"Sis."
Upon hearing the sound at the door, the delicate-featured youth in the sickroom, his puppy-dog eyes that had been slightly drooping, suddenly brightened. He got up to greet her, happily pressing himself lightly against the glass that separated them.
"You finally came to see me, I've missed you so much."
The youth before her had become very thin due to years of suffering from illness. His small form leaning against the glass made Shen Yanhe's eyes brim with sourness.
She walked a few steps toward him with a tender gaze, stretched out her hand to the glass, and gently caressed his face through it, her voice soft.
"Sis has missed you too."
Shen Yanhe's face wore a gentle smile as she spoke in a soft and warm voice, "Has Ah Huai been obediently following the doctor's orders lately? Are you still feeling unwell?"
Shen Huai was suffering from a severe combined immunodeficiency, commonly understood as having absolutely no immunity. A single germ could be fatal to him.
Due to the complexity and difficulty of curing his disease, he had to stay in a specially made germ-free glass room until a complete cure was found.
Since falling ill at the age of eight, Shen Huai had been living in this special glass room for five years.
"I have been listening to the doctor, and I'm not feeling unwell anymore. How have you been lately, sis?"
Shen Huai leaned affectionately against the glass, rubbing Shen Yanhe's hand as if he could feel his sister's warmth, softly chatting about family matters.
After talking with her for a while, Shen Huai hesitantly looked at her and asked, "Sis, I heard from Aunt San that you got married. My brother-in-law, is he... good to you?"
Shen Yanhe's hand clenched slightly, her body tensed for a moment, then relaxed again, "Don't worry, your brother-in-law is very good to me, almost indulgent."
"He knows you're in the hospital too. He's just been busy these past two days and didn't have time to come with me to see you. When he gets a chance, I'll bring him to visit you, is that okay?"
Shen Yanhe's face held a tender smile, but her eyes were ice cold.
She had not wanted Shen Huai to know about Fu Yanhe's existence.
She also didn't want him to be worried about these things.
In her heart, all her brother needed to be was happy and cheerful.
But she hadn't expected...
Aunt San would come and tell Shen Huai about this.
What was her purpose?
Was it to use Shen Huai to control her?
Shen Yanhe's thoughts fluttered in her mind, feeling exceptionally relieved about the deal she had made with Fu Yanhe the night before.
With Fu Yanhe's protection, Shen Huai's safety was assured.
Shen Huai nodded happily, but his delicate pale face showed a hint of regret: "It's a pity, other brothers can see their sisters married off, but I..."
"By the way, sis, does your husband know about my situation? The medical expenses..." Shen Huai's hand on the glass unconsciously curled up, a sense of unease in his heart.
He had been only eight years old when he moved into the hospital. Growing up alone there, he might have been naïve about the ways of the world, but he understood he had been a burden to his sister.
There had been doctors who discussed, with a tone of regret, saying: "Little He has such a brother, it'll be hard for her to find someone to marry! No man will want to marry a woman who also has to care for a brother with a serious illness."
Shen Huai looked at her with a touch of guilt: "I'm sorry sis, it's me who's been dragging you down."
"Otherwise... let's not treat it anymore, let's go home, and I'll have a meal with you, okay? It's been so long since I've eaten with you."
Shen Huai coaxed her, his eyes filled with expectation.
He wanted to have meals with his sister, to live together with her.
He did not want to become a burden to her.
Shen Yanhe felt a lump in her throat, as if she had swallowed a stone that was stuck there, causing her throat and heart to ache.
She forcefully swallowed the extreme sourness in her throat, blinked to hold back the rising tears, and scolded him gently with a feigned annoyance, "What nonsense are you talking?"
"You must get treated; I'm waiting for you to come out and help me look after the children! And about your brother-in-law, don't worry, if he dares to look down on you, I will divorce him on the spot."
Shen Huai, with his simple nature, was thoroughly intimidated by her words, scared that she might actually divorce his brother-in-law, and quickly promised, "Okay, okay, I will get well, don't be angry, sis."
Shen Yanhe chatted with him a bit more, and seeing him show some signs of fatigue, she bid him farewell and left to pay for Shen Huai's medical expenses.
After paying the medical expenses, Shen Yanhe instantly became penniless.
Penniless Shen Yanhe stood at the entrance of the hospital, looking at the 250 yuan balance on her phone, and muttered to herself with a worried frown, "The money is still not enough."
Shen Yanhe's delicate, fair hand tapped on the screen, and instantly, a vast ocean appeared, followed by the login page of a website.
Just as she was about to log in, a WeChat message with the avatar of a blond-haired, blue-eyed beauty abruptly popped up.
[Lina]: Dear, the appearance fee is 30K! After one fight, it's a cool one million! Take it or leave it?
Shen Yanhe decisively replied: Taken!
One million!
Only a fool would refuse!
However, she couldn't let the Fu Family driver who brought her to the hospital find out she was going to the underground boxing ring.
And she couldn't let Fu Yanhe know either.
If he found out that his newlywed wife was going to the underground boxing ring to fight, he might very well find it so appalling that he'd want to divorce her on the spot.
At that point, her plan to use him to get close to that person would fail.
Shen Yanhe's eyes darted around as she put away her phone and walked towards the car waiting for her outside the hospital.
Shen Yanhe got into the car and said to the Fu Family driver, "Drop me at the mall and you can go back. I'm going to buy Yanhe a gift."
The Fu Family driver was taken aback for a moment but then agreed.
Shen Yanhe took a ride in the Fu Family's car to the biggest mall in Haicheng.
Once inside the mall and out of the Fu Family driver's line of sight, she randomly entered a shop, spent two hundred yuan on a black casual suit, and changed into it in the restroom.
After changing into the suit and pulling a hat over her head, Shen Yanhe slipped out of the back door of the mall and took a taxi to MX underground boxing ring.
-
On the streets.
A silver-white Rolls-Royce was cruising steadily along when Fu Yanhe, sitting inside, asked San Fang in the passenger seat with a cold expression, "Has the young madam returned to the Fu Family?"
San Fang turned his head towards Fu Yanhe, his face wearing a simple smile, "Wu Fang said the young madam hasn't come back yet. She said she's going to the mall to buy you a gift!"
"Young Master, it seems the young madam really cares about you."
San Fang mused inwardly.
Ever since their young master's face had been disfigured, those women who used to be very attentive to the young master would run at the sight of him.
Even Xia Ran, the lady who had received much favor from their young master, had broken off their engagement with him.
He had thought the woman who married their young master this time would be like those women, unable to endure her fiancé's ugly appearance and leave.
But the young madam not only didn't leave, but she also grew increasingly intimate with their young master, and now she was even proactively buying gifts for him!
This was truly wonderful!
A flicker of surprise passed through Fu Yanhe's eyes, his eyebrows slightly raised as he let out a vaguely meaningful snort, "A gift?"
That little actress was actually going out of her way to buy him a gift.
Was it to thank him for leaving a driver for her this morning?
It seems she did have some conscience after all.
"Tell Yi Fang to move faster, compile Shen Huai's medical condition and send it to Dr. YM's email, continue the search for Dr. YM's whereabouts, and if she is found, at any cost, we must invite her back to the country and ask her to personally undertake the treatment," he instructed.
Fu Yanhe's mind inadvertently flashed with the crafty, fox-like expression Shen Yanhe had when they were making the deal. The hand resting on his knee gently tapped, and he added, "Have Liu Fang send some people to guard Shen Huai day and night, and it'd be best to replace the doctors with our own people."
This was the deal he had agreed upon with Shen Yanhe.
He would protect Shen Huai for her, and she would heal his face and legs.
San Fang nodded earnestly, "Yes, Young Master, I'll give the orders right away. Are we heading back to the Fu Family now?"
Fu Yanhe was about to speak when his phone, placed to one side, vibrated slightly.
He picked up the phone and unlocked the screen. When he saw the message from Yi Fang, his originally calm expression immediately turned chillingly cold, his knuckles on the gripping hand turning white from the force he was applying.
"No," he said.
"Turn around, to MX underground boxing ring."
"To apprehend someone."