Wang Yan had never planned to sell medicine for long. He only wanted to build up some capital at the start. The stocks he remembered were more than enough to make him rich and comfortable.
Zhang Changlin had sold fake medicine for years without getting into trouble. The moment he sold real medicine, he was caught before long. That was obvious, wasn't it?
At the root of it all, Wang Jia's wish boiled down to one thing: money. "There's only one disease in this world, and that's poverty." Wang Yan agreed with that, and I imagine most people did too.
With his foreknowledge, Wang Yan had plenty of ways to make money. There was no need to take such a huge risk. He hadn't traveled back in time just to end up behind bars in style.
When the plane landed, Wang Yan set foot on the territory of India.
It was Wang Yan's first time abroad. He looked around in every direction, finding everything fascinating.
Carrying his bag, he found a driver who spoke Chinese at the station exit, agreed on a price, and gave him an address.
Looking at the filthy, run-down surroundings along the road, Wang Yan declared that he still loved his magnificent homeland best.
To be honest, Wang Yan was worried they might get robbed along the way. India was still pretty chaotic, after all. But to his surprise, the trip went smoothly and safely.
With the driver translating, Wang Yan explained why he had come and met the owner of Natdo Pharmaceuticals.
After a brief discussion, he easily bought 160 bottles. Just like in the movie, they sold out in a month, and he became the exclusive distributor.
He had the driver take the medicine to a place near the airport, left his contact information, then waved goodbye.
He found a nearby hotel, put the suitcase of Gleevec away in his pocket dimension, and slept for the night. The next day, he went straight back to China.
At Lü Shouyi's home, Wang Jia and her husband flew into a flurry of activity when they saw Wang Yan had returned.
They hurried to put together a table full of dishes. Soon, everyone was full and satisfied.
Wang Jia and her husband stared at the Gleevec before them, their hands trembling and their hearts pounding.
Wang Yan understood. It was something called hope.
"I'll leave six bottles with you. I'll sell the rest, so don't get involved," Wang Yan said.
"Shouyi, you just stay home and look after the two of them."
"Take good care of the baby. Don't worry."
"I'm leaving now. I'll come back in a while."
Wang Yan didn't want them getting dragged into this. Having them involved would only make things worse.
After leaving Lü Shouyi's home, Wang Yan considered his options and went to find Liu Sihui. Lü Shouyi had told him her address earlier.
In the movie, Liu Sihui was a sales whiz who controlled the distribution channels. To be honest, not everyone could earn the trust of so many patients and rally a group of people around them. An ordinary person wouldn't have been up to the task.
It was still early, so Wang Yan strolled along the streets of Shanghai, eventually making his way to the nightclub where Liu Sihui worked.
He found a seat and ordered a beer.
Watching Liu Sihui dance provocatively onstage, Wang Yan was overwhelmed by a jumble of emotions.
Wang Yan couldn't say exactly how he felt about Liu Sihui. Her daughter had a terminal illness, and her husband had run off. That was the situation. She had to fend for herself, and there was nothing wrong with that.
When Liu Sihui came offstage, Wang Yan went over to her.
"Hello, I'm Wang Yan." He held out his hand and introduced himself.
"Hello, I'm Liu Sihui." Liu Sihui shook his hand, then asked, "What can I do for you?"
Wang Yan smiled. "Do you know Lü Shouyi? His situation is the same as your daughter's. I'm his brother-in-law. I'd like to discuss a business deal with you."
Liu Sihui thought for a long while before she finally remembered. Her face brightened with understanding. "What kind of deal?"
Wang Yan glanced around. "Let's talk somewhere else. This isn't a good place. Go change, then we can grab something to eat and talk over dinner."
Liu Sihui went to change, and the two of them found a nearby restaurant and ordered a few simple dishes.
Wang Yan raised his glass and invited Liu Sihui to drink with him.
"I brought back some Gleevec from India. It works the same as the medicine sold here by Nuowa Company," Wang Yan said, taking a bite of food.
"Lü Shouyi told me you know a lot of the patients. I came to see if we could work together."
Liu Sihui listened quietly. "How would we work together?"
"Five thousand yuan a bottle. I'll give you three hundred for every bottle you sell. And I'll give you the medicine you need for free," Wang Yan replied.
"Of course, I'm sure you understand that this is illegal and carries considerable risk. We can't keep doing it for too long."
"But you can trust the medicine. It's guaranteed to be genuine." As he spoke, he took a bottle out of his pocket dimension and placed it on the table.
"Take this bottle for now. If you're not sure, you can have someone test it."
"What do you think?"
Liu Sihui raised her glass. "Give me a few days. I'll get someone to test it. I've been scammed too many times over the years. You understand."
Wang Yan understood and said nothing.
After that, they ate and drank, chatted about this and that, exchanged phone numbers, and went their separate ways.
There was no scene of her throwing herself at him. Wang Yan was just an ordinary guy—not devastatingly handsome, but decent enough to look at.
He would have been lying if he said he wasn't interested. But he wasn't so desperate that he'd rush into it. A relationship built on a transaction wouldn't be right. He could take his time. There was no need to hurry.
He found a cheap hotel and made do for the time being.
Over the next few days, Wang Yan found an English class. He had remembered quite a bit from his earlier studies, but that didn't do him much good. His English hadn't been very good to begin with, so how much could he possibly remember?
He'd been spending money without earning any, and his wallet was nearly empty. He wouldn't be able to hold out for many more days. Wang Yan was starting to get anxious.
Fortunately, on the afternoon of the fourth day, Liu Sihui finally called to say the medicine was fine and that he could bring it to her.
She understood the risks too, so she gave him her address right away.
The timing of Liu Sihui's call was perfect. Wang Yan took the suitcase of Gleevec out of his pocket dimension, checked out of the hotel, and hailed a cab to Liu Sihui's home with the suitcase in hand. Whether he had misunderstood her intentions or not, he hadn't planned on coming back this time.
When he arrived at Liu Sihui's place and saw the shabby apartment building, Wang Yan thought, Anything but illness; anything but poverty.
He climbed the stairs, and Liu Sihui opened the door and let him in.
As he entered, he saw a little girl staring at him without blinking. Wang Yan froze for a moment.
Then he smiled and greeted her. "Hi there! What's your name?"
The girl only stared at Wang Yan without saying a word.
Just then, Liu Sihui came over and hugged the girl. "She's a little shy around strangers. Come on, say hello to Uncle. Tell him your name."
The girl spoke softly. "Hello, Uncle. My name is Liu Tiantian."
Wang Yan laughed heartily. "Hello, hello! I'm Wang Yan. Just call me Uncle Wang. Hahaha!"
Perhaps his laughter had rubbed off on her, because Liu Tiantian spoke a little louder this time and called out sweetly, "Uncle Wang."
Wang Yan was delighted. He laughed and pinched Liu Tiantian's little cheek, thinking, Little girls really are more lovable than little boys.
"Have a seat for a while." Liu Sihui took Liu Tiantian into the room.
Wang Yan sat on the sofa and looked around.
Older apartment buildings usually didn't have much space. Liu Sihui rented a two-bedroom place. It was small, but perhaps because of her daughter, she had made it feel quite cozy.
Liu Sihui came out and sat in front of Wang Yan. "I had someone check your medicine. There's nothing wrong with it. How much do you have?"
Wang Yan nodded, then opened the suitcase he'd brought and set it between them.
Liu Sihui's reaction to the suitcase full of Gleevec was hardly any different from that of Wang Jia and Lü Shouyi.
"There are 153 bottles," he said, taking three out. "These three, along with the one I gave you before, are for Tiantian. You can sell the rest."
Looking at the suitcase full of Gleevec, Liu Sihui thought of all the hardships she'd endured over the years, and tears began to fall.
Her daughter had a terminal illness, and her husband had abandoned them and run away without a thought for their child. Anyone could imagine how hard things had been for her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone to a nightclub to dance and see customers.
Liu Sihui's fate wasn't shown at the end of the movie. Wang Yan figured it probably wasn't a happy one.
A beautiful woman was crying in front of him, and it went on and on. Wang Yan couldn't just sit there and watch.
Liu Sihui was fragile at that moment. He sat beside her and drew her into his arms, offering silent comfort.
After a long while, Liu Sihui had nearly cried herself out. She sat up in Wang Yan's arms.
Looking at Wang Yan, she suddenly thought his ordinary face was exceptionally charming. She gave him an embarrassed smile.
"It's okay. You don't have to be embarrassed. I understand."
Wang Yan continued, "By the way, you've had a lot of time to get to know the patients. Try to sell to reliable people, and don't sell to anyone who might cause trouble."
"Better safe than sorry. Of course, I know it's impossible to avoid trouble completely, so just do your best."
Liu Sihui nodded. "Mm, I'll keep that in mind." She glanced at the clock on the wall and said to Wang Yan, "It's getting late. You haven't eaten yet, have you?"
When Wang Yan nodded, she said, "Then I'll make a few dishes, and we can have a drink. Wait here a bit."
Liu Sihui got up to prepare dinner.
Wang Yan had nothing to do, so he went to Liu Tiantian's room and saw her sitting obediently on the bed, watching TV.
When she saw Wang Yan come in, Liu Tiantian called out, "Uncle Wang."
Wang Yan smiled and nodded. She was so young, yet so considerate that it made his heart ache.
Sitting down beside Liu Tiantian, Wang Yan asked, "Tiantian, how old are you this year?"
Liu Tiantian answered in a childish voice, "I'm five."
"Are you in kindergarten?" Wang Yan asked with a smile.
Liu Tiantian shook her head. "No." There was a trace of sadness in her voice.
Wang Yan nodded to show that he understood and didn't rub salt in the wound. How could a child that young not want to play with other children?
After that, Wang Yan watched TV with Liu Tiantian. Perhaps she felt he was kind, or perhaps she rarely got the chance to talk to anyone, but Liu Tiantian happily chattered away to Wang Yan about all sorts of things.
A little while later, Liu Sihui called the two of them to dinner.
Once they were seated, Liu Sihui took out two bottles of liquor and gestured toward Wang Yan. "Want a drink?"
"Sure," Wang Yan replied. He was fond of a drink himself and liked to have one now and then.
Liu Sihui filled both their glasses and raised hers. "This glass is for you. Thank you for giving us a way to survive." Then she drained it in one go.
Never mind anything else: a single bottle of Gleevec cost 37,000 yuan. Now she could get it for free, and it worked just as well. The difference it would make for her was obvious. Liu Sihui didn't even know how much longer she could have held out.
Wang Yan smiled and emptied his glass. "Come on, enough of that. There are better days ahead. Let's eat."
He put a serving of food in Liu Tiantian's bowl. "Tiantian, eat some more. You're so skinny."
Liu Tiantian looked up and thanked him, then dug into her food. She could feel how happy Liu Sihui was. Seeing her mother, who had been frowning with worry every day, happy again made her happy too. She even had a better appetite.
The three of them ate, drank, and chatted merrily, like a family of three. The atmosphere was warm and cozy.
Liu Sihui may have sensed something unusual about the atmosphere too. She kept glancing at Wang Yan throughout dinner, her thoughts in turmoil. Wang Yan pretended not to notice and chatted cheerfully with Liu Tiantian.
Children didn't eat much. Even though Liu Tiantian ate more than usual that day, she finished before long. Leaving the adults to themselves, she thoughtfully went back to her room.
With just the two of them left at the table, the atmosphere grew a little awkward. Wang Yan tried to keep the conversation going, chatting with Liu Sihui.
Liu Sihui, meanwhile, kept raising her glass and urging Wang Yan to drink. The evening seemed harmonious, with both host and guest enjoying themselves.
Liu Sihui poured out all the grievances and hardships she'd endured over the years, laughing and crying as she did.
Wang Yan listened quietly beside her, offering comfort now and then.
They drank for a full two hours. Liu Sihui had spent time in the nightlife scene and could hold her liquor. Wang Yan, despite being from Northeast China, was only an average drinker, and soon he was reeling.
After the drinks, things naturally took their course. Wang Yan wasn't a good man either. He talked as though he didn't want it, but his body said otherwise. After a little half-hearted resistance, he went along with it.
Wang Yan figured that Liu Sihui had felt terribly insecure after raising a daughter with a terminal illness alone for so many years. When he appeared, she seemed to have found a lifeline. Now that a way forward was in sight, she had no other way to secure that sense of safety apart from relying on him.
It was a mother's all-consuming love for her daughter.
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