Bai Ci listened quietly, the tears on her face gradually stopping.
Looking at Hugo's worried eyes, she knew he was genuinely thinking of her. If she insisted on investigating further, it would only make him worry more.
So, before Hugo could speak to caution her again, Bai Ci beat him to it. “I understand. I won't go asking around about dangerous things, don't worry.”
“But Hugo, I want you to let me take care of you. I know you're afraid of infecting me, but I don't want you to suffer here all alone. I can bring you lunch every day. I'll learn how to cook properly from Aunt Martha, and I won't cause you any trouble. I'll also be careful not to contact other patients, alright?”
Looking at Bai Ci's sincere eyes, Hugo's heart warmed, and his eyes grew slightly red. He was just an ordinary small-town mail carrier; what had he done to deserve such a wonderful fiancée?
“Alright, I'll do as you say. But you must take good care of yourself and not push yourself too hard. If you feel unwell at all, go back immediately,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.
“I will,” Bai Ci said with a smile, reaching up to wipe away the remaining tear tracks on her face—her tears had already served their purpose. “Be good and get treated here. Rest well, and I'll head back first. Once you're better, we'll go home together.”
Hugo nodded, watching Bai Ci's figure, his eyes filled with tenderness and guilt.
Bai Ci gave him a few more instructions to rest well and take his medicine on time before turning to gently close the door behind her and step out of the ward.
The moment she stepped out of the ward, the gentleness and vulnerability on Bai Ci's face gradually faded, replaced by a solemn expression.
She looked up and saw Lin Wan and Chen Mo standing at the end of the corridor, quietly waiting for her.
Not investigate this matter? Impossible.
Bai Ci walked up to them and bypassed any pleasantries, getting straight to the point. “You want to know what happened before Hugo fell unconscious, right?”
It was perfectly logical for her to state her demands clearly and directly right after her fiancé had met with an accident.
Lin Wan and Chen Mo exchanged a glance, clearly not expecting Bai Ci to be so direct.
Lin Wan was the first to snap out of it and nodded in admission, her tone candid yet carrying a hint of testing. “Miss Lora, to be honest, we indeed want to know. Mr. Hugo suddenly contracting the plague is far too strange, and something bizarre did indeed happen at the post office this morning.”
“I can tell you everything I know,” Bai Ci said, her gaze sweeping over Lin Wan and Chen Mo as she spoke deliberately. “But I have one condition: I want to work with you.”
At this, Lin Wan was stunned for a moment, then quickly tried to dissuade her. “Miss Lora, this is too dangerous. The matters we are investigating are far-reaching, and even we don't know what we'll face next. You're just an ordinary person, and since Mr. Hugo is still in the hospital, you should stay by his side instead of getting involved in these dangers.”
“An ordinary person?” Bai Ci interrupted her. “I might be an ordinary person, but my fiancé is currently lying on a hospital bed with his life hanging in the balance. His illness is not a simple case of the plague at all. This isn't just bad luck; it's a bizarre phenomenon that I can't comprehend.”
“I can see that you have your own purposes—perhaps to survive, perhaps for something else. I don't care. I only know that you plan to uncover the truth and resolve this matter.”
“I want to save my fiancé. I don't want to watch him suffer from this inexplicable plague. That's why I want to join you. I can provide the clues I know, as well as my money.”
Chen Mo stood quietly to the side with his hands in his pockets, his expression still sour. However, he had been silently observing Bai Ci, rapidly calculating the pros and cons of bringing an NPC along.
Lora was Hugo's fiancée, so she likely had access to most of the clues Hugo knew. Moreover, she was linked to a detective questline. Falling out with her now would result in losing a lot of information. On top of that, she was a wealthy young lady; bringing her along might provide an extra hand.
As for the troublesome part, this wealthy young lady was completely defenseless and her physical fitness seemed average at best. She might become a liability.
But then again... Chen Mo glanced at Lin Wan, who also looked physically weak. For their two-person team, Lora's physical shortcomings weren't really an issue.
After a brief silence, Chen Mo spoke. “Fine. But you must promise us that you will follow our arrangements in everything. No acting on your own, and no holding us back.”
Bai Ci agreed immediately. “I promise you, I'll listen to everything you say, as long as it saves Hugo.”
Bai Ci's agreement was decisive. It wasn't because she fully trusted Chen Mo and Lin Wan's character, or because she was confident she could handle any bad situation. The reality was that even if they used her as cannon fodder, as long as someone's final evaluation score went up because of it, she would benefit as well.
Since it was a guaranteed win-win situation, there was no need to overthink or spend too much effort being on guard.
Seeing that Chen Mo had agreed, Lin Wan stopped trying to dissuade her. “In that case, we'll work together. However, this isn't a suitable place to talk. The hospital is crowded, with nurses and patients' families everywhere. If someone overhears us, things will get very troublesome.”
“We need to find a quiet, safe place to discuss what Mr. Hugo told you and share what we know as well.”
“Let's go to my house. You can pretend you're worried about me and are escorting me back,” Bai Ci suggested immediately, having already come up with a perfectly natural excuse.
The three of them reached an agreement and, without lingering any longer, left the hospital together.
Before long, the carriage arrived at No. 7 Red Brick Street. Bai Ci paid the fare and led Lin Wan and Chen Mo inside.
Back at Hugo's house, Bai Ci went to the kitchen first to pour three glasses of warm water, handing them to Lin Wan and Chen Mo. She then sat down on a chair in the living room and, without wasting any time, recounted everything she had heard from Hugo without missing a single word.
She detailed how Zhao Yu and Zhou Kai had snuck into the attic, how Hugo had quietly followed them, the eerie scene inside the attic, the greyish-blue statue of the young girl, and the entire process of how Hugo suddenly fell unconscious after the statue shattered.
“...And that's everything. Hugo said his illness must be related to that broken statue.” After finishing, Bai Ci picked up her glass of warm water, took a sip to moisten her throat, and looked up at Lin Wan and Chen Mo. “I want to know, how are Zhao Yu and Zhou Kai now? What happened after they broke the statue?”
At the mention of Zhao Yu and Zhou Kai, the anger Chen Mo had previously suppressed flared up again. “They're dead.”
“What?” Bai Ci was stunned, wondering if she had misheard.
“Suicide,” Chen Mo added through gritted teeth. “Two absolute lunatics.”
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