Before the official start of filming, the crew would arrange a private actor meet-and-greet to get to know each other and shoot some promotional videos for later publicity. Lin Yue Shu got up early and put on new clothes. A simple linen-colored wool coat with a beige turtleneck sweater underneath, though plain, the fabric was soft yet firm, with white edges that complemented his translucent, fair skin.
He floated to the door like a breeze, intending to leave just like that, but was stopped by Shao Cheng Yan, who was reading a magazine on the sofa.
“Where are you going?” Shao Cheng Yan asked casually, his eyes never leaving the magazine.
Lin Yue Shu turned back, a faint smile on his lips: “There’s an actor meet-and-greet. Do you want to drive me there?”
Shao Cheng Yan turned a page, his tone indifferent: “No time.”
Lin Yue Shu didn’t waste any more time, tossed a “see you tonight” and walked out the door.
Once he left, Shao Cheng Yan, full of anger, picked up his phone and called Lu Boxiao to question him: “Didn’t I tell you not to arrange any work for him?”
Lu Boxiao defended himself: “General Manager Shao, I’m just a small role. A big shot specifically requested him to act, do you think I can go against money or future?”
Shao Cheng Yan gripped the phone tightly, and before hanging up, he threw the phone away in anger. A big shot specifically requested him? Probably because the other party got a taste of it and wanted more.
Alright, Lin Yue Shu, you just keep sinking. When you become a rag that can’t live without a man, I want to see how you’ll kneel at my feet begging for help.
…
Lin Yue Shu drove to the meet-and-greet location, which was a conference room of an entertainment company. There weren’t many people, just a few main actors and the director’s team. Lin Yue Shu stood there, looking at the faces of people who seemed like extras, and decided not to move.
Because they were NPCs in a novel? They all looked more or less the same.
A man with a small mustache, claiming to be the director, came over to greet Lin Yue Shu. Although he didn’t think much of him, a big shot had named him to act and invested heavily in the production, so even if the director looked down on Lin Yue Shu, he had to smile on the surface.
Later, the actor playing the emperor arrived, along with the eunuchs and concubines. Lin Yue Shu casually glanced around and then lowered his head to play with his phone. Although he wasn’t good at remembering faces, he could tell that no one on par with Huo Yi Sen had appeared yet. At least among this group, there was no one who made his eyes light up with amazement.
The director frequently checked his watch and whispered to the producer beside him: “Why hasn’t Teacher Huo arrived yet?”
The producer whispered back: “This guy had other arrangements before this. His assistant said he’s on his way. Just wait a bit longer, don’t get impatient, this guy has a big temper.”
The one who was late was Huo Xiao, and no one dared to show any emotion on their face.
Lin Yue Shu wasn’t going to wait around. He got up and informed them he was going to the restroom. Whether it was Huo Yi Sen or this Huo Xiao, they had to make way for his bladder.
After leaving the room, Lin Yue Shu looked around for the restroom. He hadn’t walked far when he heard the receptionist say, “Mr. Huo, you’re here.”
He quickly looked up. Against the backlight, a tall man in a black trench coat, with a crisp and complex suit shirt underneath, accompanied by a man who looked like an assistant or secretary, was slowly approaching, surrounded by two staff members.
Lin Yue Shu’s eyes sparkled. It couldn’t be wrong, it was Huo Yi Sen.
It had been a while since he last saw Huo Yi Sen, and Lin Yue Shu felt a bit nervous. He heard the staff chasing after the man, asking, “Mr. Huo, Director He and the others have arrived. Do you want to go over now or rest for a bit? I heard you rushed over right after finishing your schedule.”
The man didn’t speak, but his assistant was displeased: “You know he just finished his schedule, do you think my boss is made of iron?”
“Sorry, we’ve arranged a rest room for you. Please follow me.”
The group walked past Lin Yue Shu, their steps steady and straight.
Lin Yue Shu watched their backs as they left, thinking his chance had come.
He quietly followed them upstairs, seeing the staff arrange everything before leaving. But Huo Yi Sen’s secretary or assistant moved a chair to sit at the door, blocking the way like a one-man army.
Lin Yue Shu hid behind a wall, observing for a while—was this secretary or assistant the Jiang Secretary he used as a messenger?
It looked like him, but also not. When he tried to recall Jiang Secretary’s face, all he could remember was a gentle and refined shell, with the facial features turned into a mosaic.
No matter, hesitation leads to defeat.
Lin Yue Shu stepped forward, nodding politely: “Hello, Secretary Brother, long time no see. What have you been busy with lately?”
The assistant glanced up, his expression like he had swallowed a fly, rolling his eyes: “Do we know each other?”
Lin Yue Shu kept a smile on his face, but inside he was punching the guy’s face. So good at reading your boss’s mood, huh? Too realistic.
“Secretary Brother,” Lin Yue Shu continued to smile thick-skinned, “I’m just a small role, it’s my fault you don’t remember me. You’ve worked hard all the way here. The director arranged a rest room for me that I don’t need. Why don’t you go sit for a while?”
The assistant rolled his eyes again, his tone sarcastic: “Ensuring the boss’s safety is my duty. If I leave, any Tom, Dick, or Harry might swarm in. It’s better for me to stay here and let them think twice before trying to latch onto the wrong person.”
Lin Yue Shu took a deep breath. He suspected that the gentle and understanding Jiang Secretary had been replaced.
He nodded, ready to leave and find another opportunity.
Suddenly, a low, cold voice came from inside the room: “Go rest. After driving for so long, you still want to play watchdog for me? People might think I’m mistreating my employees.”
The assistant’s smug smile froze, his face turning as white as paper.
Lin Yue Shu stopped in his tracks, not kicking someone when they’re down, but instead kindly asking: “Secretary Brother, you’ve worked hard. Can I buy you a coffee?”
The assistant gave him a once-over with his eyes, trying to maintain his pride: “Thanks, but I don’t drink coffee.”
With that, he left without looking back. Even though he didn’t know where Lin Yue Shu’s rest room was, and Lin Yue Shu didn’t actually have one.
Once the person left, Lin Yue Shu didn’t rush into the room. He ordered two cups of coffee on his phone, and after half an hour, took the coffee from the delivery person and knocked on the door: “Representative Huo, do you drink coffee? I ordered two cups to make up the order.”
He thought with Huo Yi Sen’s personality, it would take a while to persuade him, but unexpectedly, a voice came from inside: “Hmm.”
Lin Yue Shu pushed open the door. The room was dimly lit with curtains drawn. A tall man sat by the window, elegantly crossing his legs, with a script on his lap, flipping through it absentmindedly.
Lin Yue Shu thought he was reading documents, so he didn’t speak, holding the coffee by the door, standing straight and obedient.
Without looking up, the other person said, “Sit down,” so he sat a bit further away from Huo Yi Sen.
Countless question marks popped up in his mind. Did Huo Yi Sen just forgive him like that? Then all the internal struggle he went through over the past few days for that “what do you think you are” was for nothing.
Lin Yue Shu placed the coffee on the table, his hands fidgeting together, his eyes wandering to the side: “Representative Huo, I’m here today to apologize sincerely.”
Huo Xiao, who was reading the script, raised his eyes slowly.
Apologize? For what? For feeling guilty about not letting me in that day?
Huo Xiao glanced over without a trace.
“I’m sorry, I admit my actions were disgraceful. I’ve reflected deeply over these days…”
Huo Xiao propped his chin with one hand, secretly observing the man in front of him.
He didn’t hear a word of what Lin Yue Shu said. All his thoughts were wrapped in an uncontrollable sense of joy.
Seeing Lin Yue Shu made him happy.
His skin was very fair, delicate and translucent; his waist was soft, easy to grab, with a thin layer of muscle on his abdomen, smooth to the touch, his buttocks perky, trembling slightly when aroused, like a gentle breeze stirring fine water; he smelled very nice, having tried all the perfumes on the market but couldn’t find the same scent; his legs were long, flexible, able to spread wide; he tasted sweet, like a ripe peach about to rot, why was human skin sweet?
“Representative Huo, I’m really sorry.” Lin Yue Shu suddenly stood up and bowed, interrupting Huo Xiao’s thoughts.
Huo Xiao silently stared at him. Didn’t understand, was it a misunderstanding caused by someone spreading rumors? But none of that mattered.
He closed the script and placed it on the table, his toes tapping lightly.
His voice was slow: “I just finished my schedule and came over. Even if it’s just a few minutes, I should rest for a while.”
“But in these precious few minutes, all I hear is you endlessly apologizing, doing nothing. Do you really feel sorry?”
Lin Yue Shu’s fingers tightened, gripping his pants tightly.
Even though he was being mocked, his mood soared to the sky. They were both adults, how could he not hear the subtext?
Whether Huo Yi Sen truly understood and thought a little lie was harmless, or he was just too tempted by his body, as long as he could control Huo Yi Sen, it was half the success.
Lin Yue Shu slowly walked to Huo Xiao’s side, knelt down, placed his hands on his thighs, and looked up at him with a flattering gaze.
In the dim room, he couldn’t see the other’s face clearly, but he could hear the other’s breath catch.
He deliberately slowed his movements, lowered his head, and bit the zipper of his pants.
The scent of perfume spread, a sweet lychee aroma, the translucent white flesh wrapped in a bright red shell, with a base note of rose and geranium’s rich fragrance, bold and strong.
Lin Yue Shu sighed contentedly, his cool cheek gently pressed against it, rubbing lightly.
“Sorry, I know I was wrong.” He raised his head, squinting slightly.
Huo Xiao’s hand gripped the armrest tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand.
His Adam’s apple moved, suddenly grabbing Lin Yue Shu’s hand, pulling him up from the ground, throwing him onto the table, pressing his body between his legs, using his full weight to restrain him.
Lin Yue Shu struggled a bit, pointing to his lips: “The director and the others are still waiting. I’ll use this to help you, it’ll be quicker.”
Huo Xiao frowned. He knew a bunch of people were waiting for him, and he wasn’t the type to act high and mighty, but at this moment, if he satisfied those people, he couldn’t satisfy his own regret.
Huo Xiao looked at Lin Yue Shu’s endlessly talking mouth and bit down, no foreplay, his tongue slipped in.
In an instant, Lin Yue Shu’s eyes widened, his lashes trembling.
He, he, he kissed me!
The intense lychee sweetness melted in his mouth, flooding his brain, warmed by the hot environment, turning into another kind of fragrance.
The other’s reaction seemed eager to devour him completely, yet strangely, filled with gentle affection, savoring every inch.
Lin Yue Shu instinctively squirmed, his hands tightly held by two large hands, long fingers interlocking with his, locking all his movements.
At this moment, Huo Xiao frowned deeply. His mood was irritable, his mind repeatedly flashing the image of Lin Yue Shu kneeling between his legs, looking up at him with a flattering gaze.
Abruptly, his kissing paused.
His tongue moved tentatively, a round, metallic sensation.
The next second, a storm hit.
Feeling terrible, Lin Yue Shu seemed very skilled at this.
He just wanted Lin Yue Shu to know that a mouth wasn’t for showing off oral skills or decoration, it had more important, precious things to do.
Lin Yue Shu’s struggling gradually weakened, eventually stopping.
Huo Xiao also tentatively released his hands, moving to the back of his head, gently supporting it, preventing his head from hitting the table.
Feeling those enticing long legs rubbing against his waist, Huo Xiao completely let go.
He kissed Lin Yue Shu while taking off his pants, releasing his mouth, then pinched the hem of his shirt for him to bite.
Lin Yue Shu’s mind was dizzy, as if someone had sucked out all the oxygen.
His mouth suddenly freed, feeling a bit lost, but obediently biting the hem.
Huo Xiao looked at his slightly furrowed brows, his body paused for a moment, then lowered his head to gently kiss his lips, eyes, and nose.
At that moment, he felt Lin Yue Shu was pitiful.
“Come in.” The pitiful Lin Yue Shu was still inviting warmly.
Huo Xiao looked into his hazy eyes for a long time, yet made no further move.
Lin Yue Shu began to skillfully sway his hips.
Huo Xiao slowly pulled the shirt from Lin Yue Shu’s mouth, helped him sit up, cupped his face, looked at him for a long time, then bit his lips again.
During the passionate kiss, Lin Yue Shu finally got a chance to breathe and asked: “Not coming in?”
Huo Xiao hung his head, seemingly a bit powerless, his voice hoarse: “No, there are still people waiting.”
Lin Yue Shu cursed inwardly, damn it, the duck in his mouth flew away.
But the next second, the bad mood was dispelled by the other’s affectionate caress.
He felt a bit at a loss, his legs uneasily closing.
In his memory, Huo Yi Sen wasn’t the type to cherish and pity, whether in bed or daily life, he always had an imperious attitude, even a bit rough, considering caressing and kissing a waste of time.
But today, Huo Yi Sen carefully and gently caressed his cheeks, patted his back, occasionally rubbing his hair as if comforting, making Lin Yue Shu very uncomfortable.
Seeing Lin Yue Shu’s disappointed look, Huo Xiao gently hugged him, kissed his cheek, and whispered in his ear: “Want it?”
Lin Yue Shu nodded honestly.
“Should I use my hand to help you?” Huo Xiao asked again.
Lin Yue Shu blinked incredulously, and before he could react, the other had already pressed his waist, pushing him back onto the table.
A clumsy movement came from below, a warm palm pressed against the jade, slowly rubbing it upright.
Lin Yue Shu tilted his head back, a thin layer of sweat on his tense neck, tracing a graceful arc.
He bit his lower lip tightly, his breathing gradually chaotic. Really, he encountered all the good things.
The two were in the heat of the moment, and just as Huo Xiao released Lin Yue Shu’s mouth to let him breathe, he saw his phone screen light up.
On the screen, two big words were displayed: [Husband]
Huo Xiao’s brows suddenly furrowed.
Lin Yue Shu had previously changed Shao Cheng Yan’s contact name to “Cheap Beast No. 1,” but he didn’t know the original owner’s phone had two numbers for Shao Cheng Yan.
At this moment, Lin Yue Shu was too preoccupied to care, or rather, in silent mode, he was unaware, treating himself as a wild dog without morals or principles, breathing wantonly in Huo Xiao’s hands.
Huo Xiao was silent for a moment, then swiped to unlock.
As the call connected, he sped up his movements, blocking Lin Yue Shu’s eloquent mouth, leaving him only able to breathe brokenly through his nose.
On the other end, Shao Cheng Yan heard the sounds he had fantasized about.
“Mm… hmm… mm…”
Shao Cheng Yan didn’t speak either. He called not because he had something to discuss with Lin Yue Shu.
So he turned on the speakerphone, tossed the phone aside, and admired his arsenal in the mirror.
*
Lin Yue Shu fell asleep from the pleasure.
Not for long, just twenty minutes.
When he woke up, he heard rustling sounds nearby, squinting his eyes to see, in the dim room, only seeing that broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted figure self-satisfying.
Lin Yue Shu watched for a while, unable to resist reaching out, his fingertips tracing along Huo Xiao’s back.
Then Huo Xiao’s unsteady voice came: “Be good, wait for me… a bit.”
Lin Yue Shu withdrew his hand, obediently waiting for over ten minutes, until he saw Huo Xiao pull out a wet wipe to clean himself, then another to clean him, hugging and kissing his face and neck.
Lin Yue Shu got goosebumps. He couldn’t stand such intimate gestures, preferring the old Huo Yi Sen, rough and straightforward.
Because whether it was caressing or kissing, the word “love” itself was heavy for him.
Lin Yue Shu decisively pushed Huo Xiao away.
Huo Xiao’s brows tightened, feeling even more displeased. Was Lin Yue Shu so averse to intimacy because no one had ever done it to him? What had he been doing before, only serving others?
After a moment of silence, Huo Xiao pulled a blanket over Lin Yue Shu: “Rest well, I’ll go.”
Lin Yue Shu asked: “Actor meet-and-greet, can I not go?”
“No need.” Huo Xiao didn’t elaborate, leaving the rest room with just that.
Lin Yue Shu heard voices outside the door.
Cleaner: “Sir, can I go in and clean the rest room after you’re done?”
Huo Xiao: “No need, I’m not that messy.”
After a few steps, he added: “Don’t go in.”
Lin Yue Shu lay back down, reassured, and went to sleep.
This meet-and-greet indeed didn’t require his formal appearance. It was arranged by Huo Xiao just to see Lin Yue Shu.
After waiting for over two hours, the extras were moved to tears when Huo Xiao finally made his grand entrance.
Someone secretly sighed: Teacher Huo changed his style, rarely seen him in formal wear, so handsome…
The formal wear was also for Lin Yue Shu. Before coming, Huo Xiao almost turned his wardrobe upside down, changing one outfit after another, feeling itchy everywhere.
His assistant reminded him: “Formal wear is the best cosmetic surgery for men.”
The director, seeing everyone was present, didn’t bother to find out where Lin Yue Shu had wandered off to, and quickly started.
“Let me introduce, this is one of the main actors, Teacher Huo Xiao, who is also the producer and investor of this drama, providing substantial financial support to our small crew.”
The conference room erupted in applause.
*
Lin Yue Shu woke up again, disturbed by the chaotic footsteps in the hallway.
The meet-and-greet was over, everyone busy fawning over Huo Xiao, no time to wonder where Lin Yue Shu had disappeared to for half the day.
Once most people had left, Lin Yue Shu buttoned up, grabbed his car keys, and prepared to leave.
Opening the door, a familiar figure stood at the entrance, back facing him.
“Representative Huo, you haven’t left yet?” Lin Yue Shu yawned, sidestepping him, “I’m heading home, see you.”
“Give me your contact information.” Huo Xiao called after him.
Lin Yue Shu didn’t look back, seemingly playing hard to get: “Didn’t I already give it to you?”
Huo Xiao frowned, pondering for a while, unable to help but snort.
A live stream room number counts as contact information? So if there’s an emergency, he has to spend tens of thousands to call him across the internet. Newcomers in this circle, each more eccentric than the last.
By the time Huo Xiao came to his senses, Lin Yue Shu was nowhere in sight.
A rabbit? Ran really fast.
Lin Yue Shu went to the underground garage, started his car, and as soon as he did, a Maserati next to him also started, revved the engine, and made a sharp turn—
“Screech—”
Lin Yue Shu hit the brakes, sticking his head out the window to check the situation.
The Maserati simultaneously rolled down its window, revealing a face that was both smiling and extremely beautiful, hidden in the dim light.
“Sorry, did I scratch your car?” the Maserati owner asked with a smile.
Lin Yue Shu got out to check, finding the Maserati’s right headlight tightly pressed against his front bumper. The next second, the Maserati owner said, “I’ll move it right away,” but instead of reversing, he scraped tightly against Lin Yue Shu’s bumper, turning away.
Two long black streaks appeared on the white bumper, exposing the primer.
“Really sorry about that.” The Maserati owner was still smiling, seemingly not intending to get out of the car.
Lin Yue Shu walked over, bent down by the driver’s side, and smiled at the person inside: “Hello, do you want me to call the police or drag you out for a beating?”
The Maserati owner chuckled, not afraid at all: “Haven’t seen you in so long, you’re still as temperamental and dumb as a pig.”
Lin Yue Shu was sure, he really wanted a beating.
But hearing this, they knew each other?
Lin Yue Shu squinted, trying to discern, and after a while, his brain’s facial recognition function completely crashed, only able to recycle old material: “Ah, you’re… that Wang Xiaobao, right? I’ve seen your sitcom.”
The person’s face inside fell. Calling him a comedian?
“Lin Yue Shu.” The person inside accurately called out Lin Yue Shu’s name, “I thought you’d be famous by now, relying on snatching and scheming, but you’re still a nameless D-list.”
He glanced at Lin Yue Shu’s cheap Buick, sneered, and tossed a wad of cash out the window: “Take it to fix your car.”
With that, he started the car and left without looking back.
Lin Yue Shu picked up the money from the ground, pocketed it, and shouted at the car’s rear: “You’re a big star, a comedian is still a star.”
The Maserati’s rear swerved sharply, a long honk echoing through the garage.
Lin Yue Shu touched the scratched bumper, got back in the car.
Baffling, he understood the pressure of modern society, more and more abnormal people. He also understood that under his absolute beauty, there would be one or two envious mediocrities.
Lin Yue Shu drove up the steep slope of the underground garage. As the Maserati left, the barrier lowered, and Lin Yue Shu saw the mediocrity’s real name displayed on the electronic screen: [Wen Ling Man]
Wen Ling Man, his cheap husband’s only white moonlight in this life.
Lin Yue Shu snorted. Thought this person had left cleanly, but he was reborn from the ashes, mocking him as the original owner.
Boring.
Driving through the night streets, Lin Yue Shu realized that once he paid attention, the name “Wen Ling Man” came from all directions.
The mall’s LED screen showed Wen Ling Man’s cosmetics endorsement; a jewelry store’s entrance had Wen Ling Man’s promotional poster; even a passing dog’s clothes had Wen Ling Man’s autograph.
Lin Yue Shu remembered the original text mentioned Wen Ling Man was in the entertainment industry, but the lazy author only gave a name and identity, not an important person, not worth wasting ink.
The car’s headlights formed two cone-shaped beams on the ground, and Lin Yue Shu withdrew his gaze from the LED screen.
Suddenly, his pupils shrank, and he slammed the brakes.
The car screeched to a halt in the middle of the road.
In front of the stopped car, the headlights illuminated the face of a six or seven-year-old boy, sitting on the ground, at a loss.
Lin Yue Shu quickly parked and got out to check.
“Little friend, are you okay?” He took the child’s hand to check for injuries.
The boy was stunned for a long time, then suddenly broke free from Lin Yue Shu’s hand, got up, and stumbled forward.
Lin Yue Shu grabbed the child’s collar, dragging him back, scolding: “Do you know this is a main road? Running without looking, where are your parents?”
The boy squirmed like an eel, his face dirty, with two bright tear streaks.
“Let me go, let me go!”
Lin Yue Shu sighed. He really disliked bratty kids.
Without further ado, he dragged the child into the car: “Where do you live?”
“No home, I have no home.” The boy started acting up, crying hoarsely.
Lin Yue Shu scolded him again: “Little friend, you can’t throw a tantrum and run away from home.”
As soon as he said it, he paused, remembering how he ran away from the orphanage seeking help from the police, who scolded him the same way.
It seemed adults only used their self-righteous understanding to define worlds they hadn’t seen.
Lin Yue Shu pulled out a wet wipe, wiping the child’s face, his voice soft: “If you’re upset, tell me, I’ll talk to your parents.”
Kids were easy to coax. Hearing this, his crying softened, turning from wailing to sobbing.
Lin Yue Shu didn’t rush him, quietly waiting for him to finish crying.
But the child didn’t intend to tell him his address or explain what happened, just silently stared out the window, lost in thought.
Lin Yue Shu examined him, noticing he was still in his school uniform, with a name tag on his chest.
Taking a look, he found out the child was named Shen Shi Yun, a second grader at a certain elementary school.
Lin Yue Shu got out of the car, walked a bit away, and called to find the school’s number. In the middle of the night, he woke up the grade secretary, got the homeroom teacher’s number, and finally obtained the child’s home address.
Returning to the car, Lin Yue Shu didn’t tell Shen Shi Yun their destination. He knew the child must have suffered greatly, now extremely resistant to home.
But children had to go home.
Lin Yue Shu drove the child home. The boy recognized the familiar old neighborhood and started crying again, his face turning red, breathing becoming rapid.
But his lips were very pale, like paper.
As Lin Yue Shu organized his words, he saw a thin woman not far away, frantically searching, even opening trash can lids, muttering “Shen Shi Yun.”
Lin Yue Shu looked at the child curled up in the passenger seat, shivering, and took off his coat to cover him, then got out of the car.
He called to the woman: “Looking for your son?”
The woman froze, then rushed over, grabbing Lin Yue Shu’s hand, tears in her eyes: “Have you seen my son? Where is he? I’m so worried.”
Lin Yue Shu nodded towards the car, indicating the woman to look inside.
The woman rushed over, opened the car door, and hugged the child, patting his back lightly, scolding: “Who told you to run off! Do you know how worried mom was?”
Then she hugged her son, crying: “If something happened to you, mom wouldn’t want to live…”
Lin Yue Shu watched for a moment and understood: A mother deeply loving her son, yet not knowing how to communicate effectively.
Shen Shi Yun struggled violently in his mother’s arms: “Go away! Go away! I won’t… cause you trouble, just go, don’t look for me…”
The child trembled violently, his breathing labored.
The woman quickly patted his back, took a pill bottle from her pocket, and placed a small pill under the child’s tongue, soothing: “Don’t get excited, don’t get excited, mom will leave, just calm down, okay?”
Lin Yue Shu frowned at the pill bottle, vaguely seeing a few Chinese characters: [Metoprolol]
He looked up at the moon. The child had a heart condition…
The woman didn’t dare provoke the child further, gently closing the car door, but didn’t really leave as she said, just hid behind the car, eyes fixed on the rearview mirror, observing the child’s condition through the small mirror.
Her complexion wasn’t much better than her son’s with a heart condition.
Seeing the child dozing off, the woman finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She walked over to Lin Yue Shu, bowing deeply: “Sorry for the trouble.”
Lin Yue Shu eyed her, his tone unfriendly: “If you could be as gentle and polite to your child as you are to strangers, you wouldn’t need to bow and thank me today.”
The woman’s face looked even paler in the night, hesitating for a long time before slowly speaking.
Shen Shi Yun had a hereditary heart condition, his father died from it, and they had no relatives, just his mother struggling to support the family, working three jobs a day to treat the child.
Shen Shi Yun’s heart condition was extremely complex, congenital transposition of the great arteries, and at seven, he had undergone four major surgeries, but due to inadequate treatment, his heart failure progressed rapidly. The doctor said it was a miracle he was still alive, advising the family not to waste money on futile efforts.
Shen Shi Yun’s mother worked three jobs to make ends meet, morning at a convenience store, afternoon at a supermarket cleaning fish, and evening selling handmade goods. The four surgeries had completely drained her.
Today, while selling goods, she encountered a rogue, weeks of hard work ruined, with no recourse. Exhausted, she returned home to find Shen Shi Yun’s test paper sent by the homeroom teacher. It could be a hundred, or zero, but how could it be two points?
The teacher demanded she copy the test paper. She was too tired, too tired to lift her hand, and finally, years of pent-up emotions exploded over a light feather: “How could you score two points! Mom works three jobs for you to attend a good school, endures bullying from rogues! What did I do wrong? Why did you score two points! You might as well not come back!”
After his mother slammed the door, Shen Shi Yun sat alone for a long time. So he decided not to burden his mother anymore. He could never remember the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division taught by the teacher, and during exams, his ten fingers weren’t enough for two-digit arithmetic.
At this point, Shen’s mother wiped her tears: “Our Shi Yun isn’t stupid, it’s a post-surgery hypoxia-induced aftereffect, memory decline, mild cognitive impairment, so he always seems slow to react.”
Lin Yue Shu nodded. The orphanage he grew up in had many such children, one of whom was always bullied and called a little fool, and his life ended at six due to a heart condition.
Shen’s mother forced a smile through her tears: “But I found out there’s a very skilled heart specialist at the Presbyterian Hospital in the U.S. He’s good at treating Shi Yun’s condition. I’ve decided to take Shi Yun to the U.S.”
Lin Yue Shu looked back at the crescent moon in the sky.
First, given Shi Yun’s current family situation, they couldn’t pass the U.S. visa.
Second, considering the market price there and subsequent rehabilitation costs, conservatively, it’s 150,000.
Even if one surgery fails, it becomes a bottomless pit.
How could Shen’s mother, already drained, afford this astronomical treatment cost, selling blood, selling the house?
Lin Yue Shu’s fingers moved in his pocket.
Inexplicably, he thought of someone.
Someone he could introduce to this mother and son within his capabilities, and for whom a few million was just a drop in the bucket.
Huo Yi Sen.
Lin Yue Shu shamelessly smiled.