After the Bigshot Turned into a Gold-Digging Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 6

After deciding she had taken care of all potential problems for the time being, Jiang Shuiyun grabbed her umbrella and went out to buy groceries for dinner. By the time she returned, Yi Jinbai was still fast asleep.

She frowned. Sleeping this long?

Setting down the freshly bought wontons, she put water on to boil, planning to wake Yi Jinbai first—too much daytime sleep would only make it harder to fall asleep at night.

“Jinbai?”

She called twice, but Yi Jinbai didn’t react at all. Suspicious, Jiang Shuiyun reached out to test her forehead—and instantly froze. Yi Jinbai was burning up.

“Jinbai? Jinbai?”

Jiang Shuiyun hurriedly lifted her up and let her lean against her own chest, trying to rouse her. But even after several attempts, Yi Jinbai only gave a couple of faint, muddled hums—obviously delirious from the fever.

It had to be because she’d left Yi Jinbai at the doorway earlier and let her catch a chill. This was the first time Jiang Shuiyun had encountered something like this. For a moment, her mind was blank. She glanced outside—the rain had nearly stopped—then took out her phone and searched for the nearest hospital.

Fortunately, it wasn’t far, just a little past the flower shop from last time.

Memorizing the route, Jiang Shuiyun bundled Yi Jinbai up: several layers of clothing, then a blanket around her back. She hoisted her onto her back.

Carrying someone meant no umbrella. Jiang Shuiyun pulled the blanket over Yi Jinbai’s head. Thankfully, the misty drizzle wasn’t heavy; with just a short walk, the blanket wouldn’t get completely soaked.

Without even turning off the lights, Jiang Shuiyun closed the door behind her and headed for the hospital with Yi Jinbai on her back.

The sky was pitch black. The bluestone pavement in the narrow alley, already worn smooth over time, became even slicker under the rain. Jiang Shuiyun stepped carefully, avoiding the patches that glistened with dangerous shine. Even so, she splashed into puddle after puddle, her pants soaked halfway up within minutes.

At last, she emerged from the alley. She blinked away the water gathering on her lashes and looked left and right from the roadside. It was a rainy night; not a single car in sight, let alone a taxi.

But she had expected this. Without hesitation, Jiang Shuiyun continued along the route she’d memorized, carrying Yi Jinbai step by steady step.

In the quiet of night, the faint patter of rain, the soft whisper of wind, the rustling leaves, and the rhythmic breathing on her back all sounded unusually loud.

Breathing in the damp, misty air, Jiang Shuiyun walked under the dim streetlights. For the first time, she felt herself truly blending into this unfamiliar world—not merely standing above it as a detached observer.

The life before belonged to the original owner.

From this moment onward, the life ahead was hers—Jiang Shuiyun’s.

By the time she reached the hospital, she was drenched nearly head to toe. Fortunately, most of the blanket had taken the rain; Yi Jinbai herself hadn’t gotten wet.

Inside the unfamiliar hospital, Jiang Shuiyun froze for a moment. In her previous life, aside from the battlefield, she had never been inside a hospital. And injuries on the battlefield were always handled by dedicated medics. She had never needed to figure anything out herself.

Now what was she supposed to do? Where should she go?

Just as she was about to search her phone again, the duty nurse noticed the odd pair standing in the lobby and came over.

“Do you need help?”

“Yes.” Jiang Shuiyun nodded as if seeing a lifeline. “My wife seems to have a fever. I can’t wake her no matter what. What should I do?”

“Don’t worry. Come with me.”

Under the nurse’s guidance, Jiang Shuiyun found the on-call doctor, registered, paid, picked up medication—running back and forth several times. Only when Yi Jinbai finally had an IV drip attached did Jiang Shuiyun finally exhale.

“Excuse me, does my wife not need to be hospitalized?”

Jiang Shuiyun asked as the nurse finished setting up the IV. She remembered that every time she was injured before, she would be put straight into a hospital bed—especially if she had lost consciousness. At least two days.

“No need. She just caught a chill. Once you finish the IV and take the medication home, she’ll be fine.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

After thanking her, Jiang Shuiyun let Yi Jinbai lean against her shoulder for comfort. She draped the damp blanket aside—it probably wouldn’t dry, but she definitely couldn’t put it back on her.

Nearby, nurses were chatting quietly:

“These days, it’s rare to see such a devoted partner. Carrying her here in the rain—and her wife isn’t even a little wet.”

“She’s been running around nonstop, sitting with her during the IV. You can just see the worry and affection in her eyes. Is this what true love looks like?”

“True love really does exist. And they’re both so good-looking. Such a perfect couple. I’m jealous.”

They clearly hadn’t meant for her to hear. But Jiang Shuiyun’s senses were far sharper than ordinary people’s. She caught every word.

Lowering her eyes to the unconscious Yi Jinbai resting against her, she felt a twist in her chest.

All of that is just an illusion.

This fever was entirely because of her negligence. A “qualified partner”? She wasn’t even close—not qualified, and certainly not Yi Jinbai’s “beloved.”

As the last bottle of IV solution neared its end, Yi Jinbai finally stirred awake. She rubbed her eyes sluggishly, nearly drifting back to sleep.

“Jinbai?”

Jiang Shuiyun gently held the hand that had the IV needle, careful not to disturb it. “Wake up.”

Yi Jinbai stared at her dazedly for a moment, still slow to respond. Guilt tightened Jiang Shuiyun’s chest.

“You’re running a fever. I’m sorry—I left you by the door earlier.”

“Where is this?”

Only now did Yi Jinbai notice the brightly lit surroundings and the IV line attached to her hand.

“Don’t move. This is the hospital. There’s one last bottle left. The doctor said we can go home after this.”

Jiang Shuiyun finished explaining—only to watch Yi Jinbai awkwardly pull her hand back, shifting away to lean on the backrest instead, her head lowered.

“Thank you.”

Hearing that “thank you,” Jiang Shuiyun’s heart sank a little. She slowly retracted her now-empty hand and changed the subject.

“Are you thirsty? I can get you some water.”

After she finished speaking, and before Yi Jinbai could refuse, Jiang Shuiyun stood up to pour water.

She fetched a disposable paper cup from the nurses’ station and, following their directions, ended up standing in front of the water dispenser not far away.

How was she supposed to use this thing?

Once again stumped, Jiang Shuiyun stood frozen before the dispenser and cautiously reached out a hand.

“You just press the switch under the spout forward with the cup.”

A nearby nurse, unable to watch Jiang Shuiyun poke at the machine like she was defusing a bomb, finally offered a reminder.

A lifesaver, truly. Jiang Shuiyun thanked her again and followed her instructions. But she overlooked just how flimsy the paper cup was—she pushed the switch, but the cup collapsed in her hand.

“Hiss!”

Scalding hot water splashed onto her skin, making her suck in a sharp breath. The clatter of the cup hitting the floor drew several people’s attention.

“Burned? Go to the restroom and rinse it under cold water continuously!”

Fortunately, they were in a hospital. Jiang Shuiyun stood in the restroom, watching cool water run over her reddened skin. Her other hand pinched lightly at her brow.

It suddenly struck her that integrating into this world was still going to be a long, long journey. At first, she had assumed this place was simply a downgraded version of her own world—phones and computers were just a primitive, single-function version of a light-brain device; cars were just cruder forms of transport. None of that had been a problem to adapt to.

But the more complex things she could handle effortlessly while the most ordinary, mundane items kept tripping her up. Everything she encountered looked unfamiliar, strangely foreign.

Turning off the faucet, she flicked droplets from her hand. Honestly, maybe it wasn’t all the world’s fault. It probably had more to do with the fact that she had lived her whole life in the military, high-ranking and far removed from everyday chores.

She blew gently on her still-burning hand, then stepped out of the restroom and saw Yi Jinbai holding a cup of water. After thanking the nurses, she sat down beside her.

Silence fell between them. To think she had managed to burn herself before she even got the water back. Even she couldn’t help finding her own clumsiness ridiculous.

Yi Jinbai’s lowered gaze fell right on Jiang Shuiyun’s reddened hand. A complicated feeling welled up inside her. Memory loss or not, pouring a cup of water had never been simple for a young lady who had grown up with every need catered to. In just two days, she’d already been burned twice.

Yi Jinbai couldn’t help thinking: If Jiang Shuiyun’s family hadn’t fallen from grace, if she hadn’t lost her memory—would her hands ever have been burned? Would she be like this now? Impossible.

Unaware of Yi Jinbai’s spiraling thoughts, Jiang Shuiyun tilted her head back, watching the IV drip tick-tick-tick until the final drop fell. A nurse came over to remove the needle.

After asking carefully about the medication instructions, Jiang Shuiyun returned to Yi Jinbai’s side. “We can go home now. Come on, I’ll carry you.”

“You carried me here?”

Only now did Yi Jinbai notice that the only dry part of Jiang Shuiyun’s clothes was her back.

“There were no taxis. Luckily it wasn’t far. Come on—let’s go home.”

Her physique had transferred over at least halfway; she still had good stamina. Tiring, yes, but nothing serious.

“I can walk on my—”

“You hurt your foot. Be good,” Jiang Shuiyun cut her off.

Yi Jinbai fell silent. Jiang Shuiyun felt her arms wrap around her neck, then straightened to lift her onto her back. She let Yi Jinbai hold the blanket; if it was still raining outside, they could use it as cover.

But perhaps the sky had poured enough for one day—when they stepped outside, the rain had already stopped.

Just like on the way there, Jiang Shuiyun carried Yi Jinbai step by steady step back home. Neither spoke, but in the quiet of night, the silence didn’t feel strange at all.

The road that had seemed long earlier felt much shorter on the way back. When they reached the mouth of the alley, the surrounding noise grew louder. Despite the late hour, neighbors were gathered outside, chattering. The moment they saw Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai, the murmuring died down.

Only when they reached their own doorstep did Jiang Shuiyun understand what had happened—their home had caught fire.

She remembered belatedly how she’d rushed out earlier without turning off the lights, and worse, without turning off the stove. The water had boiled dry, the pot had caught fire, and the flames had spread. Thankfully, a neighbor noticed something wrong and called the fire department before it got worse.

After thanking the firefighters and neighbors and sending everyone home, Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai sat together in the charred, blackened room. Seeing Yi Jinbai lower her head in distress, Jiang Shuiyun tentatively patted her shoulder.

“At least we’re both safe. That’s what matters.”