Chapter 2

Chapter 2

On the second day after my father was admitted to the ICU, I finished writing out a promissory note.

I had gone downstairs to buy some water.

Just as I walked into the convenience store below the hospital, I saw her standing by the shelves, answering a phone call.

As soon as she hung up, I placed the note in front of her.

Xu Yan looked down at the piece of paper.

“What’s this?”

“A promissory note.”

My voice was flat. “The emergency fees, the hospitalization costs, and every single cent you’ve advanced for me-I’ll pay it all back.”

She picked up the paper, scanned it, and suddenly laughed.

“You really haven’t changed at all.”

“What do you mean?”

“The moment something happens, you’re in a hurry to settle the score with me.”

She looked up at me. “In your eyes, can feelings always be calculated like an account?”

My fingers tightened bit by bit.

“At least accounts are clearer than people.”

“Is that so?” She took a step forward, her voice dropping very low.

“Then two years ago, when you were crying and asking me why I couldn’t stay and endure it with you…”

“Back then, why weren’t you this good at calculating?”

My breath hitched for a moment. I pushed the note toward her.

“Regardless of what you think, I have to write this.”

Xu Yan stared at me. After a long silence, she finally took the note.

“Fine. If you want to pay me back, then pay me back.”

Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, she added indifferently,

“But starting today, I’ll be the one handling the ward arrangements, consultations, and rehabilitation.”

“I don’t agree.”

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t agree.”

Her tone was calm. “Your father’s injuries are severe. It’s not a matter of just paying the bill and everything being fine.”

I was left speechless, my face turning pale.

She placed a cup of hot coffee in front of me.

“You can keep hating me, and you can keep track of every cent.”

She looked at me. “But at the very least, save his life first.”

That afternoon, my father was transferred from the ICU to the intensive care unit.

Beds and consultations were usually incredibly difficult to arrange, but the nurse simply told me that the procedures had already been completed.

Even the attending physician was exceptionally patient with me.

My mother whispered to me, “Zhiwei, did Xu Yan pull some strings?”

I didn’t answer.

At that moment, I finally understood.

For some things, I would have to run between countless service windows, begging people, standing in lines, and waiting for news.

But for Xu Yan, a single phone call could push everything forward by a massive leap.

At seven in the evening, I was guarding the ward alone when Xu Yan arrived carrying an insulated bag.

“Auntie said you haven’t eaten all day.”

I didn’t take it.

She placed the bag on the bench and sat down next to me, neither too close nor too far.

“You don’t have to do this,” I said, staring at the floor. “You’ve already paid the money for me. There’s no need to do all this.”

“What do you mean by ‘all this’?” She tilted her head to look at me. “Buying food, handling the paperwork, or staying at the hospital in the middle of the night?”

I choked on my words at her questioning.

“Shen Zhiwei, I’m not doing this to hear your politeness.”

“Then what is it for?”

She remained silent for a long time before looking at the ward door and saying softly, “Because I don’t want to be one step too late again.”

My fingers tightened for a moment.

She acted as if nothing had happened, standing up to hand me the insulated bag.

“Eat while it’s hot. The rehabilitation doctor is coming tomorrow; don’t be late.”

With that, she left.

I sat there, clutching the scorching hot bag in my hands, unable to let go for a long time.