QT: The Rescue Of The Miserable Bigshots-Chapter 342 - 11.15

When Li Zhe opened his eyes again, he found himself lying in a hospital bed.

He was stunned for a full minute or two.

His entire body was still in excruciating pain.

But how had he ended up in the hospital?

His last memory was of desperately crawling toward the door, trying to get help. Just as he reached it, he vaguely heard the sound of an ambulance.

That sound filled him with hope. In that instant, he completely forgot to consider that the ambulance might not have come to rescue him at all, it could have simply been passing by his apartment.

At that moment, he was incapable of thinking. His mind was filled with only one thought: He didn’t want to die.

He needed help.

He couldn’t let this life be worse than his previous one, ending just as early, with the same tragic fate.

Rebirth might only happen once. If he lost this chance so easily, then there truly would be no more opportunities.

Yet the more desperately he clung to that thought, the more the pain and weakness in his body overwhelmed him.

Just as he struggled to stand, gripping the door panel, everything went black, and he fainted again.

Li Zhe lay there in a daze. How had he really ended up in the hospital?

Surely, the ambulance he heard earlier hadn’t actually come to save him... right?

"You’re awake? Who did you ask to pay your hospital bill?"

A middle-aged doctor wearing glasses approached shortly after Li Zhe opened his eyes. The doctor looked him over, quickly scribbled something in his notebook, then adjusted his glasses.

"You can contact your family or friends. You might have a fracture in your thigh. Once the bill is paid, we’ll arrange further examinations and surgery."

Li Zhe’s pupils shrank sharply. "A fracture?!"

Those people had actually broken his bones?

No wonder the pain had been so unbearable.

There were even moments when he had wished he could just die.

But then he remembered that he had been given a second chance at life. He couldn’t possibly end up like before, a cold corpse lying undiscovered in a rented room.

The doctor nodded. "This is only a preliminary assessment. We still need an MRI and X-ray to determine the exact condition. Your injuries are quite serious. We’ve done some initial bandaging, but this can’t be delayed. You’ll need to pay the hospital fees immediately."

"How much?"

Li Zhe’s face was still badly swollen, and it hurt just to open his mouth. His expression darkened at the question, though the bruising made his emotions difficult to read.

He had no reliable family or friends. Having just been reborn, his novel hadn’t even had a chance to become popular before he was accused of plagiarism. In short, he was completely strapped for cash.

Hospital fees... he simply couldn’t afford them.

In his previous life, at this same point in time, he had struggled just to cover rent and daily expenses.

He had thought his previous life was miserable enough. This time, he had been beaten straight into the hospital.

"A deposit of five thousand will be enough for now. Additional costs can be settled later. Any difference will be refunded or charged upon discharge."

The doctor lowered his head again, seemingly writing something. He didn’t even lift his eyes as he spoke.

Five thousand.

Li Zhe’s entire body tensed, and the sudden movement sent another wave of pain through him.

The financial blow nearly made him faint again.

"Doctor... I don’t have much money left..."

After a long pause, Li Zhe finally managed to say the words, forcing himself to remain composed.

"Then contact your family or friends." The doctor replied calmly. "Given your situation, it’s very difficult for us to proceed without payment. You’ll need to think of a solution."

The doctor glanced at him. "You were beaten, weren’t you? Did you offend someone? You should thank the kind person. Someone not only called an ambulance for you, but also paid part of the fees. They did it anonymously, we never saw them. The payment was made online."

Li Zhe froze. "Someone... called an ambulance for me?"

It was them.

It had to be the people who beat him.

He had been attacked in his own apartment. Aside from those people, who else would know his condition, let alone call an ambulance?

What kind of intention was this?

They beat him half to death, didn’t let him die, forced him to suffer for hours, and then called an ambulance?

"Doctor, where are the people who called the ambulance?" Li Zhe suddenly grabbed the blanket, his eyes wide with agitation. "It was them, they’re the ones who beat me!"

If those people were caught, his hospital bills would be taken care of.

They would definitely pay the price.

Seeing his agitated and resentful expression, the doctor shook his head.

"Didn’t I already tell you? We didn’t see them. The call and payment were both anonymous. What you should be worrying about now is how to pay your hospital bills. Whether you thank them or not is your own matter."

Hospital bills... hospital bills...

Li Zhe felt drained of all strength. He stared at the ceiling blankly before finally gritting his teeth.

"I’m calling the police. I need their help."

He had been beaten.

If he called the police, they would not only assist with his hospitalization for the time being, but also investigate the people who attacked him.

Thinking it over, the only person he had offended, and the only issue connected to his previous life, was the plagiarism accusation.

Maybe... just maybe, those people were connected to Lone Sword at the World’s Edge.

"Hello, are you Li Zhe?"

Before he could dial the police, a man in a business suit entered the ward.

"Yes. I am. And you are?"

Li Zhe’s heart skipped a beat. The man’s appearance filled him with an ominous feeling.

"Hello. I’m Attorney Zhang. You are suspected of plagiarizing the original outline of Mr. Jiang, who writes under the pen name Lone Sword at the World’s Edge. The website has already submitted relevant materials to the court. I am here on behalf of both the website and Mr. Jiang to negotiate with you."

Li Zhe’s mind went blank. Pain and numbness flooded his body, followed by a bone-chilling cold.

"Negotiate? What is there to negotiate?"

Attorney Zhang smiled faintly. "Mr. Jiang has stated that if you are willing to issue a public apology and provide reasonable compensation, he is willing to withdraw the lawsuit. Otherwise, we will proceed according to legal procedures."

Li Zhe was silent for a long time. Finally, in a trembling voice so quiet he could barely hear himself, he said, "I can apologize... but compensation? I, I..."

The blow was too heavy.

No matter how long he tried, he couldn’t force out another word.