He was so startled that he subconsciously took a sip of tea to calm himself, but to his surprise, the tea was cold.

The tea leaves hadn't even unfurled.

What was even more surprising to Fatty was that the water... was also raw, not boiled. It seemed to have been taken straight from the tap.

"Doctor." Looking at Jiang Cheng's appearance, and the cold tea, Fatty felt a vague sense of panic. "Are... are you alright?"

He instinctively thought that this mission had affected Jiang Cheng too deeply.

Or... or perhaps it was that strange bronze door.

Back then, the doctor had stood in front of that door. Perhaps he had been affected by it, in some way that Fatty couldn't understand.

"Aren't you going to tell me the truth?" Staring at Fatty, the emotions Jiang Cheng had been suppressing finally erupted.

He couldn't understand why Fatty still refused to admit it, even after he'd gone this far.

He'd given Fatty so many chances.

He'd imagined the many reasons Fatty might give: being coerced, or trying to steal something from him... He'd already considered that as long as Fatty confessed, he wouldn't pursue the matter.

What he couldn't tolerate was being treated like a fool.

Reaching out, Jiang Cheng grabbed Fatty's collar with lightning speed, slamming him against the back of the sofa. The immense force startled Fatty so much that his face changed color.

"Doctor, what's wrong?" Fatty cried out in alarm, the teacup falling to the ground, the sharp shards glinting coldly in the light. "I've never lied to you, everything I've said... is true. If you don't believe me, I can go to Goose City with you..."

The moment he heard the words Goose City, a cold glint flashed in Jiang Cheng's eyes. He hadn't expected this meek Fatty to be such an accomplished actor.

Even now, he was still trying to deceive him.

Enraged, he raised his hand and punched Fatty in the face. He'd held back, but the punch still sent Fatty's blood flying.

Just as he was about to throw a second punch, Fatty's terrified and aggrieved expression stopped him.

Memories flashed through his mind. To be fair, Fatty had treated him very well, not just superficially, but... genuinely well.

In the ancient times instance, Fatty had even risked his life to come back and warn him.

And in the instance they had just left, if Fatty hadn't moved Li Zumei, he and Jiao Tailang would have died.

Finally, it was Fatty who had taken on the pressure from the door, giving him a chance to escape.

If Fatty wanted to kill him, he wouldn't have needed to do anything at all.

Trembling for a long time, Jiang Cheng finally released him, staggering back a few steps and sinking back onto the sofa. At that moment, his figure looked even more desolate than Fatty's.

"Just go."

Fatty's face was covered in blood, but he didn't bother to wipe it off. He was completely stunned. He didn't understand why everything had suddenly changed.

What exactly was wrong with the doctor?

What did he want him to confess?

He had clearly been telling the truth...

Suddenly, he remembered what Boss Lin had said to him not long ago. Connecting the two incidents, he realized that they were both suspicious of him.

Were they suspicious of his background?

Fatty understood that the doctor had been through a lot recently, so it was understandable that he would overthink things.

But he had never expected the doctor to suspect him.

"Just go." Jiang Cheng sat on the sofa, then reached out and grabbed a backpack from beside the sofa. With a flick of his hand, the backpack slid along the floor to Fatty's feet.

It was his bag.

The bag was bulging, clearly packed in advance by the doctor.

He wanted to drive him away.

All good things must come to an end...

He just hadn't expected it to be so soon, and so sudden.

Moreover... Fatty pursed his lips, tears welling up in his eyes, and in such an unbearable way.

Perhaps out of anger, or perhaps because he was too heartbroken, Fatty wiped the blood from under his nose, then stood up and bowed to the doctor.

"In any case, thank you for taking care of me during this time, Doctor," Fatty said. "I have never deceived you or betrayed you, not in the past, and not in the future."

Fatty picked up the bag and walked towards the door alone. "I'm leaving. Take care of yourself, Doctor."

The usually hesitant Fatty was surprisingly decisive this time. It wasn't until long after Fatty had left that Jiang Cheng came back to his senses.

He slowly walked to the kitchen. His movements suggested that he wanted to make himself a cup of coffee, but after adding the coffee, his hand inexplicably took the coffee cup to the tap and turned it on.

The cold water splashed, scattering metallic coffee grounds. Jiang Cheng's hand trembled, and the coffee cup fell into the sink with a clatter.

It didn't break, but simply spun around inside.

His hand on the edge of the sink, Jiang Cheng gasped for breath. He suddenly felt panicked. Darkness spread around him, and he had the illusion of being swallowed by it.

Trembling, he raised his left hand, and a faint, deep red door appeared on the lower part of his palm.

Accompanied by the sound of the door opening, his shadow on the wall began to distort, and a pair of restless, blood-red eyes slowly opened.

......

Under the streetlights, people hurried by.

The night grew deeper.

A light rain began to fall.

A tall woman clutched her trench coat tightly, lowered her head, and walked quickly, even changing direction at the end.

Because she had caught sight of a man by the side of the road.

Very fat, very tall, and very strong, but he looked a little strange.

He was walking slowly all by himself, without an umbrella, carrying a large backpack. The backpack strap was very long, and part of it was dragging on the ground, mixed with mud and water.

He gave off a muddled feeling, like he wasn't a good person.

A drunkard.

Or a homeless vagrant.

The woman didn't dare to look again, afraid something would happen, and quickly left.

Fatty, walking alone on the street, didn't notice the woman's opinion of him. More accurately, he hadn't even noticed the woman.

He was soaked to the bone, but strangely, he didn't feel cold.

His mind was filled with the words the doctor had said to him.

It seemed he wanted him to confess.

But the funny thing was, he didn't even know what he should confess.

He even had a bizarre idea: would the doctor keep him if he confessed to anything, even if he made something up?

Would he not drive him away?

The rain grew heavier.

A rumble of thunder sounded in the sky.

The pedestrians on the street were almost gone. Fatty raised his head. Under the dark night sky, countless raindrops were like arrows, as if they would all pierce his eyes.

The bag in his hand felt heavy. He reached out and opened it.

Inside was the oversized work uniform he had worn when he first arrived.

He casually picked it up and put it on, not for any other reason than that he was tired of carrying it, and he found the bag cumbersome.

But the moment he put on the uniform, he felt something heavy in the large left pocket.

He slowly pulled it out. It was a kraft paper package the size of an envelope.

He untwisted the string.

Inside was a thick stack of money.

It even had a pleasant perfume scent.