Du Heng’s sudden appearance at the door of Li Qin’s hospital room silenced the laughter that had filled it moments before.

Upon seeing Du Heng, Li Qin pouted exaggeratedly, her expression thoroughly sour. She already knew her agent had given Du Heng 150,000 yuan on her behalf, which distressed her greatly. Although the company would reimburse part of it, her own money didn’t grow on trees. So, the sight of Du Heng made her heart ache, mainly because she felt it wasn’t worth it. Just yesterday, she watched him touch and rub her arm a few times, taking advantage of her, not to mention arguing with her and making her lose face. Why give him so much?

The abrupt silence caught Du Heng off guard, but the dapper man, being a decent person, immediately chuckled and approached him. "Doctor Du, what brings you here? Are you worried about our Qinqin’s injury?"

The dapper man’s enthusiasm helped Du Heng regain his composure, and he went along with it, starting to chat. However, they weren’t very familiar with each other, and after a few exchanges, the conversation slowly drifted into awkward small talk.

Realizing this, Du Heng knew he couldn’t dawdle. He had actual business with Li Qin; he hadn’t come for an awkward chat. Besides, once they fell into awkward small talk, it would be harder to discuss the real issues.

So, Du Heng proactively steered the conversation away from pleasantries and brought up Liu Amei. "The situation is essentially this: I plan to use the... ’labor fee’ you gave me yesterday. I intend to use it in your name to help Liu Amei cover her medical expenses, as well as her living costs during treatment. Liu Amei’s family situation is also special. After she’s cured, she might not have any income for a short while. Therefore, I’ll also give her the remaining money in your name so she can get through this difficult period."

Li Qin didn’t seem to appreciate the gesture, her lips still pursed tightly. "That money was for you. Why use my name? I don’t need you to play the hero."

Du Heng shook his head. "It’s not that I insist on using your name, but if I say I’m the one helping her, Liu Amei might not accept it."

"Then why would she accept it if it’s under my name?"

"You’re a celebrity. It’s relatively easy for you to make money."

Li Qin bristled, sitting up abruptly despite her splinted arm. "Nonsense! How is it easy for me to make money? I work my tail off for a role, filming day and night, and then the company takes a huge cut."

She then pointed to her agent and the young assistant beside her. "They both have to take a share, and I need to live decently too! I have to give gifts to directors and producers, or I won’t get any roles in the future. You do the math—how much do I actually get to keep?"

The more Li Qin spoke, the more aggrieved she sounded, her voice tinged with tears. "I’m already 27! I barely managed to make a down payment on an apartment in the Capital, and the monthly payments are like a noose around my neck. Do you think my life is easy?"

Du Heng awkwardly touched his nose, momentarily speechless.

It was her agent beside her who spoke up. "Who are you crying poor to? Wasn’t buying the apartment your own decision? And it’s not like you’re short on properties, are you? Besides, don’t talk about us taking your money. We help you connect with film crews and look after you; don’t we deserve to be paid?"

Damn, this woman is crying poor! Is she afraid I’ll ask her for more money? Du Heng immediately felt deflated. Am I that kind of person? And she’s such a damned good actress; I actually believed her.

But to dispel Liu Amei’s potential suspicions, Du Heng patiently continued, "Ms. Li..."

"Call me Qinqin," Li Qin interjected.

Qinqin my ass! Du Heng fumed. A 27-year-old woman, and who does she think she’s being all ’Qinqin’ with?

"Qin... Qin, I have no other motive for coming today. I just want you to have a video call with Liu Amei. Let her know I’m not deceiving her and that the money is from you. That way, she’ll feel at ease following me back to Jinzhou and be willing to accept treatment."

Li Qin’s train of thought seemed different from that of a normal person. As soon as Du Heng finished, she latched onto another, irrelevant point. "You’re going back to Jinzhou? When?"

"Tomorrow morning," Du Heng replied honestly.

Li Qin’s eyes widened dramatically. "If you leave, what about my arm? It’s not healed yet!"

Du Heng couldn’t help but touch his nose. "You’re in the Hospital, and Director Li Chengzu is personally overseeing your care. My presence here doesn’t make a difference."

"How can it not matter? You prescribed the medicine I’m drinking, and you prepared the ointment I’m applying. What if my arm heals crooked and you’ve run off? Who would I seek compensation from?"

Why is this woman’s thought process so different from a normal person’s? Du Heng wondered. Anyone else would be hoping for a full recovery, but she’s already thinking about compensation for a crooked arm. How on earth did she become a star? Has the IQ requirement for stars dropped so low?

"Don’t worry," Du Heng explained helplessly once more. "I also work at a hospital in Jinzhou; I have a workplace. I can’t just disappear."

Talking to someone on a completely different wavelength was truly exhausting. He’d been here for twenty minutes, and they hadn’t made an inch of progress on the main issue. Every time he brought it up, she would mercilessly derail the conversation.

"Qin... Qin," Du Heng forced himself, cringing internally at the name, but he needed her help. "Do you think you could chat with Liu Amei for a bit? Help her clear any doubts and feel at ease about coming with me for treatment."

Li Qin thought for a moment. "Is everything you just said true?"

Great, finally back on topic! Du Heng was overjoyed; he finally saw a glimmer of hope. "Absolutely true. If you don’t believe me, you can video call Liu Amei. She has all sorts of examination reports with her."

"Then how does she live without internal organs? It sounds terrifying. Where could her organs have gone? Could they have all dissolved into water?"

Du Heng swallowed hard. He shouldn’t have held out any hope for this woman’s bizarre logic. He didn’t want to waste any more time and stood up. "Ms. Li, can you do this favor? This call from you might give a young woman the courage to live again. If you feel this is an imposition, I apologize. I’ll leave right now."

Li Qin glanced at Du Heng, her lips pouting again. "See? You’re not even calling me Qinqin anymore."

Du Heng was incensed. I’m tempted to call her Madame Niu!

"Why are you in such a hurry? I never said I wouldn’t help."

Du Heng’s fist clenched, then unclenched, then relaxed. He felt this pretentious woman was toying with him.

"I’m a star, you know! Don’t I need to put on some makeup and get ready?" Perhaps noticing Du Heng’s clenched fist, and fearing she’d get hit if she kept up her act, she beckoned her assistant to start on her makeup.

The makeup process filled Du Heng with a profound sense of helplessness.

She’s so incredibly fussy! he thought. This color is wrong, those eyebrows are too thick, there’s a color mismatch... If I were that assistant, I’d have definitely given her two hard slaps across the face.

After nearly an hour of primping, she was finally ready for the call. Since she’d gone to such lengths with her makeup, it would be a shame not to do a video call. Besides, she wanted to see if this Liu Amei was really as Du Heng described.

Du Heng initiated a video call with Du Xueting.

As soon as the connection was established, Du Xueting started complaining, "Little Uncle, where have you been? We were starving to death waiting for you!"

Seeing Du Xueting’s greasy lips, Du Heng was speechless. "Wipe the oil from your mouth before you tell me you’re starving."

"Heh heh, we couldn’t wait for you, so A mei and I ordered some takeout."

"Alright, pass the phone to Liu Amei. A friend of mine wants to talk to her."

"What friend?"

"Don’t ask so many questions. Just give her the phone."

With that, Du Heng handed his mobile phone to Li Qin.

The moment Li Qin’s face appeared on the screen, Du Xueting on the other end started squealing, yelling excitedly. Du Heng tried to take the phone back to quiet Du Xueting, but Li Qin stopped him and began chatting with her.

Oh well, Du Heng thought. If they can hit it off, let them chat.

He retreated to the sofa to wait.

And that wait lasted a full hour.

Tears streaming down her face, Li Qin returned the phone to Du Heng. "Tell me, why is Liu Amei’s life so miserable? And to be stuck with such an inhuman husband. Men... not a single one of them is any good. Women really have to rely on themselves, or they’ll end up too pitiful."

Du Heng took the mobile phone, muttered a "thank you," and turned to leave. His task was complete, and he really didn’t want to endure this woman’s antics any longer.

After Du Heng left, Li Qin’s expression turned serious. She looked at her agent and asked, "Brother Zhou, I haven’t asked you yet, why did you give him that extra money?"

Her agent sat on the sofa, one leg crossed casually over the other. "Yesterday, while you were in the operating room, I had someone look into this Doctor Du."

"And what did you find out?"

"He’s a Divine Doctor."

Li Qin frowned slightly. "Divine Doctor? What does that mean?"

Her agent said, "I had the same expression as you when I got this news yesterday. Let me tell you the simple and important points. This Doctor Du is exceptionally skilled at treating strokes; it has become a specialty at his Health Clinic. What’s more, he can treat cancer."

"Cancer?" Li Qin looked incredulous. "That’s nonsense, right? If cancer could be cured, wouldn’t he have won a Nobel Prize by now?"

"There are surely limitations, but records show he has successfully treated three cases, all verifiable. And this Liu Amei is likely to be his fourth patient."

"What does that have to do with us?"

"Let me add one more thing. Three months ago, Doctor Du’s girlfriend had her face slashed with a knife. However, a month later, her face was fully restored using a Scar Removal Ointment made by Doctor Du."

Her agent paused, looking at Li Qin intently. "Who can guarantee they’ll never get sick or have an accident in their lifetime? And if you want to do your job well, there will inevitably be some bumps along the way. Besides, you’re not short of money. What’s the harm in spending a little to connect with a doctor who possesses such genuine skills?"

Li Qin fell silent. After a long pause, she suddenly asked, "Du Heng has a girlfriend? He’s not married?"

Her agent rolled his eyes. What’s wrong with such an outstanding man having a girlfriend?

"Not anymore. The person who looked into it said his girlfriend’s family ran into some trouble, and they broke up after she was discharged from the hospital."

"Oh, so he really is a scumbag." Li Qin fell silent again. After a considerable wait, she said, "Transfer another 50,000 yuan to that card. Consider it a gift from me to Liu Amei; she’s just too pitiful."

Her agent glanced at Li Qin. This woman must have injured her brain yesterday too, he thought. Her words and actions were completely haphazard, without any rhyme or reason.

"Should we inform Doctor Du?"

"No need to tell him. If he’s as amazing as you say, he’ll definitely figure out what the extra money is for." Having said that, Li Qin prepared to lie back down on the bed.

But halfway down, she suddenly asked, "Brother Zhou, since you say Du Heng is so amazing, he can cure Liu Amei, right?"

Her agent replied nonchalantly, "Of course, he can. Otherwise, why would he go to all this trouble?"

"Oh, that’s good. Otherwise, my money would have been wasted."