Chapter Six: Don’t Laugh—I’ve Never Seen This Much Money Before!!

As the morning light just spilled over the windowsill, Wen Yan was awakened by the aroma of millet porridge. She opened her eyes to see a nurse placing breakfast by her bedside—steamed eggs, boiled vegetables, multigrain porridge, along with a box of imported milk and some blueberries.

“This kind of treatment…” Wen Yan pinched her own cheek. In her previous life, after a night shift, she’d be lucky to snag a cold bun.

“Host, your ‘unexpected windfall’ alert has arrived,” the system’s voice suddenly chimed in.

Wen Yan nearly choked on her porridge. “How much? Where?”

The door opened. Dr. Duan entered, accompanied by an elderly gentleman in a traditional Zhongshan suit.

“Miss Wen, this is Director Duan,” Duan Mengsheng’s gentle voice announced.

Wen Yan quickly put down her spoon, wiped the corner of her mouth, and nodded politely. “Hello, Director Duan. Hello, Dr. Duan.”

Director Zhang approached the bedside, his gaze full of concern as he assessed her. “How is your condition? Any lingering discomfort?”

“I feel mostly fine, just a bit of soreness in my lower back,” Wen Yan answered truthfully, flexing her wrists.

The elderly director nodded and sighed. “The accident at our hospital is our responsibility. We should take good care of you. The test results show no serious issues. I’ve come today to discuss compensation.” He paused, sincerity in his tone. “We’d prefer to settle this privately to avoid lengthy legal procedures, which waste time and energy. Also, we’ll arrange for you to come in for follow-ups every two weeks to promptly address any potential aftereffects. How does that sound?”

Wen Yan considered this. She was indeed mostly fine, and lawsuits would be troublesome. Tentatively, she asked, “What about the compensation amount...?”

“Name your price,” Director Zhang replied decisively.

Wen Yan glanced discreetly at Duan Mengsheng, feeling uneasy. Asking for too much might get rejected; too little would be unfair to herself. After hesitating, she raised one finger and whispered, “One hundred thousand?”

Before the director could respond, Duan Mengsheng blurted out in surprise, “One million?”

Wen Yan nearly dropped her spoon in shock, hastily waving her hand, “No, no, I meant one hundred thousand.”

Unexpectedly, Director Zhang slapped Duan Mengsheng on the back, then turned to Wen Yan and said, “Fine, one million it is.”

Both parties were unusually straightforward, each fearing the other might back out.

Duan Mengsheng wanted to protest but was discreetly pinched on the arm by the elderly director and swallowed his words.

Smiling warmly, the director patted Wen Yan’s hand. “You rest now. I’ll have my assistant handle the paperwork.” He then briskly pulled Duan Mengsheng away, who was still trying to argue, and as the door closed, Duan Mengsheng’s hushed voice could be heard, “Dad! Who compensates that much...?”

After pulling his son aside, Director Zhang whispered mysteriously, “The money isn’t coming from us. Qiao Shao’s side promised to pay whatever it takes and insisted on taking good care of her.”

“What? A miracle?” Duan Mengsheng exclaimed, surprised that the usually aloof old monk was personally negotiating compensation with his father.

***

Hearing this, Duan Mengsheng’s enthusiasm for shipping couples grew stronger. No wonder the director came personally to discuss compensation—they were already protecting her.

Wen Yan froze in place. After a full thirty seconds, she finally registered the figure—one million? She covered her mouth in disbelief, bouncing excitedly on the hospital bed, waving her arms so wildly that she nearly flung the syringe across the room.

“I’ve truly never seen so much money,” the system muttered quietly in her mind.

Wen Yan glared at it. “I just haven’t seen it before!” Her voice grew more aggrieved. “Do you know how hard it is to study medicine? Tuition fees swallowed every penny as soon as I got paid, internships even required paying the hospital, the stipend during graduate school barely covered food, and specialized training for two years paid only 2,000 yuan! Just as I was about to earn a decent salary, I died…” She sniffled, then suddenly laughed, “But now I have one million! In my old world, I didn’t even have ten thousand in savings!”

Just as she was feeling ecstatic, a man in a black suit knocked and entered, handing over a form.

“Miss Wen, please fill in your bank card details. The compensation will be transferred as soon as possible.”

Wen Yan took the pen, her hands trembling. After filling it out, she grabbed the man’s arm and asked anxiously, “How soon will it arrive?”

“The hospital’s account process is a bit slow—three to five business days,” he replied kindly. “Rest assured, the money will definitely come through; the hospital won’t withhold it.”

Suddenly realizing that if the money went into her current cards, Li Jingyan would discover it, Wen Yan quickly sought the system’s help. “Can you help me get a new card?”

“Of course. You can take this card with you once you complete your tasks.” He then projected the card number onto the paper.

After the man left, Wen Yan stretched happily, about to daydream about how to spend the million when the ward door suddenly slammed open.

Liu Yanyan stood at the door with her arms crossed, an unmistakable smirk on her face as she confidently strode to the bedside.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Wen Yan. Throwing tantrums in the ward a couple of days ago, so capable—why are you lying in bed now?” She sneered, glancing at Wen Yan’s bed. “Looks like karma’s come for you.”

“Oh, isn’t this the new queen bee? Shouldn’t you be in obstetrics recovering your pelvic floor instead of roaming the top floor?” Wen Yan glanced her over disdainfully and turned her head.

Wen Yan moved to the bedside. “Serves you right! We could have lived fine without crossing paths, but you just had to stir things up and ruin the peace.”

Fixing Liu Yanyan with a cold, venomous stare like a snake, Wen Yan’s gaze made Liu’s skin crawl. Hastily, Liu asked, “What’s wrong? Going crazy again?”

“You stepped on my blanket,” Wen Yan said seriously.

Liu Yanyan looked down, confused—she hadn’t stepped on anything.

At that moment, Liu Yanyan planted her right hand on the bed and swung her right leg out. “I’m going to hit you—!”

With a scream, Liu Yanyan clutched her jaw in pain and collapsed to the floor. Nurses rushed into the ward, and Li Jingyan came in with them.

Seeing this, the system warned Wen Yan that now was not the time for a direct confrontation. Before the system finished, Wen Yan collapsed to the floor dramatically.

“Sister Yanyan, please don’t steal my family! I beg you! Other than my husband, I have nothing left.” Her sobs were utterly pitiful.

Liu Yanyan, caught off guard by this sudden change of attitude, immediately felt emboldened. She stood up and spat curses, “I’m rich and talented, and better suited to take care of Brother Jingyan! I already have a child, and you refuse to get a divorce. I’ve never seen such a shameless woman…”

Before she could finish, a nurse supporting Wen Yan stepped in and pushed Liu Yanyan aside. Turning to retort, Liu was silenced by Li Jingyan’s stern glare.

“Enough! If you’re not in obstetrics, what are you doing here? Go accompany the child!” Li Jingyan’s voice startled Liu Yanyan.

“But Jingyan!…” She trailed off, swallowing her words in the face of his cold eyes, and sulked out. At the door, she saw Wen Yan’s smug expression, which only fueled her anger.

The nurse helped Wen Yan back onto the bed and prepared to remove the needle.

“I know you’re upset, but the Li family line must continue. I won’t divorce you. I bought a house for her; you two should get along peacefully. No need to cause more trouble,” Li Jingyan said, his tone serious but his words cruelly inhuman.

Wen Yan cursed silently but knew this wasn’t the time to confront this man. He still had his uses.

She quickly shifted her tone. “I want money! Ten thousand per month for living expenses, plus six hundred thousand in compensation.”

“Monthly support is fine. But why do you need six hundred thousand? Hiring a lawyer to divorce me?” Li Jingyan stared, searching her eyes for an answer.

True to his leading role, his presence was intimidating. Wen Yan felt uncomfortable under his gaze and snapped back quickly, “I just want security. If you throw me out later, I’ll have some money to survive.”

“I won’t divorce you,” Li Jingyan resumed his act of feigned devotion, spinning sweet lies that once entranced her.

“Ridiculous. You even said you’d never betray me, that we’d be together forever. So, was the baby made by you masturbating?”

“The Qiao family values virtue above all. If they knew about your affairs, what would happen to you?” Wen Yan’s face was that of a caring mother, but her words were sharp and unyielding.

The nurse had finished removing the needle and was slowly tidying up the table, savoring this earth-shattering drama.

Li Jingyan was left speechless, slowly realizing this girl was growing, increasingly slipping from his control.

But Li Jingyan wasn’t afraid; he looked forward to Wen Yan reaching that point and readily agreed, with one condition: “I’ll agree to all this, but you have to take care of Xiao Yan during her postpartum period.”

He smirked, watching for Wen Yan’s reaction.

“Scumbag,” both the nurse and Wen Yan thought at the same time. To cheat and then boldly demand the wife care for the other woman—he was truly despicable.

“Host, you may refuse, but the story is short. If you don’t use these plot points to gain points, the story will end, and you might not have enough points.”

Wen Yan weighed the situation. Starting her task late and missing plot developments was risky.

But Li Jingyan’s expression, watching her with a mix of sadness and triumph, made the nurse even more furious.

“Fine, I agree!”