Chapter 9
Jiang Shangwan had a regular private hospital and private doctor, this was her first time being sent to a public hospital emergency room. Her usual doctor’s tone was mostly gentle and respectful, addressing her as “Miss Jiang” or “Miss Jiang,” and giving very considerate instructions to rest well. Hearing such direct and straightforward language here was a first for her.
However, she didn’t have what’s called a “rich person’s illness.” She understood that doctors at public hospitals carried the heaviest workload and hardships, and unlike private hospitals, they did not earn high salaries. For them to take their job seriously was already very professional and responsible. Public hospital doctors truly served the people, and there was no need to provide extra emotional value to wealthy patients like her — here, everyone was equal.
“Thank you,” Jiang Shangwan nodded.
Shi Yu asked the doctor, “Is there anything we should pay attention to?”
The doctor in the white coat held various test reports, examined them for a long time, then checked some data on the computer screen and yawned.
He pushed up his glasses and squinted at Shi Yu, lecturing him: “You know, you’re just like this — your girlfriend is so beautiful, why don’t you take better care of her? You should remind her to eat on time. Look at how bad her stomach is, the pain can be deadly. Especially, she shouldn’t eat cold or spicy food so often anymore, and she should stay up late less. When girls stay up late, they age faster and their skin gets worse.”
Shi Yu nodded seriously. “You’re right.”
Jiang Shangwan: “………..”
“Alright, if it’s not hurting anymore, you can go home. It’s already late. Observe her for two days and remind her to eat lighter food. I’ll prescribe some omeprazole and biling stomach pain granules. Go to window 8 to pay.”
Shi Yu returned with the medicine and saw Jiang Shangwan sitting still and dazed on the hospital waiting chair. She just sat there quietly like a treasured painting of a beautiful lady.
“Feeling better?”
“Much better.” After the visit, Jiang Shangwan put her black mask back on, only revealing a pair of slender, enchanting eyes with long curled lashes fluttering like fans — she really did look much better.
“All the expenses can be reimbursed through my assistant when you get back to the company. Thanks for your hard work today.”
Shi Yu was silent for a moment, then said, “It’s my duty.”
“That’s not even one percent of what you’ve done to help me.”
Jiang Shangwan’s gaze instinctively flicked to his shirt collar. The collar was not opened wide, only one button undone — a normal and common way to wear a business shirt.
But the fabric there had been dampened by the cold sweat she had previously wiped off, once it dried in the wind, it left many faint water stains. Her collarbone area was also a little red from her rubbing against it.
Even though she, as a woman, stood beside him, many passing girls kept glancing in Shi Yu’s direction.
“Button up your collar,” Jiang Shangwan said naturally. “Nights in Jiangcheng can be a bit chilly. Your coat is still with me. If you catch a cold, it’s my fault.”
“All right.”
Shi Yu’s knuckles moved slightly as he carefully buttoned his sleeves all the way up.
After finishing the tests in the emergency room, getting an IV, and waiting in line for the doctor to prescribe medicine, it was already late at night. Jiang Shangwan glanced at her phone screen — it had just passed one in the morning.
She was waiting for the driver to pick her up and suddenly realized… university dorms in China probably have a curfew, right?
It was so late now — would he even be able to get back?
“Let’s stay at a hotel for the night,” Jiang Shangwan said softly.
Shi Yu’s Adam’s apple moved slightly as he pursed his lips and looked at her.
“I mean,” she added to explain, “it’s too late now. You probably can’t get back to your dorm. Let’s stay at a hotel tonight and go back to class tomorrow.”
The waiting time for the driver felt both brief and endless. They sat leaning against the chair backs together. The hospital chairs were cold and hard — uncomfortable and sore to sit on.
They walked outside together. Cars sped past on the street, accompanied by the occasional honk and the sounds of pedestrians chatting and laughing as they passed. They casually leaned on the railing one after another, feeling the cool night breeze, keeping a comfortable distance — neither too close nor too far.
Neither of them looked at their phones, as if after a busy day, they finally had a rare moment to relax and just chat.
“Why didn’t you go to Peking and study at Tsinghua or Peking University? With your grades, getting into Tsinghua’s School of Economics and Management or Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management shouldn’t be a problem. Do you know that as long as you graduate smoothly, that means you could easily get a million-yuan annual salary? That’s even better than Jiang University’s finance program,” Jiang Shangwan asked him.
“That’s enough,” Shi Yu said. “Jiang University’s finance program is already very good. No matter how good the platform is, if I don’t do well, it’s the same everywhere.”
Jiang Shangwan remembered the assistant had said he didn’t like Beijing’s climate, so that was why he came to Haishi, and asked, “Do you like warm places?”
Shi Yu nodded.
“When you graduate, I’ll give you a ticket to the Maldives. You can use this ticket anytime to redeem a 15-day trip where I’ll cover all your food, lodging, transportation, and everything. Consider it a graduation gift from me.”
Shi Yu lifted the corner of his mouth, a faint smile that also seemed a bit self-mocking.
He lowered his head and said, “Thank you, but that’s too generous. I’m afraid if I accept such a heartfelt promise, I might not even graduate.”
“How could that be?” Jiang Shangwan suddenly felt his way of thinking was a little unusual. “I’ve never seen a top student who scored over 700 fail to graduate.”
Shi Yu skillfully shifted the topic without leaving a trace and asked, “I heard President Jiang studied her undergrad in Los Angeles. That friend we bumped into at the café last time, was he your classmate?”
“I think he mentioned a class reunion.”
Jiang Shangwan gave a light “oh” and said calmly, “Yes, an ex-boyfriend, sort of my first love.”
Shi Yu suddenly regretted asking that question.
Jiang Shangwan recalled slowly, “Actually, I don’t like LA. To be precise, it might be the city I dislike most in the U.S. It didn’t leave me with good memories. LA’s security is poor, homeless people everywhere, and despite the low safety, prices remain very high. It still has many old commercial areas that retain a shabby and corrupt atmosphere.”
“But at the same time, LA has a strong wealth divide. When we studied there, students drove supercars everywhere, throwing endless parties with champagne. If you have poor self-control, you’d probably waste everything in a mess. It’s like a place where demons dance wildly.”
From her clear and logical words, Shi Yu was already sketching an outline of the city in his mind. Her speech seemed to carry a sense of transcending space.
“I’ll visit someday and see if I feel the same way as you do.”
Jiang Shangwan smiled. Her mask had slipped down without her realizing, revealing a small, pointed chin. Her hair fluttered in the breeze, and her profile looked especially radiant and beautiful in the dim light. “For someone like you, it’s only a matter of time. You can go anywhere in the world you want.”
Her voice was soft, tinged with a smile, but her tone was very certain.
“Why?” Shi Yu asked.
For most ordinary families, never mind studying in the U.S., just traveling there is already a huge effort because of the visa process. Especially for a sponsored student like him, who came from a poor town.
“Confidence,” Jiang Shangwan tilted her head and looked at him. “I have this confidence in you. Don’t you have it in yourself?”
To achieve a top ten rank in the entire province through sheer personal effort in a backward area is not something that hard work alone can fully explain, it is an unstoppable talent hidden deep in his bloodline.
Shi Yu felt excited by her words—a strange feeling, as if his emotions were stirred and controlled in just a few sentences. Since the first time he met her, he found her presence unforgettable. She always had a special, almost magical aura that easily influenced him.
“Yes,” Shi Yu nodded. “It’s not difficult. I also believe that there’s nothing I want to do that I can’t accomplish.”
After just one short night, their distance seemed to suddenly shrink very close.
“You’re still a kid,” Jiang Shangwan said, propping her chin up with a smile. “When’s your birthday? How old are you?”
Shi Yu was silent for a moment before answering, “My birthday’s in September. I just turned 18, not yet 19.”
Jiang Shangwan teased him, “So young! I happen to be one generation older than you.”
Shi Yu: “……”
He pressed his lips tightly, clearly not liking the topic.
“I’m not a kid. I’m an adult now,” Shi Yu said, turning his head to look directly at her, speaking each word clearly.
Jiang Shangwan met his gaze. His eyes were always so light and bright. She suddenly wondered—has anyone ever told him his eyes are really beautiful?
To be precise, there was not a single flaw in his face, including his height and temperament. She believed that even if his brain had somehow malfunctioned and he hadn’t gotten into Jiang University, getting into the neighboring film academy would still mean a bright future for him.
She inexplicably recalled the broad, warm chest he held her against. He carried a fresh scent of soap pods, only noticeable when very close, not like a sharp men’s cologne but a subtle fragrance woven into his clothes.
When he soothed her pain, his expression was so focused and serious, yet his large hands massaging her abdomen were gentle, without the slightest hint of offense—just trying to wipe away her suffering.
Jiang Shangwan suddenly felt a flush on her face, awkwardly turning away to look toward the distant winding road.
A bright red convertible Porsche sped toward them from afar, then suddenly slowed down and stopped right in front of her. The window rolled down, revealing a face waving enthusiastically, meaningfully saying, “Hey beauty, still not going home this late? Stop standing here waiting for a cab with that poor guy. Big brother’s got a supercar to take you home.”
Jiang Shangwan was instantly grossed out by his greasy, pretentious tone. Just moments ago, she was still recalling Shi Yu’s fresh scent, but now it felt like she was hit by a full automatic oil press, making her very uncomfortable.
She sneered, “When I was driving an Aston Martin, you didn’t even know where you were. Get lost.”
The man’s face instantly darkened. “Who the hell are you pretending to be? Stinky slut.”
Before Jiang Shangwan could react, Shi Yu had already pulled her behind him to protect her. His expression had turned as black as ink, extremely ugly. Without a word, he threw a fierce punch straight at the foul face in front of him.