Demons Beside You

“What’s the price?”

“Quote your own price.”

“What do you mean? Don’t you decide on the price first when you talk to clients?”

“Three-ninety-nine Bin Road. I’ll send the exact address to you later. Bye.”

With that, Ethan hung up. All Chen Zhao could do was call Vincent and get to 388 Bin Road.

When he got there, he looked up and realized it was an orphanage!

Chen Zhao massaged his temples. It seemed that he wouldn’t earn anything from this job. How much money could an orphanage give? Even if they could, Chen Zhao wouldn’t want it. It was troublesome...

The metal gate of the orphanage wasn’t closed. It seemed to have broken and hadn’t been repaired in a long while.

Chen Zhao waited for a bit before an old woman in plain clothing walked out. She came over when she saw Chen Zhao.

“Hello, are you the doctor?”

“Yes, I’m the doctor. Who needs treatment?”

“I’m the administrator of the orphanage. Please come with me.”

The orphanage was quite large. There were some recreational structures for the kids, but they all looked really old. There was a slide with chipped paint, a rusted seesaw, and a yard of fallen leaves that no one raked.

Looking up at the tower, one could see various youthful faces in the window.

The orphanage was quite depressing. The main building was four floors and looked to be from the 20th century. The wall was dark grey and the stones in the corners were weathered.

Walking in, the hallway was dark too. Lighting was bad in this type of building, but the lights weren’t on either. Chen Zhao couldn’t see the way clearly, but it still felt uncomfortable.

Kids who grew up in this environment wouldn’t be very healthy mentally.

The hallway seemed to be lined with craft rooms. Kids inside were making some sort of cards.

“Administrator, what are the kids making?”

“Christmas cards,” she answered as she walked. “It’s almost Christmas. The kids will bring these cards along to sell on the street. One dollar per card.”

“Is money this tight?”

“The government gives the orphanage $50,000 every year. Adding the donations from all around the world, we get around $200,000.”

“That seems quite a lot.”

“We have 400 kids. On average, each child has less than $500 per year. Do you still think it’s a lot?” The administrator’s reply was cold but also a bit helpless.

“There are that many kids here?”

“Actually, we even owe the electric company. They once came to warn us that if we don’t pay the bill, they’ll cut off our electricity. Two volunteers and I went to the company to threaten them that if they dared to, I’ll destroy their reputation.”

“Uh...” Chen Zhao didn’t know what to say. The administrator was using blackmail, but she had no other choice. “Is one of the kid’s sick?”

“No, a volunteer,” the administrator replied.

Chen Zhao was led to the last room. A young man was lying on a bed. The trash can nearby was filled with bloody tissues. A girl was crying beside him. She seemed to be around 11 or 12.

Chen Zhao immediately went over. The young man had several knife wounds on his stomach.

“How did you get hurt?” Chen Zhao asked.

“It’s me... I hurt Mr. Kerry. Doctor, please, please save Mr. Kerry.”

“Don’t worry. He won’t die.”

Chen Zhao checked the injury. It was basically just skin trauma and blood loss. He hadn’t hurt his internal organs. The wound had to be disinfected, so Chen Zhao first gave him an antibiotic.

“Hey, are you still fully conscious?”

“Yes.” Kerry nodded. He was hurt, but he wasn’t that weak. He was still clear-headed too. “I’m okay...”

Then he turned to the girl. “Cheryl, I don’t blame you. Stop crying.”

This man was really attractive. Even from a guy’s point of view, he was still overly attractive. This girl probably liked her super attractive teacher. Chen Zhao wondered if she confessed to the teacher but was rejected, so her love turned to hate and she stabbed him.

After the treatment and bandaging, Chen Zhao said, “Don’t get it wet or do intense exercise or eat irritating foods for three days. Also, keep this bottle of antibiotics. Take two after each meal. You can take off the bandage in three days.”

“Okay, thanks. How much should I pay you?”

“Kerry, I’ll pay,” the administrator said. “After all, you got hurt here.”

“No need,” Chen Zhao said as he packed up. “I’ll do it for free.”

“That’s not right.”

Chen Zhao picked up his kit. “Here’s my card. Call me if you need anything.”

At that time, the girl ran over to Chen Zhao. “Umm... You’re not as attractive as Mr. Kerry, but you’re a good person.”

Uh, what the f*ck? Are you insulting me or complimenting me? I don’t need this kind of compliment.

Chen Zhao’s expression grew uncomfortable.

“Madam, I must leave now.”

“Thank you, young man. May God bless you.”

Chen Zhao didn’t like this place. The atmosphere was too suffocating. He left like he was escaping.

...

It was still early when he got home—only around four p.m. He saw five police cars drive past the road before him.

“What happened in town?” Chen Zhao mumbled to himself on the side of the road. “How come there are so many cops?”

Just then, a car stopped before him. Leondardo’s head poked out of the window. “Hi, Chen.”

“Leon, what happened?”

“Someone died.”

“Oh, how?”

“Suicide by hanging.”

“You don’t need all these cops for that, right?”

“It’s a wanted criminal who’s been hiding in town. He rented a place. The landlord went to collect rent today and found the guy dead inside.”

“I won’t keep you from work, then.”

“I don’t have much. How about we go get a drink?” Leonardo asked.

“Are you sure I’m not disturbing your work?”

“I’m just a patrol cop. Solving cases has no place for me. The crime team will take care of it.”

Chen Zhao got into Leonardo’s car and they went to an open-air restaurant near the site of the case.

“Chen, where’s your big dog Walter?”

“He’s with his mom.”

“Miss Gerlyn?”

“No.” Chen Zhao shook his head. “I’m not dating Gerlyn... It’s Fali, that woman you brought over that made a big scene. She’s my roommate now.”

“What? What happened before this?”