LBC |Love Beyond Control/Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Xin Yuan had not been in very good health since childhood. Catching colds and having fevers were as ordinary to him as eating and sleeping, and illnesses that ordinary people could recover from in three to five days would often drag on for ten days or half a month, with stops and starts.

But this time, whether it was because Xiang Zhubeng stayed by his side day and night, or because the peace lock tied around his wrist was simply too efficacious, by the third day, Xin Yuan had already improved a lot.

From early morning, Xiang Zhubeng had been busy around the room.

The wiring in the rental room was so badly aged that the kitchen power connection had poor contact, and the flame on the gas stove would also go high and low. Xiang Zhubeng wanted to make Xin Yuan some chicken soup, and after messing around for half a day, he still ended up using the most primitive coal briquette stove. Only after fanning the fire with his hand did he slowly simmer it to completion.

“Sit up and drink the soup.”

The room was filled with a rich smell of chicken soup. Xiang Zhubeng carried the bowl over and sat down by the bed.

Xin Yuan had just been about to reach out and take it, but Xiang Zhubeng directly sat down beside him, scooped up a spoonful of soup, blew on it, and only then brought it to Xin Yuan’s lips. “Open your mouth.”

Living this kind of life where clothes came when one stretched out a hand, and food came when one opened one’s mouth, had initially made Xin Yuan very embarrassed.

But Xiang Zhubeng used the excuse that his parents had left too early, so he had never experienced what it felt like to take care of someone, and properly forced Xin Yuan to enjoy his all-around, no-blind-spot service.

Xiang Zhubeng really liked watching Xin Yuan eat. Like the little stray he often fed, at first he was always wary, but as he ate, he would lower his tail, rub his chin against Xiang Zhubeng’s palm, and after he was full, he would even actively show his belly to him.

Xin Yuan also felt that Xiang Zhubeng must have treated feeding him like some kind of game. After Xiang Zhubeng tricked him into drinking a whole bowl of soup and then tried to get him to eat a big chicken leg, Xin Yuan finally resisted.

“I’m really full, I can’t eat anymore,” Xin Yuan said firmly.

“Your appetite is this small, you don’t even eat as much as the cat at the stairwell.”

Xiang Zhubeng continued to hold the boned chicken leg to Xin Yuan’s mouth, using actual action to refuse Xin Yuan’s protest.

Xin Yuan pressed his lips together and silently confronted Xiang Zhubeng for a few seconds. Then he suddenly pulled away the blanket Xiang Zhubeng had wrapped around him and stuck out his little belly.

“If you don’t believe me, use your hand and feel it. It’s already puffed up here.”

Seeing that Xiang Zhubeng had no reaction, he even scooted a little closer to Xiang Zhubeng.

Most of the time, Xiang Zhubeng always felt that Xin Yuan had a kind of innocence that did not match his age, as if he had never experienced the hardships of the world. No matter what he casually teased him with, Xin Yuan would take it seriously and keep it in his heart.

Xiang Zhubeng held back his laughter, put the bowl aside, and really reached his hand into Xin Yuan’s sweater. After pretending to rub him for a moment, he suddenly pinched Xin Yuan on the side of the waist.

Xin Yuan jumped in shock and shrank back sharply, staring at Xiang Zhubeng with wide eyes.

“What are you doing?!”

Xiang Zhubeng laughed heartily. “You told me to feel it, you just didn’t say clearly where you wanted me to feel it, right?”

As he spoke, he deliberately spread his hands, making as if he were going to keep tickling Xin Yuan.

Xin Yuan was teased into shrinking back under the blanket, turning into a very angry silkworm baby.

After that, every time Xiang Zhubeng came over to take his temperature, Xin Yuan would stare at him with extra vigilance, afraid that if he let his guard down even a little, Xiang Zhubeng would pinch his ticklish flesh again.

Fortunately, by the evening of the third day, Xin Yuan’s temperature had finally gone all the way back down, leaving Xiang Zhubeng with no chance to keep making a move.

“Xiang Zhubeng, your phone is ringing.”

Xiang Zhubeng was looking through documents by the table. Seeing that he was reading so seriously, Xin Yuan directly answered it and held the phone to his ear.

When he first answered, Xiang Zhubeng was obviously delighted, but after several dozen seconds, his brow suddenly furrowed. He did not even have time to set down what he was holding, and turned around to look for something in the room.

Xin Yuan was startled and stood to the side at a loss.

“What happened, did something go wrong?”

Xiang Zhubeng quickly dug out a bank card, then put an arm around Xin Yuan’s shoulder and said, “I have something urgent to do, I’ll explain when I get back.”

“Don’t wander around. Lock the door from the inside in the room, and other than me, don’t open it for anyone,” Xiang Zhubeng found the reinforced lock he had specially bought and put it into Xin Yuan’s hand. “Also turn on your phone’s sound so I can reach you at any time. If anything happens, call me first.”

Xin Yuan had never seen Xiang Zhubeng look so flustered. He really could not imagine what kind of matter could make Xiang Zhubeng so panicked. With his heart hanging in the air, he kept wildly guessing until ten o’clock at night, when he finally waited for Xiang Zhubeng to come back.

It was as if an invisible layer of ash had covered Xiang Zhubeng, making him look a few shades more dispirited. After coming in, he did not say anything, only drank a whole cup of water in one gulp.

Xin Yuan saw that he was holding a stack of receipts, all of them hospital payment slips.

Printed on them were coronary angiography, cardiac ultrasound, BNP, coagulation function, liver and kidney indices, and a series of densely packed examination items.

“These tests are…?”

Xin Yuan carefully watched Xiang Zhubeng’s expression, afraid that if he was careless, he would touch his wound and make him even sadder.

“It was an old neighbor granny of mine from before, she was very good to me.”

Xiang Zhubeng closed his eyes and let out a long breath. “The little sister I told you about before, the one who had the same coagulation disorder as you, was the granny’s youngest granddaughter.”

Thinking of Xiang Zhubeng’s reaction when he first learned that Xin Yuan also had this condition, Xin Yuan did not need any extra explanation to know how important that granny was to Xiang Zhubeng.

“The granny is old, and her heart has always had problems. She had already had an examination at the county hospital last year, and the doctor suggested coming to a big city for surgery. But my younger sister’s health was also not good, and in order to treat her, the family house was also sold. The granny didn’t want to add more trouble to the family, so she kept dragging it out until now.”

There was obvious regret in Xiang Zhubeng’s eyes. “Actually, I was only a little short of saving enough money…”

Xiang Zhubeng suddenly choked up. After a few seconds, he continued:

“But today her son suddenly called me and said the granny had fainted at home. The doctor finally managed to save her, and said the condition might have worsened, so she needed to come here as soon as possible for detailed examinations. And even if she had surgery right away, the cost might be several times what it was before.”

Xin Yuan had always been curious before, why Xiang Zhubeng, despite carrying the national scholarship all the way and working so many jobs without sleep, still lived in such dire straits.

He had thought Xiang Zhubeng was just used to being frugal. Only now did he know that the reason he lived such a bitter life was actually to help a neighbor he did not even share blood ties with.

“How much more do you need? I can give it to you first,” Xin Yuan blurted out.

Xiang Zhubeng shook his head. “It’s not a problem that a little money can solve. I’ve already arranged all the examinations. After the detailed report here comes out, we’ll wait for the hospital’s notice.”

“Is one hundred thousand enough?” Xin Yuan was even more anxious than Xiang Zhubeng. “What about two hundred thousand?”

“How could you possibly have that much money?” Xiang Zhubeng asked back.

Only then did Xin Yuan realize how abrupt his words had been in his haste, and he hurriedly made up for it. “It’s Director Wang Muge, he, he had his assistant transfer an advance payment to me a few days ago… I can give it all to you.”

Xiang Zhubeng said nothing, only kept looking at him.

Xin Yuan knew that with Xiang Zhubeng’s stubborn personality, even if he were suffering ten times or a hundred times more than he was now, he would not casually accept even a penny from someone else, much less such a huge sum of one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand.

“Don’t worry, I’ll only be lending you this money, not giving it to you for free.”

Xin Yuan carefully studied Xiang Zhubeng’s expression. “Besides, aren’t you going to be able to start working at Hanhai Group soon? You’re so outstanding, you definitely can earn a lot of money. By then, when you have money, you can pay me back too…”

Xin Yuan was still thinking about what reason he could use to make Xiang Zhubeng more willing to accept it, when Xiang Zhubeng suddenly took two steps forward and pulled him into a tight embrace.

Xin Yuan had no preparation at all and was driven back several steps by Xiang Zhubeng’s hug.

He looked up in shock, unsure whether to hug back or simply push him away. For a moment, he was stunned so completely that even his breath seemed stuck in his throat.

“Xiang Zhubeng, you…?”

But Xiang Zhubeng’s embrace only tightened and tightened. It was not until Xin Yuan was almost unable to breathe that Xiang Zhubeng finally spoke in a low voice.

“Thank you, Xin Yuan.”

Early the next morning, Xiang Zhubeng rushed to the hospital again, making appointments, lining up, collecting medical records. Before and after, he was busy the entire day before he finally got everything arranged properly.

On the corridor outside the inpatient building, a middle-aged man was standing in front of Xiang Zhubeng, wiping tears from his face.

“Xiaobeng, back then it was Uncle who let you down… At that time, Uncle knew you were pitiful, but Uncle also had a whole family to support. I could only have the granny send you some food from time to time, add a piece of clothing for you, and I never really helped you with anything…”

Xiang Zhubeng interrupted the man. “Uncle, whether you believe it or not, in my heart, the granny and my younger sister have always been my closest family.”

Xiang Zhubeng would always remember that the year he got into university as the citywide top scorer, his uncle by marriage did not even give him a fake blessing, but instead asked in a sour tone whether going to study in such a good city as Shancheng would cost a lot of money.

Only the neighbor granny, before he left, secretly stuffed a passbook into his hands and told him to treat himself a little better when he was outside.

And his younger sister also followed behind and gave him a little golden pig piggy bank, filled with all the pocket money she had saved bit by bit.

“I know you and Auntie have it hard, so usually I’m embarrassed to disturb your family’s life, but now that the granny is sick, the granny needs me. No matter how much money it costs, I’m willing.”

The man patted Xiang Zhubeng’s hand. Aside from tears, he could not say anything more.

Truth be told, when he first learned that his mother took pity on Xiang Zhubeng and secretly helped him three or four times, the man had even tried to stop her, saying their own family life had not even been sorted out yet, and she was still meddling in other people’s affairs. Not to mention that the family across the way clearly did not like that child. Secretly playing the good person here, wasn’t that just stretching out a hand to slap the other side in the face?

But he had not expected that today, thanks to those acts of kindness from his mother and daughter back then, they were given a chance for their family to keep going.

Based on the examination results, the doctor suggested going home first for conservative treatment with medication, and waiting until the old person’s indicators stabilized before coming back to Shancheng for surgery.

“Uncle, remember to tell the granny according to what I taught you. During this period, all the examinations and surgery are hospital-funded research projects. Absolutely don’t let the granny know that I came here, otherwise the granny definitely would not be willing to be treated.”

When Xiang Zhubeng got on the bus back, there was only a little battery left on his phone. Before it powered off, he called Xin Yuan again to make sure he was still staying at home properly.

At this time there was rarely any traffic. The first hour went very smoothly, but just as he was about to get home, the road ahead suddenly became jammed.

“Young man, I think the road ahead seems to be blocked off. There are several fire engines stuck there. I have to make a detour. At which stop are you getting off?”

The driver did not even need to say much. As soon as Xiang Zhubeng saw the glaring warning tape ahead, he stood up from his seat.

He almost rushed off the bus and ran nonstop toward the rental room.

However, the closer he got to the residential building, the more people gathered along both sides of the path.

Fire engines roared closer, the sirens emitted an ear-splitting buzz, and it seemed as if someone by the roadside was crying, and as if someone was shouting too, but Xiang Zhubeng could hear nothing and could not care about anything. He only remembered that he had to get home quickly, that he had to see Xin Yuan quickly.

It was not until he reached the intersection one hundred meters from the courtyard that Xiang Zhubeng suddenly stopped dead.

His legs seemed frozen in place in an instant, and only his eyes looked toward that familiar direction.

The courtyard surrounded by layer upon layer of fire engines was billowing with thick smoke and flames.

And the place where the smoke was thickest was the building where he and Xin Yuan lived.