Chapter 31: True Power

Several hours later...

“Why don’t you ask about my family?” Zhang Ya’s voice gradually softened, growing quieter.

Jiang Xiwen kept striding ahead. “There’s no need.”

“Oh... I’m so tired…”

Thud!

This weather is unbearably cold! Class monitor? Zhang Ya… hey, what’s wrong?! Jiang Xiwen hurried to catch Zhang Ya, pinched her philtrum, but she didn’t respond for a long time. He watched the rise and fall of her chest, finally relaxing a little.

Damn it, Jiang Xiwen looked around. Not a single car in sight.

In the dead of night—well, treat it as exercise. Jiang Xiwen hoisted Zhang Ya onto his back and headed quickly toward the main road.

Hotpot—if only there were hotpot. Breathing in the icy air, Jiang Xiwen’s mind filled with the fragrant, spicy aroma of hotpot.

Walking and stopping like this, he trudged for over an hour, finally reaching the main road. He wondered how those bastards had found such a remote place.

At this hour, no cars passed by. Zhang Ya’s condition was uncertain, and Jiang Xiwen’s eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

Damn, I’m supposed to be supreme, saving people to the end, escorting the Buddha all the way west. If I can’t even walk this road, what’s the point of being reborn?

At last, he reached the city, finally arrived at the hospital. Jiang Xiwen let out a long breath, rushed inside, and shouted loudly, “Doctor! Where’s the doctor? Hurry, save her!”

He wanted to roar like a hero, but his strength was exhausted; his voice was weak and limp.

“What’s all the noise?” A nurse lazily poked her angelic head out from the duty room. “What happened? Pay first, I’ll contact the doctor for you.”

Damn, what kind of people are these? Jiang Xiwen’s anger flared. “Save her first, emergency treatment. I’ll fetch the money in a bit.”

A middle-aged male doctor walked over from another room, glanced at Zhang Ya slumped on Jiang Xiwen’s back, and said disdainfully, “What’s the fuss? Save what? She won’t die. Put her on a chair and wait till you pay, then go to the emergency room.”

Jiang Xiwen was utterly furious. After walking for hours with someone on his back, now he had to suffer this at the hospital? Was this a joke? He was a reborn man!

“What kind of lousy doctor are you? She’s unconscious, and you say she’s fine?”

“If you don’t believe me, go to another hospital!” The doctor retorted irritably.

“Listen up! Get your best doctor here immediately, or you can forget about being a doctor ever again!” Jiang Xiwen shouted with all his remaining strength.

“What?” The doctor hurriedly assessed Jiang Xiwen and then Zhang Ya—two handsome young people, though their clothes were rather disheveled.

But Jiang Xiwen’s gaze and tone didn’t seem like those of ordinary people. Better safe than sorry. Last year, a provincial leader’s family came for treatment, and a young doctor neglected them. Poor fellow, just promoted to deputy chief physician, never practiced medicine again.

“Well? Aren’t you going to save her?” Jiang Xiwen’s cold glare swept over him, sending a chill down the doctor’s spine for reasons he couldn’t explain. He quickly said, “Yes, of course. Let’s get her into the emergency room. Someone call Director Zhang.”

Damn these people, only respecting power! Jiang Xiwen watched as the doctors and nurses grew busy, saw them carry Zhang Ya into the best treatment room, and finally left the hospital. His act wouldn’t last forever; if that doctor stopped halfway, there’d be trouble. He needed to fetch the money quickly.

He’d been missing for a day—Zhang Ya’s mother must have reported it to the police. If he went home for money, there’d be endless questioning. So he headed to school, found Qi Huanchang, and borrowed money.

Fat Qi hadn’t heard Jiang Xiwen was missing. Jiang Xiwen didn’t have time to explain, took Qi’s entire monthly salary, and dashed back to the hospital.

“Doctor, how is she?” Jiang Xiwen, clutching the money, anxiously rushed to Zhang Ya’s room just as the doctor came out.

“No major issues. Her high fever has been controlled. She was unconscious from an empty stomach. Now she’s on a nutritional drip and should wake soon. A few days’ rest and she’ll be fine,” the doctor replied politely.

Jiang Xiwen let out a long sigh of relief.

Zhang Ya had opened up to him along the way, and Jiang Xiwen understood her better. Her mother was extremely strict, shaping her character, but she wasn’t happy—not happy enough that Jiang Xiwen felt sympathy for her.

After paying the first installment, Jiang Xiwen called home. His parents hadn’t noticed he was missing. They said a man had called, claiming to be Zhang Ya’s uncle. Jiang Xiwen and Zhang Ya were studying together and had stayed out late. Since they knew Zhang Ya was the class monitor, his parents weren’t worried.

What were Zhang Ya’s family trying to hide?

Jiang Xiwen didn’t want to worry his parents, so he didn’t say more. He called the police station next, explained briefly, and after they noted the details, the call ended.

As for the computer at home, Jiang Xiwen followed his plan and said it was lent by the school. Teacher Qi Huanchang, worried about his studies and the computing competition, lent him the computer.

He bought a bowl of porridge at the hospital entrance, intending to give it to Zhang Ya when she woke.

Returning to her room, he found the door open. Inside, Zhang Ya’s mother and a middle-aged man stood with their backs to him, speaking in low voices.

“How did she know Zhang Ya was in this hospital? I only told the police,” Jiang Xiwen wondered, wanting to go in and ask, but then heard Zhang Ya’s mother say, “It must be that little troublemaker’s fault. He got our daughter kidnapped with him.”

The middle-aged man shook his head. “Let’s investigate thoroughly first. Our Xiao Ya is so well-behaved, she wouldn’t get into trouble…”

Jiang Xiwen sneered, turned away, and tossed the bowl of porridge into the corridor trash heap. Zhang Ya’s parents had gotten word from the police so quickly—clearly not ordinary people. But that was none of his concern.

Jiang Xiwen believed one shouldn’t resent the wealthy or the powerful; he had no patience for self-important people. Being strong, he didn’t want anything to do with Zhang Ya’s mother.