Jaquan never expected Callie to stay by his side for two days and nights without any conditions.
Later, he pulled a nurse aside and had her recount the entire situation in detail before he finally confirmed it.
He was surprised and somewhat moved.
Once Jaquan was confirmed to be out of danger, Callie finally went back to the hotel, charged her phone, and slept deeply through the night. The next day, she woke up groggy and called the hotel service, “Please prepare a bowl of cereal for me.”
Entering the bathroom, Callie soaked herself in hot water, calming her thoughts and questioning her own motives.
When she returned to the hospital, she carried a thermos filled with porridge. As she took the elevator up, the doors opened to reveal a crowd outside Jaquan’s room. Callie’s heart sank, fearing that news of Jaquan’s condition had spread.
She took a few steps forward, and a nurse informed her that the crowd consisted of the family members of the man who had saved Jaquan.
“They’re good people. They believe that acts of bravery shouldn’t be rewarded with money, so they came to return it, bringing a whole group to first express their gratitude and then refuse the money.”
The crowd made them seem rather aggressive.
Jaquan was half-lying down, taking in the scene. He looked up and asked Mikayla, “Is he the one who saved me?”
Mikayla nodded reluctantly.
Jaquan wasn’t unreasonable; he would certainly thank the person who saved him, and giving money was not out of the question. So what was all this about?
“How much did you give?” Jaquan asked.
At the same time, the nurse asked Callie, “Do you know how much they gave?”
Mikayla respectfully held up her fingers to indicate a number: “Ten million.”
Callie answered honestly, “Ten million.”
Jaquan had no objections. Wasn’t his life worth ten million? “It’s worth it. Add three more zeros, and it’s still worth it!”
The nurse outside nearly collapsed at this calm response, unable to speak for a moment.
She finally understood why these people were so insistent on returning the money.
They had saved someone by chance and unexpectedly received a windfall-such a large sum.
The rescuer couldn’t refuse the secretary’s bank card and reluctantly accepted it. When he checked at an ATM, an unbelievable string of zeros appeared, shocking him. After discussing with his family, they decided to return the money together.
Ten million-what if it was a mistake?
“It wasn’t a mistake. It’s for you. Thank you for saving me,” Jaquan said sincerely, though his words carried an unintentional air of superiority. “Ten million isn’t much; it’s just enough to buy a decent house in the city center. Please accept it.”
“No, no, no. I didn’t save you for money. We absolutely can’t take this.”
“Take it,” Callie said as she walked in. “He’s rich and foolish; he’ll be unhappy if you don’t.”
The man was taken aback.
Jaquan saw her and his gaze softened. “What did you bring?”
Callie replied irritably, “Poison.”
He didn’t mind at all and opened the thermos. “Homemade porridge? Nice work.”
“The hotel made it. Don’t flatter yourself.”
The entire room grew colder; only Callie dared to speak to him this way, and Jaquan didn’t get angry.