Volume 1, Chapter 24: A Heartwarming Gift of Medicine

"Reporter Su?!"
"Still not off work?"
"Wow, a beauty visiting! A late-night treat!"
The jeers and catcalls were relentless.
Seeing Su Shan draped in camera gear, holding a digital recorder, and looking every bit the exhausted office worker, with the icy Jiang Ming by her side, the onlookers had to restrain themselves despite their inner restlessness. Yet, their suggestive gazes followed Su Shan like spotlights. No matter how poised or free-spirited she was, she couldn't help but quicken her pace to stay close to Jiang Ming.
Jiang Ming remained silent throughout, but his mere presence walking beside her was the greatest protection. It wasn't until they reached the dormitory door and saw Lin Tingyuan leaning against the adjacent doorway that he spoke calmly.
"Director Zong said to do our best to accommodate Reporter Su's requests. The dormitory is part of an athlete's life; it can be filmed."
Lin Tingyuan smiled without a word, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two.
Su Shan maintained a professional smile, looking perfectly composed. Suddenly, she raised her camera and looked at Lin Tingyuan with an expectant expression.
"Captain Lin, can I film your room? The audience would surely love to see the quarters of the butterfly swimming champion!"
Lin Tingyuan was startled for a moment, but he quickly concealed it, putting on his signature gentle and smooth persona, and replied unhurriedly:
"Reporter Su, my apologies. My room is quite cluttered, and I'm afraid the footage won't turn out well. You'd better let Jiang Ming handle the hosting duties."
Seeing this, Wang Yining, who was diagonally across, raised his hand high and smirked: "Sister Shan, how about filming my room? Come take a look, it’s got real character!"
The smile on Su Shan’s face froze for an instant. She had only been being polite to Lin Tingyuan; why was this kid Wang Yining pushing to cause trouble? Just as she was wondering how to politely decline, Wang Guolai slapped Wang Yining on the back and laughed mockingly:
"You have the nerve to invite Reporter Su to film your pigsty? To film your underwear and socks hanging everywhere? It’s certainly got 'character'!"
With that, Wang Guolai pushed Wang Yining into his room, looking as if he were embarrassed by him.
Su Shan shrugged, looked at Jiang Ming's calm eyes, and said lightly, "It seems... I only have your room to choose from?"
"Yes."
Jiang Ming nodded, accepted it quietly, and opened the door.
The single room was less than 20 square meters, featuring an extended single bed, a wardrobe, a desk, and a few small pieces of fitness equipment, all arranged in an orderly fashion.
The walls were bare, devoid of any complex decorations, save for a calendar where the dates of this year's Swimming World Championships were boldly marked with a marker pen.
There was none of the dirt and chaos one might expect from a male athlete's dorm. Jiang Ming's room, much like the man himself, was crisp, clean, and carried a faint, refreshing scent of cedarwood.
"Go ahead and film."
"Everything?"
"Yes, there are no secrets."
Jiang Ming omitted the words "to you." Just as Su Shan didn't guard herself against him, he felt an inexplicable trust in her. This woman had clear goals and was straightforward and brave. Tonight, however, she seemed slightly hesitant, as if she had something else on her mind, but he knew it was definitely not malicious.
Jiang Ming set his gym bag down by his feet, closed the door, folded his arms across his chest, and leaned against the frame, watching Su Shan quietly with an indescribable air of ease and leisure.
Indeed, when someone is handsome and possesses such a unique aura, their mere presence makes for a pleasing sight. Su Shan couldn't resist raising her camera and taking a photo of Jiang Ming first.
"Weren't you going to film the dorm?"
"You said 'everything' is fine." Su Shan raised an eyebrow, her eyes sparkling with the success of her little trick. When alone with Jiang Ming, she was always a little less intellectual and a little more playful.
"Your mouth is the toughest thing about you." Jiang Ming snorted, shaking his head helplessly, though his eyes held a hint of a smile he hadn't even noticed himself.
Su Shan knew when to stop and said no more, continuously changing angles to shoot. As she was finishing up, she caught a glimpse of Jiang Ming rubbing his left wrist. Her heart tightened, and on a sudden impulse, she acted.
Once finished, Su Shan had no excuse to linger. She didn't hesitate, put down her camera, took out a bottle of medicinal oil, and walked straight up to Jiang Ming.
"Jiang Ming, a gift for you! I hope you recover soon and win the championship you want most in your best condition."
Hearing this, Jiang Ming, who had been rummaging through his gym bag, stiffened. He put the bag down, raised his eyes, and scrutinized Su Shan and the simple medicine bottle in her hand. He remained composed, yet he radiated a strong sense of pressure.
Su Shan’s heart began to race.
"I just wanted to thank you! You don't seem to have many material desires; other than training, you’re always in treatment. I didn't know what to give you, so I just hope you stay healthy, compete well, and bring glory to the country! And hopefully..."
"Hopefully what?" Jiang Ming suppressed the urge to smile, asking with feigned calmness.
"Hopefully you'll accept my interview after the competition."
Jiang Ming twitched the corner of his mouth, refused to take the medicine, and walked past Su Shan into the room, replying coldly: "Forget it, I don't have the fortune to enjoy that."
Seeing this, Su Shan was caught between laughter and tears, and she hurriedly chased after him to explain.
"I was joking... This isn't a condition for you to use the medicine. I’m not like that 'Medicine King Sun'; he makes you pay and wait for fate just to get a remedy. When I hit him with 'a doctor's benevolent heart,' he claims he's just a 'medicine man.' That mouth of his—his words cut deeper than yours."
Jiang Ming stopped abruptly. Su Shan, busy rambling, didn't notice and accidentally bumped into him again. She quickly steadied her trembling chest, frowning and secretly cursing why her chest was so fond of Jiang Ming's back. Jiang Ming had said that when coincidences happen too often, they are no longer coincidences. She really didn't want him to misunderstand these repeated "chest-bumps."
"I swear, I didn't do it on purpose." Su Shan raised her hands, looking innocent yet helpless.
Jiang Ming turned around, and seeing Su Shan’s pitiful expression, he swallowed the words of annoyance that were on the tip of his tongue.
"If you're not careful again, I'm afraid this medicine will have to be used on you."
With that, Jiang Ming snatched the medicine from Su Shan's hand, placed it on the table, sat down, leaned back in his chair, and returned to his indifferent state.
"It's late. I won't see you out."
Jiang Ming issued an order to leave, but Su Shan didn't move.
"Something else?" Jiang Ming frowned slightly, looking somewhat surprised.
"Use the medicine." Su Shan grabbed the bottle from the table and placed it into Jiang Ming's arms.
Su Shan felt that it was good enough that Jiang Ming had accepted the medicine, but not seeing him use it made her uneasy. If he had only accepted it out of politeness but didn't intend to use it, that would be a terrible waste! Not only would the ten-year-old Silver Needle tea she had given him earlier be wasted, but he would also lose the chance for a faster recovery. Her stubbornness flared up, her voice grew firmer, and she even leaned in, closing the distance between them by a fraction.
The faint, sweet scent emanating from Su Shan hit him, making Jiang Ming feel a bit dizzy, and his body leaned back involuntarily. Intuition told him that this woman was dangerous—she attracted him in an inexplicable way and unsettled his heart; he should maintain his distance. Yet, he could never bring himself to utter a harsh rejection to her. Helplessly, he squeezed three words through his teeth:
"Are you... managing me?"
Jiang Ming feigned coldness, but behind his stern gaze, a hint of nervousness flickered. Seeing this, a wild thought suddenly occurred to Su Shan. Could it be that she was truly different to him? Was Jiang Ming afraid of having contact with her, yet not actually averse to it?
With that thought in mind, Su Shan felt a rush of adrenaline, and she became even bolder.