Chapter Fifty-Nine

“Senior Wang, are you staying here tonight?” Xiao Jian asked.

Wang Chaolin replied with a wry smile, “I was planning to stay at your brother Yu’s place for a few days, but when I got there, he wasn’t home. I asked his neighbors, and they said he’s been away for three days and hasn’t come back.”

“No wonder,” Xiao Jian mused, resting his chin on his hand. “I haven’t heard from him at all lately. I wonder what he’s up to.”

“Who knows?” Wang Chaolin said. “So, Xiao, is it alright if I stay here for now?”

“Of course!” Xiao Jian said readily. “I’ll let my parents know so you can stay for as long as you like. It’s not a problem at all.” He was happy to have Wang Chaolin as company and someone to chat with, so Wang Chaolin ended up living at Xiao Jian’s house until he left China.

…

With the doctor’s help, Zhang Yi removed the bandages from his right arm. He tried moving it gently; there was still a twinge of pain, but it was nothing serious. The doctor said, “Your arm has healed very well. You can start doing some light exercise. I believe you’ll make a full recovery soon.”

“Thank you, doctor.” Overjoyed, Zhang Yi turned to look at Wang Tianqi. On his way to the hospital, Zhang Yi had run into her—she was also there for a check-up. She’d accompanied him to orthopedics to have his bandages removed, since Zhang Yi wasn’t comfortable doing it himself, though he’d done it in the past for various reasons.

Once they left orthopedics, Zhang Yi asked, “Tianqi, why are you at the hospital today?”

Wang Tianqi replied, “A young woman collapsed in front of my house recently. Out of kindness, I called an ambulance and brought her here. The doctors told me she’s a regular at this hospital and they’re used to her. So, I brought some soup my butler made to visit her.”

“A regular? She’s hospitalized often?” Zhang Yi asked.

Wang Tianqi shook her head. “I’m not sure. It’s my first time meeting her. But from the way she was dressed, it was clear she’s homeless.”

“I’d like to see her too—would that be alright?”

“Let’s go then. She’s not particularly close to me, so there’s nothing to hide.” With that, Wang Tianqi led Zhang Yi to the most remote ward in the hospital to visit the girl she’d brought in. At the door, Wang Tianqi knocked gently to make sure no one was resting. When an elderly woman responded from within, Wang Tianqi reminded Zhang Yi, “Keep your voice down so you don’t startle the old folks.”

“So you saved an elderly person?” Zhang Yi asked.

“No, it’s a young girl. It’s just that there weren’t enough beds, so the hospital had to put her here temporarily. Once someone’s discharged, she’ll get her own spot.” Wang Tianqi explained.

Inside, Zhang Yi saw that only two or three elderly patients occupied the ward. The girl Wang Tianqi had saved was at the very end, staring out the window. Approaching her, Wang Tianqi gently patted the girl’s shoulder. “Feeling better? I brought you some soup. I hope you recover soon.”

The girl rolled over and, seeing Wang Tianqi, also caught sight of Zhang Yi. She froze, her expression a complicated mix of emotions. It wasn’t just her—even Zhang Yi was surprised. The girl Wang Tianqi had rescued was Li Li.

“Do you know each other?” Wang Tianqi looked from one to the other, quickly guessing the truth from their reactions. Zhang Yi explained, “We do. When I was hospitalized before, she was my neighbor in the next bed. She couldn’t afford her medical bills and ended up running away.”

Zhang Yi recounted their previous encounter, leaving Wang Tianqi quite surprised. He continued, “She insisted on toughing it out, left the hospital before her wounds healed. If not for her stubbornness, she would have suffered even more.”

Hearing Zhang Yi’s assessment, Li Li bristled. “So, are you satisfied now that you see me like this? If you came to laugh at me, go ahead. I don’t care.”

“Why would I laugh at you? You’re only projecting your own lack of confidence.” Zhang Yi found her stubbornness almost amusing. To him, her challenges and accusations were childish.

“Alright, enough. This is a hospital, not a place for you two to argue.” Wang Tianqi stepped in, calming them both. Then Zhang Yi asked, “By the way, Tianqi, does your family have any bodyguards?”

“Why do you ask? What do you need bodyguards for?” Wang Tianqi replied.

“Just answer—do you have them or not?”

“Yes, about fifty or so.”

“I’d like you to station them outside this ward to keep an eye on Li Li. I’m worried she’ll try to run away again before she’s healed.”

Hearing this, Wang Tianqi suddenly understood. “So that’s it! Zhang Yi really does care about you, you know. Your name is Li Li, right?”

Li Li was speechless, not answering the question. The idea of fifty bodyguards to prevent her escape seemed absurd, but Zhang Yi could only think of this method to keep her safe. Whether Li Li would cooperate was another matter—she was like a wild horse that no one could rein in.

“If you won’t answer, I’ll take your silence as consent. You’d better rest and recover. If you try to escape like last time, I’ll bring in another fifty bodyguards,” Wang Tianqi said.

“You… You’re illegally detaining me!” Li Li protested, making her last stand. But in front of Zhang Yi, she was no match. “What a genius you are, accusing us of illegal detention—this is a hospital, not a prison. Give it up and focus on healing,” Zhang Yi said.

Li Li let out a huff and turned away to stare out the window, refusing to speak. Wang Tianqi, seeing there was nothing more she could do, took Zhang Yi outside to leave Li Li in peace. Still, caution was necessary. Wang Tianqi called her father and asked for a hundred bodyguards to come to the hospital. Her father, always doting on his daughter, quickly agreed.

After hanging up, Wang Tianqi said to Zhang Yi, “A hundred bodyguards are on their way. That should do the trick, right?”

Zhang Yi nodded. “Thank you for your help. Li Li really is a handful. She’s always on my mind.”

“She’s pitiful enough,” Wang Tianqi sighed. “The only one who gets hospitalized, can’t pay, and escapes, her body shattered yet refusing treatment.”

“That’s exactly my worry. Last time, if I hadn’t gone looking for her, she’d have frozen to death on a park bench.”

“Why not tell everyone about this? If they knew, they’d all come to help,” Wang Tianqi asked.

Zhang Yi shook his head. “She refuses help from anyone. If someone tries, she feels humiliated. She won’t accept it.”

“She’s really that stubborn?” Wang Tianqi was growing intrigued. “Looks like I’ll have to treat this Li Li girl to some proper hospitality.”

“Don’t go too far, or you’ll regret it,” Zhang Yi warned her.

“I don’t need you to tell me that,” Wang Tianqi retorted. “I can control myself—I’m not as reckless as you are.”

Just then, the bodyguards arrived, assembling at the hospital’s main entrance. The hospital staff, seeing the crowd, panicked, thinking there was a fight brewing. Only after Wang Tianqi explained did they relax. Even Zhang Yi was impressed. “Wow, Tianqi, your family is really loaded.”

Wang Tianqi rolled her eyes. “Didn’t you all visit my home before? Why act so surprised? Anyway, how do you want to deploy these hundred people?”

“You’re giving me command?” Zhang Yi asked.

“Of course. Who else? I’m not much of a strategist. You can handle them.”

Wang Tianqi turned to the assembled bodyguards and shouted, “Command is now in this young man’s hands. You’ll all follow his orders. Understood?”

“Understood!” the bodyguards replied in unison, startling Zhang Yi. But that was exactly the effect he wanted—enough to intimidate Li Li.

Clearing his throat, Zhang Yi barked out his orders. “Listen up! Guard this hospital and make sure no one named Li Li escapes. She’s on the third floor, at the far right end. The one who looks like a boy—that’s Li Li. Got it?”

“Got it!” the bodyguards shouted. Zhang Yi sent two up to the third floor to guard her room and stationed fifty throughout the hospital to patrol each floor. The other fifty patrolled outside.

Zhang Yi laughed. “Now let’s see how Li Li escapes. Even if she’s a martial arts master, she’s not getting out of here.”

Wang Tianqi smirked. “That’s a pretty blunt arrangement. But it’ll work—unless she jumps from the third floor, there’s no way out.”

“I’ll bet she won’t. Life only comes once; she’ll choose to live,” Zhang Yi said confidently.

“Someone’s not happy, though. Look up there,” Wang Tianqi pointed. Zhang Yi looked and saw Li Li glaring at him with resentment—she’d clearly seen the bodyguards. Seeing how tall and burly they were, and with her injuries, she knew she stood no chance.

When she saw the fifty bodyguards outside, she was even more disheartened. There was no escape tonight. Still, Li Li was already scheming, biding her time to devise an escape plan.

What she didn’t realize was that Zhang Yi could read her like an open book. From her expression, he knew she was plotting to run. But Zhang Yi was determined—he would stay at the hospital tonight to see what she’d try.