Sorry to add this here at the beginning, but I wanted to inform everyone about the current situation.
Unfortunately, due to country restrictions, I am unable to purchase the VIP chapters from jjwxc by myself. Because of this, I won’t be able to continue translating, and this will be the last chapter I can provide.
I sincerely appreciate everyone who has been following and supporting the translation thus far. I’m truly sorry that I can’t continue bringing you more chapters.
Thank you all for reading and for your support so far. I wish there was another way, but for now, this is where the translation has to stop.
Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 17 Don’t run around
“Leaving him outside alone in this condition? And dressed so lightly? What kind of guardians are you? Do you not know that the child has asthma?”
The doctor pointed at the two of them and scolded.
“Especially you!” She glared at Ji Qian. “Your handling was decent—are you in the field? If you are, how could you not know about his condition? Is this how you take care of a child?”
Wow, that glare was fierce.
Chi Ke stepped forward without a change in expression, blocking the doctor’s line of sight to Ji Qian. “Apologies, I’m the patient’s older brother. This person, he’s not—”
“Sorry, sorry.” Ji Qian grabbed his arm and pulled him back, smiling apologetically. “Doctor, it was our oversight. We’ll be more careful next time.”
“Ugh, seriously… You two wait here. I have another patient who needs a dressing change. I’ll be back shortly to go over what you need to watch out for.”
Chi Ke stood quietly, held in place, silently watching the doctor leave.
The moment the hospital room door shut, he pulled his arm free and muttered in a low voice, “Taking the blame for no reason.”
“Words once spoken are like water spilled—you can’t take them back. She already scolded me, and I already heard it. Why let her go off on you too?” Ji Qian was remarkably patient with the ‘angels in white.’ Despite being chewed out, he showed no signs of frustration at being unjustly blamed. “Do you need to contact your parents?”
Chi Ke’s lips twitched.
The original host’s parents—no phone number, no address. Contact them? Where?
“It’s been a while since I last contacted my family.” Understanding Ji Qian’s personality, Chi Ke decided to be vague. “I can’t reach them at the moment. I already informed his homeroom teacher, but they haven’t picked up. They will contact us if there is any news.”
“That’s good, then.” Ji Qian didn’t press further. Noticing the doctor’s shadow returning outside the door, he said, “I’ll go get something to drink.”
There were already two bottles of water by the bed, yet he insisted on leaving—clearly to give Chi Ke and the doctor space and to avoid prying into personal matters.
Chi Ke took note of this gesture.
“You’re the guardian of Chi Yuanfan, correct?” The doctor was back, much calmer this time. “Here’s the situation—he has severe frostbite on his hands and feet and will need medication. His fever hasn’t subsided, so he’ll need to stay overnight for observation. The IV drip will need to continue for at least three days. There’s already some lung infection—if you’re not careful, it could cause brain damage. And his asthma—winter winds are strong, and the air is dusty. You need to be extra cautious. Also, why doesn’t he carry medication with him? If not for your… friend? You two are friends, right?”
Chi Ke rubbed his ear, “Yeah.”
“Your friend is pretty capable.” The doctor sighed. “If he hadn’t acted in time, that child wouldn’t be lying so peacefully in this hospital bed right now.”
A wave of frustration and gloom suddenly pressed down on Chi Ke’s chest.
He had been careless.
In the original suicide note, the previous host had shown deep concern for his younger brother—he had assumed this meant the original host had brought his brother and family to the city to live together. He had overlooked the possibility of external factors interfering with that.
After ‘Assistant Chi’ died, his presence gradually faded. Chi Ke had skimmed through the plot without much care, failing to grasp the details.
Despite having the advantage of transmigration, he still barely understood the storyline—what a waste of a golden finger.
This time, he was lucky. Ji Qian wasn’t one to play by the book. But would he always be this lucky?
It would be nice to have someone around who remembered every detail.
“Alright, I’m done explaining. One of you should stay with him tonight. Press the call button if anything happens.”
The doctor pushed open the door and was startled. “Hey! Why are you just standing outside? Why not come in?”
“I was just about to.” Ji Qian waved goodbye to her with a smile, stepped inside, and closed the door. The room instantly became dim.
The inpatient ward of this small hospital was eerily quiet. Most people who needed hospitalization preferred to travel twenty kilometers to the city hospital, leaving this three-bed ward occupied by only Chi Yuanfan.
“Here, drink something.” Ji Qian used the warmth of the carton to press against Chi Ke’s cold hand. “Milk or orange juice?”
“Milk, thanks.” In truth, Chi Ke wanted coffee.
But he knew his doctor wouldn’t allow him to drink coffee at night.
Standing by the bed, he held the milk in both hands but didn’t proceed to drink it.
After a long silence, he carefully opened his mouth. “I—”
Chi Yuanfan suddenly let out a small whimper.
Ji Qian quickly raised a finger, stopping just a few millimeters from Chi Ke’s lips. He whispered, “I just hired a nurse. Let’s talk outside?”
Chi Ke lowered his gaze to that outstretched finger.
After a long pause, he answered lightly, “Alright.”
Ji Qian: “!”
A soft breath brushed against his fingertip. Ji Qian jerked his hand back so fast that it could’ve rivaled his speed in stitching wounds.
That was unexpected.
In his mind, Chi Ke—who is so frugal with words—should have just given a cold nod in response.
Chi Ke looked at him, puzzled. “What?”
Ji Qian shoved his hands into his pockets and rubbed his fingers, mumbling in grievance, “Why’d you respond so fast?”
Chi Ke either didn’t hear or simply ignored him. Lifting his chin slightly, he said, “Let’s go.”
Yanping wasn’t as underdeveloped as one might imagine. There were tall buildings, wide roads, and clean streets.
Yet every evening, street vendors would flood the sidewalks with their bustling stalls.
The honking of electric delivery bikes echoed constantly. Compared to the noise of city traffic, it was hard to say which was louder.
But while the city’s bright lights felt detached, the warm glow of these streetlamps felt more real.
Chi Ke walked down the street, watching people pass by, feeling far less wary than usual.
It wasn’t wrong to call Ji Qian a stranger.
Even after months of knowing each other, their relationship remained at the level of coworkers. Neither had taken a step further.
Ji Qian, however, seemed eager to.
But relationships weren’t one-sided. No matter how willing Ji Qian was, it wouldn’t matter if Chi Ke wasn’t.
Or rather, Chi Ke was restraining himself.
He admitted he was curious about Ji Qian, but he also knew that for adults, such curiosity came with risks.
“Are you cold?” Ji Qian asked. “Want my scarf?”
“Thanks, but I’m fine. Dr. Ji, why are you here?” Chi Ke repeated his earlier question.
Ji Qian, already prepared, answered smoothly, “Had some business here. You know, the Ji family and the Leng family collaborate often.”
“I see.” Chi Ke kicked a small rock aside. His tone was steady. “And running into Chi Yuanfan—was that a coincidence?”
Ji Qian gave a vague response, “I was out for a post-dinner walk.”
Chi Ke remained unimpressed. “And having asthma medication on you—also a coincidence?”
Ji Qian buried his face in his scarf and fell silent.
“Apologies,” Chi Ke adjusted his tone, taking care of his words. “I owe you one today. I shouldn’t be so aggressive.”
Then he changed the question. “How did you know he was my brother?”
“A while ago, I attended a Leng family gathering. The old master asked Assistant Chi about his parents and younger brother, and he said everything was fine.” Ji Qian wasn’t lying—this did happen.
That was also when Ji Qian first learned that Chi Ke had a younger brother and connected the name ‘Chi Yuanfan’ to the actual person.
Now that he had laid out part of the truth, spinning a more convincing story became easier.
So, he confidently continued, “That’s when I found out your brother has asthma. Since I was already coming here, I figured I’d bring some medicine—who would’ve thought I’d run into him so coincidentally?”
In reality, that wasn’t the case at all.
Ji Qian recalled a scene from much later in the original timeline.
In that version, Secretary Sun and ‘Dr. Ji’ had once talked about misfortunes.
At the time, Secretary Sun had sighed, “I haven’t checked in on Assistant Chi’s family in ages. Last I remember, his little brother had a high fever years ago and it messed up his brain. I actually planned to visit them at that time, but as luck would have it, that was the same day President Leng confessed to Mr. Xu. If it weren’t for that distraction… sigh, well, no point talking about what came after.”
Reading that passage, something had felt off.
Even if President Leng hadn’t confessed, wouldn’t it still be Chi Ke’s responsibility to visit his family? Why would Secretary Sun be involved? What was there to regret?
The way it was phrased sounded more like how an old veteran would speak when reminiscing about fallen comrades.
After realizing this, Ji Qian had been so restless that he stayed up half the night, bombarding Chi Ke with messages.
Only when Chi Ke finally responded with a simple “?” the next morning did Ji Qian calm down and get some sleep.
See? Assistant Chi was alive and well—clearly someone destined for a long and prosperous life.
After hearing Ji Qian’s explanation, Chi Ke said nothing and just let out a soft sigh.
But even that tiny sigh made Ji Qian nervous, leaving him completely speechless.
What did that mean?
Did he believe him or not?
But Chi Ke just ignored his internal struggles. “Have you eaten? Are you hungry?”
Ji Qian had been about to nod but remembered his earlier lie about ‘walking after dinner’, so he quickly shook his head. “I ate. Not hungry.”
Chi Ke pretended not to notice the way Ji Qian had absentmindedly touched his stomach moments ago.
Without a word, he scanned the QR code at a street food stall and ordered two extra-large roast duck wraps—no scallions, no spice, double meat, and less sauce.
Ji Qian was terrible at lying.
And Chi Ke was an expert at reading people.
He didn’t even need to analyze Ji Qian’s words—just his tone was enough.
So full of sincerity, yet packed with lies.
Such a contradiction.
Chi Ke handed him one of the wraps, “Midnight snack? My treat.”
Forget it.
Everyone had their secrets.
Regardless of Ji Qian’s reasons, he had helped him.
He wouldn’t ask why.
He’d simply remember the favor.
Thinking like this, Chi Ke almost found himself moved by his own generosity.
Truly magnanimous— practically a saint—
“You don’t believe me.” Ji Qian smiled helplessly. “I didn’t fool you at all?”
Chi Ke nearly crushed the wrap in his hand, trying to unwrap it. “I didn’t say that.”
Yeah, right.
Ji Qian carefully rescued the wrap from his grip, secretly complaining in his mind: If frustration could physically manifest, this guy would definitely have a Godzilla looming over his head right now.
“Alright, you believe me. Thank you, Assistant Chi, for trusting me.” Ji Qian peeled open the outer layer of a wrap and handed it over before unwrapping his own.
Chi Ke took a bite and admitted, “I really don’t believe you.”
Ji Qian chuckled. “That’s exactly why I don’t dare tell you the truth.”
Chi Ke paused mid-bite, turned his head, and gave him a long look.
Ji Qian met his gaze, momentarily frozen.
After a long silence, Chi Ke finally spoke. “And if I did believe you?”
When no further response came, Assistant Chi couldn’t help but prompt, “And? That’s it?”
“Oh—uh—there’s more.” Ji Qian’s eyes darted around, avoiding his stare. He took two big bites of his wrap, swallowed them whole to suppress his increased heartbeat, and then whispered, “Assistant Chi, if you had even the tiniest bit of trust in me, I would tell you everything you wanted to know.”
The said assistant Chi let out a dry chuckle, “You tell me nothing and still expect me to trust you? Is Dr. Ji’s theory of causality always this backwards?”
Ji Qian chuckled. “You really are…”
Dangerously sharp-tongued when you’re in a bad mood.
“This isn’t the same as a normal situation.” Ji Qian’s expression grew serious. “If you don’t believe me at all and I tell you everything, you’ll probably send me straight to a psychiatric ward.”
“……”
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
For someone used to eating lightly, the roasted duck wrap from a street vendor was a bit too heavy.
But Assistant Chi never wasted food. He ate slowly and deliberately, waiting for the red light at the intersection and when finished, he carefully folded the empty wrapper, saying casually, “What if I’m willing to believe you?”
Ji Qian very naturally took the trash from him, handed over a napkin, and waited for him to wipe his hands before taking it back. “Really?”
Chi Ke was a master at bluffing, his expression so sincere that it almost seemed real. “You don’t believe me?”
Ji Qian didn’t even let his gaze land on him before shifting away.
Stay strong, stay strong…
He’s tricking you, he’s tricking you…
Ji Qian repeated these words to himself at least eight hundred times, barely managing to hold his ground. He scoffed, “Then show me.”
Hearing that, Chi Ke raised an eyebrow, “Hmm?”
Ji Qian skipped the nonsense and got straight to the point. “Since you trust me, tell me—do you have a bad relationship with Chi Yuanfan and your parents?”
Chi Ke narrowed his eyes and answered with another question, “Why are you asking that?”
“When I came back after buying milk, I saw you standing there watching Chi Yuanfan. You looked concerned, sympathetic, even a little compassionate… but to me, you still seemed like…”
Ji Qian smiled, taking a small step back and pressing his shoulder lightly against Chi Ke’s. He leaned down slightly, his lips nearly brushing Chi Ke’s ear, as if whispering a forbidden secret.
“Like a stranger watching from the sidelines.”
In that instant, Chi Ke’s fingers curled into a fist. His first instinct was to step forward—to escape the warmth belonging to someone else.
But Ji Qian had already anticipated his move.
“Red light!” Ji Qian reached out with one arm and reeled him back in.
Chi Ke reflexively grabbed the hand on his shoulder, his fingers brushing against a string of Buddhist beads warmed by someone’s body temperature.
The beads pressed against Ji Qian’s wrist bone because of someone’s force. But Ji Qian seemed to be possessed. The more pressure the Buddhist beads applied, the tighter his arm wrapped around Chi Ke, almost embedding him into his embrace.
Ji Qian sighed softly, “Don’t run around.”
“……”
T/N:- It has been a pleasure translating this novel till now, and I truly hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed working on it.
Last but not the least, if I find a solution for this current situation, I’ll definitely be back to continue with the rest of the novel!
Thank you all for your support and for following the translation up to this point. I really, really appreciate it!
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Thank you for translating this lovely gem <3<3<3