The moment the phone appeared, Ding Jia's attention shifted. She asked with a look of surprise.
"What's that?"
"A phone."
"That's a phone?!"
Su Jin flashed a charming smile. "Sorry, I forgot. This model isn't available on the domestic market yet. It's a little different from what's out there."
With that, he slipped the Xiaomi Mi 6 straight into Ding Jia's hand.
Before Ding Jia could react, Su Jin gently took her finger and slid it across the screen.
A stream of baffling phrases followed: "a performance beast," "thinner than a coin," "gets smoother the more you use it," and "miles ahead of the competition!"
"Amazing! Are all foreign phones like this now? What language is this?" Ding Jia looked thrilled, even though the phone was covered in foreign writing she couldn't understand.
She hadn't noticed that their conversation had veered completely off course, or that Su Jin was now holding her entire right hand.
Only when Su Jin took the phone back did Ding Jia suddenly realize. Blushing faintly, she pulled her hand away.
"Wakanda writing."
"Wakanda? There's a country called that...? What company could be this impressive?" Ding Jia murmured.
"Wakanda is a small country, but the company that makes these phones is famous. Take a guess." Su Jin smiled.
"JuMi?"
"Smart!"
"This phone can take pictures, too. How about I take one of you?" Su Jin promptly changed the subject.
"Really?" Ding Jia was astonished.
Su Jin stepped back twice, raised the Xiaomi without another word, and snapped a photo.
Then, standing right where he was, he opened a photo-editing app and edited it on the spot.
Ten seconds later, he held a polished photo in front of Ding Jia.
Seeing herself on the screen, her skin two shades lighter and every beauty filter applied, Ding Jia felt her heart flutter and gasped.
"Is... is that me?"
Su Jin looked sheepish and gave an awkward laugh. "Sorry... it's only a phone camera, after all. It can't compare to professional equipment... It's normal for it to make a perfect ten look like an eight."
"Huh?" Two deep blushes rose on Ding Jia's cheeks. Her earlier aloofness had vanished completely. "No, no, this is already really good."
"So... where can I buy this phone?"
"It isn't on the market yet. I only got mine through a friend's insider connections. I've heard that even when it does go on sale, it'll probably only be available to a select few."
"Oh..." Ding Jia looked a little disappointed, then asked, "How much does it cost?"
"Not much. Just twenty thousand." Su Jin casually made up a price.
"Twenty thousand!" Ding Jia exclaimed. She quickly realized her reaction was embarrassing and added with a red face, "For a phone this good, twenty thousand... really isn't much."
"Yeah, I find it pretty convenient. It makes a good gift for friends and relatives, too. I wanted my friend to get me a few more, but unfortunately, I couldn't secure any insider purchase slots before coming back."
Just twenty thousand... not much... a few more... gifts for friends and relatives?! How rich is he? And he's so young... Does he have powerful connections?
Ding Jia's mind churned until Su Jin's voice finally registered again.
"Miss Ding, we seem to have gotten off topic."
"Huh? Oh... right, right." Ding Jia nodded hastily.
"Let's get back to Qing Dai." Su Jin turned toward Fu Qingdai behind him and sighed worriedly. "She used to be such a lively kid. I never imagined the pressures of life would get her sent here. Honestly, it breaks my heart to see her like this. I've also observed her condition, and I don't feel staying here is doing much for her recovery."
"A familiar environment would actually be better for her. Miss Ding... do you really think she has to stay here for treatment?"
"Actually... not necessarily." Ding Jia answered hesitantly.
Su Jin nodded. "That's what I thought, too, so I'd still like to ask you a favor. Once she's home, I can arrange for someone to look after her. Even if she isn't staying here, we can make sure she gets all the medication and guidance she needs. Besides, we still have you, don't we? Miss Ding, could I have your phone number?"
My phone number?
Ding Jia kept her left hand in her pocket, gripping her Little Smart. After a long hesitation, she was still too embarrassed to take it out and simply recited a number.
"All right, note this down: 8008208820."
Su Jin pretended to enter a string of digits on his phone, then immediately feigned surprise.
"Oh, sorry! I only just got back, so this phone doesn't work here yet. Could you write down your number instead? How about I call you once I've sorted everything out?"
Without waiting for her reaction, he took out a notebook, tore out a page, and handed her the paper and pen.
Once he had her number, Su Jin carefully folded the paper and put it in his pocket.
"Miss Ding, sorry for the trouble."
"Hey, did I say I'd agree?" Ding Jia folded her arms and looked at Su Jin with an amused half-smile.
Su Jin smiled faintly. "You're right. I was presumptuous. But either way, I'd still like to keep in touch and discuss Qing Dai's condition. I can tell you're as kind as you are beautiful, Miss Ding, and you take your patients seriously. I really must treat you to a meal sometime.
"Oh, and if my uncle and his family come tomorrow, please don't tell her I was here. They don't know I'm back in the country yet. I want to surprise them."
"You can turn down the other favors, but please help me with this one!"
"Don't worry. I'll definitely help with that!" Ding Jia nodded.
At that point, a voice called from a distance.
Ding Jia glanced back, then turned to Su Jin with a conflicted look. "I still have work to do. Shall we leave it here for now?"
Su Jin nodded.
But just as Ding Jia turned to leave, he raised his phone and called after her. "Miss Ding!"
"What is it?" Ding Jia looked back.
"I still have your photo... May I keep it? When I have time, I'll get it printed and bring it over." Su Jin beamed.
"Oh... sure, sure!"
"Wait for my call. Keep up the good work!"
The blush that had only just faded from Ding Jia's cheeks deepened again. She turned and hurried away with a girlish skip in her step.
Watching Ding Jia disappear, Su Jin let his smile fade.
He took the phone number out of his pocket, crumpled it into a ball, and casually tossed it into a nearby trash can.
He strode over to Fu Qingdai, sat across from her, and said seriously, "Let's keep this short. This afternoon or tonight, whenever you have time, go chat with that nurse, Ding Jia. Tell her you want to find me a girlfriend and set us up. Don't make the act too obvious. You understand?"
"When your mom comes tomorrow, ask Ding Jia to speak up for you. Say you'd be better off recovering at home. If she won't help, cry and make a scene. You can even pretend you're going to kill yourself... But don't mention me in front of your parents. Can you do that?"
"Yes!" Fu Qingdai answered solemnly.
"Good. Now tell me your address. I'll go check things out today and try to settle somewhere near your home as soon as possible. If I manage to rent a place, remember: the one with two sheets of white paper on the window is mine."
Instead of answering, Fu Qingdai pressed her lower lip together and asked hesitantly, "Cousin... I have another question. Can I ask you?"
"Go ahead."
"Are you only going to save me?"
"Who else? How many people do you think I can save?" Su Jin replied without thinking.
Fu Qingdai went pale and shrank back. "No! You have to save my parents, too! And my friends... If you can save me, you can't just let them die!"
Su Jin immediately felt a headache coming on.
"Stop making so many demands. I'm telling you, I've been in a lousy mood these past couple of days. I'm sick of women!"
"Then I might as well die... What's the point of being the only one left alive?" Fu Qingdai trembled, staring stubbornly at Su Jin.
Su Jin was speechless, his mind searching for a way to handle this.
After a brief silence, he said, "I can't worry about anyone else right now, but I'll definitely save your parents. Will that do?"
Logically speaking, Fu Qingdai's parents had to be saved no matter what!
A young girl had absolutely no ability to survive alone. Her parents were undoubtedly her strongest support for staying alive.
They might even help him complete his mission ahead of schedule.
Hearing his promise, Fu Qingdai's gaze softened a little, and she slowly nodded twice.
"I understand... As long as you can save my parents. Cousin, I know I have no right to demand anything of you... But I'm really scared..."
With reddened eyes, Fu Qingdai reached behind her back, took out three notebooks, and handed them over.
Puzzled, Su Jin accepted the notebooks and leafed through them...
The first notebook recorded all of Fu Qingdai's dreams, down to every detail. Anything she couldn't quite remember was clearly marked, too.
The second contained a wealth of everyday practical knowledge and newspaper clippings.
The third held a map of Longshan City, with important buildings marked: grain shops, hospitals, police stations... The remaining pages recorded Fu Qingdai's home address, a rough hand-drawn map, and the locations of supermarkets, pharmacies, gas supply stations, and other buildings near her residential complex.
"You... you put all this together?!" Su Jin stared at Fu Qingdai in shock.
Fu Qingdai nodded. "Cousin... I knew you'd come looking for me. I also guessed you might be an alien. I was afraid you wouldn't know much about this place, so I prepared ahead of time."
"I also have over ten thousand yuan buried under the big tree by the entrance downstairs at home. There's only one tree there, so it's easy to recognize. I drew a red dot on the trunk. The money is buried right beneath it."
"How much? Where did a student like you get that kind of money? Are your parents rich?" Su Jin was shocked all over again!
Fu Qingdai's face reddened. She struggled to speak before finally lowering her head. "I... I borrowed it from the boys at school a while ago... Over a hundred of them..."
"Good lord..." Su Jin was stunned. "You're already scamming men out of money at your age?"
"I didn't scam them!" Fu Qingdai protested loudly, mortified and indignant. Then her voice weakened, and she mumbled, "I never said I wouldn't pay them back... If they don't die, I'll definitely repay them. Even if I have to work or sell my blood..."
"Good, good, good!" Su Jin praised her repeatedly. His gaze was now full of admiration.
A girl barely in her teens had learned that the apocalypse was coming, warned everyone, endured endless doubts and misunderstandings, and still taken action. Even being sent to a psychiatric hospital hadn't made her give up.
Her resilience and ability to act put adults to shame.
The information and money she had provided were incredibly useful.
A bleeding heart... How was she a bleeding heart? She was an angel!
An excellent client... She probably wouldn't hold me back.
Putting away the three notebooks, Su Jin looked Fu Qingdai straight in the eye and said solemnly, "You've done a wonderful job. Leave the rest to me. I'll be waiting for you outside... You're too thin. Make sure you eat more over the next few days."
"I will. I'm counting on you... Cousin."
Before you continue