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After returning from the Olympiad, Zhu Hui felt accomplished, having brought home a gold medal for her school. As the school celebrated her achievement with great fanfare, an unexpected event occurred. Her homeroom teacher, Yu Hong, informed her that Liao Chengwei had recently been diagnosed with leukemia. Due to financial constraints, his mother was planning to force him to leave the hospital. Yu Hong shared this news with Zhu Hui in hopes that she would initiate a large-scale fundraising campaign called "Caring for Life" throughout the school, aiming to help Liao Chengwei continue his treatment and alleviate his mother's urgent situation.
The fundraising event lasted five days but yielded disappointing results. In total, only a little over ten thousand yuan was raised. It seemed that Liao Chengwei's reputation at school warranted some serious reflection. Zhu Hui felt guilty because, as the president of the student council, she had not set a good example during the fundraising campaign and had only donated fifty yuan. Her classmates whispered behind her back, criticizing her for being narrow-minded and suggesting that her meager donation was merely a facade. In truth, those who spoke ill of her misunderstood her; although she worked part-time at KFC every week, the income was limited. Moreover, her frugal grandmother often took advantage of her earnings. Managing to scrape together fifty yuan to donate was already quite an achievement.
After finishing classes on Sunday morning, several key members of the student council gathered together to visit Liao Chengwei at Tongji Hospital and deliver the donations they had collected over the past few days to his mother.
Inside Tongji Hospital, perhaps due to it being Sunday, the place was crowded with visitors and patients alike. The lobby on the first floor was chaotic, filled with the distinct smell of disinfectant typical of hospitals. Young and attractive nurses hurried through various departments, administering injections and conducting examinations.
As they approached the inpatient department, a security guard stopped them at the door, informing them that visiting hours had not yet begun and that outsiders were not allowed inside for now. Consequently, they had no choice but to wait outside until the doors opened. Wang Yuhan stood apart from them, silently lingering at the entrance of the inpatient department with a forlorn expression, as if lost in thought or mourning something.
"Wang Yuhan, what's wrong?" Zhu Hui asked as she walked over curiously.
"Nothing," Wang Yuhan replied abruptly as he snapped back to reality. He turned his head slightly and offered her a faint smile before suddenly asking, "What do you think of this hospital?"
"Not bad! The environment is beautiful; it's no wonder it's a nationally renowned hospital," Zhu Hui assessed the surroundings with an evaluative eye.
"Unfortunately, no matter how beautiful the environment is, it cannot conceal the ugliness of human nature," Wang Yuhan said with a sorrowful smile towards the door inside and sighed heavily.
"The ugliness of human nature? What do you mean?" Zhu Hui asked in confusion.
"I once vowed never to return here again, but unexpectedly, just a year later, I've quickly broken my promise and found myself back in this familiar place."
Zhu Hui gazed deeply at him, even more puzzled than before.
"Wang Yuhan gazed intently inside, filled with deep emotion. 'Last year, my father lost his life because he couldn't get admitted here.'
'It's probably due to financial reasons that your father couldn't "squeeze" in, right?' Zhu Hui furrowed her brow and sighed deeply.
Wang Yuhan offered her a faint smile and nodded, as if he had long since come to terms with his father's death.
'Did your father not have health insurance at that time?' Zhu Hui suddenly thought of something and asked in confusion.
'Health insurance—' Wang Yuhan scoffed, a hint of disdain in his eyes. 'Do you think it's as simple as taking some cheap domestic medicine for a headache? In this elite hospital, they don't accept health insurance, just like how the wealthy don't consider the poor as human.'
Zhu Hui felt a wave of disappointment wash over her, leaving her at a loss for words.
At that moment, the main door swung open. The people who had been waiting outside rushed in all at once. But for some reason, Wang Yuhan suddenly felt reluctant to go in and visit Liao Chengwei.
'Since we’re here, why do you want to leave now?'
Hanyu hesitated for a moment before giving her a faint smile. 'After thinking it over, I still feel that I’m not as magnanimous as you. I can’t just overlook past grievances to visit my enemy.'
'What enemy? Is it really that serious?' Zhu Hui shot him a teasing glance, a smirk forming on her lips. She sighed, 'It seems you're still hung up on what happened last time.'
'Yes! That's why I could never bring myself to utter those nauseating words of blessing to him.'"
“Since that's the case, I won't force you,” Zhu Hui said, pouting slightly. After taking a deep breath and contemplating for a moment, she candidly admitted, “Actually, I'm not as magnanimous as you might think. If I weren't the president of the student council, I probably wouldn't have come to see him today.”
“It seems we're quite alike in that regard; neither of us is willing to give in!” Wang Yuhan smiled at her and then reminded her, “When you see Liao Chengwei, you’d better be mentally prepared. That guy can be quite sharp-tongued; he’s likely to insult you and speak harshly.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve already prepared myself mentally.”
Wang Yuhan nodded at her before turning to leave.
Zhu Hui kept her head down, trailing at the back of the crowd. A sense of inexplicable anxiety filled her, making her uneasy as she wondered how Liao Chengwei would react upon seeing her. What if he really did kick her out?
The closer she got to Liao Chengwei's hospital room, the heavier her breathing and footsteps became. When she finally reached the door of his room and he was just within reach, her resolve completely crumbled. She couldn’t help but start regretting not leaving with Wang Yuhan earlier. It was just a few spiteful words from him; why risk her well-being by approaching him? Just as she was about to turn back and leave, Jiang Xi suddenly ran in front of her and grabbed her arm. As the president of the student council and Liao Chengwei's class monitor, it was only right that she should be the first to face his unpleasant demeanor.
Liao Chengwei shared a room with another patient. Although the room wasn’t large, it was clean. Due to its higher floor location, the light inside was relatively good; a beam of sunlight streamed in, brightening the entire space. Liao Chengwei lay on the bed with an IV drip in his arm. He looked quite lethargic, his body swollen and his complexion pale. His lips were chapped and peeling, lying there without any sign of vitality—soft and lifeless like a banana left uneaten for too long.
After they entered, the group greeted Liao Chengwei actively. He weakly lifted his head to glance at them but said nothing; his face bore no expression as he lowered his head again, cold and indifferent like a spring breeze in February that shattered their warmth and enthusiasm.
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