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Chapter 30 Should Kindness Be Bullied?

She felt like a bodhisattva being morally blackmailed, with all the offerings going to others, and only the pain in her bones truly her own.

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Zeng Jia bombarded him with phone calls and sped off like a whirlwind, finally arriving at Friendship Hospital. Thankfully, her shouting on the phone sounded like a death knell, and the old man was immediately admitted to the ICU.

"Oh my! It's a good thing you asked me to transfer the test to Friendship Hospital. I just got that...amylase test? It's already over 5,000. If I dawdle any longer, the old man will really die here. The doctor said he needs an E or P test? Oh my brain, it's like listening to gibberish, I can't remember it." Aunt Li and her family came along and shoved a stack of test reports into Zeng Jia's hands.

Zeng Jia was no stranger to this. ERCP, emergency pancreatic and biliary care, is a specialty of Friendship Hospital. She had crammed on this knowledge while taking care of Aunt Chen, and had practically memorized all the signature skills of major hospitals in Beijing.

"Thank you so much, Aunt Li, and my brother for running around like this. When Haowen comes back, I'll definitely have him come over and kowtow to you!" Zeng Jia said gratefully, and then took the phone that Aunt Li handed her. She entered the password to unlock it; the password was Wang Haowen's birthday.

There wasn't a trace of "Wang Haowen" in the contacts, but there was a glaring nickname: "Debtor." Well, his own son had become a debtor; no wonder Aunt Li wasn't the first one to call him.

Zeng Jia said a whole bunch of polite words before Aunt Li's family finally left. Before leaving, they praised Zeng Jia like a fairy flower. They tried to find out what powerful connections Zeng Jia had, since at the hospital, just giving her name would get her people rushing to take care of her.

After completing the formalities, Zeng Jia went to the supermarket near the entrance to buy ICU supplies, clutching the receipt. Medical supplies in this area were incredibly expensive, like having your artery blood drawn; each item cost more than three times as much as outside.

But it was the middle of the night, and there was nowhere else to shop around, so Zeng Jia had no choice but to grit her teeth and be a sucker, considering it a donation to the unscrupulous supermarket.

It's 12:30 at night.

Zeng Jia stood outside the ICU like a stone lion, waiting for news from the doctor. Even though it was already this late, the emergency room entrance was packed with people, and there wasn't even a place to sit.

Zeng Jia was exhausted after a long day, feeling like a grandson. Her bones were so tired she could barely stand. She didn't care about being dirty, so she grabbed a piece of paper to sit on the ground and found a corner of the wall to lean against, otherwise her back would break.

She glanced at the bill and the old man's phone in her hand, a self-deprecating smile playing on her lips. She'd never cared this much for her own parents, yet she was serving Wang Haowen's father? And him? Not a single call or text message. He was probably off in Shanghai, in that glittering, decadent place, drinking and laughing with rich heiresses!

So, in this world, whoever is soft-hearted gets stabbed. Putting everything else aside, after receiving Aunt Li's call, she really couldn't bring herself to abandon her father.

But what did she manage? What did she gain? She's like a bodhisattva morally blackmailed; the offerings are for others, but the pain in her bones is her own. She's so exhausted she just wants to lie down and has to ask for an extra bed in the ICU!

Zeng Jia was right; Wang Haowen was indeed there, "enjoying himself with friends."

Once he arrived in Shanghai, he would go to private clubs and chatter away like a stand-up comedian, his lips practically sparkling with laughter.

After the drinking party ended, he took out his phone and saw that it was 1 a.m. He then realized that he hadn't told Zeng Jia yet. He was afraid of waking her up if he called, so he sent her a WeChat message: "Emergency arrival in Shanghai. Just finished. I won't be back until the day after tomorrow at the earliest."

Zeng Jia replied instantly: A photo of the ICU entrance.

"Zeng Xiaojia, what are you doing? Standing outside the ICU like a doorman in the middle of the night?!" Wang Haowen was so scared that he almost lost his mind, and his voice cracked as he made the call.

"It's your dad. He has acute jaundice and pancreatitis and is lying in the ICU. I'm waiting at the door for the attending physician to pick him up. Once we've talked it out, I'll leave." Zeng Jia's tone was as bland as plain water, weak and listless, with no trace of saltiness in her voice.

Wang Haowen visibly breathed a sigh of relief. "You scared me to death! I'm so glad you're alright... cough, no... I mean, the old man contacted you first instead of me... but I'm really stuck right now. I'm in Shanghai, and the earliest I can get there is tomorrow morning."

Zeng Jia listened to the chaotic and noisy conversation on the other end of the phone.

Mr. Wang, who was acting on fate, came to Shanghai with Wang Haowen, bringing along his niece, surnamed Song, to the dinner party. Seeing Wang Haowen standing by the roadside making a phone call, the two stopped their car to exchange pleasantries, but Wang Haowen quickly gave a perfunctory reply, pointing to the phone, "Sorry, sorry, Mr. Wang, you can go ahead, don't worry about me..."

Zeng Jia heard a sweet "Goodbye, Brother Haowen" whispered in her ear, and she really wanted to ask who that was.

But then she thought, what good would it do to ask? She's in the high-society world of luxury goods now, she's either a female tycoon or a rich heiress, she's not some poor, miserable beast of burden.

"Alright, come back and talk."

Zeng Jia was too lazy to argue and hung up on Wang Haowen. After meeting with her attending physician, she headed straight to Jin Ding Xuan for a late-night snack.

While others were having a blast, why should she be stuck here being a penny-pincher? Furious, she rolled up her sleeves and ordered a table full of fancy dishes. A late-night snack for one meant she had to enjoy something delicious; she couldn't skimp on herself.

Wang Haowen didn't land in Beijing until noon the next day. Zeng Jia was so busy in the morning that she was practically running around, and then rushed to the hospital for a quick check-up at noon.

Old Wang has been moved out of the ICU and is now in the emergency room on an IV drip to keep him alive. When visiting, you have to wear that protective suit that looks like something out of a biohazard movie, and they only give you a meager half-hour visitation time; if you're even a minute over, someone will kick you out.

Zeng Jia was about to pick up the "spacesuit" when the nurse raised an eyebrow and said, "Wait a minute, there's someone inside."

Zeng Jia was taken aback. Wang Haowen was back? Then why was she still eager to join in the fun? She turned around to slip away when Wang Haowen came out, looking dejected. Seeing Zeng Jia, he shoved the protective suit into her arms. "The old man specifically asked to see you. He was bothering me, so I coaxed him out."

Zeng Jia secretly chuckled to herself. Serves her right for getting scolded!

She wrapped herself in the clothes and went into the ward, winding her way to Old Wang's bed. Wang Yuelai was covered in tubes, like a spider in a cave, and was sucking on oxygen. He couldn't eat anything right now; he was just clinging to life with IV fluids.

"Xiao Jia... I owe you so much this time... You even said you'd go to Northeast China with Haowen to visit our in-laws during the New Year... Sigh, my health is really failing me..." Wang Yuelai is only fifty-two years old this year. He was already so thin that he was just a skeleton, and after this illness, he has lost even more weight in his face.

"Uncle Wang, it's still early before the New Year. You should take care of your health first. You've been indulging in all sorts of unhealthy eating and drinking for years. After you're discharged from the hospital, you'd better quit smoking and drinking as soon as possible." Zeng Jia brushed off the matter of meeting her in-laws.

"Cigarettes? Alcohol? Sigh, what's the point of living without those two things?" Wang Yue grinned at Zeng Jia, but it seemed like a strained smile. "That brat keeps everything from me. I just found out you two are still far from the down payment for your house. I'll sell the billiard hall later and help you scrape together some money to buy your wedding home!"

Zeng Jia's heart skipped a beat. Why bring this up all of a sudden? Did Wang Haowen ask him for money?

Wang Yue muttered to himself, "Didn't you say it yourself? My body can't handle the work anymore. That shabby place, I'm pulling all-nighters every few days, I can't keep up anymore, selling it is just right."

"Don't worry about that. Getting better is the most important thing." Zeng Jia couldn't figure out what the father and son were up to, so she could only agree for now.

"That's settled then. After the billiard hall is sold, my little shabby house will also be put up for sale. The money will be used for a down payment for you two, and I'll take some of my belongings and go to the suburbs to find a place to retire. Sigh, it's just bad luck for our family. We're stuck with the shell of an old Beijing house, but we missed out on the demolition..."

After Wang Yue finished speaking, she deflated like a punctured balloon, her eyelids drooping. Just then, the caregiver came in to change the urine bag, and Zeng Jia was immediately "asked" to leave.

Wang Haowen had just finished discussing the old man's condition with the attending physician when he saw Zeng Jia come out. He quickly approached her, extremely enthusiastic: "Have you eaten? Are you hungry? Want something to eat?"

"I need to go back to the company and discuss the contract with the legal department." Zeng Jia glanced at her phone; time was indeed running out.

"I've arranged a program to pick you up tonight!" Wang Haowen suddenly blurted out.

Zeng Jia was taken aback: "What arrangements? A program?"

"Zeng Xiaojia!" Wang Haowen exclaimed, his face contorted with grief. "Have you completely forgotten what day it is today? It's our sixth anniversary!"

Zeng Jia got stuck for a moment; she had actually forgotten about going to her maternal grandmother's house.

Six years ago, on Houhai Lake, the two bumped into each other like characters in an 8 PM soap opera, and somehow ended up holding hands and walking together to where they are today.

But if it weren't for the urgent matter of his father being admitted to the ICU, he would still be enjoying himself in Shanghai and wouldn't have been able to rush back to Beijing. Now he suddenly remembers to act all lovey-dovey with her in a panic.

"Who knows what time I'll be able to get out of bed tonight? I have so many things to do, do you think I have it as easy as you do?" Zeng Jia said resentfully.

"I'll be waiting for you no matter what time it is! I'll wait no matter what!"

Wang Haowen stared at her expectantly, looking just like a Golden Retriever that had been forgotten at a pet store for three days. Coupled with his naturally pitiful eyes, Zeng Jia felt like a heartless, scumbag woman.

"Alright, alright, I'll call you later." Zeng Jia mumbled an answer and quickly slipped away.

She worked diligently all afternoon, but her mind was elsewhere, constantly preoccupied with Wang Yuelai's plan to sell the house to make a down payment.

Logically, now that she'd finally got a house, she should be jumping for joy and setting off firecrackers, right? But for some reason, she felt empty and tasteless, as if half a pound of cotton was stuffed inside her.

Zeng Jia analyzed it herself, and it wasn't entirely because he hadn't revealed who owned the "Goodbye, Brother Haowen" message; or was it just insatiable greed? When she hadn't gotten the house, she was anxious and restless, but now that it was in her hands, she felt... is that all? Or was it the pre-wedding jitters she'd read about in the book that had kicked in early, and she was about to have a breakdown? It was a result she had been looking forward to for so long, but the joy in her heart was completely overshadowed by an inexplicable sense of entanglement and confusion.

She was lost in thought when Zhang Zhishan's call came in like a bomb: "I heard Yu Li and you've reached an agreement? They're about to sign a letter of intent?! I don't care what tricks you use, you have to hold her off for a couple of days!"

Zeng Jia was startled and quickly recovered: "President Yu's assistant flew to Shanghai yesterday and took an early flight back this morning. He didn't even come to the company. It seems like something happened at home... And we haven't heard a single word about it at the company!"

"I don't care if their house is flooded or on fire. When it comes to financing, we have to be the first to get in, and the order absolutely cannot be reversed!" Zhang Zhishan said decisively, leaving no room for negotiation.

Zeng Jia had no choice but to agree reluctantly.

After hanging up the phone, her eyes lit up, and she quickly ordered a bunch of milk tea and rushed to the legal department.

She smiled broadly, trying to get close to Yu Li in a roundabout way. She did a quick calculation and realized that there was only an hour or so left before she got off work. Even if Yu Li was in a hurry for the contract, she would still have to polish the first draft and go through the review process slowly. It would be better to just close up shop sooner rather than later.

"It's freezing cold today, even the cars are malfunctioning, and your boss has gone missing again. Why don't we just leave now?" Zeng Jia said with a smile.

Leaving get off work on time? Which office worker doesn't dream of that? As long as the contract gets through tonight, Zhang Zhishan's task will be considered done.

Tomorrow? Let's talk about it tomorrow!

Zeng Jia's colleagues understood immediately. Seeing that she was taking the initiative to "let the sheep roam free," they were happy to slack off and chat while starting to pack their things.

Just as everyone was getting excited and preparing to pack up and scatter like birds, Wang Haowen burst in like a whirlwind...