Although Su Ailian had been sent into the operating room, Su Mo sat nervously on the bench outside, unable to relax even for a moment.

After all, with her grandmother’s age, undergoing a surgery with general anesthesia carried certain risks. If something went wrong, it could all be over.

So, even though she had gathered enough money for the surgery and successfully got her grandmother into the operating room, Su Mo’s heart couldn’t ease.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when her phone suddenly rang.

Looking at the screen, it was Wei Ke’er.

“Mo Mo, I heard your grandmother fell? Is it serious?”

Wei Ke’er was also from Liu Lin Village. In a small village like that, it didn’t take long for news to spread, so it wasn’t surprising that she knew.

“She’s in surgery right now, and I’m not sure of the details yet.”

“She’ll be fine, Mo Mo, don’t worry. Which hospital are you at? I’ll come and keep you company.”

“Ji’an Hospital.”

“Okay, wait for me. I’ll be there soon. By the way, have you eaten? I’ll bring you something.”

It was only then that Su Mo realized she hadn’t eaten anything since last night after drinking. She hadn’t had a single bite of food since she arrived at the hospital.

Her stomach had been sensitive ever since her second year abroad. If she didn’t eat on time, it would protest.

Up until now, she had been so focused on her grandmother, but now, with Wei Ke’er’s reminder, her stomach began to ache severely.

“No problem, Ke’er. I’ll just grab something later,” Su Mo replied, trying to ignore the pain.

Wei Ke’er immediately sensed something was wrong with Su Mo’s tone.

“Wait a second, Mo Mo, are you having stomach pain? You didn’t eat, did you? Do you have any crackers on you? Just eat something first. I’ll get you some food and keep you company. Our teacher isn’t coming today, and I have time.”

“Alright, no need to hurry, Ke’er. I can get something myself when you come. Take your time.”

After hanging up the phone, Su Mo wiped the sweat from her forehead. She quickly pulled out a pack of crackers from her bag.

Crackers could help a little before the stomach pain started, but once it hit, they were useless.

Su Mo sat on the bench, her face pale, her stomach hurting, and her period also making her uncomfortable. After a sleepless night, she felt as if all her strength had drained away. Cold sweat poured out of her, and the world around her seemed to darken.

“Little girl, are you feeling unwell?”

It seemed like someone asked her, but the voice was so distant it barely registered.

Su Mo forced her eyes open and saw a tall figure walking toward her.

Then, everything went black, and she collapsed.

“Thank you, Professor Lu. I really appreciate it. This girl is always like this, not taking care of herself. It’s really thanks to you, Professor Lu.”

“Mm.”

Su Mo slowly regained consciousness, groggily hearing Ke’er’s voice and a man’s voice—soft and familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it.

She furrowed her brows and struggled to open her eyes, only to see Ke’er’s face suddenly very close to hers.

“Ke’er, what are you doing?”

“What am I doing? Su Mo, what is wrong with you? Stomach pain, low blood sugar, lack of sleep—what are you trying to do?”

Su Mo couldn’t help but smile faintly despite her pale face. “It’s just a special situation. My grandmother… last night…”

She didn’t finish before she suddenly sat up straight. “Grandmother? How’s the surgery? What happened? How long was I out?”

As she hurriedly asked, she suddenly saw a tall figure standing behind Ke’er.

It was him—the man who had lent her money. How did he end up here?

Ke’er noticed Su Mo looking at Lu Qingze and quickly stepped forward to introduce him.

“Oh, Mo Mo, this is Professor Lu. He’s the one who helped you just in time. Otherwise, you would’ve fallen right on the floor.”

Professor Lu? So, he’s a professor at the National Defense University?

No wonder he had such an elegant aura. He was a professor after all.

Su Mo thought to herself and then said to Lu Qingze, “Thank you, Professor Lu.”

Lu Qingze nodded slightly at her. “Rest well.”

He then turned to leave, but before he did, he looked back at her. “Take care of yourself.”

Su Mo quickly nodded.

After Lu Qingze left, Ke’er stared at her with wide eyes.

“Mo Mo, what’s going on? How do you know Professor Lu? And you owe him money?”

Su Mo nodded and then explained everything to Ke’er: how she had gone to the Liu family to borrow money and was coerced into marrying an old man, as well as the incident where she tried to get an advance on her signing fee during the audition.

Ke’er stared at her, wide-eyed.

The first thing she wanted to say was: “Damn! The Liu family is really something! If I ever get the chance, I’ll teach them a lesson!”

The second thing she thought was: “Is Professor Lu really that easy-going?”

Lu Qingze was a specially appointed professor at their school. He had been teaching there for three years and had become a prominent figure at the university.

His classes were few—only six sessions each semester—but they were always fully booked.

Although his eyes always seemed to carry the coldness of a snow mountain, it didn’t stop the students from being enthusiastic about him.

As for him, he was only mildly kind to students but distant, and this made Ke’er think that someone like him would actually be difficult to approach.

“How’s your grandmother? Is the surgery over? Was it successful?”

“Don’t worry, the surgery went well. She’s in the next room. Once your IV is done, you can go see her. She hasn’t woken up yet, but there’s a nurse with her, so you can relax.”

Su Mo finally let out a sigh of relief.

However, after she lay back down, Ke’er kept watching her with a probing gaze.

“Mo Mo, is this the first time you’ve met Professor Lu?”

Su Mo nodded. “Mm.”

“That’s strange. Since it’s your first meeting, why would he suddenly help you?”

Su Mo gave her a sideways glance. “Is it bad for someone to help me?”

Ke’er furrowed her brows. It wasn’t bad to get help, but she couldn’t help feeling a little worried. Was there some hidden intention behind this help? Even though it was Lu Qingze, she couldn’t shake the concern.

Author Notes:

Wei Ke’er: Mo Mo, I think Professor Lu isn’t doing this out of goodwill.

Su Mo: Mm-hmm, got it. I’ll keep my distance from him in the future.

Lu Qingze: …

This incident teaches us how important it is to win over a girl’s best friend if you want to win her heart.