Chapter 360: The Materialization of Fate

"Why don't you let Qianqian go?" she asked.

"There's nothing wrong with her body, nothing to check." Jiang Nian paused, turned and said, "Right,

keep it confidential."

Song Xiyun, who had been following closely behind him, heard the word "confidential" and immediately felt guilty.

That phrasing sounds like sneaking a bite.

But she probably wasn't that kind of person, so her steps stopped too, standing in place.

"Confi..... what do you mean by confidential?"

"Heaven knows, earth knows, your mom knows—just don't tell Xu Qianqian I was the one who took you." Jiang Nian shot her a glance, without explaining further.

"Hey you..... why are you cursing?" Song Xiyun muttered softly.

Hearing that, Jiang Nian was speechless.

"'Your mom knows' means your mom knows too. We have exclusive authorization from a parent, it's not some illegal activity."

Song Xiyun had no idea how this person got the authorization, only felt it was utterly absurd.

"Then why can't I tell Qianqian."

"Because I didn't tell her, if you tell her isn't that setting me up?" Jiang Nian retorted, "I do this for your own good,

and you turn around and sell me out?"

For a moment, Song Xiyun actually couldn't find a logical flaw in Jiang Nian's argument.

She stood on the road in a daze for a while, then suddenly snapped back to her senses. She scurried after him, not knowing what to say.

A BYD pulled over by the roadside.

Jiang Nian, who had been squatting by the street, stood up and patted Song Xiyun on the shoulder.

"Let's go, get in the car."

The hospital where Zhou Yuting's relative worked wasn't on Zhennan Changjie. Walking there wasn't impossible, just a bit hard on the legs.

"Oh oh, okay." Song Xiyun followed closely, her thoughts still a mess, muddled as she sat in the back seat with him.

After the car started moving, she watched it turn in a strange direction. Only then did she remember to ask where they were going, turning her head to ask.

"Where are we going?"

"The Third Hospital." Jiang Nian had just finished replying to a WeChat message, fiddling with his phone, "When we get there, someone will take us in."

Hearing the word "we," Song Xiyun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At least she wouldn't be going in alone—particularly for someone with a muddled head, running around departments with paperwork is really awkward.

Ten minutes later, the car stopped at the hospital entrance.

Not long after the two got out, they met the person receiving them at the hospital entrance. A middle-aged man surnamed Zhao, warm in personality.

After all, he really was doing a job for money, and it was introduced by his own niece. The other party was quite professional too, everything arranged.

Some queue-jumping methods were used in between, but locals were already used to it, and seeing a doctor bring a young girl, they let it slide.

After a string of examinations, the results came out one after another.

Eleven in the morning.

Jiang Nian sat on a stone chair outside the hospital, holding up the lung-related description on the examination form, looking at it against the sun.

He thought to himself, a not-too-big, not-too-small illness could actually become a lesion?

He had already verified it—the illness Song Xiyun would get in the future was all triggered by this one. On and off, recurring repeatedly.

Maybe dragging it out would turn it into a new illness.

Relying on youth and not caring, until one day it completely erupts. Or perhaps due to various circumstances, the condition worsens.

Song Xiyun beside him stood like a quail, asking nervously.

"I.... what's wrong with me?"

Jiang Nian shot her a glance, put away the form.

"Pneumonia."

Ding— the quest panel popped up.

【Quest: Clarify the illness on Song Xiyun's body. Reward: Skill: Lucky Draw (refreshes once every five days)

has been distributed.】

"Huh?" Song Xiyun was at a loss like a child, "How could it be..... my cough has clearly already gotten better."

Above their heads was a big withered tree, a few birds perched on the dry branches. Chirping and chattering, leaping about in the warm winter sun.

"No more PE class." Jiang Nian said.

"What?" Song Xiyun asked instinctively.

"I said..... treat it." Jiang Nian stood up, took a photo of the form as backup, "Once the illness is found, treat it, what else can you do."

"Wait!!" Song Xiyun grabbed him, with a pleading face, "Can we not treat it for now, maybe they got it wrong."

"Are you more professional than the doctor?" Jiang Nian put his hands on his hips, putting on the airs of an adult.

Wait no, he's eighteen.

Already an adult who can do whatever he wants with his ID card, can play with anyone, provided he finds someone.

Finding someone to duo queue at an internet cafe is indeed a bit difficult.

"But what if?" Song Xiyun bit her lower lip, sticking her neck out stubbornly, "And I really do look fine."

"Fine then, if you say there's no problem then there's no problem." Jiang Nian backed off a step.

Hearing that, Song Xiyun breathed a sigh of relief.

"Than....

But before she could finish, she heard Jiang Nian suddenly say something.

"Show it to your mom."

"No!" Song Xiuyun instantly fluffed up like a startled cat, rushing to pin Jiang Nian's hand down.

The two immediately tumbled onto the stone bench, frozen in awkward silence.

A passerby glanced over, snorted in disbelief.

He thought: the sleaze of fiction has bled into reality—another lost girl being blackmailed with photos by a greaser. The moral fabric of society is decaying,

the hearts of men no longer pure.

Jiang Nian pushed Song Xiuyun off, calmly standing up.

"I'm not scaring you—the doctor said. If you don't treat this illness now, when you finally want to, there won't be any chance left."

Song Xiuyun was instantly terrified—everyone fears death.

She even held her breath when passing by Room 404's door number, let alone hearing such a terrifying statement.

As expected, the girl's vision was already blurring; she asked weakly.

"How long do I have to live?"

"That depends on you—your illness really isn't simple." Jiang Nian wore an expression ready to deliver a Japanese-style threat.

"Could I... wait two years before treating it?" Song Xiuyun lowered her head. "I want to use money I've earned myself. My family has no money left."

"Better treat it now—two years from now, your money might already be spent on your boyfriend." Jiang Nian spoke a truth.

"That's impossible!" Song Xiuyun looked up, retorting.

Jiang Nian didn't blink once, thinking: In a parallel timeline, your coins were spent by me—I know damn well.

When you get to university, I'll scam a few more coins from you.

Just kidding. One shouldn't... at least not just scam a little. Take it all—transfer it to your own account and manage it yourself.

"It can't be that bad—it's not a serious illness. Maybe health insurance would cover it for just a few thousand."

Hearing this, Song Xiuyun immediately lowered her head, silent. She stood before the stone bench, motionless for a long while, then spoke.

"My mom doesn't like staying in Zhennan. She's only here because of me... When I graduate, she'll be free."

"One more expense, one more burden."

Jiang Nian listened quietly to all her words. Luckily, he had little sympathy—otherwise he'd have been emotionally pinned down for a while.

Then he'd ask her about her hardships, her past, all that sentimental stuff.

But asking wouldn't help—he couldn't pay for her. Not because he couldn't afford it, but money isn't given like that.

Giving money is also a burden.

So Jiang Nian stood up, glanced at the sky, and said: "It's getting late. My leave request has expired. Here's an idea—see if you can accept it."

"What idea?" Song Xiuyun tensed up.

Outside the supermarket, at the lottery kiosk.

Song Xiuyun looked at the shop, then at Jiang Nian. Her face showed utter disbelief; she couldn't speak a word.

"This is your idea?"

"Mm. Leave it to fate." Jiang Nian looked at Song Xiuyun. "Do you believe in scratch-off lottery odds?"

"Not really..." Song Xiuyun started to shake her head. "It mostly depends on whether the owner's dishonest. Most are..."

Jiang Nian pointed at her. "I didn't say how much."

"That's pretty random," Song Xiuyun retracted her objection. "But the odds are still low."

Jiang Nian nodded, speaking plainly.

"I'll buy one scratch-off. If I win nothing, I'll listen to you—I won't tell your mom."

"I'll keep it secret."

"And if I win?" Song Xiuyun swallowed hard.

"If you win, the money's yours—but I'll tell your mom." Jiang Nian shrugged, tone not like he was negotiating.

Song Xiuyun hesitated for a long time, whispering.

"Who pays for the scratch-off...?"

"You. I said the winnings are yours." Jiang Nian extended his hand toward her. "Cash or transfer?"

Hearing this, Song Xiuyun's heart ached.

But after weighing her options, she still paid.

The two approached the kiosk to pick a scratch-off ticket. Ahead, several people and a young couple were already scratching.

Jiang Nian didn't hesitate—he picked one that caught his eye from the pile, paid, and handed it to Song Xiuyun.

"Here. You bought it. Scratch it yourself."

"Oh." Song Xiuyun looked listless.

It was her first time buying something like this. She knew full well it wouldn't win. Buying fewer might earn a little,

buying more meant sure loss.

Luck might land her fifty or a hundred, but most times, luck didn't favor her.

She'd already prepared to lose money—considering it payment for Jiang Nian's trouble, since he'd gone out of his way to take leave for her.

Nearby, people scratched with plastic scrapers, clustered together, shouting—fifty here, twenty there.

In Song Xiuyun's hand was a 21-yuan ticket, top prize 800,000 yuan—probability near zero.

Next were second prizes: five thousand, one thousand, five hundred... descending in order.

She wasn't short, but she wasn't bold. She couldn't squeeze into the scratching zone or grab a plastic scraper,

too shy to ask.

So she just stood there, staring as the others shouted and finished scratching. Finally, they scattered, leaving behind a litter of shredded tickets.

At this moment, Song Xiuyun quietly crept over. She picked up the plastic scraper and began carefully and earnestly scratching the ticket.

A young couple beside her was relatively quiet and had not joined in the earlier commotion.

The prize she finally scratched turned out to be break-even—just enough to recover her cost. All told, she made twenty yuan, which was decent luck.

They did not leave; instead, they watched Song Xiuyun scratch the ticket with keen interest.

"Miss, you only bought one ticket? Why not buy a few more?"

Song Xiuyun kept her head down. "I didn't buy it."

The young couple didn't take it seriously; they exchanged a smile. They thought this girl was a bit shy and stood there a little longer to watch.

After clumsily finishing the scratching, Song Xiuyun felt dazed and disoriented.

"Jiang Nian, can you check for me..."

2

Hearing this, Jiang Nian walked over to her. His expression was calm; he had no curiosity about the outcome.

【Win】 + 【Precision】.

If this didn't win, he'd unleash his full might behind the shopkeeper's back.

Damn it, playing fake, huh?

"Hey, let us take a look," the young couple offered cheerfully. "Yeah, we play this all the time."

They leaned in to look—and their expressions changed instantly.

"The odds for this one are actually... wait, did it... did it win?"

"It won. Looks like five thousand."

"Holy shit, really!"

Ten minutes later.

Song Xiuyun stood by the roadside, glancing at passing cars. Then she looked at the five thousand yuan now in her phone—she felt bewildered.

She turned her head, looking at Jiang Nian, who squatted under a tree waiting for the bus.

"Did you already know it would win?"

Jiang Nian shot her a sharp glance, put away his phone, and stood up.

"Do you think I'm a god?"

In the sunlight, Song Xiuyun watched golden rays filter through the sparse branches of the old tree, casting stripes of light onto the concrete ground.

Before her, the young man's gaze was deep and quiet, his black hair soft and gently stirred by the wind.

For the first time, she felt fate made tangible.