Chapter 234 The hardworking engineer, Engineer Jiang, is scolded by the cub.

High-class ward inside a military hospital in Beijing

“Jiang Gong, you can’t keep going like this. You’ve lost a lot of weight in the last two years, and you’ve become incredibly thin. Your immune system has weakened, and myocardial ischemia and hypoxia have caused you to faint several times. Moreover, your lungs have developed fibrosis, which is worse than the lungs of heavy smokers in their fifties or sixties.”

While holding the medical record, the doctor gave Jiang Yan a long and earnest lecture.

Jiang Yan nodded politely, but didn't say anything more.

Seeing his condition, the doctor sighed helplessly.

“I advised you before. You were hospitalized three times in one month last month. What did I say to you then? I told you not to keep pushing yourself so hard. Health is the foundation of everything. If you continue to push yourself like this, you will easily have a heart attack or stroke and die. I'm not trying to scare you. Think it through.”

The doctor stared at him angrily, saying, "You are a pillar of the nation, and the country still needs you. By ruining yourself like this, you will be a loss for both yourself and the country in the future."

"Doctor, I understand."

Jiang Yan, pale-faced, interrupted the doctor in a gentle voice.

Although he had a smile on his face, his attitude was unwavering and resolute. "I will take good care of myself. You can go ahead and do your work. Don't worry, I promise I won't have to come back this month after I'm discharged from the hospital."

Doctor: "...This is the last day of the month, tomorrow is the start of the next month. Are you playing word games here? Never mind, I'm going to make my rounds. You get some rest."

As soon as the doctor left, Jiang Yan struggled to sit up straight and reached out her hand to Xiao Wu, who was accompanying her.

"Where's my scratch paper from before? Bring it to me. There's something wrong with the previous calculation formula. Let me take another look."

"Jiang Gong!" Xiao Wu couldn't stand it anymore. His face was full of anxiety. "You fainted right in the data room the day before yesterday and had to be rushed to the hospital. How can you go back to work as soon as you've finally woken up? It won't make a difference if you stay a little longer. Can't we just get some rest?"

"Cough cough, no!" Jiang Yan coughed uncontrollably as he became agitated. He stopped Xiao Wu, but his attitude was unusually firm. "Bring it to me quickly. This matter cannot be delayed. Every day I delay, the country's progress slows down, and we are held back by capitalist powers for another day. How can we establish our national dignity then?"

His education, including the bright red flag he always believed in, constantly urged him to strive forward day and night.

Jiang Yan ignored Xiao Wu's earnest advice.

He picked up a piece of scrap paper and began calculating over and over again.

'Knock knock—!'

The knocking sounded again, before Jiang Yan could even say "come in."

The door was opened, but the person who came in could not be seen clearly.

Jiang Yan slowly looked down and saw a small cub standing by the bed.

His pitch-black gaze suddenly froze, and he instinctively raised the draft paper to cover his face.

What's Zhizhi doing here?

Who told her that she was sick?

Jiang Yan's mind raced as he tried to figure out how to explain his current physical condition to Zhi Zhi.

But the little cub saw his actions and said calmly, "Don't block me. You're not very good-looking to begin with, and I don't mind. If you're sick, just rest. Why are you working so hard? I'm not going to give you any awards."

She didn't care about any data or grand ambitions.

All she knew was that when a person is sick, they are no longer fit to work.

Jiang Yan's body is already like this, his face is as pale as a sheet of paper, what's the point of writing numbers? He's just babbling on and on like an astronomy tale, and he can't understand a word of it.

Jiang Yan twitched his lips, and after a long while, he spoke softly.

"When did you arrive in Beicheng? Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"

“I came here with my father. My uncle told us to come here first to find out where the hidden mole is. He then brought Han Yubin here.”

Zhizhi spoke casually, and her emotions were more stable than she had imagined after meeting Jiang Yan.

It was as if, after experiencing so many hardships and obstacles, she gained a more concrete understanding of Jiang Yan as a person.

He is selfish, he is sensitive and suspicious, he is cold and ruthless... These are the underlying characteristics of his personality.

But what has shaped him into who he is today is the dangerous environment around him, the death of his lover, and the long-standing disappearance of his biological daughter.

That's why he's the person he is today, someone who can't be entirely considered a good person.

Jiang Zhizhi stared intently at Jiang Yan with her large, dark eyes, as if she wanted to open them wide and take a good look at him.

How could he be so strange?

When they first met, he gave her a large bouquet wrapped in White Rabbit candies.

No other child had such a high-class gift, but she did.

Jiang Yan even gave her a photo of her mother, the importance of which to her goes without saying.

The second time they met, he was able to face the scalding hot broth being splashed on him and rush over to shield him without hesitation.

Subconscious reactions cannot be faked. Jiang Yan may have acted out of a sense of justice, but who can guarantee that there wasn't a moment of fatherly love involved?

"Jiang Yan, you are a complete and utter villain!"

Zhizhi clenched her little fists, and after holding it in for a long time, she finally managed to say, "You were sick, and you didn't even say a word. You came here secretly to get treatment. Did you want me to feel guilty?"

The little cub regretted saying those words as soon as they were spoken.

She wished she could bite off her own tongue; how could she have said such hurtful things?

Even if you're being stubborn, you shouldn't act like this.

The little cub racked its brains trying to figure out how to explain the harsh words it had just uttered.

But Jiang Yan seemed to understand her insincerity.

A faint smile touched the corners of his pale, expressionless face, but it was fleeting.

"Yeah, I'm a bad guy. And you? Why did you come here? Are you worried about me, or did you just want to see if I'm dead?"

Zhizhi: "!!!"

hateful!

What are you saying?

Can't you die without making people angry all day long?

When Zhizhi clenched her fist, her fair little hand transformed into a snow-white glutinous rice ball, perfectly complementing her little pigtails that she had tied up today, making her look naturally adorable.

"Yes, I just came to see if you're dead or not! Alright! What's wrong with you? Why do you look so pale? Have you been eating properly? Okay, stop drawing those weird symbols and answer my questions!"

The little cub had a tense face, and its little mouth was firing like a machine gun.

After saying that, she added, "I'm not just concerned about you. After all, it's only bad guys like you who live to be a hundred. Haven't you heard the saying, 'Good people don't live long, but evil people live for a thousand years'? Just wait and see if you live to be a thousand-year-old tortoise!"

Her childish voice carried a hint of sullenness.

But the worry in Zhizhi's eyes was almost overflowing.

Even though he was saying some sarcastic things, for some reason, Jiang Yan felt a warm glow inside.

He raised his hand and accidentally tugged at the rubber tubing of the IV drip.

"Hiss..."

Jiang Yan's expression twisted slightly for a moment as a sharp, dense pain shot through him.

The little cub immediately rushed over with concern.

"What's wrong? Does it hurt?"

Jiang Yan looked up at her in surprise, and the two of them happened to meet eyes.

The air was still for a moment.

Jiang Yan shifted her gaze somewhat awkwardly, her voice softening considerably, "Don't worry, it's just malnutrition. I'll be discharged soon after an IV drip of sugar water, so you don't need to worry about me."

"Who's worried about you! Nonsense!"

Zhizhi's expression was almost too much to bear, and she hurriedly climbed off the bedside.

She lowered her head, her two little hands tightly clasped together.

Luckily, I was only wearing a plain cotton-padded coat that reached my legs today. If I had dressed like Su Cheng did before, in a stylish and exquisite winter fluffy dress, the dress would probably have been crumpled into the shape of burlap by now.

The little cub's entire face turned red from its cheeks to the base of its neck.

She wished the air she breathed would turn into billowing white mist.

Oh my god!

What had she just done? Hadn't she just warned herself not to give Jiang Yan a kind look?

Why are you getting so nervous now that he's only in pain for a moment?

Damn it! Jiang Yan is a real menace.

He's a selfish person. Why is he trying to play the victim here, using his misery to gain the sympathy of children?

Don't those kids have any pride?!

Zhizhi pursed her lips, her large, clear eyes looking at Jiang Yan.

She tried hard to suppress her feelings of shame. "I just came to see you today. You're sick, so you need to take good care of yourself. Your mother is gone. Even if I don't want to admit it, you're still my blood relative. If you live well, I'll still have my biological father. If you die, then I might only have Anchao as my father."

As she spoke, she added in her mind.

'Well, having two dads is really no different from having one.'

'But let's still try to promise him a rosy picture and encourage him to take care of his health.'

Jiang Yan was stunned for a long time, and then a relaxed smile appeared on his pale face for the first time.

His voice was hoarse. "Come here."

What are you doing?

Zhizhi stood still, her eyes filled with wariness.

She quietly reached out and covered her little face, warning him, "Don't pinch my cheeks! If you pinch a child's cheeks, they'll drool when they grow up. When I grow up, I want to be a little beauty. Look around, which little beauty drools? Don't you dare!"

As she spoke, she reluctantly moved a little closer.

Jiang Yan reached out to her, his slightly cool fingertips brushing against Zhi Zhi's bangs, gently straightening the star-shaped hair clip on her head.

Zhizhi sensed the gentleness and care in his movements, and gradually let down her guard.

She stopped cupping her face, her clear, round eyes revealing tenderness and curiosity.

Jiang Yan's large hand slowly moved down, cupping her cheek in his palm. "Zhizhi, Enning's mother loves you very much. If she were here, she would be a very, very good mother. I miss her a little."

He didn't know why he suddenly said such a jarring thing.

He has always been calm and composed, both internally and externally, like a large, sophisticated machine. To him, everything in the world, including kinship and blood ties, is no different from the deduction formulas calculated in the laboratory.

But after meeting Zhizhi, his rationality was repeatedly overturned by his emotions.

He considered struggling, considered changing his mind.

But this time, right now.

He finally lowered his proud head and willingly submitted to fate.

He had to admit that this little guy was constantly on his mind.

He knew perfectly well that staying away from the cubs would keep him away from a lot of complicated pain, but he still stubbornly succumbed to his lust and drew closer to the cubs, his only bloodline.

Because only by getting close to her can one get close to happiness.