Zhao Wenyi feared that if the two continued talking, Yuan Miao would be unable to resist revealing his identity, so he found an excuse to take Yuan Miao out for some fresh air.
Just as they stepped out of the hospital room, they ran into the nurse in charge of Chen Ruohua, who recognized Zhao Wenyi.
During the period when Chen Ruohua was first diagnosed with cancer, Li Qing was still in school, and most of the time, it was Zhao Wenyi who accompanied her.
“You’re… Chen Ruohua’s family, right?”
“Yes.”
Zhao Wenyi nodded.
The nurse said, “The patient’s account balance is insufficient. You need to top it up as soon as possible, or it will affect the subsequent treatment.”
Li Qing had mentioned this to him a few days ago. Zhao Wenyi knew she had recently found a tutoring job and hadn’t asked for his help.
Hearing the nurse’s reminder, he agreed, “I understand. Thank you for reminding me.”
After the nurse left, Yuan Miao thought of how his mother had been so busy lately that she was hardly ever seen, and he bit his lip in distress.
Just as Zhao Wenyi took out his phone, ready to borrow some money from others first, Yuan Miao suddenly spoke up, “Uncle, I’ll go pay it.”
“You?”
Zhao Wenyi looked up at him, then shook his head. “Don’t worry about these things, kid.”
Yuan Miao glared at him indignantly.
“I’m almost eighteen, I’m not a kid anymore! And that’s my…”
He cautiously glanced at Chen Ruohua in the hospital room and muttered, “That’s my own grandma.”
Zhao Wenyi sensed the seriousness in Yuan Miao’s tone.
He looked up, puzzled. “Where would you get the money?”
Li Qing had told him that Yuan Miao had given all his money to her, though Li Qing clearly hadn’t touched that sum.
Yuan Miao grinned. “I remember my dad’s card number and password.”
Zhao Wenyi: “…”
What a filial son.
But Zhao Wenyi still didn’t approve.
“Even though you’re their child, Li Qing and your dad are just strangers now. Xiao Li wouldn’t agree to this.”
“Don’t worry, Uncle. My dad won’t mind such a small amount.”
Yuan Miao wore an expression of utter nonchalance.
Zhao Wenyi hesitated, wanting to say more.
Judging by Yuan Miao’s behavior, it seemed he truly had grown up in a loving and wealthy family in the future.
“Do you know where your dad is?”
“…He’s definitely not in Wucheng. Oh, Uncle, stop asking!”
Faced with Zhao Wenyi’s probing, Yuan Miao avoided eye contact, his tone becoming evasive.
In the end, Zhao Wenyi couldn’t dissuade him.
But when he heard Yuan Miao ask innocently, “Is 500,000 enough?” his eyelids twitched violently.
He quickly stopped Yuan Miao from withdrawing 500,000 all at once.
Yuan Miao could only regretfully take out 20,000.
…
Yuan Tingshen glanced at the supplementary card on the table, then looked at the spending alert that had popped up on his phone, falling into deep thought.
ATM at Wucheng First Hospital?
He had asked the bank to monitor the spending records of the supplementary card. Through a series of operations, the bank retrieved the surveillance footage from that time period.
When he saw the surveillance clip sent by the bank manager, a flicker of disbelief flashed in Yuan Tingshen’s eyes.
It was actually a teenager about his own age.
As the teenager looked up, Yuan Tingshen saw his face clearly, and his eyes instantly turned cold.
The teenager bore a five or six out of ten resemblance to him.
If it were just a resemblance, it could be dismissed as a coincidence. But knowing the card number and password of the supplementary card and withdrawing money so brazenly… this definitely had something to do with his family.
His father’s illegitimate child?
Yuan Tingshen found this idea utterly absurd, given that his parents had been deeply in love for years, and his father was famously known as a devoted husband.
He took out his phone and called his mother.
“Tingshen? What made you think of calling Mom?”
Madam Wen’s voice carried an unmistakable surprise.
She knew her son well—he was reserved to a fault.
When he was young, she could still tease him and watch him blush, but as he grew older, he became immune to it.
Yuan Tingshen took a deep breath. “Mom, how have you been feeling lately?”
Madam Wen answered him curiously, “Quite well. Your dad and I just returned from a trip abroad.”
“Your relationship hasn’t run into any problems?”
“…?”
“You brat, is that any way to curse your own parents?”
Before Madam Wen could ask why he suddenly brought this up, his father Yuan Kuangtian’s deep voice chimed in.
Yuan Tingshen remained expressionless.
Then explain to me where that kid came from!
“Tingshen, have you been under a lot of stress lately?”
Madam Wen asked him cautiously.
Yuan Tingshen knew his mother had misunderstood, but he didn’t explain.
He shook his head and said gently, “I’ll come visit you both in a few days.”
And investigate that young man while he was at it.
…
A few days later.
Li Qing returned to Wutong Garden once again.
Coincidentally, the customer for this delivery order happened to be the wealthy lady who had given her flowers last time.
She had been so busy lately that she barely had time to catch her breath. After settling her tutoring fees, her wallet finally felt a bit fuller.
She planned to head to the hospital after delivering this order.
Arriving at the entrance of Wutong Garden No. 13, Li Qing was about to ring the doorbell when she spotted a young woman lying unconscious by the floor-to-ceiling window through the gaps in the railing.
“Madam Shen?”
“Madam Shen!”
Li Qing called out loudly several times, but she couldn’t wake her. Instead, her shouts attracted the patrolling security guards.
She briefly explained the situation, and the security immediately called the property manager and dialed 120.
When the ambulance arrived, since the customer lived alone, Li Qing and the property manager accompanied her to the hospital.
Li Qing parked her electric scooter downstairs, glanced at the undelivered takeout in the storage box, and sighed.
She grabbed the takeout and went upstairs to find the customer’s hospital room.
True to its reputation as the most expensive villa area in Wucheng, the property manager who had come along was diligent and responsible, handling registration and payment procedures.
When Li Qing arrived, she happened to see the property manager and a doctor walking over together.
“Long-term low blood sugar requires careful management… The more serious issue is her mental health. I recommend you also schedule an appointment with the psychiatry department.”
“Thank you, Doctor. I’ll relay this to Madam Shen.”
Mental health issues?
Li Qing glanced toward the adjacent hospital room, where Madam Shen had already woken up.
“…It’s you.”
The young woman lying in the hospital bed looked thin and fragile, yet her striking beauty was still evident.
“You remember me, Miss Shen?”
Li Qing placed the takeout on the bedside table in surprise. “Your delivery.”
“My name is Shen Lanting.”
Shen Lanting glanced silently at the takeout bag. “I heard you were the one who found me unconscious. Thank you. I’ll compensate you for your lost wages.”
“…No need.”
As a part-time delivery worker, this was the first time someone had offered to compensate her for lost wages.
She shook her head. “I was already off work after delivering your order.”
The property manager walked in from outside.
He briefly relayed the doctor’s words, then mentioned that the medical fees had already been advanced, advising Shen Lanting to rest assured.
Shen Lanting nodded coolly, “Thank you for your effort. You may go back now.”
The property manager acknowledged and left.
After delivering the takeout, Li Qing also prepared to leave.
Her mother was also in this hospital. She had been busy earning money lately and hadn’t visited her for several days.
“Wait.”
Shen Lanting called out to stop her.
She picked up her phone and looked over, her expression cold yet resolute. “I promised you compensation for lost wages, and I won’t go back on my word.”
“…”
Li Qing didn’t want to waste words on such matters, so she took out her phone and opened the payment page.
Seeing the notification on her phone for a one-thousand-yuan transfer, Li Qing looked at Shen Lanting in surprise.
“Don’t worry, you’re worth that much.”
“…Thank you.”
Li Qing didn’t dwell on it further. After bidding farewell to Shen Lanting, she turned and walked out of the ward.