Chapter 69: A Modest Gift

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: A Modest Gift

District People’s Hospital.

Since it was the closest facility to Qingcheng Back Mountain, local authorities had designated it as a temporary shelter and triage center. All injured tourists were being transported here.

Li Yan had already regained consciousness in the ambulance. Seeing Su Yunzhou and Liu Yiyi, her tears began to fall again. Seeing her best friend in such a state, Liu Yiyi couldn’t help but cry along with her. Su Yunzhou was terrible at handling situations like this, so he could only stand by and offer verbal comfort.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Li Yan and a few severely injured individuals were immediately rushed to the emergency room, before doctors and nurses wheeled her away for examinations. Liu Yiyi accompanied her the entire time; since they were both women, it made certain procedures more convenient.

Su Yunzhou, on the other hand, waited outside. With nothing else to do, he decided to check his system.

After this incident, he finally realized the truth of the saying: you can never have too many skills. He needed to hoard more Skill Points for emergencies. Furthermore, the skills offered in the system’s shop weren’t just as simple as they appeared on the surface; they could be combined based on their unique characteristics.

Take this time, for example. If the system hadn’t reminded him, who would have thought that combining Advanced Rock Climbing Skills with Kato’s Eagle Finger would possess such immense "power"? He needed to properly study this aspect in the future.

After browsing the wide variety of skills available in the shop for a while, he glanced at his remaining balance of just two Skill Points. He sighed silently.

However, Li Yan’s Affinity had already reached 79 points. If everything went as expected, the system would issue a reward once it crossed the 80-point threshold. Back when Liu Yiyi’s Affinity reached 80, the system had rewarded him with three Skill Points in one go. He wondered how much it would be this time.

Just then, Liu Yiyi pushed Li Yan out of the CT room.

"Now we just have to wait for the examination results," Liu Yiyi said. "I asked the doctor earlier. Although he didn’t give a definitive answer, it shouldn’t be a major issue."

"That’s good!" Su Yunzhou nodded and continued, "Let’s head back to the ward first so Li Yan can rest. I’ll come down and get the report later."

Following the nurse’s directions, the three of them arrived at a private ward on the seventh floor. The room wasn’t large, but it was fully equipped with basic amenities: a hospital bed, two sofas, a cot for a caregiver, and an en-suite bathroom with a shower.

Liu Yiyi was very meticulous. After checking what necessities they were missing, she told Su Yunzhou to stay here and keep Li Yan company before hurriedly heading downstairs.

Over ten minutes later, she returned panting, carrying several large and small bags. She had bought slippers, a washbasin, toothbrushes, toothpaste, toilet paper, and other daily necessities. Then, she rang the bell to call a nurse, asking her to exchange Li Yan’s hospital gown for a larger size.

"PHEW." She drank a few mouthfuls of water and helped Li Yan into the bathroom.

A moment later, the sound of running water and the RUSTLE of changing clothes echoed from within. Liu Yiyi helped her best friend take off her bloodstained, heavily torn windbreaker and began wiping her body. Seeing the bandaged wounds on her arms and knees, her tears flowed unstoppably once again.

"Yanyan, it’s all my fault. If I hadn’t stood so close to the edge, you wouldn’t have grabbed me, and you wouldn’t have..."

Li Yan’s mood was much better now. She reached out with her other bruised hand and gently wiped the tears from the corner of her best friend’s eyes. "Yiyi, how many years have we known each other?"

"SNIFF... It’s been twenty-two years since we met in elementary school!"

"Exactly! We’ve known each other for so long and weathered every storm together. Having survived a life-and-death situation this time, we’ve gone from being just best friends to comrades who have braved death together."

"But..."

"But what? You’re not going to argue with a patient, are you?" Li Yan reached out again and gently tugged at the corner of her best friend’s mouth. "Come on, give your life-and-death comrade a smile."

A short while later, Liu Yiyi walked out with a red, tear-stained nose but a smile on her face. Li Yan followed closely behind. However, the hospital gown still seemed a bit too small. Wearing it gave off the distinct visual of "slender branches bearing heavy fruit."

Li Yan also realized this issue. Catching a certain someone’s gaze, she silently pulled the blanket over herself after lying down on the bed.

Seeing that it was about time, Su Yunzhou quietly went downstairs while the two women were fast asleep. He first went to print out the CT report. The diagnostic impression was filled with a bunch of professional jargon, but in short, it boiled down to one sentence: nothing serious.

Still, Su Yunzhou took the report to the doctor’s office to inquire further. Only after receiving the verdict—"The bones are fine; just make sure to change the dressings for the external wounds daily. If no other issues arise after three days of observation, she can be discharged"—did he relax and head back toward the ward.

He had to wait for several trips before finally getting on the elevator. The moment the doors opened, Su Yunzhou was slightly startled. Why were there so many people waiting out front?

Just then, someone exclaimed, "Mr. Su Yunzhou, you’re back!"

Instantly, everyone’s attention was drawn to him.

A petite female reporter rushed forward the fastest. "Mr. Su, I’m Liu Wei, a reporter from Rongcheng TV Station, and also a witness to the incident. Could I take up a few minutes of your time for an interview? There are still many citizens who are..."

"Mr. Su, I’m a reporter from Big Head Entertainment..."

"I’m a self-media worker from Eleven O’Clock Reading..."

Several others following closely behind also began to introduce themselves. They were all representatives from various media outlets, both large and small. Looking at the scene, Su Yunzhou felt a massive headache coming on.

Right at that moment, an older doctor wearing a white coat and silver-rimmed glasses, who introduced himself as the dean, stepped out.

"Everyone, friends from the media, please be patient," he said. "I am Dean Ma of this hospital. Please listen to me. Mr. Su performed such an astonishing feat today; you can only imagine how physically exhausted he must be.

"I know that people from all walks of life care deeply about this ’hero of the people,’ but even heroes need their rest! So please, let him get some proper sleep. You can come back in a couple of days for your interviews!"

These words were spoken with righteous authority. Although everyone desperately wanted to get the first-hand scoop, seeing this stance, they could only leave resentfully.

Seeing this, Su Yunzhou walked up to the dean and thanked him.

The dean waved his hand, signaling that he shouldn’t mention it. Then, he added that he had just gone to check on his friend and had asked the doctors in charge; her condition wasn’t a major problem, and she just needed to rest quietly for a period of time.

Su Yunzhou expressed his gratitude once again.

Seeing that the timing was right, the dean smiled and said, "Mr. Su, a family member of one of the people you rescued happens to be a close friend of mine. He has also come to the hospital and wants to thank you in person. I know you’re very exhausted, so if it’s inconvenient, I can ask him to come back another day."

As expected of the head of a hospital, his words and actions were impeccably watertight. Framed like that, how could Su Yunzhou possibly refuse?

Seeing him nod in agreement, the dean immediately made a phone call.

Not long after, a well-dressed, excellently groomed middle-aged couple appeared in the corridor, bringing along a young girl who walked with a limp.

The girl had a bit of baby fat on her face and was wearing a hospital gown. Seeing her savior, she excitedly cried out, "Mister, thank you! Thank you so much... If you hadn’t intervened... I’m afraid I... I..."

At this point, she actually began to sob uncontrollably. It seemed she had truly been terrified earlier. The woman beside her hugged her daughter, comforting her softly.

Su Yunzhou had some impression of this girl. At the time, she had been trapped under the plank walk with a severely swollen foot, crying non-stop, so he had carried her up first.

He wondered, "Am I really that old? Mister?"

Her father glanced at the mother and daughter before speaking, his voice filled with gratitude. "Mr. Su, thank you. My name is Ye Sen," he said. "You saved my daughter this time, and I truly do not know how to express my gratitude. I can only offer this meager token of my appreciation."

Saying this, he pulled a bank card from his pocket and handed it over.

"There is one million in this card, and the password is six eights. Please, Mr. Su, you must accept it."