Chapter 312: The First Person
Shi Lan blocked the messages and turned off her chip. As soon as she finished her glass of water, Ye Ming immediately handed her another.
Everyone looked at her again, their eyes filled with concern.
The director said, "Lanlan, you’ve suffered. The lack of discipline at the school is my failure. I will implement a complete overhaul."
Lu Dinfeng added furiously, "Looks like the school needs more guards to keep a close eye on these gossipy males. They do nothing but spread rumors all day instead of training properly."
Yan Huoshui nodded in agreement. "He’s right. Their training regimen is too light. They’re clearly too idle. We should keep them busier."
’Shi Lan hadn’t expected them to still be dwelling on it. She was fine, really; she didn’t let people like that get to her. But the body’s original owner had suffered immense psychological trauma from it, so a crackdown was definitely necessary. Who knew if another F-level female might face the same bullying in the future.’
For now, she tried to comfort them. "It’s all in the past. I’ve already forgotten all that unpleasantness. Thank you for your concern."
Sensing the lingering tension in the air, Shi Lan looked to Lu Dinfeng and began awkwardly, "Grandpa Lu..."
"Um... what would be the best way for me to address you from now on?"
’She was just realizing how messy their family ties were. The director was Ye Ming’s mother, she was Ye Ming’s wife, and Grandpa Lu was the director’s Beast Husband. If she called him ’Grandpa,’ it would age him by a generation relative to her, throwing the whole hierarchy into chaos.’
Lu Dinfeng ran a hand through his white hair. He glanced at Yan Huoshui and his own wife, understanding the awkwardness of the title. He didn’t hesitate to let Shi Lan change it. "You’re right, Lanlan. From now on, just call me Uncle Lu."
"Ahem. Of course, if you wouldn’t mind, you could also just call me ’Dad.’"
Yan Huoshui shot him a glare. ’What a shameless old man.’
’I’ve always refused to be his adopted son, and now he’s trying to get to me through my wife.’
Lu Dinfeng was thick-skinned enough not to care about the glare at all. Instead, he looked at Shi Lan with hopeful eyes.
Shi Lan was too embarrassed to know what to say, but Yan Huoshui interjected through clenched teeth, "Uncle Lu."
Taking the hint, she immediately spoke up as well.
"Good, good, good."
Lu Dinfeng wasn’t disappointed in the least; the corners of his eyes crinkled into a smile.
As she was the first 3S Female, the incident caused patient traffic at Zhenxin Hospital to skyrocket by several dozen times. To avoid overworking her team of females, the director had to limit the number of daily appointments.
The females at the hospital were filled with admiration and respect for Shi Lan. They were also grateful she had brought in so much business. After all, the hospital had been struggling before, especially with the Imperial First Hospital crowding them out. Some days, they wouldn’t even treat two or three patients. Thankfully, the director paid them generously and was a kind, magnanimous person, which was what had convinced them to stay. Otherwise, every single one of them would have jumped ship long ago.
As for the person who had leaked the recording, the director had tracked her down. It was a recently hired female with B-level Spiritual Power. She had done it for money and fled as soon as she was paid. The director easily found her using her connections and turned the woman over to Shi Lan for judgment.
Ultimately, the incident hadn’t affected Shi Lan too much. The woman apologized and begged incessantly. Shi Lan learned that she had desperately needed the money to go home and pay for her younger sister’s medical treatment. Her sister, like this body’s original owner, also had F-level spiritual power. The woman had heard rumors of a cure for F-level spiritual power, but it was extremely expensive. Since business at the director’s hospital was so poor, the money came in too slowly. Left with no other choice, she had resorted to such a desperate measure.
Since there were extenuating circumstances, Shi Lan didn’t press the matter. Perhaps because she pitied the woman’s sister for sharing the original owner’s fate, she couldn’t bring herself to be harsh. Instead, she had the woman pay back half of what she had earned as compensation for emotional distress.
She readily handed over 25 million Star Coins.
Shi Lan said, "I don’t know where you heard that F-level spiritual power can be cured, but I must remind you to be careful not to get scammed. Stay safe."
"I will, thank you. After I went home, I listened to your speech. I’m so grateful to you for showing me that there are other possibilities for one’s spiritual power. I’ll work on honing my skills and strive to become a better female."
Seeing the ambition flickering in the woman’s eyes, Shi Lan worried she might do something reckless and added, "In truth, it doesn’t matter if your spiritual power is high or low. What’s most important is to cherish the present moment, stay grounded, and value your life. Do that, and your potential will be limitless."
"Yes, I understand."
Shi Lan exchanged a few more words with her before the director led her away. The director terminated the woman’s contract and informed her that she was now barred from entering the Capital Star. As the mother of the Eldest Prince, she had that much authority.
Although the incident didn’t seem to have any immediate negative consequences, the director had to make an example of her to prevent anyone else on the team from trying something similar.
The female left the Capital Star in disgrace. When the other females found out what had happened, they sighed with regret.
The Capital Star was the most prosperous planet, home to countless outstanding males. The opportunities to earn money were plentiful, as was the chance of finding an excellent Beast Husband. On top of that, she had been able to study under the director; just having the director as a contact was an incredible stroke of luck. To think she had thrown it all away so carelessly.
She might have earned tens of millions of Star Coins, but only those who remained knew how much more she had lost.
Afterward, Shi Lan split the 25 million Star Coins she had received. She gave half to the director and the other half to Ye Ming to help improve the slums.
Now that Shi Lan was the first 3S Female, she was a nail that stuck out, waiting to be hammered down. Ye Ming worried that malicious males might try to harm her, so he publicly announced the donation to the slums in her name. The slums were the most dangerous part of the Capital Star; if more people there knew of her kindness, more males would harbor goodwill toward her.
The director took her half and, like Ye Ming, donated it in Shi Lan’s name, sending it to orphanages on underdeveloped planets.
After this, Shi Lan’s name became known on nearly every planet, and she was universally praised.
Of course, with great status came great responsibility. Shi Lan’s days at Zhenxin Hospital were hectic. There was an endless stream of patients, and her spiritual power was nearly depleted by the end of each day. Many people even came just to see her, and she had to sign autographs. In her spare moments, the director would teach her more about medicine.
But she found these days incredibly fulfilling. She could feel her spiritual power slowly increasing, and while she grew stronger, her bank account grew larger. It was, in a word, an exhausting but happy existence.
Her Beast Husbands knew how busy she was with work, so they were very considerate. They didn’t bother her much at night, settling for a few kisses before holding her and simply sleeping.
On several occasions, her eyes drifted shut in the middle of a kiss. She was so exhausted that she didn’t even wake up when they helped her bathe afterward.
There was nothing to be done. The men served their wife without complaint, silently enduring their own arousal.
Shi Lan’s spiritual power was unique. While healing others would leave most people fatigued, it actually made her feel more energized. Her current sleepiness was due almost entirely to overexertion—her body was forcing her to rest to recover her spiritual power.
But she noticed she had been sleeping a lot more than usual lately. Even her internal clock couldn’t wake her up anymore.
A belated suspicion began to form in her mind. She placed a hand on her stomach and asked Xiao Du, ’Xiao Du, Xiao Du, am I pregnant?’