The King of Curses

Chapter 7 "You are a good person."

It was not until Cen Dongsheng was halfway through helping to move the luggage that An Zhizhen learned from him that his original purpose was not to help.

"I'm sorry!" Sister Zhizhen clasped her hands together and apologized hurriedly, "Dongsheng, I thought Aunt Wang asked you to come..."

Aunt Wang is from the neighborhood committee, and Cen Dongsheng is quite familiar with her. She arranges the work of the volunteers in the community.

He was by no means a warm-hearted person, and he had no interest in running errands for free. But if he had not taken the initiative to become a volunteer, he and An Zhizhen would have had no chance to become familiar with each other.

Cen Dongsheng smiled and shook his head.

"It's okay. I don't mind. I'm here just to help."

"Hmm..." An Zhizhen stared at Cen Dongsheng's face seriously. After a while, she smiled happily, "Dongsheng, you are such a good person."

Sister Zhizhen is still dressed elegantly today. A pure white tight sweater outlines her perfect and hot figure. Under the straight skirt are black stockings and high-top Martin boots. It is an urban beauty outfit that suits her mature big sister temperament and at the same time can set off a casual atmosphere.

"Uh, thanks. But..."

Cen Dongsheng's eyes fell on the teardrop mole under her eye. Facing An Zhizhen's praise, he felt a little complicated.

In fact, according to his observation, she is the only one who can be considered a good person here.

He knew that his moral standards and values ​​were far from being a "good person". At best, he could be considered to have the bottom line of a human being. However, if one day he had to give up, he would give up without hesitation.

"Don't praise me, I'll be embarrassed."

After coming to his senses, he answered half-jokingly.

"Haha, I don't praise people casually. You think too lowly of yourself."

Sister Zhizhen deliberately used a connoisseur-like tone to educate her.

"It's hard to find a kind-hearted guy like you these days. Now it's a time for everyone to take care of their own business."

Although he was joking, because the person who said this was An Zhizhen, Cen Dongsheng couldn't help but let his imagination run wild again.

Yes, times are different. The moral values ​​of a society may undergo subversive changes every ten years; just like myself eight years later, some of my ideas will seem incompatible with the ordinary people of this era.

"By the way, Dongsheng, since you are not here to help, then you really have something to ask me?"

"Correct."

"what's up?"

Cen Dongsheng glanced at the back of the old lady who was packing in the bedroom, and replied in a low voice:

"Let's find a place to talk after we're done. We don't want others to hear this."

"what……"

Sister Zhizhen stared at him blankly, not knowing what she was thinking of, a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

"I, I understand. Let's talk about it later."

……

Another half an hour later, everything was almost packed up.

Sister Zhizhen was cleaning the room, and Cen Dongsheng stuffed all the unwanted garbage into a sack, planning to throw it away when he went downstairs later.

At this time, he noticed that the old lady was still in the inner room and had not come out.

He walked over and found that the old lady was kneeling on a cushion, holding a rosary in her hand and muttering to herself with her eyes closed.

The light in the room was dim. Two big red candles were lit on the low table. The faint flickering flame illuminated the furnishings on the table: an incense burner with curling green smoke and a black-and-white portrait.

An Zhizhen walked up to him, stood side by side with him in front of the room, and whispered.

"Grandma Lin's lover passed away six months ago. She fainted at the funeral due to excessive grief. I was the one who took her to the hospital."

"……I see."

After the old lady came out, An Zhizhen asked her:

"Grandma, you said you were moving. Where are you planning to move to?"

"what?"

The old lady was a little hard of hearing and only heard the question clearly after asking it several times.

"I was going to the temple."

"Didn't you say before that you wanted to wait for your grandson to come back?"

"Yes, but he has already been here and said that he does not intend to stay in the city. He and several of his friends are working in other places."

"Have you been here?"

An Zhizhen blinked.

"Just a week ago. I remember Dr. An was there too. I forgot to introduce him to you then, haha. I was planning to introduce him to you..."

The old lady's eyes fell on Cen Dongsheng and she smiled kindly.

"Now it seems that I, an old woman, am meddling in other people's business. Dr. An, don't mind it."

"What are you talking about?"

Sister Zhizhen said angrily.

……

Finally, they finished their work. The old lady locked the door, and the two of them helped carry the luggage downstairs.

Cen Dongsheng and An Zhizhen accompanied her to the gate of the community. Sister Zhizhen had already called a taxi in advance and was waiting there. Finally, she watched the hobbled old man get in the car and leave.

As the two stood side by side, Cen Dongsheng looked at Sister Zhizhen's profile. She had a gentle smile on her face, and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

He hesitated for a moment and said:

"Sister Zhizhen, you are really kind-hearted..."

Even at this moment, he still found it hard to believe.

The cold-blooded and ruthless big shot in his impression turned into a beautiful, kind-hearted, cheerful and smiling sister next door, which made people wonder whether they were really the same person.

But this is impossible, after all, it is the same face, and An Zhizhen has never changed his name.

"What? It's your turn to praise me all of a sudden? Should I learn to be humble like you?"

Sister Zhizhen replied with a smile.

"No, I'm serious. It's awesome to be a volunteer."

"Have you forgotten that you are one too?"

...I really forgot. Who told him to get close to An Zhizhen purely for utilitarian purposes?

“Actually, this is my dream.”

"dream?"

"Yes. Dongsheng, guess why I want to be a doctor?"

"I do not know."

"The reason is actually very simple. When I was a child, a relative of mine passed away. Then, in the last days of that person's life, I saw with my own eyes how he was tortured by illness. Since then, I have had the idea of ​​becoming a doctor. But my real ideal has never been this..."

The two were walking on the way back to Xiaokang Building. When they passed the bicycle parking area and the flower bed, An Zhizhen suddenly stopped.

The sunlight coming down from the patio just happens to shine on the flower bed in the center of the U-shaped building. This may be the brightest place in the entire Xiaokang building. With someone carefully caring for and watering them, the flowers and plants in the flower beds are thriving.

Sister Zhizhen bent down, picked up a dogtail grass from the flower bed, and swung it in her hand. After removing a few weeds, she turned her head and asked:
"Are you tired?"

Cen Dongsheng shook his head.

With his current monstrous physique, even if he maintained what ordinary people consider to be "high-intensity exercise" for 24 hours, he probably wouldn't feel tired at all.

"I mean, it's possible that I'm tired."

Sister Zhizhen blinked and gave a mischievous smile.

"If you have the opportunity to go shopping with girls in the future, you can't always be straightforward. You have to learn to read people's expressions." "Really?" Cen Dongsheng said indifferently, "If I feel tired, I should just say it. After all, my legs are on my body."

What he hates most is behaviors that require you to guess the "behind-the-scenes meaning", especially when such instructions sometimes come from irresponsible superiors. This makes a front-line staff like him who has his head hanging on his waist always want to beat someone up.

"That's right. Well... I'm tired, I want to rest here for a while."

An Zhizhen sat down beside the flower bed, patted the side with her hand, and invited with a smile.

"Come, sit down too."

Cen Dongsheng sat down as he was told.

……

The day was bright and the breeze was warm.

Looking up at the patio, behind me is the smell of flowers, plants and soil.

The light rays of light fell like dandelions, illuminating the bright faces around me.

It was afternoon, the quietest time of the day in Xiaokang Building.

For a moment, the noise in the building faded away from them, and when they listened carefully, the only sound they could hear was the wind.

No one spoke. Cen Dongsheng and An Zhizhen kept silent in tacit understanding, enjoying and immersing themselves in the moment of tranquility.

In this vast world, it seemed as if there were only the two of them left at this moment.

The silence was broken only when someone on a bicycle passed by them with a ding-ding-ding sound.

An Zhizhen said:
"Let's get back to the topic just now. Regarding my real ideal, do you still remember the text we learned when we were young, which said 'Respect the old as well as the old of others, and respect the young as well as the young of others'..."

"Well, that was the ideal society in the minds of the ancients."

“It’s beautiful.”

"It was very far away for people at that time. However, for modern society with developed productivity and a sound social security system, it is no longer an unattainable goal."

"Yes, because we are living in the best era in human history. But... can it really last long?"

Cen Dongsheng's heart trembled.

He couldn't help but glance at An Zhizhen beside him out of the corner of his eye, feeling a little suspicious.

What does this mean?
Indeed, for a long period of time in the future, the modern social order in cities will collapse, and most people will have a hard time just trying to survive.

But before he was reborn, in the Tiannan region, the ruling bureau did initially restore and establish a social security system...

"Just think about it. If something unexpected happens, such as a war, some of the things we take for granted may be destroyed and cannot continue."

"Well, that's right..."

There will indeed be an all-out war between humans and goblins in the future, he thought.

"But aren't you thinking too far ahead?"

"Indeed."

An Zhizhen folded her hands on her knees. For a moment, her expression looked serious.

"To put it simply, since I was a child, I have hoped to become someone who can change society in the future. However, this era does not need too drastic changes, right? Some things cannot be done by me alone. Therefore, I chose to become a doctor. If I cannot change many people, then even one person is good enough."

In the future, you have indeed changed the society and the fate of countless people, Sister Zhizhen.

Cen Dongsheng sighed secretly, as long as you awaken the "Special Life Forbidden Technique: Tiankui Quanshou" - you have that terrifying ability to manipulate others at will.

"Dongsheng, did you hear that? What do you think?"

"No, I think it's fine... But why are we talking about this all of a sudden?"

"Hey, it's rare for my sister to tell you the truth, you have to listen carefully."

Seeing Cen Dongsheng's perfunctory attitude, An Zhizhen curled his lips, but had no intention of stopping. Instead, he started to nag as if he was treating him as a tree hole.

"But if something does happen, maybe everyone has a chance... No matter what, it can't be just one person... In fact, you don't need too many true partners, you only need one person... You can have a group of like-minded friends, or you can recruit a group of trustworthy subordinates, but you only need one person you can trust wholeheartedly... That way, when doing many things, you won't feel unsure..."

An Zhizhen might just want to chat with him casually and express her emotions, and her words also lacked focus, but when Cen Dongsheng heard it, his heart was shaken.

——Isn’t this his goal?

Partner, yes, what he wanted was a partner who could support each other in the troubled times to come.

This partner must be extremely powerful and reliable. Who else could tell this more easily than him who could see the future?

"Sister, sometimes I feel lonely when I feel that no one wants to listen to me. Did you hear that, Dongsheng? Alas, is the topic of people's ideals really so boring..."

"No, you have a point!"

Cen Dongsheng slapped his knees and stood up with a serious expression.

"I am willing to support you, Sister Zhizhen. I want to be your partner no matter what you do."

"Huh? Why is it so sudden..."

Sister Zhizhen's eyes widened. From her expression, it was obvious that she was shocked.

"I was serious."

Cen Dongsheng clenched his fists and stood in front of her condescendingly.

"Didn't I say before that I had something to talk to you about? Actually, it's about this."

"...You mean, you came to me specifically just to tell me that you wanted to be my partner...?"

The woman looked at him in astonishment.

Cen Dongsheng suddenly realized that the conversation between the two was indeed very strange. He heard Sister Zhizhen burst into laughter.

"I thought it was weird to talk about ideals with others, but I didn't expect someone would be weirder than me... Dongsheng, you're really cute."

"I was serious."

Cen Dongsheng emphasized again.

He looked around, intending to tell everything he had prepared - of course he would not tell the whole truth, especially what was related to his reborn self, but this did not prevent him from using knowledge of the future to gain trust.

But before that, An Zhizhen interrupted him again.

"Okay, I'm very optimistic about you. To be honest, if I have to find a suitable partner, that person can only be you... But, my requirements are very high, you know? Dongsheng, even if it's you, I won't lower my requirements."

She then stood up, as if she had achieved a certain goal, and her whole demeanor seemed lazy.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow, so get ready."

"Uh, that..."

"I'm leaving now. Goodbye, Dongsheng."

An Zhizhen waved at him, then turned and left gracefully, her long straight black hair falling down like a waterfall, swaying slightly behind her.

……

Cen Dongsheng didn't say anything else, but watched her back with some confusion in his eyes.

He stroked his chin, lost in thought.

"Well, there's no rush for the future. But can this be considered a step forward...?"

*
This evening.

Cen Dongsheng was suddenly awakened from his sleep. He immediately opened his eyes and sat up in bed.

What is this "chi"? !

He looked out the window with full vigilance. The Xiaokang Building was shrouded in darkness and silence. Cen Dongsheng silently adjusted his breathing and waited, and then he heard a shrill scream from nowhere.

His expression grew serious.

(End of this chapter)