. The area around the brown bar was crowded, making it hard to see who was who, but a charming voice immediately responded.
There were many people in the hall, so many that there was hardly a place to stand. Thomas Xu frowned slightly and led Jack to a square table in the center, where four bare-chested men were tossing a deck of poker cards with curled edges, while a few women who couldn't even afford foundation were posing and giving them suggestions.
Thomas Xu didn't say anything as he walked over. He took out a half-pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his jacket pocket and tossed it directly onto the table. The four big men at the table all looked up at him in unison, surprisingly silent. One of them skillfully took out a couple of cigarettes from the pack and tucked them behind his ear, and they all stood up in perfect harmony to give their seats to Thomas Xu and Jack.
"Sit down, Brother Lin!" Thomas Xu pulled out a stool for Jack to sit on. Jack walked over and sat down without any surprise. The simple act of tossing the cigarettes was actually a microcosm of the social dynamics in this gathering place. The era of pretending to be aloof and reserved was long gone; everything was now materialistic. As long as you could pay the price, there were plenty of people willing to abandon their dignity here.
"Oh~ isn't this Mr. Thomas? What wind blew you into my little shop?"
A middle-aged woman with a curvy figure swayed her hips and approached Thomas Xu with a rather unpleasant tone, almost like she was performing. Her well-maintained hands affectionately rested on Thomas Xu's shoulders as she smiled and asked, "So, is it the usual? A pot of wine first, then find a girl to keep you company?"
"No need for a girl; this damn weather is making me feel like I'm roasting. If I have a woman clinging to me, I'll probably die of heat!" Thomas Xu waved his hand irritably and then patted the old woman's rather bouncy backside, saying, "First, bring us each a big pot of rice wine, and a few plates of your best cold dishes. We'll talk about the rest later. Oh, and make sure the wine is chilled!"
"Of course it has to be chilled!" The old woman quickly nodded in delight. The rice wine brewed in her shop was already a specialty, and the chilled version was even more expensive. In this gathering place, without a stable power supply, getting ice meant waiting for those few cold nights when the temperature dropped sharply, deliberately placing water buckets outside to freeze them, and having to collect the ice before sunrise, which was quite a hassle.
"Oh~ this gentleman looks unfamiliar. Why doesn't Mr. Thomas introduce me?" The old woman waved for a waiter to fetch the drinks, her gaze shifting to Jack. Despite her somewhat literary way of speaking, little did anyone know that this old woman was once a proper professor at a literature college!
"What's there to introduce? He wouldn't be interested in you anyway. Just know that he's my boss!" Thomas Xu impatiently pushed the woman away and urged, "Stop clinging to me; do you think I'm not hot enough? Go get something cold for my brother to cool him down!"
"Hmph~ you heartless man! You didn't mind me being hot when you were on top of me!" The old woman playfully glared at Thomas Xu, who just chuckled. The old woman then thought for a moment and asked, "By the way, I just got a new little singer here a few days ago, one who can play the pipa. I just trained her today. How about I bring her out to show off her voice to you two gentlemen?"
"Alright, but let me say this in advance: if it doesn't sound good, I won't pay!" Thomas nodded without hesitation, and the old woman happily went down to fetch someone.
Two jars of rice wine served in red wine bottles were quickly brought to the table by a beautiful waitress, along with some coarsely prepared side dishes. Jack picked up the wine bottle and downed more than half of it in one go, a wave of extreme coolness surged from his stomach to the top of his head, causing him to involuntarily let out a long sigh of relief.
"How is it, Brother Lin? The taste of this wine is pretty good, right?" Thomas Xu casually put down the wine bottle and pointed to an old woman in the corner who was chatting flirtatiously with someone. He chuckled and said, "This woman was William Chenghu's mistress before the doomsday. After he got tired of her, he kicked her out with a bit of supplies. But this woman is quite capable; after leaving William Chenghu, she didn't sell herself and still managed to do quite well. Her winemaking skills are unmatched!"
"It's not easy for anyone to survive these days!" Jack glanced at the other person. He could see the deep-seated forced smile in the woman's eyes. To be able to push a highly educated person to this extent is indeed a twist of fate!
"Um... what song would you like to hear, gentlemen?"
A timid voice sounded behind Jack. He turned around to see a small woman in a short-sleeved qipao holding a pipa, her face slightly flushed as she looked at them. When she noticed Jack staring at her, she shyly lowered her head and repeated what she had just said, giving off a vibe of someone half-concealing their face behind a pipa.
"What can you sing? Oh, I should ask what you can play?" Thomas Xu then picked up a plate of salted peanuts from the table, lazily peeled one, and tossed it into his mouth.
"As long as it's not too obscure, I can basically play anything!" The small woman seemed quite nervous, constantly rubbing her feet back and forth. Judging by her appearance, she didn't look very old, with delicate features, probably around twenty-three or twenty-four, which didn't match the image of the little star the boss lady mentioned. If she were really a star, there wouldn't be any reason for stage fright.
"Alright then, play 'Chrysanthemum Petals Fall'!" Thomas Xu pointed to the empty seat beside him, inviting the woman to sit down, but she was taken aback and shyly said, "Um... I'm sorry, boss, I haven't heard 'Chrysanthemum Petals Fall'!"
"Damn! You haven't even heard this song and you want to play the pipa? It's this song…" Thomas Xu stared in disdain, cleared his throat, and surprisingly started to sing: "Chrysanthemum petals fall, the ground is wounded, your shadow has already faded Marcus…"
"Pfft~"
Jack was startled by Thomas Xu's duck-like voice, and he sprayed the wine in his mouth everywhere. Wiping his mouth in annoyance, he said to Thomas Xu with a face full of black lines, "What do you mean by 'Chrysanthemum withered'? This song is called 'Chrysanthemum Terrace'!"
"Is that so? I always thought this song was called 'Chrysanthemum withered'!" Thomas Xu waved his hand with a cheeky grin, then pointed at the little woman and said, "Are you a singer? I've already recited the lyrics, and you still don't know. You must be a stripper!"
"N-no, I'm a teacher, I've never stripped!" The little woman immediately panicked, but the next moment she covered her mouth in fear, looking at Thomas Xu with great alarm.
"Hmph~ I guessed you weren't a singer!" Thomas Xu sneered, fully aware that the woman's reputation as a singer was just a trick concocted by the boss lady to inflate her value. Seeing the woman's embarrassment, he smiled and asked, "Did you just arrive?"
The little woman nodded, softly saying "Mm" and stammering, "I just arrived the day before yesterday!"
"Looking at you, you're not a virgin anymore, so what's there to be shy about? Haven't you had any customers yet?" Thomas Xu tossed another peanut into his mouth, leering at her. The little woman's pretty face turned as red as an apple in autumn, and she quickly bit her lower lip and shook her head. But then she seemed to remember the boss lady's instructions, glancing nervously at Thomas Xu and then at Jack, and said in a tiny voice, "I... I charge five kilograms of rice per time!"
"Wow~ that's expensive…"
"Alright, just play a song you're good at!" Jack gently waved his hand to interrupt Thomas Xu's shameless teasing. Noticing that the little woman kept eyeing the dishes on their table and swallowing her saliva, Jack picked up a soy sauce chicken wing and handed it to her, saying, "Have one to fill your stomach first; you'll need the energy to sing!"
"Th-thank you, boss!" The little woman was first taken aback, clearly not expecting to receive such treatment. Then, with tears of gratitude, she took the chicken wing with both hands and pulled out a green handkerchief she had tucked in her bust. Carefully wrapping the chicken wing, she shyly said, "I'll eat it later; let me perform for you first!"
"Your tearful eyes, frail yet wounded, the pale crescent moon, reminiscing the past…"
The little woman slowly sat down on the chair by the table, and the pipa in her hands began to resonate with a tinkling sound. A series of lingering lyrics flowed gently from her cherry-red lips. Her singing was very captivating; even though she wasn't a real star, she had a certain potential to become one. Moreover, the song "Chrysanthemum Terrace" is quite melancholic, and the woman singing it has experienced the bittersweetness of life after the apocalypse, making her deeply resonate with the lyrics.
As the song reached an emotional peak, it seemed to truly evoke her memories of the past, recalling the days when she was cared for by her family, colleagues, and boyfriend. Now, however, she had fallen to the level of a courtesan, singing and laughing for money, and even selling her body!
Large tears rolled down the little woman's cheeks, splashing onto the pipa and creating beautiful, sorrowful droplets. Her once melodious voice turned into a sobbing mess, and she could barely utter a half-note while clutching the old pipa in despair.
The scene of this beautiful woman in tears was originally quite moving. Thomas Xu's gaze was also somewhat dazed as he sat there, lost in thought. However, those living in the apocalypse were as restless as the times, and there were many who lacked appreciation for the finer things. One man stood up from the corner, slamming his hand on the table, and angrily shouted, "What the hell are you wailing about? If you can't sing, get the hell out of here! You've ruined my good mood, you little bitch!"
"Damn it! What does it have to do with you? I paid to hear a woman cry! If you don't like it, just leave; no one is keeping you here!" Thomas Xu immediately became displeased and turned around to shout. He had a stubborn protective streak when it came to women, and even if she had temporarily joined his side, he couldn't let her be bullied.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's all my fault..." The little woman panicked, tears streaming down her face as she tightly clutched Thomas Xu. The big man, seeing that Thomas Xu was actually getting angry, looked like he was ready to fight. Everyone remembered the scene from yesterday when Thomas Xu had faced off against a mountain dog with a rocket launcher. The big man opened his mouth, but when he saw the singer trying to mediate, he quickly backed down and sat down, not daring to say a word.
"Fucking!" Thomas Xu angrily turned back around, looking at the pitiful woman beside him. He chuckled, pinching her delicate little face, and said, "Why are you crying? Change the song and keep singing. Sing 'The First Snow of 2002'; I love that one..."
"Ha~ I say, little Xu, I can't believe you remembered that! Letting a little beauty sing a song with such a broken voice, I really can't compliment your taste, sister!"
A rather playful voice interrupted Thomas Xu's choice of a lowbrow song. He turned around in surprise to see Thomas Hong standing not far away, arms crossed, looking at him with amusement. Upon seeing Thomas Hong, Thomas Xu immediately became flattering, filled with surprise as he said, "Oh, sister, I didn't expect to run into you here; what a coincidence! Come, come, sit down!"
"What are you sitting here in this stinky place for? Let's go to the private room; I've reserved a spot!" Thomas Hong waved her hand with a smile, her big, watery eyes suddenly locking onto Jack. Jack immediately felt a chill run down his spine, not expecting that he would still be found by this alluring Dexter. But then he was puzzled, wondering why he associated the term 'alluring Dexter' with her. Shouldn't he be the one tearing off Thomas Hong's flirty little shorts, looking imposing?
However, this was just a fleeting thought for Jack. Before he could extinguish this lewd idea, a transcendentally beautiful woman made him freeze in shock. He hadn't expected that Thomas Hong wasn't alone; she was followed by Qin Yu, whom he had just met!