When the needle pierced his temple, Ji Xingzhi felt not pain but a sour, swollen sensation. He grabbed Bo Xin's wrist, but his strength gradually faded. He found it amazing—just by manipulating a few acupoints, a person could be rendered as helpless as fish on a chopping block. His eyelids kept drooping, and he found it a little funny. "I can still wake up as usual, right?" Bo Xin remained unmoved by his doubt. "If you don't trust others so much, why let them stick needles in you?" Ji Xingzhi didn't know how to respond. It was simply that Bo Xin hadn't given him the right to refuse. His consciousness was fading. "So this is the first step in trying to trust." Bo Xin didn't catch that, but there was no way she'd shake him awake to repeat it. Unlike his alertness when awake, he looked very obedient while asleep. Pushing aside his bangs revealed his entire face and the small scratch on his temple. The child had picked up his bad habit—the shadow cast by overly long bangs. Combined with his weight loss, the effect was even more pronounced. Bo Xin wanted to cut it while he rested, but her wavering medical ethics stopped her.
After one night.
Ji Xingzhi suddenly sat up. The occasional dizziness he'd had before was much better. Was this all from the acupuncture? He stretched out his hand and clenched it, feeling the force in his wrist. Following his wrist, he noticed he had slept all night without his shirt on. Had she left without dressing him? It felt strange. But if she had dressed him, that would be even stranger. After waking, he didn't see anyone. When someone came in, he naturally began buttoning his shirt. "Did you go buy me breakfast?"
He Mingqiao looked around suspiciously, confirming he was being addressed. The two hadn't seen each other all night. He didn't think he was that close. Ji Xingzhi's complexion had much more color, and He Mingqiao noticed immediately. "You look in good shape." Not just physically, but mentally too. Even his sneer had life in it. As a friend of ten years, he could distinguish every shade of Ji Xingzhi's sneer. Before, it was half-dead; now it was lively. The difference was more than a little. Ji Xingzhi finished buttoning the last button. "Because I received treatment." He Mingqiao was shocked—first, that Ji Xingzhi had obediently accepted treatment, and second, that this small county hospital had hidden talents. The top hospitals in the city hadn't been confident they could cure his condition, but here in this small county, they'd encountered a master? "Who was it? Is he among the famous doctors on the hospital bulletin board?" Ji Xingzhi didn't keep him in suspense. "It was my wife." He thought for a moment and added, "I should have told you—she's a doctor." He Mingqiao: "..." It was so positive, unlike the 'wife is a doctor' plot he'd imagined. Ji Xingzhi ignored the sudden silence. He put on his jacket, noticed a change in his hairstyle, and ruffled it casually. "I'm a bit hungry. Let's go eat." He Mingqiao pouted. "I've never seen you so mindful of your diet." Ji Xingzhi patted his shoulder. "What are you talking about? I've always been thrifty with food." That wasn't what He Mingqiao meant, but was it worth explaining? Forget it.
He ordered light vegetarian dishes for them. Sitting in the box lunch shop outside the hospital, they didn't have to worry about food safety. During this time, he'd met his brother's family, seen the Wen family, and understood why his brother didn't want to go to work. That person—was his name He Yewan? He was a completely different type from his brother: gentle and tolerant. Because of the same surname, He Mingqiao paid him extra attention. "During this time, what do you think of He Yewan as a person?" Ji Xingzhi paused, not understanding why he'd suddenly mention him. But he had seen He Yewan's contributions during the anti-trafficking operation. "Although he's physically weak—like climbing a mountain, he needs a cane and is out of breath halfway—and he's not good at solving problems, he tends to follow others' arrangements. But he has a great virtue: he's an idealist." When the villagers and teachers were used to the situation, he took several risks to contact the Ye family, then abandoned his comfortable environment, gave up his hard-won job, went to another place alone, and spent a lot of money just to pursue a possibility. Ji Xingzhi shrugged, thinking his assessment was fair enough. He Mingqiao was silent for a moment, then said, "What I heard is that he's going to follow you all to the capital." The Wen family hadn't forgotten the benefactor who first helped Wen Jinyi. After thanking them last night, they found He Yewan and offered him a job in the capital. Ji Xingzhi paused, then picked up some dried bamboo shoots again. "What? Is he even giving up this one virtue now?" He Mingqiao rubbed his nose. More than once, he felt his brother had really strong offensive power. "That's not what I meant. You know that this anti-trafficking operation rescued many children, right?" At Ye Laosan's transit point, when the police discovered the hijacking, a transaction was taking place. Thirteen children were rescued. They were now placed in the police station. The police felt sorry for them but were powerless. The Wen family offered to fund them, hoping to accumulate blessings for their own child. They would find a school in the capital for the children to study. During this time, those who could find their parents would be taken back; those who couldn't would continue to receive support at the school. He Yewan became the caregiver for them. So how wasn't this sticking to his idealism? It was still charity—accepting support to do what he could. Ji Xingzhi: "..." No matter what, it felt a bit strange. He looked away out the window. "Consider opening a branch company in the capital?" He changed the subject. "Seeing the Wen family's influence in the capital, aren't you tempted?" He Mingqiao raised his hand to speak. "I'm not tempted." Ji Xingzhi said directly, "Then I am." He Mingqiao: "..." He'd forgotten that Ji Xingzhi also had that trait of being straightforward. But opening a branch wasn't something that could be decided in a few words. What about money? Resources? He was needed in the border town, and Ji Xingzhi's health wasn't good. In the end, it was just a plan. He Mingqiao couldn't say much. After ten years of friendship, he'd discovered for the first time that his brother, who had struggled alongside him, was a homebody. Was that appropriate? He Mingqiao doubted life.
When the group returned to the capital this time, they had a lot of luggage, mostly supplies donated by police and doctors for the children. The Wen family specially rented a large truck and loaded everything. As for the school supporting these children, it was small and located near the school where the two children studied, because that area belonged to the Wen family. Was the school principal also a Wen family member? Bo Xin looked up. She'd never paid attention to the principal's name. After all, a normal parent sending a child to school wouldn't care about that. Bo Xin shook her head. Besides these matters, the Wen family also found a hospital. It was to treat Wen Jinyi's foot. The wound was shocking. Wen Jinyi had been sitting; when he stood up, he realized how serious it was. The couple Ming Ruyu and Wen Fenghua really wanted to beat up the human traffickers to vent their anger. But the criminals had already been caught and could only wait for the legal verdict. What they could do now was find a good lawyer. Bo Xin generously lent them Zhu Lizhu. Ming Ruyu grabbed her hand to express gratitude. She even wanted to give her a passbook, but Bo Xin refused, because giving money would change the nature of the whole matter. But without giving money, Ming Ruyu still felt uneasy. She sat next to Bo Xin and spoke with rare hesitation. "It's about Jinyi's foot. I heard you can treat it?" Bo Xin never lied, especially to patients' families. There had been cases before where patients only trusted her words and took her prescribed medicine. So she had to give some forewarning. "Eighty to ninety percent chance." In matters of healing and saving lives, no one could guarantee completely. The patient's constitution, recovery, weather, sterile conditions—all affected the child's final outcome. Ming Ruyu breathed a sigh of relief. "That's already very impressive." Even a child's cold and fever could risk paralysis, let alone such a major surgery. Madame Bo Xin's saying that proved how skilled she was. Bo Xin said, "Then arrange it when we get back. I'm a bit sleepy, so I'll sleep in the car for a while." Bo Xin had fair skin, and her dark circles were noticeable. But they had dispersed early last night? Ming Ruyu asked doubtfully, "Did you have something to do last night?" Bo Xin thought about the previous night and rubbed her temples. "I treated another patient." And that patient hadn't shown any gratitude. Since this morning, he'd first had breakfast with He Mingqiao, then went to the exercise equipment and mingled with the elderly. But expecting him to weep with gratitude for her treatment was impossible. Just thinking about that scene almost made Bo Xin laugh out loud.
Two hours later, the cars arrived in the capital. Since Ji Xingzhi wasn't in a condition to drive, he and He Yewan seemed to have been arranged in the same car. In addition, Wen Fenghua was also in that car, so it was almost the quietest car for the entire trip. Wen Fenghua was an adult and could more or less read the atmosphere. He tried to liven it up. "Want a smoke?" He Yewan said he didn't like smoking. Ji Xingzhi pointed to his head, meaning his brain was injured and he couldn't smoke either. Wen Fenghua awkwardly put his cigarette back. And why did that gesture of pointing to his head seem to imply that he had a brain problem? Persuading an injured person to smoke. No wonder CEO Ji was known for being harsh. Even a casual move had such powerful impact. Wen Fenghua wanted to cry but had no tears. He missed his gentle and strong wife. But since he was a company president, his ability to get things done was definitely not bad. The Wen family would sponsor a school, so the address and teachers had to be arranged properly. There was also accommodation for the students and some life-skills teachers. He Yewan's main task was teaching. They would arrange a normal salary according to his requirements, along with various benefits. Wen Fenghua also considered buying him a house near the school as repayment. But he refused, saying he wanted to rent. Wen Fenghua tapped the documents. From what he knew, Madame Bo Xin was an expert in this area. She owned many properties across the capital, and the ones she bought had a high probability of appreciation. She had superb strategic vision. Wen Fenghua said, "Maybe you can consult Madame Bo Xin about renting, or even buying a house in the future." Ji Xingzhi leaned against the car window, feeling a headache. Looking at Wen Fenghua, he couldn't help pointing to his head again. "Our family has a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment in Fengheyuan to the left of the elementary school, but the view is average, the building is cramped. To the right, there's a place farther away with a large area, with a yard on the first floor where you can grow flowers and vegetables." He Yewan thought for a moment. "I remember you don't usually stay in the capital." Ji Xingzhi: "..." "So I'll still ask Madame Bo Xin before making a decision." Ji Xingzhi closed his eyes and rubbed his brow. "I think I've explained it clearly enough. An adult should be able to make such a small decision on his own." The scene fell silent. Wen Fenghua: "..." Was he being a nuisance by sitting here? He couldn't help wondering if CEO Ji's gesture of pointing to his head really was meant to insult him.