Volume 1 Chapter 1: The Encounter
Deep winter.
A piercing howl had barely arrived when a bone-chilling gust of wind swept through.
On the winding mountain road.
A figure in a white short dress was hurrying down the mountain with an anxious expression.
Behind her, faintly visible halfway up the mountain, stood the brightly lit mansion where a banquet was being held.
Jiang Zhiwan sniffled. Her lips had turned purple from the cold, yet she paid it no mind. Only one conviction kept her going.
Hurry.
Hurry faster.
Her mother, who had received a critical illness notice, was still waiting for her at the hospital.
At this time on a normal day, Jiang Zhiwan would have been working her second part-time job. But her stepsister had called her to the old estate early, asking her to accompany their father to a banquet.
Jiang Zhiwan knew full well that her stepsister wanted to play her little game of public humiliation again.
But what good did knowing do? Jiang Zhiwan could only endure it in silence.
Her mother’s exorbitant medical bills were beyond her means right now; she could only rely on the Jiang family.
Enduring some humiliation in exchange for her mother’s chance to live—that was actually worth it.
The entire mountain was the private domain of the villa estate halfway up. Only after going down the mountain could Jiang Zhiwan catch transportation.
Her whole body had gone numb from the cold, and even her senses seemed to have dulled along with it.
So when a low-key, understated black luxury car had been trailing slowly behind Jiang Zhiwan for quite a while, she only noticed it belatedly.
The middle-aged driver made his third polite inquiry with a respectful demeanor: “Miss, do you need any help?”
Jiang Zhiwan stopped in her tracks and stared blankly at him…
.
The car’s heating was turned up generously, and before long, Jiang Zhiwan’s frozen body gradually began to thaw.
The interior was very spacious, with a faint, cool fragrance lingering in the air.
Only the driver’s cabin light was on, but Jiang Zhiwan, who had been asked to sit in the passenger seat, could keenly sense that someone was in the back row.
It should be a man.
Despite the spacious seating, even with the person sitting in a relaxed, natural posture, the space still felt somewhat cramped—enough to prove that he was very tall.
Even hidden in the darkness, even without uttering a single word from start to finish, he had a presence that was impossible to ignore.
What Jiang Zhiwan didn’t know was this:
From the moment the person in the back seat laid eyes on her, the gaze hidden in the darkness had been fixed intently on her.
Stubborn, even carrying an unyielding intensity, as if afraid she might suddenly vanish.
Knowing Jiang Zhiwan was anxious, the driver increased speed while ensuring safety.
What would normally take over half an hour was covered in about twenty minutes.
After getting out of the car, Jiang Zhiwan bowed toward the back seat and said sincerely, “Thank you.”
She hadn’t expected a response.
But to her surprise, just as she turned around, she was called back.
It was the middle-aged driver: “Miss, this is for you.”
A black overcoat was handed out through the car window. Even by sight alone, one could tell the fabric was extremely valuable.
The middle-aged driver gave a reason Jiang Zhiwan couldn’t refuse, speaking with meaningful undertones: “Those who care about you would be very worried to see you in this state.”
Only then did Jiang Zhiwan remember the humiliating scene at the banquet just now, where her stepsister had poured a glass of red wine over her head from top to bottom.
Jiang Zhiwan’s eyes grew hot, and her hoarse voice carried a hint of a choked sob: “Really… thank you so much.”
It wasn’t until Jiang Zhiwan turned and hurried into the hospital, clutching the coat, that the rear window was slowly lowered.
The streetlamp’s light spilled into the car, illuminating the face of the person in the back seat.
At the same time, the middle-aged driver asked in an even more respectful tone: “President Lu, shall we still head to the Bai family’s banquet?”
The turbulent, unusual emotions surging in Lu Yanshu’s ink-black eyes quickly faded, and his sword-like brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
“No need.” His reply was aloof and icy.
At once, the middle-aged driver grew even more puzzled.
Lu Yanshu, who disliked strangers getting close, had today gone against his usual nature to let that young lady into his car.
He, who detested having his plans disrupted, had personally taken her to the hospital and even given her the coat he had been wearing.
Even though there were unused jackets placed in the car.
Everything pointed to the fact that the young lady who had just hurried into the hospital was anything but ordinary in Lu Yanshu’s eyes.
A thought struck him, and he tested the waters: “Then, President Lu, shall we wait here?”
Lu Yanshu frowned slightly but remained silent.
No refusal meant consent.
.
The hospital at night was still brightly lit, and the smell of disinfectant lingering in the air was far from pleasant.
The light outside the operating room was still on, and only a middle-aged woman stood waiting outside the door.
Her figure was slightly stooped. Hearing footsteps behind her, she immediately turned around and looked at Jiang Zhiwan with red-rimmed eyes.
“Aunt Wan, how is Mom doing now?” Jiang Zhiwan knew this wasn’t the time to fall apart, so she forced herself to stay calm.
Aunt Wan shook her head slightly, looking somewhat dazed and at a loss. Her lips moved, but not a single word came out.
Jiang Zhiwan’s heart sank.
The light hanging in the hallway that read “SURGERY IN PROGRESS” stayed lit until around three in the morning before suddenly going dark.
The exhausted medical staff filed out one after another.
Only when she heard that the patient was basically out of danger did Jiang Zhiwan finally let out a breath of relief, yet the taut string in her mind never loosened for even a moment.
The doctor rubbed his aching brow and said in a heavy tone, “Miss Jiang, come to my office in a bit. There are some things I’d like to discuss with you.”
Jiang Zhiwan nodded and replied with a simple “Okay.”
No matter how little Jiang’s father cared about his ex-wife, a casual gesture from him was still the best medical resources the capital had to offer.
The top-floor VIP ward consisted of a bedroom and a living room, furnished with the most advanced medical equipment available.
Jiang’s mother was still unconscious, the oxygen mask covering most of her gaunt face.
Jiang Zhiwan stood silently by the bedside for a very, very long time.
Aunt Wan crept closer and urged softly, “Xiaowan, you have class at eight tomorrow morning, and you have part-time work in the afternoon and evening. Go get some rest—I’ll stay here.”
Jiang Zhiwan knew she couldn’t afford to be stubborn. “I’ll go rest in a bit.”
Stepping out of the VIP ward, Jiang Zhiwan went straight to the doctor’s office door and raised her hand to knock.
When Jiang’s mother’s attending physician saw her come in, he cut straight to the chase: “Your mother is deeply depressed. If things continue like this…”
He couldn’t bring himself to finish the rest of the sentence.
Jiang’s mother felt she was nothing but a burden to Jiang Zhiwan, yet at the same time, she couldn’t bear to leave her daughter alone and helpless in this world.
There was another matter the doctor had called Jiang Zhiwan in for.
—The card used to pay for Jiang’s mother’s treatment was running low on funds.
If they continued treatment at this rate, the money on the card would last at most half a month.