Old Mrs. Song is reborn; get out of here, you scumbag husband and illegitimate child!

The phone rang four or five times before it was answered.

"Who is it? What could be going on so late at night?" Liu Yukun asked in an unfriendly tone.

"I am Song Xianglan."

There was a pause on the other end. "I'm sorry, godmother. I didn't know it was you. Is there something wrong?"

"Are you busy?"

"I was checking the accounts at the store. I was about to go home after I finished. What's wrong?"

"I ran into Sheng Ruzhi and her mother last night," Song Xianglan said in a cold and hard voice.

Liu Yukun chuckled. "Godmother, I only talk about money when I'm dating, I don't get married, and I certainly don't meet the parents. I told her that, how could she possibly date you?"

"Bullshit!" Song Xianglan cursed directly. "Sheng Ruzhi's mother is currently in the operating room of the First Municipal Hospital, undergoing emergency treatment. It's not even certain if she'll survive the operation. Don't give me your bullshit rules. I've given you the address; come if you want, don't come if you don't."

"Do you think I would persuade you to come? I'm just letting you know, whether you come or not is none of my business."

With a "snap".

Song Xianglan hung up the phone.

The receiver slammed onto the landline, emitting a piercing busy tone.

Song Xianglan stood there, catching her breath.

If Liu Yukun really dares not to come, she will definitely urge Sheng Ruzhi to go back to her hometown and live a peaceful life.

Even if all the men in the world died, they still couldn't hang themselves on this crooked tree.

I took a blow for her back then.

Is this debt of gratitude something I have to repay for a lifetime?

Back outside the emergency room.

Sheng Ruzhi remained in the same position, huddled in the corner of the bench, her hands clasped together.

Song Xianglan sat down next to her without saying anything, and held her cold hand.

"Auntie..." Sheng Ruzhi's voice was hoarse, "I regret it."

Song Xianglan did not respond.

"If I had listened to my mother and gone back to my hometown to work, even if I had married a complete stranger... she wouldn't have come all this way to see me, and she wouldn't have gotten so sick from being angry with me."

Sheng Ruzhi's shoulders trembled violently. "If anything really happens to my mother, I will be a sinner."

"She must have gotten sick because she was worried about me. When I was little, I was the envy of my classmates. My parents doted on me. In fact, because all my uncles and aunts were boys, my grandparents and uncles and aunts also doted on me."

Her life was smooth sailing before she fell in love.

All the troubles were caused by Liu Yukun.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Song Xianglan patted her back. "You've had this illness for a long time, it has nothing to do with where you live."

"It's related." Sheng Ruzhi's face was covered in tears. "She just wants to see me get married and start a family. Is that too much to ask? Not at all. I'm the one who's unfilial."

The corridor was eerily quiet.

A series of hurried footsteps came from the end of the corridor.

Song Xianglan raised her head.

Liu Yukun was panting heavily as he ran, clutching a black leather bag in his hand.

He spotted the two people sitting on the bench and strode over.

"Zhizhi, how is your aunt?" Liu Yukun stared at Sheng Ruzhi.

Sheng Ruzhi stared at him blankly, remaining silent for a moment.

"They are still trying to save him."

Liu Yukun opened the black leather bag in his hand, took out two thick stacks of ten-yuan notes, and stuffed them into Sheng Ruzhi's hand.

"Here you go. I'll get more if it's not enough."

Sheng Ruzhi looked at the money in her hand but didn't move.

Liu Yukun reassured him, "I'll call a few of my clients to see if I can pull some strings and get some specialists to consult. Don't worry, I'm here."

He went to a phone booth outside to make a call.

"Hey, Brother Li, it's me, Yu Kun. Sorry to bother you so late. There's an emergency at the First Municipal Hospital that they suspect a pulmonary embolism. Could you help me contact Director Zhang, yes, the one in the hematology department? Money's no problem, consider it a favor I owe you."

He made three phone calls in a row.

After hanging up the phone, I walked back to the entrance of the emergency room and stood there.

Half an hour later.

The doctor came out and took off his mask. "The patient has woken up. We'll go back to the ward later to start the tests, and then we'll wait for the final results. Based on my experience with both traditional Chinese and Western medicine, it's almost certainly a pulmonary embolism. You family members should keep that in mind."

Many doctors now practice a combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

Sheng Ruzhi let out a long breath, and tears streamed down her face again.

"Thank you, doctor."

Mrs. Sheng was pushed out with a pale face.

Liu Yukun stood still, not following them. He watched them turn the corner of the corridor, then turned and called out to Sheng Ruzhi, "Zhizhi, come out for a second."

Sheng Ruzhi stopped and walked back to him.

"I just asked someone to help," Liu Yukun said, avoiding her gaze and looking at the schedule on the wall. "Director Zhang will be coming for a consultation tomorrow. I've also spoken to the nurses here; they'll take extra care of her. They've arranged a private room for your mother."

Sheng Ruzhi lowered her head, her fingers digging into her palm.

"Thank you. You can go back now."

"Call me if anything happens." Liu Yukun said, then turned and left without saying another word.

Sheng Ruzhi watched his figure disappear at the top of the stairs, then turned to look at Song Xianglan standing to the side.

"Aunt Song, thank you so much for today." Sheng Ruzhi forced an awkward smile. "It's getting late, you should go back and rest too."

"I'll cook some porridge and bring it over tomorrow morning," Song Xianglan said.

"No need to trouble yourself," Sheng Ruzhi said instinctively.

"Don't worry about it. Your mother needs to eat something light and nourishing," Song Xianglan said firmly. "Just do as I say."

Sheng Ruzhi felt a lump in her throat. In this unfamiliar city, all the usual superficial liveliness had vanished like a bubble.

At this moment, Song Xianglan stood before her, becoming her pillar of support.

"Auntie..." Sheng Ruzhi said, her voice trembling with tears, "Won't this be too much trouble for you?"

"What's the trouble?" Song Xianglan tidied her messy hair. "You just stay here tonight. If anything happens, call the nurse. Don't try to tough it out."

Sheng Ruzhi nodded repeatedly.

He turned and walked into the ward.

Song Xianglan walked out of the hospital and looked at the dark night sky.

There's no such thing as a rule in this world that only talks about money and not feelings. The fact that Liu Yukun came here today with money and was willing to swallow his pride and ask someone for help shows that the wall in his heart isn't necessarily unbreakable.

However, the price of breaking through the wall was far too high for Sheng Ruzhi.

The night breeze was chilly outside the emergency room of the First Municipal Hospital.

Liu Yukun leaned against the motorcycle. He had a cigarette in his mouth, and three stubbed-out cigarette butts were scattered at his feet.

Seeing Song Xianglan come out, Liu Yukun straightened up and threw his cigarette butt on the ground to extinguish it.

"Godmother, I'll take you back to your hotel." Liu Yukun patted the back seat. "I'll go home later to get some toiletries for Zhizhi."

Song Xianglan stood on the steps, staring coldly at him. The reprimanding words circled on her lips, but she swallowed them back.

Everyone has a rebellious streak, especially someone like Liu Yukun who's been through thick and thin in society.

The more you scold him, the more he feels that the rules he follows are correct.

Everything that needed to be said was already explained on the phone.

"I won't comment on your ridiculous rules," Song Xianglan said as she walked to the car. "But as someone who's been there, let me give you some advice. When you find a good match, seize the opportunity. Don't wait until you lose it to regret it. You're not the sun; not everyone revolves around you."

Liu Yukun's hand, which was reaching for the safety helmet, froze in mid-air.

"Sheng Ruzhi is willing to forgo marriage today for your sake. But that doesn't mean she'll be dependent on you in the future." Song Xianglan's gaze was sharp. "No one will wait for you in one place forever. Liu Yukun, you'd better think carefully."

Don't wait until you lose something to appreciate it. You and Zhou Fang have truly become two extremes. Zhou Fang has woken up; hopefully, you can too.