The moment the phone appeared, Ding Jia's attention was instantly captured. She asked with a look of surprise, "What is this?"

"A phone."

"This is a phone!?"

Su Jin gave a suave smile. "My apologies, I forgot. This model isn't available in the country yet, so it looks a bit different from what's on the market."

With that, he placed the Xiaomi 6 directly into Ding Jia's hands.

Ding Jia held the phone, momentarily stunned. Su Jin gently took her finger and swiped it across the screen.

He then rattled off a series of incomprehensible phrases, like "performance monster," "thinner than a coin," "gets smoother the more you use it," and "leaps and bounds ahead!"

"This is incredible! Are all foreign phones like this now? What language is this?" Ding Jia asked excitedly, even though she couldn't understand a single one of the foreign words on the screen.

She was so engrossed that she didn't notice the topic had gone completely off-track, nor that Su Jin was now holding her entire right hand.

It wasn't until Su Jin took the phone back that Ding Jia suddenly realized and pulled her hand away, her face slightly flushed.

"It's Wakandan."

"Wakanda? There's a country called that? What company is so impressive?" Ding Jia murmured to herself.

"Wakanda is a small country, but the company that makes the phones is famous. You can take a guess," Su Jin said with a smile.

"Ju Mi?"

"Smart!"

"This phone can also take pictures. How about I take one of you?" Su Jin decisively changed the subject.

"Really?" Ding Jia was greatly surprised.

Su Jin took two steps back and, without another word, raised the Xiaomi 6 and snapped a photo.

Then, standing right there, he opened a photo editing app and started editing on the spot.

Ten seconds later, a perfectly edited photo was presented to Ding Jia.

Looking at the image of herself—her skin two shades lighter and enhanced with all sorts of beauty filters—Ding Jia's heart skipped a beat, and she gasped in amazement.

"Is... is this me?"

Su Jin put on a modest expression and gave a dry laugh. "Sorry... it's just a phone camera, after all. It can't compare to a professional one. It's normal for it to take a ten-out-of-ten beauty and make her look like an eight."

"Ah?" Two deep blushes spread across Ding Jia's cheeks, her previously cool expression completely gone. "No, no, this is already very good."

"So... where can I buy this phone?"

"It's not on the market yet. I managed to get one through a friend's internal connection. I hear that even when it's released, it'll likely only be available to a select few."

"Oh..." Ding Jia looked a little disappointed, then asked, "Then how much does this phone cost?"

"Not expensive, only twenty thousand," Su Jin lied nonchalantly.

"Twenty thousand!" Ding Jia exclaimed, but quickly realizing her reaction was a bit embarrassing, she added with a blush, "For such a good phone, twenty thousand... really isn't expensive."

"Yeah, I find it quite easy to use. It's also suitable as a gift for relatives and friends. I was going to ask my friend to get me a few more, but I couldn't secure the internal slots before I came back to the country."

*Only twenty thousand... not expensive... get a few more... gift them to relatives and friends?! Just how rich is he? And so young... Does he have some kind of powerful background?*

Ding Jia's mind was in turmoil until Su Jin's voice brought her back to reality.

"Miss Ding, I think we've gotten a bit off-topic."

"Ah? Ah... right, right." Ding Jia nodded quickly.

"Let's get back to Qingdai." Su Jin glanced over his shoulder toward Fu Qingdai's spot and sighed with concern. "She used to be such a lively child. I can't believe she was sent here because of life pressures. Honestly, I can't bear to see it. I've also observed her condition, and I don't think being here is doing much good for her recovery."

"In fact, being in a familiar environment would be more beneficial for her. Miss Ding... do you really think she absolutely has to stay here for treatment?"

"Actually... not necessarily," Ding Jia answered hesitantly.

Su Jin nodded. "That's what I think too. That's why I was hoping you could do me a favor. Once she's home, I can arrange for someone to look after her. And even if she's not here, we can still ensure she gets the right medication and guidance. Besides, we still have you, don't we? Miss Ding, I was wondering if you could give me your phone number."

*Give him my number?*

Ding Jia's left hand was in her pocket, clutching her 'Xiaolingtong' phone. After a long hesitation, she felt too embarrassed to take it out and just recited a string of numbers instead.

"Alright, you can write this down: 8008208820."

Su Jin pretended to tap the numbers into his phone, then immediately feigned surprise.

"Oh, my apologies! I just got back to the country, and this phone can't make calls here yet. How about you give me your number instead? I can call you once I get my service set up."

Without waiting for her reaction, he tore a page from a notebook and handed her the paper and a pen.

Once he had her number, Su Jin folded the paper carefully and put it in his pocket.

"Miss Ding, I'll be counting on you for this."

"Hey, did I say I'd agree to it?" Ding Jia crossed her arms, a half-smile on her face as she looked at Su Jin.

Su Jin gave a faint smile. "You're right, that was presumptuous of me. But regardless, I hope we can stay in touch to discuss Qingdai's situation. I can tell you're a kind and beautiful person who is very responsible toward her patients. I must treat you to a meal sometime."

"Oh, right. If my aunt and uncle's family comes tomorrow, I hope you won't tell them I was here. They don't know I'm back in the country yet, and I want to give them a surprise."

"You don't have to help me with anything else, but you absolutely have to help me with this!"

"Don't worry, I'll definitely help you with that!" Ding Jia nodded.

Just then, a voice called out from a distance.

Ding Jia glanced back, then turned to Su Jin, looking a bit conflicted. "I have to get back to work. Should we stop here for now?"

Su Jin nodded.

But just as Ding Jia turned to leave, he raised his phone and called out to her, "Miss Ding!"

"What is it?" Ding Jia looked back.

"I still have your photo... Can I keep it? When I have time, I'll get it printed and bring it to you," Su Jin said with a broad smile.

"Ah... yes, of course!"

"Wait for my call. You've got this!"

The blush that had just faded from Ding Jia's cheeks returned in full force. She turned and trotted away with the spring of a young girl in her step.

Watching Ding Jia's figure disappear, Su Jin's smile vanished.

He pulled the phone number from his pocket, crumpled it into a ball, and casually tossed it into a nearby trash can.

He strode over to Fu Qingdai, sat down opposite her, and said seriously, "Let's make this quick. This afternoon or evening, whenever you have time, go talk to that nurse, Ding Jia. Tell her you want to play matchmaker for us. Don't make it too obvious, you get it?"

"Then tomorrow, when your mom comes, get Ding Jia to speak up for you. Have her say that you're better off recovering at home. If she won't help, you cry, you make a scene, even pretend to be suicidal if you have to... But don't mention me in front of your parents. Can you do that?"

"I can!" Fu Qingdai replied solemnly.

"Good. Now, tell me your home address. I'll go check it out today and try to settle in somewhere near you as soon as possible. Once I've rented a place, remember that my house is the one with two white pieces of paper taped to the window."

Fu Qingdai didn't answer directly. Instead, she bit her lower lip and hesitated. "Cousin... I have one more question, can I ask you?"

"Go on."

"Are you only saving me?"

"Who else? How many people do you think I can save?" Su Jin said without a second thought.

Fu Qingdai's face turned pale, and she shrank back. "No! You have to save my parents too! And my friends... You can't save me and just leave them to die!"

Hearing this, Su Jin felt a headache coming on.

"Don't make so many demands. I'm telling you, I've been on edge these past two days. I'm sick of women!"

"Then I'd rather die... What's the point of me living alone?" Fu Qingdai's body trembled as she stared defiantly at Su Jin.

Su Jin was speechless, his mind racing for a solution.

After a brief silence, he said, "I can't worry about others right now, but I will definitely save your parents. Is that enough?"

Logically speaking, Fu Qingdai's parents had to be saved no matter what. A little girl could never survive on her own. Her greatest support would undoubtedly be her parents. Maybe they could even help him complete his mission ahead of schedule.

Hearing him agree, the look in Fu Qingdai's eyes softened, and she slowly nodded.

"I understand... As long as you can save my parents, that's enough. Cousin, I know I have no right to ask anything of you... but I'm just so scared..."

With red-rimmed eyes, Fu Qingdai reached behind her back and pulled out three notebooks, handing them over.

Su Jin took the notebooks in confusion and began to flip through them...

The first notebook recorded all of Fu Qingdai's dreams, every detail noted, with unclear parts clearly marked as such.

The second contained a wealth of common knowledge and newspaper clippings.

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The third notebook had a map of Longshan City tucked inside. It marked some key buildings like grain stores, hospitals, and police stations. The rest of it detailed Fu Qingdai's home address, a simple hand-drawn map, and the locations of nearby supermarkets, pharmacies, and gas supply stations in her neighborhood.

"You... you recorded all of this?!" Su Jin looked at Fu Qingdai in shock.

Fu Qingdai nodded. "Cousin... I knew you would come for me. I also guessed you might be an alien. I was afraid you wouldn't be familiar with our world, so I prepared in advance."

"I also have over ten thousand yuan. It's buried under the big tree in front of my building. It's the only tree there, so it's easy to find. I marked a red dot on the trunk; it's buried right below that."

"How much? Where did a student like you get that much money? Are you some second-generation wealthy kid?" Su Jin was shocked for a second time.

Fu Qingdai's face flushed, and she seemed to find it hard to speak. Finally, she lowered her head and said, "I... I borrowed it from the male students at my school a while ago... I borrowed from over a hundred people..."

"My god..." Su Jin was flabbergasted. "You learned how to swindle money from men at such a young age?"

"I didn't swindle them!" Fu Qingdai retorted loudly in shame and anger, but her voice quickly softened to a mumble. "I never said I wouldn't pay it back... If they don't die, I'll definitely pay them back, even if I have to work or sell my blood..."

"Good, good, good!" Su Jin praised her repeatedly, his gaze now filled with admiration.

A girl barely in her teens, who knew the apocalypse was coming, warned everyone, endured countless doubts and misunderstandings, and still took action, never giving up even after being sent to a mental hospital. Her incredible resilience and proactiveness were enough to put any adult to shame.

The information and money she provided were incredibly useful.

A bleeding heart... How could she be a bleeding heart? She's an angel!

A top-quality client... She probably wouldn't be a burden.

Putting away the three notebooks, Su Jin looked Fu Qingdai in the eye and said seriously, "You did very well. Leave the rest to me. I'll be waiting for you on the outside... You're too thin. Remember to eat more these next few days."

"I know. I'm counting on you... Cousin."

---

Proofreader: Peter Pan