You're already divorced, why are you so anxious about him becoming a succubus?

Less than three minutes after the phone call ended, accompanied by a deep engine roar, a black Mercedes-Benz G-Class pulled up and came to a steady stop by the roadside near the barbecue stall.

The car door opened, and Chen Feng strode out, swinging his car keys.

He had a playful smile on his face and was about to tease Lu Ci.

But when his gaze swept over Qin Meng, whose eyes were red and whose face was full of anxiety, Chen Feng swallowed his joke instantly and quickened his pace.

"What's going on?" Chen Feng keenly sensed that something was wrong.

"There's been a family emergency, and there are no taxis around here. I'll drive you there in your car." Lu Ci reached out and took the car keys.

"Okay, you can use this car for now. Anyway, there's another car in the garage." Chen Feng never hesitated to be polite to his childhood friend, and there was no need for him to ask any questions.

Lu Ci nodded and turned to Qin Meng: "Get in the car."

The two opened the car door and got in.

"Which hospital?" Lu Ci asked, gripping the steering wheel with both hands and looking straight ahead.

"City Hospital." Qin Meng sat in the passenger seat, her hands gripping the seatbelt.

The streets of Jiangcheng were sparsely populated late at night.

Lu Ci drove at the maximum speed limit and stopped in front of the emergency building of the city hospital in less than fifteen minutes.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Qin Meng hurriedly pushed open the door and ran out, heading straight for the emergency room.

Lu Ci parked the car, opened the door, hesitated for a moment, and then followed.

The emergency room lobby was brightly lit, and the air was filled with a pungent smell of disinfectant.

Lu Ci walked to the glass door of the emergency ward, looked at the beds separated by blue curtains and the medical staff moving back and forth, and his steps involuntarily stopped.

To be honest, if you were to ask Lu Ci what place he hates going to most in his life, the hospital would definitely be at the top of the list.

Especially in the emergency room and intensive care unit.

The oppressive atmosphere that made it hard to breathe, and the cold, ticking sound of the instruments, would always uncontrollably remind him of the scene when his parents passed away many years ago.

Lu Ci took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and went inside.

Qin Meng had already found someone at a hospital bed not far away.

A woman who looked to be around fifty years old and dressed simply was approaching her with a face full of self-reproach.

"Auntie, how is my dad?" Qin Meng grabbed the woman's hand and asked anxiously.

"Mengmeng, don't panic." The caregiver held Qin Meng's hand and gently patted the back of her hand to comfort her. "The doctor just did a basic check-up, there's nothing life-threatening."

He needs to stay in the hospital for observation for a few days. He'll need to go for X-rays tomorrow morning for a thorough checkup.

As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and her face was full of regret: "It's all my fault for sleeping too soundly tonight. Your dad probably didn't want to wake me, so he forced himself to get up to get up in the middle of the night, but his legs gave out and he tripped and fell, hitting his head..."

Lu Ci walked closer, his gaze passing over the two people and landing on the hospital bed.

A thin, middle-aged man was lying on the bed, fast asleep while receiving an IV drip.

Even in his sleep, it was obvious that his facial muscles were somewhat asymmetrical, and the corners of his mouth were slightly crooked.

Hearing that her aunt said there was no danger to her life, Qin Meng's tense nerves relaxed.

At this moment, a nurse on duty came over with a stack of forms: "Are you the family member of the patient in bed 36? Take these forms, go to the lobby on the first floor to pay the fee, and then go to the pharmacy to pick up the medicine."

"Okay, thank you, nurse."

Qin Meng took the payment slip and glanced at it.

The prescription was for medications that promote blood circulation and prevent thrombosis, which were quite expensive. Coupled with the considerable daily cost of an emergency intensive care unit bed, the total amount at the bottom of the prescription was rather glaring.

Qin Meng subconsciously took out her phone and opened the bank balance page.

The screen showed that there was less than three thousand yuan left in the card.

This amount of money is barely enough to pay for today's emergency room and medication, but what about all the tests tomorrow?

Her fingers curled slightly, and a hint of helpless embarrassment flashed in her eyes.

Lu Ci stood to the side, taking in her subtle movements and the numbers on the screen: "Let's go, I'll go down with you."

Upon hearing the sound, Qin Meng looked up in surprise.

She looked at Lu Ci standing to the side, originally thinking that he had left after dropping her off here.

"...Okay." Qin Meng nodded, and the two walked side by side toward the door.

The caregiver standing by the bed watched the two figures leave, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

She had worked as a caregiver at this place for three years, and this was the first time she had seen Qin Meng, a girl so strong it was heartbreaking, with a male companion.

Looking at the young man's tall and upright figure, the aunt sighed inwardly: They seemed quite well-matched, but unfortunately, he was stuck with such a burdensome family.

……

On the way to the payment counter on the first floor.

My father suffered a stroke.

Qin Meng lowered her head, looking at the cold, white tiles at her feet. Her voice was very soft, as if she were talking to herself, or as if she were explaining to Lu Ci: "At first, only half of my body was numb, and I could barely take care of myself. Later, my condition worsened, leading to hemiplegia, and now I can't be separated from others at all."

"I was in college when my father got sick, and my family was in debt. I started paying it back slowly after I graduated."

When Lu Ci saw the man's crooked mouth on the hospital bed, he had already guessed seven or eight parts of the truth.

He turned to look at Qin Meng's thin shoulders: "Don't you have any other siblings to help share the burden?"

Qin Meng shook her head, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of her lips: "Just me."

Lu Ci suddenly realized.

He instantly recalled what Chen Feng had told him that afternoon: she wanted to be a full-time resident singer and seemed to be short of money.

A young woman in her twenties had to shoulder the high medical expenses on her own, and also hire a full-time caregiver to look after her seriously ill father who was unable to take care of himself.

This burden would be suffocating for anyone who shoulders it.

After paying and picking up the medication, return it to the nurses' station for dispensing.

After everything was settled, the two walked out of the emergency building and came to the open-air parking lot where the night breeze was cool.

"I'm leaving now," Lu Ci said, standing by the car door.

"Thank you for tonight." Qin Meng looked at him gratefully.

Lu Ci's hand, which was pulling the car door, suddenly stopped in mid-air.

He turned around, looked at the girl in front of him, and said, "I don't think I have your contact information yet, do I?"

Qin Meng was slightly taken aback, then took out her phone from her pocket, opened the QR code business card, and handed it over.

"Go back and take care of your uncle." After scanning the QR code to add him as a friend, Lu Ci opened the car door and got into the driver's seat.

The engine started, and the SUV's taillights streaked across the night with a red light before quickly disappearing around the corner of the hospital entrance.

Qin Meng stood alone in the empty parking lot, the night wind ruffling her long hair.

As she watched Lu Ci leave, a hint of sadness gradually appeared in her beautiful eyes.

For so many years, she had actually been very reluctant to let others see her family, which was riddled with problems.

Because she had seen similar scenes far too many times.

Those boys who once fawned over her would instantly turn their admiration into pity upon learning that she had a paralyzed father and debts, and then become distant and try to avoid her at all costs.

Occasionally, a few might not mind, but they're only after her good looks. They can't get to know her for long before they realize they can't get her, and their true colors will be revealed.

"He...I think so too."

Qin Meng lowered her eyes bitterly.

Seeing such a heavy family burden, any normal man would choose to avoid danger. That decisive farewell was probably the most dignified way for adults to distance themselves.

"Buzz"

Just as Qin Meng turned around to return to the emergency building, the phone she was clutching tightly in her hand suddenly vibrated.

She swiped open the screen.

It's a notification for an unread WeChat message.

The sender was someone I had just added as a friend, whose contact name was Lu Ci.

Qin Meng clicked on it.

Qin Meng's breath hitched when she saw the transfer information on the chat interface.

Twenty thousand yuan.