When a "Sea King" is Bound to a System [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 38.1

Jiang Yan returned to the hospital. She needed to alleviate the pain and also to reassure her brother.

When Jiang Yao saw her, his eyes instantly reddened. He stepped forward and hugged her, whispering, “Don’t be afraid. Your brother will definitely save you.”

“Mhm, I believe you, Brother.” Jiang Yan patted his back, just like when he used to comfort her as a child, over and over, with endless patience.

Jiang Yao took a long leave of absence and stayed by Jiang Yan’s side constantly, even as she became emaciated and showed the fatigue of a person nearing death.

Every day, he would compliment his sister on her beauty, buying her many cosmetics, saying that once she recovered, she should put on makeup, and he would take her shopping every day so others could also see his sister’s unparalleled beauty.

Jiang Yan always smiled, placing all the cosmetics he bought in the cabinet and occasionally taking them out to look at them.

“If only Jiang Yao could give me a mirror, I could at least put on some lipstick to make myself look prettier.”

It was strange, though; Jiang Yao complimented her beauty every day but hid all the mirrors.

Wasn’t that making a clear effort to conceal something?

The trees outside the window were still withered, with no sign of spring’s revival. Jiang Yan held onto a sliver of hope every day, thinking that she would leave peacefully once she saw the spring scenery.

Meng Fanyi burst in on a sunny afternoon. When she saw Jiang Yan, tears immediately streamed down her face. She cried and hugged her.

“How could this happen? You said it was just a minor illness!”

Jiang Yan stroked her head and smiled. “I’m sorry, I lied to you.”

Meng Fanyi cried even harder, sobbing breathlessly, nearly fainting.

Li Wei and Jiang Yao silently backed out. Jiang Yao stared out the window, his eyes red. Li Wei sighed and consoled him, “Try to be accepting. Life and death are fated; this is the predetermined end.”

Meng Fanyi always said she saw everything too clearly, that her heart was cold and emotionless, not like a human.

She would only smile faintly in response, never bothering to explain.

If Meng Fanyi had experienced what she had experienced, she wouldn’t say such things.

But she couldn’t tell the girl all that. Meng Fanyi only needed to live happily and carelessly, and Li Wei would bear the rest of the trials and tribulations for her.

Jiang Yao knew his friend was trying to comfort him, but he couldn’t accept the words “predetermined end.”

“Li Wei, you’ve been independent since childhood. You can’t understand this bond and deep affection between blood relatives.”

Li Wei paused, then curved her lips into a smile. She really couldn’t understand. Raised in an orphanage, she never had the opportunity to experience that kind of emotion.

The two stood there, neither speaking again, each preoccupied with their own thoughts.

In the hospital room, Meng Fanyi was still crying, hiccupping between sobs, unable to speak a complete sentence.

“What do we do now? Is there… is there really no way? If… if Shencheng can’t cure it, surely there’s somewhere that can? Don’t be so pessimistic. I’ll ask Li Wei. She knows a lot of random people; maybe she’ll have an idea.”

Having held on until now, Jiang Yan had already accepted everything. Seeing Meng Fanyi cry so much, her first reaction was happiness. She had lived a life with a brother who always spoiled her and friends who cried for her with genuine emotion. That was enough.

Then came the worry. Jiang Yao and Meng Fanyi were both people of strong emotion. If she died, they would definitely be very sad.

“Yiyi, stop crying, and don’t bother Senior Li Wei. My illness is beyond cure. Even if Senior Li Wei is an immortal reincarnated, she can’t pull me back from the brink of death. My only wish is for you to be happy. It’s not easy to find someone you love. You two should be good to each other.”

Meng Fanyi choked up, then blushed. “What are you talking about? We’re not in that kind of relationship. We just happened to bump into each other and came together. Don’t misunderstand.”

“Whether I misunderstand or not doesn’t matter; what matters is what you think. I can tell Senior Li Wei likes you. If you like her too, don’t make her wait too long. After all, a person’s life isn’t short, but it’s not long either. Don’t waste your limited time on these boring issues.”

Meng Fanyi nodded, half-understanding, but the topic soon circled back to Jiang Yan’s illness. She insisted on having Li Wei contact her friends abroad to see if there was any possibility of a cure.

Knowing her temper, Jiang Yan let her be.

Jiang Yao walked in and said to her, “Chu Qinghan keeps calling me. She’s called everyone we mutually know these past few days and even went to our old home in North City. The news that you’re here won’t be a secret for long.”

Although he had asked Fu Jing to keep it confidential, given Chu Qinghan’s capabilities, finding this place was only a matter of time.

Jiang Yan’s eyes dimmed slightly, her voice frail. “Let her look. It’s fine.”

Anyway, she’ll be buried soon. She might even make it in time to burn some paper money for me when she arrives.

Chu Qinghan woke up from sleep and found Jiang Yan was not beside her. She didn’t think much of it, assuming she was sitting by the window in a daze again.

She got up, rubbed her messy hair, and called “Yanyan” as she walked out. Jiang Yan was not by the window.

No one was in the living room, the bathroom, or the study.

She panicked for a moment, but only a moment, and quickly composed herself.

Yanyan promised her they would be together forever. She wouldn’t go back on her word. She must have just gone out to throw out the trash and would be back soon.

Chu Qinghan sat down by the French window, in the spot Jiang Yan often sat. She waited from morning until night, but the door remained unopened.

The hope in her heart disappeared bit by bit until she had to admit that Jiang Yan had left again.

Just like three years ago, after intense intimacy, she left without a word.

Chu Qinghan panicked. She rushed out in the middle of the night, searching every place they had been together. After finding nothing, she called everyone they mutually knew, but no one knew Jiang Yan’s whereabouts—no one!

She wandered aimlessly all night in the sub-zero cold. When she returned home, she caught a cold, suffering from a persistent high fever. She kept reliving the scene where she rejected Jiang Yan in her dreams.

For three entire days, she was in and out of sleep. When she woke up, she wanted to go out and find Jiang Yan, but she didn’t have the strength to get up. Then came even more cruel nightmares.

In the dream, Jiang Yan told her she had fallen for someone else.

In a daze, a hand gently stroked her forehead, cool to the touch, and very comforting.

“Yanyan, don’t leave me. I know I was wrong. Don’t leave me!”

The hand paused, and then a voice spoke.

“Senior, I’m not Jiang Yan. I’m Lin Yue. Can you walk? I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Chu Qinghan instantly woke up, staring coldly at Lin Yue, her voice hoarse. “How did you get in?”

She had previously given Lin Yue a spare key for work purposes, to make it easy for her to retrieve documents.

Before Jiang Yan came, this had always been a temporary residence. Chu Qinghan stayed at the company more often than at home, so she didn’t think anything of Lin Yue coming over.

But after Jiang Yan arrived, she had taken back the key and warned Lin Yue not to appear in front of them.

Without a key, how did she get in?

Lin Yue’s eyes were full of deep affection. She touched Chu Qinghan’s face again. “Your key was under the mat by the door. I found it with a casual feel.”

Chu Qinghan’s face darkened further. That was the key she had left for Yanyan. How could she have taken it?

“Put my key down and get out. Don’t make me say it a second time.”

Lin Yue’s smile froze on her face, and a flicker of resentment crossed her eyes. Instead of leaving, she moved closer to Chu Qinghan. Their faces were extremely close, just a fraction away from touching.

“Senior, how am I inferior to Jiang Yan? I’ve been with you all these years. Where was she when you were frustrated and sad? Why can’t you see my good qualities!”

Chu Qinghan’s expression was as cold as ever, even showing disgust in her eyes.

She hated being close to any woman other than Yanyan, even Lin Yue, whom she had known for five years.

“Get away from me. Don’t provoke me.”

Lin Yue saw the disgust in her eyes, and her heart sank to the bottom. Her eyes were red, and tears were threatening to fall.

“What is so good about her that makes all of you so devoted?! I’ve worked so hard all these years just to stay by your side. Even if you don’t love me, I’ve accepted it, as long as I can be with you for a long time, no matter how cold you are to me. But you won’t even give me a chance. You want me to leave because of Jiang Yan? Why?! Just because my love is humble, do I deserve to be thrown away like trash?!”

Tears streamed down her face as she spoke, splashing onto Chu Qinghan’s face, making Chu Qinghan feel even more nauseated.

What should she do? If Yanyan knew, she would definitely be angry, wouldn’t she?

“I just want you to change your work environment. The compensation in Pingcheng won’t be worse than here. You’ll be getting a promotion.”

“I don’t want a promotion! I only want to stay by your side! I’d be willing to be a small staff member forever!”

“But I’m not willing.” Chu Qinghan had recovered some strength. She pushed Lin Yue away and struggled to sit up.

Lin Yue stepped back two paces, looking at Chu Qinghan with despair, her makeup smeared with tears.

“You have ability and skills. You should have a bigger stage, not stay by my side and have your talent wasted. Also, I’ll say this one last time: don’t compare yourself to Jiang Yan. In my heart, no one in this world is better than her.”

The hope in Lin Yue’s heart shattered piece by piece. She cried, staring at Chu Qinghan. Seeing that the other party was unmoved and even somewhat impatient, she angrily turned and walked out.

She had been humble enough all these years. If she still begged for a little pity now, she would truly have no dignity left.

Chu Qinghan sat for a while, then struggled to get out of bed. She had slept too long; she couldn’t sleep anymore. She had to go find Yanyan.

She washed her face with cold water, which slightly cleared her head. She walked to the living room, where a pot of chicken soup and a bowl of congee were on the dining table, still steaming hot.

Chu Qinghan’s mind was a mess. She turned and left the house. Her only thought was to find Jiang Yan; everything else could wait.

Because of her rejection of Jiang Yan years ago, she had a very unpleasant relationship with Jiang Yao. If possible, she truly wouldn’t have gone to him, but now she was desperate. She could only go to his company, hoping to get some clues from him.

She assumed Jiang Yan wouldn’t stay with Jiang Yao; after all, if she deliberately wanted Chu Qinghan not to find her, she would absolutely avoid contact with her closest relative.

She sought Jiang Yao for clues, not necessarily expecting to find Jiang Yan. But she couldn’t even find Jiang Yao. The siblings seemed to have planned it, disappearing without a trace.

Chu Qinghan walked out of Jiang Yao’s company building and suddenly felt a palpitation. She could only lean against the nearby wall, gasping for breath.

This must be Heaven’s punishment for her, letting her lose what she gained.

No, it must be Jiang Yan’s punishment for her. She did it on purpose.

Two lines of clear tears flowed down Chu Qinghan’s pale face. Her heart ached beyond measure.

She had always thought Jiang Yan forgave her, but it turned out she had never forgotten what happened back then.

Punishing her was acceptable, but why use this method?

At least stay somewhere I can see you! What am I supposed to do now?

She didn’t even know how to make amends.

Chu Qinghan walked along the street for a long time until snowflakes began to fall, and she realized it was getting dark.

She stopped and held out her hand to catch the snowflakes. Her face was icy cold.

Meng Fanyi stayed in a hotel near the hospital and came to keep Jiang Yan company every day, telling her interesting anecdotes and gossiping about their classmates’ recent lives.

“Guo Feng and Zhang Lan are actually together. Those two couldn’t stand each other in school.”

“You remember the class monitor, right? The one who sounded so feminine that you wanted to hit him with a hammer? He passed the civil service exam in his hometown. He already has a one-year-old child. The classmates who’ve seen him say he’s normal now and very enthusiastic.”

“Senior Fu Jing seems to be pursuing Zhi Zhi (Xia Yuzhi), but Zhi Zhi keeps avoiding her. They’re playing the ‘she runs, she chases, they can’t escape’ drama.”

“Lin Yue resigned from Chu Corporation. I don’t know where she went.”

Hearing about Lin Yue’s situation, Jiang Yan was a little surprised. After all, she was so obsessed with Chu Qinghan that she shouldn’t have left so easily.

Meng Fanyi hugged Jiang Yan’s arm, just like they did in school, and started crying as she spoke.

“You have to get better! When you’re discharged, I’ll take you out for a big meal!”

Jiang Yan stroked her head, her voice gentle. “Alright. Then I want to eat a lot, a lot! Remember to have enough money ready.”

Meng Fanyi wiped her tears, took out her phone, and tapped on her WeChat wallet interface. “I have plenty. Li Wei’s salary is with me.”

Jiang Yan casually glanced at it and saw many digits.

Hmm, indeed a lot.

It seemed Li Wei was genuinely good to her. That relieved her mind.

The next day, Jiang Yan began to fall into a coma. All her vital signs were declining. She was at her last gasp. The doctor advised Jiang Yao to prepare himself. Jiang Yao was stunned for a long time, then called his father.

“Come see Yanyan. She…”

Before he could finish, he choked up and couldn’t continue. Jiang He on the other end heard him. His phone slipped from his hand. He rushed out the door without even putting on his coat.

He had wanted to come earlier, but his daughter had always refused. To avoid upsetting her, he stayed in a hotel and only sneaked a look at her when she was asleep.

Now that Yao Yao suddenly called, did that mean… Yanyan was dying?

He was consumed by anxiety the entire journey, wishing he could fly to the hospital. When he got out of the car, he bumped into Meng Fanyi. Neither realized the other was on their way to see Jiang Yan, and they hurried inside.

Only when they reached the door of the hospital room did Meng Fanyi realize that the handsome middle-aged man in front of her must be Yanyan’s father.

“Uncle, please go first.” She politely stepped aside, letting Jiang He enter first.

Jiang He nodded, thanked her, and then impatiently opened the door.

Jiang Yan was standing by the hospital bed, frozen like a statue. She didn’t turn around when she heard the movement. Only when Jiang He approached did she say faintly, “You’re here.”

Jiang He didn’t speak. He stared at Jiang Yan. Seeing her pale, sunken face, his expression suddenly changed.

She hadn’t looked like this just two days ago. How had she suddenly become like this?

His hand trembled as he reached out to stroke Jiang Yan’s face, and finally, tears fell.

“Yanyan, open your eyes and look. Daddy is here to see you. Open your eyes and look at me.”

“I’m sorry, Yanyan. Daddy failed you. If I had stayed by your side, I would have found out about your illness sooner. It’s all Daddy’s fault.”

“Your mother’s death made me feel incompetent, so I desperately worked to earn money to prevent the tragedy from repeating, thinking I shouldn’t neglect you materially, but I made you lack a father’s love. I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.”