Reservoir Dogs chapter 118
Pain
Jiang Chengyuan’s first reaction upon regaining consciousness was pain. Endless, excruciating pain. Every bone seemed to be disassembled and broken down, his body falling apart.
The pain became so overwhelming that his consciousness drifted, submerged in a boundless ocean, floating aimlessly in the dark, desolate void.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t wake up.
The person on the hospital bed remained unconscious, heavily sedated to alleviate the pain.
His face was pale and weak, the tall frame only highlighting his fragility.
Xiao Zhou stood rigidly by the bed, watching. The white sheets only added to the colorless, lifeless aura, making the scene unsettling.
Someone came over to call him. “Xiao Zhou, it’s time to switch shifts. Why don’t you go get something to eat?”
Xiao Zhou moved slightly in his uniform, turning to the person. “It’s fine. I’m not hungry. You all go ahead. I’ll go after you come back.”
The person poked their head in. “Why do you keep staring at him? I don’t think he’ll wake up anytime soon. You’ve been on both day and night shifts for two days. We all feel bad about it.”
Xiao Zhou finally withdrew his gaze, left the bedside, and walked out of the hospital room. “Anyway, I’m fine here and can rest. If you guys have something to do and can’t take the shift, I’ll do it. I can even earn some extra overtime pay.”
The man chuckled, “You’re a good guy. Don’t worry, you’ll have no problem during your probation period. We’ve all been saying good things about you.”
Xiao Zhou smiled at him, although the pain in his eyes was becoming hard to hide.
Since Jiang Chengyuan refused visitation, they hadn’t been able to see him. They could only wait for news from inside. Fortunately, they spared no expense, so information flowed freely, and they knew as soon as Jiang Chengyuan was attacked.
At that time, the prison was recruiting temporary workers, and the competition wasn’t too fierce. Xiao Zhou applied, and Ji Yang pulled some strings, and eventually, he successfully got in. After getting in, he paid money to swap shifts with someone, and after several twists and turns, he finally managed to be assigned to guard the hospital.
On the first day he arrived, Jiang Chengyuan had just finished surgery and had been in a coma ever since. Xiao Zhou hadn’t had a chance to speak with him.
Seeing that the other two had gone to the cafeteria for dinner, Xiao Zhou re-entered the hospital room, locked the door, pulled up a chair, and sat by the bedside.
The person on the bed had his eyes closed; only the sound of the machines could be heard. With no one else around, Xiao Zhou could quietly observe him again. His hair had been shaved short, so short that his pale scalp was visible. His cheeks had sunken in from weight loss, almost to the point of looking disfigured. A thin layer of red from the fever covered his face, and his lips were cracked and peeling. Xiao Zhou felt uncomfortable seeing this, so he got up, took a cotton swab, dipped it in water, and gently moistened his lips. Only when the lips were well-hydrated and smooth did Xiao Zhou feel satisfied.
By the next evening, Jiang Chengyuan finally woke up.
Xiao Zhou was outside buying buns when he heard the news and rushed back. He didn’t wait for the elevator on the fifth floor, running up the stairs instead. He leaned against the door frame, gasping for breath. Once he caught his breath, he walked inside.
Jiang Chengyuan turned his head when he heard the footsteps, staring at Xiao Zhou without blinking. “I thought I was dreaming.”
Xiao Zhou quickly walked over, stood in front of him, then bent down, leaned over, and hugged him, pressing his face against Jiang Chengyuan’s chest. “You’re awake.”
Jiang Chengyuan couldn’t move, so he let Xiao Zhou hold him. “How did you get in?”
“The proper way.” Xiao Zhou didn’t dare to use too much force. He leaned on him for a while before letting go and sitting down beside him.
Jiang Chengyuan noticed his crisp, well-fitting uniform and nodded slowly, realizing the situation. “You got smarter.”
Though Jiang Chengyuan’s tone was joking, Xiao Zhou didn’t smile, his features stern. “Not as smart as you, daring to do anything.” He glanced at Jiang Chengyuan’s leg, which was elevated and securely bound, knowing what a mess it was underneath. “You went and got yourself into this state.”
Jiang Chengyuan looked up at the ceiling, his expression somewhere between a smile and indifference, not taking it seriously. He let out a long breath. “Ah, I miscalculated.”
Xiao Zhou trembled, not daring to place his hand on Jiang Chengyuan’s injured leg, so he rested it on the uninjured one. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he bent down, hiding his eyes in the crook of his arm, muttering, “does It hurt…”
Jiang Chengyuan finally softened his expression, lowering his gaze to gently touch Xiao Zhou’s hair. “It doesn’t hurt.”
Xiao Zhou stopped speaking, lying quietly for a while until the next prison guard came to change shifts. Only then did he get up without a word.
He left the hospital and reported the news to Ji Yang, who let out a sigh of relief on the other end of the line.
As he descended the last two steps, Xiao Zhou looked up at the sky. Light gray clouds were pressed against the horizon. He took a deep breath, the icy cold air of the severe winter rushing into his lungs, almost freezing his insides.
The cold wind cut across his exposed face and neck like a knife. He lowered his head again, pulled up the collar of his coat, and quickly got into the car parked on the street.
After getting in, he went to find Lin Jianan. Lin Jianan had been out of the country, and Xiao Zhou couldn’t find him, so he spent a lot of money bribing one of Lin Jianan’s subordinates to secretly inform him when Lin Jianan returned. Now that Lin Jianan was back in the country, Xiao Zhou blocked him at an entertainment club.
Lin Jianan was still indulging in a debauched life, with a girl in his arms, when someone barged in. His two bodyguards were taken down within three moves. Lin Jianan looked up in shock at the intruder. The man’s face was backlit, making it hard to make out his features. Lin Jianan released the girl from his arms, forcing himself to remain calm. “What do you want?”
Xiao Zhou cleared everyone out and closed the door behind him. “Was the incident with Luo Jing your doing?”
Lin Jianan’s heart sank when he heard this, but he felt wronged. He hadn’t given such an order. His subordinate had disobeyed his orders, but what did that have to do with him? Luo Jing was in prison; he couldn’t be there to watch over him. He didn’t know what had gotten into Luo Jing’s head, why he would go so far as to break someone’s leg. Luckily, he hadn’t gone as far as killing someone; otherwise, Lin Jianan wouldn’t know how to explain it.
Of course, he could understand Luo Jing. Who would willingly suffer in prison? He had thought Luo Jing’s loyalty to him would restrain his violent impulses, but he hadn’t expected him to go rogue like this. However, this was an internal matter, not to be shared with outsiders. Even if something went wrong, he had to swallow the consequences. Managing so many people required accepting such unexpected events. Now he had two options: either clean house and hand over Luo Jing, or take responsibility for what Luo Jing did and claim it as his own decision.
He looked at Xiao Zhou, still undecided on which course to take—sacrificing a subordinate or gaining another enemy.
Xiao Zhou noticed that Lin Jianan didn’t say anything, but he wasn’t in a hurry. He locked the door behind him and ensured everything outside was clear; at least for the short term, no one would be barging in.
Lin Jianan sat up straight, still somewhat worried that Xiao Zhou might be there for revenge. To ease the tension, he took out a cigar case from his pocket, lit it with a match, and inhaled the burning smoke, “Is it something I did?”
Xiao Zhou leaned against the door with his arms crossed, speaking slowly, “If it was you who ordered it, then whatever you did to him, I’ll do to you.”
Lin Jianan’s hand holding the cigar froze for a moment before he managed a smile, “There’s no need for you to make another enemy for him. He’s already isolated enough. I’m barely half a friend left to him.”
Xiao Zhou understood the meaning behind his words and slowly lowered his crossed arms. “If you’re still his friend, then there won’t be any problems.”
Only then did Lin Jianan feel at ease, biting the cigar in his mouth and leaning back in his chair, relaxed. “I’ve always admired him. Even though he’s fallen from grace now, I still think he’s a respectable opponent. I don’t want to kick someone when they’re down.”
Xiao Zhou said, “But Luo Jing is still your man. You should control him. For what he did, you should take some responsibility.”
Lin Jianan was somewhat surprised by what he said. He inhaled a puff of smoke, forgetting to exhale, and ended up choking, coughing for a while before he regained his composure. “So, you’re determined to go against me?”
Xiao Zhou replied, “If he did something wrong, even if you don’t punish him, you should at least give him a warning. It’s like when a dog bites someone—you have to hold the owner accountable, not just argue with the dog.”
Lin Jianan looked at him with interest. “So you’re not going after Luo Jing, but you came to me instead.”
“Yes.”
“But he had his reasons for what he did, and those reasons are legitimate. I couldn’t interfere.”
“Even when a dog protects its food, it has its reasons, but humans still have to correct that behavior. No matter how big the issue is, obedience should come first. Otherwise, sooner or later, it will bite the owner.”
Lin Jianan laughed, “You’re quite interesting.” He thought for a moment, then took the half-smoked cigar from his mouth, extinguished it, and asked Xiao Zhou to fetch some paper and a pen. He quickly wrote a few words, handed them along with the cigar to Xiao Zhou, and said, “Alright, take these to him. Are you satisfied now?”
Xiao Zhou accepted them and thanked him politely, without any trace of humility.
Lin Jianan waved his hand generously. “No need to thank me. I already owe Chengyuan a favor.” After a pause, he added, “To be precise, it’s not him I owe, it’s you.”
Xiao Zhou didn’t understand what he meant but didn’t ask further. He was already content with how smoothly things had gone.