Goodbye
A two-story high house, small yet complete, like a sparrow with all its five dirty elements. As soon as one stepped inside, the smell of disinfectant wafted through the air. Looking through a few open doors, there were no fewer medical facilities than in a regular hospital in a big city.
The corridor was quiet. Before Song Yuhang arrived, there was only one patient in the entire hospital, Lin Yan.
Lin Yan got off the machine, and the X-rays were ready. She had sprained her ankle, and the bone was almost fractured. She needed proper bed rest for her condition.
The doctor wrapped her ankle with an elastic bandage using a figure-eight technique. Lin Yan propped herself up on the hospital bed, her arm trembling slightly. She gritted her teeth and broke into a fine sweat on her forehead but didn’t utter a word.
When it was Song Yuhang’s turn, she had injured her back and needed an X-ray to check if her spine was damaged. She was usually open and confident, but this time, she seemed a bit hesitant.
“I… I think I won’t need it.”
Lin Yan raised an eyebrow at her curiously, “Why not? Weren’t you coughing up blood?”
“That was just bloody phlegm… I’ll be fine after coughing it out. I’m tough, I can handle a fall.”
Lin Yan looked puzzled, “Are you avoiding medical treatment?”
As Lin Yan got dressed with the help of the butler, Song Yuhang initially thought about offering assistance but withdrew her hand, touched her nose, and reluctantly took off her coat under the scrutiny of the onlookers. As she prepared to step onto the machine, the doctor called her back.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but you can’t wear that. Your bra has underwire, which will affect the machine’s scan results.”
Song Yuhang’s face instantly turned red. Having to change clothes in front of so many people, especially with Lin Yan present, was something she simply couldn’t do.
“But just now, Lin Yan…”
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The bespectacled doctor coldly adjusted his glasses and said, “Miss, Lin Yan injured her foot, while your injury is on your back.”
Lin Yan looked at her sympathetically, shrugged her shoulders, and gestured that she had no choice either, saying, “People in the hospital are like pieces of meat on the chopping board, ready to be carved.”
Limping over to her side, Lin Yan looked at her blushing face and couldn’t help but tease, sizing her up from head to toe. “Could it be that I hit the nail on the head? You really are quite…”
Before the words “naive girl” could leave Lin Yan’s lips, Song Yuhang shot her a fierce glare and snapped, “Shut up and get out.”
For some reason, Lin Yan found great delight in provoking Song Yuhang when she got angry. “Oh my, can’t even let someone finish speaking? You’re quite old already, and not only do you lack a sex life, but you’re also so timid about changing clothes and getting examined in front of others.”
As soon as she finished her sentence, Song Yuhang hooked her neck with one arm, pulling her close, their heads pressed together. It looked as if they were two close friends whispering secrets.
In reality, only Lin Yan knew what Song Yuhang was saying with her hot breath in her ear.
“What’s wrong, little bird? Haven’t you seen a pig before? Even without pork, I can still make you feel heavenly.”
With that, she was unceremoniously pushed out the door and conveniently caught by the butler.
Lin Yan watched helplessly as Song Yuhang flirted with her and then shut her out. She erupted in anger, “Damn you, Song Yuhang! I shouldn’t have let you in!!!”
The butler, who was assisting her, gave a faint smile and immediately caught Lin Yan’s attention. “Why are you smiling? What’s so funny?!”
As he helped her toward the hospital room, the butler, in his fifties and practically a witness to Lin Yan’s growth, could say things that others couldn’t.
Lin Yan kept pressing for more information, and he answered honestly, “When Miss and Miss Song are together, things become much more vibrant.”
This vibrancy encompassed various meanings, not just in their gazes, expressions, or physical movements, but also in the genuine emotions that emanated from their hearts, whether it was anger or joy; he could feel it all.
During her childhood, Lin Yan had been extremely cautious, fearing that any misstep might cost her her life.
She had learned how to protect herself at the tender age of six.
In her youth, Lin Yan began martial arts training, relying on her skills and her family’s reputation to become somewhat arrogant. She changed schools frequently, with each transfer usually prompted by her involvement in physical altercations and earning her the reputation of a “transfer student” at major schools in Jiangcheng City, until she met Chen Chu Nan.
From middle school to high school, those six years were probably the happiest days of her life.
As an adult, Lin Yan put on a mask of pretense, debauchery, aloofness, and sarcasm. She often used various fake smiles to disguise herself, and very few things could genuinely make her angry. People who could truly make her happy were almost nonexistent.
However, when she agreed to let Officer Song in, he clearly saw a knowing smile on her face. Even when they argued and chatted, her expressions were openly filled with laughter and scolding, making her come alive.
It was perfect; just looking at her made people feel happy, and it had been a long time since things were so lively around Miss.
Lin Yan was taken aback and touched her own face somewhat annoyed. “Do I? I clearly don’t—”
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The butler pursed his lips and smiled, but he didn’t dare to say more: “You don’t, your emotions are all written on your face.”
* * *
While Song Yuhang was undergoing her medical examination, in a dimly lit room in Jiangcheng City, another body examination was taking place.
A man used a knife to cut from head to toe of the person lying in front of him, dissecting the body with precision. Blood began to flow, dripping steadily down the embalming table. After a series of peculiar sounds, he carefully held up a blood-soaked organ.
He stared at this part of the human organ in his hand, his expression initially verging on ecstatic and almost manic.
However, in just a moment, the blood grew cold.
The man’s lips slowly relaxed, as if he were still immersed in a beautiful dream and reluctant to wake up. He delicately handled the organ, treating it like a precious treasure, and tucked it into his chest. He looked around for a tool to preserve it and, in a moment of carelessness, the slippery object slipped from his grasp and fell into the dusty ground, rolling for a moment.
“Ah, ah, ah!” The man roared, trying to pick it up but realizing it was already dirty and completely cold.
His eyes turned bloodshot.
A pounding on the door, “bang, bang, bang,” echoed through the silence of the rainy night, making it even more eerie.
When the woman burst into the room, she happened to see him raising the knife high, poised to strike at the embalming table, while muttering, “Useless thing, die, die, die.”
In this gruesome scene, with blood and flesh splattering, a sticky organ fragment happened to drop right at her feet. The woman screamed in horror, falling to the ground.
The man turned back with the knife in hand, a sinister smile curling at the corners of his lips. “You’ve come at just the right time.”
* * *
As Song Yuhang underwent her examination, she also examined the furnishings in the room. Compared to modern hospitals, she felt that this place resembled a field hospital, almost like a secret base.
Not to mention the stringent security measures upon entering, even the doors and windows appeared to be bulletproof. She couldn’t help but wonder, “What is this place?”
It wasn’t marked on any map.
The meticulous doctor powered down the machine and wrote the examination report. “The patient is in good health with no major issues, just soft tissue contusions and subcutaneous hematoma. The cut on the right hand from the glass isn’t a significant problem; I recommend cleaning and suturing it, along with applying a hemostatic agent. Turn left when you exit.”
As he finished speaking, he handed her a slip of paper, also devoid of any markings, bearing only the doctor’s elegantly scripted words.
Song Yuhang understood that without Lin Yan’s approval, the people here probably wouldn’t answer any of her questions.
She put on her coat, holding the slip of paper, and began to make her way out. Just then, Lin Yan’s butler, who had finished escorting her back to the hospital room, approached.
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“Miss Song, are you heading to the wound care room? Please follow me,” the butler stopped and gestured to guide her.
Song Yuhang glanced at the elderly man with silver-threaded hair. She had seen him on that rainy night at the Lin family villa.
The butler gave a faint smile, as if he knew what was on her mind. “We haven’t properly introduced ourselves. My last name is Lin, and I’ve been with Miss Lin since she was a child, watching her grow up. You can call me Butler Lin.”
“This is Secret Base 03, Miss’s private convalescent home. We’re delighted to welcome our first guest.”
Song Yuhang was taken aback, focusing on the word “private.” The butler continued to lead her forward, and while he couldn’t divulge too much about the internal struggles within the Lin family, he just repeated once again.
“Yes, private.”
This meant that it was Lin Yan’s private property, unconnected to the Lin family and not inherited from her father.
She was guarding against Lin Youyuan and others who might have ill intentions towards her.
At just 32 years old, this base was already fully established in terms of security, personnel, and infrastructure. She had been doing this for how many years now? This was only Base 03; were there still 04, 05, 06… perhaps even more?
What kind of lack of security must she have experienced to become the person she was today?
Thinking about how every time she appeared by Lin Yan’s side, as long as it wasn’t a direct approach, Lin Yan’s actions were always deadly, Song Yuhang felt increasingly uneasy.
These 32 years must have been very tough on her.
They soon arrived at the wound care room. Song Yuhang nodded slightly to the butler and entered the room on her own, saying, “Thank you.”
This night passed in silence, and Lin Yan slept soundly. She had a habit of suffering from insomnia, so her medication included sleep aids. Coupled with her injuries, her body felt unusually fatigued.
When she woke up, Song Yuhang had already left, and what she didn’t know was that Song Yuhang, a female, had come to see her before leaving.
The tall and handsome police officer bathed in the morning sunlight, leaning cautiously against the glass door, watching her comrade and colleague lying peacefully in bed, silently saying in her heart, “Lin Yan, goodbye, I’ll be waiting for your return.”