361: Chapter 5 Xu Xiang and Feng Baobao

Two days later, at the hospital, in the room where Meng Li was staying.

"Orphanage?"

Meng Li feigned "surprise."

"That's right." Xu Xiang nodded, then explained, "Your parents haven't been found yet, and the hospital isn't a place for someone to live long-term."

"So, I plan to send you to an orphanage."

"Rest assured, I've personally inspected that orphanage, and the conditions are excellent."

"Fine." Meng Li nodded in agreement, guessing at a certain possibility in his heart.

After spending two days at the orphanage Xu Xiang mentioned, he realized his guess was correct.

He heard the name Zhang Chulan at this orphanage, and after comparing notes, confirmed that the person was indeed Zhang Huaiyi's grandson, Zhang Chulan, and not just someone with the same name.

Furthermore, he spotted Feng Baobao lurking nearby.

This situation confirmed to Meng Li the current stage of events: Zhang Huaiyi was dead, his son Zhang Yude had disappeared after sending his son Zhang Chulan to the orphanage, and Feng Baobao was secretly protecting Zhang Chulan to uncover her own origins.

The reason Xu Xiang arranged for him to be here was likely so that Feng Baobao could keep an eye on him while she was guarding Zhang Chulan.

After all, he was an Outsider.

With these things confirmed, Meng Li didn't pay much attention and followed the normal routine: living and going to school at the orphanage, while secretly using Daluo Cave Observation and his Inner Landscape to elevate the Martial Arts he had learned in his previous lives to the Secret level, and then appropriately displaying his talent for reading and medicine.

During this time, he and Zhang Chulan got to know each other through group activities at the orphanage, but that was as far as it went.

Meng Li wasn't very willing to get close to Zhang Chulan.

Because the other party was deep and calculating.

There was nothing wrong with that, and Meng Li could even understand it, but he himself belonged to the same category.

And people with the same nature often repel each other.

Furthermore, given how Meng Li presented himself, it was hard for him to get along with Zhang Chulan.

Because after he appropriately displayed his excellent talent, especially his academic talent, he became the "kid next door" that everyone compared their children to.

Zhang Chulan, who was called "Yin Thirteen" by many, was naturally not stupid, but he followed a path of hiding his talents; his performance wasn't exactly that of a bad student, but it wasn't great either.

Therefore, although they were in the same orphanage, they were in two different circles.

To gain "freedom" sooner, Meng Li appropriately accelerated his academic progress, skipped grades, and became a special admit student.

Just like that, eight years flew by...

One day, Meng Li, who had achieved fame and success among ordinary people, was in his manor tinkering with herbs for medicine when he suddenly received a call from Xu Si—Xu Xiang had fallen ill!

Xu Si was Xu Xiang's son.

Xu Xiang also had another son named Xu San.

Xu San was the older brother, and Xu Si was the younger brother.

However, Xu San looked refined and clean-cut, and paid more attention to his image, making him look young.

Xu Si was casual, sloppy, and unkempt, looking a bit more mature. Coupled with a bit of a ruffian air and a decisive nature, he seemed more like the older brother.

People unfamiliar with them could easily mistake their birth order.

Both brothers were Outsiders, and under Xu Xiang's arrangement, they followed in their father's footsteps and joined the official organization known as the Na Du Tong Company, which was "ostensibly a courier service, but whose main job was handling Outsider incidents."

After Meng Li completed his studies ahead of schedule, Xu Xiang had invited him to join the Na Du Tong Company.

Meng Li declined for various reasons.

Xu Xiang did not force him.

Because Meng Li had kept to himself for many years and had made significant achievements in the medical field, being hailed as the "Tenth National Player."

However, due to their initial connection and the fact that they were both Outsiders, although Meng Li did not join the Na Du Tong Company, he still kept in touch with Xu Xiang.

Over time, he got to know Xu San and Xu Si, and they had a pretty good relationship.

...

After hanging up the phone, Meng Li did not delay, grabbed his medical kit, and drove to the hospital where Xu Xiang was.

Soon, he entered the intensive care unit and saw Xu San, Xu Si, Feng Baobao, and the unconscious Xu Xiang.

After brief greetings, Meng Li efficiently checked Xu Xiang's condition, then shook his head inwardly and gave Xu Si a look.

Xu Si understood, walked to the door, locked it, and then nodded slightly at Meng Li.

Meng Li immediately understood that they had already handled the room's surveillance beforehand.

Therefore, he didn't hesitate anymore and used a combination of acupuncture and his own lightning ability to treat Xu Xiang.

After a series of rhythmic, faint crackling sounds, Meng Li withdrew all the fine needles and pressed hard on Xu Xiang's philtrum.

Xu Xiang shuddered and slowly woke up.

Seeing the familiar figure writing a prescription, he regained his senses from his daze and couldn't help but laugh: "I was wondering why the King of Hell was willing to let me go, turns out it was you, the Enemy of the King of Hell, who took action."

Meng Li said while writing the prescription: "If you keep pushing yourself like this, the King of Hell is going to come up here to collect you."

Xu Xiang wasn't afraid at all: "That would be great, it would just give you, the Enemy of the King of Hell, a chance to compete with him and see who's fiercer."

Meng Li rolled his eyes: "If he really comes, I guarantee I'll be the first to run away."

After saying that, he stopped writing, handed the prescription to Xu San beside him, and said to Xu Xiang: "Alright, get some good rest and take your medicine on time. I have other things to do, so I'm leaving."

Xu Xiang nodded.

"I'll see you out." Xu Si spat out the toothpick in his mouth and said.

Meng Li nodded.

"What's the situation with the old man?" Once outside, Xu Si asked while walking.

Meng Li said: "Still the same thing, it's not an illness, it's exhaustion."

"This time, it involves his heart."

"If he's willing to settle down, take his medicine on time, rest properly, and exercise according to the methods I taught him, living to be over a hundred shouldn't be a problem."

"If he keeps pushing himself like this, it's hard to say if he'll even make it past ninety."

As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and asked doubtfully: "Didn't they say before that he was going to step down, and either you or Xu San would take over?"

"What happened? Didn't the company's upper management agree?"

Xu Si curled his lips and said irritably: "The old man doesn't agree. He says Xu San and I aren't capable enough and can't handle things on our own. But we've been by his side for a long time now; we've long since figured out the affairs in Lu Bei District, and we've had enough contact with headquarters as well."

"For the past two years, whenever he's been on a business trip, the two of us have handled everything."

"I don't know what he's being so stubborn about."

"He's already at that age..."

Watching Xu Si complain, Meng Li smiled without saying anything, but sighed inwardly.

The reason Xu Xiang held on so tightly to the position of person-in-charge of the Na Du Tong Company's Lu Bei District wasn't because he was greedy for power or didn't trust his two sons, but because he couldn't let go of Feng Baobao.

He had known Feng Baobao since he was a teenager, and even then, Feng Baobao looked like a young girl.

The two had spent some time together.

Xu Xiang had experienced his first stirrings of love and had feelings for Feng Baobao.

Feng Baobao was also the one who first guided Xu Xiang on his path as an Outsider.

Later, when bandits entered the village, Feng Baobao, due to her lack of emotions, killed the bandits without blinking, which caused psychological trauma to Xu Xiang's mother, leading to her being abandoned.

Xu Xiang and Feng Baobao were separated for decades after that.

When they met again, Xu Xiang was already married with children and weathered by time, while Feng Baobao looked and acted exactly as she had all those years ago.

Such a situation was no less than "You were born when I was not yet born, but when you were born, I was already old."

Therefore, Feng Baobao was very special to Xu Xiang.

She was his first love, his regret.

She was his Master, his family, his benefactor.

She was the unattainable moonlight, and also the indelible cinnabar mole in his heart.

In the original story, Xu Xiang couldn't let her go until his death.

Thinking back to this, Meng Li realized that in the original story, there were more than just Xu Xiang and Feng Baobao who had such complicated and unclear entanglements between middle-aged men and young girls.

It seems that a certain author was quite fond of this trope; one wonders if they had similar experiences themselves.

Just as he was speculating to himself, the complaining Xu Si seemed to think of something, his eyes flickering with changing thoughts, and then he asked Meng Li: "I remember you saying you have a unique set of acupuncture techniques that can dissipate the Qi in a person's body, right?"