“It’s too late for that.”
Lu Jue added, “The doctor is almost here.”
Yu Ting’s mind raced. “A doctor from Jing City?”
Lu Jue took out his phone, tapped the screen a few times, and handed it to Yu Ting.
On the screen was a page of doctor information.
Jing City Union Hospital, Chief Physician of Obstetrics and Gynecology, female.
Yu Ting pinched his fingertips. He could figure out the money on his own, but hiring the nation’s top-ranked specialist was beyond his reach right now.
Lu Jue said, “I won’t deny I’m doing this for you, but I also truly hope Aunt Fei gets better.”
He stepped forward half a pace, imperceptibly closer to Yu Ting, and looked down at him quietly. “You know I’ve never had a mother.”
Yu Ting’s pupils trembled.
“And,” Lu Jue’s jaw lifted slightly, “a long time ago, I confessed to you once.”
At the sudden topic shift, Yu Ting thought for a few seconds, having no memory of Lu Jue ever confessing before.
“That time you got drunk on liqueur chocolates.” Lu Jue’s voice was slow.
Yu Ting, “…”
Voices drifted from the distance, but Lu Jue didn’t stop. In a very casual tone, he said, “Our first meeting started the moment you stepped out of that car.”
“You saved me, Yu Ting.” Lu Jue’s eyes reflected Yu Ting’s face as he curled his lips. “When you didn’t even know it.”
Yu Ting’s pupils shook violently. “You—”
“So, Yu Ting.” Lu Jue cut him off calmly, “I owe you, too.”
Yu Ting had just opened his mouth to speak when Lu Jue’s phone rang.
The caller ID showed: Dr. Shen.
Same surname as the doctor on the credentials page.
“Can I take this?” Lu Jue bent his index finger and flicked Yu Ting on the forehead.
Just like last time, as light as a feather.
“Say no, and I’ll feed you liqueur chocolates.”
From last night until now, Yu Ting hadn’t even had time to feel pain, running on high alert continuously, and it finally paused for a brief moment.
The pallor of his face regained a hint of color, no longer so unapproachable.
Yu Ting nodded. “Mm.”
His fingertip lingered on the boy’s cold skin for a second. Lu Jue withdrew his hand and answered the call.
…
When the gynecologists at City Hospital heard Dr. Shen was coming for a surgery, they flooded into Zhao Rufei’s ward to observe.
Dr. Shen arrived at the ward ten minutes later, which was already crammed with doctors in white coats holding notebooks.
Accustomed to this, Dr. Shen didn’t bother with pleasantries and asked directly for the scans.
After reviewing the images, she looked at Yu Ting and Lu Jue, her eyes asking whether to speak outside or in front of Zhao Rufei.
Yu Ting took a deep breath, having more or less guessed the outcome. He looked down at Zhao Rufei, who already had a premonition. She forced a smile and gestured, “It’s okay, I want to hear.”
Yu Ting told Dr. Shen, “Please, go ahead.”
“Intermediate stage breast cancer, with lymphatic metastasis.”
Though mentally prepared, upon hearing the confirmed diagnosis, Yu Ting’s heart plummeted, his breathing heavy.
Zhao Rufei had never heard of breast cancer, but she knew anything with “cancer” meant a major problem. Her hands secretly clutched the bedsheets.
Lu Jue spoke up. “Surgery scheduled for today?”
Dr. Shen replied, “The patient’s mass is already quite large, and it has metastasized to the lymph nodes. Surgery right now carries a high risk.” She didn’t offer options, stating directly, “First, drug therapy. Once the tumor shrinks, then we’ll proceed with surgery.”
After prescribing the medication, Dr. Shen had to leave immediately. Yu Ting escorted her downstairs.
At the hospital entrance, Dr. Shen asked for Yu Ting’s phone number. “I’ll come by every Saturday. Notify me immediately if anything unusual happens.”
Yu Ting thanked her. “Thank you for your hard work.”
Dr. Shen sized up Yu Ting. He was a few years younger than her own daughter, yet his demeanor was calm and composed, though his face still held the youthful softness of a minor.
In her years of practice, she had seen countless families. Just seeing Yu Ting alone at his mother’s ward told her eighty to ninety percent of his family situation.
She didn’t know his connection to the Lu Family that could arrange for her services, but standing before her now was just a boy under eighteen.
Dr. Shen’s voice softened. “They arranged a private jet, so coming and going is very convenient. Your mother’s cure rate is still very high. Don’t be too nervous. Your emotions will affect your mother; good spirits will help her recovery.”
“I understand.” Yu Ting nodded.
The car for Dr. Shen merged into traffic, and only then did Yu Ting turn around. He saw Lu Jue right behind him.
Lu Jue stepped forward, handing him two slips of paper. “Aunt Fei has been transferred to a private room. Your Aunt Zhang is here too; they’re talking. Shall we go get something to eat?”
The nutritious meal Lu Jue brought was only for Zhao Rufei; neither of them had eaten lunch.
He raised an eyebrow. “I’m hungry.”
~
There were many small eateries near the hospital.
They randomly picked one.
These places had no décor, no air conditioning, just a few ceiling fans hanging. Past mealtime with no customers, the Boss had turned on only one fan, spinning listlessly.
Lu Jue chose the table directly under the ceiling fan. The menu was on the table. He glanced at Yu Ting and didn’t ask his opinion, ordering a few light stir-fried dishes, one soup, and two bowls of rice.
The dishes were made to order; they could hear the washing of vegetables from the back kitchen. Lu Jue got two bottles of iced water. As he was twisting off a cap, Yu Ting suddenly asked, “What happened to you that day?”
He paused and looked at Lu Jue. “The day I went to your house to deliver flowers.”
Yu Ting still remembered what he had just said. Lu Jue’s eyebrows lifted slightly. With a click, he twisted open the bottle and placed it in front of Yu Ting. “Nothing special. Just suddenly felt… pointless.”
The Boss then brought their food. Yu Ting poured water into a cup, took a couple of sips. When the Boss left, he put the water down and continued asking, “Has that happened before?”
“No.”
It had to be that exact day.
Lu Jue looked at Yu Ting. “Isn’t this fate?”
They forgot the soup spoon, and the Boss came over just in time to hear that line. It sounded very familiar, like something from the idol drama she watched last night.
The male and femaLeleads ran into each other five times in one day, and the maLelead’s confession was: “Our meeting is fate.”
The Boss shivered, walked over, put down the soup spoon, and said, “Enjoy your meal. Call me if you need anything.”
Yu Ting didn’t reply. His mouth felt dry again. He quickly grabbed the water, drank a few mouthfuls, and picked up his bowl to eat.
After the meal, Yu Ting paid.
Once outside the eatery, Lu Jue surprisingly didn’t follow him back to the hospital. “I’m going back to school.”
Yu Ting asked, “You didn’t ask for leave?”
“No.”
“…”
Yu Ting hailed a taxi for Lu Jue. Once the car drove off, he immediately called Yang Shuyun.
He briefly explained that Zhao Rufei was hospitalized, said he needed one more day off, and then shifted the topic to Lu Jue.
“I asked him to come help at the hospital, which took up time. He’ll be late for afternoon class.”
“Okay, I’ll let the Discipline Committee Member know.” Yang Shuyun paused, walked to a quiet spot, and lowered her voice. “If you need any help, you must tell me.”
She knew Yu Ting’s family situation. If surgery for a serious illness was needed, his family might not be able to scrape together the money.
“Thank you, Teacher.”
After hanging up, Yu Ting took out the hospital receipts Lu Jue had given him yesterday and just now. He went through them carefully. Lu Jue had advanced a total of twenty thousand yuan.
Plus the future surgery costs…
Yu Ting took a deep breath and headed to the new ward.
The private room wasn’t large, quiet. Through the door, he could hear Zhang Minhua’s laughter.
Seems like Zhao Rufei had been calmed down.
Yu Ting felt a slight relief. He knocked softly. “Mom, I’m coming in.”
Zhang Minhua answered from inside, “Come in!”
Yu Ting pushed the door open. Zhao Rufei was leaning against the hospital bed, her eyes still a little red, but her spirits were decent. Zhang Minhua had peeled a plate of apples and called Yu Ting over to eat. “Little Ting, come have some apple! I peeled too much; your mom can’t finish it.”
Seeing Yu Ting return alone, Zhao Rufei gestured, “Little Lu went back to school?”
Yu Ting nodded. “Mm.”
He took a piece of apple and bit into it. Strong apple flavor, with a soft, honeyed core.
Zhao Rufei gestured again, “You should go back to school too. I’m just taking medicine right now; I don’t need you to take care of me.” She pointed at Zhang Minhua. “Your aunt will come keep me company.”
“Yeah.” Zhang Minhua was eating apple, her own eyes rimmed red, but she pretended to be cheerful. “You focus on your studies. I’ve got your mom covered. I’m on two months’ paid leave starting today, perfect timing since I had nowhere to go!”
Two months’ paid leave was like money falling from the sky. Yu Ting knew Lu Jue had arranged this, too.
He finished the apple in small bites.
Zhang Minhua stayed a while longer, then went home. Zhao Rufei watched Yu Ting close the door before calling him over to ask, “The hospital fees were covered by Little Lu?”
She could tell Lu Jue’s family was well-off, able to call in a famous doctor from a big hospital and easily get her a private room.
Some things couldn’t be done with just money.
Yu Ting nodded.
“How much?”
“Twenty thousand.”
Zhao Rufei sighed silently and gestured, “In my room, in the second drawer of the wardrobe, there’s a passbook. The password is your birthday. Tomorrow, you withdraw twenty-five thousand. Return twenty thousand to Little Lu. Keep five thousand on you, use it if you need it.”
Yu Ting knew about this passbook. Ever since finishing paying compensation to all the victims’ families, Zhao Rufei put in a fixed sum every month. No matter how tight money was, she never touched that money.
“No matter how hard life is, if you endure, you’ll always get through it.” Zhao Rufei gestured. “But debts of gratitude cannot be delayed. You and Little Lu are friends; you can’t let your friendship become tainted by money.”
Yu Ting nodded slightly, not saying more. He waited until evening, when Zhao Rufei took her medicine and fell asleep, before going home.
The buses had stopped. Yu Ting didn’t hail a taxi.
Every yuan needed to be stretched now. He hadn’t taken taxis before, even less so now.
Walking also let him think calmly about his next steps.
Zhao Rufei’s illness, the Joint Physics Competition Exam…
Buzz.
His phone vibrated in his pocket.
Thinking it was a message from Lu Jue, Yu Ting stopped and took out his phone.
Unlocking the screen, it wasn’t Lu Jue. It was a friend request on WeChat.
“Brother Ting?”
The profile picture was an anime character, the name was X.
It was Li Chengxi. Yu Ting had seen his WeChat page before.
Yu Ting continued walking, tapping “Add.”
The moment it went through, Li Chengxi sent a message.
【Brother Ting??????】
As Yu Ting was typing, a video call invite from Li Chengxi popped up. Yu Ting declined it.
He didn’t type anymore, sending a voice message instead. “I’m walking, can’t answer.”
Li Chengxi replied with a voice message too. “It’s really you, Brother Ting! I was bored and searched for it. I didn’t expect there’d be an account this time. I’m so happy! Why did you suddenly decide to get WeChat?”
Yu Ting thought for two seconds. It seemed because Lu Jue didn’t have QQ. That felt weird to say, so he typed back: “Convenience.”
Seconds later, Li Chengxi sent a 60-second voice message. Yu Ting wasn’t in the mood to listen right now. He didn’t open it, just typed a few words: “Walking, talk later.”
He sent it, then set his phone to silent and put it back in his pocket.
He followed the sidewalk for another block. Almost ten o’clock; the road was nearly empty of cars, and pedestrians were scarce.
Yu Ting walked a little further when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.
He glanced sideways, and indeed saw an elongated shadow on the sidewalk behind him.
Thinking of the last time Blondie followed him home, Yu Ting sped up, simultaneously scanning the surroundings for a place with people.
His pace quickened subtly. The person behind him also sped up. Yu Ting clenched his fists. Suddenly, a taxi turned up ahead. He instantly accelerated, rushing to the roadside to flag it down.
The person behind him was faster. Quick footsteps closed in, a slender hand grabbing his wrist first. The person panted slightly near his ear. “Why did you suddenly run? You scared me.”
