Chapter 117: Youth Is Great, Fall Asleep Instantly

Chapter 117: Youth Is Wonderful, Falling Asleep Instantly

The male cleric lowered his gaze, watching the name being written in ink, his heart filled with astonishment.

With three noble surnames in the middle name alone, this must be a rich young master from some influential family!

All his suspicions vanished completely, and his attitude became cautious. "Our supervisor is currently busy with a surgery. I can take you for a tour around the hospital first."

Jian Ruochen put down the pen, a slight smile curling under the brim of his hat. "Sure."

Luckily, he’d paid attention when memorizing Professor Keith’s full name—such a long name, even remembering a part of it was enough to be useful.

The cleric glanced at him a few more times.

Wealthy children usually didn’t wear such cotton hats; the worst they’d wear would be a soft felt one.

But then again, it was summer—wearing a woolen hat would likely be sweltering.

As for his clothes, they fit so perfectly, clearly tailored, and his exposed legs were long, fair, and well-toned.

Wealth had a certain vibe.

The cleric led them through the hall to the maternity ward, speaking softly as he introduced, "Since 20 years ago, we’ve provided one-on-one 24-hour care here. If any of the mothers have complications, we can respond immediately."

Jian Ruochen murmured an "Oh."

This meant that if the original person’s mother had given birth in this hospital, her not receiving timely treatment later must have been intentional.

Having his speculation confirmed, Jian Ruochen felt his chest tighten.

Guan Yingjun lowered his slightly bent arm, naturally taking Jian Ruochen’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. Then he stopped walking and said in a deep voice, "Sorry, my brother’s health isn’t good. He can’t walk for too long. Could we possibly get a wheelchair?"

Jian Ruochen: ?

You can even improvise such a nuanced act?

Not only that, but you can also cause trouble for the church hospital!

No wonder you survived as an undercover agent—you’ve got some skills.

The cleric looked over. Jian Ruochen pressed his lips together, leaned his head against Guan Yingjun’s arm, and said, "Actually, I can still walk a bit longer."

Guan Yingjun’s fingertips curled slightly, resisting the urge to draw him closer.

The cleric hurriedly said, "Even the Lord wouldn’t want to trouble you with walking. Please wait a moment."

Five minutes later, he returned pushing a wheelchair with rubber wheels, with a brand-new small blanket spread over it.

Jian Ruochen sat down and let the cleric push him.

It wasn’t that Guan Yingjun couldn’t push him, but if he did, he wouldn’t have his hands free to hold his gun.

That wouldn’t do.

He leaned back in the chair. As they passed the water station, Guan Yingjun went over to pour him a cup of warm water. The two of them seemed like genuine brothers revisiting the hospital, intimate and familiar.

The cleric introduced the place with even more enthusiasm, hoping the valuable donor before him would contribute more. "Our church hospital is connected to the chapel and the nearby orphanage. The children from the orphanage often come here to volunteer, mopping floors, watering flowers, and such. They’re happy every day, but in recent years, fewer wealthy people are willing to do charity. Our funds are tight, and it’s becoming difficult to support the children’s needs."

Jian Ruochen said, "Let’s go take a look."

There was too little information to be gained in the hospital, and the cleric was watching closely. It was better to broaden their search.

The group passed through a marble arched corridor and arrived before an iron gate.

The sound of children’s laughter came from inside.

"Penelope got drenched in the rain!"

"Penelope, you’ve got your clothes all wet. The nun will be angry."

"No one will adopt you like this. Why didn’t that old gentleman take you with him earlier?"

Old gentleman?

Jian Ruochen cast a sidelong glance. A little girl in a floral dress stood against the wall, her skirt dripping wet, completely drenched. Three or four little boys surrounded her, mocking and laughing.

She pressed herself tightly against the wall, her hands hidden firmly behind her back, lips pressed together, her entire body tense. Yet her eyes seemed somewhat distant, anxious and wary.

Jian Ruochen nudged Guan Yingjun’s leg with his elbow, signaling he’d approach her.

The little boys turned to look at Jian Ruochen, exchanged looks, and then scattered quickly.

Jian Ruochen said, "Cleric, is this what you meant by the children being happy every day?"

The cleric: ...

In less than a quarter of an hour, he had already been embarrassed three times in front of this young master.

Was life a test of patience?

"You should rein in those bullying children," Jian Ruochen said, glancing sideways, in a firm tone. "Go now!"

The cleric, cowed by his natural authority, nodded repeatedly and hurried away, backing away hurriedly.

Jian Ruochen breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Finally!

Finally, he’d been sent away!

Guan Yingjun pressed Jian Ruochen’s shoulder and whispered, "I’m going to check the main hospital building. Buy me a few minutes."

Jian Ruochen nodded slightly, then leaned forward to look at the girl. "Little one, what did the old gentleman you saw today look like?"

Maybe he was connected to Oliver Keith?

Penelope wrung the hem of her skirt, rainwater dripping onto the ground. She sniffled and said, "A weird old man with glasses."

After wringing out one side of her skirt, she slipped a wad of banknotes she had been hiding in her palm into the pocket at the waist of her dress.

It looked like there was at least 3,000.

Jian Ruochen caught his breath.

The downpour, the old gentleman, the black Saab 95 that was clearly on surveillance but had rolled its window down unexpectedly in the rain!

Everything seemed to fit together!

The little girl was completely drenched—it couldn’t have been from just running into the rain for a few minutes out of mischief. She must have stood in the rain for a while to be this soaked.

Jian Ruochen flexed his fingers slightly, pulled out a piece of candy from his pocket. "Look at me."

Penelope lifted her head and puffed out her little chest. "I have money now, I can buy lots of candies like this."

She looked skeptical.

Jian Ruochen smiled.

He placed the candy in his palm, then smacked the heel of his hand, causing the fruit candy wrapped in iridescent wrapper to jump into the air.

Penelope swallowed hard, her eyes following the candy as it soared.

Seizing the opportunity to guide her attention, Jian Ruochen grabbed a few banknotes, quickly caught the candy as it fell, and squeezed it tight in his palm. "I can turn this candy into $3,000."

"I don't believe it," Penelope said.

Jian Ruochen slowly opened his hand, and a crumpled bunch of bills sprang out like three orange blossoms.

The little girl gasped. "Where's the candy?"

"The candy turned into money, so it's gone," Jian Ruochen said. "Do you want it now?"

Penelope swallowed again. "Yes!"

She took a breath. "Do you have conditions too?"

Jian Ruochen thought, Just as I thought.

Oliver Connat Keith probably used this little girl to make Bi Wanwan and Zhang Xingzong lower their guard and roll down the car window, creating an opportunity.

She turned on the recorder. "Just tell me about today. What did the old man ask you to do?"

Penelope didn't expect it to be so simple. She started explaining, "He told me to call him Professor."

"I don't know what the professor said to the nun, but he said he wanted to take one of us kids out to play."

"We all know how this works. Usually, when wealthy people come to adopt, they play with us first, then take us out once to see if we're a good fit before deciding."

"I thought he was here to adopt too. But once we were outside, he offered me $3,000 to knock on a car window."

Penelope pursed her lips, looking into those beautiful amber eyes, and whispered, "Three thousand dollars is a lot of money. That way, I can skip some work during volunteer trips and secretly buy bread to eat."

Jian Ruochen nodded, handed her a stack of bills, and said, "Go on."

Penelope: ...

This rich guy has such a good personality.

If only all rich people greeted others like this.

Handing out a grand when you meet someone—how great would that be?

This friend-making method should be promoted.

Penelope stashed the cash. "I went to knock on the black car's window. The lady who rolled down the window was very pretty. Before I could say anything, she suddenly passed out and couldn't be woken up."

She looked worried. "Then the man next to her also fell asleep... Did I do something bad? Maybe I'm like Medusa, and they turned to stone and died when they saw me."

Jian Ruochen: ...

That's not quite it.

The little girl was emotional and imaginative. Jian Ruochen, both amused and annoyed, slipped her another thousand and comforted her, "No, it's not like that. We adults are just like that—sometimes we fall asleep suddenly."

Anyway, Medusa and Catholicism don't even belong to the same mythology.

Penelope said enviously, "That's nice. I sometimes can't sleep. The blankets here are damp and a bit moldy."

Not far away, the cleric finally managed to handle the troublemaking kids and was walking over.

Jian Ruochen handed her the last wad of banknotes while taking out his phone to call Guan Yingjun.

The silent vibration function worked well—no need to worry about phone calls exposing his partner.

Penelope hid the money and suddenly said, "Your hair is white? The mad nun told me there was an angel with white hair who gave birth to a little angel and was then taken away by a demon."

Jian Ruochen jerked his head up sharply. Was Penelope talking about the original body's mother?

Children and adults see the world differently.

Guan Yingjun and the cleric looked down on him in the wheelchair, while Penelope looked up at him.

So she could see his face under the hat.

"Mad nun?" Jian Ruochen asked quietly, probing.

Penelope glanced behind him. "Do you want to buy my map? I'm the best-informed person here. Since you turned candy into money, I'll give you a half-off discount. Just $500."

Jian Ruochen: ...

This kid's sure got business sense.

He had no doubt that the "half-off discount" was just a sales pitch—she probably always planned to charge $500.

As they spoke, the cleric came up beside Jian Ruochen.

He looked around. "Huh? Young man, where is your brother?"

"Oh, he thought it was a bit noisy here, so he wanted to look around," Jian Ruochen said, checking his phone.

No answer.

He swallowed hard.

This place was full of secrets, and he wondered if Guan Yingjun might have gotten into trouble.

The cleric said, "Should I go look for him?"

Jian Ruochen raised his eyes and stared directly at the cleric. "You?"

His palms were sweaty, hoping Guan Yingjun wouldn't use another excuse like "I went to pick flowers for you"—something that wasn't right for brothers.

His mind racing, Jian Ruochen's thoughts spun, and he sneered, challenging, "Why look for him? You should explain to me now why the blankets of the children you said were doing so well are moldy! They can't even sleep properly!"

Jian Ruochen said coldly, "With conditions like this, I seriously doubt whether the donations are being used appropriately."

The cleric was stunned, immediately forgetting about looking for anyone.

This little young master wouldn’t possibly be thinking of backing out of the donation, would he?

"Things have been a bit tight lately," Jian Ruochen heard, a heavy, labored breath coming from behind him.

Someone was approaching with halting steps, clearly straining.

The cleric bowed his head, sweating profusely. "Director."

Jian Ruochen’s heart tightened. He slipped his hand into his pocket and called Guan Yingjun again.

The director smiled, his cheeks bulging and his small eyes narrowing into slits. "It’s been rainy and damp lately. We don’t have extra blankets, so we have to put up with it. Penelope, you should try to understand."

Penelope flinched and shrank back, hiding behind Jian Ruochen’s wheelchair.

The director reached out to pull her, and his arm inadvertently brushed against Jian Ruochen’s bucket hat, nearly knocking it off. Penelope let out a sharp cry.

Jian Ruochen hesitated for a moment—he could either save his hat or protect Penelope—not both. In the end, he raised a hand to separate the little girl and the director.

The next moment, a hand came down firmly on the wobbling bucket hat.

Guan Yingjun, his breathing slightly ragged, stepped between them. "What’s going on here?"

He thrust a kraft paper bag emblazoned with a red cross into Jian Ruochen’s arms. "Is this how you treat your guests?"

The director’s face stiffened.

Jian Ruochen squeezed the paper bag—the bottom felt stiff, as though it contained folded documents.

Guan Yingjun had gotten what they came for!

They needed to leave quickly.

Jian Ruochen said, "It seems you’re not in dire need of donations after all. I’ll be reporting the current state of affairs here to the ICAC. Brother, let’s go."

He stood up from the wheelchair.

Penelope stared, utterly gobsmacked.

Was there really such a thing as magic in this world?

This was the first time she’d ever seen someone stand up from a wheelchair!

Holy crap—how was this possible?

The director’s gaze darkened. He licked his lips slowly and menacingly. "Hold it."

He paused. "Our medicines aren’t allowed to be taken out arbitrarily. Please show me the medicine bag and the prescription."

He thought: A reclusive noble, a suspicious-looking man. He wasn’t buying a word these two were saying!