Chapter 223 – Working for Free
Tu Ran was astonished. “Isn’t Xie Xu afraid of being drained dry with so many subordinates?”
“In his eyes, the value you all create is irreplaceable, so he compensates you as much as he can with money.”
“So… rich!” Tu Ran gave him a mental thumbs-up. As expected of someone from the Xie family.
“But I have a question. Did I… ever use the money from that account before?”
The fact that the original owner had no knowledge of the public account puzzled Tu Ran.
Unless the original owner had never used it, Tu Ran’s [Memory Reading] could only retrieve scenes of what someone had actually done. If the former self had only thought about something, but never acted on it, Tu Ran wouldn’t be able to access that memory.
For instance, she couldn’t read the original owner’s feelings toward Xie Xu. She could see what event had sparked the original owner’s affection for Xie Xu, but what the original owner thought when she first laid eyes on him, or how she fell for him, Tu Ran couldn’t perceive or retrieve.
“No,” Zero said bluntly. “The former Tu Ran had always worked for Xie Xu without pay.”
Tu Ran blurted out, “Worked for free? Why?”
She immediately regretted asking. Why else? It was obviously to pursue Xie Xu.
Though Tu Ran had always been single, back in her college days, she often gave her roommates advice on love.
The original owner probably didn’t use the public account because she didn’t want Xie Xu to think she was working for him just for the money. She wanted to distinguish herself from his other subordinates through this.
Ah, the power of love. Tu Ran couldn’t understand it.
Wasn’t money more appealing? Wasn’t it more reliable than Xie Xu?
Looking at the original owner’s account when she first arrived, the pitifully small amount of money left behind made her shake her head.
She could hardly believe this was the savings of a top graduate.
“I’m not sure why the former Tu Ran worked for Xie Xu without pay,” Zero added. “Perhaps her beliefs aligned with Xie Xu’s?”
The mechanical voice carried a hint of confusion.
His brain had been replaced by machinery, and his consciousness existed in a stream of data. Now, his dominant mode of thinking was the cold logic of machines, not the unique emotions of humans.
No matter how much he pondered, even to the point of short-circuiting, he couldn’t grasp the reason.
Now that she had the money, Tu Ran no longer hesitated and headed straight for the lobby of Xixinange Hospital.
Matching its exterior grandeur, the lobby was nothing short of lavish, its opulence dazzling Tu Ran’s eyes.
There weren’t many people inside, just a few scattered around, and there were more nurses than patients. After all, with such high consultation fees, ordinary people couldn’t afford to come here.
Everyone spoke in hushed tones, and the entire lobby was quiet.
As Tu Ran entered, a nurse in a purple uniform approached her. After giving her outfit a quick glance, the nurse smiled and asked, “Ma’am, are you here for a consultation?”
Tu Ran nodded.
“Our hospital’s medical equipment is quite advanced, and the cost of purchasing them was rather high. As a result, the consultation fees are more expensive than those at the Medical Department. I just wanted to make sure you’re prepared for that.” The nurse’s tone wasn’t condescending; her gaze was sincere, as though she was simply informing a patient from their perspective.
Tu Ran glanced down at her outfit. She was wearing a casual set of clothes that the original owner had worn for years, with the hem starting to fray. She had grabbed it while packing for the mission in the Pandalin District, not paying much attention at the time.
She certainly didn’t look wealthy.
“Don’t worry, I’m prepared. Just take me to a doctor. I’m not feeling well.”
“And where exactly are you feeling unwell? I can recommend the appropriate department for you,” the nurse said, maintaining her most professional smile.
Tu Ran looked at her in confusion. How could she still be smiling when the patient wasn’t feeling well?
Seeing the unchanging curve of the nurse’s smile and her speech and movements, which closely mimicked human behavior but repeated with a certain precision, Tu Ran reasonably suspected that this nurse was an artificial robot.
But those thoughts were secondary. Zero had already told her that Nick Wells was an expert in treating mental illnesses.
Without hesitation, Tu Ran said, “I think there’s something wrong with my mental health. I want the best psychiatrist in this hospital to treat me.” She paused before adding, “Who is your best psychiatrist? Take me to see them.”
The nurse’s smile remained unchanged. “Our best psychiatrist is Nick Wells, who is also the director of Xixinange Hospital. If you want to see him, you’ll need to make an appointment and wait in line.”
Zero’s voice whispered in her ear, “Under normal circumstances, they won’t allow anyone to jump the queue. You should be more assertive, make a scene, and draw attention. To protect the hospital’s reputation, they’ll likely move your appointment forward to calm things down.”
Tu Ran immediately raised her voice.
“I’m already here! Why should I make an appointment?”
It was her first time causing a scene in public, and Tu Ran quickly adopted a belligerent stance. Since she had claimed that her mental health was at risk, it made sense to act a little erratically to fit the diagnosis. “Take me to his office right now! I need to see him immediately!”
“The director is currently in the middle of a consultation and can’t step away,” the nurse replied, looking troubled.
“Then have him see me next,” Tu Ran demanded.
The lobby was so quiet that their exchange created a noticeable disturbance. The few patients who were present began glancing in their direction, and several other nurses started walking over, drawn by the commotion.
This back-and-forth wasn’t getting her anywhere, so the nurse offered a solution. “We can arrange for another doctor to see you. Apart from the director, we have many accomplished specialists in mental health.”
“No, I want the best,” Tu Ran insisted stubbornly.
“In that case, I can arrange for you to be seen next, but this will upset those who were already scheduled. You’ll need to pay an additional fee to compensate them.”
“Fine, I’ve got money,” Tu Ran said nonchalantly.
“Please follow me to make the payment,” the nurse gestured politely.
Following the nurse’s direction, Tu Ran approached a machine where the required payment was displayed: 250,000 Federal credits.
“250,000?”
Why was it different from Zero’s estimate?
Tu Ran hesitated as she was about to pay.
The robot nurse, noticing her pause, assumed she couldn’t afford it. “You can choose to follow the regular process and book an appointment, which would be less expensive.”
“No need,” Tu Ran responded.
Having already spent 200,000, what was an extra 50,000?
She entered the account and password Zero had previously provided.
The 250,000 payment went through successfully.
As she stared at the confirmation screen, Tu Ran’s heart bled a little.
Even though it wasn’t her money, spending it herself gave her the feeling she was cutting into her own flesh.
Then she thought about what she could buy with that much money in the Federation.
Well… actually, not much.
Can’t afford a house, can’t afford a car either.
