Manman knew she couldn’t be called a beauty, so she treated his question as if it was just wind blowing past her ears.
“Yao Grandpa, we’ve got fifty guys on this bus, and when a woman comes aboard she’s not a beauty then what is she?” the tall and handsome Kantian said.
“Like you said, with fifty guys here and one woman who’s a beauty, it couldn’t be ugly—”starting to bicker, Yao Ziye realized halfway through that his words were too blunt and terribly awkward, so he cut himself off.
Yao Ziye’s eyebrows, arched like willow leaves, flew up toward his temples, and when he saw Manman’s face, calm as still water, it seemed as if not even a thunderbolt from the heavens could stir her.
The tall and handsome guy leaned into his ear, “Look, although her looks are nothing special, her temperament is extraordinary, right?”
With a punch to the tall man’s chest and grabbing the clothes he had been using as a blanket to drape over his shoulder, Yao Ziye shifted to make space with a clear opening.
What a grandpa indeed, not even bothering to stand up and make way for her.
If she were a beauty, the treatment would surely be different.
Manman had always disdained such people, but seeing them in military uniform hurt her eyes.
The man she liked was also from their ranks and, by comparison, she felt these people debased the uniform.
The knot in her stomach made her bend at the waist as she walked to the seat by the window.
As soon as her head rested against the cold glass, it felt like an ice pack on a feverish forehead.
She closed her eyes for only a few minutes before she noticed the bus kept stopping and starting, making her already uncomfortable stomach churn even more, and there wasn’t a second of peace in her ears.
“Yao Grandpa, wanna play cards?”
“Everyone’s awake now?”
“A beauty has arrived; of course we’re all awake.”
These older brothers, eager at the hint of fun, had their sleepiness vanish instantly.
“Tall and handsome, how did she get on the bus?”
“Jun Ye charged her five hundred RMB for the ride.”
“Five hundred RMB?
A rich girl?!
It doesn’t look it, this chick—”
Manman’s eyes snapped open, her large, dark-framed glasses unable to conceal the spirited sparkle beneath.
Her gaze at that moment seemed to be judging their clothes.
Not just the brother who had misspoken, but all the men felt an intimidating aura.
“What chick?
She’s a beauty, comrades!
Mind your language, guys,” the tall and handsome Kantian coughed.
“Break it up.
Break it up.
The beauty doesn’t seem pleased,” said Yao Ziye, the very same as Yao Grandpa.
He was much more effective than Kantian; upon his words, the crowd that had gathered instantly dispersed.
With just that phrase, Kantian once again noticed Manman’s gaze poking at Yao Ziye’s back and warned, “Be careful how you speak.
She’s glaring at you.”
“Glaring at me?” Yao Grandpa’s long eyebrows flew toward Manman’s big glasses.
Beneath the lenses, her deep, ink-like eyes were like a drop of ink splashed on rice paper, a captivating blend of watery grace.
This woman, as Tall and Handsome had said, wasn’t much to look at, but her spirit was extraordinary, so much so that it held his gaze firmly.
Even Bai Lu, considered the most beautiful in the army, had never caused him such a lapse in composure.
A moment of silent pause, and their gazes were stuck in the cramped space.
Manman originally found him to be uncouth and ill-mannered, and when displeased, she’d give him an extra glance, only to realize that he was quite unique-looking.
Especially his eyes—she, being an artist, had never seen such in real life where someone’s eyes extended nearly to their temples.
Those eyes were not phoenix eyes, but contained double eyelids, which reminded her of the white-robed generals in ancient ink paintings, beautiful yet full of heroic spirit.
A fresh wave of stomach pain made Manman close her eyes again.
“Yao Grandpa, have you been dazzled by the beauty, comrade?” Tall and Handsome chimed in at just the right moment, teasing appropriately.
“All this talk of beauty, comrade.
Can’t you be serious for once!” With a low shout, as if venting frustration, Yao Ziye gathered himself and asked in a somber tone, “How did Lu Jun get her on the bus?”
“That—I really don’t know.” Tall and Handsome recalled regretfully the exciting beginning he had missed, “When I got there, I only saw five RMB notes flung at Jun Ye like lottery tickets.
Jun Ye sure lives up to his name, able to keep his cool.
If it were me, I’d have thrown back ten.”
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
Jun Ye was walking over.
“Jun Ye, have you come to inspect your captive?” Tall and Handsome kept up his cheeky banter with an annoying persistence.
As expected, this was met with an unamiable glare from Jun Ye.
Hurriedly, Tall and Handsome changed his tune, “The beauty here seems to be sleeping like Sleeping Beauty, just dozed off again.”
“Wake her up, I have something to ask her.”
A cold voice reached Manman’s ears just before someone was about to touch her shoulder, she snapped her eyelids open.
Yao Ziye withdrew his hand and pretended to adjust the clothing on his shoulder.
Manman lifted her eyes to meet his, icy as frost, and gently bit her lip.
Given the choice, she wouldn’t want to say a single word to this person.
“I ask you, where do you want to get out?” Lu Jun asked.
“Drop me off at the nearest pharmacy,” Manman said, surprised to find that the strain of speaking on the car had left her voice hoarse and brittle.
All three men looked at her, a minute of doubtful hesitation.
Before Manman could shrink away, a palm pressed against her forehead and cheek.
With eyebrows furrowing like a mountain range, Yao Ziye turned to the other two and asked, “Was she sick when she got on the bus?”
The tall and handsome one was quick to absolve himself of responsibility, “She could walk on her own when she boarded.”
“A high fever?” Lu Jun retorted, his voice was cold but showed a slight inflection this time.
“It’s more than just a high fever!” Yao Ziye said displeased, his hand now feeling Manman’s wrist for a pulse.
The touch made his expression change drastically.
“What’s wrong?” Pushing aside the tall and handsome, Lu Jun leaned in closer.
After all, it was he who had brought her on board—he felt responsible.
Upon a closer look, he noticed her sweat-drenched face beneath the glasses, with lips that would be pale if not for biting them to keep some color.
“Why didn’t you say you were feeling unwell?!” he bellowed suddenly, almost blowing Manman’s ears away.
Manman looked at him incredulously, locking eyes with Master Jun.
Wasn’t this the cold-hearted gentleman who didn’t care whether someone lived or died, refusing to let anyone on a military vehicle?
At this moment, Jun Ye’s angry eyes were probably just scared of being held responsible.
Manman’s lips curved into a mocking smile, “Don’t worry, just drop me at the pharmacy will do.”
“Go to the pharmacy?
Can you even go to a pharmacy in your condition?” He glared at her intensely, and perhaps due to his habit of giving orders, Jun Ye turned to the tall and handsome man and said, “Turn the car towards the hospital.”
“I already said I want to go to the pharmacy!” she protested heatedly, but as she stood up, her footing was unsteady.
Ah~
A chorus of startled cries.
Two large hands caught her falling body.
“Hey, comrade beauty, comrade beauty—”
In the final slit of her struggling vision, Manman caught sight of some green shadows, thought of that person, and closed her eyes.
The speeding vehicle sounded its alarm and rushed to the nearest district second-level hospital.
The usually quiet emergency room saw the sudden arrival of a bus crashing through the entrance, with a few people carrying a patient rushing inside.
Seeing the urgency of the group, the hospital staff didn’t dare delay.
They quickly started an IV drip, drew blood, and checked the patient.
Due to the involvement of some expensive tests and the critical look of the patient’s condition, the duty doctor approached the group of big brothers who had brought in the patient, saying, “We need to issue a notice of critical illness for this patient.
Who among you is a family member?”
“We—” the comrades looked to Jun Ye.
Lu Jun found himself pushed to the front by everyone’s gaze and picked up the pen.
“What’s your relationship to the patient?” the duty doctor asked again.
Lu Jun hesitated to write, saying, “We just found her sick on the road and brought her here.”
So, he was a good Samaritan following in the footsteps of Lei Feng.
The duty doctor seemed to understand.
The tall and handsome man muttered behind Jun Ye’s back, “Sure, after taking 500 RMB just to let her on the bus.”