Chapter 36 - 2#

She paused, looking at me.

I grabbed her arm in frustration, gritting my teeth as I yelled, “Do you even know what you’re doing?! I don’t care what you’re thinking right now—just come with me first!”

Li Ling flinched violently, shaking her head repeatedly.

“No… no… you can’t touch me—”

I took a deep breath, making a move to grab her bleeding hand, but she pulled away, covering her face with her hands and sobbing in broken bursts—

“Qiri… you can’t touch me…”

“You can’t touch me…”

She looked up, as if resigning herself, and shouted at me—

“I have AIDS! I have AIDS—!”

The hospital air was cold. I lowered my head to peel an apple while Li Ling sat on the bed.

I handed her the peeled apple, and she took it with both hands. I had shaped the peel into a rabbit figure. Li Ling looked down, then up at me with a smile. “So cute, I can’t bear to eat it.”

I patted her head. “Don’t worry. If you like it, I’ll peel another one for you.”

Li Ling nodded and took a bite.

After a while, she said, “Is the hospital stay expensive? Last time, the doctor told me… buying medicine isn’t cheap…”

I looked at her and said softly, “Don’t worry about it.”

She shook her head. “I miss my little brother and sister…”

“Once these few days of observation are over, you can be discharged.” I reached out to smooth down a strand of hair that had curled up, and said gently, “How about this: I’ll go see them for you later, okay?”

She tilted her head, leaning on my shoulder.

Her hand was a little cold.

“Early treatment…” she said. “Early treatment… I really can live a long, long time?”

I nodded.

“Didn’t the doctor say that with good treatment, you can live another thirty years?”

Li Ling pursed her lips, her eyes reddening, and whispered, “Qiri… I still won’t get treatment. Long-term treatment is too expensive… and I don’t really feel that uncomfortable…”

“Nonsense,” I said. “I’ll figure something out for you. Don’t be afraid.”

“You can live a normal life with this disease—it’s not much different from ordinary people. It’s not that scary. And if anything happens, I’ll be here with you, right…?”

She murmured “Mm,” tears falling onto my shoulder.

In the afternoon, I went to Li Ling’s stepfather’s house. She didn’t live with her stepfather; I heard their relationship wasn’t good. Her stepfather had a drinking problem and was prone to violence. For now, she couldn’t afford to take her younger siblings out to live with her, so she could only sneak back to see them when her stepfather wasn’t around, handing over money for them to keep safe.

I took out the money I’d saved over the past few months—originally meant to pay back the Ren family, but now there was no other choice. This amount would cover medicine and treatment for now, but it wouldn’t be enough in the long run, especially with Li Ling’s family burden. Plus, I’d just learned she had dropped out of school a while ago.

I arrived at the old apartment and knocked on the door. After a long wait, someone finally answered. It was a boy with slightly curly hair and the cute face of a mixed-race child. I bent down, looked at him, and took a candy from my pocket. He looked at me warily, so I smiled, pulled out my phone, and played a recording Li Ling had made.

As soon as the boy heard his sister’s voice, his eyes lit up. He shouted into the house, “Alice, it’s big sister’s boyfriend—!”

I asked Catherine for an advance on my salary and told her I was willing to become Du Yijie’s legal advisor. Catherine looked at me in surprise and asked, “Ren, are you having financial difficulties?”

I smiled. That was indeed the truth.

That afternoon, I left work early and was heading to the hospital to pick up Li Ling for discharge when I ran into an acquaintance at the hospital counter.

Zhang Ting stood with his hands behind his back. When he turned and saw me, a smile spread across his face as he walked over.

“Young master, how have you been? Oh—why do you look paler and paler?”

I was a bit startled to see him. “Brother Zhang…? Why are you here? Is it…?”

Had something happened to Third Master Ren?

Zhang Ting waved his hand, as if reading my mind, and smiled. “Third Master is fine, nothing’s wrong. Look how pale you got, young master! I can see you really do care about him.”

“Uh… oh.” I forced a smile. “If there’s nothing else, we can talk later.”

I was about to walk past him when Zhang Ting suddenly reached out to stop me. “Young master, wait.”

I looked at him.

Zhang Ting took off his sunglasses, sighed, then lifted his head with a smile again. “I’m actually here to… find you—”

“What… for?”

Zhang Ting blew on his sunglasses, a glint in his eyes.

“Naturally, on behalf of Third Master, to express his concern for you.”

I frowned and tried to walk away.

“Hey, why are young people always in such a hurry!” Zhang Ting grabbed my arm. “I already paid the hospital fees and all that.”

I stopped.

Zhang Ting went on, “The reason I came today is to tell you, young master, not to worry about your friend’s medical expenses. Third Master has it all taken care of.”

He scratched his head, grinning. “And the people… I’ve already sent them back home. You—relax.” He patted my shoulder.

My eyes widened.

Zhang Ting shrugged, made a “please” gesture, and said, “So, young master, you’re free of worries now. Just come with me and have a meal with Third Master at the restaurant.”

“Young master…”

“Surely you can spare the face for a simple meal together, right?”

“Oh, young master, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Third Master helped you, so you should show a little gratitude, shouldn’t you?”

“Poor Third Master—when he woke up that day, he searched the whole house for you. But you left without a word, didn’t even call to check on him. He’s been thinking about you—”

My face flushed red as I stared back at him, a suffocating anger lodged in my chest, unsure how to vent it.

After a long moment, I finally forced out through clenched teeth, “I’ll go—I’ll go.”

If I’d been annoyed at first, by the time I followed Zhang Ting into the restaurant’s private room, I was left with nothing but helplessness.

Clearly, this was Zhang Ting acting on his own again.

I remembered that Third Master Ren had a very light palate—like someone who’d been bedridden for a long time, eating plain rice porridge and vegetables, his fragile stomach unable to digest even a hint of greasy meat. Back when I could eat at the same table as him, our food had to be carefully separated, and out of respect, there was usually no fish or meat on the table.

So in those early years, during holidays, the Ren family ate the plainest of meals—so plain you could almost taste nothing.

But I’ve always preferred stronger flavors: sweeter, spicier, even a bit bitter was fine—just not bland.

To be honest, I never liked eating at the same table as Third Master Ren.

Not just because of his taste, but the atmosphere.

Third Master Ren was the type to eat small portions frequently, even a bowl of porridge could take him a while, and he usually seemed to have little appetite—just eating enough to fill his stomach out of obligation.

During the year when Third Master Ren and I were on good terms, I once enthusiastically decided to reform his monk-like palate and brought lots of Fang-sao’s specialties to visit him—but then something happened that scared me off.

Third Master Ren had just one small bowl of rich ginseng chicken soup, and that very night, Xu Qinghong called the main house in a panic, saying something terrible had happened.

By the time I rushed to the suburban mansion, I saw Third Master Ren sitting pale-faced in the armchair in his room, his back cushioned with thick soft pillows. The doctor had just left, and the nurse’s silver tray held cotton balls stained with a bit of blood—my heart chilled layer by layer.

When Third Master Ren saw me, he tried to straighten up from his slouched position, looking unwell, but seemed to want to hide it by covering his nose with his hand. Instead, Xu Qinghong yelled at me, ‘President! Third Master drank your soup and got so overheated his nose bled!’

That’s when I understood: Third Master Ren was like a porcelain figure—you had to treat him carefully and couldn’t just feed him anything.

So when I walked into the private room this time, I instinctively lowered my eyes. A few dishes were laid out on the table—all vegetarian, and judging by their pale colors, utterly bland. Before the fear of Third Master Ren could even rise, the sight of that table already stirred a sense of dread.

“Third Master, look who’s here!” Zhang Ting rubbed his hands together as if flattering.

The image reminded me of a strange scene—like an old-time lord dining in a restaurant with tea and wine, accompanied by beautiful women to keep him company.

Downright creepy.

“Hey, Third Master, I told you the young master is a loyal and grateful person. See? As soon as he heard you helped his good friend, he came to thank you himself!”

“Young master, why are you standing so far away, acting shy? Uncle and nephew—what can’t you talk about? Come, come.”

Zhang Ting yanked me forward a few steps. When I looked up and met Third Master Ren’s faintly smiling face, I was momentarily… dazed.

Third Master Ren waved his hand, and the waiters on either side brought another chair over. It seemed to be a regular place.

“Ah, why put it so far away? Go, go—don’t you know how to do things?” Seeing the chair placed across the table, Zhang Ting slipped a tip into the waiter’s hand, pulled the chair over himself, and set it right next to Third Master Ren’s seat. Then he looked up and smiled, beckoning to me. “Sit closer so it’s easier to talk. Third Master’s voice isn’t good—if you’re too far, he’ll be out of breath just saying two words—Bah, bah, bah, what nonsense am I talking?”

Zhang Ting was a rough man, but terribly enthusiastic. He pushed me into the chair, and I caught the scent of sandalwood mixed with something like medicine—a bit pungent.

When Zhang Ting was done fussing, he backed out of the room, grinning, and closed the door.

Third Master Ren glanced at me, his eyes seeming to habitually lower. A waiter brought me an extra set of bowls and chopsticks and ladled out a small bowl of hot porridge—very attentive service. It wasn’t easy to find authentic Chinese food here, and this table was all light fare, but I already felt full.

But I hadn’t really come to eat.

“Qiri.” He looked at me. Was it because his injury had just healed that speaking seemed a bit difficult? “Not to your taste…?”

Before I could answer, Third Master Ren had already put down his chopsticks. He turned his head and quietly said something to the approaching waiter, who nodded and signaled the others to clear the table.

“Hey,” I called out. The room was spacious enough that speaking loudly produced an echo.

“No need to change the dishes. This is fine.” I forced a smile, pretending to sit up naturally, and said, “Your injury just healed, Uncle.

“Eating light… is better, right?”

Third Master Ren said nothing, silently ordering a new table of dishes. The silence made the atmosphere a bit tense. I unconsciously rubbed my palms together when I suddenly heard him speak again: “Qiri, how have you been…?”

Before I could respond, he added, “If you need anything, remember to tell… your uncle.” His cold hand touched mine beneath the table, then gently squeezed, like an elder encouraging a younger one. The dishes came quickly, and he let go just as gently. I hadn’t felt the slightest weight—only the lingering cold on my palm was real.

The dishes on the table were fairly agreeable, but Third Master Ren switched to a bowl of multigrain porridge, with several different fruits laid out before him. He hadn’t aged much over the years—aside from a few silver strands, his face bore few wrinkles. I supposed it had to do with his eating habits. Third Master Ren’s focus on health wasn’t new; it had been the same in the previous life.

“Is it okay?”

He asked suddenly. I had been burying my head in my food. After a pause, I realized what he meant and quickly nodded. “Okay, okay. Very good, very good…”

Third Master Ren reached out with his chopsticks to pick up some beef. His way of holding chopsticks was elegant. He placed it on my small plate, his tone sounding somewhat pleased.

“Eat more.”

I nodded repeatedly.

“Your uncle doesn’t know… what you like now,” he said. “As long as you’re happy.”

My mouth was greasy, and I didn’t lift my head, swallowing as I said, “You eat too, you eat too…”

My tongue felt numb—I couldn’t taste anything, and I could barely digest it.

Honestly, I was still afraid of him. Whenever he got close, I felt completely off. But after all these years, the fear had its limits. Before, I hadn’t been mentally prepared, and he’d scared me a few times, but with each scare, I built up a bit more resistance.

The meal passed peacefully enough, though Third Master Ren barely touched his food, only eating half a small bowl of porridge. He sat with his hands folded, having said a word or two earlier, but now the silence was chilling.

In the past, when I was with him, I could tirelessly find topics to chat about, from heaven to earth. Now, I couldn’t anymore.

After the meal wound down, Third Master Ren finally spoke again.

“Qiri, go back and visit when you have time.”

I swallowed a mouthful of ice water, my stomach freezing over.

He said softly, “Your uncle… won’t force you. It’s fine if you go back occasionally, when you have time…”

“Even once every year or two is okay.”

He looked at me, his tone slowing, almost pleading.

“Otherwise, your uncle will come see you. Old He and Fang-sao also…”

I looked up in alarm and blurted out, “Don’t use them.”

He paused.

His face slowly turned pale.

I realized I’d said the wrong thing. After a silence, I took an envelope from my pocket—a thin stack, originally meant to pay for the hospital observation fees.

I pushed the envelope toward him, head lowered, and said, “Thank you for your help.”

“This money, I’ll send it back slowly, like before.”

His lips moved. I pressed my lips together and steeled myself. “And… don’t send me money anymore. I won’t accept it.”

“I’m earning my own living now, and I’m doing fine…”

“My life isn’t as hard as you think. Sure, it’s tougher than before, but that doesn’t mean I need fine clothes and good food to get by.”

He looked at me, seemingly unable to say a word, a hint of panic in his expression.

I hesitated, stood up from my seat, turned my head to take a breath, and said to him, “Thank you for today’s hospitality.”