Hua Xiaomo met his gaze, stood up straight, and—with an inexplicable discomfort in her eyes—forced a very reluctant smile. "I didn't expect to meet senior here again. How nice."
Indeed, since his graduation, there had been no word from him, and she thought she would never see him again. But who could have predicted the twists of fate, that they would meet again?
Senior? Long Shangxuan seemed to remember something and asked, "Do you have a painting called 'Sunset Glow'?"
Hua Xiaomo looked at him in shock and after a moment, nodded heavily, "…Yes." She didn't expect him to remember that painting?
Back then, there were many girls who had a crush on him, and she, too, admired him from afar. Thus, she took the initiative to give him one of her own paintings, hoping he would offer some critique and get closer to him, but that was like throwing a stone into the sea, never to hear back.
At that time, she felt lost and wandered aimlessly. Later, she heard he had graduated early and had already left the school. She grew even more dejected, and it was during that low period that Yang Junze, that scoundrel, entered her life.
Coming and going in a hurry, it was as if she had come full circle back to the beginning.
Now she suddenly had so much to say, but she couldn't speak any of it.
Hua Xiaomo's eyes were moist with tears she tried to hold back. "I apologize, senior, I have an urgent matter and must leave now."
With that, Hua Xiaomo quickly prepared to brush past him.
"Wait a moment, junior sister." A shout immediately stopped her in her tracks.
Long Shangxuan quickly walked over, took out a business card from his dark blue suit pocket, and handed it to her. "When it's convenient for you, call me. I've finished revising your painting… you can pick it up anytime."
As he spoke, his slightly long chestnut hair lightly brushed against the corner of his eye and across his brow, casting ripples of softness that were intoxicating to look at.
Hua Xiaomo lifted her head to look at him. "Senior…" She hesitated, then finally spoke, "…My name is Hua Xiaomo."
She didn't know why she felt compelled to reveal her name, but she did so irresistibly.
Then Hua Xiaomo took his business card, glanced at it, and saw "Mohai Zongheng Company—Chief Planner" prominently displayed. She tucked away the card, gave him a polite nod, and then quickly made her way down the corridor ahead.
"Hua Xiaomo…" Long Shangxuan murmured with a faint smile on his lips. True, he remembered her face, and the painting she gave him, but he never knew her name.
「Xie He Hospital's director's office.」
When Hua Xiaomo heard the head physician's words, her ears buzzed.
Leukemia…
Her body numbed, she didn't even realize how the man beside her had pulled her into the corridor. Then, from the inner pocket of his suit jacket, he produced a wallet, and from it, retrieved a bank card and placed it in her hand.
"Xiao Mo, there's a hundred thousand yuan in this account. That's all I can do for you now," Hua Renda said, his face the epitome of dismay, with sorrow evident in his voice. "The Hua Clan has fallen under my watch… I've failed all of you…"
The card in Hua Xiaomo's grasp felt cold and trembled in her hand, her voice rasping, "Dad… how is a hundred thousand enough?"
This was leukemia! Didn't he hear what the doctor had just said, that they would need to prepare a million yuan?
Suddenly, the ring of a cellphone pierced the air.
Hua Renda answered swiftly, his face turning even paler. "Alright, I'll be right there."
"Your stepmother is ill, I need to go back immediately," said Hua Renda before quickly heading towards the exit of the corridor.
Watching the heartless departure of the man, Hua Xiaomo could not help but shout in anguish again, "Dad, where are you going? What about mom? How can she have the surgery with no money?"
In an instant, Hua Renda stopped in his tracks, but he did not turn back, with only his bitterly cold words trailing back, "I'm sorry… Xiao Mo, please… take care of your mother."
As if fearing contamination from the hospital's very air, Hua Renda's steps quickened, and soon he was downstairs.
Hua Xiaomo fixed her gaze where his figure had vanished, her exquisite face uncertain of what expression to wear.
"Heh…" A scoff hung on her cheeks, suddenly tinging her heart with unbearable pain.
"Is this what men are like?" Hua Xiaomo's eyes were filled with deep resentment and hatred, her hands clenched tightly as a suppressed voice uttered, "Why, why did my mother fall in love with this man? Why do I have to be his daughter?"
The hand holding the bank card was so furious she almost wanted to snap it in half right then and there.
Tears welled up stubbornly in her eyes, but Hua Xiaomo fought them back, refusing to let them fall.
A physician in a white coat came over and said to Hua Xiaomo, "You're a family member of the patient, aren't you? The patient has fallen into a coma and needs to undergo surgery immediately. If you agree, please sign here, and then proceed to make the payment."
"I agree." Hua Xiaomo swiftly signed her name with the pen. Approaching the window to see her mother lying in the isolation area, her heart ached like it was being cut with a knife.
It turns out her mother had been suffering from cancer already, but she endured it in silence, not wanting to worry her, bearing the immense pain alone. And now, the cancer had reached a middle to advanced stage.
No matter how difficult it is, mother, your daughter can't be without you...
Hua Xiaomo then hurried down the stairs to pay for the surgery. The bank card in her hand, with a balance of a hundred thousand, became a worthless piece of plastic in a moment.
She knew it was just a drop in the bucket, nothing more than a display of that man's irresponsibility.
Hua Xiaomo scoffed coldly with irony and casually threw the card into the trash can. A hint of determination flashed in her amber eyes, and she was even more resolute in her decision. Even if she had to use the money she had saved for studying abroad, it didn't matter; as long as her mother was well, as long as she was by her side... that was enough.
「Xie He Hospital.」
As time ticked by, Hua Xiaomo sat by herself on the chair outside the surgery room, staring unblinkingly at the bench opposite her.
Her heart felt so cold, so very cold. She had never been this terrified. In this moment, she was truly afraid...
A mist obscured her vision, intensifying the silent sorrow.
The surgery room light remained on, signifying the tense operation underway. This wait scorched her heart relentlessly; she didn't know how to cope.
Suddenly, a series of steady footsteps echoed through the quiet corridor.
Hua Xiaomo didn't look up. Bending slightly, she covered her face with her hands, and her uneven yet smooth black hair fell over her shoulders, conveying a sense of powerlessness.
Now she couldn't care about anything else. It was as if her heart was hanging over a cliff, on the brink of collapse at any moment.
"President Qi..." Yu Bao was about to say something when...
The other person raised a hand to stop him from continuing. Qi Longbing's gaze was dark and deep as the ocean, and his angelically handsome face had a trace of reckless charm.
One hand in his pocket, he walked towards her with the other holding the ugly duckling bag.
"Yours... don't you want it anymore?" Qi Longbing smiled indifferently and nonchalantly as he held the bag out to her.
Through the gaps between her fingers, Hua Xiaomo made out the bag and took it without a word.
"I brought it to you… and you don't even have a word of thanks?" Qi Longbing watched as she didn't even lift her head. He was truly unaccustomed to this feeling of being so directly ignored.
Still no response. It was as though she was engulfed in her own tidal thoughts.
"Hey, did you hear me talking? Hua Xiaomo?" Qi Longbing furrowed his brows. A wave of annoyance surged within him.
That handsome face twisted slightly with irritation.
So annoying…
Why does this person have to be noisy right now? Can't there be a moment of peace?
Hua Xiaomo narrowed her eyes slightly, a flicker of anxiety and impatience in them.
When she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder, Hua Xiaomo could no longer contain her patience. With one swift motion, she pushed away his probing hand and stood up quickly, her eyes reddened with anger. "Qi Longbing, I've already repaid your money, what more do you want?"
She paused, took a breath, and thought of the Hua Clan being acquired and her mother's critical illness, and the fact that her father, Hua Renda, had washed his hands of the situation. It seemed all this was somehow directly or indirectly connected to this man.
"Please leave, will you? You are not welcome here!!" Hua Xiaomo said, trying to hold back her anger.
Yu Bao, who stood behind Qi Longbing, frowned upon hearing this. This woman was brazen indeed; there probably hadn't been anyone who dared speak to President Qi in such a manner.
"Hua Xiaomo, do you know who you're speaking to? Our President Qi..." Yu Bao was about to continue when...
"Yu Bao…" Qi Longbing's voice was low, yet it silenced Yu Bao instantly.
A commanding aura that wasn't strong but shockingly palpable emanated from him. Qi Longbing's smile was serene as he looked at Hua Xiaomo, his sensuous lips curved with a cold, superior air. "Today I signed for the Hua Clan, and I'm in a good mood, so I'll let it slide..."
It was like a taunt, as if to deliberately provoke her, and he clearly saw her face turn red. Yet at that moment, he really wanted to lift her chin and see clearly just how fascinating those proud and rebellious eyes looked!
"However, if you upset me... this surgery will… be immediately halted!" Qi Longbing's voice was calm, his deep blue eyes shining with a devilish glow, his handsome face reminiscent of the fallen angel Lucifer filled with malevolence.
"You…" Hua Xiaomo clenched her fists in anger. She had already paid for the surgery; by what right could he have the doctors stop it?
The atmosphere became tense in an instant.
But soon, footsteps approached from the other end of the hallway. A slightly overweight middle-aged man, holding some papers and accompanied by two doctors, quickly made his way to Qi Longbing's side.
"President Qi, this is Su Ronghua's file." The middle-aged man handed the documents to Qi Longbing.
Seeing this, Hua Xiaomo was taken aback and immediately tried to grab them back. "This is my mother's information; how can you just hand it over to him?"