48 Hours a Day

Chapter 964: How Much Do You Believe In Your Memory

Xu Qian went to the nearby clinics to look for a doctor to treat Jiang Hong’s bruises.

On the other hand, Zhang Heng took the chance to buy a cup of hot tea, two bottles of mineral water, a pack of cigarettes, and a lighter from a nearby vending machine. He then put the cigarettes and the lighter in his pocket and returned to the clinic.

He passed the cup of hot tea to Jiang Hong.

The latter repeatedly thanked him.

Xu Qian, on the other side, took a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed it, and took a sip. “Is he really your husband?”

Jiang Hong lowered her head and mumbled something softly.

“Did he always abuse you?”

Before Jiang Hong could say anything, the old Chinese doctor on the side said, “Yes. This is the third time she has come to me this month.”

“Then why don’t you call the police or get a divorce?” Xu Qian frowned.

“Because she still has a younger brother who works under her husband. If she gets divorced, her younger brother will also be unemployed.”

The old Chinese doctor was familiar with Jiang Hong’s family situation. And perhaps he did persuade Jiang Hong to divorce before.

Jiang Hong raised his head and squeezed out a smile, “I’m fine. I’m used to it. Thank you for what you’ve done for me today. You both are good people. And you were willing to stand up for me even when you didn’t know me.”

“What are you talking about?” Xu Qian was taken aback. She then took off her sunglasses. “It’s me, Xu Qian, the previous tenant that stayed in your current house. I met you when you wanted to rent the house two years ago. At that time, you weren’t married yet.”

“Really?” Jiang Hong looked a little dazed when she heard what Xu Qian said.

“Why? Don’t you remember me? Two years ago, you left your luggage with me in advance. To thank me, you even invited me to dinner. I still remember we had roasted duck at the street next to us.”

“Did we eat together?” Jiang Hong looked as though she did not remember a single thing.

After experiencing the incident at the small restaurant, Xu Qian also noticed something was wrong this time. She then asked, “Did you move here two years ago?”

“Yes, that’s right.” Jiang Hong agreed to what she said.

Her answer made Xu Qian felt a little relieved, “Do you still remember the tenant who lived here before you?”

Xu Qian looked into Jiang Hong’s eyes while talking, expecting the latter to say, “It’s you,” but Jiang Hong’s reply shocked her once again.

“The tenant before me was a family of three. I still remember them. The man was an elementary school teacher, and the woman was a housewife. They also had a son who was about six or seven years old. After that, they moved to the second level,” Jiang Hong replied.

“You are lying! Why are all of you behaving like this? I have never wronged any of you, not to mention we just saved you. Why are you lying?” Xu Qian’s expression was getting a little aggressive. She then grabbed Jiang Hong’s arm. However, she used too much force to grab her, and she accidentally touched Jiang Hong’s bruise, causing the latter to grimace in pain.

Zhang Heng, on the side, had to make a move to separate the two of them.

After that, Xu Qian started to glare at Jiang Hong, “You know the boss and his wife at Fu Ji, right? They must’ve contacted you just now and asked you to lie to me.”

After a while, the old Chinese doctor could no longer hold back and interrupted them. “I can vouch for her. I have also seen the family that she mentioned. Before she came, the child of that family had a fever one night, and the family of three came to me for Gua Sha. They told me that they were going to move to the second level.”

“But this does not prove that they are the tenants of 714. I am the tenant of 714. The person who lived there before Jiang Hong was me. I remember your clinic. I passed your place every day after I got off work. However, I have never entered your clinic before,” Xu Qian said.

The old Chinese doctor said, “But I remember that they told me their house number that night. It was 714. They also invited me to visit their house whenever I am available. They are a very warm and polite family.”

When the two were arguing, Zhang Heng suddenly chipped in. “The landlord.”

“Huh?”

“You can ask the landlord this question. He should have a record of the tenants that lived in this building,” Zhang Heng added.

“You’re right.” Xu Qian seemed to see hope again. She clicked on the address book in the bracelet, but she remembered that she had deleted everything related to the first level after checking it.

Jiang Hong said weakly, “I have the landlord’s number.”

“Okay. Send it to me…”

Xu Qian suddenly stopped talking, showing a hint of hesitation. Zhang Heng knew what she was worried about. So, he said, “You can go to the shops downstairs. You should be able to get the landlord’s number from someone.”

Xu Qian accepted Zhang Heng’s suggestion and went to the shops downstairs. Five minutes later, Zhang Heng saw that Xu Qian had finished the call and was standing alone on the side of the road.

“Thank you for answering our questions,” Zhang Heng said to Jiang Hong. He then nodded at the old Chinese doctor on the side, “I will make a move first.”

Zhang Heng pushed open the clinic door, looked to his left and right for traffic, and crossed the road.

He walked towards Xu Qian and asked, “How did it go? Did you get the answers you want?”

Xu Qian did not hear what he said. Instead, she stayed there for half a second before reacting. “You planned everything, right? You contacted everyone and asked them to lie to me.”

“But before today, you have never told me your past on the first level. I don’t know where you worked before. How could I have contacted everyone to lie to you?”

“Then how am I supposed to explain what is happening now,” Xu Qian asked, “I just called the landlord and paid her 1,000 credits to help me check the tenant that lived 714 three years ago.”

“What did she say?”

“She said exactly the same thing as Jiang Hong. They must have communicated in advance. Did you see Jiang Hong calling anyone when I asked for the landlord’s number?”

“I’m afraid not. She just sat there, and she didn’t do anything,” Zhang Heng said.

“Then they must have other means of communication,” Xu Qian said anxiously. “If you are not the one who pranked me, then who is messing with me? What is the person’s agenda? Why does the person want to make me think that I’ve never lived on the first floor before?”

“Calm down first.” Zhang Heng took out the pack of cigarettes he had just bought, handed one to Xu Qian, and lit the cigarette for her. After a couple of puffs, she continued, “Remember the question I asked you before? How much do you trust your memory?”

“So, you think that there is something wrong with my memory?” Xu Qian seemed like she just heard an extremely absurd thing. She then shook her head. “That’s quite impossible. Only cloned humans have forged memories. I am a citizen of New Shanghai 0297, and I came here three years ago. I have lived here for a long time.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because all the clones here don’t know the existence of cloning technology. That’s how they remain stable. And they have a tracking device in their heads and numbers on the back of their necks. This is something that everyone knows,” Xu Qian said. “You saw what happened in Fu Ji just now. That waitress is a clone. She was taken away just because she heard the word “clone.” And you, there is also a serial number at the back of your neck, right?”

“So, if someone creates another batch of clones and allow them access to information about cloning, they wouldn’t need the serial number on the back of the neck and the tracking device in their head. In other words, they would be more stable than the first batch of clones. And they will never suspect that they are clones,” Zhang Heng said casually.