The entire bun shop fell into silence, everyone looking at Lin Yu with strange expressions.

  The yellow-haired punk inwardly admired him—this guy was a legend. Such a beautiful wife, and he just casually denied knowing her.

  At first, Lin Yu was surprised, then puzzled. This young man named He Jiarong seemed utterly ordinary—how had he managed to marry such a stunning woman?

  Spotting the BMW X5 outside, Lin Yu quickly figured it out. So this He Jiarong was a rich second-generation heir? That made things easier—paying off a hundred or two hundred thousand in debt would be a breeze.

  "W-wife, I just woke up and was joking with you," Lin Yu said with an awkward laugh. It was his first time calling someone "wife," and it still felt unfamiliar. He continued, "I owe these guys a bit of money. Could you give me my bank card so I can withdraw some to pay them back?"

  "Bank card? Do you even have a single cent in your bank account?" The woman in the long dress replied coldly.

  "Huh? Then where’s my savings? Are you keeping them for me? Could you withdraw some to pay them back?" Lin Yu was baffled. This rich second-gen heir seemed to be under his wife’s thumb.

  "Savings?"

  The woman in the long dress let out a mocking laugh, her voice tinged with anger. "Since when have you ever had savings? For over twenty years, you’ve lived off my family, eating our food and drinking our resources. When have you ever earned a single penny?"

  The bun shop grew even quieter. The looks directed at Lin Yu turned even stranger.

  The yellow-haired punk’s admiration deepened. An idol! Not only did he marry such a beautiful wife, but he also lived off her!

  Lin Yu’s face burned with embarrassment. Now he understood—this guy wasn’t a rich second-gen heir. He was a live-in son-in-law, a freeloader.

  "Young man, thank you for your kindness, but you don’t need to help me repay this debt. I can handle it myself," Lin Yu’s mother quickly interjected to defuse the situation.

  "Auntie, I’m Lin Yu’s sworn brother. I’ll definitely help you repay this. Just give me some time." Lin Yu gritted his teeth and spoke firmly.

  Since he was living off someone else’s resources, he couldn’t bring himself to ask the woman in the long dress for money. He’d have to find another way to help his mother repay the debt.

  Lin Yu then wrote out an IOU, pressed his thumbprint onto it, and handed it to the yellow-haired punk.

  Seeing that Lin Yu’s wife drove such a luxurious car, the punk wasn’t worried about being repaid. He and his crew left, though not before casting greedy glances at the woman’s fair calves.

  "I won’t help you repay this debt," the woman in the long dress said coldly. She had no idea when this good-for-nothing had become so righteous, rushing to repay debts for his so-called friends the moment he woke up.

  "Don’t worry. I’ll repay it myself."

  Lin Yu felt slightly irritated. This woman was undeniably beautiful, but her attitude toward her husband was terrible—humiliating him in front of others without hesitation.

  "Young man, why go to such lengths? I can repay these debts myself," Lin Yu’s mother said, her reddened eyes glistening with tears. She didn’t recall her son ever mentioning such a close friend.

  "It’s my duty, Auntie. Since Lin Yu is gone, from now on, I’ll be your son. I’ll take care of you in your old age and see you off when the time comes."

  Lin Yu’s eyes also grew moist. His mother was right in front of him, yet he couldn’t reveal himself, forcing her to endure this pain. It was a profound filial failure.

  "Auntie, I’ll visit you again tomorrow."

  Before his tears could fall, Lin Yu hurriedly stepped out of the bun shop. At the door, he suddenly paused and added, his voice choked, "Auntie, if Lin Yu knew in the afterlife, he would never want you to take your own life. You should cherish your life, live well, and live for him too."

  With that, Lin Yu left without hesitation.

  Lin Yu’s mother shuddered, staring blankly at his retreating figure.

  The woman in the long dress glanced at Lin Yu’s mother but said nothing. She turned and followed him out.

  Once in the car, the woman said irritably, "I don’t mind you playing the hero, but you just woke up. Couldn’t you at least tell me? Do you know how hard I looked for you?"

  "Sorry. It won’t happen again." Lin Yu’s tone was icy. Right now, his thoughts were entirely consumed by his mother.

  Seeing his cold expression, the woman bit back whatever she’d been about to say next. She shot him a resentful look, shifted gears forcefully, and drove back to the care center.

  The doctors gave Lin Yu a full checkup, confirming he was perfectly healthy, then discharged him.

  On the way back, Lin Yu studied the woman’s delicate profile, feeling as if he were in a dream. Out of nowhere, he’d gained such a beautiful wife—it was hard to adjust.

  At the same time, guilt gnawed at him. Was it right to take over this man’s body and his wife?

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  The thought of sharing a bed with her tonight made his heart race.

  He wanted to ask her about herself and He Jiarong—after all, he didn’t even know her name—but feared raising suspicions. In the end, he stayed silent.

  He considered feigning amnesia, but given how poorly she treated him even without it, who knew how she’d act if he claimed memory loss?

  Just then, the woman’s phone rang. After a brief conversation, she pulled over, took out a hundred-yuan bill from her wallet, and handed it to Lin Yu. "There’s an emergency at the clinic. I need to rush back. Take a taxi home—my parents are there."

  "Let me come with you to the clinic. Maybe I can help," Lin Yu said hesitantly. He had no idea what her parents looked like—going home now would be awkward.

  "Help?"

  The woman gave him a cold once-over. Coming from a freeloader, those words were laughable.

  The car stopped in front of a community clinic. A sign above the door read "Hua’an Clinic." It was small, with only about a dozen staff, but seemed well-run.

  As soon as the woman entered, a bespectacled male doctor rushed over. "Director Jiang, hurry! We’ve given two doses of fever reducer, but the child’s forehead is still burning. Her throat’s hoarse from crying."

  The woman—Jiang Yan, as Lin Yu noted from her name tag—quickly donned her white coat and hurried into the examination room.

  Lin Yu couldn’t help but think, *Elegant name for an elegant woman.*

  Inside, a young couple was frantically trying to soothe a screaming toddler. The girl, about three or four, had a face flushed scarlet, as if on fire. She writhed in her mother’s arms, her cries shrill and grating, occasionally punctuated by dry heaves.

  Lin Yu frowned. Was it his imagination, or was the child surrounded by a faint, shadowy haze?

  But what truly unsettled him was the child’s cry. Not because it was piercing, but because it was... unnatural. Indescribably so.

  "Director Jiang, thank goodness you’re here!" The young couple looked at Jiang Yan as if she were their savior.

  Jiang Yan felt the child’s forehead, then checked her pulse. "It’s fine. She’s just frightened. A few acupuncture needles will settle her."

  She instructed the bespectacled doctor to fetch her needle kit while a nurse prepared a sedative.

  "Director Jiang, why is she crying so violently today? And the vomiting—she never did that before," the young mother said, sweating profusely as she struggled to calm her child.

  "How did you get here? By car?" Jiang Yan asked.

  The couple nodded.

  "Then it’s probably motion sickness. You must’ve driven too fast, which aggravated her symptoms."

  "Right, right! She’s always been terribly carsick. I was in a hurry, so I drove faster than usual," the young father admitted guiltily.

  "Don’t worry. A sedative will calm her quickly." Jiang Yan was confident in her skills.

  Hua’an Clinic’s reputation rested largely on her shoulders. A minor issue like this was nothing.

  "You can’t give her a sedative. This isn’t just a simple fever or agitation. A sedative could worsen her condition."

  Just as the nurse was about to administer the injection, Lin Yu stepped forward and stopped her.

  In his past life, Lin Yu had been a top medical school graduate. Now, with the inherited knowledge from his ancestral medical texts, his skills had ascended to masterful levels.

  He sensed this child’s illness wasn’t straightforward—a sedative would be reckless.

  "I’m working. Get out!" Jiang Yan snapped, glaring at him furiously.

  Since when did this useless husband dare interrupt her work?

  "If I’m not mistaken, this child has a preexisting condition, right?" Lin Yu ignored Jiang Yan and addressed the couple.

  The young parents froze. How could this stranger immediately discern their child’s medical history?

  But seeing Jiang Yan’s anger, the mother hesitated. "Director Jiang, is... is this man also a doctor?"

  "Him, a doctor?" The bespectacled doctor sneered before Jiang Yan could respond. "If he’s a doctor, then I’m the director of Qinghai City People’s Hospital! This is Director Jiang’s husband—a ‘top graduate’ from Qinghai Vocational Technical School. Couldn’t find a job after graduation. Officially unemployed, living entirely off our Director Jiang—"

  "Enough. He Jiarong, leave. Now." Jiang Yan cut him off coldly. Being shackled to such a useless husband was humiliation enough.

  The young couple shot Lin Yu mocking looks, inwardly marveling at what sins Jiang Yan must’ve committed in a past life to end up married to such trash.

  Lin Yu himself was speechless. Even he was starting to despise this He Jiarong. How could a man be so pathetic? Not only was he looked down upon by his wife, but even her subordinates dared disrespect him to his face.

  "Director Jiang asked you to leave."

  When Lin Yu didn’t move, the bespectacled doctor stepped forward with a mocking gesture.

  Lin Yu knew when he wasn’t wanted. Without another word, he turned and left.

  By now, Jiang Yan had administered the sedative. The child quieted instantly, and the young couple sighed in relief, now convinced Lin Yu was just a pretentious fool.

  Jiang Yan took a fine needle from her kit and pricked the joints of the child’s little fingers, squeezing out clear fluid. She then felt the child’s forehead. "The fever will break soon."

  Outside the clinic, Lin Yu was seething. He almost regretted taking over this young man’s body. Sure, he was alive again, but what a humiliating existence.

  Then the child’s cry echoed in his mind. Why had it felt so unnatural?

  Suddenly, it hit him. He slapped his forehead. "That wasn’t a human’s cry at all!"

  No sooner had he spoken than the same eerie wail erupted from inside the clinic.

  Jiang Yan and the couple panicked. The previously calm child was now thrashing violently, clawing at her mother’s arms.

  "Director Jiang, do something! What’s happening?" The mother gripped her daughter’s hands, desperation in her voice.

  Jiang Yan, pale-faced, patted the child’s back, trying to soothe her while her own mind raced. The child had been fine moments ago—why had she relapsed so suddenly?

  Then the screams stopped. The child’s body convulsed violently. Her eyes rolled back, foam bubbled from her lips, and her chest heaved—she was suffocating.

  Jiang Yan’s face drained of color. She laid the child on the bed and began chest compressions.

  The bespectacled doctor stood frozen, barely daring to breathe. If the child died, he’d be implicated too.

  "Director Jiang, please save my daughter!" The mother collapsed to the floor, sobbing.

  "You quack! Do you even know how to practice medicine?" The father’s calm shattered. "If anything happens to my girl, I’ll make sure you pay with your life!"

  Sweat beaded on Jiang Yan’s forehead. Despite her relentless CPR and rescue breaths, the child lay motionless, her face turning blue. She was slipping away.

  Jiang Yan’s hands trembled uncontrollably. In all her years as a doctor, she’d never encountered anything like this.

  "I’ll kill you!"

  As the child’s breathing grew fainter, the father snapped. He lunged at Jiang Yan.

  The bespectacled doctor mustered his courage to intervene but was kicked into a corner. The father’s palm arced toward Jiang Yan’s face.

  Jiang Yan flinched, bracing for the blow.

  But it never landed.

  She looked up to see the man’s wrist caught in a firm grip.

  Lin Yu had stepped between them.

  "Violence solves nothing," Lin Yu said, shoving the man back.

  "That quack killed my daughter!" the father roared, eyes bloodshot, like a rabid beast.

  "With me here, your daughter won’t die." Lin Yu’s voice was steel.

  Jiang Yan stared at his resolute profile, an unfamiliar sensation stirring in her chest.

  *Safety?*

  Impossible. How could this worthless man make her feel protected?

  "Fine! Then you treat her! If she dies, I’ll slaughter all of you!" The father’s screams bordered on insanity.

  Ignoring him, Lin Yu turned and checked the girl’s pulse.

  "What are you doing? You’re no doctor!" Jiang Yan grabbed his arm, hissing in his ear.