Chapter 20: Don't Go, I'm Afraid

“Are you joking with me?”

“I swear to God, not a single word is false.”

The woman raised her index and middle fingers, her gaze unwavering as she stared at Fu Yuan. Fu Yuan’s expression darkened and became unreadable; it was impossible to tell if she believed her.

“...You should take a rest. I’m going to the restroom,” Fu Yuan said coolly, though inside her mind was already a raging storm. A terrifying thought grew wildly like weeds, instantly filling her mind and throwing her thoughts into disarray, leaving her no energy to think clearly.

The woman looked suspicious. “You’re not planning to run away, are you?”

“Don’t tell me you actually want me to pay for you?” Fu Yuan said helplessly, emphasizing once again, “Let me make this clear: if you want me to help with anything else, I might, but I really don’t have any money.”

“I have money.” The woman’s lips curved slightly into a faint smile as she lifted her left hand still hooked up to an IV drip. “I’m a bit desperate to go to the restroom too. Would you mind taking me with you?”

Seeing Fu Yuan’s reluctance, the woman added two words: “Extra pay.”

Sometimes money isn’t everything, but often, troubles arise simply because there isn’t enough of it.

As soon as the words fell,

“Alright,” Fu Yuan replied, standing up to carry the IV bag for her. After inquiring at the front desk about the restroom’s location, she supported the woman with one hand as they headed there.

The restroom door was wide open to reveal a long, narrow rectangular mirror. Below it were six sinks for adults and one shorter one.

Only after entering did the gender-separated stalls appear.

Since both were women, there was no awkwardness.

At the inner doorway, Fu Yuan noticed a cleaning lady gathering supplies and stepping out, carrying some folded white towels and toiletries.

Fu Yuan stepped aside with the woman, giving way to the cleaner, then went inside.

“What’s going on?” the woman asked, puzzled.

Fu Yuan didn’t respond, the restroom smelled unpleasant. “Pick any stall you want. I’ll wait outside.”

“Okay,” the woman handed Fu Yuan her Hermès bag and entered the second stall marked as vacant. The IV tube stretched past the white door into the stall, shaking slightly with her movements.

Having sharp hearing isn’t always a blessing.

Fu Yuan felt awkward and took out her phone to scroll through it.

“There’s no paper inside. Can you help me get some from your bag?” the woman’s voice came from inside, much stronger than when they met in the car.

“Sure,” Fu Yuan answered, opening the bag to search. Inside, besides the small pack of napkins she had given her earlier in the car, there was a half-used pack of tissues about palm-sized, roughly eighty sheets, scented with floral perfume.

Fu Yuan muttered inwardly: she has tissues in her bag but still wants mine.

She passed the larger pack over the door and said, “I need to carry the IV bag for you. You take it yourself.”

After a while, the sound of flushing echoed.

The woman came out, took back her Hermès bag from Fu Yuan, returned the small pack of tissues, smiled weakly, and whispered, “It smells quite nice.”

Fu Yuan looked at her with suspicion—could the poison have distorted her sense of smell?

She put the tissues back into the woman’s bag, helped her out of the restroom, and awkwardly forced out, “Remember to transfer the money.”

The woman seemed taken aback by such bluntness but responded cheerfully, “Alipay. I’ll send it to you right now.”

Five thousand yuan was deposited.

The woman handed her the bill and said, “Please pay this for me too. If it’s less, ask me for the remainder; if it’s more, consider it your errand fee.”

Fu Yuan asked, “What if the payment office asks about your social security?”

The woman smiled bitterly, “No job, no social security.”

Judging by how generous she sounded, Fu Yuan paid the fees and found that just the cost was 4,800 yuan, not including subsequent medication.

Having paid, the woman quickly had a CT scan and was transferred to nephrology on the fifth floor, which was above only the rheumatology and immunology department, a quieter area.

Perhaps due to her poor condition, Fu Yuan went outside for some fresh air; when she returned, the woman had fallen asleep again.

The doctor approached Fu Yuan with a serious face: “Your sister is currently in the early to mid-stage of poisoning. The treatment was timely, and the kidney damage isn’t severe. She’ll need about three weeks of hospitalization for her kidney function to gradually recover.”

Fu Yuan glanced at the woman, who might have been pretending to sleep, and nodded helplessly. “Alright, thank you, doctor.”

Seeing that Fu Yuan was receptive, the doctor began explaining dietary advice: “She may have poor appetite during this period, but you should encourage her to eat something. She can have some liquid or semi-liquid foods, like rice water, noodles, yogurt. For fruit, choose low-potassium options such as pears, apples, and watermelon.”

“Avoid high-salt, high-protein, greasy, spicy, and high-potassium foods, such as bananas and limit oranges.”

“Okay, thank you, doctor,” Fu Yuan repeated, at a loss for words.

The doctor nodded and added, “Nurses will come regularly to change the IV bags. The daily injection list is attached on top. Nurses will check off what has been administered. Keep an eye on it. If you have any questions, you can ask the front desk; there’s always staff on duty.”

After the doctor left, Fu Yuan glanced at the time. It was past the usual dinner hour.

“Do you want to eat something?” Fu Yuan felt it was rude to just leave and asked.

The woman turned over, her lips pale again. “No appetite. Don’t want to eat.”

Fu Yuan thought this woman was truly contradictory—on one hand, careless with herself and afraid to die; on the other, seemingly caring about herself but stubborn at times.

Fu Yuan said, “The doctor said you need to eat something. I’ll order some plain noodle soup for you. You still owe me fifty.”

The woman replied, “Then why are you asking me?”

Fu Yuan smiled as she ordered and said, “Because you have to pay.”

The woman said nothing. Fu Yuan picked a well-reviewed shop with mostly five-star ratings and ordered plain noodle soup, telling the owner to add two extra lettuce leaves, no chili, and less oil.

When the delivery man arrived at the ward,

The woman checked the bag and found only one order. “Why only one?”

Fu Yuan justifiably said, “I have things to do. I’m not your nanny, and I have to go back.”

The woman covered her mouth and coughed a few times. “Are you planning to run away?”

Since the woman kept bringing up running away, Fu Yuan didn’t answer directly because she did indeed plan to take the company shuttle back tomorrow.

Fu Yuan reassured her, “I’ll come see you tomorrow morning.”

The woman’s expression darkened. “So you’re leaving tomorrow afternoon?”

Fu Yuan looked at her, pursed her lips, and said, “We’ll see tomorrow.”

She paused, then asked, “You suspect your… husband’s son wants to kill you?”

The woman had refused to contact any family members. Even though she had traveled with others, she came to the hospital alone on the bus—clearly, there was someone she feared.

The woman neither nodded nor shook her head, sighing softly. “I don’t know… I contacted my parents and elder brother, but they’re out of province. The earliest they can arrive is tomorrow afternoon.”

At this, a pleading look appeared on her face. “Can you really stay with me tonight?”

Fu Yuan rubbed her forehead. “You have to give me a reason.”

Seeing the confusion and helplessness on the woman’s face, she explained, “I don’t have a place to stay in this hospital. I can only stay by your bedside. Plus, I’m a bit obsessive about cleanliness. I don’t like sharing a bed with someone.”

The woman’s voice quivered slightly, almost tearful: “But I feel like someone is watching me. I’m scared…”

Fu Yuan looked carefully around the ward but saw no suspicious figures. She checked outside as well—just doctors, patients, and their families moving about.

After several glances, she returned to the woman’s side and gently smoothed her hair. “Maybe it’s just your imagination. Don’t think too much. Get some rest.”

Exiting the ward and leaving the hospital, Fu Yuan glanced back once more and then dialed 110.

“Hello, is this the police?”