Chapter 5: You Are Actually One of the Best People

After asking that question, the two got into the car.

After a moment of silence, Fang Yiran spoke, “What happened with Auntie’s illness?”

“She drove a taxi to help pay for my college tuition and ended up in a car accident caused by a drunk driver.” Chen Ruxiu spoke about the accident with a calmness, likely from having become numb to it. “The other party couldn’t afford any compensation, so I have to earn the money for her medical expenses myself while waiting for a suitable kidney donor. Now, she needs regular dialysis, which still requires money.”

Fang Yiran hadn’t expected that Chen Ruxiu was working so hard because he was carrying such a heavy burden.

“What about your dad?” Fang Yiran asked another thoughtless question.

“…I don’t have a father.” Chen Ruxiu pressed his lips together. “My father ran away when I was born. It’s always been my mom who raised me.”

“You can’t keep struggling like this all on your own. If she needs a kidney transplant later, that’s going to be another huge expense,” Fang Yiran said, feeling both pity and concern as he tried to analyze the situation. “You’re not eating well, not sleeping properly, working tirelessly day and night, sooner or later, you’re going to wear yourself out.”

Chen Ruxiu let out a breath, his expression somewhat cold: “What else can I do? Take out a loan? My family’s house has already been sold, and no bank is willing to lend us money. All I have left is myself.”

Hearing Chen Ruxiu say “All I have left is myself” in that tone made Fang Yiran feel a pang in his heart.

The car came to a stop, and the driver in front spoke up at just the right moment, “We’ve arrived.”

“Alright, I’ll get out here.” Chen Ruxiu nodded politely and thanked Fang Yiran, “Thank you for giving me a ride home.”

“You only have yourself, so you should take better care of yourself,” Fang Yiran remembered the snacks they had just bought. “Take a bag of the snacks we picked out earlier. I remember we also got some fruit, if Auntie’s health allows, she could have some too.”

Chen Ruxiu’s expression turned unpleasant. “You bought those for your cousin. You don’t need to give me any, I don’t need anyone’s pity.”

“Pity, my ass!” Fang Yiran snapped, “From the start, I chose it with the thought of you in mind! You’re so thin, and you hardly eat anything. This isn’t about ‘pity’, but I just care about you!”

As soon as he said those words, the atmosphere grew a bit awkward. Chen Ruxiu seemed somewhat puzzled. He glanced at Fang Yiran, then glanced again, not quite understanding why he would say something like that.

“Alright, thank you.” Taking the bag that Fang Yiran insisted on handing over, Chen Ruxiu felt a bit of warmth in his heart. “Fang Yiran, I realize now that I was wrong before.”

Fang Yiran, feeling unsettled inside, responded absentmindedly, “What did you think before?”

“I used to think that you might be a bad person,” Chen Ruxiu lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes trembling, concealing his sparkling eyes. “Now I realize, you’re actually one of the best people out there.”

What the hell does he mean by “one of the best people”? That’s way too embarrassing!

Fang Yiran felt that he had never done anything so ridiculously cheesy in his entire life, practically like some selfless saint!

But his mouth and hands moved faster than his brain, and by the time he realized what he was doing, he had already reached out and taken the bag back from him.

Chen Ruxiu was a bit puzzled. “Taking the bag back, are you regretting it?”

“…I’ll help you carry it up,” Fang Yiran said with a resigned smile, accepting the situation. “I’m not busy anyway, and your wrist is so thin. If you hurt yourself carrying such heavy stuff, I’d have to cover the medical bills! Don’t worry, I won’t intrude on you and Auntie; I’ll just walk you to the door of the hospital room. You’re not allowed to refuse me. There’s too much stuff here, and it’s bound to wear you out. You need to be aware of your own strength!”

Chen Ruxiu gave him a deep look but didn’t refuse. “Alright then, thank you.”

—

Fang Yiran indeed kept his promise and accompanied Chen Ruxiu right to the door of the hospital room, sincerely saying, “See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow, Fang Yiran.” For the first time, Chen Ruxiu smiled so genuinely.

After he went inside, Fang Yiran stood at the door, dazing off for a while. He heard Chen Ruxiu’s mother ask, “Xiao Xiu, who were you talking to just now at the door?” Chen Ruxiu replied softly with something he couldn’t quite catch.

After standing there for a moment, Fang Yiran snapped out of it, noted down the bed number of Chen Ruxiu’s mother, and went into the doctor’s office to ask about her situation.

“Are you a relative of the patient?” The doctor asked, looking wary.

“No, I’m just a good Samaritan,” Fang Yiran replied, feeling even more like some kind of saint. “You don’t need to tell me the patient’s specific condition. Just tell me what kind of resources and how much money I would need if I want to help save her.”

“One kidney donor and 700,000 yuan,” the doctor replied, having roughly understood Fang Yiran’s intention. Realizing that he might be able to save a life, the doctor was willing to share some basic information.

“Got it,” Fang Yiran responded. “I’ll find the kidney donor, and I’ll deposit the 700,000 yuan into her hospital account. Please monitor her condition in the meantime and prepare for the surgery.”

As he passed by the door of the hospital room again, Fang Yiran hesitated, no longer so eager to stick to his promise.

He was still hesitating when the door opened, and the person inside came out, pausing in surprise upon seeing him. “Why are you still here?”

It was Chen Ruxiu, holding an empty lunchbox, evidently on his way to the restroom at the end of the hallway to wash it.

Fang Yiran glanced inside. It was a regular hospital room with five beds crowded into the space. The folding bed where Chen Ruxiu slept when keeping watch was set up in the hallway, covered with a thin, barely adequate blanket.

“This kind of room is too small; it must be uncomfortable to stay in,” Fang Yiran remarked, the young master from a wealthy family clearly unimpressed with the environment. “Can Auntie really be comfortable here?”

In reality, this was already the best condition that Chen Ruxiu could afford. Fang Yiran’s words inevitably stung, and Chen Ruxiu replied with a hint of sadness, “What more do you want? Did you come back just to humiliate me?”

Fang Yiran was silent for a moment before saying, “I was thinking of moving Auntie to a VIP room.”

Chen Ruxiu replied numbly, “Don’t you think I want that? I don’t have the money.”

“—I do,” Fang Yiran said earnestly.

Chen Ruxiu let out a mocking laugh. “That’s your money, not mine.”

“You can borrow from me. You have nothing right now, but I believe you have a bright future ahead. Graduates from our school typically earn hundreds of thousands annually, and with how well you perform academically, you’ll only earn more. You can pay back the money within a few years of working, so there’s no need to worry at all.” Fang Yiran laid out the facts, determined to make sure he wouldn’t refuse his offer. “The doctor said Auntie’s kidney transplant will cost 700,000 yuan. I’ll lend you a million. Let Auntie live more comfortably, and I’ll handle finding a kidney donor. I have a lot of connections.”

“I don’t want to borrow money from others.” Chen Ruxiu was still hesitating, clinging to the last shred of his pride. “It’s too humiliating.”

“At a time like this, what’s more important—your pride or your mom’s health?” Fang Yiran felt like he was nagging, but he pressed on. “If you don’t borrow this money from me and can’t get the transplant, Auntie will have to continue with dialysis, which is not only painful but will also cost an immeasurable amount of money. Are you willing to let your mom suffer?”

“I don’t want that,” Chen Ruxiu immediately changed his mind. “I’ll borrow from you, and I’ll write an IOU right now.”

“That’s more like it.” Fang Yiran felt a sense of proud satisfaction, like he had guided him to the right decision. “No rush on the IOU. I’ll go find the head nurse to change the room, and you go pack up your things and explain to your mom. Just tell her that I hired you as an employee and that you’ve received an advance on your salary, no need to make her worry too much.”

Fang Yiran thought happily to himself: The VIP room has a proper bed for the person staying with the patient, so Chen Ruxiu should be able to rest a bit more comfortably at night.

“Why are you being so kind to me?” Chen Ruxiu didn’t leave; he still had questions.

He maintained that aloof and proud demeanor, like an unattainable flower on a high mountain. Even in the most difficult moment of his life, he stubbornly looked at the rich young master in front of him, with a hint of unease and a bit of hidden vulnerability and hope.

“You’re my little brother, and only I’m allowed to bully you,” Fang Yiran replied, clearly satisfied with his own logic. “No one else, and nothing else, is allowed to bully you—not even life itself.”

“Alright.” Chen Ruxiu breathed a sigh of relief. “If you… have any requests, you can tell me, and I’ll do my best to fulfill them.”

Although he knew he had little to offer Fang Yiran, he still believed in the importance of repaying kindness. Whatever Fang Yiran might ask for, as long as he had it, he would give it to him.

Fang Yiran, worried that Chen Ruxiu might misunderstand, quickly added, “You don’t need to think about any of that. Just focus on your studies, improve yourself, and make a lot of money in the future so that I can feel proud to have a little brother like you. That’s enough.”

Chen Ruxiu nodded. “Alright, I’ll do my best. You… just wait for me.”

—

With his family matters settled and no longer needing to rush off to work, Chen Ruxiu became noticeably more cheerful at school. Following Fang Yiran no longer filled him with resentment; instead, he blended in well with Fang Yiran’s friends.

Whenever something happened with Fang Yiran, his friends instinctively called Chen Ruxiu: “Brother Chen, Brother Chen, Brother Fang got into an argument during swimming class, and during the shoving, he twisted his ankle and fell into the pool. The clothes he just changed into got soaked. None of us have been living on campus since the start of the semester, but you still stay in the dorms occasionally and have some clothes there. Please lend Brother Fang a set of clothes quickly.”

“Alright, I’m on my way.”

Chen Ruxiu had been working on a problem set when he got the call, and his pen slipped, drawing a line across the exercise book. Without worrying about the mistake, he left his backpack behind, borrowed a classmate’s electric scooter, and hurried to the dormitory.

He grabbed a set of clothes and headed to the swimming pool, where he found Fang Yiran sitting by the edge, casually drying himself off with a towel.

Chen Ruxiu rushed over, frowning as he noticed Fang Yiran’s distracted state. “How did you end up like this? Getting into conflicts with people at school, you’re too impulsive.”

The group of friends nearby couldn’t help but think to themselves: Brother Chen scolding Brother Fang like this, he really sounds like a wife scolding her husband in a TV drama.

But with just a glance from Fang Yiran, they quickly stepped up and “voluntarily” explained, “Brother Chen, don’t blame Brother Fang for being impulsive. It’s just that the other guy said some really awful things, and Brother Fang couldn’t hold back.”

“You still shouldn’t resort to violence, no matter how awful the things they say,” Chen Ruxiu disagreed, his tone firm. “It’s dangerous to fight, and you even end up hurt.”

“If it had been about me, I could’ve let it go, but he was talking about you.” Fang Yiran’s hair was wet, water dripping down his face, and the usually proud young master now looked like a big dog feeling wronged. “He actually dared to badmouth you. I couldn’t take it, not even for a second.”

Hearing that Fang Yiran had defended him, Chen Ruxiu’s heart was moved. He simply replied with an “Oh” and, no longer upset, turned to the others and asked, “What exactly did that person say?”

The others hesitated, unwilling to repeat the full story, so they only shared the parts that were somewhat acceptable: “… He… he said that he’d seen Brother Chen at a certain club before. Brother Chen used to work part-time jobs for his tuition, but now he doesn’t anymore. It seems he’s really found himself a rich backer.”

In truth, the original remarks were far nastier. They suggested that Chen Ruxiu’s aloof appearance was just an act, and that behind the scenes, he was overly eager to cozy up to wealthy people.

Fang Yiran couldn’t stand hearing people talk like that, so he immediately got into an argument with the person, which eventually escalated into a physical altercation. Both of them ended up falling into the pool. However, since the other party was clearly in the wrong, the shock of the cold water made them come to their senses, and they eventually ran off on their own.

After hearing the whole story, Chen Ruxiu didn’t continue scolding Fang Yiran. His tone softened, “You didn’t have to go that far for me; I’m okay with it. You’re soaked through, and can you still walk on that foot? Let me help you to the changing room?”

“My ankle’s twisted, so I’ll need to apply some herbal oil, but I can still manage by hopping on one foot,” Fang Yiran replied. Being asked like this made him feel that standing up for Chen Ruxiu had been completely worth it. “…So, help me to the changing room, and I’ll change my clothes.”

And with that, Chen Ruxiu supported Fang Yiran as they headed into the changing room.