Chapter 107 - 106: I Panicked When I Heard You Cough
Chapter 107: Chapter 106: I Panicked When I Heard You Cough
After a busy day, he enjoyed a comfortable shower.
After getting out of the shower, he glanced at his phone and saw a message from his sweetheart.
Shen Yu: [Dr. Jiang, are you busy? Do you have a moment for a video call? There’s something I want to tell you.]
Jiang He: Yes, yes! Absolutely.
He gave his hair a quick wash, then powered up.
’I have to video call my sweetheart, right now!’
The video call connected quickly.
On the other side of the screen, Shen Yu was wearing a set of light-colored pajamas, looking absolutely adorable.
Seeing each other, the two of them broke into silly grins again.
Shen Yu: "Hehe."
Jiang He: "Hehe."
Nearby, Chen Hao and Xu Juan: "?"
’The hell are you two "hehe"-ing about?’
The two of them just kept grinning foolishly at the screen for almost half a minute.
Xu Juan finally couldn’t take it anymore. She nudged Shen Yu’s shoulder. "Hey, stop just grinning and say what you need to say."
Shen Yu swayed from the push and finally said, "Dr. Jiang!"
Hearing his sweetheart call his name like that, Jiang He felt like he was melting. He answered softly, "I’m here."
Shen Yu giggled. "This afternoon, my academic advisor spoke with me. It was about the exchange student application for Southern China... She told me the spots have pretty much been finalized."
Jiang He: "!!!!"
He had been waiting for this news; it was a moment he’d been anticipating more than any other.
Jiang He asked, "Did you get a spot?"
"Hehe, I did."
"When are you coming over?"
"Next year, probably."
"Really? That’s wonderful! You’re amazing, Teacher Shen."
Shen Yu immediately blushed when Jiang He called her "Teacher Shen."
’I just can’t handle it when you call me that! Pew pew pew!’
After composing herself for a moment, she finally said, "Actually... I should thank you."
"Thank me for what?"
"If you hadn’t helped me contact the editorial department of *Dahe Digest* and get my work submitted... and on top of that, secured such a huge payment for me, I wouldn’t have been able to afford the application for the exchange program in Southern China."
Shen Yu explained earnestly, "The train ticket to Southern China, plus the extra living expenses there... it adds up to a lot. That payment for my article was just enough to cover it."
Jiang He replied nonchalantly, "It’s because your article is good. The editors thought it was worth the price. You earned that money yourself; it doesn’t have much to do with me."
Shen Yu didn’t argue. Instead, she asked, "By the way, has that issue of *Dahe Digest* been published? I went to the school library’s reading room this afternoon, and I also searched for it online, but I couldn’t find anything at all."
Jiang He’s expression remained neutral. "Oh, that’s a small, local publication a good friend of mine is starting up in Southern China. It’s still in the planning stages, and they’re just collecting good articles. It was an internal test printing with a tiny circulation, and it’s not online, so it’s perfectly normal that you couldn’t find it."
"Oh, I see." Shen Yu nodded.
She wasn’t stupid.
How could a small, local journal that hadn’t even been officially published casually pay several thousand yuan for a single essay?
The only explanation was Jiang He.
Either Jiang He’s friend did it as a favor to him, or maybe... he just paid for it out of his own pocket!
He did it to protect her pride, intentionally giving her the money under the guise of a "payment for her article."
He wasn’t admitting it now, probably because he was afraid she would read too much into it.
’I have to repay this. This is a huge debt of gratitude!’
A sense of peace settled in Shen Yu’s heart.
’So, when I get to Southern China in the future, it would only be natural and perfectly justified for me to be extra nice to him and take good care of him, right?’
’It’s all to repay his kindness, right?’
At this thought, Shen Yu couldn’t help but let out a little laugh.
In the middle of her laugh, her throat suddenly tickled.
"Ahem, cough-cough."
She turned her head aside and coughed lightly.
Those two gentle coughs were all it took to completely freeze Jiang He in place for three solid seconds.
’One cough from you, and I completely lose my composure.’
Faulkner once said, "The past is never dead. It’s not even past."
For Jiang He, the past was the pungent smell of peracetic acid in the hospital hallways, the cold fluorescent lights of the intensive care unit, the green line on the heart monitor gradually flattening, and the paper-white face of Shen Yu on her hospital bed.
Pancreatic cancer. The king of cancers.
Often not discovered until the late stages, it metastasizes with terrifying speed.
The initial symptoms are often overlooked. Perhaps just a common stomachache, or a cough dismissed without a second thought...
In an instant, Jiang He was dragged back into the absolute powerlessness of his past life.
The suffocating feeling of watching the love of his life slip away, completely helpless... It felt like thorns on his back, a sensation that pierced his heart in an instant.
His reason and composure crumbled instantly when faced with anything concerning Shen Yu’s health.
Jiang He felt his breath catch in his throat. He slammed his hands on the desk and shot to his feet.
He moved so suddenly that he completely forgot he’d been hit by a bike on a downhill slope earlier that evening.
The moment his right ankle took his weight, a sharp pain shot through it.
"Agh—"
Crying out in pain, Jiang He fell back into his chair.
Shen Yu, on the other end of the screen, was startled. The smile vanished from her face, replaced by alarm. "What’s wrong? What happened?"
Jiang He shook his head. "I’m... I’m fine."
Chen Hao interjected, "Teacher Shen, don’t listen to him. He’s just being stubborn. He got into an accident on the road today!"
"What?!!!!!!!!!!"
The words tumbled out of Shen Yu in a rush: "An accident? Is it serious? Where are you hurt?"
Chen Hao quickly clarified, "No, no, no, it’s not that dramatic! He just bumped into a bicycle and twisted his ankle."
Shen Yu was still frantic. "Twisting your ankle is still a big deal! Did you go to the hospital for an X-ray? Is the bone okay? Don’t move!"
As if on cue, the video feed froze at that exact moment.
[Network connection lost.]
’This crappy campus Wi-Fi!’
Jiang He’s heart was still pounding. He turned to Chen Hao, his words coming out in a rush, "Chen Hao, text Xu Juan. Now."
Chen Hao was taken aback. "T-text her what?"
"Tell Xu Juan to take Shen Yu to the hospital first thing tomorrow morning for a full physical. Make sure they check her pancreas and gallbladder, and run a full blood panel, including tumor markers. They can’t miss a single thing. Hurry!"
Chen Hao thought Jiang He’s reaction was ridiculous and couldn’t help but speak up. "Dude, Old Jiang, aren’t you overreacting a little? The weather just got cold up north. It’s the change of seasons. A little cold, a little cough... that’s totally normal, isn’t it?"
Jiang He’s chest heaved. He cut Chen Hao off, his voice sharp and fierce. "Just do it!"
Chen Hao had never seen Jiang He like this. Not daring to argue further, he said:
"Alright, alright, alright! I’m texting her now. Right now!"
...
「Meanwhile, in the Capital City.」
Shen Yu was so anxious she shot to her feet and grabbed Xu Juan’s arm.
"Juanzi! Hurry up and text Chen Hao!"
Xu Juan was completely baffled. "What’s going on? Text him what?"
"Chen Hao said Jiang He got into an accident and twisted his ankle! The video died and I couldn’t see how bad it was." Shen Yu was on the verge of tears. "Hurry, text Chen Hao! Tell him to take Jiang He to the hospital! To get an X-ray! Quick!"
"Girl, relax," Xu Juan said, a little exasperated. "Didn’t Chen Hao say he just bumped into a *bicycle* and twisted his ankle? Besides, their entire dorm building is full of doctors. I’m sure we don’t need to worry, right?"
"Just hurry up!" Shen Yu’s eyes were rimmed with red. "What if he broke a bone? What if it leaves permanent damage? Just text him already!"
Xu Juan, dizzy from being shaken, threw her hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright, I’ll text him! I’m texting him! Just stop shaking me."
She took out her phone and found Chen Hao’s number.
Xu Juan hesitated.
’How am I supposed to word this?’
After a moment, she sighed and sent: [You there?]
At the same time, Chen Hao also sent: [You there?]
Xu Juan / Chen Hao: "..."
The two ace messengers, separated by hundreds of miles, fell silent at the same time.
Because they both knew exactly what was going on.
Then, the same thought ran through both of their minds:
’A couple of coughs, and he’s ready to arrange an emergency full-body scan and a check for tumor markers. A twisted ankle, and she’s ready to call an ambulance and have him rushed into the OR for emergency surgery.’
’Seriously? Is the whole point of you two having a long-distance relationship just to torture the two of us? Damn it!’