Chapter 01.3

After shopping, they headed back. Grandma’s house was in the countryside, where they could set off fireworks. Everyone ate and drank, not forgetting to check the time, and in the last minute, Jiang Sheng fumbled to set up his phone to ensure it could capture everyone before starting to record.

“Hurry up, Jiang Sheng, it’s almost countdown time!”

“Xiang Xiang, don’t just stand there dumbly, move forward a bit or you won’t be in the shot.”

“Grandma, you stand in the middle, that’s the prime spot.”

“Um… Tianyu brother, you stand next to Xiang Xiang.”

“Jiang Sheng and I will crouch next to grandma.”

“Alright, alright, it’s time to countdown!”

An Yi instructed everyone, excitedly looking at the phone, with the distant sound of fireworks adding to the festivity.

“5”

“4”

“3”

“2”

“1!”

“Happy New Year!!!”

An Yi and Jiang Sheng cheered and hollered, and in the next second, a huge firework burst into the sky behind them, making everyone exclaim “Wow” in unison.

So beautiful… Xiang Qing watched the fireworks, while Wen Tianyu watched Xiang Qing…

After everyone had their fill, they began to clean up. Jiang Sheng and An Yi were fooling around, which was in sharp contrast to Xiang Qing and Wen Tianyu next to them.

As the cleanup was coming to an end, Xiang Qing suddenly felt a severe pain in her head. She thought she could endure it, but the pain intensified. Wen Tianyu rushed to Xiang Qing immediately. Holding her, he realized that she might be having a leukemia attack and urgently called for An Yi to bring Xiang Qing’s medicine. Xiang Qing took the medicine, but it had no effect. Grandma rushed over, anxious like an ant on a hot pan, seeing her granddaughter like this and feeling helpless. Seeing that the medicine was ineffective, Wen Tianyu immediately dialed the emergency number 120.

Grandma was so anxious that she cried. An Yi wanted to go with the ambulance, but she couldn’t leave the elderly alone.

Over the past few months, Jiang Sheng had become very close to Grandma. He suggested that they accompany Xiang Qing to the hospital. After discussing, the ambulance arrived. Jiang Sheng supported Grandma, who also wanted to go, but she was old and knew she wouldn’t be of much help. Then, as if she remembered something, she walked back to the main house with Jiang Sheng’s support and dialed a number on the landline…

Xiang Qing was rushed into the emergency room. As the light in the room turned on, the hearts of those waiting lifted. The surgery took a long time, and suddenly two middle-aged men and women, looking travel-worn, arrived. Wen Tianyu didn’t recognize them, but An Yi did; they were Xiang Qing’s parents.

“Uncle, Auntie, you’re here.”

“Yi Yi, good child, how is Xiang Qing? What did the doctor say?”

It was Xiang Qing’s mother speaking, and as she spoke, tears fell. Xiang Qing’s father went to the nurse’s station to make a payment.

“Auntie, don’t be sad. Xiang Qing said she wants to go to A University with me, don’t worry, she will be fine.”

Wen Tianyu stood by, his eyes reddened as if he had just cried, but his words were firm. Xiang Qing’s mother looked at the young man in front of her, tall and thin, handsome, clean, and fresh, with eyes red from crying. She nodded, and time passed by every minute and second. An Yi had originally planned to stay overnight at the hospital, but her family insisted she come home, which made sense, as they would always worry about a girl being out alone.

Outside the operating room, Xiang Qing’s parents leaned on each other, comforting one another, while Wen Tianyu looked on with a hint of envy before bowing his head.

Seeing Wen Tianyu still waiting, Xiang Qing’s father sat next to him and started talking.

“My daughter, she’s very well-behaved, extremely so. We spent little time with her growing up, but she never, ever made a fuss or complained. When she was little, I told her that mom and dad were working hard to earn money, to buy her the newest toys, the kind that other kids didn’t have. I remember she shook her head at me and said, ‘Dad, I don’t want new toys, can you just be with me after you’ve made money?’ You don’t know, at that moment here…” Xiang Qing’s father pointed to his chest, his eyes brimming with tears as he continued to speak to Wen Tianyu, “It felt like a needle was poking here, it hurt so much that I just hugged my daughter. For the first time, I had the thought of keeping her by my side. But just after I took her out, she got lost on the third day. It was not easy to find her again, and since then, I never dared to take her out into the world.”

“Uncle, it’s not your fault,” Wen Tianyu said in a hoarse voice.

“We said we’d come back after earning enough money, but the truth is, money is never enough.  Later on, she never mentioned wanting us to be with her again in front of us. But she still made us proud, with good grades, and she didn’t hang out with bad friends. However, our relationship with her gradually became more distant. In the end, we owe her.”

Xiang Qing’s father couldn’t help but sob as he spoke, and Wen Tianyu also felt distressed, realizing that his little girl had lacked parental love in her childhood. No wonder she was so introverted.

At that moment, the lights in the operating room went out, the door opened, and three people rushed forward. The doctor, removing his mask, looked troubled.

“The patient is temporarily out of danger. She was almost cured before, but the cancer cells suddenly mutated. Now it’s late-stage leukemia, and it’s worsening rapidly. The subsequent treatment will be costly and time-consuming, and chemotherapy is needed. Do the family members need to go home to discuss?”

“Treat her! We must treat her, no matter how much it costs. Doctor, you must save my daughter.”

Xiang Qing’s father cried, but his tone was very firm, without a hint of hesitation. The couple took a long leave of absence, and decided to spend their time with their daughter from then on.

Wen Tianyu, with tears in his eyes, stayed by Xiang Qing’s bedside. By noon the next day, Xiang Qing slowly regained consciousness. An Yi, along with Jiang Sheng and the grandmother, had arrived early, bringing a large bag of toiletries for Xiang Qing. Seeing Wen Tianyu by the bed and the group of people who had come back from outside, everything felt unreal. When she woke up, Xiang Qing’s mother was the first to rush to her. Xiang Qing was still a bit dazed; her parents, who worked far away, had rushed back. She felt that being sick had its benefits, as she smelled her mother’s scent and her eyes gradually reddened.

An Yi, seeing Wen Tianyu looking at them, felt a bit awkward. She immediately suggested arranging the toiletries for Xiang Qing. Xiang Qing’s father seemed to notice as well and told Xiang Qing’s mother that they should go home to get some necessary items and have a meal. Xiang Qing’s mother realized what was happening, and the two of them left immediately. The grandmother, seeing that her granddaughter was okay, felt a bit relieved and started chatting with Jiang Sheng, who was teasing her, and didn’t pay attention to the others.

“Wen Tianyu…”

Xiang Qing called him softly, and Wen Tianyu, holding her hand, gently replied, “I’m here, I’ve always been here.”

“You must work hard and continue with our plan to go to A University. When I get better, I will catch up with you, and then we can report to A University together.”

The girl gave him a bright smile, something the introverted Xiang Qing never showed before. Wen Tianyu’s eyes reddened again, and he softly agreed.