Jiang Chen said goodbye to Wen-xian and got into the luxury car headed straight for the county hospital.
The motorcade sped down the road, showing no regard for red lights. Before long, they arrived at the county hospital.
The group got out of the cars in the hospital courtyard and hurriedly made their way to the surgical wing.
The man with round glasses led the way, bringing Jiang Chen to a high-end hospital room.
Just as they stopped outside, Jiang Chen was taken aback.
What the…?
Squatting by the door was a pudgy middle-aged man, head lowered, arms tucked into his sleeves, his entire body hunched over like a stray dog. He looked utterly defeated.
Jiang Chen tilted his head and took a closer look. Wait—wasn't that Gou Chu?
What happened to him? How did he end up like this?
He looked closer and was stunned again.
Hanging around Gou Chu's neck was a sign made of stiff cardboard with thick black writing on it:"I am not a man. I am a dog."
What…?
This wasn't something he did to himself. Someone must've forced him.
It looked like one of those ancient punishments—being publicly shamed with a cangue.
And Gou Chu stayed there, motionless, obedient like a trained dog.
A man was watching over him. If Gou Chu's posture wasn't just right, the man would kick him and yell,"Stupid mutt! Kneel properly!"
Gou Chu would immediately drop to all fours, butt in the air, while the man pressed his head to the ground.
Jiang Chen frowned. This was too brutal.
He couldn't stand watching it.
He brushed his hand across the top of Gou Chu's head and asked, "Gou Chu, why the hell are you kneeling here?"
Gou Chu slowly looked up. When he saw it was Jiang Chen, shame and shock swept over his tear- and snot-covered face. His eyes were full of misery.
"What the hell happened?" Jiang Chen pressed.
Gou Chu's voice was weak and broken, like a beaten mutt:"Thanks to you saving her yesterday… or else, even my dog life wouldn't have made up for it! Chairman Li punished me to kneel outside her room for three days."
"Chairman Li? Who's that?"Jiang Chen's dislike flared up instantly. He didn't know the guy yet, but he already hated him. Definitely not a decent person.
"He's the chairman of Tianle Group in the provincial capital. He's the father of the girl who got hurt. He's been too good to me. Even if I kneel for ten days, I'm grateful. I'll be thankful for life. I'd even wash his feet every day. Think about it—if it were someone else, I'd be in jail already."
Jiang Chen understood. This whole mess started because Gou Chu tried to rape the girl. If the Li family had pressed charges, Gou Chu would be behind bars by now—his job gone, likely expelled from the civil service system.
In that sense, the Li family was being lenient.
Still, making a grown man kneel like a dog in public was inhumane.
As the saying goes, "A scholar can be killed, not humiliated!"
Gou Chu had no spine. Given the choice between jail and this, he should've taken jail.
So damn pathetic.
Jiang Chen looked at him, full of conflicted emotions, and asked, "The Li family is this powerful, and you still dared to mess with their daughter? Were you asking for trouble?"
"If I had known she was Chairman Li Yuzhu's daughter, I wouldn't have dared touch a hair on her head!"
"So what, you think it's fine to mess with regular girls?" Jiang Chen shot back in disgust. He almost kicked him right then and there. Thinking of all the women abused by men like this, despairing and broken, Jiang Chen's anger boiled over—he kicked Gou Chu square in the tailbone.
Gou Chu cried out in pain, curling up.
After a while, he whimpered,"No, no, I've learned my lesson. I won't do it again…"
"Shut up!" the man in glasses barked.
Still holding a grudge from being humiliated by Jiang Chen in Jiang Family Village, he took it out on Gou Chu. He lifted his shoe—still damp from his earlier accident—and kicked Gou Chu in the head.
Blood trickled down Gou Chu's temple.
"Keep your damn posture straight!" the glasses man scolded. "One more slip, and I'll tack on two more hours!"
Gou Chu trembled and quickly put his face to the ground like a dog eating scraps.
Jiang Chen shot a sidelong glance at him.
Just then—Creaaak…The hospital room door opened.
A graceful woman peeked her head out.
Her voice was soft, clear, and pleasant:"Is Dr. Jiang here?"
The man in glasses bent at the waist immediately,"Madam, I've brought Dr. Jiang."
"Please, come in!" she opened the door wide.
"Dr. Zhang, thank you so much for what you did yesterday," she said warmly, offering both hands to Jiang Chen. "I'm Han Yan."
Her hands were soft and smooth, fragrant with a delicate feminine scent that instantly filled Jiang Chen's lungs.
He had never interacted with such an elegant woman before—he was both thrilled and intrigued.
Her hands felt boneless, cool and soft, almost like water, resting in his palms with a unique sensation.
She didn't pull away right away, so Jiang Chen took the liberty of holding on for a few more seconds, puzzled.
What was so strange about these hands?
Cool, soft, smooth, supple… the pulse was light and even—classic traits of a virgin.
But how could a woman with a grown daughter be a virgin?
Something wasn't adding up.
Jiang Chen furrowed his brow, studying her face.
She did look like the girl in the hospital bed—but her age didn't match. They looked more like sisters than mother and daughter.
Based on her daughter's age, Han Yan had to be thirty-seven or thirty-eight, but she only looked thirty—an absolutely stunning woman.
Only the curves beneath her tight-fitting skirt hinted at her real age.
"I was just doing my job as a doctor," Jiang Chen said modestly. "In that situation, I couldn't just stand by."
Han Yan turned to the man with glasses:"You can wait outside. Dr. Jiang and I need to discuss her condition. No one is allowed to interrupt."
Jiang Chen couldn't help but secretly stick out his tongue—this was what real money could buy. Even doctors and nurses were dismissed like nothing.
"Yes, Madam."
"And that Gou Chu," she added, "Tell him to leave. It's not a good look."
"Madam," the man hesitated, "Chairman Li ordered that Gou Chu kneel the full time, no exceptions. And besides, he's doing it willingly. If we stop him, the chairman will call the police."
Han Yan hesitated too, then waved it off."Fine, fine. You go."
He bowed and backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Han Yan led Jiang Chen to the hospital bed.
"Chairman Li was called to a meeting by the mayor, so I'll explain instead."
She gave him a quick summary of her daughter's surgery.
"So, you brought me here because…?"
Han Yan's tone turned anxious."The lead doctor said there's still fluid in her chest and abdomen. It may take time to absorb, but during that process, there's a risk of complications like thoracic or peritoneal infections. I wanted to ask if you had a better solution."
Jiang Chen leaned in to examine the unconscious girl."I'll need to do a full check first."
But he didn't move. Instead, he looked at Han Yan.
After all, this was her daughter. He couldn't just lift the blanket without permission.
Han Yan understood and asked,"What exactly do you need to check?"
"A full-body examination."