Chapter 128 – Taking Over as the Director

Jian Mei had never imagined that one day he would feel so guilty in front of his brother.

Fortunately, he wasn’t entirely unprepared. He tried to brush it off, saying, “It’s unrelated. My body was thoroughly checked, right? I’m fine now, no signs of any epidemic.”

Only then did Jian Changjia relax a bit.

Jian Mei, with a slight teasing smile, added, “What’s gotten into you, brother? This kind of thing clearly sounds far-fetched. How could you even believe it?”

Jian Changjia shot him a glare, saying, “You heartless brat.”

Jian Mei didn’t take offense.

He looked at his brother sitting by the bedside and realized how much he’d changed over the past few years. Even though his brother’s words were still sharp, he had matured significantly. Jian Mei often saw doctors and patients passing by, greeting his brother with “Dr. Jian.”

He also noticed how his brother would often forget to eat while tending to patients, a stark contrast to the guy who used to drag him to play video games and barely paid attention in class. Now, he wore a white coat and had taken on the responsibilities of a doctor.

Jian Mei softly said, “Brother…”

Jian Changjia, who was peeling an apple, looked up and asked, “Hm? What is it?”

“I’m proud of you,” Jian Mei said, looking at him with a gaze that seemed to sparkle, and smiled, “You’ve really become amazing.”

Jian Changjia’s stern expression softened.

Jian Mei leaned in a bit closer, giving his brother a hug, just like he used to when he was little, and said, “What should I do? I really want to become as amazing as you, but I haven’t even finished my college entrance exams.”

Jian Changjia poked his forehead, “What will you do if you can’t get into college?”

Jian Mei grinned foolishly, “Will you take care of me, brother?”

“In your dreams!” Jian Changjia retorted with mock ferocity. “What good would it do to take care of you? All you’d do is annoy me!”

Jian Mei couldn’t stop laughing.

Despite his brother’s tough talk, he still took Jian Mei’s concerns about the medical formulas seriously. He even brought him a lot of related books to study. Afraid that he might fall asleep and wake up back in the other world, Jian Mei spent the entire day researching.

Later in the evening, their grandfather arrived.

When Jian Mei saw his grandfather from the hospital bed, he noticed how much the old man had aged in the one or two years since they last met. His back was slightly hunched, and the once-spirited little old man now seemed much more subdued. His grandfather looked at Jian Mei with tear-filled eyes and said, “Mei Mei, you’ve woken up…”

Jian Mei immediately got off the bed and ran over to his grandfather: “Grandpa!”

His grandfather caught him in an embrace. “Mei Mei, are you alright?”

Jian Mei nodded vigorously. “I’m fine! I’ll be discharged in a couple of days. This year, for New Year’s, Mom said we’re going to spend it together with you.”

His grandfather hugged him tightly, his heart visibly swelling with emotion. He patted Jian Mei’s back and said, “Good, good. This year, we’ll celebrate the New Year together with Mei Mei.”

Seeing that the grandfather and grandson had something to talk about, the others tactfully left the room.

Jian Mei held his grandfather’s hand and asked, “You haven’t been home lately—where have you been?”

“I was at a conference, discussing disease prevention and control, organizing information on past severe illnesses,” his grandfather replied in a slow voice. “They invited me to be a supervisor and help with the organization.”

This was expected.

The old man had spent his whole life in medicine, so he naturally knew a lot and had deep understanding.

Jian Mei took out the medicinal formula and said, “Please take a look at this prescription for me. I’ve always felt there’s something wrong with it.”

His grandfather took it, scanned it, and then looked at Jian Mei with a meaningful gaze.

Jian Mei felt a bit nervous and asked, “Grandpa, why are you looking at me like that?”

His grandfather shook his head without saying much. “I’ll need to go back and study this carefully. The prescription indeed seems flawed—it’s addressing the symptoms, not the root cause.”

Jian Mei nodded earnestly. “Okay, thank you, Grandpa.”

After dealing with this matter, it was as if a weight had been lifted from his heart.

By this time, night had fallen, and Jian Mei, no longer pushing himself to stay awake, prepared for bed. He tidied up a bit, yawned softly, and drifted off to sleep.

This time, he slept longer. When he woke up again, it was broad daylight. Lu Xingwang had already left, presumably returning to the palace to manage state affairs.

Jian Mei left the room and reached the door, where he was met by a colleague who came rushing over, saying, “Mei Mei, something bad has happened.”

Jian Mei asked, “What happened?”

“Dr. Lu seems to have been infected,” the colleague whispered to him, “and his symptoms are severe. Right now, there’s a discussion about whether or not to bring in medication from other planets to try and treat it.”

Jian Mei’s expression instantly turned serious. “Yuncheng got infected?”

The colleague nodded.

“They’re saying there’s an alien drug that can cure the epidemic. Someone who used it apparently recovered,” the colleague said softly. “So now everyone is debating whether the government should import it in large quantities for use.”

Jian Mei immediately disagreed. “What about the person who claimed to have recovered?”

The colleague paused, then shook their head. “No one knows.”

“……”

Jian Mei quickly got up to check on Yuncheng. The hospital was usually managed by him, but now the place was crowded with staff, all talking over each other with different opinions, making it quite noisy.

When Jian Mei entered the room, the chatter quieted down significantly.

Yuncheng’s condition indeed didn’t look good, but when he turned to look at Jian Mei, there was a spark of hope in his eyes.

Jian Mei walked quickly to his side and asked, “How did you get infected?”

“Aren’t you infected too?” Lu Yuncheng smiled weakly, still trying to maintain his sense of humor. “No need to laugh at others when you’re in the same boat.”

Jian Mei gazed at his frail face and whispered, “Don’t worry, I’ll save you.”

Lu Yuncheng patted his hand without saying much and then addressed the doctors around him, “I’m sick now, but the hospital needs someone to take charge.”

The other doctors began to feel a sense of foreboding.

Sure enough, Yuncheng continued, “I’ve decided to have Jian Mei take over my position. In crucial situations, he will have the final say, and all of you must comply without question.”

His statement left everyone stunned, and objections followed immediately:

“Why him?”

“He’s just a student!”

“He doesn’t even have a medical license.”

“What does he know?”