When Shen Xingyao pushed open the door and entered the hospital room, both Pei Yanqiu and his mother looked rather grim.
Thinking something had happened, she quickly asked, “Auntie, are you alright?”
When Mother Pei saw her past Pei Yanqiu, her heart finally settled, and a smile spread across her face. “Oh, Yaoyao’s here! Sit, please sit!”
She had thought Shen Xingyao had run off when her son got into trouble, but it turned out she was someone who could stand by him through hardship.
Just for that, Mother Pei felt all the previous unpleasantness didn’t matter anymore.
After all, she was just a young girl—it was normal to enjoy having fun. Who would have the patience to accompany a sick old woman?
As long as she was united with her son, willing to live together through thick and thin, that was her son’s blessing!
Shen Xingyao assumed the original owner had won Mother Pei’s affection this way and didn’t act coy. She pulled over a nearby chair and sat down.
Pointing at the flowers on the bedside table, she asked, “Auntie, do you like these flowers?”
She wasn’t the type to do good deeds without taking credit. Whatever she did, she’d point it out openly.
Sure enough, as soon as she said this, Mother Pei immediately hugged the flowers to her chest. “Yaoyao picked these, didn’t you?”
“I knew that blockhead Qiūqiu wouldn’t think to send me flowers!”
She’d been too worried earlier to notice. If she’d paid attention to the bouquet sooner, she would’ve known it couldn’t have been her son’s idea alone.
Pei Yanqiu watched the two of them getting along so harmoniously, especially how his mother lit up the moment Shen Xingyao walked in, and couldn’t help but smile too.
Mother Pei bustled about, offering water and fruit, making Shen Xingyao feel a bit overwhelmed.
The original owner really had gone too far—enjoying such good treatment and taking so much money, yet never bothering to visit Mother Pei more often at the hospital.
If she could eat and drink like this every time, she’d be willing to come. It was much better than her so-called mother in her previous life.
After chatting for a while, Mother Pei saw that the two of them were genuinely fine and felt mostly reassured.
She tentatively asked, “Qiūqiu, I’m getting tired of staying in the hospital. How about I just go home?”
“I heard community hospitals can do dialysis now too. I’ll just go on schedule.”
The private hospital’s premium room cost tens of thousands a month—they couldn’t afford it anymore.
But since the kids didn’t want her to know, she pretended not to and brought up going home naturally.
Pei Yanqiu, of course, disagreed. “Mom, how can that work?”
“The doctor said if your dialysis isn’t thorough enough, there’s still a risk of uremia.”
“And if you’re not careful, there could be infections or cardiovascular complications. It’s not a simple matter!”
He wasn’t foolishly throwing money around, insisting on keeping his mother in such an expensive hospital.
It was just that her condition couldn’t be taken lightly, and he was often away for training, with no time to care for her meticulously.
Staying in the hospital, under the watch of doctors and nurses, was the best way to manage her illness.
Shen Xingyao understood Mother Pei’s concerns, but for now, she pretended not to know and didn’t point it out in front of Pei Yanqiu.
Instead, she chimed in, “Auntie, the hospital fees have already been paid. Wouldn’t it be a waste to leave now?”
Mother Pei asked in surprise, “If the fees are paid but unused, can’t they be refunded?”
Shen Xingyao winked at Pei Yanqiu, who immediately caught on. “Of course not. This is a private hospital. The room you’re in is more like a convalescent home.”
“To save a bit, I always pay the fees one year at a time.”
“It’s only the end of January now, and there are still eleven months left. Even if we want a refund, it’ll have to be discounted.”
Upon hearing this, Mother Pei realized they couldn’t let the hospital take advantage, so she dropped the idea of being discharged.
Still concerned, she added, “Alright, alright, I’ll stay here and not cause you any trouble. But you two must take care of yourselves.”
She carefully observed the two of them and noticed dark circles under their eyes, assuming they were both worried about the current crisis.
She was worried too—so worried that she hadn’t slept a wink the night before.
The man’s words echoed in her ears, urging her to persuade her son to accept the investment, or else face bankruptcy.
She didn’t understand things like gaming, but she would never interfere in her son’s affairs. The best she could do now was not to become a burden.
Her health was already enough of a burden on her son—aching here, hurting there, and now her stomach was starting to ache faintly again.
But she didn’t want to call the doctor, because as soon as a doctor came for a check-up, all the equipment and medications would cost money.
She could endure it. After all, she had never been good at much in life, but enduring hardship was something she excelled at.
Ouch~ Why was it getting more and more painful?
Afraid they would notice something was wrong, Mother Pei waved her hand and said, “Alright, it’s already dark. Won’t it take you a long time to get back?”
“I have doctors and nurses here in the hospital to look after me, so don’t worry~”
It was indeed getting late. If they stayed any longer, they would miss the last bus and have to spend money on a taxi.
So the two bid farewell to Mother Pei and left the ward, heading to the nurses’ station.
Pei Yanqiu said apologetically, “Xingyao, I still need to hire a caregiver for my mom. Otherwise, she won’t be able to handle going up and down to get her meals.”
It was just a shame—the ten thousand yuan they had just borrowed today might be spent again.
Shen Xingyao naturally had no objections. “Of course we should hire one. Let’s go ask right away.”
This time, Pei Yanqiu had learned his lesson. Since his mother only needed someone to bring her three meals a day and help wash her personal clothes, there was no need to hire someone on a monthly basis.
After carefully considering the options, they chose a caregiver who charged 150 yuan per day, which would only cost 4,500 yuan a month!
“Xingyao…” Pei Yanqiu turned to Shen Xingyao, after all, he was penniless.
Shen Xingyao promptly paid for a month upfront, with the hospital settling the caregiver’s fees daily.
By the time they finished the paperwork and stepped outside, heavy snow was falling like goose feathers. Both of them tightened their down jackets.
Shen Xingyao looked up at the swirling snowflakes, feeling a sense of novelty.
She was from the south. When applying for university, she couldn’t afford to go to the north, so she chose Guangdong, where short sleeves were suitable year-round, with just a jacket added in winter—perfect for someone with little money.
She was captivated by the snow, but Pei Yanqiu was filled with dread.
They hadn’t brought an umbrella, and if she got snowed on, the princess was sure to throw a fit~~
Gritting his teeth, he fumbled to unzip his down jacket.
As soon as the zipper came down, the fierce wind swept snowflakes into his chest.
Unfortunately, he was only wearing a sweatshirt underneath, and the cold made him shiver uncontrollably.
Shen Xingyao finally glanced at him—so thin and frail, yet oddly charming~
But what was wrong with him? Opening his down jacket in such heavy snow—was this young man really that full of energy?
Pei Yanqiu noticed her strange look and quickly tried to explain, “It’s all my fault. I forgot to bring an umbrella when we left.”
“There’s nowhere to buy one now. You can use my down jacket to block the wind first, and we’ll call a taxi at the entrance.”
Huh?
What has our esports legend been trained into?!
Shen Xingyao reached out and felt around inside his open jacket.
Hmph╭(╯^╰)╮ He’s been trained into a dog anyway, what’s wrong with a little touch~