Chapter 22: Winning Lin Shanshan

After leaving the hospital, Lin Xuan bought a few meat buns from a vendor on the street. He hadn’t had breakfast yet, having been rushed to the hospital so suddenly.

“Lin Xuan!” Lin Shanshan caught up to him, panting. She almost called him “country bumpkin,” but thought better of it—after all, she needed his help now, so it was best to show some respect.

“Have you had breakfast?” Lin Xuan asked calmly.

“I have,” she replied, then, lowering her voice in supplication, “Could you… could you please save my grandfather?” Her large eyes shimmered with tears, her delicate expression tinged with such frailty that it tugged at the heart.

“Let Yi Tianming save him. He’s your boyfriend, and it wasn’t easy getting him here,” Lin Xuan replied as he ate his bun.

“Are you still angry?” Lin Shanshan was on the verge of tears.

“No,” he said simply.

“I know you’ve been wronged, but that’s just how my father is. I apologize for him.” She bowed slightly in apology.

“I’m really not angry. The family precepts say, ‘A doctor does not knock on doors.’ I never said I’d treat your grandfather; whatever you all say can’t affect me, so why should I be angry?” Lin Xuan’s face was serene.

“So… will you help save my grandfather?” Lin Shanshan looked at him hopefully.

“I already told you, my master predicted that if we could marry, I’d naturally help. But since you all look down on me, there’s nothing I can do.”

With that, Lin Xuan finished his bun, dusted off his hands, and turned to leave.

“Don’t go!” Lin Shanshan called after him. “If I agree to be with you, will you save my grandfather?”

“The engagement is already broken. It’s too late now, and besides, you already have a boyfriend,” Lin Xuan replied.

“Are you rejecting me?” Lin Shanshan bit her lip, her flawless teeth pressing into her lower lip. “Actually, all I’ve ever done with Jiang Shang is hold hands. I’m still pure!”

“Really?” Lin Xuan looked at her in surprise. “You two talk so intimately, and you even go to his club at night. How could it just be hand-holding?”

“I don’t even like him. My father forced me into that relationship. He’s tried every trick to get close to me, but I’ve always found a way to avoid him,” Lin Shanshan explained, her beautiful eyes full of hope. “Now you shouldn’t have any reason to reject me, right? If you save my grandfather, I’ll agree to date you!”

Her cheeks flushed as she spoke. She was the campus belle of Ocean University, after all. Even agreeing to date Jiang Shang was only because her father pushed for it—Jiang Shang had pursued her first, not the other way around.

She had never been so bold before.

“I’m not one for empty promises. If you can’t offer me something real, I’m leaving,” Lin Xuan said, unmoved.

Ye Peilan had tried to bargain in much the same way before—had he agreed to her? Even Xiao Daier had offered tangible benefits, letting him play with her legs, and he still refused.

“Then… what do you want? I already told you I’m pure. Surely you don’t still look down on me?”

Lin Shanshan’s eyes shimmered with tears, her voice full of grievance.

“You say you’re pure, but if I help and it turns out you lied, wouldn’t I be the one at a loss?” Lin Xuan replied.

“Lin Xuan, I would never lie to you! If you don’t believe me, I—I can go to the hospital for a test!” Lin Shanshan was so aggrieved she was about to cry.

Lin Xuan shook his head. “I believe you’re pure, but who knows if the rest of you hasn’t been used?”

“The rest of me?” Lin Shanshan was puzzled, but then her face flushed bright red as she understood. “Lin Xuan, even after living in the mountains, you’re still so crude? And those other places—how could anyone… That’s so filthy!”

“Ahem. Who says you can’t have the internet in the mountains? I have a computer, you know,” Lin Xuan coughed.

“I told you, we only held hands. Once, he tried to put his hand around my waist, and I slapped it away,” Lin Shanshan said with a hint of pride.

“I don’t believe you. I need to check for myself.” Lin Xuan reached out and pulled her into his arms, his hand encircling her slender waist.

Her delicate, supple waist felt wonderful in his grasp.

“Ah…” Lin Shanshan trembled, her mind going blank.

“Let’s go to a hotel,” Lin Xuan said with a smile.

“To… to a hotel? For what?” Lin Shanshan asked, the words slipping out. Deep down, she already knew the answer.

But for her grandfather’s sake, she was willing to go through with it. Besides, Lin Xuan was a miracle doctor—being with him wasn’t a loss.

She could think of it as making it up to him for the hurt she’d caused before.

They booked a presidential suite.

“Go take a shower. Wash up thoroughly here,” Lin Xuan said, patting the fleshy part of her waist.

Though she was ordinary in other respects, her figure was excellent—tall, shapely, youthful, and beautiful. No wonder she’d been named campus belle.

He thought to himself that with enough massage and attention, she’d become even more stunning, with no flaws left.

“Okay.” Lin Shanshan scurried shyly to the bathroom.

Lin Xuan slipped under the covers, his mind awash with thoughts.

“I’ve done just fine since leaving my senior apprentice sister,” he mused. “I never knew what a woman was really like, but today, I’ll finally find out.”

He was genuinely looking forward to it.

After all, Lin Shanshan was a rare beauty. To be with her was a happiness few could hope for.

He waited so long that he nearly fell asleep.

The bathroom door finally opened.

Lin Shanshan poked her head out, saw Lin Xuan waiting in bed, and blushed even deeper. She lowered her head and walked out slowly.

Wrapped in a bath towel, her fair skin seemed to glow, flushed pink from the hot water.

Lin Xuan’s breath caught in his throat at the sight. She was truly beautiful.

“Come here. I need to inspect the goods,” Lin Xuan beckoned.

“Lin Xuan, you have to keep your word. After this, you’ll go save my grandfather,” Lin Shanshan whispered as she approached. She untied the bath towel, letting it fall to the floor, her flawless body revealed without a hint of concealment.

She let him take his time admiring her.

Lin Xuan couldn’t wait any longer. He pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers.

…

Meanwhile, in a high-end hospital room, Jiang Shang had returned to his own ward and was on the phone with his father.

“Dad, Jiang Yi is dead!” Jiang Shang’s face was dark.

“What?” Jiang Yajun was shocked on the other end. “He’d just arrived at the hospital!”

“Yes, but for some unknown reason, he died on the operating table.” Jiang Shang paused. “I suspect it was that kid’s doing—he’s got mysterious methods.”

Jiang Yajun was silent for a moment. “It seems he’s from the martial world. He’s got some skill, but nothing extraordinary—enough to deal with ordinary people.”

“Yes, Dad. I suggest we contact the Shadowkill organization,” Jiang Shang proposed.

Shadowkill was an overseas underground assassin group.

“Fine. I’ll have someone get in touch right away. Within three days at most, he’ll be utterly destroyed!” Jiang Yajun hung up.

“Lin Xuan!” Jiang Shang’s eyes were filled with hatred.

“I refuse to believe assassins can’t kill you! Even if you’re in Yanhuang, the safest place there is, there’s nothing in this world that money can’t solve!”

He then remembered how his girlfriend had run out that morning to beg Lin Xuan for help, and his heart twisted with discomfort.

He wondered how things had gone.

So he dialed Lin Shanshan’s number.

It connected quickly.

But in the background, there were strange sounds—like cards being shuffled, the rhythmic slap of shuffling.

“Shanshan, what are you doing? Why are you so out of breath?” Jiang Shang asked, puzzled. He never suspected Lin Shanshan.

After all, she was a wealthy heiress. There was no way she’d fall for a pauper like Lin Xuan.