Chapter 22: The Hospital

After Ming Can finished speaking, she felt a cold wind swirl into her collar, sending a shiver down her spine. She didn’t want to stay in this godforsaken place for a second longer.

Seeing her eagerness to get to the library, Chen Yixiao said, “We’ve been here too long already. Let’s go.”

They had been heading to the library together earlier. If Chi Xiao hadn’t suddenly appeared and interrupted, they would have already been studying by now.

Unexpectedly, Ming Can changed her mind upon hearing this. “Actually, I think I’ll just go home to study. The library might be too crowded by now.”

Chi Xiao spoke up coolly, “Need a ride?”

Ming Can shook her head. “No, I’ll get back on my own.”

She didn’t want to get involved with either of them right now. That’s why she wasn’t going to the library with Chen Yixiao or accepting a ride home from Chi Xiao.

Ming Can had seen this kind of situation too many times. Even though her brain was half-frozen and she couldn’t quite grasp the underlying logic of their conversation, her emotional intelligence was still functioning enough to sense the tension between them.

Two guys competing over some trivial sense of pride in front of her—what did they think they were winning? Money? A medal? Her time was far too precious to waste playing referee for them.

So, Ming Can decided to stay far away from both of them, keeping herself out of the drama.

After brushing them off, she tossed out a quick “Goodbye” and turned to leave.

Chen Yixiao suddenly called out to her, “That gift…”

He couldn’t outright say the rest—that she should return it to Chi Xiao. But based on his understanding of Ming Can, she would never accept a gift from a guy who clearly had ulterior motives.

Ming Can paused, realizing that the instrument case in her arms was still open. She had almost walked off with it like that.

She looked down, her fingers red from the cold, and fumbled with the zipper to close it properly before hugging it to her chest again.

“Thank you, Senior Chi Xiao,” Ming Can said, addressing him by name since both were her seniors. She genuinely believed Miaomiao would love the gift, so she added sincerely, “I’ll treat you to a meal sometime.”

Chen Yixiao: “…”

It was a scene of major miscalculation.

Behind his refined gold-rimmed glasses, Chen Yixiao’s expression subtly cracked.

Unbelievable. Were they really that close? Did Ming Can actually accept the gift?

Chi Xiao, too, only breathed a sigh of relief at this moment.

Before this, he hadn’t been sure Ming Can would accept the gift.

Coming to see her today had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. There was a family gathering tonight, and the family car was supposed to pick up him, Chi Yao, and Chu Zhiyu. Chi Xiao didn’t want to ride in the family car, so he had the driver go directly to pick up Chi Yao and Chu Zhiyu. Meanwhile, he came up with an excuse to come to B University to “pick someone up,” bringing along a mini two-stringed instrument he had made a long time ago. He wanted to see if Ming Can would accept the gift for Miaomiao’s sake.

He hadn’t held out much hope for this trip.

After all, back in high school, he had tried to give Ming Can an instrument, only to be ruthlessly rejected.

Sure enough, as soon as he messaged Ming Can on WeChat, she immediately replied that she wasn’t at school.

By the time he received her reply, Chi Xiao was already standing outside the science building, where finance students were most frequently seen.

Before leaving, he went to the coffee shop inside the building to buy a hot coffee.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped outside, he ran into the very person who claimed not to be at school, walking alongside a somewhat familiar-looking guy.

Seeing this, Chi Xiao became even more convinced that Ming Can was unlikely to accept his gift today.

But he still went ahead and gave it to her.

The two guys had their own thought processes, but only Ming Can knew that the moment Chi Xiao took out the gift and said it was for Miaomiao, she had already decided to accept it—without a second of hesitation.

This was a gift from the child’s father to the child. Why should she refuse?

They were biological father and son. Whatever he wanted to give Miaomiao was his right. Even if he wanted to give a house or a car, Ming Can would have accepted it without blinking.

Her thought process was that simple. As for what the two seniors with their varying expressions were thinking, she didn’t care—and frankly, she didn’t have the energy to care.

If they wanted to keep standing in the cold wind, they were welcome to. But she was cold and in a hurry to get home to study. She had no time to entertain them.

Ming Can hugged the instrument case tightly to her chest, her movements showing a hint of care, and nodded farewell to Chi Xiao and Chen Yixiao.

Then she strode into the bleak, icy wind, quickly leaving them far behind.

—

A few days later, in mid-January, Miaomiao returned home from his winter camp.

Ming Can’s exam week was also about to begin.

Unable to bear leaving Miaomiao entirely in the care of Auntie Zhang, Ming Can spent most of her time studying at home. However, since she needed to focus, she moved her study spot to the study room, unlike before when she could sit at the living room bar counter, studying while keeping an eye on Miaomiao playing.

Miaomiao was a well-behaved child. He knew his mom was busy with her exams and couldn’t be disturbed frequently. So, he only went to the study once a day, during the particularly boring time between Auntie Zhang leaving work and his own bedtime.

Today, around six in the evening, Miaomiao sneaked into the study, crouching under the desk. He quietly placed a small wooden dog and a wooden cat on the table and whispered, “Mom, it’s been a while since you took me to see Dad.”

In the past—before his time travel—Miaomiao wouldn’t have made such a request to his mom.

But the current mom didn’t seem as opposed to Dad as she had been in the original timeline. Not only did she take Miaomiao to see Dad, but she was also willing to teach Miaomiao alongside him. A couple of days ago, Miaomiao even saw her playing around with the dombra Dad had given them.

Ming Can looked up, massaging her stiff neck, and assured Miaomiao, “Once I finish my exams, I’ll definitely take you to see him.”

By then, it probably wouldn’t just be about visiting him for fun.

Ming Can had already made up her mind to come clean with Chi Xiao. She hadn’t yet thought about the exact timing, but it would likely be after her finals, when everyone had some free time, in a private setting where they could discuss the matter seriously.

The reason she didn’t choose to do it sooner was that, no matter what, her grades had to take priority. Ming Can had considered telling Chi Xiao earlier to share the burden of parenting during exam week, but there was no telling how he would react on the day of the revelation. Such a bizarre and life-changing matter, once brought up, could lead to unpredictable outcomes. If things didn’t go as she hoped, Ming Can was certain her mood would be affected, which in turn would impact her exam performance.

Therefore, waiting until after the exams to come clean with Chi Xiao was the safest choice.

By then, even if he decided to call the police or sue her for defamation, Ming Can would be able to handle it more calmly.

“Yeah, once I’m on break, I’ll definitely take you to see your dad. Didn’t we agree to treat him to a meal?” Ming Can repeated her promise, finally managing to send the happy child on his way.

In the evening, Ming Can made sure Miaomiao washed up, changed into his pajamas, and got into bed.

On the nightstand, a candle warmer shone like a tiny moon, gently heating the lavender-scented candle below, filling the room with a soft fragrance. Ming Can turned off the warmer and put the candle away. She usually only used the sleep aid candle for a short while before Miaomiao’s bedtime, just enough to fill the room with a faint scent. Too much fragrance might affect the child’s respiratory development.

After saying goodnight, Ming Can left Miaomiao’s room and returned to the study to continue her studies.

It was still before nine, and Ming Can usually studied until nearly midnight before going to bed.

With only the two of them at home, even though Miaomiao was asleep, Ming Can kept the study door open out of habit, just in case Miaomiao needed something or made any noise she needed to hear.

As the night deepened, with the Big Dipper slanting across the sky, everything fell into silence.

In the study, Ming Can was memorizing key points from her major-related courses when she suddenly heard a loud “clang” from outside, followed by the pitiful cries of a child.

Ming Can immediately put down her textbook and rushed out, following the sound to the living room. There, she saw the balcony sliding door half-open, Miaomiao wrapped in a cotton coat, lying on the balcony floor alongside a small stool, looking utterly pitiful.

Ming Can hurried over, picking Miaomiao up and sitting him on the floor. Seeing the blood oozing from his scraped knee, her heart ached, and she couldn’t help but scold him gently, “It’s already ten o’clock. Why aren’t you sleeping? What were you doing on the balcony?”

Tears as big as beans streamed from Miaomiao’s eyes as he sobbed, “I… I woke up and remembered I forgot to water the plants today…”

The balcony was filled with various plants, arranged at different heights. Miaomiao must have moved a stool to stand on and water the higher plants, only to lose his balance and fall, injuring his leg.

Children’s minds are full of whimsical ideas, and their actions are often unpredictable. Ming Can couldn’t bring herself to scold him further. Instead, she comforted him softly, “Don’t cry, it’s okay. Mom’s not mad. But if you want to water the plants this late, you should ask me to help you.”

Miaomiao sniffled, “Mom, you’ve been studying so hard… I didn’t want to bother you…”

Ming Can’s heart ached at his words. She ruffled his hair and bent down to grab his arm, intending to carry him inside to treat his wound. But the moment she touched his arm, Miaomiao’s crying intensified. “It hurts! It really hurts!”

Ming Can was alarmed. She crouched down and carefully felt along Miaomiao’s arm but didn’t notice anything unusual. “Where does it hurt?”

“My hand… the middle of my right arm,” Miaomiao cried. “When I fell, I grabbed the railing, and then it started hurting…”

Ming Can took a deep breath, guessing that he might have dislocated his radius when he grabbed the railing during the fall.

Their apartment was on the 17th floor, and the balcony was exposed to the freezing cold wind outside. The howling wind only added to Ming Can’s panic. She didn’t dare touch Miaomiao’s arm again, nor could she touch his injured knee. Instead, she awkwardly held him by the waist and struggled to carry him back inside.

After closing the balcony door, Miaomiao looked up at her with his round face flushed and pale, biting his lip as he whimpered. His right arm was gradually swelling.

Ming Can told herself to stay calm and not panic. The first thing she needed to do was take Miaomiao to the hospital.

But how was she supposed to get him there? Her arm strength was barely enough to carry him downstairs.

Should she call an ambulance? Would that be overreacting?

Suddenly, Ming Can thought of someone who might be faster than an ambulance. She put on her Bluetooth earbuds and made a call while retrieving the first aid kit from the living room cabinet to tend to Miaomiao’s leg wound.

The call connected quickly, and a cool male voice came through the earpiece. “Hello?”