Buying Medicine, Liu Sihui

Wang Yan never intended to sell medicine for the long haul; he only wanted to accumulate some initial capital. The various stock market trends he remembered in his mind were more than enough for him to live a life of luxury.

Zhang Changlin had sold fake medicine for years without a single issue, yet the moment he sold the real thing, he was taken down in no time. There's no need to even think about why, right?

Wang Jia's wish, when it all came down to it, was simply "money." "There is only one disease in this world, and that is the poverty disease." Regarding this statement, it wasn't just Wang Yan; I think most people would agree.

With the advantage of foresight, Wang Yan had plenty of ways to make money; there was no need to take such massive risks. He hadn't traveled through time just to end up sitting in a prison cell in style.

As the plane touched down, the ground beneath Wang Yan's feet had become the territory of India.

This was Wang Yan's first time abroad in this life, so he looked left and right, finding everything novel.

Dragging his bag, he found a driver at the exit who could speak Chinese, settled on a price, and gave him an address.

Looking at the dilapidated environment on the road, Wang Yan remarked that he still preferred the magnificent landscapes of his own country.

To be honest, Wang Yan was quite worried about being robbed halfway, as India was still quite chaotic. Unexpectedly, the journey was peaceful, smooth, and uneventful.

With the driver acting as an interpreter to explain his intentions, Wang Yan met the boss of Natdo Pharmaceuticals.

After some conversation, he successfully purchased 160 bottles, just like in the movie—selling them all in a month with exclusive agency rights.

He had the driver take him to a place near the airport, left his contact information, and waved goodbye.

He found a hotel nearby, stored the suitcase containing the Gleevec into his spatial storage, slept for the night, and returned to the country the next day.

At Lü Shouyi's home, when the couple Wang Jia saw that Wang Yan had returned, it was a flurry of excitement.

They busied themselves preparing a table full of dishes, and everyone ate and drank their fill.

Looking at the Gleevec in front of them, the couple Wang Jia had trembling hands and stirred emotions.

Wang Yan understood that it was something called hope.

"I'll leave six bottles for you; I'll go sell the rest, so you two shouldn't get involved," Wang Yan said.

"Shouyi, you just stay home and take care of them."

"Take good care of the child, don't worry."

"I'm leaving now, I'll come back in a while."

Wang Yan didn't want them to get dragged into this; having them involved would only be a disadvantage.

After leaving Lü Shouyi's house, Wang Yan did some calculations and went to find Liu Sihui, whose address Lü Shouyi had given him earlier.

In the movie, Liu Sihui was a talent who mastered sales channels. To be honest, not everyone could establish prestige among so many patients and pull a group of people together; an ordinary person really couldn't pull that off.

It was still early, so Wang Yan strolled leisurely through the streets of Shanghai, slowly making his way to the nightclub where Liu Sihui worked.

He found a seat and ordered a beer.

Watching Liu Sihui dancing provocatively on stage, Wang Yan felt a mix of emotions.

As for Liu Sihui, Wang Yan couldn't quite describe his feelings. Her daughter had a terminal illness, her husband had run off, and the situation was just like that; she was seeking a way to survive, which wasn't a bad thing.

When Liu Sihui came off stage, Wang Yan went over to find her.

"Hello, I'm Wang Yan," Wang Yan said, reaching out to introduce himself.

"Hello, I'm Liu Sihui." Liu Sihui shook hands with Wang Yan and then asked, "Is there something you need?"

Wang Yan smiled and said, "Do you know Lü Shouyi? He's in the same situation as your daughter, and I'm his brother-in-law. I want to talk to you about a business deal."

Liu Sihui thought for a long time before she remembered, her face showing a sudden realization: "What kind of business do you want to talk about?"

Wang Yan looked left and right: "Let's talk somewhere else; it's not very convenient here. Change your clothes, let's go out for a bite, and we can chat while we eat."

Liu Sihui went to change her clothes, and the two found a restaurant nearby, ordering a few dishes at random.

Wang Yan raised his glass to invite Liu Sihui to have a drink.

"I brought some Gleevec back from India; the efficacy is the same as the Nuowa Company medicine sold domestically," Wang Yan said while eating.

"Lü Shouyi told me you have a wide network among those patients, so I'm looking for you to cooperate."

Liu Sihui listened quietly: "What kind of cooperation?"

"Five thousand per bottle, I'll give you a commission of three hundred for every bottle sold, and I'll provide the medicine you use for free," Wang Yan replied.

"Of course, I think you understand that since it's illegal, the risk is not small, and it's impossible to do it for a very long time."

"But your medicine is guaranteed; you can rest assured about that." As he spoke, he took a bottle of medicine out of his spatial storage and placed it on the table.

"Take this bottle first; if you're worried, you can find someone to test it."

"What do you think?"

Liu Sihui raised her glass: "Give me a few days to have someone test it. I've been cheated too many times over the years; you understand."

Wang Yan expressed his understanding and didn't say anything else.

Afterward, the two ate and drank, chatted about random things, exchanged phone numbers, and then parted ways.

There were no scenes of her throwing herself at him; Wang Yan was just an ordinary person, not devastatingly handsome, just decent enough to look at.

To say he didn't have any thoughts would be a lie, but Wang Yan wasn't so desperate; after all, if such a thing were a transaction, it wouldn't be truly beautiful. Better to take it slow, right? There was plenty of time, so why rush?

He found a random hotel to stay in for the time being.

In the following days, Wang Yan found an English training class. Although he had recalled quite a bit when he was feeling sharp, it was all in vain; his original level hadn't been high to begin with, so how much could he really recover?

During this period, money was only going out and none was coming in. Wang Yan's wallet had hit rock bottom, and he wouldn't be able to hold on for many more days, which made him feel a bit anxious.

Fortunately, on the afternoon of the fourth day, Liu Sihui finally called to say there was no problem and that he could bring the medicine to her.

She understood the risks involved and gave him her home address directly.

The timing of Liu Sihui's call was perfect. Wang Yan took the suitcase containing the Gleevec out of his storage space, checked out of his hotel, and hailed a taxi to Liu Sihui's place. Regardless of whether Wang Yan had misunderstood anything, he had no intention of coming back this way.

Upon arriving at where Liu Sihui lived, Wang Yan looked at the dilapidated residential building and mused, "If you have anything, just don't have an illness; if you lack anything, just don't lack money."

He went upstairs, and Liu Sihui opened the door to let him in.

Walking into the room, Wang Yan paused when he saw a little girl staring blankly at him.

He immediately smiled and greeted the little girl: "Hello there, what is your name?"

The little girl just looked at Wang Yan without saying a word.

At this moment, Liu Sihui walked over, picked up the little girl, and said to Wang Yan: "The child is a bit shy. Hurry up and greet your uncle. Tell him what your name is?"

The little girl whispered: "Hello, Uncle, my name is Liu Tiantian."

Wang Yan laughed: "Hello, hello, my name is Wang Yan. Just call me Uncle Wang, hahaha."

Perhaps infected by his laughter, Liu Tiantian's voice grew a little louder as she sweetly called out, "Uncle Wang."

Wang Yan was very happy; he smiled and pinched Liu Tiantian's little cheek, thinking to himself, "This little girl is just more lovable than a little boy."

"You sit for a while." Liu Sihui took Liu Tiantian into the inner room.

Wang Yan sat on the sofa and looked around.

Old residential buildings usually didn't have much space. The place Liu Sihui rented was a two-bedroom apartment. It wasn't large, but perhaps because of her daughter, it was decorated quite warmly.

Liu Sihui came out and sat down in front of Wang Yan: "I had someone look at that medicine of yours. The medicine is fine. How much do you have?"

Nodding, Wang Yan opened the suitcase he had brought and placed it in front of them.

Looking at the suitcase full of Gleevec, Liu Sihui's reaction was no different from that of the couple, Wang Jia and Lü Shouyi.

"There are 153 bottles here." As he spoke, he took out three bottles: "These three, plus the one from before, are for Tiantian to use first. You can take the rest to sell."

Liu Sihui looked at the suitcase of Gleevec before her, and thinking of the hardships she had endured over the years, she couldn't help but shed tears.

Her daughter had a terminal illness, and her husband had abandoned them, leaving the mother and daughter to fend for themselves. One could imagine how difficult her life was; otherwise, she wouldn't have resorted to dancing and working at nightclubs.

In the movie, there was no ending for Liu Sihui, and Wang Yan figured the outcome was likely not very pleasant.

Seeing the beauty before him crying endlessly, Wang Yan couldn't just sit there and watch.

Liu Sihui was vulnerable at this moment. Wang Yan sat down beside her, pulled her into his arms, and offered silent comfort.

After a while, Liu Sihui's crying subsided, and she rose from Wang Yan's embrace.

Looking at Wang Yan, she felt that his ordinary face had a unique charm, and she gave him an embarrassed smile.

"It's okay, no need to be embarrassed. I understand."

Wang Yan continued: "By the way, after all this time, you should have some understanding of those patients. Try to sell to reliable people, and don't sell to those who cause trouble."

"It's better to avoid extra trouble. Of course, I know it can't be completely avoided, but just try your best."

Liu Sihui nodded: "Mm, I understand." She looked up at the clock on the wall and said to Wang Yan: "It's getting late, you haven't eaten yet, have you?"

Seeing Wang Yan nod, she added: "Then I'll fix some dishes, and we'll have a drink. Wait a moment."

Liu Sihui got up to prepare dinner.

Wang Yan felt bored just sitting there, so he walked to Liu Tiantian's room and saw her sitting obediently on the bed watching television.

Seeing Wang Yan enter, Liu Tiantian called out, "Uncle Wang."

Wang Yan smiled and nodded. Such a small child, yet so sensible that it made one's heart ache.

Sitting down beside Liu Tiantian, Wang Yan asked: "Tiantian, how old are you this year?"

Liu Tiantian answered in a milky voice: "Five years old."

"Are you in kindergarten?" Wang Yan asked with a smile.

Liu Tiantian shook her head: "No." There was a hint of disappointment in her words.

Wang Yan nodded to show he understood and didn't continue to rub salt into the child's wounds. How could a child this small not want to play with other children?

Afterward, Wang Yan accompanied Liu Tiantian to watch television. Perhaps feeling that Wang Yan was kind, or perhaps because she rarely had the chance to chat with others, Liu Tiantian happily talked to Wang Yan about all sorts of random things.

Not long after, Liu Sihui called the two of them to eat.

Once seated at the table, Liu Sihui took out two bottles of liquor and gestured to Wang Yan: "Want a drink?"

"Sure, why not." Wang Yan was also a fan of good liquor and liked to have a drink now and then.

Liu Sihui filled both their glasses and raised one: "This toast is to you, thank you for giving us a way to survive." With that, she downed it in one gulp.

Not to mention anything else, just the Gleevec alone—at 37,000 a bottle, and now free of charge with the same efficacy—the help it provided her was unimaginable. Liu Sihui hadn't known how much longer she could hold on.

Wang Yan smiled and finished his drink: "Alright, why say all that? The good days are still ahead. Eat, eat."

Liu Sihui picked up some food with her chopsticks and placed it in Liu Tiantian's bowl: "Eat more, Tiantian. Look at how thin you've become."

Liu Tiantian looked up to thank her and began eating heartily. She could feel Liu Sihui's happiness, and thinking of her mother, who was always frowning, she felt happy too, eating with newfound vigor.

The three of them continued to eat and drink, chatting and laughing like a family of three, the atmosphere warm and cozy.

Liu Sihui likely sensed the strangeness of the atmosphere as well, glancing at Wang Yan frequently throughout the meal, her mind filled with a thousand thoughts. Wang Yan acted as if he didn't notice, continuing to talk and smile with Liu Tiantian.

Children have small appetites, and although Liu Tiantian performed better than usual today, she finished before long. Leaving the space to the adults, she very sensibly returned to her room.

With only the two of them left at the table, the atmosphere suddenly felt a bit off. Wang Yan made small talk, chatting with Liu Sihui to fill the silence.

Liu Sihui, for her part, kept offering toasts and constantly attending to Wang Yan, creating a scene of harmonious hospitality.

Liu Sihui could be said to have poured out all the bitterness and grievances of these past years, laughing and crying all at once.

Wang Yan sat quietly to the side, listening and offering words of comfort from time to time.

They drank for a full two hours. Having spent time in the world of vice, Liu Sihui had a high tolerance for alcohol. Although Wang Yan was from the Northeast, his tolerance was only average, and he was soon dizzy and disoriented from being plied with drink.

After the drinking, things naturally took their course. Wang Yan was no saint; he played the hypocrite, saying no with his mouth while his body was honest, half-resisting and half-yielding as they engaged in the act.

Wang Yan believed that Liu Sihui, having raised a daughter with a terminal illness alone for so many years, lacked any sense of security. His appearance was like a lifeline she had grabbed onto. Now that a path to survival lay before her, she had no other way to secure that sense of safety other than through him.

This was the love of a mother who had poured everything she had into her daughter.