A closer look revealed the Little Girl's face was badly swollen, her whole body seemingly dazed.
Jiang Cheng and Shen An were standing in front of the super-car.
The middle-aged man froze, then—as if struck by a thought—dropped to his knees with a thud.
Voice choked with sobs, he pleaded, 'Kind sirs, please save my daughter. She's dying—won't you help her?'
The sudden scene stunned everyone; every gaze locked onto him.
Shen An's brows snapped together at once; the man had interrupted his talk with Jiang Cheng.
'What do you mean, she's dying?' Shen An asked helplessly.
Tears brimming, the man reached back to stroke his daughter's cheek.'She's gravely ill and needs treatment, but I've no money left. I've begged every hospital, every doctor—no one can save her. Please, I'll work like an ox or horse for whoever helps!'
As he tried to kneel again Shen An stopped him.'Stop kneeling. We're not doctors; we can't treat her ourselves.'
Jiang Cheng kept his eyes fixed on the pitiful father.
Shen An explained, 'There's a children's hospital nearby; sick kids and parents often beg outside, but security drives them away. That's why you meet people like this here.'
He pulled out his wallet, took three hundred-yuan notes, and pressed them into the man's hand. 'That's all I can do. Take it and go.'
He waved the man away.
The father's eyes reddened, despair plain on his face.
Unwilling to give up, he sobbed, 'I'm not lying—she really is sick. Here are her medical reports; I'd never gamble with my child's life.'
Flustered, he pulled a thick stack of charts from under his arm and started flipping pages.
'I've sold everything—house, car—to pay for her. Her mother couldn't take the pressure and ran off; I don't know where she is.'
He wiped away tears.
'It's just the two of us now. Believe me—if you help, I'll serve you for life.'
Again he thudded to his knees, knocking his forehead hard against the pavement.
Jiang Churan and Xu Yan watched, hearts aching, knowing they were powerless to intervene.
The scene reminded Jiang Cheng of A Hao, the boy he and Qiao Yinyin had once helped in the mall.
Using his Mind Perception Skill, he had already sensed the man was telling the truth.
He stepped forward and lifted the father to his feet. 'I'll help. Stand up.'
The man froze, then burst into incredulous joy. 'Truly? Thank you—thank you! I—I don't know what to say...'
Overwhelmed, he squatted and wept into his hands, thanking Jiang Cheng again and again.
The release of long-pent grief flooded out; the taut string inside him finally snapped.
The two women's eyes reddened in sympathy.
Both Jiang Churan and Xu Yan felt their favorability toward Jiang Cheng jump by ten points.
Jiang Churan: favorability +10!
Xu Yan: favorability +10!
Even the usually restrained Jiang Churan felt her icy heart shaken by a heavy hammer.
She stared at Jiang Cheng, emotions tangled.
When the man's sobs finally ebbed, Jiang Cheng steadied him.'Stop crying. I'll cover every cost of your daughter's treatment.'
Coming to his senses, the father clumsily wiped his face with his sleeve.
He gripped Jiang Cheng's hand, then let go at once, afraid of dirtying him.
With eyes shining, he bowed deeply. 'Thank you! I'd stopped hoping, yet you still help us.'
'Since she was born I've spent every evening with her—six whole years. I can't bear to lose her. Meeting someone as kind as you...'
Jiang Cheng patted his shoulder. 'Enough. Which hospital? Let's get her treated—she looks in pain.'
'The children's hospital just ahead. The doctors say it's curable, but the cost...'
Jiang Cheng replied firmly, 'Don't worry. I'll pay every bill until she's well.'
He recalled a line from the film 'Dying to Survive': 'No cure is fate; a cure you can't afford is man-made disaster.'
In this world, the one disease that can never be cured is poverty.