Nightmare Onslaught - Chapter 21 - Pi Ruan

As the two were chatting, Fatty returned with several bags full of groceries.

The young man named Pi Ruan was visibly startled when he saw Fatty. After Jiang Cheng calmly explained that Fatty was his friend, Pi Ruan’s face instantly lit up with the warmth of meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign land, which left Fatty somewhat overwhelmed.

“Hello,” Pi Ruan grabbed Fatty’s free hand, “I’m Pi Ruan, nice to meet you.”

A look of confusion crossed Fatty’s face. He glanced at Jiang Cheng, but as usual, Jiang Cheng’s expression was unreadable. So, Fatty turned back to the young man in front of him and said with a mix of regret and frustration, “Hello, buddy. Although I sympathize with you for getting such an illness at such a young age, I’m not a doctor. Talking to me won’t help.”

Pi Ruan’s hand froze mid-air.

Suddenly remembering that he needed to hurry up and cook the ribs, Fatty excused himself and disappeared into the kitchen, where the clattering of pots and pans soon followed.

Jiang Cheng didn’t seize the awkward moment to make a big deal out of it. Instead, he gestured for Pi Ruan to sit down and asked, “How is your girlfriend behaving now?”

At the mention of his girlfriend, Pi Ruan sighed, “It’s pretty much the same as before, just more intense. She often doubts my sincerity, thinking I have someone else outside.”

At this point, Pi Ruan became agitated, lifting his head and straining his neck as he said, “But you know me, how could I possibly be that kind of person!”

“Mm,” Jiang Cheng flipped open a blue notebook, wrote a few sentences, and then nodded, “I know.”

Pi Ruan then began to pour out his grievances like spilling beans, recounting all the efforts he had made since being with his girlfriend, only to be met with her lack of understanding.

As he spoke, tears began to fall, drop by drop.

After washing the ribs, Fatty placed them in a pot and let them simmer over low heat.

Hearing the bubbling sound from the pot, Fatty washed his hands and emerged from the kitchen.

Pi Ruan was still speaking passionately, while Jiang Cheng showed little empathy, only occasionally uttering a word or two, mostly just listening.

Curious about Jiang Cheng’s work, Fatty pulled up a chair and sat down to watch.

Fortunately, neither Jiang Cheng nor Pi Ruan objected to this.

When Pi Ruan spoke of all he had done for his girlfriend, who still doubted him, Fatty couldn’t hold back. But before he could offer words of comfort, he met Jiang Cheng’s gaze.

Silently, Fatty swallowed the words that were already on the tip of his tongue.

“Dr. Jiang,” Pi Ruan finally said, exhausted, rubbing his temples with one hand and speaking in a weary tone. “That’s the gist of it. In short, my girlfriend suspects that my motives for being with her are impure, that I have ulterior motives.”

Jiang Cheng closed his notebook and clipped the pen onto it.

“Dr. Jiang, I’d appreciate it if you could come up with a treatment plan for my girlfriend as soon as possible,” Pi Ruan stood up and said earnestly. “Thank you for your trouble.”

Jiang Cheng nodded. “It’s part of my job.”

Pi Ruan left with a sigh.

As soon as he stepped out the door, Fatty leaned in. “Doctor,” he said, “this guy seems pretty decent. Sure, he’s got some minor issues, but he’s genuinely devoted to his girlfriend. I don’t get why she’s so convinced he has ulterior motives.”

Jiang Cheng opened a drawer, placed the notebook inside, and looked up. “Is that what you think?”

Fatty blinked, as if he didn’t understand Jiang Cheng’s meaning, and could only mumble, “What are you getting at?”

Jiang Cheng gestured for Fatty to be quiet. A few seconds later, the door opened again, and Pi Ruan strode back in, apologetically saying, “Dr. Jiang, my memory’s slipping. I almost forgot the most important thing. My girlfriend’s 80th birthday is the day after tomorrow-you have to come!”

Jiang Cheng replied calmly, “Congratulations, I’ll be there.”

After getting his answer, Pi Ruan left satisfied.

Fatty’s mouth hung open in an “O” shape.

When the door opened again, Fatty noticed a young woman dressed like a secretary standing outside. She wore a white blouse, a black professional skirt, and black-framed glasses, exuding both intellect and charm.

As Pi Ruan stepped out, he naturally wrapped his left arm around her waist, and the two walked away laughing and chatting.

Fatty silently picked up the shattered pieces of his worldview, realizing they could never be put back together.

Jiang Cheng tidied up some documents on the table, inserting a few of them into the medical case file rack in order. When he turned around, he found Fatty still staring intently at the door.

A blue supercar roared off with a rev of its engine.

“What are you looking at?” Jiang Cheng asked.

“Doctor,” Fatty suddenly said, “I don’t want to work hard anymore. His happiness seems so pure.”

Jiang Cheng thought for a moment, then walked back to the case file rack and pulled out a few folders marked with red sticky notes.

He opened one, then turned to face Fatty, tucking the others under his arm. “Zhao Guiqin,” he read aloud. “A private entrepreneur, owner of nine villas, countless luxury cars, with assets exceeding a billion. She’s 89 years old,” he looked up at Fatty, “and currently single.”

Fatty’s lips trembled, as if he wanted to say something but found it inconvenient to speak up.

Jiang Cheng suddenly looked enlightened and pulled out one of the folders he had tucked under his arm. “Liu Niuma, a landlady with dozens of apartments under her name, 77 years old, and also single,” he said, putting down the folder and speaking earnestly to Fatty. “Don’t let her age fool you-she’s seriously ill and has no children.”

Fatty took a deep breath and said firmly, “Doctor, I think I’m still young and can give it another shot.”

Jiang Cheng clicked his tongue a few times, regretfully putting the folder back.

Following Jiang Cheng, Fatty asked, puzzled, “Doctor, how do you have all this information about these people? Are they all your patients?”

“Sort of,” Jiang Cheng replied.

“What illnesses do they have?”

Jiang Cheng looked at Fatty and said slowly, “They suffer from loneliness and emptiness at night.”

Fatty shivered involuntarily, then suddenly seemed to realize something and widened his eyes. “So, the girlfriend of that Pi Ruan guy-was she introduced by you?”

Jiang Cheng scratched his nose, looking somewhat embarrassed. “It’s part of my duty as a doctor. Seeing their long-lost smiles return brings me genuine joy.”

Fatty blurted out, “Tell me honestly, how much commission did you take from those wealthy women?”

Jiang Cheng ignored him and went upstairs alone, mysteriously busy with something. Fatty checked the time and estimated that the ribs would need another hour to be ready.

He washed the vegetables he had bought, peeled the yams and potatoes, and prepared to make a pot of pork rib stew with bok choy, adding some yams for extra nourishment.

He also decided to whip up a plate of hot and sour shredded potatoes on the side.