Kaleidoscope of Death

Chapter 66: Murder

At this moment, faced with an utterly stunned Jiang Yingrui, Lin Qiushi finally understood the high Ruan Nanzhu got from acting. He who had struck first became an innocent little kitten, trembling in Ruan Nanzhu's arms. Additional sniffling would, of course, be even better, but as things were, Lin Qiushi was still new to the acting business, and wasn't yet practiced enough to cry at the drop of a hat.

What he'd done was already enough though.

Feng Yongle was furious: "You animal, what the hell did you do to Qiuqiu!"

Jiang Yingrui's back was still aching, and immediately after picking himself up he was faced with Feng Yongle's angry interrogation; he was barely smiling: "What did I do? She's the one who hit me first—"

"How could she have hit you first!" Feng Yongle clearly didn't believe Jiang Yingrui at all. Brows deeply furrowed, he glared at Jiang Yingrui like Jiang Yingrui was a despicable opportunist. "Look at her, does she seem like someone who hits first to you?!"

Jiang Yingrui eyed Lin Qiushi, who was cowering like a bunny, and sank into silence.

Indeed she didn't, but whether or not she did didn't change the fact that he really had been socked six ways to Sunday by the girl in front of him.

Jiang Yingrui knew he had no way of making them believe it, and so just shot Lin Qiushi a vicious glare, turned, and walked away. He seemed truly pissed off.

Lin Qiushi was still lightly shaking. Watching from the side, Feng Yongle thought she was scared. But only Ruan Nanzhu, who was holding Lin Qiushi, knew that he was holding back laughter.

"Alright, it's alright now," Feng Yongle said. "Qiuqiu, don't be frightened. That man's gone now."

Lin Qiushi nodded, to say he's got it.

Seeing the red rimming Lin Qiushi's eyes, Feng Yongle soothed, "don't be frightened, we'll protect you. Let's not leave her alone next time, if we hadn't gotten back in time, and something had happened..."

Ruan Nanzhu thought, yeah, if he'd beaten the guy to death on the spot, there would be trouble indeed. But he still agreed out loud with Feng Yongle, and said it was his bad for not thinking it through.

The incident ended with Jiang Yingrui taking the loss. He wasn't likely to go back and tell everyone he'd gotten his ass kicked by Lin Qiushi—and even if he said it, who would believe him?

But after such a hassle, Lin Qiushi was suddenly reminded of something else. He got out his phone and typed: the nurse from before warned us to not go out after 8. Is that a rule for the sanitarium or a rule for us?

Ruan Nanzhu and Lin Qiushi knew each other well enough at this point that one look was all he needed to understand: "I'll go ask a patient."

They went to a nearby room, found a relatively sane-looking patient, and asked about the curfew.

That patient wore a numbered hospital gown, and stayed expressionless. At their question he coolly replied, "of course we can't come out at night."

"Why can't you come out?" Feng Yongle asked. "How long has this rule been in place?"

"Long time," the patient said. "As for why, well how would I know." His tone was very cold, fingers twisting neurotically into themselves. "Maybe, they're taking care of something that they can't let us see."

Lin Qiushi gave the patient's words some thought.

"So, about the..." Feng Yongle wanted to ask more, but the patient began to shout, quite aggressively: "I don't know! Stop asking me, I don't know anything, stop asking me!" He shouted, and even banged his hands hard against the metal bed frame. So vicious, he seemed ready to jump on them and fight at any second.