Although Qingyuan could be rather underhanded at times, the benefits Jiang Chan had gained were truly enormous. Cultivating with the Soul-Nourishing Wood in her arms, Qingyuan paused when she sensed that profound gratitude. The little girl knew what was good for her.
It was past seven and already dark when Jiang Chan returned to the hospital. Dean Fan had even called to check on her, worried that it might not be safe for her to be out alone.
Although she had become rich in a single day, Jiang Chan was not about to splurge on a hotel. She still had to stay at the hospital to help care for Kang Kang. Dean Fan was getting older and could not match a young person’s energy. Jiang Chan needed to devote more attention to him herself.
Perhaps only after his surgery would she finally be able to relax completely. That evening, she sat beside Kang Kang’s bed, comforting the uneasy child.
“Sister Chan, will I be better after tomorrow? Will I be able to play football and run like Brother An An?”
“Of course. After tomorrow, you’ll need some time to recover. In a few months, you’ll be healthy and able to do all the things you couldn’t do before.”
“Really? You aren’t lying to me, Sister Chan?”
“Of course. When have I ever lied?” Jiang Chan did not like telling lies, and all the children at the orphanage knew it. Reassured by her words, Kang Kang settled down and soon fell fast asleep.
Jiang Chan lay on the hospital’s reclining chair for caregivers, gazing at the night sky. Now that she had become rich overnight, she needed to think carefully about how to use the money.
Her age limited her. Many things would have to wait until she was an adult. Her fingers shifted absently and brushed the basic phone in her pocket. Jiang Chan frowned. Her most pressing task was to replace her phone.
As for everything else, she could consider it in detail after she returned.
Perhaps because he had slept well, Kang Kang was in excellent spirits when he woke, much to Doctor Wang’s satisfaction. He was wheeled into the operating room at eight that morning. The surgery continued until two in the afternoon before it was finally finished.
Dean Fan paced endlessly outside the operating room. Jiang Chan was worried too. Only when she saw Doctor Wang’s smile did she finally feel reassured. Dean Fan pressed her palms together and thanked every god and Buddha in the heavens.
Kang Kang’s operation had gone smoothly. He only needed to remain in the hospital for observation for a little over a week before he could go home. As soon as he came out, Jiang Chan discreetly checked his pulse.
Doctor Wang’s skill was certainly no exaggeration. She could clearly sense that Kang Kang’s heart pulse had grown stronger. With her careful care afterward, he would certainly become healthy.
Jiang Chan stayed at the hospital for another day. School began on the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, so she said goodbye to Dean Fan and Kang Kang and returned to school.
In second-year Class One at City High, it was the first day of the new term. They were all classmates, and although they had not seen one another over the winter break, there was no shortage of awkwardness between them. They gathered to chat about everything under the sun.
“Have you heard? Apparently someone skipped a grade and is joining our class this term. Guess who?” A male student waggled his eyebrows as he shared the gossip with those beside him.
“They’ve got some nerve, skipping a grade at City High. Who’s this genius?” The news stunned the others, who quickly joined the conversation.
“Use your heads. Think of the outstanding first-years and you’ll know. It’s a girl, too!” The student deliberately kept them guessing, giving them only half the answer.
“A first-year girl? Holy crap, don’t tell me it’s her!” One student suddenly stared, swearing before he could stop himself.
“Who?” Some still did not know and kept pressing him for an answer.
He grimaced. “You really don’t know anything, do you? Her banners were everywhere around school at the end of last term, and you still don’t know her? She won gold medals in both physics and biology. She’s famous!”
And incredibly capable! He kept that part to himself. He also competed in physics and had watched Jiang Chan go from a complete beginner to thoroughly outclassing all of them. She had battered his confidence until almost nothing remained.
“Her? Holy crap! Is she going to leave us any chance at all? We were just saying we wouldn’t have to be outclassed by her. Now it looks as though we’ll be following in the first-years’ footsteps.”
At his reminder, everyone remembered. Last term, banners had been hung practically everywhere in the school, all bearing Jiang Chan’s name.
Those who had entered the competitions remembered especially well. Not a single second-year had been selected. Jiang Chan was the sole student chosen, and she was only a first-year. Their teachers had nagged them about it every day.
The point was that after two years of competition classes, they still could not match someone who had attended for only two months. Honestly, during that time, Jiang Chan’s name had practically become their nightmare.
Now this formidable figure had even skipped a grade. Was she going to leave them any room to breathe? At the thought, many of Class One’s students pulled long faces. They could already foresee a school life in which Jiang Chan thoroughly outperformed them.
In the office, the tall, broad Old Jiang smiled until his large eyes narrowed at the sight of Jiang Chan. The other teachers were thoroughly annoyed by that smile. He had managed to snap up such an excellent student.
“Jiang Chan, since you’ve skipped a grade, you won’t be familiar with the class yet. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just come and ask me. Don’t worry, I’m very easygoing. Certainly no worse than that fellow Old He!”
Old Jiang thumped his chest, still remembering to take a jab at He Qinxue. Jiang Chan did not know whether to laugh or cry. Friendship between men was strange. When they got along, they were wonderfully close, but when they started mocking each other, they really showed no mercy.
She was now thankful that the first- and second-year teachers’ offices were on different floors. If Teacher He heard this, the two would probably start arguing again.
While second-year Class One buzzed with discussion, Old Jiang led Jiang Chan toward the classroom, introducing the teachers they met along the way.
Although Jiang Chan had skipped a grade, her dorm room had not changed. Wen Jing and the others were all very nice, so there was no need to move. What if she disliked her new dormmates?
Things were fine as they were. She wondered whether Wen Jing and the others knew she had already skipped a grade. Their reactions would probably be quite entertaining.
Old Jiang was tall and long-legged. One of his strides equaled two of Jiang Chan’s. Only after walking several paces did he realize she was still strolling along behind him, and he could not help being amused.
Such a little girl, barely over a meter and a half tall, was so capable. She had won gold medals in two competitions and now skipped a grade. Old Jiang felt as though an enormous stroke of luck had fallen straight into his lap.
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