Chapter 83:
Qin Man had intended to ask whether chili should be added to the noodles, but as he approached the bedroom, he heard faint sobbing from inside.
His hand rested on the doorknob, but in the end, he didn’t enter.
He temporarily turned off the stove, picked up his phone, and headed to the balcony, dialing a number.
When the person on the other end picked up, he asked, “Are you busy?”
“Are you monitoring me at the hospital?” The hospital director took off his white coat and sighed, “I just got out of the operating room and was about to rest. What’s wrong?”
Qin Man looked at the distant streetlights, his emotions faint in his eyes. “I need your help with something.”
The hospital director was somewhat surprised.
Qin Man had always been an outstanding figure among his peers since childhood, never giving his elders any reason to worry, and rarely asking them for help— at least, until now, it was the first time for him.
Of course, asking for help with keeping an injury secret didn’t count among those reasons.
“Go ahead and tell me,” the hospital director paused for a moment before adding, “But harming patients or damaging medical ethics is out of the question.”
“Of course not,” Qin Man smiled, stating his request.
The hospital director almost immediately agreed, asking a few questions about his right hand before hanging up.
On the other end, Grandma Ji looked worriedly at the person lying on the hospital bed.
The old steward had repeatedly advised her to go home and rest, but she refused each time. Her mind was in turmoil, her emotions raging, and sleep was out of the question.
Ji Guozheng collapsed on his way out of the company. His sudden illness caught them off guard, and before the surgery, the doctors warned them to prepare mentally. As expected, it was a malignant brain tumor.
With proper treatment… persisting for three to four years wouldn’t be a major issue.
Hearing the doctor’s words, Grandma Ji almost fainted.
The doctor went on to say many things, selecting one in tens of thousands of cases to comfort her, but it only made her feel worse.
Ji Wei sat beside her. His face was haggard, and although he still wore a suit, he lacked the vitality he had half a month ago.
He hadn’t expected Ji Guozheng’s illness to be so severe.
Although he had learned some difficult-to-discuss things about his father, the fact remained that the man had raised him for over twenty years. It was impossible not to feel saddened. He rubbed his forehead, trying hard to appear calm. “Grandmother, please go home and rest first. I’ll contact you once Dad wakes up.”
“I’m not going back.” Grandma Ji’s face was stern, her tone mocking. “You’ll just leave your father here and run away from home again later.”
Ji Wei felt helpless. “Grandmother…”
“Your father’s illness is probably caused by you,” Grandma Ji wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, still fussing even at this moment. “You should get married soon. Maybe his mood will improve a bit.”
Ji Wei had nothing to say. “Grandmother… Forget it, I won’t argue with you.”
Grandma Ji didn’t say anything more. She sat down on a chair, looking at the person lying on the hospital bed.
Three to four years.
Under optimistic circumstances.
None of her grandsons had yet been able to take on the burden of the family’s legacy. She had originally valued Ji Wei the most; although he was reluctant to get married, at least his work ability was good. But during this time, she had discovered that Ji Wei was in close contact with his birth mother.
That woman was more ambitious than the old shareholders.
This was also why she and Ji Guozheng had decided to summon Ji Ran back to the company: firstly, for convenience in managing affairs, and secondly, to knock some sense into Ji Wei and prevent him from having other thoughts.
Thinking of Ji Ran, Grandma Ji’s headache intensified.
At that moment, the door to the hospital room opened. The hospital director walked in, nodding. “Grandma Ji, it’s been a long time.”
Grandma Ji had a wide network of contacts, and combined with her age, people were willing to give her some face.
“It has indeed been a while,” Grandma Ji quickly composed herself and exchanged pleasantries. “You look tired. Have you just finished with work?”
“I’m okay, just okay,” the hospital director replied, taking the medical records from a doctor nearby and examining them carefully. “Given his condition, he should have been experiencing frequent headaches… How did it go unnoticed until now?”
Grandma Ji had spent years abroad and couldn’t keep track of everything. She glared at Ji Wei before saying, “It was our negligence.”
She glanced at the person behind him and forced a smile. “Director, shall we talk somewhere else?”
The hospital director hesitated for a moment before nodding. The two of them then left the corridor together.
As expected, Grandma Ji expressed her hope that he would take over as Ji Guozheng’s attending physician and requested a separate room for him.
The hospital director remained composed on the surface but was secretly surprised.
Indeed, Qin Man had guessed correctly.
When Grandma Ji made these requests, she was confident. After all, they had a good relationship, and there were quite a few people in her family involved in business, which would mutually benefit each other.
However, after a moment of silence, the hospital director spoke up, “Grandma Ji, I’m really sorry.”
“I currently have many patients on my hands, and there are many matters in the hospital that require my attention. I can’t spare any more time to take on another patient. Actually, Mr. Ji’s current attending physician is quite competent, with extensive experience. Entrusting the matter to him or to me would be exactly the same. You don’t need to worry.”
She doesn’t need to worry?!
How could she believe a doctor who could utter words like “persisting for three or four years wouldn’t be a big problem”?
“As for the ward…” The hospital director seemed oblivious to the old lady’s displeasure and continued, “The hospital has been very tight on beds lately. Many patients are waiting in line for a bed, so it’s really impossible to free up a single room for you.”
Grandma Ji widened her eyes. She lowered her voice, “But a four-person ward is too… crowded.” She carefully chose her words, “When I was hospitalized before, there were single rooms available, weren’t there? That would be more suitable.”
“There really is no way.”
“Solutions are invented by people—”
The hospital director nodded. “I apologize.”
Her son had just come out of surgery, and Grandma Ji’s mood was very poor. She couldn’t control her tone: “Are you unwilling to help with this favor?”
The hospital director’s expression remained indifferent as he delivered the classic line: “If you want to see it that way, then I can’t help it.”
When Ji Ran received the call, it was already the next day. He was sitting side by side with Qin Man playing video games.
He looked at the plane icon on the screen that kept getting closer to his side. “The boss is coming… Can your plane move away from me?”
Qin Man paused, then chuckled, “You’re so dirty-minded.”
Ji Ran controlled his plane, not immediately understanding. “Dirty-minded… what?”
It took him a moment to realize, but his hands accidentally exerted too much force, causing his plane to crash into rocks on both sides, ending the game.
“…”
“It took us so long to get to this level,” Qin Man lamented.
Ji Ran suppressed the urge to swear. “Shut up.”
Starting a new game, before entering the game, Ji Ran suggested, “Hey… let’s switch planes later.”
Qin Man raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
Why? Seriously?
Ji Ran’s expression was deadpan. “I won’t allow your plane to be bigger than mine.”
At that moment, the phone rang. The game had just started, and Ji Ran was controlling both hands. Without checking the caller ID, he picked up the phone.
On the phone, Grandma Ji got straight to the point, asking him if he could get Qin Man to inform the hospital director to change the room and the attending physician.
He answered the call and didn’t rush to hang up. Replying with a couple of polite sentences made him seem courteous.
“It’s not possible. The hospital isn’t surnamed Ji. If we start changing rooms and doctors at will, who would dare to run a hospital?” He lazily continued, “Hospitals are built to treat illnesses, not to serve people. Those who become attending physicians are capable enough. If the hospital’s four-person room comes with a private toilet, what else could you possibly be dissatisfied with?”
Grandma Ji was taken aback by his words, still trying to process them when the call was abruptly ended.
—
On the day of the racing competition, Ji Ran first went to the repair shop.
The mechanic stopped his work upon seeing him. “Brother Ran, you’re here today.”
“Yeah,” Ji Ran glanced around. “Where’s your boss?”
“In the office,” the mechanic replied. “The car is in the garage.”
“Thanks.”
Ji Ran turned back to the person behind him. “Wait here for me. I’ll go up myself. The owner of this shop is a bit eccentric, doesn’t like too many people.”
“Mm,” Qin Man responded.
The mechanic, overhearing the criticism of his boss, seemed uncomfortable.
Qin Man sat down on the sofa in the waiting area and casually scanned the surroundings. It was clear that this was a private repair shop. While the premises weren’t as spacious as those of a high-end repair shop, the decor was very refined. Even the walls of the waiting area were adorned with many expensive-looking model cars.
Ji Ran came here for two reasons: to discuss the new car with the boss as he wanted to open a club, and for the car delivery.
He had ordered a matte black sports car several months ago. While the accessories weren’t the most expensive, the exterior was undeniably cool. When he drove it out of the garage, it looked stunning compared to the colorful sports cars parked nearby.
The car had been ordered months ago, but it was only now being delivered to him, still with temporary license plates.
The owner of the repair shop was a rugged-looking middle-aged man with a beard. As they walked out of the office, the boss stopped in his tracks. “I’m just delivering it here. If there’s any problem with the car, just bring it back.”
“How do you think my car looks?” Ji Ran also stopped and asked.
The boss replied matter-of-factly, “Obviously great. I took care of everything.”
“Then help me sell it.”
The boss frowned, thinking he had misheard. “What?”
“I bought the car for 14,000. I drove it today, so it’s considered second-hand now,” Ji Ran said casually. “I’ll sell it for 10,800. Handle it as you see fit. Let any potential buyers contact me.”
The boss replied, “Are you burning money in your pocket or something?”
Ji Ran chuckled, “I’m short on cash lately.”
If you were to consider his current bank balance alongside that statement, it might make quite a few people choke on their own saliva.
The boss didn’t hesitate. “I’ll lend you some.”
“No need,” Ji Ran said. “Also, do you have any high-performance luxury cars suitable for business? Something classy to drive when negotiating deals. Get me one, the latest model, price doesn’t matter.”
The boss was speechless. “Changed your mind?”
“Not really, I’ll buy it as a gift,” Ji Ran replied.
Understanding dawned on the boss, who casually asked, “Girlfriend?”
“Close enough,” Ji Ran replied with a nonchalant smile, correcting him, “Boyfriend.”
As Ji Ran’s car hit the road, it immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the lane.
The weather was just right these days, with a gentle breeze blowing. Ji Ran had been cooped up at home with the air conditioning for days, so today he decided to roll down the car window and enjoy the natural breeze.
At a red light, Qin Man put down his phone, about to say something, when he turned and saw a white sports car pull up next to them.
In the sports car sat four women, dressed provocatively, with two of them even smoking.
The woman in the front passenger seat smiled flirtatiously, leaning her elbow on the car window… and whistled at Ji Ran.
Ji Ran glanced at them but didn’t respond.
“Hey, little brother,” the woman persisted, giggling, “heading to the Mancheng Racetrack? Wanna exchange WeChat?”
The others immediately chimed in. They all had delicate features, dressed in cute and charming outfits. Although they were making advances, their friendly demeanor didn’t make it seem cheap. If it were someone else, they would have probably engaged in conversation.
But Ji Ran’s hand was already on the window button.
Just as he was about to close the window, Qin Man suddenly reached out, clasping Ji Ran’s neck and leaning forward slightly to look at the people outside the window.
“Sorry,” Qin Man smiled faintly, his tone light, “his partner gets jealous easily. He specifically instructed me not to let him exchange WeChat with other women.”
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
