Chapter 229: Whispers in the Archive

Lin Zheng Ran had been poring over the books from morning straight into the evening, with Fang Meng staying by his side the whole time.

Around noon, worried he might be hungry, she drove to town to grab some food. And when he ate, he managed to read and munch at the same time.

Fang Meng sat in a chair, watching Lin Zheng Ran stand by the bookshelf, flipping through pages while he ate.

She thought to herself, He’s even more focused than Qian Qian during her retreats.

That evening, when Lin Zheng Ran snapped out of his trance, he glanced at the time—it was already past six.

The room lights had come on without him noticing, and a phone ring jolted him awake. It was his mom, Lin Xiao Li, calling.

“Hello? Mom?”

Lin Xiao Li sounded puzzled on the other end: “Zheng Ran, where are you? Why aren’t you home yet?”

Lin Zheng Ran replied and turned to look at Fang Meng, who was sitting against the wall, flipping through some books herself.

Fang Meng looked up at him and mouthed silently, “If you want, you don’t have to go home tonight.”

Lin Zheng Ran smiled and said to his mom, “Mom, I’m not coming back tonight. I’m staying at a friend’s place.”

Lin Xiao Li was used to it—her son often stayed out. “Okay, just stay safe. Will you be back tomorrow?”

Lin Zheng Ran said, “I’ll see. Even if I don’t come back, I’ll call you and Dad.”

“That’s fine. Carry on then, and let us know if you need anything.”

“Got it.”

After hanging up, Lin Zheng Ran checked the time again and asked Fang Meng, “I can’t believe it’s so late. Is it okay if you don’t go home tonight?”

Fang Meng sat there with a smile:

“No problem. I often stay out anyway, usually at Qian Qian’s place. My parents don’t know, and Qian Qian knows I took today off, so she won’t call unless it’s urgent.”

Lin Zheng Ran nodded and suggested:

“Can I stay here overnight? I want to read more. Don’t worry, I’ll just stick to the books and won’t touch anything else. You can rest if you’re tired—no need to keep me company.”

“Go ahead and read. There’s nothing valuable here except the books. Read whatever you like. I’m fine hanging out with you, so don’t worry about me.”

Lin Zheng Ran didn’t say more and dove back into his reading.

Fang Meng quietly stayed with him.

Interestingly, that night, Lin Zheng Ran actually found mentions of similar cases in the medical texts.

He recalled the modern medical books he’d read over the past couple of days and combined them with the insights from these ancient volumes, calculating a potential solution in his mind.

He couldn’t help but marvel at his Level 2 mastery—it gave him the equivalent of forty years of experience from top talents in the field. This level of learning and research power was beyond what most people could match.

The night passed, and by the next morning around nine.

Lin Zheng Ran put the books back in their places, stepped out into the courtyard, and called Pan Lin.

Pan Lin answered quickly: “Mr. Lin?”

Lin Zheng Ran asked, “Did you find those books I asked for?”

“Well… I’m sorry, Mr. Lin, a few of them are really old and hard to track down. Some people have seen them before, but…”

Lin Zheng Ran smiled:

“It’s okay if you can’t find them—just stop looking. I’ll send you a file soon. It lists some things and basic equipment I need, nothing too hard to get.

Hand it over to the private hospital that Jiang Jie invested in. Tell them to set up a dedicated lab for me with everything on the list today.

I’ll be there tomorrow to use it. This is important—make sure they understand.”

Though Pan Lin wasn’t sure what Lin Zheng Ran had been up to these past couple of days, it sounded like he was researching Boss Jiang’s illness.

This was unbelievable—did Mr. Lin know medicine? In his confusion, Pan Lin quickly agreed: “Got it. Once you send the file, I’ll go straight to the hospital director and sort it out.”

“Thanks for handling that. Let me know as soon as it’s ready.”

“You got it, Mr. Lin!”

The call ended.

Lin Zheng Ran opened his phone and looked at the dense text of his analysis report.

This was his summary from the previous days, plus the ideas he’d jotted down from the ancient books last night.

If things went as planned, his research on this illness could lead to a major breakthrough soon.

After all, modern society already had early drugs to combat it, and with his improved ideas, creating an effective treatment shouldn’t be too tough.

While Pan Lin was arranging the lab,

Lin Zheng Ran decided to head back to the book room for more reading.

He’d go through everything—commit it all to memory. These were priceless experiences from the past, treasures you couldn’t just find anywhere.

Lin Zheng Ran returned to the book room and saw Fang Meng asleep in the corner. The young woman looked a bit tired, but there was a quiet contentment in her face.

He slipped off his jacket and gently draped it over her.

Then he went back to reading.

This time, he slowed down, flipping through all sorts of books without his earlier focus.

A little after eleven that morning.

Fang Meng stirred and slowly opened her eyes, seeing Lin Zheng Ran still at the bookshelf, absorbed in a book. She rubbed her eyes.

She glanced at the time and noticed a white jacket covering her.

It was the one Lin Zheng Ran usually wore, carrying his familiar scent.

Fang Meng’s cheeks flushed as she clutched the jacket, lost in thought.

Did he put this on me?

From across the room, Lin Zheng Ran heard the movement and asked, “You’re awake?”

Fang Meng checked her phone—it was past eleven. She stood up slowly: “Yeah. Still reading? Didn’t you rest at all last night?”

Lin Zheng Ran replied casually, “I caught a bit of rest.”

Fang Meng walked over and asked, “Made any progress on your research?”

Lin Zheng Ran smiled: “I have. Now I’m just browsing other stuff. There’s a lot here that interests me—I want to check it all out.”

“Really? That’s great.” Fang Meng was happy for him: “I was worried these books might not help. By the way, how many have you gone through?”

The room had three large shelves of books.

Lin Zheng Ran pointed to the rightmost one: “Just this shelf left. I finished the others last night; I can wrap up the rest by tonight.”

Fang Meng leaned in, surprised: “That fast? Can you even understand them? A lot of the text isn’t modern—it’s all confusing to me.”

Lin Zheng Ran thought about his energy value, which let him remember everything at a glance, so anything he was interested in stuck with him.

“I can make sense of most of it. These are accounts of tricky illnesses from the old masters—stuff that looks useless but holds valuable experiences, born from countless lives lost. It’s eye-opening.”

Fang Meng knelt beside him and draped his jacket back over him: “Yeah, this field is built on lessons from the brink of death.”

She paused: “Thanks for the jacket.”

Lin Zheng Ran said, “No problem.”

“I remember you started studying medicine because of Jiang Qian, right? She helped you with your low blood sugar as a kid, and that sparked your interest.”

Fang Meng nodded: “Exactly. I told you before—it’s all because of Qian Qian. Once I started, I just kept going.”

“Do you have a real talent for it?” Lin Zheng Ran asked curiously.

“I’m okay, I guess.”

Lin Zheng Ran threw out a few questions about medical techniques.

Fang Meng answered them smoothly.

Lin Zheng Ran was impressed and ramped up the difficulty. She got most right, but stumbled on a few.

He pushed it even further, and now it was Fang Meng’s turn to be shocked.

She thought, How does he know all this? Such advanced medical knowledge.

They both said at once, “You’re amazing.”

Fang Meng felt shy and unsure: “What about me? I couldn’t answer your later questions. You’re the one who’s incredible—you dive so deep into everything.”

Lin Zheng Ran thought about how he was different from most people, but Fang Meng’s talent in medicine was clearly exceptional.

No wonder the village elders passed these books to her.

Lin Zheng Ran said, “You’re already outstanding. In my eyes, you could be an expert in some hospitals, and you’re still young—your future’s wide open. Ever thought about becoming a doctor?”

Fang Meng looked at the medical book in his hands and said honestly:

“I have. Back then, I figured if Qian Qian never got married, I’d just stick with her as her assistant. But now, things are different from what I imagined… so all sorts of thoughts have been popping up lately, Lin Zheng Ran…”

She stared at him:

“I’ve always wondered—when you first see me, do you think of me?”

At first, I investigated you for Qian Qian, and getting close was for her too. It felt like we never had a reason to be alone together, but…

Slowly, I realized I’m not just seeing you because of her anymore. Now, I go to your place because I want to.

Including today.

So I hope that when you look at me, you just see me—not Qian Qian.

Lin Zheng Ran met Fang Meng’s eyes, which seemed to shine with something unspoken, and without hesitation, he answered:

“Of course. When I see you, I think of you. Who else would I think of? Why ask that now?”

Fang Meng laughed, her face turning red: “Oh, nothing. Just a random question girls ask sometimes—they don’t even make sense to us.”

Lin Zheng Ran thought for a moment and added:

“Well, when we first met, I did sometimes link you to Jiang Qian and wonder what you two were up to. But later, when I saw you, that stopped because a lot of the time, you weren’t coming for her—you were coming for me?”

Fang Meng’s eyes widened.

Her blush deepened.

Does he know what I’m thinking?

If not, that line hits a little too close to home.

.