The moment the phone appeared, Ding Jia's attention was instantly diverted. Looking at it in astonishment, she asked, "What is that?"
"A cell phone."
"*This* is a phone?!"
Su Jin gave a suave smile. "Sorry, I forgot. This model hasn't been released on the domestic market yet, so it's a bit different from what you usually see around here."
With that, he pressed the Xiaomi 6 straight into Ding Jia's hands.
Ding Jia held the device, momentarily stunned. Su Jin gently took her fingers and guided them across the screen.
A string of baffling jargon tumbled effortlessly from his lips—things like "deca-core dual lenses," "thinner than a coin," "gets smoother the more you use it," and "miles ahead!"
"This is amazing! Are foreign phones really like this now? What country's writing is this, anyway?" Ding Jia asked excitedly. Although the phone was covered in foreign script that she couldn't make heads or tails of, she hadn't noticed that the conversation had completely derailed—nor that Su Jin was holding her entire right hand.
Only when Su Jin took the phone back did Ding Jia suddenly realize, pulling her hand away with a blush dusting her cheeks.
"Wakandan," he said.
"Wakanda? There's a country called that...? What kind of company could be so incredible?" Ding Jia murmured to herself.
"Wakanda is a tiny nation, but the company that makes these phones is famous. Feel free to guess," Su Jin said with a smile. Then, decisively changing the subject, he added, "It takes pictures, too. How about I snap one of you?"
"Really?" Ding Jia was thoroughly amazed.
Su Jin stepped back two paces and, without another word, raised the Xiaomi and snapped a photo.
Remaining right where he stood, he opened an editing app and touched up the image on the spot.
Ten seconds later, an impeccably edited portrait was presented before Ding Jia's eyes.
Staring at herself on the screen—skin lightened by two shades and every beauty filter dialed to the max—Ding Jia's heart fluttered, and she gasped.
"Is... is that really me?"
Su Jin adopted a sheepish look and gave a dry chuckle. "My apologies... It's just a phone camera, after all, not professional gear. It's only natural for it to make a ten-out-of-ten beauty look like an eight."
"Huh?" Deep crimson flushed Ding Jia's cheeks, and any trace of her earlier cool demeanor vanished entirely. "No, no, it's already wonderful."
"So... where can someone actually buy this phone?"
"It hasn't hit the market yet. I only got my hands on one through an insider connection with a friend. I hear that even when it officially goes on sale, it'll only be available to a select few."
"Oh..." Ding Jia sounded a little disappointed. Then she asked, "How much does a phone like this cost?"
"Not much. Just twenty thousand," Su Jin lied without batting an eye.
"Twenty thousand!" Ding Jia blurted out. Quickly realizing how unseemly her reaction was, she blushed and amended, "For a phone this good, twenty thousand... really isn't expensive at all."
"Yeah, it handles quite nicely. It makes a great gift for relatives and friends, too. I originally wanted to have my friend hook me up with a few more, but unfortunately, I couldn't snag enough insider allocations before returning to the country."
*Just twenty thousand... not expensive... get a few more... give them away to friends and family?! Just how rich is he? And so young... Does he come from a powerful background?*
Thoughts churned frantically in Ding Jia's mind until Su Jin's voice pulled her back to reality.
"Miss Ding, I think we've gotten a bit sidetracked."
"Ah? Ah... right, right," Ding Jia hurried to nod.
"Let's get back to Qingdai," Su Jin said, glancing toward Fu Qingdai behind him with a worried sigh. "She used to be such a lively child. Who would have thought the pressures of life would land her in a place like this? Frankly, it breaks my heart to see it. And from observing her, I don't feel staying here is doing her recovery much good.
"Being in a familiar environment would be far more beneficial for her. Miss Ding... do you really think she has to stay here for treatment?"
"Actually... not necessarily," Ding Jia answered hesitantly.
Su Jin nodded. "I feel the same way. That's why I was hoping you could do me a favor. Once she's home, I can hire someone to look after her, and even outside of here, medications and proper guidance can easily be arranged. Besides, won't we have you? Miss Ding, would you mind giving me your phone number?"
Ding Jia had her left hand tucked in her pocket, clutching her Xiaolingtong handset. After hesitating for a long moment, she felt too embarrassed to pull it out and simply recited a string of digits.
"All right, take this down."
Su Jin tapped a random sequence of numbers onto his screen with a show of seriousness, then immediately feigned surprise.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I just got back to the country, and this phone doesn't work on local networks yet. Why don't you write it down for me instead? Once I sort out the paperwork, I'll give you a call. How does that sound?"
Without waiting for her to respond, he tore a page from his notebook and handed her the paper and pen.
Once he had her number, Su Jin folded the slip carefully and tucked it into his pocket.
"Miss Ding, I'll be counting on you for this."
"Wait, did I say I agreed?" Ding Jia crossed her arms, looking at Su Jin with a half-smile.
Su Jin smiled faintly. "Fair enough, that was presumptuous of me. But regardless, I hope to stay in touch so we can discuss Qingdai's progress. Anyone can see you're as kindhearted as you are beautiful, and truly dedicated to your patients. When you have time, I simply must take you out for a meal.
"By the way, if my uncle and his family come by tomorrow, please don't mention that I was here. They don't know I've returned to the country yet, and I'd like to surprise them.
"You might say no to other favors, but you absolutely have to help me with this one!"
"Don't worry, I'll definitely help with that!" Ding Jia nodded.
Just then, a voice called out from the distance.
Ding Jia looked over her shoulder, then turned back to Su Jin with a conflicted expression. "I have duties to attend to. Should we wrap this up for now?"
Su Jin nodded in understanding.
Yet as Ding Jia turned to walk away, he raised his phone and called out, "Miss Ding!"
"Yes?" She glanced back.
"Your picture is still on my phone... Would you mind if I kept it? When I have time, I'll print a copy and bring it to you," Su Jin said, his face brimming with a bright smile.
"Ah... Sure, of course!"
"Wait for my call. Hang in there!"
The blush that had just faded from Ding Jia's cheeks flared up again with full force. Spinning around, she trotted off with girlish, light-footed steps.
Watching her figure disappear, Su Jin's smile vanished.
He pulled the slip of paper with her number from his pocket, crumpled it into a ball, and casually tossed it into a nearby trash can.
He strode over to Fu Qingdai, sat down across from her, and said in all seriousness, "Let's make this quick. Sometime this afternoon or evening, whenever you get the chance, go chat with that nurse, Ding Jia. Tell her you want to set me up on a date and play matchmaker for the two of us. Don't make it look forced, understand?
"Then tomorrow, when your mother comes, get Ding Jia to speak up for you and say you'd do better recovering at home. If she doesn't help, throw a tantrum, cry, make a scene—even pretend you're going to kill yourself if you have to... But don't bring me up in front of your parents. Can you handle that?"
"Yes!" Fu Qingdai answered resolutely.
"Good. Now give me your home address. I'll head over today to scope things out and try to get settled nearby as soon as possible. Once I've rented a place, look for the windows with two sheets of white paper taped to them—that'll be mine."
Fu Qingdai didn't answer right away. Instead, she chewed her lower lip, hesitating. "Cousin... can I ask you one more question?"
"Are you only going to save me?"
"What else? How many people do you think I can save?" Su Jin replied without thinking.
Fu Qingdai's face drained of color, and she shrank back. "No! You have to save my parents too! And my friends... If you can save me, you can't just leave them to die!"
Hearing this gave Su Jin an instant headache.
"Don't pile all these demands on me! I'm telling you, I've had a rough couple of days, and I'm sick of women right now!"
"Then I might as well just die... What's the point of surviving all alone?" Fu Qingdai's body trembled as she glared at Su Jin with stubborn defiance.
Su Jin was rendered speechless, his mind racing for a solution.
After a brief silence, he said, "I can't worry about anyone else right now, but I'll save your parents for sure. Deal?"
Looking at it rationally, Fu Qingdai's parents had to be saved no matter what.
A young teenage girl stood zero chance of surviving on her own; the greatest pillar supporting her survival was undeniably her parents.
Keeping them alive might even help him wrap up his mission ahead of schedule.
Hearing him agree, Fu Qingdai's gaze softened slightly, and she gave two slow nods.
"I understand... Saving my parents is enough. Cousin, I know I have no right to demand anything from you... but I'm just so scared..."
With reddened eyes, Fu Qingdai reached behind her back, pulled out three notebooks, and handed them over.
Su Jin took them, puzzled, and began flipping through them...
The first notebook documented every single one of Fu Qingdai's dreams. Every detail was recorded, and even the parts she couldn't clearly recall were meticulously noted.
The second notebook contained a massive amount of practical survival knowledge and newspaper clippings.
The third notebook had a map of Longshan City tucked inside, marked with key locations—grain stores, hospitals, police stations... The remaining pages recorded her home address, a rough hand-drawn map, and the layout of nearby supermarkets, pharmacies, gas supply stations, and other facilities around her neighborhood.
"You... you took all these notes yourself?!" Su Jin stared at Fu Qingdai in shock.
Fu Qingdai nodded. "Cousin... I knew you'd come looking for me, and I guessed you might be an alien. I was afraid you wouldn't understand our world, so I prepared in advance.
"I also have over ten thousand yuan buried under the big tree right outside my apartment entrance. There's only one tree there, so it's easy to spot. I painted a red dot on the trunk, and the money is buried right below it."
"How much?! Where did a student like you get that kind of cash? Are you from some wealthy family?" Su Jin was stunned all over again.
Fu Qingdai's cheeks burned, and she found it hard to speak. Lowering her head, she stammered, "I... I borrowed it from the boys at my school a while ago... from over a hundred of them..."
"Good grief..." Su Jin was flabbergasted. "Scamming men out of their money at your age?"
"I didn't scam them!" Fu Qingdai protested loudly in mortification, though her voice quickly shrank back to a mutter. "I never said I wouldn't pay them back... If they don't die, I'll definitely repay every cent, even if I have to work odd jobs or sell my own blood..."
"All right, all right, all right!" Su Jin praised her repeatedly, his gaze now filled with genuine admiration.
A young teenage girl who knew the apocalypse was coming had tried to warn everyone, endured countless doubts and misunderstandings, and still taken concrete action—refusing to give up even after being locked in a psychiatric hospital.
Such extraordinary resilience under pressure and decisive initiative would put grown adults to shame.
The information and funds she had provided were simply invaluable.
A bleeding heart...? This wasn't someone destined to be a naive do-gooder! She was an absolute angel!
A truly top-tier client... She was unlikely to drag him down.
Pocketing the three notebooks, Su Jin looked straight at Fu Qingdai and said seriously, "You did a fantastic job. Leave the rest to me. I'll be waiting for you on the outside... You're far too thin, so make sure to eat well these next few days."
"I know. I'm counting on you... Cousin."
Chapter 7