Chapter 995: The Spectators

Doctor Zhao and Xu Liunian had been arguing back and forth, but Chu Tianqiu simply smiled faintly. He neither interrupted them nor refuted their points.

“Why on earth?” Doctor Zhao said. “I've barely participated in any games, and every time, it's been a narrow escape, just barely scraping by... Why do you have to choose me?”

“Because you're strong,” Chu Tianqiu said. “Every time you need to release 'Hui Xiang,' you do it accurately and without fail, whether you admit it or not. Your mental resilience is better than that of most people here.”

“That's nonsense...” Doctor Zhao said. “When I'm performing surgery on a patient, the situation is even more intense than releasing 'Hui Xiang'... It's a whole crowd watching me, and one slip-up could mean the patient dies, my career is ruined, and the family haunts me for life. I might not die, but it would be worse than death.”

“See...” Chu Tianqiu said. “That mindset of yours is already superior to most people's. Only under extreme pressure can true strength emerge. You've been through enough high-pressure situations that even in emergencies, you're unlikely to fail, right?”

“But I don't want that!” Doctor Zhao said. “I'm just an ordinary person with simple desires...” He stepped forward, looking aggrieved as he spoke to Chu Tianqiu. “Everyone says 'Yi Zhe Ren Xin,' and every doctor claims their dream is to 'save lives and heal the wounded'...” Doctor Zhao grabbed his hair. “But I'm nothing like them. All I think about is 'doctors make good money' and 'doctors are great for getting married'... That's the real reason I became a doctor. I'm not some noble, selfless person, so why force me to act like one?!”

Chu Tianqiu chuckled lightly and placed a hand on Doctor Zhao's shoulder.

“So, you're special,” Chu Tianqiu said.

“What...?”

“Even though everyone knows 'doctors make good money' and 'doctors are great for getting married,' not everyone can become a doctor,” Chu Tianqiu continued with a smile. “And among those who do become doctors for those reasons, most will change their tune and say they have 'Yi Zhe Ren Xin' and dream of 'saving lives and healing the wounded.' That's the biggest difference between you and them.”

“Stop kidding...” Doctor Zhao said gloomily. “If there's a difference, it's in the wrong direction.”

“No, in this world, no one likes a 'hypocrite,' but some people like a 'true villain,'” Chu Tianqiu said. “And I like 'true villains.' You have a very clear understanding of yourself, which is an advantage that many people lack.”

“You call that an 'advantage'...?”

“Of course, people aren't that different from machines,” Chu Tianqiu said. “Every machine has its flaws and defects, but some people choose to face them head-on, while others hide them. Only those who face their flaws can improve the machine as a whole. Those who hide them will eventually suffer for it, because if you hide something long enough, even you won't want to admit those flaws exist.”

Chu Tianqiu's words gradually made Doctor Zhao's expression turn puzzled. Though he had always been seen as the “neighbor's perfect child,” few people had ever affirmed him from this angle. Most people who praised him only said he was good at studying, had a good job, a promising future, and so on, but they never really understood what kind of person he was. Was someone greedy and lustful, yet doing their best to treat patients, a good person or a bad one? Was a doctor who accepted red envelopes but still performed surgeries to the best of their ability a good person or a bad one? In the end, public opinion was fearsome, so how could anyone dare to show their strengths and weaknesses to the world?

“And you, Xu Liunian,” Chu Tianqiu turned and said. “Don't you still have things you want to do?”

“The things I want to do...?” Xu Liunian's eyes flickered for a moment, then he said, “I don't have anything I want to do anymore... I only know what I 'can't do.' If I'm forced into this game, that would be completely absurd...”

“Don't be naive,” Chu Tianqiu said. “What's your current state if not like a stray dog on the run... Are you just giving up?”

“What else can I do...?” Xu Liunian retorted. “Every method I can think of has failed. Now, all I can do is accept it... I just hope I don't die a horrible death, but whether it's you or Qi Xia, neither of you is willing to let me go.”

“Absurd,” Chu Tianqiu said. “Xu Liunian, the reason I haven't given up on you all these years is because you've always been fighting back... But look at you now—what a mess.”

“Fight back... How can I fight back?” Xu Liunian lifted his lifeless eyes and asked desperately, “Can you give me a reason to keep fighting?”

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present felt a strange oppressive presence in the air. They all looked up to see a figure in a long robe with ink-green hair suddenly appear in the sky and then land on the ground.

“Want a reason? That's simple,” the figure said in a voice that was both masculine and feminine. “The reason is to go 'home'... I've come up with several jokes today—want to hear them?”

The sudden appearance left everyone speechless, as most of them were seeing Qinglong for the first time. Zheng Yingxiong instinctively covered his nose, as if struck again. The atmosphere, which had been in normal conversation, instantly dropped to freezing point. Even those who hadn't seen Qinglong before knew danger had arrived.

“Whoa~~~~~~”

Before anyone could react, a sharp sound pierced the air, dispelling the tension that had just built up. Everyone was stunned and turned to look at Chen Junan.

“You all stand your ground, folks!” he shouted. “Qinglong has come all this way to tell us jokes—we can't let the mood go cold. Wait for my signal to start laughing, okay?”

Qinglong frowned slightly at this, but after a few seconds, still wore a look of contempt.

“Enjoying verbal jabs...” Qinglong snorted coldly. “That's just how humans are... No matter how tough life gets, their mouths are always tough.”

“Whoa...” Chen Junan blinked, then glanced at Qiao Jiajin as if thinking something over. “Hit a nerve, did I?”

“Not really...” Chen Junan shook his head. “I'm just not sure if I should laugh now... Because this joke isn't funny at all.”

“You...”

Before Qinglong could get angry, Qi Xia interjected: “Is wanting to 'go home' really a problem?”

Qinglong paused, clearly intrigued.

“What a foolish idea... Qi Xia,” Qinglong laughed. “Do you know what the difference is between people and pigs?”