Chapter 54

Seeing Xu Yan's strange expression, Chen Yaoyu felt a sinking feeling in her heart. She asked cautiously, "Xu Yan, are you, are you angry with me? It was just an idea. If you don't want to, it's fine. Please don't be angry!"

Xu Yan shook his head: "I'm not angry, but why did you think of having me pretend to be a wizard?"

Chen Yaoyu heaved a sigh of relief and said lightly, "I'm glad you're not angry. What do you think of the idea? I thought and thought, but I couldn't come up with any other way to get you into the ward, so I had to use the excuse of a wizard exorcising evil spirits."

"Since that's the case, let's go with your plan—just, at my age, pretending to be an exorcist might be a bit of a stretch. Will your family believe it?"

Seeing Xu Yan agree to her request, Chen Yaoyu was overjoyed—frankly, before making the request, she had been quite anxious. After all, pretending to be a charlatan didn't sound good, and she was worried Xu Yan would outright refuse. At that time, she really didn't know what excuse she could use to get Xu Yan into her grandfather's ward.

She smiled and replied to Xu Yan, "Xu Yan, you are a bit young to play the role of a master. But if you pretend to be a wizard, the most my family will do is wonder why the wizard is so young and worry if you're capable enough. But if you were to pretend to be a medical expert or professor, you'd probably be seen through at first glance, right?"

"That's true. Let's go over our story to make sure we don't slip up and let your family see through it."

The two of them discussed as the car drove for about half an hour, stopping in front of a large compound on Chun Chang Road in the city center. Seeing the grand buildings, the national flag and emblem, and the armed police guards at the gate, Xu Yan's eyes widened slightly. This compound was the headquarters of the Jin Cheng City Committee and the municipal government of Shu Du Province.

Chen Yaoyu drove toward the gate, slowing down as she passed the armed police guards. She lowered the window halfway, allowing the guards to see her face. The guards snapped to attention and saluted her, but Chen Yaoyu ignored them, simply raising the window again and driving slowly into the compound.

Noticing Xu Yan's curious gaze, Chen Yaoyu turned to look at him and explained, "My uncle works here, and the patient is in the residential area behind the compound."

Xu Yan chuckled, thinking that the way the guard treated Chen Yaoyu suggested that her uncle was not just a simple employee but likely a high-ranking official.

The car drove through the compound, and Xu Yan looked out the window. The compound, which was often described as mysterious and formidable, didn't seem so impressive to him. It was just a few buildings surrounded by green trees and shaded paths, with staff members walking briskly. Apart from the grand municipal and government buildings, the other structures looked ordinary, even less impressive than the campus of Shu Du University.

There were many cars in the compound, so many that the parking lot was full, and many had to park along the shaded paths. Fortunately, there were no luxury cars as rumored, mostly just Hondas and Volkswagens, with the most expensive being an Audi. It was far from the exaggerated claims of luxury cars everywhere.

Seeing Xu Yan staring at the parked cars, Chen Yaoyu's eyes flickered, and she asked lightly, "Xu Yan, do you like cars?"

Xu Yan turned back and said, "Not really, I just like looking at them—I don't even know how to drive."

"Actually, learning to drive isn't that hard these days. Many of my classmates have learned."

"Maybe, but I don't know where I'll work after graduation, so getting a driver's license would be a hassle. I'll learn when I have a job."

"Oh, Xu Yan, do you not plan to stay in Jin Cheng after graduation?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, I think I'll return to my hometown, Luo Dan. My father has some business there, and I need to help him."

The two of them chatted as the car passed through the side gate of the municipal compound and entered the residential area. At the entrance of the residential area, two security guards were on duty, but Chen Yaoyu lowered the window to show her face, and they let her through without any trouble. The car drove into the residential area, where rows of villas were neatly arranged. It stopped in front of one of the villas.

Around this villa, a few young men in black pants and white shirts were milling about. They wore dark glasses, had short hair, and stood straight, holding walkie-talkies and earpieces, looking very professional, clearly bodyguards or security personnel.

As soon as Chen Yaoyu and Xu Yan got out of the car, two young men in black pants and white shirts immediately approached. The older one, who seemed to recognize Chen Yaoyu, bowed and greeted her but kept his eyes on Xu Yan—despite the dark glasses, Xu Yan could feel the sharpness of his gaze.

Chen Yaoyu introduced them, "Adviser Cao, this is my friend Mr. Wang. He's here to see my grandfather—"

The young man called "Adviser Cao" nodded but still looked at Xu Yan with a serious expression, blocking his path. Chen Yaoyu, at a loss, said, "Secretary Qi knows about this—should I have him call you?"

Hearing about Secretary Qi, Adviser Cao hesitated, then nodded slightly, stepping back to let them through. Chen Yaoyu led Xu Yan up the steps and rang the doorbell.

After a while, a maid-like auntie opened the door and greeted Chen Yaoyu respectfully, "Miss Chen, you've come to see the old man?"

Chen Yaoyu nodded and asked, "Auntie Cao, is Grandpa feeling better today?"

Auntie Cao looked at Xu Yan, sighed, and shook her head with a worried expression but didn't say anything. Chen Yaoyu understood and asked, "Who is with Grandpa now?"

Auntie Cao whispered, "Everyone is here. Secretary Li and Aunt Wen haven't gone to work today and have been with Grandpa. Secretary Li's two sons are also here. I heard that Grandpa Wen's youngest son, Uncle Si, is rushing back from America to see Grandpa. His flight will land at noon. Secretary Li has already told the doctors to keep Grandpa alive until the afternoon, at least until Uncle Si can see him."

"Uncle Si is also rushing back from America?" Chen Yaoyu frowned, realizing it was a last farewell. She asked angrily, "What about the doctors? What's going on? How could he fall ill so suddenly and not be saved?"

"Uh, Miss Chen, I don't understand these things, but some experts have been invited. You can ask them when you go up—uh, Miss Chen, this gentleman looks unfamiliar. Who is he?"

"Auntie Cao, don't worry about it. This is Mr. Wang, whom I specially invited to save Grandpa."

Auntie Cao exclaimed in surprise and looked at Xu Yan again. Although Xu Yan was dressed in a suit and looked mature and authoritative, she could tell he was quite young, probably just in his early twenties.

She said politely, "Hello, Mr. Wang! You must be very talented to be a doctor at such a young age."

Xu Yan smiled and nodded but didn't speak. Chen Yaoyu whispered a few words to Auntie Cao, and Xu Yan didn't know what she said, but Auntie Cao's expression changed suddenly, becoming more respectful.

Auntie Cao hurriedly said, "Miss Chen, Mr. Wang, please wait in the living room. I'll go tell Aunt Wen."

She rushed upstairs, glancing back at Xu Yan a few times with a respectful look.

Xu Yan looked at Chen Yaoyu, "What did you tell her to make her so scared?"

Chen Yaoyu smiled but didn't answer, saying, "Let's wait here for Aunt and Uncle to come down."

So, Xu Yan and Chen Yaoyu sat on the sofa in the living room and waited. Xu Yan looked around the living room, noting the furniture. Since his family ran a furniture store, he was familiar with market prices. He could tell that the redwood sofa he was sitting on was made of Brazilian redwood, worth at most a few hundred thousand yuan, which surprised him. He thought that for someone of Chen Yaoyu's uncle's position, the furniture and decor were quite modest, similar to a middle-class home.

However, although Secretary Li's home was not luxurious, it was clearly well-decorated. The colors and placement of the furniture and potted plants were well-coordinated, making the space very comfortable. Xu Yan didn't know what level of official Secretary Li was, but with so many bodyguards and security personnel, he was definitely not an ordinary person.

Xu Yan asked Chen Yaoyu softly, "These security personnel... are they your uncle's?"

Chen Yaoyu hesitated and said in a low voice, "Don't say anything reckless—my uncle isn't at that level. These are the security personnel assigned to my grandfather by higher-ups."

Xu Yan nodded, understanding: It seemed that Chen Yaoyu's grandfather was no ordinary person.

They waited in silence for a while, and then someone came down the stairs. Auntie Cao led a man and a woman down. The woman was in her forties, well-preserved, and dressed in a well-fitted, elegant outfit. She had a regal air but a worried expression, with dark circles under her eyes, indicating she had been up all night. Seeing her, Xu Yan glanced back at Chen Yaoyu: the woman's features were similar to Chen Yaoyu's, suggesting she was a beauty in her youth.

The man was in his twenties, tall and slender, wearing a well-tailored light-colored casual suit and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. His short, neat hair made him look very spirited. He walked steadily and had a dignified air. As soon as he came downstairs, he noticed Xu Yan and looked at him curiously.

Seeing the man and woman, Xu Yan was trying to guess their identities when Chen Yaoyu stood up and called out, "Aunt, Cousin!"

She turned to Xu Yan and introduced them, "This is my aunt, you can call her Aunt Wen; this is my cousin, Li Zhuo."

Xu Yan remained seated, only nodding slightly, "Mrs. Wen, Mr. Li, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Seeing Xu Yan's lack of respect, not even standing up to greet them, Aunt Wen and Li Zhuo frowned, looking displeased. Aunt Wen said to Chen Yaoyu, "Xiao Yu, you suddenly left, and we didn't know where you went. It's good you're back. Later, you and Cousin will go to the airport to pick up Uncle Si."

Mr. Li Zhuo glanced at Xu Yan and said coolly, "Yes, it's about time to go. Xiao Yu, let's go."

Chen Yaoyu shook her head, "Aunt, there's no rush to pick up Uncle Si. The most important thing now is Grandpa. Has he improved at all since I left this morning?"

At this question, both of their faces darkened. Aunt Wen's eyes reddened, and she looked like she was about to cry, but she didn't want to lose composure in front of her niece and a stranger, so she turned away and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief.

Li Zhuo sighed, "There's been no improvement, and it might be worse. The experts say there's nothing they can do—Xiao Yu, you know about this, so why are you asking again?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Xu Yan, his eyes filled with suspicion—suspecting that Chen Yaoyu's sudden interest in Grandpa's condition was related to the stranger she had brought.

Noticing Li Zhuo's gaze, Chen Yaoyu pointed to Xu Yan and introduced him, "Aunt, Cousin, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Xu, whom I specially invited to treat Grandpa's condition. Mr. Xu has a lot of experience with this kind of strange illness. I had to work hard to convince him to help."

Aunt Wen and Li Zhuo turned to look at Xu Yan, their eyes filled with surprise. Xu Yan sat calmly, facing their curious gazes with a confident nod.

Aunt Wen and Li Zhuo exchanged glances, looking at Chen Yaoyu and then at Xu Yan, both clearly surprised. Li Zhuo hesitated and said, "Mr. Xu... you look quite young. Which hospital in Jin Cheng do you work at?"

Xu Yan smiled faintly, "I don't work at any hospital in Jin Cheng, and I'm not a doctor."

Li Zhuo's expression became even more puzzled, and he asked, "Oh, are you a medical expert who has returned from abroad? You're very accomplished. Which research institute did you work at abroad?"

Xu Yan shook his head again, "Mr. Li, I don't work at any research institute—strictly speaking, I don't even know much about medicine."

Li Zhuo was taken aback and, out of good manners, maintained his politeness, "Then, Mr. Xu, what do you do?"

"I'm just a wanderer, doing nothing much, hehe."

Li Zhuo was stunned and looked at Chen Yaoyu with a reproachful expression, as if to say, "What are you doing? At a time like this, you bring back some random person?"

Aunt Wen scolded, "Xiao Yu, it's one thing to be playful, but now is not the time to cause trouble for the family."

Chen Yaoyu said, "Aunt, Cousin, you don't understand. I'm not causing trouble. Mr. Xu is very special. He has some unique and powerful abilities. People usually call him Master Xu."

For a moment, Li Zhuo and Aunt Wen's faces turned very strange, as if they had just swallowed a tadpole. Aunt Wen frowned, "Master Xu? Is he one of those... feng shui, ghost-catching, fortune-telling types..."

She hesitated, not finishing her sentence, but everyone in the room knew what she meant: "A charlatan who does feng shui, ghost-catching, and fortune-telling!"

Li Zhuo frowned, looking at Xu Yan expressionlessly, occasionally glancing at the door as if ready to call security.

Xu Yan held back a laugh, not saying anything, just looking at Chen Yaoyu—after all, they had agreed on the way that convincing the family was Chen Yaoyu's responsibility. If she couldn't convince the patient's family, the matter would be dropped, and Xu Yan didn't mind.

Chen Yaoyu knew this was a critical moment. If she couldn't convince her aunt and cousin, there was no way she could convince her uncle and the medical experts.

She shook her head, "Aunt, you're mistaken! Mr. Xu is not a charlatan. He is a highly skilled and genuine master. I've seen it with my own eyes. A patient with a condition similar to Grandpa's was almost dead, and the hospital had issued a critical notice. Mr. Xu came, and in less than five minutes, the patient woke up and was fine—Aunt, I saw it with my own eyes, not just hearsay."

Chen Yaoyu rambled on, exaggerating Xu Yan's abilities, describing him as a master with incredible powers, capable of performing miracles that were trivial for him. Xu Yan was surprised that the usually cold and quiet Chen Yaoyu could be so persuasive, speaking eloquently and leaving Aunt Wen and Li Zhuo speechless.

Aunt Wen and Li Zhuo exchanged glances, both at a loss, unsure how to respond. Li Zhuo, being more experienced, reacted more quickly and said politely, "Master Xu..."

Xu Yan waved his hand, "Mr. Li, just call me Master Xu. The title 'Master' is not to be used lightly. I'm young and don't deserve it. Miss Chen exaggerated a bit to help me save face. You two are experienced people, so please don't laugh."

Xu Yan's words were said with a calm and composed demeanor, making him seem almost like a sage.

...