Demons Beside You
chapter-128

“Fali, I didn’t think your cooking would be this good.” Chen Zhao looked at the big platter of cobb salad that Fali brought out.

Cobb salad was different from the European salads with vegetables and fruit. It was unique to California, containing vegetables, fruits, and meat. After pairing it with dressing and seasonings, it had a unique taste.

As a Chinese man, Chen Zhao usually judged and looked down on foreign food. It was like the famous movie quote: I’m not targeting anyone. It’s just that everyone here is garbage.

But after really getting to know foreign food culture, he realized that foreign food wasn’t as sad as people thought.

Chen Zhao never liked salad because it was too vegetarian. He was a carnivore. This cobb salad, though, paired meat with vegetables just right. It had both the chewiness of meat and the fresh taste of fruit and vegetables. With the dressing, it could satisfy most people.

“Cobb salad is actually really easy. You can do it after trying once or twice. The recipe isn’t set either. It’s mostly just the dressing and seasoning. This is our family’s specialty. Try the blueberry dressing.”

Chen Zhao dipped a piece of chicken in the dressing. “Oh, it’s sour and sweet. Tastes good.”

He wasn’t a food critic, so he couldn’t describe the taste with those fancy adjectives. He just thought it was good. Paired with some iced beer, it was an enjoyment even in December.

L.A didn’t have drastic differences in temperature between the seasons, but it was quite different throughout the day. Mornings and nights would be cooler while noon could be more than 70 degrees.

Just then, Chen Zhao’s phone rang. He kept eating, ignoring the phone. Fali glanced at Chen Zhao, but he really didn’t want to answer.

The phone kept ringing, so Chen Zhao had to admit that he’d already seen the caller ID. It was Dell.

“I hope it’s not work.” Chen Zhao answered the call. “Hi.”

“Chen, please come…” It was Tsura’s choked cries. “Please, hurry.”

“Tsura? What happened to you? What’s wrong?”

“It’s Dell. Something happened. Please come, I’m begging you, hurry.”

“Okay, I’m coming.”

Tsura sounded really panicked and she was crying too. It was obvious that Dell’s problem was serious.

Chen Zhao was no longer unwilling. He couldn’t keep waiting here either.

“You have work?”

“Yes. Can you drive me? My patient has an emergency.”

“Okay. Let me wash my hands,” Fali agreed quickly.

Fali watched as Chen Zhao brought the pets onto the car.

“Chen, why do you always bring them when you visit your patients?”

“I’m worried about them if no one’s home,” Chen Zhao said. “Drive faster. I’m worried about the patient.”

The phone rang again, but it wasn’t Tsura. The caller ID said David.

“Hi, David.”

“Chen, I found the person you’re looking for.”

“The person I’m looking for? Oh…You mean Chris?”

“Yes. She’s right beside me. I think she’s in trouble.”

“I’m busy right now. A patient’s life is at risk. I have to hurry over.”

“When can you come back?”

“Not sure. How’s Chris right now?”

“She seems stable, but I think she’s pretending to be composed. I think she’s really scared.”

“What about Sienna? Is she there? You can have her help.”

“Sienna is powerless too.”

“I see… Take her to my home first and wait for me to get back. Fali isn’t home either. She’s driving me to the patient. The key is under the rug before the door.”

“Okay. Sienna and I will bring Chris to your home.”

After he hung up, Fali asked, “What’s wrong? Was it David?”

“Yes.”

“What happened?”

“One of my friends is in some trouble.”

“Some trouble?”

“I don’t know how troublesome that trouble is right now.”

Thirty minutes later, Chen Zhao and Fali finally got to Dell’s home.

“Tsura, I’m at the door,” Chen Zhao said, calling her again.

Fali glanced at the door. “Your patient is rich?”

“Super rich,” Chen Zhao replied simply.

“No wonder you’re in a hurry.”

Chen Zhao pursed his lips. He couldn’t deny that this was part of the reason. Dell paid him $3,000 every time. This wasn’t a small number.

There really weren’t many patients who could pay so generously.

Tsura came out hurriedly. The lighting was dim, but Chen Zhao could still see the tear stains on her face.

“Chen, you’re finally here.” Tsura hugged him emotionally.

“Okay, let’s go in. Tell me what happened to Dell.”

“I…I was in bed with him…and uh…he started convulsing.”

“You were having sex?” Chen Zhao asked.

Tsura glanced at Fali and then Chen Zhao. Gritting her teeth, she said, “We were doing something special.”

“Something special?”

“S&M… Dell had me shock him with a low-frequency taser.”

If there was a competition for almost killing oneself, Chen Zhao was sure that Dell would definitely win.

Chen Zhao sped up his pace while asking, “Is he conscious right now or not?”

Chen Zhao was afraid that Dell had lost consciousness or even died from a heart attack. After all, it had already been half an hour. If Dell’s heart had stopped and still hadn’t gone through emergency first-aid, then he would already be dead.

If Dell was dead, then even a god couldn’t save him.

“He’s awake, but he keeps convulsing.”

When he reached the outside of Dell and Tsura’s bedroom, Chen Zhao could already hear Dell’s pained cries.

“Fali, stay at the door.”

“Don’t worry. I do emergency treatment too. I’ve seen everything.” Fali didn’t mind.

“Fine.”

After entering, Chen Zhao saw a whip, chains, and other sex toys.

“Turn on the lights.” The room was quite dark.

Chen Zhao moved over and restrained the spasming Dell to start checking. As long as he hadn’t died and his heart hadn’t stopped, it was good news.

Dell was insistent on going down paths that could kill him, but he was quite lucky. At least, he’d been lucky so far.