Chapter 464 - 254: Jiang Yixia Has Gotten Used to Having Lu Fan Around

Chapter 464: Chapter 254: Jiang Yixia Has Gotten Used to Having Lu Fan Around

Inside a hospital room at Qingshan County People’s Hospital.

After Jiang Yixia sent the message, "Anyway, you owe me," she stared at the screen for several seconds, a smile playing on her lips.

Lu Fan was quiet for a moment before sending a reply: "Fine. I owe you. I’ll spend the rest of my life paying you back."

Jiang Yixia’s heart beat a little faster as she read the words "the rest of my life." She didn’t reply. Instead, she placed her phone face down on her lap and glanced at Jiang Guoqiang.

The old man was still asleep. His breathing was steady, and his color looked better than it had during the day.

She stood up, walked to the window, and pulled the curtain open a crack.

It was pitch-black outside. The only things visible were the shadows of a few old camphor trees in the courtyard, swaying under the streetlights.

Her phone vibrated again.

She picked it up to see another message from Lu Fan: "Text me when the specialist arrives tomorrow."

Jiang Yixia replied with a quick "Okay," then tucked her phone into her pocket and sat back down by the bed.

She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, her mind a chaotic mess.

One moment, she recalled Lu Fan standing at the door to the ward, wanting to come in but not daring to.

The next, she thought about his promise to "spend the rest of my life paying you back," and wondered if he was serious or just being glib again.

She opened her eyes and sighed.

’That scumbag. I really don’t know what to do with him.’

The next morning, the specialist from Yangcheng arrived.

He was a doctor in his fifties named Chen, who wore gold-rimmed glasses and spoke in a slow, deliberate manner.

He carefully examined Jiang Guoqiang’s wound, reviewed all the medical reports, and then asked Jiang Guoqiang a few questions.

"Are you dizzy?"

"No."

"Nauseous?"

"No."

"Is your vision clear?"

"It’s clear."

Dr. Chen nodded and turned to Pan Lanfang. "He’s recovering very well. There’s nothing to worry about. The venom from a bamboo pit viper primarily causes hemolysis and localized swelling. The patient’s blood coagulation has returned to normal, and the swelling is subsiding. One more day of observation, and he can be discharged."

Pan Lanfang thanked him profusely. "Thank you, Doctor. Thank you so much."

Dr. Chen waved her thanks away and added a few final instructions. "Make sure he rests once he’s home. Keep the wound dry and stick to a simple diet. He should be back to his normal routine in about two weeks."

With that, he gathered his things and left with the nurse.

Pan Lanfang saw him to the door. She returned with a smile on her face and said to Jiang Guoqiang, "Did you hear that? The specialist said you’re fine. Just one more day of observation, and then you can go home."

Leaning against the headboard, Jiang Guoqiang snorted. "I was fine to begin with. You all were just making a fuss over nothing."

"You’re fine? If you were so fine, why was your foot swollen to the size of a pig’s trotter?" Pan Lanfang shot him a glare.

Jiang Guoqiang fell silent.

Jiang Ming chuckled from the side. "Come on, Dad, give it a rest. If President Lu hadn’t called in that specialist, you’d still be worried about long-term complications."

Hearing the name "President Lu," Jiang Guoqiang’s expression soured, but he remained silent.

Jiang Yixia sat by the bed, peeled an apple, and cut it into small pieces. She arranged them on a plate, stuck toothpicks in them, and handed it to Jiang Guoqiang.

"Dad, have some apple."

Jiang Guoqiang took it and ate a piece, then another.

As he started on the third piece, he suddenly asked, "Yixia, that Lu Fan... what did he say to you?"

Jiang Yixia paused. "Nothing much. He just asked how you were doing."

Jiang Guoqiang took another piece of apple. He chewed it for a long while before swallowing and saying in a gruff voice, "You tell him to mind his own business. I, Jiang Guoqiang, don’t owe anyone a thing in this life."

Pan Lanfang, who was listening from the side, couldn’t stand it anymore. "You stubborn old man! The man saved your life, and you say something like that?"

"Am I wrong? I didn’t ask him to come. He came on his own," Jiang Guoqiang said stubbornly.

"You...!" Pan Lanfang was so angry she was speechless.

Jiang Yixia tugged on Pan Lanfang’s sleeve. "Mom, please stop. Dad is still recovering."

Pan Lanfang huffed and went to sit off to the side.

Jiang Guoqiang set the plate on the bedside table, rolled over, and faced the wall.

The hospital room fell quiet.

Jiang Yixia sighed as she watched her father’s back. She knew his temper. ’The harsher he acts on the outside, the more conflicted he feels on the inside. It’s not that he’s ungrateful; he’s just too proud.’

In the afternoon, Jiang Ming took Pan Lanfang home to rest, leaving only Jiang Yixia and Jiang Guoqiang in the hospital room.

Jiang Guoqiang took a nap. When he woke up, he saw his daughter sitting by the bed, looking at something on her phone.

"Yixia," he called out.

Jiang Yixia looked up. "What is it, Dad?"

"That Lu Fan..." Jiang Guoqiang hesitated. "What exactly does he want?"

Jiang Yixia put down her phone and looked at her father. "Dad, what do you want to say?"

Jiang Guoqiang was silent for a moment before saying in a low, gruff voice, "I just don’t get it. He abandoned you all those years ago, and now he’s back. What could he possibly be after?"

Jiang Yixia looked down, her fingers tracing the edge of her phone case. After a moment, she said, "He said he wants to make it up to me."

"Make it up to you?" Jiang Guoqiang’s voice rose. "How can he possibly make up for it? Nineteen years! How can he make up for nineteen years?"

"Dad, please calm down." Jiang Yixia quickly stood up and put a hand on his shoulder.

Jiang Guoqiang took a few deep breaths. Seeing his daughter’s reddened eyes, his own voice softened. "Yixia, it’s not that I don’t want you to be with someone. I’m just scared you’ll get hurt again. You’ve spent nineteen years raising two children all by yourself. I know how much you’ve suffered. Now that Lu Fan is rich, he comes back, says a few nice things, and you’re just going to give in?"

Jiang Yixia didn’t say a word, tears welling in her eyes.

"I’m just afraid of you getting hurt again," Jiang Guoqiang said, his own eyes turning red.

Jiang Yixia squeezed her father’s hand, her voice choked with emotion. "Dad, I know you’re just worried about me, but Lu Fan... he’s different now."