Chapter 39

◎ “Are you breaking up with Yu Ran?” ◎

In Wang Lanzhi’s impression, this was the first time Shen Suhui had ever resisted like this, especially in front of so many people.

The usually dominant Wang Lanzhi instantly felt humiliated. She knew Shen Suhui was young, and no matter how strong she was, she couldn’t beat her, so she threw herself on the ground and started crying and shouting loudly.

“Everyone, come look! They always say raising children is for the old age, look at the good daughter I raised…”

“When something happens in the family, she refuses to give money and even pushed me! She’s going to hit me, woo woo woo… I raised you with so much effort, and this is how you treat your mother?”

Shen Suhui stopped in her tracks, and soon, she became the center of attention. Some people had already raised their phones to start recording.

Wang Lanzhi put on a weak and pitiful expression, leaning on her waist and pretending to collapse. Nearby patients and their families couldn’t stand it anymore, glaring at Shen Suhui and rushing over to help Wang Lanzhi up.

“Sis, you should get up first.”

Wang Lanzhi acted even more seriously, getting halfway up before crying out, “Oh!” and sitting back down. The patient’s family couldn’t watch anymore and shouted at Shen Suhui.

“Do you have any conscience? Your poor mother is this weak now, and after raising you, you’ve grown wings and flown away, and now you don’t care about your mother!”

“That’s right, that’s right,” one of the bystanders said. “I really wish modern times could be like ancient times, where unfilial people were dealt with by torture.”

“I hate these ungrateful people, how can they have the face to live in this world…”

“…”

Even though she was under the sunlight, Shen Suhui felt as if she had been thrown into a ditch by the words of the crowd. She was exposed to the blazing sun, every inch of her skin and every strand of her hair feeling utterly humiliated.

Her heartbeat was so fast it felt like it was about to burst out of her chest, and the suffocating feeling grew stronger. Her body felt frozen, cold sweat dripping down.

Amidst the crowd’s criticism, she turned, helping Wang Lanzhi to her feet. Wang Lanzhi groaned.

“No, no, Xiao Hui, Mom can’t live without you, woo woo woo…”

“That’s how it should be!” said another bystander. “Look at how beautifully you’re dressed, but your mother’s clothes are already old. Actually, adults aren’t that greedy. They just want you to live well, and wish for you to visit them more often. That’s all they need to be content…”

Content.

Those two words were unbearably harsh.

How could Wang Lanzhi understand what it means to be content?

A mocking smile appeared at the corner of Shen Suhui’s mouth, but she said nothing in her own defense.

She helped Wang Lanzhi into the hospital room, and as soon as the door closed, Wang Lanzhi stopped pretending. Without surprise, a slap landed on her. Shen Suhua quickly grabbed Wang Lanzhi’s hand and shouted, “What are you doing?”

“What am I doing? Look at the ungrateful daughter you raised, she doesn’t agree!!!”

Only then did Shen Suhua look at her. For some reason, Shen Suhua’s gaze, though not as aggressive as Wang Lanzhi’s, felt strange, and this made Shen Suhui even more afraid.

“Is everything your mother said true?”

“Yes, Dad. I can discuss the treatment fees for Dongting, but I won’t agree to marry Jiang You.”

“Why?” Shen Suhua asked in confusion. “Xiao Jiang’s conditions are so good. Marrying him would bring you wealth and help Dongting and us too. What exactly don’t you like?”

“……”

“You used to listen to your parents more than anyone else.”

Wang Lanzhi glared at her. “She’s an ungrateful wretch. Let me make myself clear today: if you don’t agree to this marriage, I won’t let you live in peace. Shen Suhui, you decide.”

“If I get married, will you let me live in peace?” Shen Suhui asked.

Shen Suhua said, “You’re old enough, it’s time to get married. Staying single this long will make people talk. Jiang You’s conditions are so good. If you don’t want him, others will take him. Will you cry then?”

“……”

Shen Suhui had no words to say.

Her parents had been pressuring her for almost thirty years. Shen Suhui didn’t know where the end was. She wanted freedom, and they wanted money. If giving them a lot of money would set her free…

But would marriage give her freedom? Would Jiang You really give her that much money?

She felt like she was making a deal, hoping someone would spend a fortune to buy her freedom from her parents, so she could sever ties with them.

But whose money comes easy, and who would be willing to spend nearly a million to buy her freedom?

Yu Ran?

Shen Suhui wouldn’t ask Yu Ran. She didn’t want their pure relationship to be tainted by a transaction.

That was her unattainable, distant “white moonlight” for fourteen years.

Shen Suhui’s heart felt like it was being torn apart. She moved her stiff lips and said, “I… I want to think about it.”

“Think about what? This is a deal with no losses…”

“Enough!” Shen Suhui tugged at his wife’s arm and gave her a look. “The child has already softened, don’t push too hard. Marriage is a big deal, and she still needs to think about it.”

“……” Wang Lanzhi wanted to say more but eventually kept quiet.

Shen Suhui left the hospital room smelling of disinfectant and sat on a bench by the flower bed outside the inpatient department. The fresh air made her feel like she was saved for a few seconds. The sunlight was blinding, so blinding that it scared her. She was about to move when a pair of expensive shoes entered her view. Shen Suhui looked up and saw Du Qiuyan, who was well-disguised with sunglasses.

“Do you have time? Let’s talk.”

Shen Suhui stood up and coldly replied, “I don’t have time.”

“Don’t you want to talk about Yu Ran?”

“……” Shen Suhui hesitated.

Before Shen Dongting was diagnosed, perhaps Shen Suhui could have refused Du Qiuyan with certainty and told her that she loved Yu Ran and she had no chance. But now, with everything that had happened, as soon as she saw Du Qiuyan’s face, memories from high school suddenly flooded her mind.

She clearly remembered how Yu Ran had loved Du Qiuyan.

The person in front of her was elegant and beautiful, with a good background and ability. She and Yu Ran were a good match. Being with Yu Ran would mean fewer troubles for her. Du Qiuyan had always been a well-loved princess, with a wealthy family and no crazy parents.

In the end, she followed Du Qiuyan to a convenience store across from the hospital.

“Do you want something to eat?” Du Qiuyan asked her.

Shen Suhui shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”

Du Qiuyan hummed, raising an eyebrow with a playful look. She got up, bought some things, and after paying, brought everything over. Finally, she handed Shen Suhui a cup of milk and a bowl of congee with century eggs and lean pork.

Shen Suhui looked at the congee, but it felt like a monster attacking her brain and bones.

“I know you’re not in the mood right now, so I thought some congee and milk might be okay.”

Shen Suhui didn’t want to eat but still politely said, “Thank you.”

Du Qiuyan didn’t mind, smiling brightly. Shen Suhui sat across from her, feeling more and more like a rat in a gutter, inferior to her in every way.

Du Qiuyan casually started chatting, “You know, when I was dating Xiao Ran, we used to argue too. After we fought, she would always come and comfort me, though usually, it was me who was at fault…”

“After a fight, I didn’t want to eat anything, and I’d throw away all the food she prepared for me. In the end, she would patiently make me a bowl of century egg and lean meat porridge. She said that when someone has no appetite, they can still manage to eat porridge. Eventually, I gave in. So, whenever I was upset or didn’t have an appetite, Xiao Ran would make me century egg and lean meat porridge…”

Du Qiuyan looked across at Shen Suhui and smiled, “Does she do that for you too?”

“….”

Shen Suhui didn’t know how to respond.

No, to be honest, since Du Qiuyan appeared in front of her, Shen Suhui had lost her chance to speak. She felt she had lost completely.

She remembered the first time Yu Ran made her century egg and lean meat porridge was during her blind date with Jiang You.

Later, every time she had no appetite, Yu Ran did indeed make her porridge.

Shen Suhui couldn’t describe her feelings, only that they were a mix of discomfort, rejection, and affection. She picked up the bowl of porridge in front of her and forced herself to take a bite.

Subconsciously, she had started associating the porridge with the love shared between Yu Ran and Du Qiuyan.

Each bite made her want to gag. Before she realized it, the bowl was empty. Shen Suhui glanced at the time and bluntly asked, “You didn’t ask me here just to drink porridge, right?”

“Of course not.” Du Qiuyan straightened her back and said directly, “I’ve already learned about your brother’s condition, and I know your mom is pushing you to marry that disgusting man. I can pay for your brother’s full treatment for leukemia, and I can also give your parents one million, but I have one condition.”

Shen Suhui’s head buzzed. She never imagined that the plot of a teenage romance novel would actually happen to her. She curled her lips into a self-deprecating smile.

“Break up with Yu Ran?”

Du Qiuyan raised her head arrogantly, looking down at her. “It’s good that you understand.”

“I don’t agree.”

“What?” Du Qiuyan thought she misheard.

Shen Suhui looked up, meeting Du Qiuyan’s eyes. “Why do you think that if I break up with Yu Ran, she will come back to you? And why do you think that what you once abandoned can be reclaimed? Du Qiuyan, do you really love Yu Ran?”

“I love her, of course I love her,” Du Qiuyan said angrily. “I just… realized it too late.”

“Why should Yu Ran wait for you all these years? Why are you so selfish?” Shen Suhui trembled all over, her voice shaking. She couldn’t control her emotions anymore.

“I love Yu Ran too. I’ve loved her for fourteen years. Does my love mean nothing?”

“Why? Why can’t you let me go? Do I not deserve happiness?”

“….”

Du Qiuyan coldly watched as Shen Suhui broke down. She didn’t feel sorry for her, not at all.

Clearly, she had met Yu Ran first. She had just been lucky, so why should she keep holding on to Yu Ran?

Du Qiuyan grabbed her bag, stood up, and coldly said, “I’m giving you one day to think about it. If by this time tomorrow you haven’t given me the answer I want, you’ll face the consequences.”

“….”

“Shen Suhui, someone like you, who’s never felt love or wealth, shouldn’t you hold on tightly to money? Love has always been a luxury for you. You and Yu Ran are from completely different worlds.”

Du Qiuyan left without hesitation. Shen Suhui watched her back, feeling as if Du Qiuyan was a gambler confident of victory, knowing that no matter what Shen Suhui did, she was bound to lose.

Around 4 p.m., Shen Suhui finally had the strength to leave the convenience store. The century egg and lean meat porridge in her stomach churned, making her nauseous. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, but she didn’t even have the strength to check it.

She walked to the nearest trash can, pressed her hand to her stomach, and started vomiting violently. She threw up all the porridge until only acid remained, but she still couldn’t stop the nausea.

The physical reactions brought on by her illness were now magnified. People walked past her, but no one came near to check on her. Shen Suhui felt like she must look hideous, neither human nor ghost, and no one would dare approach her.

“What’s wrong…”

Just then, a voice full of concern entered her world, and Shen Suhui finally became a little more aware.

Yu Ran, just out of surgery, couldn’t reach Shen Suhui on the phone and rushed out to find her. Shen Suhui struggled to meet her gaze and saw love, pain, and guilt in Yu Ran’s eyes.

What are you feeling guilty about?

Shen Suhui thought.

If you hadn’t met me, you wouldn’t have all these problems.

You’d be free to live your life as a doctor, thriving in a world without Shen Suhui.

Yu Ran didn’t know what Shen Suhui was thinking. Ignoring the onlookers, she slowly walked up to Shen Suhui, crouched down, and gently brushed her lips with her fingers.

“Let me take you back, okay?”

“Back where?”

For her right now, there was no place that felt safe.

“Let’s go to the duty room first. I have an hour before I’m off work. After that, I’ll take you home.”

“But… my brother and them…”

“I’ll handle it.”

Shen Suhui didn’t respond. Yu Ran picked her up and carried her to the duty room.

She held onto Yu Ran’s neck tightly, desperately, afraid that Yu Ran’s embrace was like a fleeting moment, afraid that when she woke up, she would return to her youth, and Yu Ran would be living in a world that didn’t intersect with hers.
Perhaps she was dreaming. Their reunion in the café was fake, a dream she had during a psychotic episode.