During the third week of winter break, the Spring Festival arrived. Two days in advance, Shao Cheng had left the villa to stay with his grandparents in the suburbs, leaving for his grandfather’s house. Before leaving, he transferred some money to Bai Yang again. Including the “transaction fees” from previous times, Bai Yang’s bank account had gained hundreds of thousands in the past two or three months, equivalent to a year’s income for an ordinary family.
No wonder some people were willing to be supported; Bai Yang thought with a wry smile.
He hadn’t touched a single cent of Shao Cheng’s money. With no rent to pay now and meals cooked at home, Aunt Fang would fill the fridge every few days and throw out anything not fresh. There was hardly any place where he needed to spend money, and even if there were, he had some savings from his previous part-time jobs to get by.
On New Year’s Eve, Bai Yang prepared a few more dishes than usual and brought them to the hospital.
The attending doctor for Bai Tao had told him a couple of days ago about the latest medical technique available—a brain surgery that could be performed on Bai Tao. Although the success rate was low, even in case of failure, it wouldn’t have significant repercussions. However, the cost was quite high, and several foreign experts would need to be brought in to assist. If successful, the patient’s probability of waking up would reach 20%, a significantly higher figure compared to the less than 1% chance for patients like Bai Tao, who had been in a non-responsive state for over a year.
Naturally, Bai Yang was ecstatic upon hearing this news, but he didn’t agree right away. He cautiously told the doctor that he needed a few more days to consider and would consult Shao Cheng’s opinion after he returned. After all, the surgery cost was quite expensive, and according to the donation contract that Shao Cheng had signed, the cost would fall on him.
Bai Yang couldn’t help but feel ashamed. The amounts he had jotted down as his debts were a drop in the bucket compared to Shao Cheng’s contributions for his sister. Ultimately, both he and his sister were surviving thanks to Shao Cheng’s sympathy and mercy.
The VIP ward was spacious. Bai Yang borrowed a small table and set it up in the ward, placing the dishes Bai Tao liked on it one by one. He also poured two cups of drinks with a rather formal air. He took a picture of the table, making sure he was in the photo as well, and sent it to Shao Cheng.
“I’m having New Year’s Eve dinner! In the hospital!” He smiled brightly in the photo.
Within minutes, Shao Cheng replied, “[You’re at the hospital?]”
“Yes, I spend New Year’s Eve with my sister every year.” Bai Yang typed out the message while thinking, If only you were here too. But he knew that saying such things would be both capricious and futile. He added, “[Can I call you?]”
At the very least, he wanted to hear Shao Cheng’s voice.
Shortly after sending the message, Shao Cheng called him directly. His voice sounded slightly hoarse. “What’s the matter?”
Caught off guard, Bai Yang answered the call. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. “Uh, nothing, I just wanted to talk to you…” He felt frustrated with himself, unsure if he was annoying Shao Cheng with his unnecessary call.
“If you have something to say, say it in person.” As expected, Shao Cheng’s tone was abrupt, almost impatient.
Bai Yang hurriedly apologized, “I’m sorry, then, you can continue with what you’re doing.”
Shao Cheng didn’t say anything, but Bai Yang heard a muffled grunt from the other side of the line. Afterward, he heard a suppressed and intense coughing fit.
Bai Yang was alarmed. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
“I’m fine, just a slight cold. I’m hanging up.” Shao Cheng’s speech was hurried, and he hung up the phone without waiting for Bai Yang’s response. There was a half-cough before the call ended.
Bai Yang was worried sick. He sent several messages, urging Shao Cheng to take medicine and rest early, but they all went unanswered.
Feeling helpless, he figured that Shao Cheng would have someone to take care of him if he was sick at home. There was no need for him to worry. He temporarily put aside his concerns and sat by his sister’s bedside, holding her delicate hand and talking about anything and everything.
“Peach, when are you going to wake up? I want you to meet someone I like.”
“He’s really great, even to someone like me, he’s very gentle.”
“He’s so good that sometimes I wonder if he might actually like me…”
“Of course, I must be thinking too much.”
He finished speaking and unintentionally felt a pang of desolation and bitterness. He patted his own face and tried to cheer up. He smiled at his sister with closed eyes. “Let’s stop talking about this. I made your favorite dishes, so get better soon. Whatever you want to eat, I’ll make it for you.”
The food on the table had cooled down a bit, but Bai Yang didn’t mind. While responding to the well-wishes of friends and classmates on his phone, he ate New Year’s Eve dinner by himself. He took a photo of just the food and posted it on his social media. The rare update received several likes instantly. Zhao Ruotong commented, asking him, “[Who are you having dinner with?]”
Bai Yang replied, “[My sister.]”
His phone buzzed, and Zhao Ruotong sent him a message, “[I heard about your sister from Ji Xiaoyun… If you have any difficulties, you can ask me for help.]”
Bai Yang felt a warm sensation in his heart. Zhao Ruotong was indeed a good girl. He responded, “[Thank you, actually, I’m doing pretty well. It’s not as difficult as you might think, but thank you for your concern.]”
[You’re welcome. So, are you alone in the hospital? Which hospital?]
Bai Yang didn’t think much and gave her the name of the hospital.
[Shao Cheng’s family hospital?] Surprisingly, Zhao Ruotong knew about it too. It seemed that Shao Cheng was indeed quite well-known at school.
[Yes, that’s right.]
[What’s your relationship with him?] Zhao Ruotong’s tone was cautious.
After a moment of thought, Bai Yang replied, [Just friends. I’ve been living at his place recently for some reasons.] He couldn’t possibly mention the odd casual relationship between him and Shao Cheng.
Zhao Ruotong continued chatting with him for a while before the conversation trailed off. After all, it was a day for family gatherings, and Bai Yang assumed she was quite busy. He didn’t want to bother her any further.
Casually eating dinner and browsing through the Spring Festival gala’s skits, Bai Yang realized it was already 10:00 PM. Aside from the New Year’s greetings from friends and classmates, there were no other messages on his phone. He was still worried about Shao Cheng’s condition. He tried calling, but Shao Cheng’s phone was turned off. Usually, Shao Cheng went to bed after midnight, but perhaps due to his cold, he had gone to sleep earlier.
Not being able to spend the New Year with Shao Cheng made Bai Yang somewhat disappointed. However, he knew he still had his sister with him, so he felt content.
When the clock struck midnight, Bai Yang held his phone’s voice recorder, holding Bai Tao’s hand by the hospital bed, and softly whispered to both Shao Cheng and his sister:
“Happy New Year. You are the most important person to me… I hope you will always be happy and healthy. Goodnight.”
