Chapter 34

As the treatment began, Qin Yan realized he had underestimated the intensity of the pain. What Jiang Ruan had described as “very painful” was based on her own tolerance, and for her, it meant the kind of excruciating pain akin to cutting out decayed flesh without anesthesia. Qin Yan clenched his teeth so hard they nearly shattered, and by the end, he passed out from the agony.

When he woke up, he found himself in a soaking tub, while Jiang Ruan was outside talking with his mother. He could hear them clearly.

“Ruan Ruan, why did you come over in the middle of the night? And why are you heating water? What happened to Qin Yan for him to pass out?”

The young nanny wasn’t very good at lying and simply said, “I had a dream where something bad happened to Qin Yan, so I rushed over, and he had really fainted.”

“Then why are you giving him a bath?”

“He was drenched in sweat. I thought he’d feel better waking up clean.”

“Is he still unconscious? You should go in and check on him to make sure he doesn’t drown.”

Qin Yan did not allow anyone to come in while he bathed. He had already regained consciousness, and it was four in the morning. He had been asleep for more than three hours, but the water was still hot, which meant Jiang Ruan had continuously replenished it with warm water while he was unconscious.

Quietly, Qin Yan got up, dried himself off, and dressed. He convinced himself that there was nothing to be embarrassed about—after all, what was shameful about the relationship between a doctor and a patient?

In the following days, Jiang Ruan continued to visit him every night. When Qin Yan asked why they treated him at night instead of during the day, Jiang Ruan explained that the treatment couldn’t be interrupted, and with the college entrance exams approaching, daytime was reserved for exams, leaving only nighttime for therapy.

On July 7th, the first day of the exams, Qin Yan entered the examination hall in a wheelchair. Jiang Ruan couldn’t accompany him inside, so a teacher took over at the entrance. She told Qin Yan, “Do your best, Qin Yan.”

Qin Yan nodded.

Han Qingqing and Mu Xuehui were also taking the exam at the same venue. Han Qingqing was teary-eyed, and Mu Xuehui offered some casual words of comfort. In their past life, Han Qingqing hadn’t passed the exams, but at least she wasn’t being foolish this time and had improved her attitude toward Shen Tianming.

As for Qin Yan, no matter how well he did in practice exams, his pride wouldn’t allow him to attend college in a wheelchair.

Mu Xuehui entered the exam hall, determined not to perform any worse than in her previous life.

After three days of exams, Mu Xuehui was disheartened as her estimated scores didn’t meet her expectations. In her past life, she had attended a university far from home, but this time she wanted to stay in Beijing. Unfortunately, her scores wouldn’t be enough for her preferred college.

Surprisingly, Qin Yan’s estimated score was much better than expected, moving him up more than ten places in the rankings, which meant he was likely in the top ten.

Mu Xuehui was shocked. Leaving the school, she kept thinking that it would be a pity for Qin Yan not to attend college with such good scores. She thought of an idea: since Qin Yan and Qin Ao were brothers, why not let Qin Ao take Qin Yan’s place and enroll in a university far away, keeping the switch a secret? As Qin Ao’s success grew, it would become a valuable bargaining chip if she ever wanted a divorce.

Mu Xuehui immediately approached her mother, asking her to suggest the idea to Qin Yan’s aunt when she came to buy pork.

Her mother had some fame for fortune-telling, having learned a bit from her late grandmother. Because of this reputation, her stepfather’s pork stall did particularly well, as many people used the pretext of buying pork to have their fortunes read. It was this influence that had allowed Mu Xuehui to manipulate people like Ke Xiu and Shen Yuzhen time and time again. But now that they were out of the picture, with Shen Yuzhen even becoming her stepmother, she needed a new approach.

Mu Xuehui’s mother hesitated at the request to deceive someone again. “Huihui, doing these things too often brings bad karma. How were your scores? If they weren’t good, we can always consider repeating a year.”

“Repeat?” Mu Xuehui, having been reborn, didn’t have time to repeat a year. This was the golden opportunity of the reform and opening-up era, and she needed to graduate quickly to make money and become a successful businesswoman.

She pleaded, “Mom, I love Qin Ao, and I have a good business sense, but we need someone in the family with a degree. Qin Yan isn’t going to college anyway, so why not let Qin Ao take his place? They’re both from the Qin family. All you have to do is mention it to Grandma He. If the family doesn’t agree, we’ll drop the idea. What do you say?”

…

At an antique shop, Liang Yong informed Qin Yan of the outcome of their surveillance on Mu Xuehui.

“After she talked to her mother, Grandma He went to buy pork. Her mom then put on a show, saying that the Qin family would produce a literary genius who would bring great fortune, but the star had dimmed. To avoid disaster, the family needed someone to act as a substitute for the fallen star.”

Liang Yong was furious; it was almost as if she was directly calling Qin Yan a “fallen star” because of his disability and suggesting Qin Ao take his place at university.

Qin Yan couldn’t attend college, but why should Qin Ao get to live his life in his stead? The better Qin Ao’s future, the more painful it would be for Qin Yan.

Liang Yong insisted, “Qin Yan, you can’t agree to this.”

Qin Yan chuckled. When had he ever been soft-hearted? “Is Mu Xuehui planning to start a business this summer?”

“Yes, her brother says she’s rented a storefront near a university and plans to open a braised chicken restaurant.”

Qin Yan couldn’t help but sneer. She hadn’t even chosen the right market but wanted to start a business? Reborn with another chance at life, she aimed to both excel academically and become wealthy, but given her current situation, even achieving one of these was challenging. She was reaching for the moon.

Choosing braised chicken for a franchise at this time was a miscalculation. Given the era, wasn’t it more appealing for people to buy a chicken and cook it at home? Besides, the limited availability of commercially raised chickens would make it hard to control costs. She was asking for trouble.

He didn’t mind pushing her into ruin even faster.

Qin Yan instructed, “Rent the shops on either side of hers. Once she signs the lease and starts renovations, we’ll start renovating too.”

…

At home, Qin Yan’s mother, Miao Shufang, called her husband to relay how Qin Yan’s aunt had come, crying and pleading, asking to let Qin Ao take Qin Yan’s place at university.

“Qin Yan’s estimated score is above the tier-one line. His grandmother suggested that he apply to a university far away and let Qin Ao go instead. What should we do?”

Qin Zhengqing firmly disagreed. “It’s shameful to falsify educational records. Absolutely not.”

To everyone’s surprise, Qin Yan spoke up, saying he wanted to talk to Qin Ao. The two cousins faced each other in the courtyard.

Qin Yan said, “Qin Ao, you’ve never liked me, but you’re still my brother. I may be crippled for life, and attending a prestigious university feels ironic to me, but it could change your future. You’re dating Ran Xiaorong, and her family’s situation has improved; they live in the municipal compound. As a secondhand egg trader, you should give up. But if you take my place and graduate from university, you could start your own business. It sounds much better, doesn’t it? When you’re successful, her family won’t oppose your relationship anymore.”

Qin Ao’s life path had already been altered because of Jiang Ruan. He had met Ran Xiaorong early and started dating her.

However, Mu Xuehui wasn’t willing to easily give up her husband from the previous life. She would certainly fight to the bitter end, wouldn’t she?

Qin Yan thought that if he was going to lend the male lead a hand, then the latter needed to prove himself worthy.

The temptation of the opportunity Qin Yan was voluntarily offering was too great. Qin Ao had not been reborn; he was just eighteen. How many teenagers could resist such a significant temptation?

Qin Yan did not allow Qin Ao to leave and made it clear that if he walked out of the courtyard, the deal would be off. Qin Ao stayed for dinner.

Jiang Ruan made two additional dishes, glancing at Qin Yan, who remained expressionless, and then at Qin Ao, who seemed troubled and conflicted. She thought to herself, many people said she was silly, but she wasn’t. Look, she could see that Qin Yan was testing Qin Ao, although Qin Ao, who was being tested, hadn’t realized it yet.

If Qin Ao accepted, then he was doomed.

Jiang Ruan felt extremely conflicted. She didn’t want to see the Qin brothers turning against each other. Why did it have to come to this? When brothers fought, it was their own bones that broke, while outsiders reaped the benefits.

Under the table, Jiang Ruan had already kicked Qin Ao several times, but Qin Yan noticed her small gestures early on. He raised his eyes and placed a piece of chicken in Jiang Ruan’s bowl, saying, “You can’t wake someone who pretends to sleep. If you keep siding with him, I’ll take this chicken away.”

Jiang Ruan immediately stopped trying to remind Qin Ao and focused on her meal.

The table was filled with delicious dishes, yet Qin Ao couldn’t taste anything. He set down his chopsticks and said, “Qin Yan, I really want to say yes, but I can’t. You said I’ve always resented you since childhood, and it’s true. You were always too outstanding, and I always felt overshadowed by you. And actually, your father was adopted by our grandmother. A fortune-teller once said your father would achieve great things, so Grandma wanted our second uncle to help our family. Back then, your mother was the wealthy daughter-in-law Grandma chose for my dad, but your mom and your grandfather preferred the second uncle. My dad even knelt down and begged Grandma to arrange a marriage proposal for your father. My dad treated your dad well enough, didn’t he?”

“I’ve always felt conflicted, hating that the second uncle was better than my dad and hating that you were better than me. But I truly see you as a brother. You can tell the second uncle and aunt about his background. In the future, Grandma wouldn’t need your family to care for her, I could do it. As for the acceptance letter, if you’re not going to use it, frame it as a keepsake.”

Qin Ao walked away, looking dejected.

Jiang Ruan had never liked Qin Ao much, but his sudden confession moved her a little. He had passed the test and even revealed Uncle Qin’s background, which showed that he had come to terms with things internally. He might actually be someone worth befriending.

Qin Yan said nothing and didn’t touch his food. Jiang Ruan cautiously looked at him and said, “Brother Qin Yan, he passed the test. How about letting him go?”

Annoyed, Qin Yan picked up a chicken drumstick and handed it to her. “When did I ever say I wanted to harm him?”

“You set a trap for him. I know that if he had accepted, he would’ve been utterly miserable after the initial thrill.”

“Nobody is as perceptive as you. Just don’t say this to anyone else.”

“Okay, okay. So, have you forgiven him? You two can still be brothers, right?”

Although Jiang Ruan wasn’t entirely sure about the grievances between Qin Yan and Qin Ao, she could sense Qin Yan’s complex emotions toward his cousin—a mix of resentment and an unwillingness to let anyone else hurt Qin Ao.

Qin Yan didn’t respond, but the frustration in his heart eased.

Qin Yan eventually submitted his college application, yet he kept the name of the school a secret from everyone who asked. Half a month later, his acceptance letter arrived, confirming that he had been admitted to the China University of Political Science and Law.

The Shen family also received an acceptance letter; Shen Tianming had performed exceptionally well and was admitted to the same university, which was a source of great joy and pride for the family.

However, Shen Tianming was protesting, “Grandpa, you promised me that if I did well, we could negotiate. How could you deceive me? Arranged marriages are a feudal relic! I refuse to be engaged to Jiang Ruan.”