Medical University Affiliated Hospital, Building 10, Fifth Floor Hematology Department.
Yang Chen stood outside the ward, looking through the glass at the girl lying in bed number three, who was turning her head to look at the scenery outside the window, her thoughts wandering elsewhere.
Yang Chen stood there for ten minutes, and the girl also looked outside for ten minutes. Yang Chen didn’t move, and neither did the girl.
After a long while, Yang Chen turned around, his eyes red, and asked Qin Zhiyuan, "When did this happen?"
"Two years ago!" Qin Zhiyuan sighed and replied.
"Two years ago!" Yang Chen couldn’t imagine how the once beautiful girl with long black hair endured all this! Three years! A whole three years!
From a pretty girl with twin braids and a pink princess dress to now a pale, lifeless leukemia patient whose hair has all fallen out!
"I came back too late!" Yang Chen lowered his head, filled with self-blame.
Qin Zhiyuan sighed and said to Yang Chen, "I brought you here hoping you could help my little sister. I’ve been bearing all the treatment costs alone these past years... To be honest, I even sold my house, and now I live in a kindergarten. I’m an old man not afraid of anything, but my little sister is still young. To cure her completely, we need a bone marrow transplant!"
"I understand!" Yang Chen nodded and asked, "How much do you need?"
Qin Zhiyuan’s voice was low, "A bone marrow transplant requires at least 200,000, plus treatment costs and some post-operative expenses, it will be at least around 500,000!"
"I understand!" Yang Chen turned to leave.
Qin Zhiyuan called out to him, "Aren’t you going in to see her?"
Yang Chen hesitated and said, "She probably doesn’t want to be seen by me in her current state."
Pain flashed across Qin Zhiyuan’s face. After growing up, other children from the orphanage went off to study or work, but only Yang Chen and his little sister kept in touch with him. After he retired from the Guard, he had no children, and his wife passed away early, so he long regarded these two kids as family.
Qin Zhiyuan thought about it and decided it was time to use a connection he had never used before.
"Old Qin! You finally decided to call me!"
"I have a favor to ask!"
"Old Qin, don’t say that. What favor? If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been dead long ago! Just tell me what’s up!"
"It’s , my kid, who just retired from the Guard, returned. I want to find him a job..."
"A retired Guard?" The person on the other end raised his eyebrows and asked, "What kind of soldier?"
In the province’s high-end residential district.
An elder pointed at the computer and instructed the guard, "Check for me, Yang Chen, ID number..."
They used the Guard District’s internal network and quickly found Yang Chen’s information.
He joined the Guard at sixteen, transferred to a special forces unit at seventeen, and became a second lieutenant at eighteen...
The records only showed up to the age of eighteen, then it was all blank!
Seeing the second lieutenant rank, the elder’s expression changed, "Wow! A second lieutenant by eighteen, how many ranks did this guy skip? Old Qin! I agree to this matter, don’t worry! This one is a gem!"
Yang Chen walked along the river outside the hospital, remembering bits and pieces from his time at the orphanage.
He even had the impulse to contact an organization abroad for funds.
But, he was no longer young and reckless. He knew that his return must remain a secret! If his identity was exposed, his loved ones would be implicated!
Just when Yang Chen felt troubled, Qin Zhiyuan’s call came in.
"Director!" Yang Chen straightened up and said.
"Xiaochen, let me give you an address, write it down."
"Did you find a pen and paper?"
Yang Chen glanced at the riverbank beside him and said, "Got it!"
"Alright, write this down: Intersection of Jiancheng Road and Guangming Road, Qiming Mansion, 32nd floor, look for Wei Qingzhong, phone: 135xxxxxxx, say Old Zhuo referred you!"
"Go ahead, an old friend told me. The president of Shangdong Group is looking for a bodyguard, you could give it a try."
If it were before, Yang Chen wouldn’t deign to be anyone’s bodyguard. But now, for his little sister, he’d do anything!
Immediately, Yang Chen hailed a cab to Qiming Mansion.
Qiming Mansion, 32nd floor, Shangdong Group!
"Who are you here to see?" The receptionist’s voice was sweet, with a professional smile. Seeing Yang Chen, her eyes lit up. But upon noticing his attire, the light faded, and her smile became somewhat less enthusiastic.
"Hello!" Yang Chen nodded at the receptionist and said, "I’m looking for Wei Qingzhong!"
Upon hearing this name, the receptionist’s eyes widened with disbelief as she looked at Yang Chen and assessed his appearance again. She asked very firmly, "Do you have an appointment?"
"Appointment? I should have one, you might want to call and check?" Yang Chen was unsure if the director had made an appointment for him.
The receptionist showed a hint of impatience, knowing that Wei Qingzhong was their chairman, and she was sure the chairman wouldn’t deal with someone like Yang Chen, especially since he looked so young!
Truthfully, the receptionist felt contempt as she noticed Yang Chen’s crumpled attire, which together didn’t cost more than a hundred yuan.
"Are you sure you have an appointment? If you’re causing trouble, I could have security kick you out!" The receptionist spoke very rudely.
Yang Chen frowned and said in a deep voice, "Could you call and check? I’m referred by Old Zhuo."
The receptionist frowned, wondering if this person was really here to see the chairman?
She thought about it and decided to make a call since that was part of her job.
After connecting the call, the receptionist inquired, but the chairman’s secretary said there was no appointment from Old Zhuo.
Hanging up the phone, the receptionist was frustrated and said coldly, "There’s no appointment for you, please leave now, or I’ll call security!"
Seeing this, Yang Chen took out his phone and dialed the number Qin Zhiyuan had given him.
At that moment, Wei Qingzhong was in a meeting and felt his phone vibrate. This number was his private one, usually known only to friends and family, no one else would call it.
Seeing an ordinary strange number, Wei Qingzhong thought for a moment, then got up and stood by the window to answer, "Hello, who’s calling?"
"Is this Wei Qingzhong? I’m Yang Chen, referred by Old Zhuo." Yang Chen got straight to the point.
Hearing Old Zhuo, Wei Qingzhong was delighted, as anyone introduced by Old Zhuo was definitely exceptional!
"Where are you now? I’ll send someone to get you!"
"I’m at the front desk!"
"Alright! Wait a moment!"
After hanging up, Yang Chen raised his head to find the receptionist on the verge of tears.