Chapter 10: My Heart Beats For You (I)

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Chapter 10: My Heart Beats For You (I)

This time, Shang Ke’s identity was Jiang Yumo, the younger son of Jiang Song, president of the Jiang Group. Jiang Yumo was frivolous and irresponsible, with neither much learning nor any useful skills. That was until he met Jian Xin, the daughter of the Xinchen Group, and fell in love with her at first sight. From then on, he began pursuing her relentlessly.

Jian Xin had a heart condition, and her older brother, Jian Chenfeng, was adamantly opposed to her having anything to do with Jiang Yumo. Worse still, the person Jian Xin actually liked was Jiang Yumo’s older brother, Jiang Donglin. Jiang Yumo’s jealousy eventually turned to hatred. He began opposing Jiang Donglin at every turn and became determined to fight him for the right to inherit the Jiang Group, throwing the entire Jiang family into turmoil.

Two years later, however, Jiang Yumo was diagnosed with a brain tumor. By then, it was already in its late stages, and the surgery had less than a twenty-percent chance of success. The news struck him like a bolt from the blue, leaving him despondent for a long time. Seeing his own brother and the woman he loved together only intensified his resentment. In a moment of reckless impulse, he drove off an overpass with Jian Xin in the car, killing them both.

When Jian Chenfeng learned that Jiang Yumo had caused his younger sister’s death, he began taking revenge against the Jiang family. Several years later, the Jiang Group declared bankruptcy, and the family never recovered.

Jian Chenfeng was the protagonist of this world.

Shang Ke’s main mission was—save the Jiang family.

The mission sounded simple, but one condition remained unchanged: he had to pay for its completion with a “heroic” death.

When Shang Ke arrived in this world, Jiang Yumo had only just begun pursuing Jian Xin and had no idea that he had a brain tumor.

Of course, none of that was the important part right now. The important part was where he currently found himself—Jian Xin’s birthday party.

And at that very moment, he had the birthday girl cornered against a wall and was apparently about to make an indecent move on her.

Jian Xin had long black hair, fair skin, and a delicate air about her. She was as pitifully endearing as a little white rabbit. Clutching the hem of her skirt, she looked at Shang Ke with nervous, helpless eyes.

Shang Ke fell silent for a moment before slowly lowering the arm he had braced against the wall. With complete sincerity, he said, “Sorry. I scared you. I was only joking just now.”

Jian Xin did not relax in the slightest.

Shang Ke took a small gift box from his pocket and placed it in Jian Xin’s hand before turning around. “Come on. Everyone’s waiting for you in the main hall. I’ll walk you downstairs.”

Jian Xin looked down at the gift box in her hand, then at Shang Ke’s retreating figure. After hesitating for several seconds, she finally followed him with small steps.

Strange. Why does Jiang Yumo seem a little different today?

Shang Ke had little interest in the party. He merely paid particular attention to his own older brother and Jian Xin’s older brother.

Jiang Donglin stood around 182 centimeters tall. He had a refined demeanor and an elegant, handsome appearance. His light brown eyes always carried a hint of a smile, making anyone who met his gaze feel as though they were being caressed by a gentle spring breeze.

Jian Chenfeng was his complete opposite. There was a hint of wildness beneath his sharp, imposing presence, and his gaze was keen as a blade. He appeared to be nearly 190 centimeters tall, with a tall, powerfully built physique that made him stand out conspicuously from everyone else at the party.

Shang Ke’s gaze lingered on Jian Chenfeng for a little longer. For some reason, the man looked vaguely familiar.

The other man was extremely perceptive. He immediately noticed Shang Ke studying him and turned to look over. Upon seeing that it was Shang Ke, however, he simply looked away again, as though his gaze had merely passed over empty air.

Shang Ke didn’t mind. Jiang Yumo had only just begun “pursuing” Jian Xin and hadn’t yet done anything that would make Jian Chenfeng particularly despise him. Their relationship was currently lukewarm—neither friendly nor openly hostile.

Shang Ke wasn’t in any hurry to start boosting Lord Protagonist’s favorability. He stayed at the party for only a little over ten minutes before leaving, though he didn’t forget to send his older brother a text first.

Jiang Donglin was quite surprised when he received the message. Doesn’t Yumo like Miss Jian a lot? He had originally been worried that Yumo might do something inappropriate to her. Yet the party wasn’t even over and he had already left. Did he find himself a new target?

At that moment, Jian Chenfeng approached with his younger sister. Jiang Donglin temporarily set his questions aside and went to greet them with a smile.

When Jiang Donglin returned home that evening, he asked the butler, “Has Yumo come back?”

“The young master came back two hours ago. He’s already gone to bed,” the butler replied as he took Jiang Donglin’s coat.

He’s already asleep? Is something wrong with him?

Jiang Donglin shook his head and decided not to dwell on it. Jiang Yumo had always done whatever he pleased. Even their father couldn’t control him, much less his older brother.

The first thing Shang Ke did after getting up the next morning was go to the hospital for an examination.

The original Jiang Yumo wouldn’t discover his brain tumor until two years later, when it would already be too late for effective treatment.

This could clearly work to Shang Ke’s advantage in completing his second world’s mission. At the very least, it ensured that he wouldn’t violate the two rules against suicide and dying a peaceful natural death.

“Why did you suddenly decide to get a brain CT?” Xu Qing asked, looking at Shang Ke as he sat beside the examination bed.

Xu Qing was a doctor at this hospital and one of Jiang Yumo’s few friends.

“I’ve been getting headaches lately.” Shang Ke smiled at him. “Since I was coming to see you anyway, I figured I might as well get checked while I’m here.”

Shang Ke leaned lazily against the windowsill, one hand supporting his forehead as sunlight spilled across his body. A bright smile played on his lips, lending him an indolent air. Jiang Yumo was naturally very handsome, but his usual arrogance and domineering behavior had muddied the purity of his natural charm. At this moment, however, he seemed almost purified, giving the impression of an entirely different person.

Xu Qing pushed his glasses up his nose and unobtrusively looked away.

The two chatted casually, and before long, the CT results were ready.

Xu Qing wasn’t a neurological specialist, but even his expression changed when he saw the scan.

The specialist told Shang Ke, “A brain tumor in this location is quite rare, but fortunately, we caught it early. Your chances of recovery are very good.”

“I’ll contact a specialist for you immediately.” Xu Qing patted Shang Ke on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. This is still treatable.”

Shang Ke wasn’t worried in the slightest. Compared with what he had gone through in the first world, dying from a brain tumor sounded positively blissful.

Shang Ke asked, “What symptoms should I expect? Is there anything I need to be careful about?”

“Your tumor is relatively stable for now, but after some time, you may begin experiencing headaches, nausea, vomiting, numbness in your limbs, deteriorating vision, loss of emotional control, and similar symptoms. Until the surgery, you need to be especially careful. You absolutely cannot suffer a severe blow to the head, or you could die almost immediately.” The doctor warned him solemnly, “I recommend that you remain hospitalized for observation until the surgery is over.”

“What happens if I don’t have the surgery?”

“Then… within a year or two, the tumor will gradually worsen and begin seriously affecting your daily life. You’ll also be in danger of dying at any time. No matter how careful you are, you probably wouldn’t survive more than three years. The surgery does carry risks, but given your current condition, its chances of success are still quite high.”

After the specialist left, Xu Qing said, “I think you should tell your family about this as soon as possible.”

“No.” Shang Ke looked up at Xu Qing. “I want you to keep this secret for me.”

“Why?”

“If they find out, they’ll definitely arrange the surgery immediately.”

“Isn’t that exactly what they should do?”

“Just keep it secret for me.”

If everyone found out now, how was he supposed to die in style?

“How long are you planning to keep it secret?” Xu Qing stared intently at him. Jiang Yumo was far calmer than he had expected. Could he have already known about his condition?

“I’ll tell you when the time is right.” Shang Ke stood and slowly walked toward the door. Once he reached it, he turned back and added, “Remember, keep this secret for me. If you tell anyone, I won’t have the surgery.”

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. What is this guy planning? He’s never been the sort of person who can keep his composure. He just found out he has a brain tumor, yet he’s this calm? He isn’t planning to do something crazy, is he?

Xu Qing picked up his phone, intending to call Jiang Donglin, but after hesitating for a moment, he set it back down.

He wanted to see what Jiang Yumo was really planning.

A flicker of interest passed through Xu Qing’s eyes.

After leaving that hospital, Shang Ke went to another one.

Minchen Hospital was a private hospital owned by the Jian family. Shang Ke had come here to undergo compatibility testing.

Jian Xin had a heart condition and had long been waiting for a compatible donor heart. After sorting through the information about this world, Shang Ke had decided to donate his own heart to her.

For the moment, this was the best way to die he could think of: after discovering that he had a brain tumor, he would give up treatment for the sake of his “beloved woman,” sacrificing himself so that she could live happily.

It was moving just thinking about it!

Shang Ke mentally gave himself a thumbs-up for his brilliance.

First, however, he needed to determine whether his heart was compatible with Jian Xin’s. If it wasn’t, he would have to think of another plan.

By the time Shang Ke returned to the Jiang residence, it was already evening. Aside from the servants, no one else was home yet.

Shang Ke adapted remarkably well. He ate dinner, took a walk, had a shower, and then went straight to bed.

His previous world had been far too miserable. This time, he intended to relax properly. Until the compatibility results came back, his only mission was to eat, drink, and have fun.

The next morning, Shang Ke finally met Jiang Yumo’s parents and older brother. The family shared a quiet breakfast together. Although Jiang Yumo’s personality left much to be desired, his relationship with his parents was actually quite good.

Then Father Jiang said, “Yumo, you’ve already been out of school for two years. You can’t keep doing nothing forever. Why don’t you start interning at the company next month?”

He had only established his grand ambition of eating, drinking, and having fun yesterday, and today they already wanted him working nine to five?

Shang Ke hurriedly said, “I’ll find a job myself. You don’t need to worry about it, Dad.”

“Is that so?” Father Jiang gave him a casual glance. “I was originally planning to arrange an internship for you at the Jian Group. But since you want to find something yourself, I’ll stay out of it.”

The Jian Group? The protagonist’s home turf? A sacred land for boosting favorability!

His mission was to save the Jiang family. If his heart turned out not to be compatible with Jian Xin’s, then building a good relationship with the protagonist would become extremely important.

And so Shang Ke said with utmost seriousness, “Dad, now that I think about it, I really do need to get out there and gain some experience. Please make sure you send me to intern at the Jian Group.”

Father Jiang put on a stern expression. “Then can you promise to work properly and not embarrass me?”

“I swear it on this glass of milk!” Shang Ke declared solemnly before heroically downing the entire glass in one gulp.

Jiang Yumo, just like Shang Ke himself, absolutely hated drinking milk, so this was an exceptionally powerful oath.

Father Jiang was very satisfied.

Jiang Donglin looked at his younger brother and felt that their father’s decision might have been a little hasty. Jiang Yumo was far too unpredictable. Sending him to Jian Group wouldn’t end up causing trouble, would it?

Jian Chenfeng was not an easy man to deal with. If Yumo offended him, he might not even know how he ended up dead. And on top of that, he was still trying to pursue the man’s younger sister…

Jiang Donglin felt that perhaps he should start planning in advance for how to clean up the mess afterward.

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