Chapter 11 The Value of Life

　　The fat man was momentarily speechless. He had never considered this question. In his mind, Wang Qi, Huai Yi, and the doctor were all more capable and valuable than himself. They had more reason to live, as for him…

　　"Your friends are willing to risk their lives to save you, which proves that you must be a valuable person. At least to your friends, you are important, very important." Li Shanru looked at the fat man and said seriously, "I can feel it, Wang Fugui, you are a good person and a reliable friend. That Jiang Cheng is very good to you."

　　"Yes, he saved me many times. Without him, I wouldn't be alive now. He is a very capable person." The fat man thought of the doctor's care for him, and his heart was full of gratitude.

　　Unexpectedly, Li Shanru suddenly smiled. She leaned back against the wall, her eyes becoming deep, and a bit of reminiscence appeared on her sunburnt face. "Once…once I also had a friend like that. I had just entered the mission and didn't understand anything. Thanks to her, I survived time and time again."

　　"Whenever I was most afraid and helpless, she would be by my side, and she would sing to me. Have you heard of 'Castle in the Sky'? She didn't need accompaniment; her soft singing was very beautiful."

　　Looking at Li Shanru's face, the fat man's heart was suddenly touched. He didn't expect this woman with a crew cut and a rebellious, unconventional appearance to have such a side.

　　"She's gone now, right?" the fat man said, as if sensing something.

　　"In one mission, she was killed by a ghost to save me." Li Shanru's voice choked up. "She didn't have to die. I was the one who should have died. We hid separately, but I was still discovered by the ghost. To save me, she used her voice to lure the ghost away. That song, 'Castle in the Sky'…"

　　Speaking of this, Li Shanru turned her face away, and tears were already streaming down the half of her face that was visible. "She was using that song to say goodbye to me."

　　The fat man's body trembled violently, and his thoughts returned to the present. He seemed to be instantly transported back to that swimming pool, the narrow shower room, Wang Qi kneeling in front of him, looking into his eyes, patting his head, and then turning away.

　　And in the dark corridor of the manor, Huai Yi being dragged along the ground by the ghost, leaving a long trail of blood…

　　This world is always cold, but people are warm.

　　If he denied his own value, then what about those who died for him? Wouldn't they be even more worthless?

　　He would not allow such a thing to happen.

　　The two chatted like this, talking about their pasts, like strangers sheltering from the rain together under the eaves of a street corner. The fat man casually mentioned that he had to go back, that the doctor was still waiting for him in the study.

　　"Thank you for staying with me for so long." Li Shanru now showed more of a sense of calm. Since fate was already determined, she would face it bravely. "I have one last request. Can you come over and hug me? I'm cold."

　　Faced with Li Shanru's request, the fat man hesitated. Although Li Shanru's limbs had been dislocated, there were hidden dragons and crouching tigers among the teammates in the mission. Who knew if she would…

　　Seeing the fat man's hesitation, Li Shanru just smiled and then closed her eyes, her pupils dimming.

　　But the next second, a pair of strong hands suddenly supported her, and then a piece of clothing with body temperature was draped behind her, until finally, she was pulled into an embrace.

　　Opening her eyes, large drops of tears streamed down from the corners of her eyes. Li Shanru leaned close to the fat man's ear, her lips trembling slightly, "Wang Fugui, listen carefully. The reason I chose to cooperate with Zhang Shiwei was for an exchange of information. He has a secret. There's something wrong with that woman in our team named Bai Yu. She and Yuan Shanyuan are not related as grandfather and granddaughter at all. She is a ghost."

　　"And a very special ghost. I don't know how to describe it. Zhang Shiwei doesn't seem to be very clear either. In short, her abilities are very strange. If we don't get rid of her, none of us will be able to leave alive."

　　Hearing this, the fat man's eyes widened.

　　"Don't ask questions, just listen to me. Someone hid a cell phone recording in this room. Tell Jiang Cheng what I just said. He is a smart man and will know what to do. And…" Li Shanru paused, then suddenly smiled, "Wang Fugui, please, you must live. You are really great."

　　The news came too quickly and was too shocking. Before the fat man could react, he felt a pain in his ear, followed by a heavy blow to his chest. He was completely unprepared, and his body staggered back several steps, finally knocking over the porcelain vase on the table.

　　The porcelain vase fell to the ground, making a cracking sound.

　　"Get out! You fat pig, trying to take advantage of me! You shameless thing!" Li Shanru suddenly seemed like a different person, scolding the fat man, "I'll remember you! When I become a ghost, I won't let you go!"

　　Almost instantly, the door was pushed open, and Ding Zhenzong barged in. Without a word, he raised his hand and slapped Li Shanru. "You bitch, if you shout again, I'll kill you!"

　　After hitting her, he came to check on the fat man, feigning concern, "Brother Fugui, are you alright?" Seeing the piece of clothing lying next to Li Shanru and the tooth marks on the fat man's ear, it wasn't hard to guess what had happened.

　　The fat man understood immediately. This Ding Zhenzong had been eavesdropping outside the door. The reason Li Shanru had scolded him was to warn him.

　　At that moment, he couldn't help but be touched. The fat man knew that Li Shanru, as a dying person, naturally didn't care, but if he was discovered secretly whispering with Li Shanru, it would probably cause trouble.

　　"Brother Ding came quickly." The fat man covered his ear, staring at Ding Zhenzong with a forced smile.

　　"Not at all, it was just a coincidence. I was wandering around nearby, looking for a quiet place to rest. I didn't expect to disturb Brother Fugui's pleasure." Ding Zhenzong immediately tried to justify himself, his simple and honest appearance completely different from the ferocity he had shown when slapping Li Shanru.

　　As he left, the fat man looked back at Li Shanru in the corner as he closed the door. The latter was bowing her head, motionless, her body gradually being swallowed by darkness.

　　Back in the study, the fat man immediately told Jiang Cheng the information. Jiang Cheng was shocked when he heard the news the fat man brought back. At the same time, he looked him up and down with suspicious eyes.

　　"What's wrong, Doctor? Is what Li Shanru said false?" The fat man asked anxiously.

　　Recalling Bai Yu's cold gaze towards him, Jiang Cheng had experienced that similar feeling more than once, when he was being targeted by a ghost. After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Cheng slowly opened his mouth, "No, it should be true."

　　After listening to the fat man's complete account of the situation, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but marvel at whether this fat man was lucky or had good character. He was always able to obtain clues that ordinary people couldn't discover, in ways that most people found useless, boring, or meaningless, and it was always an unintentional stroke of luck.

　　This wasn't the first time. The little beggar in the Huang Mansion mission was like this too.