The vicious female supporting role is posted in the opposite direction by the cub

With the dust settling on Haidu, the 9 billion yuan compensation agreement exploded like a thunderclap, not only paving a new path for Haixing Company but also etching Yan Yueqing's awe-inspiring name onto the chessboard of power and capital.

She originally intended to return to City C to visit her grandfather, but an urgent phone call from the Imperial Capital Sanatorium abruptly changed her plans—Grandma Ji was critically ill.

Even though the new medication alleviated Grandma Ji's pain, years of chronic illness had already weakened her body. It was a miracle she could comfortably get through these last few months. Despite the medical staff's well-intentioned concealment, Grandma Ji was fully aware of her condition. She held on until last night before pleading with the doctor to contact Yan Yueqing, hoping to see her one last time.

Located on the outskirts of the capital, the "Quiet Mind Sanatorium" is surrounded by greenery, offering a tranquil and secluded retreat.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, dappling the gleaming floor. The air was thick with the scent of expensive disinfectant mixed with the fresh fragrance of lush green plants, a stark contrast to the damp, decaying atmosphere of Canglong Village.

Inside the ward, the medical equipment emitted a low hum. Grandma Ji's withered hands gripped Yan Yueqing's wrist tightly, like iron clamps, with a strength that seemed beyond that of an elderly person.

Tears streamed down her deeply lined face, and her cloudy eyes strained to focus: "Miss Yan...you are the savior of us, our reborn parents...my frail body...at last, I can still find refuge in this heavenly place..." She pointed with difficulty to the picturesque garden outside the window and the white coats moving in the distance, "Look...this place...this medicine...and Xiao Li..."

When she mentioned her grandson, her eyes suddenly lit up: "He can go to the best school now! The teachers all say he's a reincarnation of the God of Literature! If you hadn't pulled him out of that remote mountain village... I really don't know if he would have ever been able to leave the mountains!"

The intense emotions triggered a heart-wrenching cough.

Despite the sharp pain in her wrist, Yan Yueqing gently stroked the old woman's undulating back with her other hand, her voice gentle yet firm: "Grandma, focus on getting better. This is what I should do. Only when you're well can Xiao Li fly forward without any worries."

"It's...it can't get better..." Grandma Ji's tears flowed like a spring, filled with almost devout gratitude, "I can't let go of Xiao Li! The school...the school wants him to skip a grade! You're so knowledgeable...what grade do you think he should skip? Let him skip! The sooner he finishes his studies...the sooner he can do things for you!"

She spoke the word "doing things" with force and urgency, eager to repay the kindness.

Yan Yueqing paused slightly at the tip of her finger.

This sacrificial act of "repaying kindness" weighed heavily on her heart.

The image of Ji Li's sinister gaze, like that of a wounded wolf cub, when they first met in Canglong Village, and his cold scrutiny as he clutched the old newspaper reporting her "dark history" when they first arrived in the capital, flashed through their minds.

Is this "repaying kindness" the old man's wish, or a shackle imposed on Ji Li?

She gently withdrew her wrist, which had been gripped red, and tucked the blanket around the old woman, her tone calm: "Grandma, skipping a grade is related to Xiao Li's future. We can't just look at his academic ability; we also need to consider his own wishes and mental preparation. The school and teachers have their considerations, but the final decision rests with him."

Her gaze fell upon the lush greenery outside the window, and she said solemnly, “As for doing things for me… you’ve misunderstood. My only hope in sponsoring Xiao Li is that he can reach a height that truly belongs to him through his talent and hard work—not for me, not for any individual, but to do something more valuable and meaningful: to serve more people on this land and to serve the country.”

"Crack!"

A sharp, piercing sound suddenly came from outside the half-open door.

Outside the door, Ji Li stood frozen like a statue.

He unconsciously gripped the buckle of his brand-new backpack so tightly that the sharp plastic edge dug deep into his palm, yet he was completely unaware. The sharp pain was utterly inadequate to suppress the nausea and anger surging in his chest.

Hypocritical! More of those high-sounding, flowery words!
He stared intently at the elegant and composed figure through the crack in the door.

The off-white suit and her delicate hair looked flawless in the sunlight.

"Serving the country"? What a noble excuse! It's nothing but a sugar coating to mask her cold-blooded ambition!

The words from Canglong Village, "The sanatorium is convenient for taking care of Grandma," still ring in her ears, and in the blink of an eye, Grandma has become the subject of her observation for her new drug...

Now, they want to use "national righteousness" to tame him?
We cleaned and carefully fed this "local pig," was it all for the purpose of releasing it back into the wild?

What a joke! Aren't domesticated piglets destined to end up on their master's chopping block?

"Xiao Li?" The nurse, carrying a tray of medicine, passed by and looked at his pale face and trembling body in surprise. "Aren't you going in? Grandma has been talking about you all morning!"

Ji Li abruptly lowered his head, using his bangs to conceal his icy hatred. He bit his lower lip, tasting the metallic sweetness before forcefully suppressing his churning emotions. With an almost self-destructive resolve, he pushed open the door and entered.

"Xiao Li!" Grandma Ji's eyes lit up, and she struggled to sit up. "Quick! Quickly thank Miss Yan! She's worried about you skipping a grade! She hopes you'll become a scientist and serve the country! What a bright future..."

Ji Li ignored Yan Yueqing, walked straight to the bedside, stiffly put down his schoolbag, and said in a deep voice, "Okay, I know."

Grandma Ji's smile froze, and she said anxiously, "Um what! Quickly thank Miss Yan! She..."

"Grandma!" Ji Li suddenly looked up, her voice rising, her icy gaze piercing Yan Yueqing, a desperate provocation: "You're so concerned about me skipping grades? Just say it! How many grades do you want me to skip? One year? Two years? Or go straight to university? So I can finish my studies sooner, get to work for you sooner—"

He deliberately emphasized the last two words, a cold, sarcastic smile playing on his lips. "—Isn't this exactly what you wanted? Why bother going around in circles with all this talk of 'nation' and 'values'?!" "Ji Li!!!" Grandma Ji trembled violently with rage at these outrageous words, pointing at her grandson and coughing hysterically, her face turning from white to pale.

"Grandma! Don't get agitated!" Yan Yueqing immediately stood up to stop her.

There was no anger on her face; her calm, deep gaze pierced through the hostility and rage in the boy's eyes.

Amid the old man's suppressed coughs and the ticking of the medical equipment, he spoke slowly, his voice low but each word carrying immense weight: "Ji Li, my only expectation of you is that you can stand at a height that truly belongs to you. This height is not to please me, nor to repay a debt of gratitude, but only concerns the limits of your abilities. As for whether it pleases you?"

She paused slightly, her eyes showing no anger, only a compassionate understanding. "The only thing I'm satisfied with is that you get there by your own will and strength. That's all."

She stopped looking at the boy's stiff face and deftly picked up her coat: "About skipping a grade, you should discuss it with Grandma and your teacher. Let me know when you decide." Turning to Grandma Ji, she softened her voice: "Grandma, you rest, don't be angry. I'm leaving now, I'll come see you another day."

The crisp sound of high heels faded into the distance, taking away the warmth of the ward.

Once the footsteps disappeared, Ji Li felt as if all her strength had been drained, and she slumped down, loosening her fist.

"You've been so foolish!" Grandma Ji cried out, pounding the bed in despair. "We owe Miss Yan... we can never repay her in several lifetimes! She wanted you to live an upright life and serve your country! How could you... how could you be so ungrateful?!"

The boy's body was as tense as a stone.

Grandma's sobs were like needles piercing his ears, but they couldn't penetrate the thick, icy walls of his heart.

Sincere? He gritted his teeth, the image of Qin Youran's unwilling and sorrowful eyes when she was taken away by the police flashing before his eyes.

If true love is so precious, why can she steal someone else's love and still laugh so openly?!

He instinctively reached into his trouser pocket—where a nearly shredded corner of an old newspaper was hidden, his weapon against "hypocrisy."

In the dead of night, the sanatorium garden was quiet, and the cold moonlight could not dispel the chill in Ji Li's heart.

He sat on the bench and took out the old newspaper he had been keeping again.

Under the moonlight, Qin Youran's gentle smile as she distributes cakes at the orphanage is captured in a newspaper photo taken before her appearance on a television program, showing her smile tenderly.

Who would have guessed that a TV show, just because she was paired with Yan Yueqing, would lead to Aunt Qin being imprisoned?
In stark contrast to the prominent report next to it, which featured Yan Yueqing exuding confidence at a technology forum, the headline read: "Charity Queen Lays Out New Energy Strategy, Another Move in the Capital Game!"

"Serve the country... a pillar of the nation..." Ji Li stared at Yan Yueqing's radiant photo, a sneer escaping between his teeth, "It's all a lie... you just wanted to use me!"

Yan Yueqing would appear in his mind one moment, and Qin Youran the next.

The little one has no childlike innocence at all; all that's left is constant entanglement and frustration!

After thinking for a while, Ji Li still couldn't figure it out, so she simply got up and went back to her room to see if her grandmother had fallen asleep.

Just as I reached the entrance of the main building of the sanatorium, a piercing scream shattered the tranquility of the night like a sharp knife!
"302! Quick! Room 302! Ji Wanning! His heart has stopped beating! His blood pressure is undetectable!"

The nurses' station's piercing alarm and hurried footsteps blared instantly!

"grandmother--!!"

Fear gripped Ji Li instantly! His blood seemed to flow backward, and his mind went blank! Like a maddened cub, he charged towards the third floor!
His heart was pounding wildly in his chest, and he could barely breathe.

The moment the door to room 302 was pushed open, the blinding red light of the emergency light flashed wildly, turning the entire room into a scene of hell. Doctors and nurses surrounded the bed, their figures moving about, giving urgent and chaotic instructions.

"1 mg of adrenaline IV push!"

"Keep chest compressions! Don't stop!"

"Prepare for defibrillation! Charge to 200J! Everyone get out of bed!"

Ji Li's legs went weak, and she almost knelt down. Her gaze was fixed on the lifeless body on the hospital bed; her grandmother's withered face looked even more ashen in the red light.

However, right in the middle of this chaos, the familiar figure by the bedside struck him like a thunderbolt, leaving him frozen in place!
Yan Yueqing! (End of Chapter)