Jiang Li nodded, “Of course! As long as you don’t harm others intentionally, being scheming can be a good thing. It means you can protect yourself when it matters!”
The ‘Jiang Li’ in the novel was too naïve and pure, which led her to be easily manipulated. If only she had been a bit more cunning!
Reassured by her response, Tong Yi secretly sighed in relief.
“You said there were three methods. What is the third method Jiang Zhou might use?” Jiang Li urged.
Tong Yi lightly tapped her forehead, “Think about it yourself, you can guess.”
Jiang Li tentatively said, “You think he might be desperate enough to resort to criminal actions?”
Tong Yi nodded, “Yes. The consequences would be fatal, so Jiang Zhou probably wouldn’t do it unless he’s lost his mind.”
Jiang Li began to consider the feasibility of this third method. If Jiang Zhou used some illegal means to kidnap her and forcibly transferred her kidney to Jiang Ruo, he would face not only the Feng family’s wrath but also heavy legal consequences, and Jiang Ruo wouldn’t be left unharmed either.
As Tong Yi said, unless Jiang Zhou lost his mind, he probably wouldn’t resort to such a drastic measure, but what if he did? In the case Jiang Zhou’s plan was meticulous enough and she was unaware of it in advance, he could very likely succeed. By then, even if her grandfather and uncles discovered the truth, her kidney would already be transplanted into Jiang Ruo, and there was nothing they could do about it.
If Jiang Zhou was more cunning, he might even wait until she was at university to act, and after a successful kidney transplant, he could flee abroad with Jiang Ruo, escaping both legal sanction and the Feng family’s wrath. After all, she was going to university in the capital city, and if her family couldn’t reach her for a short period, they wouldn’t immediately suspect she was missing. They certainly wouldn’t guess that Jiang Zhou had abducted her to transplant her kidney to Jiang Ruo.
But could Jiang Zhou really go to such lengths for Jiang Ruo?
Seeing Jiang Li’s silence, Tong Yi quickly discerned what she was thinking and reassured her with a smile, “Now that we know Jiang Zhou’s intentions, we can prepare in advance. Don’t worry, nothing will happen to you.”
After a few seconds of silence, Jiang Li nodded and spoke softly, “I should first discuss this matter with my third uncle to see what he thinks.”
Her grandfather was old and couldn’t handle this stress, so it was best not to alarm him for now, especially since Jiang Zhou was also his grandson. Knowing this might be too much for him.
Her eldest uncle and aunt were busy with their careers, and she didn’t interact with them much. Since Jiang Zhou hadn’t made a move yet, it wasn’t appropriate to bother them.
As for her second uncle and aunt, they were pure intellectuals, definitely not suited to handle such sinister matters.
That left her with her third uncle, who was also the best choice. Jiang Li believed that once she shared the situation with him, he would definitely have a comprehensive countermeasure.
Tong Yi nodded in agreement, “Yes, as long as Third Master Feng steps in, there’s nothing he can’t handle. We just need to sit back and watch.”
…
In the hospital, Jiang Ruo continued her dialysis treatments. While Jiang Zhou was in the restroom, a nurse pushed open the door to the dialysis room and approached Jiang Ruo. “This was given by a young man who asked me to pass it to you,” the nurse handed her a debit card with a gentle smile, “He said he was your former childhood friend.”
“A former childhood friend?” Jiang Ruo was stunned.
“Yes,” the nurse nodded and explained, “He was probably about your age, around 185 cm tall, with a high nose bridge and deep eye sockets. He was very handsome and had a distinct presence.”
Jiang Ruo bit her lip subconsciously, her heartbeat suddenly quickened, “Did he… say anything else?”
During the first year of high school, Qin Zheng visited her school to see her and used the security guard’s phone to call her. But she didn’t realize it was him at the time and told her brother that Qin Zheng was just a former childhood friend. If not for her roommate finding the bracelet Qin Zheng had discarded at the school gate, she might never have known he had come looking for her and heard those words.
Since then, there had been no contact between the two of them. Unexpectedly, Qin Zheng had harbored feelings about that remark all this time. Now knowing she was terminally ill, he gave her money but was not willing to see her. He even referred to himself as a former childhood friend to the nurse.
Seeing Jiang Ruo’s downtrodden mood, the nurse honestly said, “He only said that, and also, the PIN for the card is his birthday.”
After a long silence, Jiang Ruo spoke softly, “Thank you.”
The nurse responded kindly, “There’s no need to thank me. You come here every few days for dialysis, which isn’t easy. But your brother is very good to you, always accompanying you here. He’s certainly a model brother.”
Jiang Ruo smiled shyly, “Yes, my brother is really good to me.”
After the nurse left, Jiang Ruo tucked the card into her pocket. She didn’t need Qin Zheng’s money for now, but perhaps she would in the future.
Qin Zheng… Qin Zheng…
No, she should stop thinking about him.
Her brother was so good to her, and she had decided to accept his feelings; she shouldn’t harbor any lingering feelings about Qin Zheng anymore.
As for that Qin Zheng, tall with a high nose bridge and deep eye sockets, the handsome and charismatic him…
He would eventually meet a girl who liked him as much as he liked her. That girl would probably be healthy, not needing regular hospital visits for dialysis, and they would live a happy and joyful life together.
…
After returning to the dialysis room, Jiang Zhou noticed Jiang Ruo in a daze and waved his hand in front of her eyes, “What are you thinking about?”
Startled, Jiang Ruo quickly flashed a sweet smile, “I wasn’t thinking about anything. Brother, you came back so soon?”
Jiang Zhou affectionately flicked her nose with his hand, “Do you mind that your brother came back too quickly?”
Jiang Ruo immediately shook her head, “Not at all, I was just thinking that dialysis takes so long, it makes your time away seem very short in comparison.”
Jiang Zhou sighed and comforted her, “It won’t be for much longer. Trust me, you’ll soon be a healthy Ruoruo again.”
Jiang Ruo shook her head, her expression worried, “I don’t want you to do anything irrational for my sake.”
Jiang Zhou spoke softly, “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything irrational.”
Jiang Ruo still seemed uneasy, “Brother, you’re not thinking of using public opinion to morally blackmail Jiang Li, are you?”
Jiang Zhou replied quietly, “I considered this option, but it’s not feasible. The Feng family wouldn’t let public opinion run wild.”
“Are you thinking of using illegal methods? You can’t do that,” Jiang Ruo grew even more anxious.
Jiang Zhou immediately shook his head, “Unless it’s absolutely necessary, we won’t go down that path. Let’s first try to convince our mother to plead with Grandpa. There might be a slim chance.”
Jiang Ruo shook her head, “It’s useless. Mom always feels guilty towards Jiang Li; she wouldn’t agree to your request.” Besides, even if their mother agreed, Grandpa certainly wouldn’t. After all, Jiang Li is his real granddaughter.
Jiang Zhou’s eyes narrowed slightly, “I have my plans for this matter; you don’t need to worry.”
Jiang Zhou’s response only made Jiang Ruo even more uneasy. She wanted a healthy body, but she truly didn’t want to see her brother do something irrational for her sake and get harmed.
Even if she could only live for a decade or more and even if she had to continue dialysis indefinitely, she was willing to endure such a fate, as long as her brother continued to dote on her like this.
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Translator’s Note:
Sponsored chapter tomorrow!
I have added a new novel, Three Years After Falling Off A Cliff. This is a historical romance novel similar to Greetings Ninth Uncle, by the same author of Eight Treasures Trousseau and To Be a Virtuous Wife. This is a replacement novel for Daughter of the Dao and Devil Venerable and will follow the same schedule (Monday and Wednesday). Hope you will enjoy it!
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