Chapter Eighty-Six: The Blind Date

That night, Director Shi witnessed the entire process of Hong Chen saving Jiang Tao. Later, he heard that the prescription Hong Chen had written was responsible for Master Qi’s miraculous recovery from his chronic back pain. Director Shi held Hong Chen’s medical skills in the highest regard, so despite the considerable risks of switching surgeons at the last minute, he only hesitated briefly before agreeing to let Hong Chen take charge of the operation.

Moreover, at Hong Chen’s request, Director Shi personally assisted him, keeping the young doctors and assistants out of the operating room.

Hong Chen took Lin Yuxin’s pulse. With a flick of his fingers, a three-inch silver needle appeared, and, through the thin layer of her nightgown, he inserted it into her shoulder. Then came the second needle, the third...

Director Shi followed Hong Chen’s instructions, keeping a close eye on the monitor. When Hong Chen inserted the sixth needle, Lin Yuxin’s blood pressure dropped to the critical threshold.

Director Shi was about to speak up when Hong Chen stretched out his arm. “Give her my blood.”

Director Shi was startled. Hong Chen smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. Our blood types match. There’s no need to draw and bag it—just connect us directly.”

Director Shi considered this. “Given the patient’s condition, she’ll need about four hundred CCs.”

Hong Chen replied, “Four hundred won’t be enough. Her artery is only superficially wounded, but to suture it seamlessly, I’ll need to open it wider. At least six hundred CCs. Trust me, I’ll be fine.”

Hong Chen spoke lightly, but Director Shi was shocked. Normally, donating four hundred CCs would make anyone dizzy. At six hundred, the mind would fog. Eight hundred, and one risked fainting.

If this were a routine donation, it would be one thing. But Hong Chen was not only giving blood—he was also performing a highly precise operation, suturing arteries and veins, where even the slightest error could have disastrous consequences.

Seeing Director Shi’s hesitation, Hong Chen said calmly, “Director Shi, she’s my wife. I would never gamble with her life.”

Director Shi was convinced, nodding gravely. “Mr. Hong, I’ll follow your lead.”

A tube was inserted into Hong Chen’s vein. As his blood flowed, Lin Yuxin’s blood pressure gradually recovered, her pallor replaced by a faint flush. Hong Chen continued inserting needles, and as nearly three hundred CCs had been transfused, he placed a needle in the wound on Lin Yuxin’s neck.

Instantly, fresh blood poured out. Within seconds, Lin Yuxin’s blood pressure plummeted again. Director Shi’s heart leapt to his throat as he glanced at Hong Chen, but the latter was utterly composed, his hands steady and deliberate, exuding an indescribable calm.

This strength of will, psychological resilience, and supreme confidence in his own medical skills left Director Shi humbled and full of sincere admiration.

Five minutes later, Hong Chen’s blood transfusion had reached roughly six hundred and fifty CCs. Just as Director Shi was about to speak up, Hong Chen suddenly said, “That’s enough.”

Director Shi quietly breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew the tube from Hong Chen’s arm.

Hong Chen removed the other silver needles from Lin Yuxin one by one, letting out a soft breath and wiping his forehead, his palm coming away soaked with sweat.

After such intense concentration and a loss of over six hundred CCs of blood, both his nerves and strength were depleted. Hong Chen felt a touch of fatigue and sat down to rest for about ten minutes. Before Lin Yuxin could awaken from the anesthesia, he was already preparing to leave.

Director Shi tentatively asked, “Mr. Hong, would you mind sharing your phone number?”

Hong Chen didn’t refuse. As he dialed Director Shi’s phone, he said, “You handled this operation. Don’t mention me to anyone, especially to Miss Lin. Keep this confidential.”

Director Shi had heard from Master Qi that Hong Chen preferred to keep his medical prowess under wraps, so he simply nodded in agreement.

Leaving the operating room, Hong Chen informed Shen Huifang and the others that Lin Yuxin was out of danger, and once the anesthesia wore off, they could visit her.

Shen Huifang and her group tried to ask more, but Hong Chen had no patience and strode away, ignoring Shen Huifang’s indignant curses behind him, dismissing her outburst as nothing more than a barking madwoman.

Downstairs, Hong Chen called Lin Yufei, arranging to meet her at the flowerbed beside Building One.

Five minutes later, Lin Yufei emerged from the building. Hong Chen, just finishing a cigarette, got straight to the point. “What really happened?”

Lin Yufei hesitated, torn. Sensing her reluctance, Hong Chen said calmly, “Until Yuxin and I are officially divorced, we remain husband and wife. She was half a centimeter from death. I need the truth. Her wound was caused by a blunt instrument, cut shallow to deep in three strokes—this was no accident. If you don’t know, or can’t say, I’ll ask Yuxin myself.”

Lin Yufei fell silent, then looked up at Hong Chen as if making a momentous decision, and revealed everything.

It turned out that earlier that day, Lin Yuxin had been sent by Shen Huifang and Shen Yongliang to meet the son of the Qian family, Qian Duoduo, for a blind date. To prevent an awkward first meeting, Lin Yufei and Shen Tianbao came along for support.

After lunch, Shen Huifang and Shen Yongliang remained at the hotel while the four youngsters went to the ski resort. During skiing, Qian Duoduo repeatedly made advances toward Lin Yuxin, annoying her to the point of twice turning cold. If not for Shen Tianbao’s intervention, she would have stormed out, which left Qian Duoduo quite displeased.

Back at the hotel for dinner, Qian Duoduo acted up, claiming he’d lost his appetite and returning to his room. Upon hearing Shen Tianbao’s report about the afternoon, Shen Yongliang and Shen Huifang insisted Lin Yuxin go personally to invite Qian Duoduo, regardless of how the date went, to at least show him respect.

Lin Yuxin, not wanting to jeopardize her uncle’s business with the Qian family, reluctantly agreed. With Shen Tianbao and Lin Yufei accompanying her, she felt there would be no mishap.

Yet, disaster struck. When they arrived at Qian Duoduo’s room, he was showering. The three waited in the room. After a while, Shen Tianbao found an excuse, saying he’d bought gifts for his girlfriend and wanted Lin Yufei to pick one, so the two headed next door to Shen Yongliang’s room, leaving Lin Yuxin alone.

Six or seven minutes later, Qian Duoduo rushed to Shen Yongliang’s room, panic-stricken, announcing that Lin Yuxin was in trouble. Lin Yufei hurried over to find Lin Yuxin curled up in a corner, in agony, blood covering her clothes and the wall, with a silver fruit knife stained red lying on the floor...

“Hong Chen, the blind date wasn’t my sister’s idea. She was just going through the motions. After debt collectors came knocking, my mother grew desperate and asked Uncle to introduce her to the Qian family’s son. Uncle arranged everything and came in person. If my sister didn’t show up, Uncle couldn’t explain to the Qian family.”

Once she finished, seeing Hong Chen’s face darken, Lin Yufei hesitated and added, with deep remorse in her eyes, “In a way, the root cause is me. If I hadn’t incurred such massive debts, sending the family to the brink of ruin, Shen Huifang wouldn’t have acted so rashly, grasping at straws.”

Hong Chen smiled noncommittally. “I understand. The Qian family’s young master is rich and young—the ideal son-in-law for your parents, the brother-in-law you’d approve of. Three hundred thousand in debt, or even three million, would be nothing. As for why your sister isn’t interested in him, it’s just her stubborn devotion to a three-year marriage contract...”

He paused, then changed the subject. “But since I’m still married to your sister, and she nearly lost her life, I have to get involved. By the way, where’s that young master Qian? Is he still at Meilin Hotel?”

“I’m not sure...” As she spoke, Lin Yufei’s phone rang. She answered, listened briefly, then told Hong Chen, “My sister’s awake. You should come up and see her.”

“No, you go ahead.” Hong Chen waved her off and walked away. Lin Yufei suddenly called out, “Brother-in-law.”

Hong Chen raised his brows and turned back, surprised—if he remembered correctly, this was the first time since his marriage that Lin Yufei had ever called him brother-in-law.

Lin Yufei looked at him with complicated eyes, her lips moving as if to speak, but she shook her head. “Nothing, I’m going up.”

With that, she turned and ran toward Building One.

Hong Chen shrugged inexplicably, walked to the parking lot, got into his GTR, and pulled out his phone to call Gao Tianxiong, his tone cold. “There’s a guest named Qian Duoduo at Meilin Hotel. I need to know if he’s still there. Get back to me as soon as possible.”