“Hey!”

Old Master Su snapped back to his senses, jumped up, and slapped towards Jian Yang’s forehead.

Jian Yang, relying most of his strength on Guan Ciyan, his body weak and unable to dodge in time, widened his eyes as he watched Old Master Su’s face grow larger.

Guan Ciyan applied a bit more force, pulling Jian Yang to his side, blocking half his body in front, and grabbing Old Master Su’s hand. “Old Su, if you really slap him, I can’t guarantee anything.”

The two hands stayed locked in the air for a moment. Guan Ciyan didn’t exert much strength, and Old Master Su swept his gaze over his face, then turned around and said, “Fine, fine, let’s go.”

Jian Yang roughly understood. Although this old master looked arrogant, he was clearly still afraid of Guan Ciyan; otherwise, how could he hold back from slapping him? Guan Ciyan could threaten or use persuasion, but he chose the most polite approach.

“Old Su, consider it for the sake of the Shatan wine,” Guan Ciyan said humbly, presenting a respectful demeanor.

Jian Yang tugged at Guan Ciyan’s sleeve, “Sir, we don’t need to beg him.”

Even if it was a guaranteed victory, Jian Yang didn’t want to see Guan Ciyan lower his stance. He already had enough grievances of his own; there was no need to suffer more, let alone cause Guan Ciyan to suffer for him.

Guan Ciyan pinched his face. “Don’t speak.”

After a bit of playacting, Old Master Su turned around and pointed at the wine. “All for the sake of the Shatan wine.”

Old Master Su went to fetch the wine. The top of the packaging held Jian Yang’s medical case. When Old Master Su pulled it out, his expression dimmed. “You brat.”

“Old Su, sorry for the trouble,” Guan Ciyan finally pushed Jian Yang forward, sending him to Old Master Su.

Old Master Su opened the case, holding it away from his eyes, pushed his reading glasses onto the bridge of his nose, and muttered as he read, “Tsk, this… huh?”

After finishing reading the case, he circled around Jian Yang and sharply commented, “How are you still alive?”

Jian Yang replied, “Does what you’re saying help my condition?”

Guan Ciyan lightly reprimanded him, “Jian Yang, manners.”

Then came the routine process of diagnosis—looking, smelling, asking, and feeling. When it came to treating the illness, Old Master Su was a different person, no longer as arrogant. He took Jian Yang’s pulse for half an hour, guessing quite accurately that Jian Yang had been staying up late and suffering from insomnia. Finally, he called for a servant. “Take him to the room in the east. Heat it up with mugwort, I’ll come to give him a massage later.”

He then turned to Guan Ciyan. “You bring him some clothes, he’ll be here for a month of recovery.”

“A month?” Jian Yang grabbed Guan Ciyan’s clothes and shook his head. “Sir, I still have five days before I join the crew.”

Guan Ciyan stood behind Jian Yang, who was sitting at the table, his head held high in a pitiful manner.

Old Master Su scolded harshly, “Five days! Not even the elixir of the Supreme Lord can save you.”

Jian Yang glanced back, irritated, “If it can’t be saved, don’t bother.”

He didn’t like this old man from the start.

Guan Ciyan ruffled Jian Yang’s head gently and spoke in a soft tone. “Don’t you want to treat your eyes?”

Jian Yang paused. “Didn’t the last doctor say he could treat my eyes?”

“He’s already been dismissed,” Guan Ciyan said.

“Why? His medicine was effective, and he was a good person.”

“He didn’t even know how to reduce your fever. Guan’s hospital doesn’t need people with inadequate skills.” Guan Ciyan placed a hand on Jian Yang’s shoulder. “Old Su, he’ll be here for five days, but after that, he has work. We’ll return regularly, and when we’re not here, however, you want to treat him, just let me know. I’ll make sure people cooperate.”

Jian Yang stared at Guan Ciyan, who was arguing with Old Master Su on his behalf. He was so smart and attentive, so why could he just fire someone like that? Jian Yang still remembered when he first met that doctor, who complained that Guan Ciyan was afraid of pain, making his work difficult, but he had worked there for ten years. After ten years, could he just be dismissed like that?

“I’ll say this upfront. He needs rest. If you insist on this, I can’t guarantee the results.”

“Old Su, forgive us. We’re all forced into this. The work is already arranged and can’t be changed. We’ll follow the medical advice; please help us.” Guan Ciyan spoke politely, comforting Jian Yang. “Director Xu won’t have any problems, don’t worry.”

Jian Yang nodded. Yes, he didn’t even need Guan Ciyan to speak. One look from him could stop investors from delaying Director Xu’s schedule. When Guan Ciyan sent him to the east room, Jian Yang muttered, “What’s that doctor’s name? I want to contact him and ask about my eyes.”

“I’ll arrange for a better doctor. Just focus on getting well.”

Guan Ciyan supported Jian Yang, but Jian Yang didn’t dare rely on him as fully as before.

As the door opened, a wave of heat hit, mingled with the scent of burned herbs. The mugwort smell was overwhelming inside, and Jian Yang instinctively grabbed Guan Ciyan’s hand. “Sir?”

He was surprised by his own reaction. When did he start to habitually ask Guan Ciyan for help?

Guan Ciyan stood in the doorway for half a minute before breaking into a sweat. He frowned and scanned the room, pulling Jian Yang’s hand away. “You need to get better so Director Xu can stick to the schedule.”

Jian Yang couldn’t tell whether this was a threat or advice, but he knew he had to let go.

Old Master Su came in with a silver needle. “Hey, why’s the door wide open? The temperature inside’s dropped.”

He said that and then dragged Jian Yang in.

The servant closed the door behind them, trapping Guan Ciyan outside.

“Sir, would you like some tea?” the servant asked. “The massage will take about forty minutes.”

A tea table was set up in the middle of the courtyard. It wasn’t a proper tea set but a wooden table with a few wooden boxes containing dried herbs. Guan Ciyan casually picked a chair to sit on. The servant came out with a palm-sized box and tossed a grayish-brown piece of wood into a glass teapot.

Instantly, the fragrance filled the air, and the tea turned light yellow.

The servant secretly hid the box under his padded jacket. “Sir, don’t tell the master. He doesn’t let us drink such expensive tea.”

Guan Ciyan lifted the teapot, smelled it, and saw bubbles rising from the wood particles at the bottom of the pot. He smiled faintly. “Sediment-scented tea?”

The servant nodded vigorously.

“One gram is worth a thousand gold.” Guan Ciyan took a sip of tea. The fragrance was rich, and when savored, it even had a faint milky scent— a fine tea indeed. “Quick, put it away. Your master is going to scold you.”

The little boy ran back with the box in his arms. Guan Ciyan became lost in thought, wondering if Jian Yang had been so easy to deceive when he was younger, that just a few pieces of candy could get him to give up his precious sinking incense. After drinking this bowl of tea, the sand坛 he had given away didn’t feel like a loss.

It was like Old Su treating Jian Yang.

“You’re being foolish,” Guan Ciyan called to the little boy. “Go outside and find the driver in the car. Have him take you out to play and buy some clothes, something to keep you warm.”

The old man was reluctant to spend money on clothing. The little boy had been wearing the same padded jacket for two winters already.

The little boy jumped up and clapped his hands. “Thank you, sir!”

Before the little boy could leave, Jian Yang’s piercing scream echoed from inside. “Wait! Wait!”

“Ah! Ah! It hurts! It hurts!”

“No, wait, wait!”

At first, Guan Ciyan was puzzled, but three minutes later, he couldn’t sit still. He went to the door. Old Su’s voice came from inside. “Don’t come in, don’t open the door. He’s vulnerable to cold now.”

Guan Ciyan paused, listening to Jian Yang’s heart-wrenching cries from inside. His hands, which had been in his pockets, gradually tightened. On the narrow steps, he took three thousand steps. He felt like a father waiting outside the delivery room.

The massage lasted forty minutes. Jian Yang cried out for fifteen minutes, but by the last ten minutes, he had no energy left and could barely make a sound.

Creak—

The old wooden door opened.

Old Su was only wearing a vest, and a towel soaked with sweat fell in a splash onto the dirt floor outside the house. “Ah, I’m exhausted. Getting old is tough.”

“Don’t rush to open the door, let him rest. Going in now will make him catch a chill.”

No matter how hot it was inside, Old Su and Jian Yang had endured it for the whole session. Guan Ciyan didn’t doubt the old man’s medical skills and only asked, “What about his eyes? How do we treat them?”

“How to treat them?” Old Su rolled his eyes. “Don’t you have a big hospital? Just send him there.”

“Indeed, other doctors are helpless.”

Old Su’s expression became serious. He walked out a few steps before speaking. “He’s really tough. When you brought him in, most people in that condition would be unable to stand, but he was still arguing with me. I thought his body was in good shape, but it’s actually in terrible condition. His five organs aren’t at the level they should be for his age, especially his liver function. I’ll do my best to adjust his whole body, and after six months or a year, his body will definitely improve. His eyes… they might get better, but whether they’ll return to normal, I can’t say for sure. Don’t give him too much hope.”

“Well, that color is still pretty, though. How beautiful. Look at that small face, like it came out of an ancient painting. I don’t understand your young people. Always wanting to change things. Ah, I’m going to rest. I’m getting old.”

Old Su left, and Guan Ciyan opened the door. The room was hot, like a steam room, and his breath was stifled. Just breathing made him sweat. Jian Yang was lying on the wooden bed, his clothes in disarray. His shirt had been pushed down to his chest, revealing a slender, pale waist. Guan Ciyan’s gaze felt as if it had been burned, and he walked over to pull Jian Yang’s shirt down. Looking down at him, he asked, “How do you feel?”

“It hurts like hell,” Jian Yang muttered weakly, raising his hand to rub his eyes. But then he felt something was off. He moved his arm, sat up, and moved his shoulders. “Hey, I think… I feel a lot looser. Wait…”

Jian Yang shook his head. “My head doesn’t feel dizzy anymore, my neck doesn’t hurt, and my eyes aren’t dry either.”

“Wow,” Jian Yang was stunned. “Sir, this is amazing.”

Guan Ciyan exhaled and nodded slightly. “Old Su’s medical skills are beyond question.”

“Then I shouldn’t have scolded him earlier?” Jian Yang hadn’t expected his face to be slapped so quickly.

Guan Ciyan chuckled, grabbed a blanket from the side of the bed, wrapped it around Jian Yang, and carried him to the west wing room he had prepared earlier. The cold wind hit Jian Yang’s feet under the blanket, and the temperature difference made him shiver. Guan Ciyan lowered his head, pulling him closer into his arms.

The west wing was simple, but fortunately, the bed was soft. After Jian Yang’s massage, his bones had relaxed, and Guan Ciyan carefully placed him into the bed. When Jian Yang winced in pain, Guan Ciyan slowed down his movements.

His phone rang. Guan Ciyan glanced at the caller ID, his eyes flickering. Jian Yang stared at him, and Guan Ciyan turned and left the room, his voice gradually fading. When he came back, he told Jian Yang, “For the next five days, you’ll rest here. Before turning on your phone, I’ll pick you up and take you to the set.”

Jian Yang’s first reaction was: Are you leaving?

Before the words left his mouth, he realized that if Guan Ciyan was treating him here, did that mean Guan Ciyan would abandon his work and stay here with him?

“Okay,” he said.

Guan Ciyan walked briskly, the car passing in front of Jian Yang’s window. Jian Yang watched the car disappear into the distance, his body sore and exhausted, sinking into the blankets and falling asleep.

When he woke up, the outside was completely dark. He reached for his phone, remembering that he had left it in the front room before the massage. The yard was quiet, with only the occasional sound of a couple of long-lived insects chirping. After his nap, his waist ached even more, and his feet hurt so much when they touched the ground that it felt like a sharp pain in his bones, causing sweat to form on his forehead. Jian Yang let out a hiss, took a deep breath, and groped around in the dark to grab his phone.

He had always been good at tolerating pain.

He replied to Wei Wei’s message, confirming that he had joined the team. His phone was clean, with no missed calls. Jian Yang even checked the intercepted messages, unsure of what he was hoping for. The sleepless night and the starless, moonless sky made him feel somewhat melancholic. Jian Yang found the doctor’s contact information on the hospital’s official website and called the department, using the identity of the young master of the Guan family to obtain the doctor’s contact details.

Not wanting to disturb anyone, he sent a message asking if the doctor had resigned because his eyes couldn’t be cured.

The doctor replied quickly:

“Mr. Guan said it can be cured, and it will be cured. Young master, there’s no need to worry.”

Jian Yang stared at the message, feeling as though there was an underlying meaning behind those words.

“Did you resign because of me?”

“I didn’t resign, I was dismissed because my medical skills didn’t meet the hospital’s standards. You’re overthinking, young master. Please rest early.”

Jian Yang, understanding the situation, replied with a simple “Good night.” The doctor clearly didn’t want to associate with work-related people, and even if he had resigned, he wouldn’t take the risk of offending Guan Ciyan by having a detailed conversation with him. Jian Yang leaned against the headboard, looking out at the pitch-black window and muttering to himself, “But Guan Ciyan, did you keep me because I’m still able to meet your standards for employment?”