Chapter 219: Shadows of Doubt

Jiang Jingshi slowly shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.”

Lin Zheng Ran pressed on, “Are your uncle and aunt healthy in that regard?”

“Well, but Mom was hospitalized a long time ago for heart and brain vessel issues.”

Lin Zheng Ran withdrew his hand. “I’ll go with you to the hospital for a check-up.”

Pan Lin sat in the passenger seat as the driver took Lin Zheng Ran and Jiang Jingshi to the high-end private hospital invested in by the Jiang Family.

Pan Lin was a bit confused about why the two bosses suddenly decided to head to the hospital in the middle of their meal.

Yet, she had this vague, uneasy feeling.

The hospital conducted a thorough examination on Jiang Jingshi and confirmed the diagnosis.

Jiang Jingshi had a rare genetic heart and brain blood disorder, which the hospital called Jixin disease.

Sitting in the examination room, Jiang Jingshi looked at the scans and explanation. “What kind of disease is this? I’ve never even heard of it?”

The doctor frowned and said:

“It’s a very rare heart and brain vessel disease. The name isn’t important, but cases are extremely few and hard to treat. Early on, it might cause symptoms like partial sensory loss, unsteady gait, or partial blindness.”

“If it worsens later, it could lead to urinary incontinence or paralysis. However, Boss Jiang, your symptoms are only in the early to mid-stage. With timely treatment, it shouldn’t get that severe.”

Standing behind them, Pan Lin covered her mouth in shocked horror.

The doctor typed on the computer: “Though, the treatment drugs for this disease aren’t available domestically yet. I’ll arrange for someone to get them from abroad right away.”

“Should?” Jiang Jingshi latched onto that word, her beautiful eyes trembling.

The doctor replied: “Because there aren’t many treatment cases, I can’t give you any guarantees.”

“But I had a check-up a couple of years ago, and you all said I was perfectly healthy?”

The doctor explained: “This is a recessive genetic disease. It often only shows up in adulthood. Even with the most advanced equipment, it’s undetectable in youth. Plus, looking at your medical history, you must have been experiencing sensory issues now and then lately.”

Jiang Jingshi had indeed been dealing with that sporadically recently. She’d thought it was just from exhaustion, and a while back, she’d considered getting checked, but figured it was like her sister’s lovesickness and brushed it off.

Suddenly remembering something, she said urgently: “If this is genetic, does that mean my sister has it too?!”

The doctor looked at Jiang Jingshi:

“It’s hard to say. Recessive genetics don’t always pass it on fully. Based on past conclusions, the inheritance probability isn’t high.”

“When Second Miss came for her check-up recently, she was in perfect health aside from what we could see. Also, your parents are still healthy now. Your mother did have hospitalization records before, but just for common issues. So, your condition is likely from skipped generations, passed down from your grandparents.”

Hearing that her sister was fine, Jiang Jingshi felt a wave of relief, but at the same time, panic made her unsteady in her seat.

Pan Lin moved to help, but Lin Zheng Ran had already steadied her.

Jiang Jingshi glanced at Lin Zheng Ran. Though she didn’t say anything too fearful, he could feel her slender fingers trembling slightly.

She asked the doctor: “Is there any case where this disease has been fully cured?”

The doctor paused before answering: “At least, it’s been proven that drugs can relieve it. The progression depends on—”

“So, there isn’t, right?”

“Well… I can’t say for sure it can’t be cured. Every disease needs precedents for full recovery.”

Seeing the way Jiang Jingshi stared at him, the doctor adjusted his words:

“Anyway, until the medication arrives, I suggest you check into the hospital, Boss Jiang. After a week of treatment, we’ll do follow-up exams to check the progress.” He paused and added:

“The records show that once symptoms become frequent, without prompt medication, things can turn serious fast. The window is short—maybe one to three months—and it could shift from early to late stage.”

Jiang Jingshi’s hands on her lap clenched tightly, wrinkling her clothes.

Leaving the hospital building, Pan Lin asked with red-rimmed eyes and a worried whisper: “Boss Jiang…”

In the hospital parking area, the driver watched them exit, unsure what was going on, but the heavy atmosphere was clear even from a distance.

Jiang Jingshi told Pan Lin: “Don’t tell anyone yet. Let me think this through.”

Pan Lin nodded.

Jiang Jingshi turned to Lin Zheng Ran: “Zheng Ran, could you… sit with me in the car for a bit?”

In the Rolls Royce in the parking area, Pan Lin and the driver stood off to the side.

Lin Zheng Ran and Jiang Jingshi sat in the back seat.

On the hospital street, patients in gowns walked with their families, out for a stroll.

Inside the car, Jiang Jingshi, who had been full of energy that morning, now looked drained.

“My luck really is awful… to get something like this.”

Lin Zheng Ran stayed silent. He wasn’t dwelling on sadness but pondering other things.

His level-two All-Encompassing Mastery gave skills like those of someone with forty years of talent. Most tasks he could handle with ease now.

But for a genetic disease like this, it might be beyond reach. What if he broke through to level three? What would that do?

The cultivation system had mentioned things like refining the body and pills when Charm evolved into All-Encompassing Mastery. In the real world, many diseases can’t be cured due to tech limits.

But if he could make pills that alter the body, like in cultivation stories…

That could have amazing effects.

As Lin Zheng Ran thought, he felt a warm presence on his shoulder, along with a scent unique to her.

Jiang Jingshi’s nervous hands balled into fists as she leaned gently against him.

Her movement as she rested on his shoulder was soft.

From Lin Zheng Ran’s view, he could see her delicate profile and the long, fluttering eyelashes.

Jiang Jingshi’s face showed a trace of despair and clear shyness.

“Can I lean on you for a moment? I’m scared right now. Maybe it’ll help me calm down.”

Tears glistened in Jiang Jingshi’s eyes as she clung tightly to Lin Zheng Ran’s arm.

She pressed her trembling red lips together.

Full of reluctance, she knew there were so many things she still wanted to do.

People she longed for, a life she hadn’t yet lived.

Being told so suddenly that she might never get out of bed again—it was impossible to accept.

Jiang Jingshi buried her face in Lin Zheng Ran’s arm.

Lin Zheng Ran reached out, and as soon as his fingers touched her arm,

she immediately wrapped her arms around him.

In his embrace.

Her sobs, a mix of grievance and fear, came out, soaking his shirt.

“I’m so unwilling, so scared.”

Lin Zheng Ran knew nothing he said now would get through; she’d just see it as comfort. He’d wait until she calmed down.

So, he gently held her.

Amid her sorrow, Jiang Jingshi felt a flicker of joy. Her hands gripped the back of his shirt tighter, and instead of her usual address, her voice trembled sweetly as she kept calling his name:

“Lin Zheng Ran, Lin Zheng Ran… hold me a little tighter.”