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

Liu Yukun's jawline tightened.

He didn't reply, but handed over the safety helmet he was holding.

Motorcycles sped through the empty streets.

After dropping Song Xianglan off at the hotel entrance, Liu Yukun turned on the accelerator and rode straight back to the two-bedroom apartment.

When I opened the door, the room was so cold and deserted that there was no sign of human presence.

He went into the bedroom, opened the wardrobe, found a canvas bag, and haphazardly stuffed in Sheng Ruzhi's usual towels, toothpaste, and a few changes of clothes.

He paused for a moment when his hand touched a chunky knit sweater.

That was woven by Sheng Ruzhi herself last year, and it's still neatly folded and placed there.

He stuffed the sweater back into the closet, picked up the canvas bag, and went out the door.

On his way back to the hospital, he passed an intersection and saw a tricycle selling late-night snacks still set up its stall.

"Boss, a serving of stir-fried rice cakes, please." Liu Yukun propped himself up on one leg on the motorcycle.

The stall owner deftly poured oil into the wok: "Would you like an egg?"

"Add plenty of greens, two eggs, a little less oil, and don't make it too salty," Liu Yukun instructed carefully.

He remembered that Sheng Ruzhi preferred a light diet and would drink water constantly after eating something salty.

The stall owner packed the steaming hot rice cakes into an aluminum lunchbox and handed it over.

General ward of the First Municipal Hospital.

The only sound in the ward was the ticking of medical equipment.

Mrs. Sheng lay on the hospital bed, her eyes half-open and half-closed.

Sheng Ruzhi sat on the edge of the bed.

"Zhizhi..." Sheng's mother's voice was very weak, "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have come to Haishi and caused you trouble."

"Don't say these things. Just focus on getting better." Sheng Ruzhi held her hand tightly.

"Actually, it's been more than half a year. I sometimes feel short of breath." Tears welled up in Sheng's mother's eyes. "I went to the clinic on the corner of the street in my hometown. They said I was just old and had qi deficiency, and prescribed a bunch of tonics to nourish my qi and lungs. I drank them for two months and thought I was cured. Who knew it would be so serious?"

A cold sweat broke out on Sheng Ruzhi's back.

The doctor at the clinic nearly killed her mother.

"Mom, I'm so glad you came to see me." Sheng Ruzhi's voice was dry. "If I had fallen ill back home, there wouldn't even be any emergency equipment. The First Municipal Hospital has excellent medical technology; they can definitely cure your illness."

Mrs. Sheng closed her eyes, her face full of regret.

"Several specialists will be here for a consultation tomorrow morning. You'll get better," Sheng Ruzhi comforted her. "Mom, I'll take you home when you're all better."

Two muffled thuds came from outside the door.

Someone knocked on the door.

Sheng Ruzhi waited a few seconds, but no one came in.

The knocking started again.

She got up, walked to the door, and opened it a crack.

Liu Yukun stood in the corridor.

He was carrying the canvas bag containing his clothes in one hand and an aluminum lunchbox in the other.

"Zhizhi, don't be afraid." Liu Yukun handed her the lunchbox. "A few specialists will be coming for a consultation tomorrow morning to see if we should have surgery directly or use anticoagulants. I've heard that Director Zhang is the best hematology surgeon in the city."

Sheng Ruzhi stepped out of the ward and closed the door behind her.

The corridor was quiet.

She thought that Liu Yukun had finished the matter once he brought the money over.

She had even made the decision to resign and return to her hometown. After this surgery, no matter what the outcome, she would take her mother with her.

Why would he come back to fawn over him?

Sheng Ruzhi stepped forward and threw herself into Liu Yukun's arms without a care in the world.

Caught off guard, Liu Yukun was knocked back half a step, and the canvas bag in his hand wobbled.

He looked down at her, and with his free hand, he patted her back twice rather stiffly.

"It's alright now," Liu Yukun's voice softened. "I'll stay here with you."

This tenderness is just too irresistible.

Sheng Ruzhi buried her face in his chest, her mind gradually clearing up.

She knew his bottom line. He could handle all the troublesome things—giving her money one day, food the next—but he couldn't give her a single promise.

But it's not his fault; they agreed to it when they got together.

It was because she was greedy and wanted more.

Sheng Ruzhi pushed him away.

"I don't need you to come with me." Sheng Ruzhi shook her head, her eyes turning cold. She reached out and took the bag from his hand.

"I can keep watch over it myself inside."

"Can you manage to stay up all night by yourself?" Liu Yukun frowned.

"Go back and rest. You have to go to work at the store tomorrow. Don't stay up all night here." Sheng Ruzhi didn't look at him again, turned around and pushed open the door to the ward.

The door clicked shut.

In the ward.

Hearing footsteps, Mrs. Sheng opened her eyes and asked:

"Zhizhi, who is that?"

Sheng Ruzhi placed the bag on the sofa chair next to her. "My roommate. She brought me some toiletries on her way."

"It's the middle of the night, how could I let them make the trip?" Mrs. Sheng said apologetically. "Why don't you let them in and sit down?"

"I was worried about disturbing your rest. She has to go to work tomorrow, so I told her to go back quickly." Sheng Ruzhi sat down on a chair in the corner.

She opened the lid of the lunchbox.

Stir-fried greens, eggs, and rice cakes until they are glossy and oily.

Liu Yukun knew she loved this kind of food from roadside stalls.

Sheng Ruzhi picked up her chopsticks and stuffed them into her mouth.

She hadn't chewed two bites before tears streamed down her face, landing in the lunchbox. She forced herself to keep quiet and swallowed the entire box of rice cakes, bite by bite.

The next day, just as dawn broke.

Song Xianglan carried the thermos to the inpatient ward floor.

As soon as I stepped out of the stairwell, I saw a person lying on a row of chairs outside the ward.

Liu Yukun was leaning back on the bench, fast asleep.

Song Xianglan stepped forward and kicked the chair leg with her toe without any politeness.

The iron chair emitted a harsh, scraping sound.

Liu Yukun woke up with a start and almost fell off his chair. He rubbed his bloodshot eyes and stood up.

"You're here as a doorman?" Song Xianglan sized him up coldly. "Didn't you leave last night?"

Liu Yukun tugged at the wrinkled collar of his shirt. "I'm waiting here for those specialists. Brother Li said they'll be here for a consultation around eight o'clock. I have to keep an eye on them."

Song Xianglan pursed her lips.

"You expect me to wait in the hallway all night for the experts?" Song Xianglan said scathingly. "Isn't Boss Liu's rule that he only talks about money, not feelings? Who are you trying to fool with this self-inflicted injury?"

Liu Yukun was speechless, his eyebrows forming a five-line staff. "I wasn't acting. As her boyfriend, I also have to take care of her."

"You're stubborn as a mule." Song Xianglan ignored him. "Get out of the way."

She pushed open the ward door and went inside.

Sheng Ruzhi was standing by the bedside, her bruises even more pronounced than Liu Yukun's.

"Aunt Song, why did you come so early?" Sheng Ruzhi quickly stood up to take the thermos.

"I brought pork rib and vegetable congee. You can have a couple of bites first." Song Xianglan unscrewed the lid and handed over a bowl.

Wearing an oxygen tube, Mrs. Sheng managed to speak:

"Older sister, I've made you run errands again."

"It's on the way. Are you feeling any better today?" Song Xianglan sat down at the foot of the bed.

"Breathing with oxygen makes breathing easier and less congested."

Song Xianglan turned to watch Sheng Ruzhi drink her porridge.

"There's been a dead duck squatting by the door all night," Song Xianglan whispered to Sheng Ruzhi.

Sheng Ruzhi pursed her lips, put down the bowl, turned around, and walked out of the ward.

At the end of the corridor, Liu Yukun was talking to a chief physician in a white coat.

He nodded repeatedly, his back slightly hunched, completely lacking the arrogance he usually displayed in the business world, where he was the type to defy everyone.

Sheng Ruzhi leaned against the door, watching this scene, and the corners of her mouth slowly curled up.

This man isn't as much of a scoundrel as he claims to be.

If someone were truly heartless, they would have left a wad of cash and disappeared long ago.

She wanted to force it just once.

If Liu Yukun continues his stubborn attitude of only talking about money and not marriage, she will let go completely and never look back.