This hospital had received quite a few high-profile individuals, so perhaps they weren’t here to see Shi Zhenhua after all.
"Jiang Chen, how did you catch those Japanese spies? Tell me about it."
Shi Zhenhua asked with great interest.
Jiang Chen, of course, spared no detail, chatting with Shi Zhenhua for probably over forty minutes, until Meng Meiling came back, only then did he propose to leave.
"Someone’s waiting for you, and go take care of your own business."
Jiang Chen breathed a sigh of relief.
A mother was indeed much more understanding than a daughter.
Someone was waiting for him?
Even though he was puzzled, Jiang Chen didn’t ask who it was; he left the sickroom with curiosity, looked around the corridor, and didn’t notice anything unusual.
Wasn’t it said someone was waiting for him?
Could they be downstairs?
Jiang Chen took the elevator down and walked out of the inpatient department.
The sun was setting in the west.
As the light dimmed, Jiang Chen left the inpatient building and scanned the surroundings.
"Thank you, big sister."
A little girl, probably only seven or eight, lifted her head and sweetly thanked a woman with a graceful figure.
Then she was led away by her grandfather.
Seeing that familiar silhouette, Jiang Chen’s heart pounded.
The woman turned around.
Jiang Chen quickly squeezed out a look of pleasant surprise.
If this woman wasn’t Lan Peizhi, then who was she?
Although he didn’t know why the little girl had thanked her, the way she called her "big sister" felt surprisingly fitting.
The surprise on Jiang Chen’s face was half genuine, half feigned; he truly hadn’t expected Lan Peizhi to be the person Meng Meiling was referring to.
When they had arrested the Japanese spies, Lan Peizhi had stepped in, and she had even collaborated with Jin Hai. It wasn’t strange for her to appear now that Shi Zhenhua had awoken.
She was actually waiting for him?
"The Japanese plotted everything they could, yet they never expected to end up benefiting someone else, quite impressive."
Lan Peizhi said flatly.
Jiang Chen didn’t hesitate, hearing the implied meaning in her words, and immediately said with conviction, "Miss Lan, you’ve misunderstood, I have no ambitions towards Jin Hai."
Lan Peizhi remained noncommittal.
"I have a question for you."
Jiang Chen’s heart surged, but he maintained a calm exterior.
Dealing with a woman like Lan Peizhi required composure first and foremost!
"Please ask, Miss Lan."
"Right before you entered the inpatient department, did you encounter someone?"
Jiang Chen’s eyes flickered, and he quickly nodded, "Yes, it was Miss Cao. Miss Lan, you must know her, right?"
Lan Peizhi did not answer, "Do you know her?"
Jiang Chen’s response was a little slower.
"Sort of... I’ve met her once in Paris."
"Do you know who she is?"
"She just told me her name, said she is Cao Jinse."
Lan Peizhi fell silent.
Jiang Chen looked embarrassed and quickly added, "Other than that, I don’t know much."
Lan Peizhi watched him quietly, as the gathering night made her ageless face appear increasingly hazy.
"Previously, I had Liao Xiangdong pass on a message to you, do you remember?"
Jiang Chen was taken aback and pondered.
Lan Peizhi had Liao Xiangdong pass a message to him?
He seemed to have a vague recollection.
"Ye Tingxuan took action against Pei Yunxi because of her," Lan Peizhi continued.
Jiang Chen’s eyes narrowed.
"Of course, it wasn’t her idea, and Ye Tingxuan did it on his own initiative. She was unaware, otherwise, she wouldn’t have asked me to convey her apology to you."
At this, Jiang Chen seemed to remember.
It appeared there really was such a matter.
And just now, that Miss Cao had said it herself, the "returning a favor" she mentioned, could it be related to Pei Yunxi’s incident?
"I understand, that was a misunderstanding."
Jiang Chen was indeed a clever person; that hair-raising trip to Yunfu had nearly been one-way, and after lying in the hospital for a good half of a month, he now lightly termed the incident a misunderstanding.
"Miss Cao is a good person."
Probably even a professional actor would struggle to restrain themselves at this point.
But Lan Peizhi did not smile, she just looked at the young man who had handed out a "good person card" to Miss Cao with an enigmatic stare.
"You just think she is a good person?"
Jiang Chen was thoroughly confused, this time he genuinely couldn’t grasp what was happening.
"Isn’t she a beauty?"
Jiang Chen froze, realizing in those eyes that countless brave men dared not face directly, there was a streak of unusual brilliance that flashed and vanished in the deepening night.
What is the implication of these words?
Jiang Chen couldn’t figure it out and could only respond prudently, "Miss Cao is certainly a beauty."
It wasn’t just to deal with the situation.
But a sincere sentiment.
Any other person’s evaluation would have been the same.
Moreover, aside from being beautiful, the key point was that she also had a noble heart, entirely unlike someone from a background as illustrious as hers.
Jiang Chen discovered that perhaps he had already encountered Eastern nobility.
"The first time you came to me, you spent ten billion to have me save someone, but if you had known her back then, a single word from her might have been enough."
It wasn’t just ten billion.
It was clearly ten billion US dollars.
But even so, the result remained unmoved, which led him to take a desperate risk, entering a dangerous situation with Liao Xiangdong overnight, nearly not returning.
Of course, Jiang Chen had no resentment. Whether the other person helped or not was their prerogative. He was just puzzled why the other person would bring up past events at this time.
Slightly off-balance, Jiang Chen unconsciously reexamined everything Lan Peizhi had said from the beginning.
With his intelligence, plus the experience gained from increasingly dealing with high-caliber individuals, it didn’t take long for him to detect a hint of something.
His expression changed slightly, his heart filled with shock and doubt, hesitant to confirm his suspicion.
Jiang Chen didn’t rush to conclusions but subtly nodded in agreement, probing further, "Yes, if I had known Miss Cao then, all it would have taken was a phone call from her to Prince Ye, and perhaps none of this trouble would have been necessary. Unfortunately, I was not acquainted with Miss Cao at the time."
As he spoke, he watched Lan Peizhi’s expression, feeling more and more astounded inside.
"It’s not too late to get to know her now."
Jiang Chen finally dared to confirm.
She couldn’t seriously be thinking.
Of matchmaking him with Miss Cao, could she?!
The ladies of Qingyuan seldom showed themselves, how did she suddenly think of playing matchmaker?
Wasn’t that overestimating him quite a bit?!
Jiang Chen’s insides were roiling with confusion.
He really wanted to say that he had no interest in Miss Cao; what interested him was...
But these inner thoughts were something he absolutely couldn’t voice out loud.
At the very least, he might end up a fellow patient with Shi Zhenhua.
He kept silent for a long while, trying to act natural, but the smile he managed to muster up remained somewhat stiff.
"Miss Lan, are you close to her? I would certainly be more than willing to be friends with Miss Cao."
Although unbelievable, Jiang Chen briskly seized the opportunity presented.
There’s a saying that goes, the mediocre wait for opportunities, the strong create them!
No matter why she had such a bizarre idea, there was no doubt this was his chance to close the distance with this formidable Blood Guanyin.
Between men and women, the most fatal issue is not having a common ground.
Where there is no chance to meet, how can feelings be cultivated?
Wasn’t the common ground presented right here?!
"With your capabilities, you should not need help from others."
Jiang Chen kept a composed face, taking the remark as a compliment without any burden.
Little did he know, Lan Peizhi had no intention of saying more and turned to walk out of the hospital.
Jiang Chen was dumbfounded.
Isn’t she supposed to be the matchmaker?
This was far too unprofessional, wasn’t it?
To get things started and then just let them be?
There’s always a demon behind anomalies.
He knew all too well that Lan Peizhi’s sudden intent to spark his interest in Miss Cao had to have an ulterior motive.
But wasn’t he the same?
Both harboring ulterior motives... no, hitting it off instantly, they suddenly had a lot in common to talk about.
So Jiang Chen quickly followed her, this time with bold righteousness.
"Miss Lan, why don’t you get Miss Cao to come out tonight, and I’ll treat her to supper?"
"Miss Lan, did you come to the Capital City specifically to visit Uncle Shi?"
"Miss Lan, when will you be returning to East Sea? Why not go together?"
Lan Peizhi stopped in her tracks.
Jiang Chen also stopped, his face an image of innocence.