Chapter 46

Holding the bottle of medicinal pills in his hand, Xu Yan thought long and hard and decided to take a look first. If it wasn't an absolute last resort, he would rather not take out this pill. This medicine was truly terrifying; swallowing it would likely result in either immediate ascension to immortality or bleeding from the seven orifices and death.

According to Zhu Youxiang, the best time to take the medicine was during the morning hour of Chen (7:00 to 9:00 AM). At that time, the sun rises, and the air is full of vitality, with all things flourishing. The patient's vitality is also at its peak, and taking the medicine then can achieve the best effect in expelling evil qi, making the process more efficient.

Since the hour of Chen had already passed that day, Xu Yan didn't go to the hospital in the afternoon. Instead, he stayed at home to carefully study the two books Zhu Youxiang had given him, reading and memorizing them. Whenever he encountered classical Chinese he didn't understand, he often went to the living room to ask Zhu Youxiang for help. In response, Zhu Youxiang, with an air of seniority, praised him: "Young Master Xu, you are a promising student! Knowing what you know and admitting what you don't know, and humbly seeking guidance, this is the way of learning and cultivation! Young Master Xu, the path of learning is long and arduous!"

Looking at Zhu Youxiang, who was basking in her own self-satisfaction, Xu Yan inwardly sneered: What a load of nonsense! It's probably just you, this little brat, being scolded too much by your master and teachers at the academy, now coming here to make things difficult for me and satisfy your desire to lecture!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Xu Yan got up early. He first called his fat friend Liu Yang to ask him to help him take a leave of absence from his professional class. However, Liu Yang was hesitant and refused to agree, insisting that Xu Yan confess what he had done with the pretty girls the day before.

"Comrade Xu Yan, you neglect your studies and spend your days playing around with numerous beauties outside the campus. This is a very dangerous trend! You are indulging in women and are on the verge of self-destruction and alienation from the people! How can you face your hardworking parents, your dedicated teachers, and your country, which has high hopes for you?!"

"If all the students in our school were like you, not studying diligently and only thinking about hooking up with girls, who would build the four modernizations? Would our country and nation have any hope?"

On the phone, the fat man sternly said, "Xu Yan, I, the righteous fat man, have reached my limit. I will not help you continue to skip classes! This not only goes against my principles and morals but is also highly irresponsible to you. As a sincere friend, I must earnestly advise you with four words!"

"Which four words? Is it 'rein in at the brink'?"

"Please take me with you! Brother Yan, the two girls you met yesterday, Gong Xueting and Chen Yaoyu, are famous beauties in the International Trade Department, especially Chen Yaoyu, who is known as the Ice Beauty! You must be really capable to hook up with them. Brother, it's not good to keep all the fun to yourself. Sharing is caring!"

In the end, Xu Yan had to agree to the fat man's condition, promising to introduce him to the beauties from the International Trade Department. Only then did the fat man agree to help Xu Yan take a leave of absence: "Alright, I'll help you take a leave. You can go with peace of mind."

"Go to hell, you fat bastard!! You're the one who should go with peace of mind!"

After a round of verbal sparring with the fat man, Xu Yan left home and headed straight for the First People's Hospital. Upon arriving at the hospital, he rushed to the ward and pushed the door open, immediately seeing Gong Xueting.

Gong Xueting was sitting on a chair by the bed, wearing a thick coat, her face weary and exhausted. However, her gaze remained fixed on her father, who was lying on the bed. Hearing Xu Yan enter, she turned her head, her eyes brightening, and nodded, saying, "Classmate Xu Yan, you're here." Her voice was a bit hoarse, her eyes red and bloodshot.

Xu Yan frowned: "Xueting, did you stay up all night? It's not good for your health."

"Ah, it's fine... I couldn't sleep." Gong Xueting stood up and welcomed Xu Yan in: "Classmate Xu Yan, please sit down."

Xu Yan sat down on the chair by the bed and leaned over to look at Gong Xueting's father, noticing that the blackness on his face had deepened.

"Xueting, has your father's condition improved at all? What did the doctors say?"

Gong Xueting shook her head wearily, her expression dazed: "When you and the others came yesterday, Dad did improve a bit. But after you left, by the afternoon, his condition worsened again, and his heartbeat and breathing gradually weakened. The hospital's president personally led a team of experts to examine him, but they couldn't find the cause—neither the cause of his illness nor the reason for his improvement. Some experts said that yesterday's improvement was—"

Gong Xueting paused, unable to say the words "a last flicker of life," and could only shake her head: "Anyway, the situation is not good."

"Ah, so you've been with your father the whole time? You must be exhausted. Don't you have any other family members? It would be better to have someone take turns to look after him."

Gong Xueting smiled bitterly and shook her head: "My mother passed away, and... there really is no one else in my family. The relatives haven't been in touch for years. It's fine, I'm still young and can handle it."

Xu Yan looked at her with sympathy: This young and beautiful girl had a strong heart.

"Classmate Xueting, here, take this."

Gong Xueting took the black plastic bag Xu Yan handed her and asked suspiciously, "This... What is this?" She opened it and saw a bundle of red bills inside, her hand jerking as if burned, and she quickly tried to return the bag to Xu Yan: "Classmate Xu Yan, what do you mean by this?"

Xu Yan put his hands behind his back, refusing to take the money bag. He said, "Classmate Xueting, don't be in a hurry, let me explain: This isn't my money. The news of your family's illness reached the school, and the Student Union organized a donation for you. They asked me to bring it to you."

"This... So much money? How much did everyone donate in total?"

"Yes, Classmate Xueting, you have good relationships with everyone, and they were all very enthusiastic and willing to donate. In total, they donated 50,000 yuan. Please count it and write a receipt for me to take back to the Student Union as proof."

Chen Yaoyu had donated 30,000 yuan through Xu Yan, and Xu Yan himself had contributed 20,000 yuan, making a total of 50,000 yuan.

Gong Xueting, holding the money, asked suspiciously, "Student Union? Which Student Union, the one in our International Trade Department, the Economics College, or Sichuan University?"

"This... It's the Student Union of the International Trade Department!"

"But Classmate Xu Yan, I remember you are from the Economics and Management Department, not the International Trade Department. How could the Student Union of the International Trade Department entrust an outsider like you to bring such a large sum of money?"

Xu Yan stammered for a moment and then changed his story: "I was mistaken. It's the Student Union of the Economics College. Both the Economics and Management Department and the International Trade Department are part of the Economics College, so we are the same Student Union!"

Gong Xueting smiled slyly: "Then, who is the president of the Economics College Student Union? I want to thank him properly."

Xu Yan was speechless—no wonder many people say that lying is more tiring than telling the truth, especially when dealing with intelligent and meticulous girls. After stammering for a while, he finally said, "Uh, I forgot... I'll ask and tell you later!"

Gong Xueting sighed lightly. She could guess that this money was not from the Student Union. In fact, yesterday afternoon, the Student Union of the International Trade Department and several teachers had already visited her at the hospital and brought a donation of 3,300 yuan. According to the usual practice, once a department had organized a donation, the college would not do it again.

Moreover, the amount of this donation was so neat—exactly 50,000 yuan, all in neat bundles of new banknotes, clearly taken from the bank, unlike the scattered donations.

Gong Xueting knew that this Xu Yan classmate must have wanted to help her and had taken the money from his family, pretending it was from the Student Union to avoid making her feel uncomfortable. From the way Xu Yan bought clothes yesterday, she could tell that his family was relatively well-off.

Xu Yan was indeed thoughtful. He not only did a good deed but also considered her feelings and tried to avoid making her feel embarrassed. This level of consideration was truly rare and precious.

At this moment, Gong Xueting felt a deep sense of gratitude towards Xu Yan. This money was truly a timely help—this morning, the hospital had already notified her that the deposit was used up and asked her to pay more. She was worried about this, and now she slowly lowered her hand, gripping the money bag tightly, and said softly, "Thank you, Classmate Xu Yan... No matter where this money comes from, in my current situation, I can't refuse it... In any case, no matter whose money it is, I will find a way to repay it in the future. Thank you, Classmate Xu Yan."

Seeing that Gong Xueting was willing to accept the money, Xu Yan breathed a sigh of relief. He was a bit afraid that this stubborn girl would refuse out of pride. He smiled and said, "No, this is the donation from the Student Union. You don't need to thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank the Student Union."

Gong Xueting shook her head and smiled, "I know what's going on..."

Because Xu Yan had brought 50,000 yuan, solving one of her major concerns, Gong Xueting's mood improved significantly. However, since it was a ward, keeping so much money was not safe. Xu Yan suggested to Gong Xueting, "Xueting, there's a bank branch next to the waiting room on the first floor. You should go there and deposit the money first, then buy some breakfast at the hospital convenience store. You should rest a bit..."

"But what about my father..."

"Your uncle, I'll watch over him. I'll keep an eye on the machines and the IV bottles. If anything goes wrong, I'll call you or get a doctor. Don't worry, it won't take long."