Chapter 13: A Mother’s Plea and a Sister’s Suspicion

“The patient has been recovering well recently; all their indicators are within safe limits. At this rate, they should be fine for another three to five years.”

“Autumn is approaching, which is a common season for colds. It’s important to stay warm and guard against respiratory infections, and to minimize going out. My personal recommendation is for them to recuperate at home, as this would benefit the patient’s emotional and psychological well-being.”

Qian Surou’s heart felt bitter, knowing that going home would only stir up negative emotions and intensify her psychological burden.

“Can she continue to stay in the hospital?”

“Doctor Guo, please help me. Just say that it’s not advisable to go out during the change of season, to delay her discharge for a few days… There’s been a situation at home.”

Her voice was hoarse and broken, deliberately tinged with a hint of a sob.

‘Perhaps I’m a genius at playing for sympathy,’ Qian Surou mused.

Doctor Guo, clearly a person of extensive experience having witnessed countless family disputes over medical treatments, spoke in a kind voice filled with understanding:

“Alright then. Do you need to transfer her to a different room?”

Wiping away her tears, Qian Surou shook her head.

“Thank you! No, it’s not necessary; I can still afford it.”

The truth could not be concealed for long, so preparations for hiring a caregiver would be necessary. However, based on the original game’s plot, Qian Surou surmised that her mother was discharged in the first month after school started.

During that period, ‘she’ had avoided several options involving invitations from the female lead, which consequently led to the female lead and many capture targets intersecting by the time the original protagonist became aware.

Qian Surou had no intention of staying out of it; she planned to bring her mother home earlier than expected.

While it might be inconvenient to disrupt the female lead’s and the capture targets’ private world, Qian Surou was unwilling to follow the old path.

Since the truth would inevitably be revealed, doing so earlier might even aid in adjusting to the situation. With less time available for part-time work after school began, she needed to sort everything out beforehand.

Moreover, some capture routes were quite cruel to the female lead, and as a good friend, she certainly had to help her vet them, perhaps even offering some assistance.

If the female lead could find happiness with someone sooner, she herself could escape this bitter sea sooner.

***

Bidding farewell to Doctor Guo, Qian Surou returned to her mother’s private room.

The uncle who had appeared so suddenly had vanished just as quickly, leaving behind only peeled fruit and a large bouquet of fresh flowers in the hospital room.

Just as Qian Surou was about to ask her mother about their family relations, she saw her mother, clad in a blue and white hospital gown, grasp her shoulders.

Tears from slight sobs trickled down her chin, staining the white collar of her gown a darker hue. Gentle, yet sudden, arms wrapped around Qian Surou’s neck, stroking her back from top to bottom as if comforting a small child.

“I already know about your father’s situation. You’ve had a difficult time, haven’t you—”

‘Was it that “uncle”?’ Qian Surou froze.

Zhu Ying tried to suppress her intense sobbing. Qian Surou had never witnessed her mother, Zhu Ying, cry so suddenly.

Perhaps it was due to her constant proximity to the realm of death that her mother was accustomed to feigning gentle smiles and gazes, locking away any elements that might trigger sorrow.

Qian Surou found herself without a single comforting word, simply waiting blankly for the next sentence.

“I… I really want to… see you all. We—”

‘—Let’s go home, alright?’

That’s what her mother was saying.

The embrace was so warm.

Yet, this phrase, symbolizing the bond of kinship, failed to move her. Qian Surou was surprised by the coldness she felt deep within her heart.

“Okay. Once I’ve tidied up the house, I’ll come pick you up.”

Qian Surou took out her phone and showed Zhu Ying the pictures she had taken when viewing the house.

They depicted the changes before and after moving in, along with a candid photo of Qian Surou herself, contrasting her cheerful smile with her sister Qian Xidong’s expressionless face.

After gazing at the photos, Zhu Ying slowly raised her head to look at Qian Surou, her eyes brimming with a smile as if to say, “Look at your sister’s unforthcoming expression.” Her pale lips, worn by illness, curved into a happy smile.

“That’s the one, isn’t it—”

“Tsundere!”

“Yes, exactly.”

It was somewhat unexpected to hear such a trendy word from her mother, yet her sister indeed often asked where she had been and frequently left her a portion of vegetable stewed rice in the evenings. Qian Surou replied to Zhu Ying:

“I’ve seen Father; he hasn’t recovered from the shock yet. Ah, that is to say, for now, it’s just us at the new house. If you wanted to see him…”

“We should wait a while, right?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t go see him,” her mother added with an understanding gaze. But then—

“…I’m sorry.”

Blinking silently with her head bowed felt so dry. ‘I shouldn’t have used his name,’ Qian Surou wanted to say.

Zhu Ying touched Qian Surou as a doctor would during a physical examination:

“I’m the one who should apologize. For making you work so hard for me for so long. Uh, he didn’t hit you, did he?”

She shook her head.

In truth, the first time she visited him, her head was struck by an empty beer can, though it didn’t hurt at all. He had also choked her, but he came to his senses before applying force.

Qian Surou couldn’t comprehend why her father would treat her this way. She had secretly undergone a paternity test before, and the conclusion was that she wasn’t adopted or mistakenly swapped at birth, as in some stories.

She simply hadn’t been wanted from the very beginning.

The ‘original her’ had once yearned for recognition; now, Qian Surou held no expectations for him whatsoever.

“He’s just temporarily unable to cope with the shock; he’ll probably be fine after a while.”

“Don’t make excuses for him. I know he hasn’t been good to you… He has some mental issues, and though I’ve urged him, he absolutely refuses to see a psychiatrist. Don’t overthink it; it’s not your fault. You are your mother’s pride.”

Qian Surou had heard similar words countless times, so she simply smiled them away.

Having experienced work herself, Qian Surou could understand that as the pillar of a family, suddenly losing one’s job, status, and all assets, even having to accept charity from someone disliked, would cause anyone to despair for a time.

Some might recover, but others might never allow themselves the chance.

Occasionally, Qian Surou also felt weary of life.

Putting herself in his shoes, she didn’t resent him.

The life of a privileged young lady, free from want, was something he had provided. The reason she didn’t want her mother to see him was because of his current state.

If his violent tendencies were directed only at herself, it would be manageable, but if they became indiscriminate, her mother’s frail body simply couldn’t endure it.

“Don’t worry about the hospital fees. The most important thing now is for you to enjoy school life and focus on your studies… Actually, your uncle is willing to help me. We had a very unpleasant falling out over some things in the past, which is why we stopped contact for a while.”

“Is that so…”

Qian Surou remained somewhat unconvinced.

“I still have some savings, and two cars under my name. Those luxury items should also be worth something. You don’t need to worry about money.”

Zhu Ying handed a bank card to Qian Surou, gently patted her back, and then slipped a piece of fruit into her small, slightly open mouth.

Although her illness had left her very weak, she could still take care of herself; not long ago, she had even been able to cook.

“Yes, please don’t worry.”

Qian Surou gave her mother an affectionate hug.

The bank card wouldn’t hold much money—Qian Surou was well aware of her mother’s financial situation.

As a woman married into a wealthy family without relatives to support her, she primarily spent her husband’s money, and most expenses were for appearances.

Second-hand luxury goods weren’t worth much, and the cars had long since been mortgaged by her father—in his eyes, his wife’s possessions were his own.

The medications used previously were cutting-edge and very expensive; suddenly switching to other drugs could trigger adverse reactions. Qian Surou also needed to save money for surgery.

Through information gathering, artificial heart technology was gradually nearing maturity, with third-generation maglev products already in trials.

Since there was still time, Qian Surou naturally hoped to choose a method that offered better post-operative life extension and fewer complications.

Qian Surou had shared this information with her mother, but older generations often viewed artificial hearts as something from science fiction, believing that even with a heart transplant, one wouldn’t live long.

The latter point was indeed difficult to judge, as not much time had passed since the first artificial heart transplant.

After discussing recent events, Qian Surou also mentioned her part-time job at the coffee shop, as it was a novel experience for her, a former young lady—at least, that’s how it sounded to her mother.

However, the matter of accompanying someone on a date was absolutely not to be brought up.

Yet, she had already agreed to Meng Hanjing, so she would have to continue for at least the next few days.

After finalizing arrangements with her mother, visiting hours had already passed. Qian Surou went to an ATM near the hospital to check the bank card, finding nearly 1.5 million in it—a sum that provided immediate relief.

The most pressing task was to find a new, larger house closer to the school. At her age, it was no longer suitable to share a room with her sister, and her mother’s room absolutely needed to be spacious and receive ample sunlight.

Space for a caregiver also needed to be prepared. Qian Surou decided to forgo crowded buses, indulging in a taxi ride, and along the way, she searched online for available rental properties.

Compared to the area around Linhua Women’s Academy, rents near Douyou University were significantly cheaper. Qian Surou selected a 170-square-meter three-bedroom apartment with a large, south-facing master bedroom and a private bathroom, with a monthly rent just over 10,000.

She had already paid six months’ rent for her current apartment and had no intention of canceling the lease; she decided to keep it for herself and turn one bedroom into a studio.

After arranging a viewing time online, Qian Surou took a moment to curse the game developer who had set such high prices.

***

Descending at Jingyuan Community, Qian Surou had just rounded the curved flowerbed when she heard a brief ringing sound and paused, startled.

A predominantly black road bicycle swerved, blocking her path. Qian Xidong, with her hips raised and wearing a baseball cap, presented a cool demeanor. Her jeans featured several decorative rips, and the keyring attached to her waist jingled like wind chimes.

Perhaps it was the height of the bicycle itself, but her sister didn’t look like a high school girl from a prestigious girls’ school; instead, she resembled a model from a sports fashion advertisement.

The image of a cute little radish with a bob cut from her childhood suddenly surfaced in Qian Surou’s mind. ‘Is this truly her rebellious phase?’ Qian Surou mused, ‘She stopped being cute around middle school.’

Qian Xidong’s fingers pointed at Qian Surou’s shoulder bag like a gun barrel, and in a few swift movements, the bag was hooked onto the bicycle’s handlebars.

“Sis, where have you been?”

“The hospital. Xidong, don’t ride your bike so fast; stopping so suddenly is dangerous. By the way, how are the preparations for the dance competition coming along?”

“There are too many people dragging their feet, forcing me to accommodate them as well.”

Hearing her sister’s words, Qian Surou couldn’t help but worry about her straightforward personality. Nevertheless, she said with a touch of pride, “Our Xidong has always been the best!” She leaned in, wanting to pat her sister’s head, but then—

“Do you need to dress up like this to go to the hospital? And you’re wearing perfume. Sis, you didn’t just find someone random to date after Ji Yushu dumped you, did you?”

Her hand met empty air. Yet, it was the subsequent interrogation that truly embarrassed Qian Surou.

“Perfume? What perfume? Maybe my new lotion has a strong scent… As for dressing up, I certainly need to tidy myself up to see Mom. Hmm—Mom will be happy too.”

Her sister fell silent for a moment.

“Really?”