Demons Beside You

It was the first time Chen Zhao observed Li Qing so carefully. Li Qing bit her lower lip and looked rather reluctant to speak.

“Auntie Li, is the peace knot special?” Chen Zhao stared at Li Qing.

After thinking, Li Qing said, “Mr. Chen, I’ll make another one for you later.”

“Is the peace knot very difficult to make?”

“Not really. It just takes some time.” Li Qing smiled. “By the way, Ethan went out to play. I don’t think he’ll be back today.”

“Did he say where he was going?”

“No.”

“Alright,” Chen Zhao sighed. “Auntie Li, I’m leaving.”

“Be careful out there. If… you run into trouble again, tell me. I can’t do much, but I can at least try to think of a solution with you.”

“Sure. Auntie Li, thank you,” Chen Zhao nodded.

Chen Zhao drove his car, deep in thought. Just then, his phone rang again.

“Hi, Chen, it’s Wright.”

“Yes?”

“Are you free now?”

“Yup. Are you unwell?”

“Yes… I’m not sure. I just feel weak,” Wright said. “I’m worried that… I might have gotten ALS.”

Chen Zhao frowned. ALS stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

It is a very troublesome illness. At the moment, it cannot be cured.

Even cancer has a small chance of full recovery. Sometimes, it can be removed physically.

However, ALS is really incurable.

Chen Zhao could only pray that it was not ALS.

“Wright, have you gotten a checkup?”

“No… I don’t dare to go.”

There were not many things that could scare Wright.

Even when she had cancer, she continued to stay by herself.

She was not scared of death, or rather she was not beaten by cancer.

However, the thought of having ALS really frightened her.

Chen Zhao had seen ALS patients before. It is really a terrifying disease.

Many ALS patients would rather die than live in that state.

Nonetheless, it was good news that Wright had not done a checkup. She merely suspected the disease.

Given Wright’s age, she was probably just scaring herself.

Many common elderly diseases would also cause muscle weakness. It is very normal.

Chen Zhao went to the supermarket and bought a bottle of red wine, after which he went straight to UCLA.

When Chen Zhao found Wright, he realized that she was still giving a lecture.

Chen Zhao even saw Diana and Eveleigh in the lecture room.

He quietly walked in from the side and found himself an empty seat.

When the lecture ended, Diana and Eveleigh approached him. Diana was delighted to see Chen Zhao. “Chen, are you here to find me?”

“Err…”

“And you have red wine too. Great! We can have a candle dinner!”

“Sorry… I’m not here for you, Diana,” Chen Zhao said, speechless. “I’m waiting for Wright. The wine is for her as well.”

Just then, Wright had also finished packing her lecture materials. She looked at Diana and Eveleigh. “Ladies, excuse me please.”

“Fine. If it’s Ms. Wright, I’ll quit.” Diana smiled. “Chen, come and find me next time.”

Diana waved her hand and left with Eveleigh.

“Let’s go to my office,” Wright said.

Wright brought Chen Zhao to her office and then locked the door.

“Chen, can you do a checkup for me?”

Chen Zhao nodded and started the examination.

“Where are you experiencing the weakness?”

“Left arm.”

Chen Zhao held Wright’s arm. “Contract your muscles.”

Chen Zhao pressed Wright’s arm again. Wright cooperated with the checkup very well.

“What have you been eating recently?

“Today, a sandwich for breakfast, and a medium steak for lunch…”

“Have you been contacting Ethan?”

“I’m not contacting that asshole.”

Chen Zhao smiled. “Wright, I can guarantee you that it’s not ALS.”

“Really?” Wright was relaxed at once.

“Yes. You probably just have muscle fatigue due to too much stress. If you’re still worried, you can go to a hospital, but you should get the same conclusion.”

Chen Zhao found out what Wright had been eating recently. The early symptoms of ALS normally include difficulty chewing and swallowing, and slurred speech.

However, Wright’s meals and words were all very normal.

She showed no symptoms of ALS, so she was probably just scaring herself.

“Wright, bring this bottle of wine back and finish it all at once.”

Wright looked at Chen Zhao, confused. “Please, I have mild high blood sugar. I can’t drink a bottle of wine all at once. Are you trying to kill me?”

“If you can’t finish it, remember to pour the rest away,” Chen Zhao said with a serious tone. “Can you promise me that?”

Wright looked at the red wine. It was a very ordinary one bought from a supermarket.

However, Chen Zhao seemed to have opened it already. Wright looked at Chen Zhao. “Is there something special with the wine?”

“It can make you healthier. If you trust me, do what I told you, alright?”

“Why must I pour it away if I can’t finish it?”

“So that we won’t get into trouble. Don’t let anyone else drink it.”

“Alright.” Wright rubbed her forehead. “I’m indeed quite stressed, now that I’m the principal. This could be an opportunity for me to rest.”

“You’re the principal?” Chen Zhao asked in surprise.

“Yeah. Brewster fell to death due to an elevator accident, and then I was chosen to be the principal.”

“I should congratulate you.”

“It’s a tough job. Just two days ago, two ladies, tricksters, came here. They said Brewster had hired them as special safety consultants and demanded that we pay them their salary of ten thousand dollars,” Wright said.

“And then?”

“Of course I chased them away,” Wright said. “They also said that they would curse me to lie on a bed forever.”

“Err…” Chen Zhao did not know whether to cry or laugh. “I think I know the two tricksters you’re talking about.”

“Huh? Are they your friends?”

“Yes, and they’re not tricksters. In fact, I was present when Brewster hired them. Brewster also did promise them a monthly salary of ten thousand.”

“Special safety consultant? What exactly does it mean?”

“You may not believe it, but they’re supernatural event experts,” Chen Zhao said, rubbing his nose.

Wright stared at Chen Zhao, as if she had just seen a ghost. “Are you serious?”

“I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s the fact. Remember how the abandoned college building used to have many accidents?”

“Yes,” Wright nodded.

“They were hired by Brewster to solve the problem in that building.”

“Chen, are you sure Brewster promised it himself?”

“I can promise you that. It’s real.”

“So they’re not tricksters?”

“No.”