Chapter 22: Dark-Skinned Rugged Honest Man 22

The sleek black sedan glided along the rain-slicked highway through the night, and the driver couldn’t help glancing into the rearview mirror at the silent young man for the umpteenth time before letting out a sigh.

There was a saying for times like this: the rope always snaps at its thinnest point, and misfortune always hunts down those who can least afford it.

Young Jiang Rang was a good-tempered fellow—sincere with people, hardworking, and now favored by the main family. His future should’ve been looking up.

But right at this critical juncture, his dad had fallen gravely ill. The way they were racing back in the dead of night suggested the situation was dire.

With time dragging on like this, his job at the Li Family was probably down the drain.

Feeling a pang of sympathy, the driver couldn’t hold back. “Xiao Jiang, you should eat something. You haven’t had a bite all day, not even a sip of water. You’re iron, food’s steel—gotta take care of yourself.”

The young man still said nothing, just kept his head bowed in silence, lost in thought.

On this rushed trip home, the beta had barely packed anything beyond a couple changes of clothes and a few thousand yuan—not even a proper backpack. He clutched a tattered snakeskin bag to his chest like it was precious treasure.

Seeing no response from the young man, the driver didn’t press further.

The rural roads were rough going. After exiting the highway, they were mostly narrow, bumpy paths, turned to mud after two straight days of rain. Midway, the car nearly got stuck.

By the time the sedan finally pulled up to the modest township hospital, Jiang Rang snapped back to reality with a sharp gasp.

The young man’s face was ashen beneath his wheat-toned skin, his lips cracked and peeling.

Sympathy swelling again, the driver recalled the Male Master’s parting words and offered some comfort. “Xiao Jiang, Mr. Qi thinks highly of you. If anything comes up, go find the Mister. Don’t go shouldering it all alone.”

At that, the beta managed a faint smile, thanked the driver hastily, and stepped out into the rain.

The ground was a sodden mess from the relentless downpour, sucking at his feet with every step.

The driver stayed put, watching the young man’s figure fade into the misty rain. For a fleeting moment, it felt like the curtain had fallen on a movie scene.

Perhaps when the protagonist reappeared, it would be the start of a whole new story.

~~~

The hospital corridor lights glowed dimly overhead at night, their pale fluorescence like powdered white pills mingled with the sharp tang of disinfectant, settling soundlessly on the hair and shoulders of everyone who passed.

The young man looked exhausted, his taut, wheat-hued arms straining as he pushed open the ward door by the handle.

What met his eyes was a scene of pallid weariness.

On the bed lay a gray-haired middle-aged man, insensate, an oxygen tube snaking into his nose while the ECG monitor beside him traced erratic peaks and valleys.

Slumped at Father Jiang’s bedside was a frail-faced young man with bloodless lips. He wore a pilled light sweater, strands of linen-colored hair falling over his eyelids, brows furrowed in uneasy sleep.

The moment the door creaked, Hang Liu’s thin eyelids fluttered. His pure amber eyes snapped toward the sound.

“A-Rang…”

His lips moved soundlessly. He shot to his feet, as if doubting a dream, taking one hesitant step forward but freezing before the second.

Jiang Rang wasn’t sure what to feel, but in that instant, a conviction took root in his blood: he had to spend his life treating Hang Liu right.

It was what he owed him.

It was his selfishness that had left his sick father in A Liu’s care. A Liu had always been delicate, and now he was skin and bones, his once warm, fair skin turned sickly pale, dark circles under his eyes underscoring a fragile exhaustion.

Warm fingertips brushed his cheek, leaving a trail of gentle heat.

Tears pooling at the corners of his eyes, the young man whispered in a trembling voice, “A-Rang… is that you? Have you come back?”

Jiang Rang’s throat bobbed. He gently clasped the young man’s bony hand, drawing it into his own palm. The tall, upright youth murmured, “Yeah. I’m back.”

Scarce had the words left his mouth when Jiang Rang felt a warm, fragrant embrace envelop him tight.

It was like sinking into a hot bath; the beta didn’t even want to lift a finger, just surrender completely to this soothing, enveloping warmth.

Only after a long while, once their emotions had steadied somewhat, did the airtight hug loosen just a fraction.

Hang Liu’s gaze had been glued to the young man the whole time, his usual gentle eyes now scanning the beta’s face inch by inch like a searchlight.

Finally, the young man seemed to have made up his mind about something. His eyes reddened as he said, “A-Rang, you’ve lost so much weight. Have you been eating properly and getting enough rest out there? Don’t just focus on making money—your health comes first. I… and Uncle, we only have you left.”

Jiang Rang’s heart softened at his words. He murmured a quiet acknowledgment, then pursed his lips and voiced the question he’d most wanted to dodge, yet worried about the most.

“How is Dad’s condition now? What did the doctor say?”

Hang Liu’s face, which had just started to regain a bit of color, drained of it instantly. In a low voice, the young man replied, “The doctor said Uncle’s illness has gone on too long, and things aren’t looking good. The clinic in our little town couldn’t figure out the cause, so they recommended transferring him to Juecheng First Hospital for proper tests.”

Jiang Rang let out a slow breath, steadying his emotions. “We can’t put it off any longer. Here’s what we’ll do, A Liu: you stay here and keep watch tonight. I’ll head home, pack our things, and sell the house to scrape together some money. Then we’ll take Dad to Juecheng.”

Hang Liu nodded at once. With Jiang Rang taking charge, it was like he’d found his anchor, and his whole demeanor brightened.

~~~

Jiang Rang moved fast. By that very evening, he’d sorted out most of the rundown little house. There weren’t many belongings to begin with; he packed up nearly everything worth taking, and the rest—the worn-out junk—went straight to the recycling station.

The house sold with unexpected ease too. Normally, someone desperate to unload property like Jiang Rang would get haggled down hard, but his buyer turned out to be remarkably straightforward. They didn’t quibble over his price at all and didn’t even bother showing up in person, just paid up on the spot.

The Jiang family home wasn’t big, so it fetched just shy of eighty thousand. But adding in the hundred-thousand card from Chen Yanyu earlier, it was enough to handle the immediate crisis.

Father Jiang transferred smoothly to Juecheng First Hospital, kicking off a whirlwind of payments, paperwork, and tests.

His condition was complicated, requiring a battery of exams, with results still pending.

In the midst of all this nonstop frenzy, Jiang Rang had slimmed down noticeably. Without Hang Liu watching over him to make sure he ate, he’d have probably collapsed by now.

“Buzz buzz buzz—”

The phone’s message alert cut through the quiet hospital room like a knife. Jiang Rang was gently moistening Father Jiang’s lips with a cotton swab when Hang Liu walked in carrying a meal box. Hearing the sound from the nightstand, he reached for the phone to pass it over.

“A-Rang, your phone’s—”

Before Hang Liu could finish, Jiang Rang’s face tightened with unease. He strode forward, plucked the phone from the young man’s hand without a word, swiped through it quickly, and powered it off.

The soft smile on Hang Liu’s face faltered for a beat. After a moment, he asked as if offhand, “A-Rang, what’s got you so jumpy? Who’s blowing up your phone? It hasn’t let up lately.”

Jiang Rang wasn’t much of a liar, but he knew the private photos and videos from his employer on that phone were the last thing A Liu could see.

Even though he prided himself on being aboveboard, trying to explain it away would only make it sound like a flimsy cover for something sordid.

In the end, the straitlaced young man chose to keep it under wraps.

Sweat slicked Jiang Rang’s palm around the phone. With a rigid expression, he faced his fiancé’s deepening gaze and said, “Nobody important. Just spam from salespeople who got hold of my number somehow. Keeps harassing me…”

For an instant, Hang Liu felt a needle-like stab in his chest. He’d caught a glimpse of the message on the screen.

He hadn’t read it fully, but he’d seen enough: a blatantly provocative near-nude shot from some omega.

Hang Liu’s gentle mask slipped for a second. He managed a strained smile and murmured, “Yeah… right.”

Jiang Rang pressed his lips together, his shifty look growing more pronounced.

Just then, as the air between them thickened into something awkward, a doctor rapped on the door, medical record in hand, and stepped inside. “Who’s a relative of Jiang Wen?”

Jiang Rang shot to his feet. “I’m his son, Jiang Rang.”

The doctor nodded, glanced pityingly at the still-unconscious Father Jiang, and turned to Jiang Rang. “Step into my office for a minute.”

Anxiety churning in his gut—and seeing the worry etched on Hang Liu’s face—Jiang Rang offered a few quick reassurances before following the doctor out.

In the office, the doctor pored over the medical record for a long moment before sliding a stack of documents across to Jiang Rang. His voice was heavy. “We’ve got the patient’s confirmed diagnosis. The cause was unusual, so we cross-checked with multiple tests. I’m afraid the results aren’t good.”

“Your father has contracted a rare disease, ALS.”

“This condition will cause muscle weakness and atrophy throughout the body, gradually leading to slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, breathing problems, and ultimately complete paralysis, as if the body has been frozen solid.”

The doctor watched as the young man before him gasped for air like a dying fish, his voice choked with phlegm as he asked miserably, “Can this disease be cured?”

The doctor shook his head regretfully and gathered up the documents. “I’m sorry, but as far as medicine is concerned, there’s no way to halt the progression of ALS yet—only to slow it down. It can’t be cured.”

“And…” The doctor sighed. “Even slowing the progression comes at an extremely high cost that an ordinary family simply can’t afford.”

Jiang Rang had no idea how he managed to walk out of the office. The young man only felt as if all the paths ahead of him had turned into a foggy blur, trapping him like an ant in a maze.

This ant wouldn’t even need God to squash it—it would drive itself to despair in the haze.

Bang—

An unexpected collision sent the young man staggering, nearly tumbling to the ground.

At the last possible second, a strong, powerful arm wrapped firmly around his slender waist, pulling him steadily into its embrace.

“Mr. Jiang, what a coincidence—we meet again.”

The man’s narrow eyes beneath his gold-rimmed glasses curved slightly, revealing a kind and gentlemanly smile.