It was a stroke of luck that they were chatting, and I quickly retreated to the ** before they could spot me. It was clear they hadn't noticed my presence either, as they walked in continuing their conversation.

Seeing that I was still asleep, they lowered their voices. But I could still hear them perfectly clearly.

The doctor's tone was laced with anger as he stated, "If you don't pay the hospitalization fees soon, I'll have someone carry him out and dump him." Zhao Jiajia pleaded, "Doctor, I'm so sorry, I truly have no money. His fever hasn't broken, and the wound on his leg is infected.

Please just let him stay a little longer. If it turns into tetanus, it will be very dangerous.

I'll go get the money right now." Hearing her say that, I knew I couldn't keep faking sleep, because I didn't have tetanus at all, and there was no need for Zhao Jiajia to go fetch money. But after a moment's thought, that wasn't right either; because if I waited for Zhao Jiajia to leave to get the money and then slipped away myself, we wouldn't actually have to pay anything.

Since the doctor had no idea when I might wake up, and my leg was still lame, they would never imagine I would try to flee. The truth was, it wasn't that I was unwilling to pay the hospital fees, but that when Zhao Jiajia came out, she was only wearing a long dress and hadn't even brought a bag; she certainly had no bank cards or cash.

For her to go get money alone, she would inevitably have to return to the lodging she shared with Boss Tong—that was far too risky, as that man wanted her dead. So, I didn't want her to take that chance, and the doctor's terrible attitude only strengthened my reluctance to pay.

After a few more words exchanged, the doctor finally agreed to hold me here and let Zhao Jiajia go for the money. Once they had both left, I opened my eyes.

I wasn't the only patient in the ward; the other ** person also appeared to be seriously ill, lying unconscious, wearing some kind of mesh protective cap on their head. A wave of relief washed over me.

I rummaged through the cabinet and found my sweatpants, discovering that my Shen and my phone were still there. But after changing into the pants, I realized I had no shirt, so I was forced to walk out in the hospital gown, bracing myself.

The hallway was crowded with people—patients, doctors, and nurses. Seeing me limping, a nurse proactively approached and asked, "Are you alright?

Are you heading to the restroom? Where is your family?" I managed a smile and replied, "It's just a minor injury on my leg; as long as I don't exert myself too much, I can handle this little thing myself." The nurse nodded, not suspecting for a moment that I was planning an escape.

So, I hobbled step by step toward the elevator. Although two other nurses saw me, I simply told them I was going down for a short walk.

In reality, escaping the hospital wasn't easy; the first thing they did when admitting a patient was register their ID. So even if you fled, they could still pursue you legally for the money.

However, I didn't have an ID card at all, and neither did Zhao Jiajia, so I wasn't worried. The elevator arrived on the first floor, and I walked out naturally, then proceeded through the lobby toward the main entrance.

The main entrance of the lobby faced directly onto the hospital's main gate. As I limped toward it, no one stopped me.

It was then I spotted Zhao Jiajia standing by the public payphone in the main entrance area, seemingly talking to someone. I froze, thinking, Surely the woman isn't foolish enough to call Boss Tong for money?

With that thought, I hurried over. By the time I reached her side, she had just hung up the phone.

When she turned and saw me standing next to her, she let out a startled yelp. "You...

aren't you supposed to be unconscious?" she asked in surprise. I smiled and said, "Of course not.

I heard everything you said to the doctor, but if I hadn't been pretending to be unconscious then, how could I have gotten out?" Zhao Jiajia frowned and asked, "Escape? Why escape?" I spread my hands.

"We're right outside the hospital now. If that doctor from before sees us, he’ll definitely drag us back to settle the score.

Let's go somewhere else to talk." Zhao Jiajia seemed to grasp my meaning, nodded, and said, "Then let's go to that KFC across the street for a bit. I was planning to wait for a friend there anyway." Saying that, she came over and helped support me as we walked across the road.

As we walked, I asked her, "Are you okay? You looked unconscious last night; I thought you were seriously ill." Zhao Jiajia replied, "I'm fine.

I just took a few sleeping pills..." "Did you take them yourself?" I immediately regretted asking the question, as the situation last night clearly suggested she hadn't taken them willingly. Zhao Jiajia glanced at me, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Thank you so much for last night; otherwise, I would certainly be dead by now." With her saying that, I knew all my suspicions from last night were true: she had been drugged and they intended to dispose of her body.

After a moment of silence, I remarked, "It was just sheer luck. I was staying at that deserted sluice gate house by the river, who knew I’d run into you in danger?

Perhaps it was simply not your time to die. By the way, I passed out last night—why are we even in the hospital?" Zhao Jiajia explained, "I woke up not long after you passed out.

Coincidentally, an old man who comes to flood the paddy fields at night saw us and took us back. His son drove you to the hospital this morning.

You were actually only a hundred meters away from being saved." I grunted an acknowledgement. "If I had seen hope, maybe I wouldn't have passed out, haha." Zhao Jiajia seemed not to hear me; instead, she said, "You had a high fever and were calling out someone's name.

The doctor thought you had tetanus, but I guess you cooled down quickly." I filtered out the irrelevant parts of her statement and asked directly, "I called out... whose name?" Zhao Jiajia said, "I couldn't hear clearly; it sounded like Liang something..." My face immediately flushed.

I thought to myself that despite trying to let go, in the end, I still couldn't manage it. With that exchange, silence fell between us again.

We sat down inside the KFC, and Zhao Jiajia asked me, "Do you want anything to eat?" I asked back, "Do you have money?" Zhao Jiajia replied, "No money, but I called a friend who is interning nearby; she can lend us a little, so you'll get to eat something good soon." I mused, KFC is considered good food? Ah, her standards must really be low.

I smiled and said, "Thanks in advance for the hospitality. Let's order once she arrives." So, we sat there, occupying two seats without buying anything, just looking at each other.

People carrying trays walked back and forth, shooting us disdainful looks. I was in a hospital gown on top and damp sweatpants below.

Although Zhao Jiajia’s clothes were dry, the hem of her dress was ripped in several places from last night, and her hair was a mess. We looked utterly disheveled.

Generally, people wandering around in hospital gowns aren't up to any good; they might have escaped a mental institution. If that wasn't the case, the server would have certainly come over to chase us away by now.

Honestly, I had never been this humiliated in my life, and the worst part was, the smell of food on other people’s trays made my stomach rumble uncontrollably. Zhao Jiajia heard my continuous stomach growling and asked me, "What's with you?

I remember the first time I saw you, you were dressed impeccably in a suit, like a rich young master, but now you look like a homeless vagrant..." I forced an awkward smile. "That's right, I am a vagrant, undocumented, and I'm not afraid of you laughing.

I have neither parents nor siblings, and I'm not even sure what my own surname is. In short, I’m just an extra person in society." Hearing my description, Zhao Jiajia laughed.

"Stop exaggerating. What kind of refined vagrant are you?

I bet you spent your tuition money on in-game purchases. You can't afford school and don't dare go home to your parents, so you decided to come out and work?

I've seen plenty of spoiled, rich internet addicts like you." Internet addict... Hearing those words felt like a flock of crows flew over my head, but I still managed a smile.

"You saw right through me; you truly are a big sister with vast social experience. As an 'old hand,' I hope you'll guide me from now on." Temporarily free from Boss Tong's oppression, Zhao Jiajia showed the spirited youthfulness typical of her age.

Hearing my joke, she burst into laughter. Seeing her like that, I instantly felt her charm increase tenfold.

Yes, this was the age where one should be lively and playful. I thought she must not have laughed like that in a very long time.

But after laughing, she seemed to remember something troubling, and let out a sigh. I frowned slightly and finally asked the question that had felt difficult to utter: "That Boss Tong, what kind of magic does he have?

I remember you said you were going back to school that night, but why did you end up back near him, and then get drugged?" Hearing me ask, a wave of sorrow crossed Zhao Jiajia's face, and she sighed again before replying, "I had no choice. My parents are bedridden, and I have no money to support my schooling, so I was forced into it." Zhao Jiajia told me that her parents were farmers from Shanxi.

They originally had a few acres of land; though life wasn't wealthy, it was manageable. Zhao Jiajia was always excellent in her studies and got accepted into a university in Beijing.

Her family was overjoyed and used all their savings to send her to college. As long as Zhao Jiajia studied hard for four years, found a decent job, and used her beauty to marry well, it would have been a perfect life.

But misfortune struck in her sophomore year: a fire broke out at her home, severely burning both her parents and leaving them unable to work. Burns are different from other injuries and sicknesses; they require constant medication, and the medical expenses are astronomical.

Zhao Jiajia took a temporary leave from school and worked three jobs, but she still couldn't support two sick patients. It was at that moment that Boss Tong appeared.

He immediately took notice of Zhao Jiajia's beauty and promised to pay for her parents' treatment.