"You guys go ahead, I won't join you. It doesn't need to be too big; don't waste money."
Xue Mingqin sat back down by the hospital bed. Clearly, her emotions were still unstable, and she was in no mood to look at houses.
Jiang Chen and Li Shurui could only walk out of the ward.
"No wonder people say peace is a blessing. Two million for surgery, three million for the 'fast-track' fee—it adds up to a full five million," Li Shurui murmured.
"I asked the doctor," Jiang Chen said softly as they walked down the corridor. "The doctor's advice is to operate as soon as possible, the sooner the better. Uncle might not be able to hold on much longer."
"Which means the best way is to pay to skip the line. Otherwise, my dad is just waiting to die."
Jiang Chen remained silent.
"I still have a few hundred thousand in my card, and if I sell the car, I should be able to scrape together about 1.5 million."
Li Shurui did not complain or blame fate; instead, she immediately began thinking of solutions. For someone her age to maintain such a calm mind under these circumstances was truly commendable.
"If that's not enough, the only option is to listen to my mom and sell the house."
1.5 million would only cover half. The reason she hadn't agreed to her mother selling the house before was that Li Shurui believed she had the ability to help her family through this crisis. But now, she felt powerless.
"That's your family's only home. If you sell it, where will your aunt and uncle live in the future?"
"What else can I do? I can't just let my dad lie in a hospital bed and wait to die, can I?"
The usually cold and aloof Li Shurui finally showed a hint of helplessness and bitterness.
"If you're willing, I can help you," Jiang Chen said calmly.
Li Shurui froze. "You help me? How... how would you help me?"
"Have you forgotten? I'm not as poor as you imagine," Jiang Chen said with a slight smile.
Li Shurui couldn't help but stop in her tracks and turn to look at him. "Do you mean... you can produce three million?"
Jiang Chen also stopped and nodded.
"Jiang Chen, are you joking with me?"
"Do you think I would joke at a time like this?"
Jiang Chen's gaze was calm as he met Li Shurui's eyes; there wasn't a trace of teasing or flippancy on his face.
Li Shurui pursed her lips. Like a sudden gust of wind, waves rose in the lake of her heart. She had guessed that Jiang Chen wasn't as simple as he appeared on the surface, but she hadn't dared to imagine anything too exaggerated. She had thought that his parents leaving him a few million in assets was already quite impressive.
But Jiang Chen's current behavior was subtly telling her a fact: this young man's background and strength might exceed her previous imagination. Although she hadn't studied economics, she understood one shallow principle: someone who could produce three million on a whim must have a net worth of at least tens of millions.
"Are you really willing to help me?" Li Shurui stared straight at Jiang Chen, refusing to let her inner emotions show on her face.
"We are boyfriend and girlfriend right now. If I don't help you, who else will?" Jiang Chen said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Against the cold, pale backdrop of the hospital, his peaceful, smiling face appeared exceptionally warm and gentle.
*If I don't help you, who else will.*
Li Shurui's heart trembled. She clenched her hands, wanting to say that they were only "fake," but looking at that smiling face and those eyes, all her words were stuck in her throat. She remained silent for a long while.
"Liang Zhenlun said something right: sometimes, being able to use money to keep the person you love is already a kind of luck."
At this point, Jiang Chen paused. He couldn't help but wonder: if he had possessed the ability back then, would his parents still be alive today?
He gave a faint smile. Thinking about these things now seemed to have no meaning.
"Give me your card number."
"Aren't you afraid that I won't be able to pay this back?" Li Shurui did not immediately pull out her bank card or express gratitude; she continued to stare intently at Jiang Chen. She had likely never looked at a boy so seriously before.
"What am I afraid of?" Jiang Chen smiled. "You can earn this much money now. It's a certainty that you'll become a major influencer in the future. It's only three million; do you think I'm afraid you'll default on the debt?"
"Besides, it would be best if you couldn't pay it back. Then you'd have no choice but to marry me to repay it."
Li Shurui took a soft breath. She wasn't shy, nor was she angry. "Then I'll write you an IOU."
*This girl is truly strong-willed,* Jiang Chen thought. Looking at her now, he couldn't help but remember when she had come down to his dormitory to return that six thousand yuan.
He shook his head with a smile. "No need for an IOU. I trust you."
Li Shurui's eyes wavered.
After walking out of the inpatient department and getting into the car, Li Shurui finally sent him her bank card number. Jiang Chen immediately performed a mobile transfer.
[ICBC: 3,000,000.00 CNY has been transferred to your savings card ending in 2450.]
Even though she knew he wouldn't deceive her, Li Shurui couldn't help but feel a sense of shock when she saw the SMS notification of the arrival of the funds.
"Find a time, and I'll go with you to see Liang Zhenlun. The sooner this is handled, the better it will be for your uncle."
"Mm." Li Shurui nodded instinctively. For some reason, her voice had become inexplicably soft, even tender. "But how should I explain this to my mom? She thinks she's already accepted two million from you. Will she accept another three million?"
"That's simple." Jiang Chen drove the car out of the hospital gates and smiled. "Just tell her that it's only natural and right for a future son-in-law to save his father-in-law. Besides, since she already took two million, what's the difference in taking another three? You can never have too much debt."
"What do you mean 'you can never have too much debt'? Can't you speak a bit more politely?" Li Shurui rolled her eyes at him, but her tone didn't sound angry; it actually carried a hint of coquettishness.
Furthermore, whether she had overlooked it or not, this high-and-mighty "Flower of the Arts Academy" had not refuted his mention of "son-in-law" and "father-in-law."
On the way to look at the house, Li Shurui glanced at Jiang Chen from time to time, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
"If you want to say something, just say it. Being hesitant isn't your style," Jiang Chen said, appearing focused on driving.
Hearing this, Li Shurui no longer suppressed her curiosity and went straight to the point: "Just how much... money do you actually have?"
"I told you, I'm a trillionaire," Jiang Chen replied, sticking to the facts while steering the wheel.
Li Shurui stared at him without a word.
"That is my personal privacy; I cannot disclose it," Jiang Chen added, turning his head slightly with a playful curl of his lips. "However, if you agree to be with me—and I mean the real kind of 'being together'—then I can tell you."
"In your dreams!"
Without hesitation, Li Shurui turned her head to look out the window. However, there was no anger on her face from being teased; instead, she bit her lip, and for the first time, her face flushed slightly.
In an era where truth is scarce, a woman's blush is enough to surpass a long monologue.