In the corridor of the emergency department, Cao Yan hung her head low, tears dripping onto the floor in steady patters.
Her right cheek was wrapped in gauze, which was quickly becoming soaked through. Yu Xiaowen hurriedly dabbed it dry with a tissue.
“Yan Yan, this isn’t your fault. Your mother’s going to be okay…” Seeing her niece cry so bitterly, Yu Xiaowen couldn’t help but tear up as well.
Su Wenlong comforted his wife, while Ye Qingyi—in Su Mo’s place—sat quietly beside Cao Yan without saying a word.
Su Mo, holding Momo in his arms, stared out at the night sky through the window, feeling troubled.
He knew exactly what kind of person his aunt was. She had a whole collection of bad habits, and in the end, she’d been kicked out by her in-laws after being caught cheating with multiple partners.
What was even more shocking was that her only daughter, Cao Yan, wasn’t even her husband’s biological child!
For that, his aunt offered no explanation. Unless he agreed to leave with nothing, she refused to sign the divorce papers. In a fit of rage, her husband threw both her and her daughter out of the house.
If it weren’t for the blood ties, Su Mo would never have allowed someone like that to stay in his home. But she was, after all, his mother’s younger sister and his cousin Cao Yan’s mother.
Su Mo let out a helpless sigh. Forget the fact that he was only at the Snow Mountain Realm right now—even if he became a god someday, there’d still be nothing he could do about situations like this.
Suddenly, a tiny little hand reached up and touched his face, as if trying to comfort him. Momo babbled away, though what she was saying was anyone’s guess.
Just then, a doctor walked out and called out loudly: “Where are the family members of Yu Xiaoting?”
Cao Yan wiped her tears and immediately stood up, her voice choked: “I am.”
“I’m Yu Xiaoting’s sister.” Yu Xiaowen put an arm around Cao Yan’s shoulders.
The doctor glanced at Yu Xiaowen. “The patient tested positive for HIV. Although she’s not in immediate danger, I recommend she be hospitalized for treatment.”
HIV!
An incurable disease, and moreover…
Hearing that her sister was HIV-positive, Yu Xiaowen’s body trembled slightly. She didn’t want to admit it, but it was hardly unexpected…
“Okay, we’ll treat her.” Su Wenlong nodded firmly.
He knew what this sister meant to Yu Xiaowen, so he stepped up and spoke first so she wouldn’t have to struggle with the decision.
Yu Xiaowen said nothing, only holding her husband’s hand tightly.
“The patient’s emotions are quite unstable right now. Try not to agitate her too much, or it could worsen her condition.” After reminding them, the doctor walked away.
Before long, Yu Xiaoting was wheeled out. Her face was pale, and she looked frail and sickly. “Yan Yan, Mom wants to apologize to you. I was wrong before. Can you forgive me?”
Even though she was angry, seeing her mother like this, Cao Yan nodded without hesitation, sobbing uncontrollably.
She was already sixteen. She knew what HIV meant.
Yu Xiaoting then turned to Su Wenlong and Yu Xiaowen with an apologetic look. “Sister, brother-in-law—I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you.”
“Don’t say that. You’re my sister…”
Yu Xiaoting let out a bitter laugh. “Sister, can you promise me one thing?”
Yu Xiaowen’s heart ached, but she nodded. “Go ahead.”
“It doesn’t matter if I die, but I can’t stop worrying about Yan Yan. She and Xiao Mo grew up together. I think they’d make a perfect match—if they got together, I could leave this world with peace of mind.”
Yu Xiaowen was taken aback. “What nonsense are you talking about? The doctor said you’ll be fine. As long as you get proper treatment, you’ll recover.”
“Sister, please promise me, okay?” Yu Xiaoting coughed a few times.
“Auntie, don’t worry. Yan Yan is my little sister—I’ll take good care of her.” Ye Qingyi felt a flicker of displeasure inside, but considering she was currently in Su Mo’s body, she stepped forward as the son to help Yu Xiaowen out of the awkward spot.
Yu Xiaoting coughed violently again. “Xiao Mo, you know exactly what I mean. I don’t want you to treat her like a sister—I want you to—”
Before she could finish, Yu Xiaowen began shaking her head. “Qingyi is my Su family’s daughter-in-law. That’s already set in stone, and nothing can change it. Yan Yan is my niece, but I’ll love her just as much as if she were my own daughter.”
Her tone was firm and left no room for argument.
Seeing this, Yu Xiaoting could only keep coughing. The doctor hurried over, frowning darkly. “I told you not to agitate the patient! What kind of family members are you? And so many of you crowding around!”
Credit where it’s due—the doctor was very responsible.
Su Mo arranged for a private room so that the caregivers could also rest properly.
While the nurse was doing her check-up, Su Wenlong stepped out into the hallway and called Su Mo and Ye Qingyi over together.
He spoke first to Ye Qingyi: “Qingyi, I’m sorry you had to put up with that today. The one lying in that bed is, after all, Xiao Mo’s mother’s younger sister…”
“It’s fine, Uncle. A mother’s heart is the same everywhere—she’s just thinking about her own daughter.”
“Good girl. Our Xiao Mo must have cultivated good karma for eight lifetimes to find a wonderful girl like you.”
Su Mo, ever the one for bad timing, couldn’t help but quip: “Your son’s pretty outstanding too, you know.”
Su Wenlong shot him a look. “You, you—you’ve got no situational awareness at all. Next time someone tries to push Qingyi around, you should push back, or at least get angry. The more agreeable you are, the more people will think they can look down on her.”
“Huh?” Su Mo blinked, suddenly realizing his dad had a really good point. Earlier, he’d just been thinking from his own perspective.
“Well, it also makes me look generous and easygoing.”
Su Wenlong lectured him: “Don’t get involved in your aunt’s affairs—leave that to your mother and me. Just remember: don’t let Qingyi feel wronged.”
Su Mo finally couldn’t hold back the question he’d been dying to ask: “Are you my dad, or her dad?”
“Your dad!” Momo chimed in, whether on purpose or by accident, perfectly timed.
The three of them exchanged strange looks, while Momo mercilessly laughed at them.
To make things easier, Su Wenlong planned to hire a female caregiver to help Yu Xiaowen look after the patient. After all, Su Mo and Ye Qingyi couldn’t stay long—they’d have to leave the next day. Someone needed to be home to take care of Momo and cook, and Cao Yan still had to go to school.
When Cao Yan offered to take leave to care for her mother, Su Wenlong firmly refused and even called the school to make sure her leave request wouldn’t be approved.
In his view, there were adults in the household—there was no reason to let a child still in school fall behind on her studies to handle these things. That very night, he sent her home to sleep and made sure she’d be at school on time the next day.
Su Mo felt bad about his mother having to spend so much energy caring for his aunt, so he made one phone call. Not long after, he got a call back.
The voice on the other end told him that a villa near the hospital had been transferred to his name, and they could move in that very night.
He’d actually wanted to buy his parents a new house for a long time, but they’d always refused. This was the perfect opportunity to get it done.
When Yu Xiaoting saw the villa, her eyes practically popped out of her head. Her desire to “make the family even closer” grew stronger than ever.
But right then, Su Mo suddenly turned to Su Wenlong and Yu Xiaowen with a smile and said: “Uncle, Auntie, this house is newly bought. I originally planned to use it as our future wedding home. But just now, Su Mo mentioned that hospital life is tough and commuting back and forth is inconvenient, so I thought—you two should live here from now on. It’s close to the hospital, and the transportation is convenient.”
A flicker of approval passed through Su Wenlong’s eyes. He silently praised his son for being sharp—just like his old man.
Yu Xiaowen also more or less understood what Su Mo meant.
But Yu Xiaoting started to get uneasy: So she’s this rich… and my nephew Xiao Mo seems to follow her lead completely. Hiss… seems like I shouldn’t mess with her…
