You're Saving Lives

Cheng Yong felt utterly helpless.

His wife had divorced him and was fighting for custody of their child. His father was bedridden with a serious illness, and his shop had been locked up by the landlord.

The burdens of life pressed down on Cheng Yong until he could barely breathe.

After finally finding out about Indian Gleevec, he'd heard that the price difference between buying it at home and abroad was enormous. He'd made up his mind to take a risk.

But when he went to buy it, he was told someone was already selling it domestically. The hope he'd struggled so hard to kindle died out completely.

In his God Oil Shop, Cheng Yong flew into a helpless rage, making a racket as he vented his unspoken bitterness and grievances.

None of that did a damn thing. Otherwise, his wife wouldn't have run off after he hit her, and he wouldn't be on the verge of losing his child. Of course, the divorce wasn't entirely because he hit her; there were certainly other reasons too.

The sun sank in the west, and dusk fell. Wang Yan stood outside the shop, listening to the racket inside, and couldn't help shaking his head.

Wang Yan didn't know what to say about Cheng Yong.

In the movie, Cheng Yong sold his supply channel to the swindler Zhang Changlin and used the money he'd earned selling Gleevec to open a clothing factory. His life could be called pretty happy then. His child stayed by his side, his father received treatment, and his life was no longer the mess it had been. Wasn't that what he'd wanted all along?

After learning that Lü Shouyi had died, it was easy to imagine the turmoil Cheng Yong had gone through. He blamed himself for Lü Shouyi's death, and afterward gave up everything he'd gained and went back to selling medicine.

It seemed more like a form of self-redemption, or perhaps a protest against the injustice of fate.

Of course, Wang Yan's view was that breaking the law meant facing the consequences. No need to overcomplicate it.

Without another thought, he climbed through the glass Cheng Yong had smashed.

Cheng Yong was drawn by the noise. Seeing Wang Yan climb in, he grabbed something solid and held it up warily. "I'm telling you, I'm not afraid of anything. You can still leave while you have the chance."

He was already in despair. There was nothing left to fear. Even a cornered dog would leap over a wall, let alone someone with no hope.

Cheng Yong looked tense and guarded, and the atmosphere should have been serious. But seeing the thick head of hair on Cheng Yong's head, Wang Yan had to restrain himself from giving it a good ruffle.

Wang Yan smiled and waved at him. "Brother, relax."

"Don't you want to sell Indian Gleevec?"

Seeing Cheng Yong's expression shift, Wang Yan leaned closer. "Put that thing down first and calm down."

To be honest, after studying Fighting for so long, Wang Yan wasn't worried about Cheng Yong.

Cheng Yong thought it over, then put the object down. "What do you want to say?"

"Figured it out? I hold the domestic distribution rights." Wang Yan continued, "I can give you the rights, but only for Shanghai. I think that'll be enough. There are tens of thousands of patients in Shanghai alone."

Wang Yan found a place to sit and nodded for Cheng Yong to sit down too.

"So, here's the question: what can you offer me?"

Cheng Yong lowered his head without saying anything, calculating what he could offer. He turned it over and over in his mind, but in the end, all he could do was look at Wang Yan with red-rimmed eyes.

Seeing Cheng Yong stare blankly at him, Wang Yan understood. "You've got nothing, right?"

"Then let's do this another way."

Wang Yan's words caught Cheng Yong's attention. His eyes lit up as he waited for him to continue.

"I've already learned most of what I need to know about you."

"Your wife divorced you, and she's suing for custody of your son. As for your father, he's on the brink of death."

"Given your situation, how much do you think your time is worth?"

Cheng Yong remained silent. Wang Yan assumed he hadn't understood, so he went on explaining.

"You've been smuggling for a while, so I'm sure you understand the consequences."

"If you smuggle and sell counterfeit medicine, you're definitely going to get caught. The law may be wide-meshed, but no one escapes it."

"No one can say how many years you'd get. So, understand now?"

After listening, Cheng Yong asked Wang Yan, "You want me to go to prison in your place?"

Wang Yan shook his head. "No, no. Not in my place. You'd be doing it for all the leukemia patients. You'd save them from having to bankrupt their families to buy medicine, from being torn apart and left with nothing. You wouldn't be committing a crime. You'd be saving lives."

Cheng Yong looked conflicted, unable to make up his mind. Wang Yan reassured him, "There's no need to worry too much. If you do get caught, confess and cooperate fully. I'll find you a good lawyer, and since you'll have done a great deed by saving lives, the court will surely consider reducing your sentence."

"All right, don't worry about the money. Think it over, and call me when you've made up your mind."

After leaving him a phone number, Wang Yan brushed himself off and left.

When he got back to Liu Sihui's place, he had a quick bite to eat.

Liu Tiantian and Wang Yan got along especially well now. She called him "Uncle Wang" over and over, sweet as honey.

He played with Liu Tiantian for a while. She'd already spent the whole day playing at school and didn't have much energy left at home, so she soon fell asleep, exhausted.

Liu Tiantian might have run out of energy, but Old Wang hadn't.

It had to be said, Liu Sihui was a real knockout. She could dance, she was in great shape, and she was sexy as hell.

On top of that, she was now managing a clothing factory with dozens of employees. She had a natural charm of her own.

In the few months they'd known each other, Wang Yan and Liu Sihui had tried just about every position. All their tricks had him so happy he'd forgotten the world outside.

After their passionate encounter, Wang Yan opened the window, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it. Then he climbed back into bed and put his arms around Liu Sihui.

Was this some kind of common trait among women in movies? Nestled in Wang Yan's arms, Liu Sihui teased him by tickling him with her hair, leaving him fired up but powerless. He kept sighing, "The body is the capital of revolution. Comrade Little Wang still has work to do."

Liu Sihui was very satisfied with her life now. Ever since Wang Yan had come along, each day had given her more to look forward to.

She no longer had to worry about her daughter's safety or fret about making ends meet. She didn't have to go out dancing for people or put up with their judgmental looks.

She hadn't felt much for Wang Yan at first, but now she truly loved him with all her heart.

Wang Yan had noticed all of it.

Maybe she'd started out doing it for her daughter, but later she'd really done it for herself.

Of course, Wang Yan wouldn't admit that. Even though he'd done a good deed, he stubbornly believed he'd won Liu Sihui over by sleeping with her. Yes, that was how it was.

"Let's stop for now. We've sold several million yuan's worth of medicine. Novartis in Switzerland should have noticed something by now."

"From now on, just focus on managing the factory."

Liu Sihui always did as Wang Yan said, so naturally she had no objections.

"By the way, do you know any patients who have no one and are just living—or dying—on their own?"

Liu Sihui thought for a moment. "There's one. His name is Peng Hao. He's from the countryside, and when he got sick, he came to the city because he was afraid of burdening his family. He's had a hard time. He's bought medicine from us before, too. He's a good kid, pretty reliable."

Wang Yan thought it over and recalled the plot. Isn't that Huang Mao? "All right, him then. Give me his number. If he doesn't have one, his address will do."

Liu Sihui didn't ask anything else and gave Wang Yan Huang Mao's address.

After finishing his cigarette and taking a moment to recover, Wang Yan rolled over, pressed Liu Sihui beneath him, and Comrade Little Wang continued the revolution.

The next day, after taking care of a few things, Wang Yan set out to find Huang Mao. The address was a slaughterhouse in the outskirts of Shanghai.

Wang Yan drove a secondhand minivan he'd bought for transporting things. He'd originally wanted an International Wuling, but after asking around, he'd learned that the model wouldn't come out until next year, 2003.

When he arrived, he had someone call Huang Mao over. It didn't take long for Huang Mao to come out, his head topped with yellow hair.

Looking at Wang Yan's ordinary face, Huang Mao couldn't figure out why the man had asked for him.

"You wanted to see me? I don't even know you. What do you want?" Huang Mao asked, puzzled.

"My name's Wang Yan. I wouldn't have come looking for you if I didn't have a reason. Do you have time? Let me buy you a meal, and we can talk over it."

Huang Mao was completely unfazed. He went back to let someone know, then got in the car and went with Wang Yan. Compared with Cheng Yong, Huang Mao was the one who was truly fearless. His illness had already left him somewhat resigned to his fate, and on top of that, he was young, immature, and incredibly hotheaded. Just look at all those young people in real life who'd threaten to chop you up without a second thought. They were damn terrifying.

Wang Yan knew Huang Mao probably didn't live very well, so he took him to a restaurant that looked high-end and treated the kid to a feast.

Inside, they got a private room. Wang Yan handed Huang Mao the menu and let him order.

Huang Mao didn't hold back. Even though it was just the two of them, he ordered enough to fill the entire table.

There was no way that meal cost less than a thousand yuan. At the time, the average income in Shanghai was only around two thousand yuan.

After ordering, Huang Mao saw that Wang Yan didn't seem at all bothered by the expense. He couldn't help wondering what this old guy wanted from him.

Wang Yan certainly wasn't bothered. He was wealthy enough to call himself a bachelor worth a fortune. He had several million yuan to his name. What, did black money not count as money?

If they'd eaten a meal like this in the real world, Wang Yan figured it would've given him a heart attack.

When all the dishes had been served, Wang Yan sent the waiter away and closed the door. "Eat first. We'll talk after."

Then Wang Yan sipped his drink as he watched Huang Mao wolf down the food in front of him.

But Huang Mao was such a hearty eater that he hardly seemed like a leukemia patient. He even did physically demanding work. In the movie, he'd chased Cheng Yong and moved with surprising speed and agility.

Looking at Huang Mao, then thinking of his brother-in-law, Lü Shouyi, who was as skinny as a monkey, Wang Yan could only put the difference down to Huang Mao's exceptional constitution.

When Huang Mao had nearly finished, Wang Yan poured him a glass of water and said, "All right, looks like you've had enough. Let's talk business."

"Go ahead. I'm listening," Huang Mao said.

"You're a leukemia patient too, so you must know Gleevec. It sells for 37,000 yuan a bottle in China."

"I've got a knockoff version of Gleevec from India. I sell it for 5,000 yuan a bottle. You've bought it before, haven't you?"

"You're a straightforward kid, so I won't beat around the bush."

"You know this kind of business is illegal. I want you to be the public face of the sales. If anything goes wrong, you'll take the fall."

"To put it plainly, if you get caught, you'll go to prison."

"In return, I'll give you a sum of money. Also, if a donor match is found, I'll get you treated. I'll cover all the costs. What do you think?"

Wang Yan asked.

As for stem cell transplants, Wang Yan had already started the donor matching process for both Lü Shouyi and Liu Tiantian. It had cost him quite a bit.

Money could only help move them up the priority list. It couldn't guarantee they'd find a match right away.

Of course, that was because he hadn't spent enough.

Since ancient times, Huana had been a society built on personal connections. That had never changed.

Put simply: if you had money and connections, you were set. If you had neither, you were out of luck.

Wang "Bachelor Worth a Fortune" Yan had connections!

Huang Mao thought about it, then said the same thing he had in the movie. "You're doing it for the money."

Wang Yan was taken aback by the completely unrelated answer.

"I'm not denying it, but you should say that to the people at Novartis."

"Think about it, kid. At 37,000 a bottle, lots of people can't afford it. I sell it for 5,000, and lots of people can."

"I think I've saved quite a few people. Is it wrong for me to make some money?"

Huang Mao was hotheaded, but he wasn't stupid. He thought it over and stopped dwelling on it.

After a moment, Huang Mao lowered his head and said, "I'm in."

He had nothing to worry about. Now that there was a chance he could be cured, it was the best outcome he could hope for.

As expected, he agreed. Wang Yan smiled. "All right, then it's settled. Take this money and buy yourself a phone. Here's my number—call me after you've got one. You can use the rest for now." As he spoke, Wang Yan pulled out a wad of cash and handed it to Huang Mao.

"Okay, we're done here. I'll wait for your call." Wang Yan stood up.

At the door, Wang Yan remembered something, turned around, and gave Huang Mao several more thick wads of cash.

"You haven't been home in a while, have you? Take this and go visit."

"Take your family to the hospital too. Get checked and see if any of them are a match for you."

"Oh, and get your hair shaved. What kind of look is that? It'll look awful when you're on TV."

After speaking, Wang Yan looked at Huang Mao, who was trying to hold back his tears, shook his head, and left.

Behind him, Huang Mao could no longer hold back and burst into tears.

Wang Yan wasn't a saint, and he wasn't powerful enough to save everyone.

At least going to prison was better than dying.

He thought it was a shame that Huang Mao had been hit by a car. Since he could save him, he might as well.