Lu Yiming’s words seemed to be blessed. Old Master Liang’s heart was actually in much better condition than expected. Although he did suffer a myocardial infarction, it hadn’t reached the stage where surgery was necessary. This incident had happened suddenly, and to put it bluntly, it was mostly caused by a scare.
As for the stent, it was better to hold off if possible—not because imported stents were too expensive, but because the opportunity to implant one only came once. Besides, with medical technology advancing so rapidly, future materials and lifespan might improve significantly.
The arterial blockage was only at 55%. Among typical patients, that wasn’t a serious issue.
When Academician Ai came out, he looked quite relaxed. What he had assumed to be a major issue turned out to be just another ordinary patient. There was no need for him to personally intervene. It felt like wasting a favor. However, when he noticed the way Lu Yiming looked at Su Rongrong, he seemed to understand everything.
“Academician Ai, I’m really sorry to make you come all the way here,” Su Rongrong said.
“It’s fine. It’s partly Xiao Qian’s fault for not explaining clearly.” Academician Ai waved his hand. Since his niece rarely asked him for anything, he was bound to give it his full effort. It was just a pity that this young man before him and his niece seemed to have no fate between them.
Xiao Qian was none other than Sister Qian, the bar owner. Last time Lu Yiming wasn’t just there to drink. As the saying goes, no one pays a visit to the temple for no reason.
“What a pity.”
“A pity?” Su Rongrong was startled. She had just come out of a tense check-up and was still on edge.
“I wasn’t talking about the patient.” Realizing the misunderstanding, Academician Ai quickly clarified.
The final assessment was that as long as Old Master Liang took his medication on time, there wouldn’t be any major problems.
Back in the ward, Old Master Liang put on the air of someone unfazed by anything. “Back when I was solving cases, I faced ruthless criminals. What’s a little illness compared to that?”
Upon learning that he was fine, Old Master Liang was invigorated. He started telling stories of his glorious past.
“Grandpa, you weren’t acting like this before the check-up.” Su Rongrong couldn’t help but point it out. Before being wheeled into the examination room, he’d looked pale and had a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. He looked nothing like the heroic figure he was pretending to be now.
“Nonsense. Xiao Lu, tell me, did I look scared just now?” Old Master Liang turned to Lu Yiming.
“Well…” Lu Yiming felt this was an easy question to get wrong, so he chose to play dumb and stay silent.
One thing was clear—Old Master Liang had a very favorable impression of Lu Yiming.
“Alright, get some rest. My mom will be back by tomorrow.” Su Rongrong reassured him. After hearing about his illness, her mother, who had been abroad on an inspection trip, had immediately bought the fastest ticket back to Magic City. Su Rongrong had also notified her of the check-up results right away to ease her anxiety.
“Grandpa, he still has other things to do.” Su Rongrong quickly spoke, afraid to leave Lu Yiming behind. Who knew what kind of embarrassing childhood stories her grandfather might start telling if he got too chatty? She barely managed to stop him earlier—who knows what he’d say next? Clearly, she didn’t treat Lu Yiming as an outsider.
In Su Rongrong’s eyes, her grandfather was doing it on purpose. His words were clearly steering the conversation, guiding its rhythm intentionally. And to think this man was a retired prosecutor—was he really so easily manipulated? She couldn’t help but question whether his so-called glorious career was perhaps exaggerated.
Of course, she couldn’t entirely blame her grandfather. The real problem was that Lu Yiming was just too cunning.
“Alright, Grandpa, I’ll visit you next time,” Lu Yiming said.
“No need!” Su Rongrong interrupted before he could finish. Next time? What are you planning, Lu Yiming?
Out of Old Master Liang’s line of sight, Su Rongrong glared angrily at Lu Yiming.
Su Rongrong: You’re crossing the line!
Lu Yiming: I was just trying to keep Grandpa company.
Su Rongrong: He’s my grandfather! What does he have to do with you?
Lu Yiming: (ˉ▽ˉ；)…
Their silent exchange carried a lot of unspoken meaning.
“What are you two doing?” Old Master Liang squinted. Were they… flirting?
Could it be that his precious granddaughter really had feelings for this young man? Honestly, it wouldn’t be a bad thing. This Xiao Lu was indeed quite impressive.
“It’s nothing, Grandpa. Get some rest.”
“Sigh… Go on, go on. By the way, did you bring that chess manual I asked for?” Old Master Liang suddenly remembered. His other great passion was chess—both Chinese chess and Go were close to his heart.
Of course, his Chinese chess skills left much to be desired. In fact, he was infamous for being terrible yet still loved showing off. But his Go skills were solid—he always bragged that he was invincible.
In old age, such hobbies were his only solace.
“Grandpa still plays chess?” Lu Yiming asked.
“Of course! I’m not boasting, but no one in my neighborhood can beat me.” The moment chess was mentioned, Old Master Liang’s energy returned in full. He’d only planned to go out that day because he couldn’t find a worthy opponent in the community and thought the chess club might offer a challenge. Who knew he’d end up in a car accident?
Luckily, Lu Yiming had passed by and saved his life.
“Young man, chess has many intricacies, especially Go. Ah, forget it, young people like you probably wouldn’t understand anyway.” Old Master Liang smacked his lips. Nowadays, few young people had the patience for things like this.
“I actually enjoy it quite a lot.”
“Oh? You play chess too?” That piqued Old Master Liang’s interest. Being stuck in a hospital room had him itching for a game.
“Why don’t we have a quick match?”
Su Rongrong: (ˉ▽ˉ；)… What’s going on? Weren’t we supposed to leave? How did they start talking about chess again?
“Don’t worry, Xiao Lu, I won’t bully you. I’ll play a teaching game with you.”
“Wait, Grandpa, we—”
“It’s still early. Bring me the chessboard!” Once Grandpa got stubborn, there was nothing Su Rongrong could do.
She shot a fierce glare at Lu Yiming. This guy just wouldn’t quit!
But then again, what did someone like Lu Yiming—a spoiled rich boy—know about chess?
She knew her grandfather’s chess level all too well. In her eyes, Lu Yiming was simply pandering to her grandfather’s interests. And maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. Let Grandpa see his true colors for himself. Once he realized Lu Yiming was all talk and no substance, maybe his favorable impression would fade. That would save her a lot of trouble.
“Fine, just one game.” One game was enough. Su Rongrong was confident it would reveal all of Lu Yiming’s shortcomings.
She sneered. He was digging his own grave.
Soon, the board was set.
“Say, how many stones should I handicap you with?” Lu Yiming asked.
“Why don’t I take black and go first?” Old Master Liang replied.
“Heh, look at this toad yawning—what a boast!” He hadn’t expected the kid to put on an act too. Asking for a handicap and still offering the black stones? Alright then, time to teach him a lesson.
With that, Old Master Liang picked up a black stone and made the first move.