Chapter 72:
Throughout the whole morning, Ji Ran accompanied Qin Man for several examinations, spending quite some time just waiting in line. By the time they returned to the ward, it was already lunchtime.
Qin Man’s left hand had improved significantly; simple tasks like eating, brushing teeth, and… going to the bathroom were no longer a problem.
The food in the hospital cafeteria was surprisingly delicious. After finishing their meal, Ji Ran sat at the head of the bed and took out an e-cigarette.
He was about to take a puff when Qin Man stopped his hand, asking, “What’s this?”
“E-cigarette,” Ji Ran replied, looking at him, pausing for a moment. “You were the one who wanted me to quit smoking… I can’t quit all at once; I’ll take it slow.”
“Smoking this isn’t good either,” Qin Man remarked.
“What should I do then? I tried quitting smoking by using candies, but it didn’t work at all.”
Qin Man smiled, “From now on, whenever you feel like smoking, just kiss me instead, consider it as having had a puff.”
Ji Ran was shocked, “Who gave you the audacity to compare yourself with cigarettes?”
“But when I kiss you, you seem even more satisfied than when smoking,” Qin Man replied with an unchanged smile.
As the elderly lady from the neighboring bed passed by Ji Ran, he was so startled that he couldn’t even hold onto the e-cigarette properly, dropping it onto the bed.
“If you keep talking nonsense, I won’t quit,” he hastily picked up the cigarette and put it back into his pocket.
“Back from the check-up?” the lady from the neighboring bed greeted Ji Ran with a cheerful smile, “Is everything okay?”
After what happened last night in the hospital room, Ji Ran found it difficult to face the other people in the ward now.
He thought to himself that at least for the remaining days of their hospital stay, he absolutely wouldn’t engage in any inappropriate activities with Qin Man again.
Qin Man smiled and said, “It’s okay, I’ll be discharged in two days.”
The elderly lady nodded, “Be careful when driving in the future. You’re still young; if your health is ruined, everything will be over!”
On the day Qin Man was discharged, the hospital director personally came to give him instructions before leaving.
Qin Man listened with half-hearted attention, glancing around and noticing that the person next to him was taking things quite seriously, with their phone memo app open and taking detailed notes.
He chuckled softly, which puzzled the hospital director. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” Qin Man replied, “Uncle, you seem not busy at all these days.”
The director laughed in exasperation, “I just came out of surgery, been working non-stop for ten hours straight. Once I finish talking to you, I’m going back to sleep… Have you been listening to me at all? Why are you constantly looking at him?”
Qin Man nodded slowly, “I’ve listened, I’ve listened.”
The hospital director turned his gaze to Ji Ran, “Young man, I haven’t thanked you yet for helping us take care of him these days… What’s your name?”
Ji Ran was about to speak when his shoulder was suddenly embraced, bringing them closer together, their arms almost touching, appearing very intimate.
“He’s my school junior,” Qin Man chuckled lightly.
Ji Ran thought to himself, perhaps he should have broken his left hand as well.
He wanted to break free, but he was afraid that Qin Man’s hand might still be in pain if he did, so he stood stiffly in place.
“School junior? But he’s quite tall?” the hospital director inquired.
“Yeah, he’s a year younger than me.”
The director nodded, “You’re both are not from the same year, yet your relationship seems quite close, which is quite rare.”
Qin Man chuckled ambiguously, “Yeah. My school junior used to admire me a lot. He followed me around every day, and that’s how we got acquainted.”
The hospital director wasn’t surprised at all. His nephew was so outstanding; wherever he went, he was the center of attention. It wasn’t surprising for him to have some admirers.
Then he remembered something and asked, “By the way, there was a school anniversary celebration for your university not long ago. Did you attend? I heard a graduate caused quite a stir on stage, tarnishing the reputation of the school. Now even the education bureau is getting involved in the investigation.”
Ji Ran’s expression changed slightly, but Qin Man remained quite composed. “I heard about it. I was there at the time. I thought that graduate spoke quite well.”
“I’m not sure what was said,” the hospital director lowered his voice, “but this incident has caused quite a commotion. The principal even came to me, asking for my help in smoothing things over. You know, your aunt works at the education bureau.”
“These matters, it’s better for you not to get involved,” Qin Man said calmly. “There will definitely be more troublesome things uncovered later on, and if aunt gets implicated, it’ll be quite troublesome.”
“I understand,” the hospital director replied, then smiled as he looked at Ji Ran. “You’ve worked hard these past few days. When Xiao Man recovers, remember to let him repay this favor.”
Ji Ran’s expression remained neutral. “Alright.”
As they got into the car together, Ji Ran finally started to settle the score with him.
“Why do you have to… act like that in front of your uncle?” Ji Ran asked. “What if he figures it out?”
“I’ve told you, they’ll find out sooner or later,” Qin Man replied.
“But not now, we’ve only been together for how long…”
“What?” Qin Man interrupted him, smiling. “What did you just say about us? Say it again, I want to hear it.”
“…”
Seeing Ji Ran silent, Qin Man didn’t tease him further. He reached out and held Ji Ran’s hand. “You don’t like others knowing we’re together?”
Ji Ran paused, feeling like he sounded like a jerk.
He patiently continued, “What if we break up in a couple of days? How would you explain it to your family, and…”
He closed his mouth, not continuing.
And his reputation wasn’t good either.
An illegitimate child, a troublemaker, he had been slammed online thousands of times not long ago.
Considering Qin Man’s family background, they would never approve of him.
Ji Ran snapped out of his thoughts after a moment, unable to help but let out a self-deprecating laugh.
They had just started dating, why was he already thinking about Qin Man’s family? Whether they would reach that stage was still uncertain.
“Why should I explain myself to them?” Qin Man didn’t intend to end the conversation there.
“I like you, being with you, even if you end up dumping me later on, it’s all my own business. I don’t need to explain anything to anyone.”
“…”
Why was this person so eloquent?
Ji Ran’s ears turned red as he tried to cover it up with a click of his tongue. “You’re the only one who can say… Also, what were you laughing at just now?”
Qin Man reminisced for a moment, and then couldn’t control the smile at the corner of his lips.
“You took my uncle’s words just now,” he pondered, “more seriously than when you were taking notes in your senior year of high school.”
During Ji Ran’s senior year of high school, he studied exceptionally hard. Not for anything else, but if he didn’t get into college, Madame Ji would have sent him abroad.
At that time, he didn’t have much confidence and could only be manipulated by others. So, throughout his entire senior year, he almost worked himself to death studying. He almost memorized the textbooks, and in the end, he did manage to get into a pretty good university. Because of this, Yue Wenwen always believed he was a hidden academic genius.
Ji Ran was about to retort but then remembered something. “How do you know how I studied during my senior year of high school?”
Qin Man was a year ahead of him, and by the time Ji Ran was in his senior year of high school, Qin Man had already graduated early.
Realizing he slipped up, Qin Man glanced at him with an amused smile. “You think those revision notes you used were bought from who?”
“From the previous year’s classmates…” Ji Ran began, then stopped, staring at him intently. “Those were yours.”
No wonder! He had always thought the handwriting looked remarkably similar to Qin Man’s! At one point, he even thought he was hallucinating by stealing Qin Man’s notebook! Ji Ran was speechless for a moment before finally squeezing out, “That’s so unfair, you sold me one subject for 280.”
“I sold them cheap; you’d definitely be suspicious otherwise,” Qin Man paused. “Besides, 280 for a notebook from the top three grades isn’t expensive, is it?”
Ji Ran turned on the car music. “Let’s not talk, I need to focus on driving.”
Back home, Ji Ran took a comfortable shower. He had endured quite a bit in the cramped hospital bathroom these past few days, even washing clothes in the ward… It all seemed unbelievable now.
Just as he emerged from the bathroom, he received a call from Cheng Peng, saying there was progress regarding the accident, and he needed to meet in person.
Since Qin Man was injured, Ji Ran couldn’t possibly take him out. He tidied up the takeout on the dining table, informed Qin Man, and then left.
Cheng Peng arranged to meet at a quiet bar.
A singer was onstage crooning a ballad, and the two sat at the end of the bar. There weren’t many people around, not even the bartender was close to them. It was serene and relaxed.
Cheng Peng sized him up first, then nodded approvingly after seeing the small scar on his head, “Not bad, the injury isn’t too severe.”
Ji Ran shook his glass, “I didn’t really get hurt in the first place.”
“From Yue Wenwen’s tone earlier, I almost thought you were on your deathbed.”
“Get lost,” Ji Ran took a sip of his drink, “Any progress on the case?”
After the accident, Ji Ran had visited the police station but only for a statement. When the police asked if he wanted to see the perpetrator, he refused. He was afraid he might lose control and make things even more complicated.
“He confessed to everything.”
Ji Ran paused, thinking he misheard, “What?”
“He confessed to everything. The police should be contacting you in the next few days.” Cheng Peng tapped his finger lightly on the table. “They got Gu Cheng to confess. The police have arrested him.”
Ji Ran frowned, “That bastard confessed so easily?”
“I came here today to tell you about this.” Cheng Peng took out a cigarette from his pocket and offered one to Ji Ran.
Ji Ran shook his head, “I’m quitting smoking.”
Cheng Peng was somewhat surprised, but he didn’t inquire further. He lit a cigarette for himself instead. “I went to the police station that day, arranged to meet him through someone. Originally, I intended to pressure him a bit, but unexpectedly… as soon as he saw me, he knelt down.”
Ji Ran: “…”
“He was crying and screaming, saying he confessed to everything, and he was willing to report Gu Cheng’s past crimes with his real name. He begged me to spare his parents, wife, and children. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think I really did something to his family. The prison guards overheard it and gave me weird looks.” Cheng Peng found it amusing, exhaling a puff of smoke. He asked, “Was it you?”
“How could it be?” Ji Ran replied. “I’ve been in the hospital during this time, too busy to deal with him… Plus, you know I don’t mess with women and children.”
Cheng Peng did know, which was why he came to ask him, “Then who do you think did it?”
“I don’t know, maybe someone he crossed paths with before came back to retaliate, and he thought it was me?” Ji Ran said uncertainly.
That was the only possibility he could think of.
Cheng Peng looked at him contemplatively, remaining silent for a moment.
Actually, Cheng Peng had a suspicion in mind, but without confirmation, he didn’t want to speculate recklessly. He flicked the ash off his cigarette. “How’s Qin Man?”
“He won’t die.”
“How much longer do you have on your contract with him?”
“I was just about to tell you about this,” Ji Ran held his glass firmly and said straightforwardly, “Qin Man and I are together.”
“…”
Cheng Peng held his cigarette, taking a moment to process in his mind. “Is it what I think it is?”
“Yes.”
Cheng Peng was only surprised for a few seconds before he calmed down. He lowered his head and chuckled softly, “Faster than I expected.”
Ji Ran raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean? What were you expecting?”
“You like him,” Cheng Peng stated matter-of-factly, “I knew that already.”
“……”
“With your personality, if it weren’t for someone you cared about, how could you constantly bother others every now and then? I think you just want to make your presence felt in front of Qin Man,”
Cheng Peng chuckled lightly. “And sponsoring him? That contract, even a fool could see it’s problematic. It’s practically giving money to Qin Man for nothing. Your intentions, only Yue Wenwen couldn’t see through.”
Ji Ran chuckled as well, taking a big gulp of his drink without denying it.
“But,” Cheng Peng paused, “Have you figured things out?”
“What?” Ji Ran asked.
“You know better than me what kind of person Qin Man is,” Cheng Peng didn’t mince his words. “He may seem aloof and arrogant on the surface, but in reality, he’s more scheming than anyone.”
“Don’t blame me for being blunt. Think about it, his family just went bankrupt, those procedures, even if they’re expensive, just going through them could exhaust someone. If he wants to make a comeback, he must be short of funds,” Cheng Peng glanced at him, “And you, a playboy, idle and rich, easy to deceive. You’ve just got a large sum of money…”
“Get lost, you’re the one who’s easy to deceive.” Ji Ran had naturally considered these things. He looked indifferent, “It’s just money, if he needs it, of course, I can give it to him.”
Once Ji Ran figured something out, he became resolute about it.
It wasn’t that he considered money as dirt, but he was willing to spend it on someone he liked.
“You haven’t understood what I meant,” Cheng Peng paused. “What if, he doesn’t like you at all, and is only with you for your money, or something else… Have you ever thought about that?”
Ji Ran sneered, “With the little money I have, Qin Man probably wouldn’t even bother.”
Cheng Peng seemed hesitant to say more.
Many things were mere conjectures in Ji Ran’s mind, without evidence, he couldn’t just make baseless accusations.
“Enough,” Ji Ran spoke up, interrupting Cheng Peng’s thoughts.
His voice was calm, “It’s just a relationship, no need for all these convoluted conspiracy theories. I like him, regardless of his intentions. I just want to give it a try with him.”
“Even if, hypothetically, he does have ulterior motives, I’ll accept it.”
Ji Ran shrugged, fearlessly smiling, “At most, I’ll just fall once. If I let all these things hold me back and miss the chance to have a relationship with him, then I’ll definitely regret it.”
Unexpectedly candid, Ji Ran’s words left Cheng Peng momentarily stunned. It took him a moment to regain his composure, nodding in agreement, “You’re right. I was being too nosy.”
“No, you care about me, I know,” Ji Ran patted his shoulder. “I’ll go to the restroom, we’ll continue drinking when I come back.”
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
