The moment the smartphone appeared, Ding Jia’s attention was completely derailed. She stared at it, her eyes wide with shock.
"What is that?"
"A phone."
"That is a phone?!"
Su Jin smiled easily. "My apologies, I completely forgot. This model hasn't hit the domestic market yet. It looks a little different from the phones sold here."
Then he pressed the Xiaomi Mi 6 directly into Ding Jia’s hands.
Ding Jia froze, still staring at the unfamiliar phone. Su Jin gently guided her index finger, swiping it across the screen.
He began rattling off one baffling sales pitch after another: "Ten cores, twin shafts—uh, lenses," "Thinner than a coin," "Smoother the longer you use it," "Miles ahead!"
"It's incredible! Is this what foreign phones look like now? What language is this?" Ding Jia babbled excitedly. She couldn't read a single word of the interface.
She was so completely captivated that she didn't realize the conversation had been entirely hijacked, nor did she notice that Su Jin’s hand was still wrapped smoothly around hers.
It wasn't until he casually slipped the phone back that the physical contact registered. Ding Jia jerked her hand back, a furious blush painting her cheeks.
"Wakandan script," Su Jin said with a straight face.
"Wakanda? There's a country called that... what company made something this good?" Ding Jia murmured, completely falling for it.
"Wakanda is a small country, but the company that makes this phone is famous. Take a guess," Su Jin said with a smile.
"Jumi?"
"Bingo!"
"It can take photos too. Want me to take one for you?" Su Jin smoothly pivoted.
"Really?" Ding Jia gasped.
Su Jin took two steps back, raised the Xiaomi, and snapped a photo before she could overthink it.
Standing perfectly still, he opened a photo-editing app and rapidly airbrushed the image on the spot.
Ten seconds later, he presented a carefully retouched photo to Ding Jia.
Staring at a version of herself that was two shades fairer and heavily filtered into flawless perfection, Ding Jia’s heart skipped a beat. She let out a sharp gasp.
"Is... is this me?"
Su Jin summoned a look of polite embarrassment, forcing a dry chuckle. "Sorry about that... At the end of the day, it's just a phone camera. It can't compete with a professional camera. It's perfectly normal for a ten-out-of-ten beauty to be downgraded to an eight by a digital lens."
"Ah?" The blush on Ding Jia’s cheeks deepened into a heavy crimson, completely melting away her previously cold, clinical demeanor. "No, no, this is already stunning."
"So... where exactly can someone buy this?"
"It hasn't reached public circulation yet. I only secured this unit through high-level internal connections. From what I hear, even when it launches, it will be available to only a small number of people."
"Oh..." Ding Jia deflated visibly, then perked up again. "How much does a phone like this cost, anyway?"
"Nothing crazy. Just twenty thousand," Su Jin lied without blinking.
"Twenty thousand?!" Ding Jia squeaked. Embarrassed by her reaction, she flushed and quickly backpedaled. "For hardware this advanced, twenty thousand... is definitely a steal."
"Yeah, it gets the job done. It makes a great gift for friends and family. I originally wanted to pull strings and grab a few more units, but I couldn't get the quota approved before flying back."
Just twenty thousand... a steal... grab a few more... give them away as gifts?! Just how filthy rich was this guy? And so young... did he have some powerful connections?
Ding Jia’s mind was spinning so fast it took a second for Su Jin’s voice to pull her back to reality.
"Miss Ding, I believe we've gotten a bit sidetracked."
"Ah? Oh... right, yes." Ding Jia nodded quickly.
"Let's get back to Qingdai." Su Jin glanced back toward Qingdai and sighed with concern. "She used to be such a bright kid. I never imagined academic pressure would land her in a place like this. Honestly, it breaks my heart. Moreover, looking at her current environment, I really don't think staying here is going to help her recover."
"A familiar environment at home would do wonders for her mental state. Miss Ding... do you truly believe she needs to stay here for treatment?"
"Actually... not necessarily," Ding Jia admitted hesitantly.
Su Jin nodded. "My thoughts exactly. That's why I need a favor from you. Once she's discharged, I can find someone to look after her at home. She can still take any medicine she needs and get guidance. And we could ask you for advice too. Miss Ding, would you be willing to give me your phone number?"
Leave her number?
Ding Jia kept her left hand buried in her pocket, clutching her PHS phone. Embarrassed to take it out in front of him, she rattled off a string of digits instead.
"Alright, write this down: 800-820-8820."
Su Jin pantomimed typing the numbers into his sleek screen, then feigned surprise.
"Damn it, my apologies. I just got back into the country, and my phone cannot be used here yet. How about you write your number down for me? Once I get it set up, I'll give you a ring."
Without waiting for her to object, he smoothly produced a notebook, ripped out a clean page, and handed it to her along with a pen.
Once she wrote down the number, Su Jin folded it with utmost care and slipped it into his breast pocket.
"Miss Ding, I leave this matter in your capable hands."
"Oh? Did I ever agree to help you?" Ding Jia crossed her arms, shooting him a coy, half-smile.
Su Jin offered a self-deprecating chuckle. "Fair enough. I'm being presumptuous. But either way, I sincerely hope we can keep in touch regarding Qingdai's progress. I can tell you are kind and take good care of your patients, Miss Ding. When my schedule clears, I must treat you to a meal sometime."
"Oh, one more thing. If my uncle and aunt visit tomorrow, please don't mention I was here. They don't know I'm back in the country yet, and I'm planning a surprise."
"You can refuse me on everything else, but you have to promise me this one favor!"
"Don't worry, my lips are sealed!" Ding Jia promised eagerly.
Right on cue, a voice called out for her from down the hall.
Ding Jia looked back at Su Jin, reluctant to end their talk. "I have to get back to my rounds. We'll have to pause this here."
Su Jin nodded graciously.
But just as she turned away, he waved the smartphone. "Miss Ding!"
"Yes?" She stopped, looking back.
"I still have that photo of you... is it alright if I keep it? I can print it and bring it to you sometime." Su Jin flashed a killer smile.
"Ah... yes, absolutely!"
"Wait for my call. Keep up the good work!"
The blush that had just begun to recede roared back to life across Ding Jia’s face. She spun around and practically skipped down the corridor.
The instant her silhouette vanished around the corner, Su Jin let his smile fade.
He fished the carefully folded slip of paper out of his pocket, crumpled it into a tight ball, and casually lobbed it into a nearby trash can.
Pivoting sharply, he strode over to Fu Qingdai, dropping into the chair across from her. His face turned serious. "I will be brief. Sometime today, track down that nurse, Ding Jia. Tell her you want to play matchmaker and set us up. Sell it, but don't overact. Got it?"
"When your mother visits tomorrow, beg Ding Jia to advocate for you. Have her push the narrative that you need at-home recovery. If Ding Jia refuses to help, throw a tantrum. Cry, make a scene, even pretend you might hurt yourself if you have to... but do not mention my existence to your parents. Can you do that?"
"Yes," Fu Qingdai answered with dead-serious conviction.
"Good. Now give me your home address. I will go to your neighborhood today and find a place to rent nearby. If I get one, look for two sheets of blank white paper taped to the window. That's my signal."
Fu Qingdai didn't immediately spout her address. Instead, she chewed nervously on her lower lip. "Cousin... I have one more question. Can I ask it?"
"Talk."
"Are you only saving me?"
"Obviously. I'm one guy, how many people do you think I can carry?" Su Jin shot back instantly.
All the color drained from Fu Qingdai's face. She recoiled in horror. "No! You have to save my parents too! And my friends... if you have the power to save me, you can't just leave them to die!"
A massive, throbbing headache spiked right behind Su Jin’s eyes.
"Do not keep piling on demands. I have had a rough couple of days, and I cannot stand women right now!"
"Then I might as well die... what's the point of surviving the apocalypse entirely alone?" Fu Qingdai trembled, glaring back at him with stubborn defiance.
Su Jin fell silent and thought it over.
After a brief, loaded silence, he relented. "I cannot take care of everyone else right now, but I will save your parents. Is that enough?"
Logically, he had to save her parents too.
A young girl could not survive alone after the apocalypse. Her parents were her strongest support.
Plus, saving them might even help him complete his mission sooner.
Hearing his concession, the raw panic in Fu Qingdai's eyes cooled. She gave two slow, measured nods.
"I understand... Just my parents is enough. Cousin, I know I don't have the leverage to demand anything from you... but I'm just so scared..."
Rubbing her red-rimmed eyes, Fu Qingdai reached behind her back, produced three battered notebooks, and slid them across the table.
Frowning in confusion, Su Jin flipped the covers open...
The first notebook: A meticulous dream journal. Every apocalyptic vision was documented in agonizing detail, with uncertain fragments heavily annotated.
The second notebook held practical facts about daily life and newspaper clippings.
The third notebook: A fold-out map of Longshan City. Important places were marked—grain depots, hospitals, police precincts. The back pages contained her home address, a rough hand-drawn map of her neighborhood, with nearby supermarkets, pharmacies, and gas suppliers marked.
"You... you compiled all this data?!" Su Jin stared at the teenager, genuinely stunned.
Fu Qingdai nodded. "Cousin... I knew you were coming. I guessed you might be an alien. I was afraid you would not know this place, so I prepared in advance."
"I also have some money. There's over ten thousand yuan buried under the tree outside my apartment building. It's the only tree by the entrance, you can't miss it. I marked the trunk with a red dot. Dig directly below the paint."
"Wait, hold up. Ten grand? How did a student like you get so much money? Are your parents rich?" Su Jin was hit with a second wave of shock.
Fu Qingdai’s face burned scarlet. She struggled to speak, finally dropping her gaze to the floor. "I... I borrowed it from boys at school... more than a hundred of them..."
"Holy shit..." Su Jin was awestruck. "You are already tricking boys out of money at your age?"
"It wasn't a scam!!" Fu Qingdai shrieked, flushed with furious embarrassment. But her defensive rage quickly crumbled into a guilty mumble. "I never said I wouldn't pay them back... if they survive the end of the world, I'll pay off every cent, even if I have to sell my own blood..."
"Good, good, good!" Su Jin exclaimed, his eyes shining with newfound admiration.
She was a teenager. She had seen the apocalypse coming, warned everyone she could, endured suspicion and ridicule, and kept preparing even after being sent to the hospital.
Her resilience and willingness to act would put many adults to shame.
The notes and money she had given him would be enormously useful.
A bleeding heart? No—she was an angel.
She was a very capable client. She probably would not hold him back.
Putting away the three notebooks, Su Jin leveled a deadly serious look at Fu Qingdai. "Outstanding work. I'll take over from here. I'll be waiting for you on the outside... You're underweight. Remember to eat more over the next few days."
"I know. My life is in your hands... Cousin."