Chapter 23: The Tagalong Murong Xue

Living with Murong Xue?

No way, absolutely not!

Murong Xue hated him to the bone; every time they met, she greeted him with a fruit knife. Live with her? Jiang Cheng would rather die!

Just as he was about to issue a stern refusal, Murong Xue and Shen Sining spoke in unison: "No way, absolutely not!"

Murong Xue and Shen Sining exchanged a glance, their expressions turning peculiar.

Murong Xue asked with curiosity, "Sining, what are you objecting to regarding me living with him?"

Everyone stared at Shen Sining, completely bewildered.

Shen Sining’s face turned crimson, and she instantly lowered her head. "I, I..."

She struggled for a long time but couldn't manage to finish a single sentence.

Though confused, Jiang Cheng spoke up loudly: "It’s not happening. I live with her—what kind of sense does that make?"

Murong Xue’s pretty face turned cold as she chimed in: "Dad, what is this all about? You’re not crazy, asking me to live with him, are you?"

Murong Shan shook his head, remaining silent.

Beside them, Bai Hongwen stepped in to explain.

Five minutes later, Murong Xue was left dumbfounded.

"Dad, are you saying I have a strange illness and can only stay conscious when I’m near this jerk?"

Murong Shan sighed and nodded. "That is the current situation. Everyone here has seen it clearly. I had no other choice; this is just a stopgap measure. Who knows, perhaps after living together for a few days, your strange illness might spontaneously recover!"

"But..."

"There are no 'buts.' Xiaoxue, I only have one daughter. If something happens to you, what are your mother and I supposed to do?" Murong Shan’s eyes instantly turned red, filled with heartache as he looked at his daughter.

"Dad..."

Watching the father and daughter perform their little tear-jerker, Jiang Cheng felt his temple throb.

He couldn't hold back any longer. "Wait, wait! Can you two stop talking as if I’m not here? Why should I listen to you? Whether she faints or not has nothing to do with me!"

He was busy trying to make money!

If he had to follow Murong Xue around all day, would he have any freedom left?

Were this pair treating him like some kind of talisman?

Did she expect him to follow her into the bathroom, too?

Wasn't this just pure nonsense?

Murong Xue frowned and scolded, "You’re standing by and watching me die! You’re a jerk! You’re shameless!"

"I’m shameless? Standing by and watching you die? May I ask, are you dead yet?" Jiang Cheng laughed out of extreme anger.

"You!"

Murong Xue was so infuriated by Jiang Cheng’s rogue attitude that her chest heaved.

"You what? You want me to be your talisman, is that it? I kindly suggested you go to the hospital to get your brain checked, and look at you—the moment we meet, you’re chasing me with a fruit knife, and now you demand I do this and that? What, the hospital can’t cure you, so you blame me? Do I owe the Murong family something?"

Jiang Cheng couldn't take it anymore. This woman was being completely unreasonable. He pushed past the bodyguards and started to walk away.

***

Hearing this, Bai Hongwen’s aged face turned red.

Indeed! Treating illnesses was the hospital’s responsibility; what did it have to do with Jiang Cheng?

Seeing Jiang Cheng about to leave, Murong Shan grew anxious.

"Wait, Brother Jiang!"

Jiang Cheng was already losing his patience.

He said coldly, "What? Is Boss Murong planning to put me under house arrest?"

Murong Shan quickly waved his hands, explaining, "No, no, Brother Jiang, you’ve misunderstood! I apologize for my lack of consideration earlier. How about this, Brother Jiang: I would like to invite you to live at my home with Xiaoxue for a few days, and I will pay you one million per day. How does that sound?"

Jiang Cheng was speechless. If the hard approach didn't work, now he was trying the soft one!

One million a day—in the past, he might have been tempted, but now, he had zero interest.

He would never agree to such a restriction on his personal freedom, even if he died.

"Boss Murong," Jiang Cheng said coldly, "I don't care for your money. You’d better save it to hire more doctors! Following me around is useless. I can't be your daughter’s shadow forever! I have my own life."

With that, he turned and left.

Murong Xue gritted her teeth and hurried to follow him.

This Jiang Cheng was like a rock in a latrine—stinking and hard, immune to both soft and hard tactics.

She didn't want to keep fainting in the hospital for no reason, so she decided to stick to Jiang Cheng until her illness was cured.

Hmph! Once I’ve squeezed you dry of your remaining value, just wait and see how I deal with you, you jerk!

When she heard Director Bai’s explanation earlier, she seemed to pick up that this Jiang Cheng possessed some sort of "Qi-Gazing Technique" and could generate a magnetic field that helped her condition.

Although she didn't quite understand it and thought it sounded a bit far-fetched, her new jewelry brand was set to open in a month.

She still had two pieces of top-tier jadeite that hadn't been crafted into finished products yet!

If she remained asleep in a hospital bed, what was the point of opening the new brand store?

Therefore, weighing the pros and cons, she had to stick with Jiang Cheng—at least to avoid fainting!

As for everything else, she could just make a phone call and have others handle it.

Seeing Murong Xue follow Jiang Cheng out, Murong Shan and his entourage followed as well.

When they saw that Murong Xue was fine and hadn't fainted, Murong Shan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Director Bai, it seems your hypothesis is correct!"

Immediately, he waved his hand and ordered two bodyguards in black to follow them.

They couldn't have this entire group trailing Jiang Cheng everywhere, could they?

He would just have to send two men to protect his daughter from the shadows.

Shen Sining looked at Jiang Cheng and Murong Xue with a complex expression, bit her red lip, and followed them as well.

Jiang Cheng walked to the nurse's station and asked a young nurse for directions to the psychiatric department.

After that, he got into the elevator, intending to go to the eighth floor to see the doctor who had gone insane.

Unexpectedly, just as he entered the elevator, Murong Xue wiggled in on her high heels.

Once inside, she shot Jiang Cheng a glare without saying a word.

***

A moment later, Shen Sining also hurried into the elevator.

Then came the two bodyguards in black.

The atmosphere in the elevator instantly became awkward.

Everyone was lost in their own thoughts, remaining silent.

Jiang Cheng naturally ignored Murong Xue, and Murong Xue deliberately avoided looking at him.

Shen Sining stood in the middle, caught in an awkward position between the two.

Upon reaching the eighth floor, Jiang Cheng walked out on his own. Murong Xue and Shen Sining followed without a word, and the two bodyguards exchanged glances before trailing behind, though they kept a respectful distance.

Hearing the "clack-clack-clack" of high heels behind him, Jiang Cheng felt his head throbbing.

"Tell me, Miss Murong, why are you following me?"

Murong Xue sneered, "Following you? Is this hospital your family’s business? Besides, my family owns shares in the First People’s Hospital, so saying it’s my family’s business isn't much of a stretch! Where I go is none of your business!"

"You!"

Jiang Cheng sighed, completely speechless. He knew exactly what Murong Xue was thinking.

If he didn't follow her, she would just turn around and shamelessly follow him instead, right?

"Shadow-clinger," he muttered under his breath, deciding to ignore her.

He walked straight toward the nurse's station on this floor.

A young nurse was having a meal, but upon seeing Jiang Cheng, she quickly put her utensils away.

"Excuse me, hello. I’d like to ask, do you have an ophthalmologist here who has been admitted to the psychiatric ward? Uh—he used to be an ophthalmologist at your hospital!"

Seeing that Jiang Cheng was sunny and handsome—exactly her type—the nurse had originally intended to ask for his WeChat.

However, when she saw the two stunning beauties following him—one pure and lovely, the other cold and noble—she instantly backed down.

After a moment of thought, she replied, "You mean Dr. Li?"

"Dr. Li? Yes, that’s him. I wanted to ask, I had him examine my eyes this morning, so why did I just hear that he’s having mental issues? What’s going on?"

Actually, what Jiang Cheng wanted to know was whether this Dr. Li had gone insane before or after examining him.

The nurse blinked in astonishment. "What are you talking about? Dr. Li examined your eyes today? How is that possible? Dr. Li went insane a week ago! He’s been in the eighth-floor psychiatric ward the whole time under constant supervision. How could he have examined your eyes today?"

The nurse finished speaking and immediately picked up her phone to make a call. She even put it on speakerphone.

"Sister Hua, did Dr. Li go out today? How is it that a gentleman says Dr. Li examined his eyes earlier today? What is going on?"

The woman on the other end of the line let out a gasp: "What? When? Was it around 9:00 AM?"

The group looked at each other, their expressions turning complex.

"Sister Hua, come over here, please. This gentleman is right here at the nurse's station!"

"Alright, wait there, I’m coming!"