But Lin Xiwei had anticipated this. After stuffing the pastry in, she immediately covered Zhong Yurou’s mouth with her hand, preventing her from spitting it out.
The scene unfolded so suddenly, swift as lightning, that both the little boy on the hospital bed and the nanny standing nearby were stunned speechless.
“Zhong Yurou, I’ll let it slide that you stole my husband—I’d be more than happy for you to take out my trash. But coming to harass my son and flaunt your victory in front of me? You’re asking for death!”
Poor Zhong Yurou, with her mouth blocked, couldn’t spit out the pastry and could only swallow it down in humiliation.
But it was too dry. Halfway down, it got stuck in her throat, forcing her to stretch her neck and turn red in the face.
Lin Xiwei didn’t let up. She grabbed the water on the table and poured it straight into Zhong Yurou’s mouth.
When that mouthful went down, it felt like her chest would split open. Zhong Yurou’s eyes bulged in pain.
“Lin Xiwei! What the hell are you doing?!” At the door of the ward, Su Yunfan suddenly appeared. Seeing the scene, he bellowed and rushed in.
Lin Xiwei didn’t wait for him to pull her away. She stepped back with a cold expression, watching from the sidelines.
“Xiao Rou, Xiao Rou, are you okay?” Su Yunfan was frantic, one hand supporting Zhong Yurou while the other hurriedly rubbed her chest.
His hand moved up and down over her full bosom without any hesitation.
Lin Xiwei shrugged and let out a snicker.
So frantic over her—she must be quite the treasure.
Su Chengjun had originally lit up when he saw his father arrive. But seeing his father only care about this unfamiliar auntie, the little boy’s expression froze and his eyes dimmed.
He seemed to suddenly understand why his mother hadn’t been defended by his father yesterday when Grandpa slapped her.
“How could you do this to Xiao Rou? What if she choked?” Su Yunfan demanded of his wife once the woman in his arms had caught her breath.
Lin Xiwei couldn’t have cared less. “We’re in a hospital. If she chokes, the doctors can cut her open. She won’t die.”
“Lin Xiwei, when did you become so cold-blooded and heartless?” Su Yunfan looked at her as if she were a stranger.
Before Lin Xiwei could respond, Zhong Yurou, having recovered, immediately launched into her tearful complaint: “Yunfan… I came out of the goodness of my heart to see the child. I even made pastries for him with my own hands. But Weiwei barged in and tried to kill me! I honestly thought I was going to die just now…”
“Where’s your goodness? I already said I didn’t want to eat it, but you insisted on shoving it into my mouth. Mommy was just letting you taste what it feels like when someone forces something into you. Otherwise, the one who almost choked to death just now would have been me.”
From the hospital bed, little Junjun’s young, crisp voice came out haltingly, yet his reasoning was clear and his rebuttal forceful.
He was defending his mother without hesitation.
Lin Xiwei looked at her son, feeling both comforted and proud.
Su Yunfan also looked at his son, but his expression was too complicated to describe.
He wanted a divorce and wanted custody of this child—but the child had to be sick now of all times…
The atmosphere around them froze. Lin Xiwei didn’t want to waste her energy on these worthless people. She coldly showed them out: “Leave. Don’t come back again, or I’ll beat you every time I see you.”
Su Yunfan helped Zhong Yurou to her feet. His eyes fell on Lin Xiwei, and after a pause, he asked in a low voice: “Has Junjun’s test report come out yet?”
Lin Xiwei understood instantly and broke into a cold sneer.
“What, you want to know whether Junjun is really sick so you can decide whether to fight me for custody?”
“Lin Xiwei!” Su Yunfan’s face flushed with anger. “As his father, isn’t it only natural that I care about my son?”
“Care about your son? Fine. Then give me a million first, to guarantee his medical expenses.” Lin Xiwei held out her hand, signaling for him to pay up.
“A million?” Zhong Yurou was shocked. “Even if he really has leukemia, it wouldn’t cost a million!”
“What, he hasn’t even married you yet and you’re already feeling sorry for his money? He and I are still husband and wife—all the money he earns belongs to both of us. Never mind a million, even ten million he should pay.”
Zhong Yurou glanced at Su Yunfan, her expression clearly showing she didn’t want the man to spend a single cent.
Su Yunfan didn’t address the money. Instead, he confirmed again: “So Junjun really does have leukemia?”
Lin Xiwei pressed her lips together and said nothing.
The test report wasn’t out yet, but the doctors here had already said it was almost certainly confirmed.
Every time she thought about it, her heart felt like it was being cut open.
Zhong Yurou watched the man’s expression, afraid he might soften out of pity for the child. She secretly pinched his arm.
Su Yunfan snapped back to reality, glanced at her, then said to Lin Xiwei: “All my savings are invested in the company’s R&D. I don’t have any money on hand right now.”
Lin Xiwei stared at him steadily.
She didn’t believe a word.
“You two have been sneaking around for six months. Don’t tell me you’ve already transferred your assets?” Lin Xiwei guessed.
“Speak with evidence, or it’s slander.” Zhong Yurou’s rebuttal came too quickly, which only made her more suspicious.
Lin Xiwei stared at her, then suddenly remembered something and couldn’t help but laugh.
Zhong Yurou was confused. “What are you laughing at?”
“Zhong Yurou, you came back to him for his money, right? Or are you after him because he’s impotent with weak sperm?”
“Lin Xiwei!” Su Yunfan, suddenly struck at his sore spot, exploded in fury.
Zhong Yurou froze, her face a mask of disbelief.
She frowned and slowly turned to look at the man beside her. “Yunfan… what does she mean by that? You…”
As Zhong Yurou asked, her gaze drifted downward, toward the man’s crotch.
“What I mean is, not only can he not father a child, he can barely even get it up. You’re young and pretty, and you’re settling for a useless…”
Lin Xiwei held the upper hand, her posture relaxed and confident, deliberately leaving her sentence half-finished to gauge Zhong Yurou’s reaction.
Zhong Yurou panicked, grabbed Su Yunfan’s arm and demanded again: “Yunfan, is what she said true?”
Lin Xiwei piled on: “Is it true or not? Haven’t you tried? You two have been sneaking around for this long—have you actually done it?”
Zhong Yurou froze, petrified.
They’d been carrying on in secret for nearly half a year, and there had been a few opportunities for a night of passion.
But every time she was fully in the mood, Su Yunfan would only peel off her top, and at most they’d kiss and cuddle before stopping.
She thought…
“Don’t tell me you thought he was a gentleman, that he cherished you and respected you, which is why he didn’t go all the way?” Lin Xiwei voiced exactly what was on her mind.
Struck to the core, Zhong Yurou’s expression shifted. “Su Yunfan, say something…”
“Xiao Rou, I—”
Su Yunfan hesitated and stammered, but his expression said it all.
Zhong Yurou turned and ran off.
“Xiao Rou, Xiao Rou!” Su Yunfan called out anxiously twice, then couldn’t help but turn back to berate his wife. “Lin Xiwei, saying these things in front of the child—have you no shame?!”
Before Lin Xiwei could respond, Su Chengjun fired back without backing down: “You betrayed Mom—are you even a man?!”
Su Yunfan looked at his son, his face a picture of utter shock.
But he had no time to say more, and simply turned to chase after his first love.
Lin Xiwei was equally surprised. She patted her son’s head and asked, “Sweetie, do you understand what we’re talking about?”
The little guy blinked his big eyes, looked up at his mother, and replied, “Not really, but I know Dad likes that bad auntie now. He doesn’t want us anymore.”
“…” Lin Xiwei’s eyelashes trembled, and her heart clenched.
She hadn’t figured out how to explain this to her son, but the little one had already grasped it all.
“Mom, I don’t want Dad either. I only want you.”
Lin Xiwei’s nose stung with emotion, and she pulled her son into her arms. “Mm, Junjun will always be Mommy’s precious boy.”
As satisfying as it was to put those two in their place, facing reality afterward was still brutal.
The next day, the doctor called Lin Xiwei into his office.
The bone marrow biopsy results were in.
“Miss Lin, I’m sorry to tell you that your son does have leukemia. As for the specific treatment plan, we’ll need your family to make a decision as soon as possible.”
Though she had braced herself for this outcome, hearing the final verdict still broke her. Tears streamed down her face.
“Miss Lin, please stay strong. With today’s medical technology, as long as you actively cooperate with treatment, the five-year and even ten-year survival rates are quite high.”
The doctor handed her a tissue to comfort her.
Lin Xiwei clutched the tissue over her face, sobbing uncontrollably.
She didn’t want five years or ten years.
She wanted her precious boy to be healthy forever, to stay by her side always.
After a moment to compose herself, she took a deep breath and steadied her emotions.
“Please tell me about the treatment options, and how much I’ll need to prepare.”
The doctor was surprised at how quickly she calmed down. He nodded and began walking her through the pros and cons of each treatment plan in detail.
When Chu Qing arrived, Lin Xiwei was just coming out of the doctor’s office.
“Weiwei, how did it go? What did the doctor say?” Seeing her best friend’s red, swollen eyes, Chu Qing wrapped an arm around her and patted her gently.
Lin Xiwei looked at her. “It’s okay. The doctor said that with treatment, there’s hope for recovery. I’ll start raising the money first.”
“How much do you need? I still have some savings.” Chu Qing didn’t hesitate.
“You have financial pressure too. Not for now—I’ll ask if I really have no other options.”
Chu Qing had just bought an apartment a few months ago, draining her savings, and she still had a mortgage to pay every month.
On top of that, with the across-the-board salary cuts, Lin Xiwei knew her best friend was also stretched thin.
The money for her son’s treatment would mainly have to come from Su Yunfan—he didn’t get to be called a father for nothing.
Chu Qing nodded. “Alright, but you must tell me when you need it.”
The two walked toward the ward together when Chu Qing suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, by the way, my uncle said he got in touch with that Lawyer Qin again, and he’s agreed to meet with you. See which day next week works for you, and you can visit his firm.”
“That generous of him?” Lin Xiwei was a bit surprised. Thinking about starting work next week, she said, “Let me sort out my schedule, and I’ll let you know once it’s confirmed.”
“Mm, don’t rush. The ones who should be rushing are those two.”
At the mention of those two, Lin Xiwei was reminded of how they’d come to the ward yesterday to disgust her.
She thought about how Su Yunfan might have already transferred marital assets.
Even if she didn’t want the money for herself, she at least needed to get back what was owed for her son’s treatment.
So the divorce couldn’t be delayed—the sooner, the better.
Making up her mind on the spot, she turned to her best friend and said, “Qingqing, let’s do Monday noon. I’ll go visit that Lawyer Qin.”
“That soon? Alright, I’ll let my uncle know.”
“Mm, I really owe you this time.”
Back in the hospital room, Lin Xiwei saw that her son was still asleep, so she instructed the nanny to take good care of him while she made a trip home.
The doctor said the initial treatment costs would require 500,000 yuan to prepare first.
If the results were good, that amount might be about enough.
But if the situation wasn’t ideal, the expenses would be an endless pit.
She hadn’t managed to save much money over the years—partly because of the high household expenses, and partly because her parents would occasionally ask her for money here and there.
Just three months ago, Lin Zheng’an said he wanted to partner with someone to open a restaurant and asked her for 200,000 yuan.
Her savings had been drained completely.
Now she could only go home, gather up her handbags and jewelry, and take them to a luxury consignment store to exchange them for some cash to cover the initial medical fees.
As she waited for the elevator, someone walked up beside her.
She was looking down at her phone and didn’t pay attention.
But then the person’s phone rang, and a cold, authoritative voice followed—