Becoming an Evil God and Stealing His Wife - Chapter 3

Li Jiu decided he would wait until he returned home tonight to examine the handbook. Doing it out in the open was far too risky.

Beside him, Hu Xiangxiang spoke up, breaking his train of thought. “Xiao Li, do you know Ling Xiao?”

“Ling Xiao?” Realizing she was referring to the man who had just walked into the ward, Li Jiu replied, “No, I don’t. I just happened to visit his workplace once before due to an unexpected incident.”

Whether it was the truth behind his parents’ disappearance or his own questioning after escaping the basement, the Quality Inspection Department had strictly ordered him to keep everything confidential. He couldn’t openly talk about it.

Hu Xiangxiang nodded understandingly. “Ah, I see.”

It wasn’t long before the ward door swung open, and Ling Xiao stepped out alongside Dr. Qin.

“The patient is out of danger now,” Dr. Qin announced.

That fast?

Piecing together the timeline, Li Jiu deduced that Ling Xiao must have been the one to stabilize or cure Xiao Zhang. This proved that the Quality Inspection Department possessed definitive methods to counter the effects of monsters.

Resisting the urge to stare directly at Ling Xiao, Li Jiu kept his eyes politely fixed on Dr. Qin, playing the part of an innocent bystander.

“Thank you, Doctor,” Hu Xiangxiang said, letting out a sigh of relief. “Can we go in and see him?”

“You may,” Dr. Qin replied. “But ensure you don’t agitate him, as it might negatively affect his recovery. I’ve already detailed his specific physical condition to him. If you wish to know more, you can ask him directly.” With that, Dr. Qin excused herself and left.

Ling Xiao’s sharp, assessing gaze immediately shifted toward Li Jiu.

Faced with such an intense scrutiny, Li Jiu didn’t flinch. He met the captain’s eyes naturally, offering a polite, mild smile.

He hadn’t expected things to move this quickly. Just this morning, he had resolved to secretly gather information on the Quality Inspection Department. Now, simply by stepping out to look for work and stopping for a drink of water, he had crossed paths with their captain and discovered that the kindly shop owner he had helped was the man’s sister-in-law.

It was an incredible opportunity. This connection gave him a direct entry point to gather intelligence.

But it was also an immense challenge. Ling Xiao was clearly not someone easily fooled. Now that they had properly made acquaintance, Li Jiu would have to be exceptionally careful with his every move from here on out. He could afford absolutely zero slip-ups.

Ling Xiao withdrew his gaze and turned back to Hu Xiangxiang. “Sister-in-law, you know him?”

Hu Xiangxiang quickly recounted the morning’s events, offering high praise. “Xiao Li is a truly good lad. Thanks to him today, I was able to get Xiao Zhang to the hospital smoothly.”

Ling Xiao, however, seemed entirely unfazed by the glowing recommendation. He bypassed the topic completely, asking, “How have things been at the shop lately?”

“Everything at the shop is perfectly fine,” Hu Xiangxiang replied, a bit awkwardly, before her face filled with concern. “What about you, Xiao Xiao? Why are you at the hospital? Are you feeling unwell?”

“I’m fine. I’m just here on official business,” Ling Xiao said, glancing down at his wristwatch. “Sister-in-law, I have to run. I have other matters to attend to. Once this busy streak passes, I’ll stop by the shop to visit you.”

“Anytime is fine. Go on, hurry to your work, and please stay safe,” Hu Xiangxiang urged warmly.

Ling Xiao nodded slightly, turned on his heel, and strode away.

Watching him leave, Hu Xiangxiang turned to Li Jiu apologetically. “Xiao Li, please don’t take it to heart. He’s just a bit introverted. He’s like this with everyone until he gets to know them, but he really is a good person at core.”

Li Jiu smiled. “I don’t mind at all, Auntie. In fact, I highly respect people who prioritize their work like that.”

Naturally, one couldn’t speak ill of someone’s relative right in front of them. Though, as for Hu Xiangxiang describing Ling Xiao as “introverted,” Li Jiu heavily suspected it was a sheer illusion on her part. A man with an aura that dominant likely didn’t even know what the word introverted meant.

“Good lad,” Hu Xiangxiang said. “Let’s head inside and see how Xiao Zhang is doing.”

Li Jiu nodded and followed her into the ward.

At the far end of the room, Xiao Zhang was propped up against the head of the bed. “Boss lady,” he murmured weakly.

“How are you feeling?” Hu Xiangxiang asked gently.

Xiao Zhang squeezed out a forced, strained smile. “I’m doing alright. Thank you for bringing me to the hospital, boss lady.”

His expression said otherwise. Li Jiu quietly observed from the side.

“It was Xiao Li who helped me carry you all the way here,” Hu Xiangxiang clarified, gesturing to the young man beside her.

Xiao Zhang turned his weary eyes to Li Jiu. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Li Jiu replied softly.

The atmosphere in the ward suddenly fell into an uncomfortable silence. Hu Xiangxiang, noticing how pale the young man still looked, pressed further, “Are you truly feeling alright?”

The fragile smile on Xiao Zhang’s face vanished instantly, like melting snow. He remained silent for a long moment, and when he finally spoke, his voice was raspy, laced with a choked sob.

“The doctor… the doctor said my heart is failing. Though I can live a relatively normal life and handle light work, I can never do any strenuous physical labor again. And… I have to stay on medication for the rest of my life.”

“But my health has always been perfectly fine before this. How did it turn out like this? Staying on medication forever… how could I ever afford that…”

His voice dropped to a desperate whisper. Tears slipped down his cheeks, leaving dark, damp circles on the hospital blanket.

“How could this happen?” Hu Xiangxiang let out a heavy sigh, her heart aching for him. “Sigh… though I can’t do much, I can at least keep your position open for you. Take this time to rest properly. Once you’ve recovered, you can always come back to work at the shop.”

To her surprise, Xiao Zhang’s shoulders shook violently. He snapped his head up, his face twisted in raw panic as he outright rejected the offer. “No! No, I’m not going back!”

Hu Xiangxiang was stunned. “Why?”

“I can’t say…” Xiao Zhang’s complexion was ghastly. “Boss lady, thank you for taking such good care of me during my time there. I… I’m so sorry. I want to resign.”

“Why the sudden resignation?” Hu Xiangxiang asked, deeply concerned. “Is there some sort of difficulty? You can talk to me. Is it the pay, or are you just worried about your physical health?”

Xiao Zhang shook his head frantically. “No, it’s none of those! The pay has always been wonderful. It’s… it’s purely my own personal reasons!”

Seeing the young man growing increasingly hysterical, Li Jiu stepped forward and said in a low voice, “Auntie Hu, Dr. Qin mentioned we shouldn’t agitate him.”

Hu Xiangxiang immediately softened her tone, trying to calm him down. “Xiao Zhang, don’t worry. Don’t force yourself. We can discuss everything slowly. Are you absolutely certain you want to resign?”

Xiao Zhang gradually regained his composure. After a long pause, he looked up. Though a deep sense of reluctance lingered in his eyes, it was entirely overridden by sheer terror and resolve. “I’ve truly made up my mind.”

Hu Xiangxiang sighed again, yielding to his stance. “Alright then. Rest assured, Xiao Zhang, I’ll clear your remaining wages normally, and I’ll add an extra month’s pay as a bonus. I truly hope you get well soon.”

Xiao Zhang’s eyes grew red. “Thank you, boss lady.”

Just then, the ward door clicked open, and a nurse walked in. Looking over the three of them, she asked, “It’s time to settle the hospital fees. Who will be taking care of the payment?”

Li Jiu silently took half a step backward, adjusting his stance.

Just as a distressed Xiao Zhang opened his mouth to speak, Hu Xiangxiang spoke up smoothly. “I’ll handle it.”

“Boss lady…”

“It’s fine,” Hu Xiangxiang cut him off gently. “You’ve worked diligently for me for years; this is the least I can do. Rest well, Xiao Zhang. We’ll be taking our leave now.”

The Fragrant Noodle House

By the time they walked out of the hospital entrance, a distant clock tower was chiming. Flocks of birds cut across the dreary, overcast sky.

It was already four o’clock in the afternoon.

“Xiao Li, I’ve really troubled you today,” Hu Xiangxiang said as they stood by the gates. “You’ve been helping me every step of the way. Even with the payment process just now, I would have been completely lost without you navigating the counters.”

Right on cue, Li Jiu’s stomach let out a thunderous, agonizing growl. The sheer emptiness was causing a burning sensation in his throat. He quickly pressed a hand against his stomach to dull the ache. “It was nothing, Auntie. Whenever I didn’t know where to go, I just asked the hospital staff, and they were happy to direct me.”

Hearing the loud protest from his stomach and seeing his posture, Hu Xiangxiang felt a wave of guilt wash over her.

“Look at me… I originally invited you into the shop just to have some water and rest, but then Xiao Zhang suddenly collapsed. You haven’t even had a proper meal or a single cup of water yet.”

She smiled warmly. “Let this auntie treat you to a nice meal as a small token of my gratitude, alright? You absolutely cannot refuse.”

Li Jiu was indeed starving to the point of lightheadedness. His vision was turning slightly blurry, and he genuinely doubted his ability to walk all the way back to his shack without collapsing.

“Auntie, in that case, I won’t stand on ceremony.”

Hu Xiangxiang beamed. “You’ve helped me so much, there’s no need to be formal with me. Tell me, what do you feel like eating? Anything you want.”

Li Jiu thought for a moment. “Could I just have a bowl of noodles at your shop?”

Hu Xiangxiang laughed. “I told you not to be polite, yet here you are being polite again. There are so many delicious restaurants on this street. Having someone treat you to a meal only to choose plain noodles is a terrible deal!”

Li Jiu grinned. “Then how about two bowls of noodles, with an extra helping of meat?”

“If you insist, then absolutely!” Hu Xiangxiang chuckled thoroughly. “You can have as many bowls as you want. I’ll load them up with meat, and we’ll have hot meat buns too.”

The hospital wasn’t exceptionally far from the Xiangxiang Noodle House, so the two made their way back on foot.

When Hu Xiangxiang unlocked the door and stepped inside, she froze for a split second. When she turned back to look at Li Jiu, the look in her eyes had softened significantly.

Curious, Li Jiu followed her line of sight. Sitting quietly on the water stand near the door was the uneaten portion of his grey taro wrapped in leaves. It was his intended lunch. He had dropped it there the moment he heard her scream from the kitchen, and through the ensuing chaos, he had completely forgotten about it.

It wasn’t long before Hu Xiangxiang emerged from the kitchen bearing two massive, steaming bowls of noodles, completely smothered in a rich, savory minced meat sauce. Alongside the noodles, she brought out two bamboo steamers packed with plump meat buns.

“Eat up, eat up,” Hu Xiangxiang encouraged, placing the food before him. “There are plenty of noodles in the back that I can throw into the pot at any time, and the buns are steaming on the stove. If you finish these, auntie will bring you more.”

Since transmigrating into this world, Li Jiu hadn’t laid eyes on this much meat in fact, he hadn’t even seen a single speck of meat fat. His eyes practically locked onto the bowls. “This is more than enough, Auntie! This is plenty.”

Hu Xiangxiang sat down across from him, resting her hands on her apron. “Then dig in quickly. Going hungry for too long is terrible for the body.”

Starved out of his mind, Li Jiu abandoned all hesitation and began to eat down the food with earnest speed.

Once the two large bowls of noodles were polished off, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, feeling the warmth finally returning to his limbs. He looked across the table. “Auntie Hu, now that Xiao Zhang has resigned, will you be able to manage the shop’s workload all by yourself?”

Hu Xiangxiang’s expression clouded with worry. “Certainly not by myself. I’ll have to put out a hiring notice and look for someone new. I expect I’ll have to suspend business for a few days until I find help.”

Li Jiu seized the moment. “Would you let me give it a try?”

Judging by Xiao Zhang’s intense reluctance to leave prior to his panic, the job clearly offered excellent compensation and treatment. Furthermore, Hu Xiangxiang had proven herself to be an incredibly compassionate and fair employer. He desperately needed a stable job like this.

As for the underlying danger the fact that a monster might have manifested inside the Xiangxiang Noodle House Li Jiu wasn’t entirely deterred.

It wasn’t because he had grown arrogant or possessed some hidden trump card to face a monster head-on. Rather, his confidence stemmed from his analysis of the situation.

Back at the hospital, when Xiao Zhang was questioned by Hu Xiangxiang, his response had been a terrified “I can’t say…” This heavily implied that Ling Xiao had placed a gag order on him regarding whatever anomalous event occurred in the kitchen.

Given that Hu Xiangxiang was Ling Xiao’s direct relative, if the shop was genuinely a death trap housing an active monster, Ling Xiao would have ordered her to shut down operations immediately to ensure her safety. He wouldn’t leave his own family in mortal peril.

Li Jiu was betting on a calculated risk: even if a monster was connected to the noodle house, the Quality Inspection Department was already actively monitoring or handling the situation. Staying here would be relatively safe under their umbrella.

If he could secure this job, he would not only guarantee a steady source of income to survive, but he could also utilize his proximity to Hu Xiangxiang to subtly learn more about the Quality Inspection Department. If luck was on his side, he might even glean vital clues while the department dealt with the anomaly.

It was, effectively, killing three birds with one stone.