Chapter 47: Taking Fang Ye's Money

After the nurse stepped out, the person on the hospital bed suddenly opened his eyes. New Year's Eve was moonless, illuminated only by the occasional sound-activated lights turning on in the quiet corridor.

Fang Ye quietly looked at the infusion tube on his wrist. A burning sensation slowly drifted up from his stomach, though it had eased considerably compared to before he had passed out.

A moment later.

He yanked out the intravenous needle and walked straight to the nurses' station.

The nurse looked quite surprised, pointing at his left hand and asking a series of questions, "You're awake? Weren't you still on the IV? Are you hungry? You can't eat anything just yet. By the way, what is your family's contact number? Let us help you contact someone to take care of you."

There was nothing in his stomach, yet he felt no hunger. He shook his head.

"How much is my medical bill?"

"An elderly sanitation worker brought you to the hospital yesterday and paid fifty yuan for your registration fee in advance. You still owe two thousand five hundred."

Fang Ye nodded. As he reached out to touch his phone, he remembered something, then raised his gaze to look at the nurse. "Excuse me, may I borrow your phone?"

In the corridor's dim light, the young nurse looked at the blue hospital gown he wore, which made his expression look cold and sharp, yet exceptionally striking.

People tend to harbor a strong sense of tolerance toward attractive individuals.

The nurse fetched her own phone and a cup of warm water, handing them over.

Fang Ye took them, murmured a quiet "Thank you," and made a call right there at the nurses' station.

Soon, using the nurse's QR code, he transferred the medical fees, and the nurse kindly offered to pay it on his behalf.

Just as Fang Ye was about to return the phone, he suddenly remembered that today should be New Year's Eve.

The sky was not yet bright, and in the distance, the New Year greeting advertisements playing on the opposite building were still faintly visible.

The man's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he asked again, "Can I send one more message?"

"Of course you can."

Fang Ye typed a string of numbers he had memorized into the recipient field, then tapped out four characters:

[Happy New Year.]

After clicking send, the corners of his lips curved into a slight smile.

The young girl should be sending him a message today, but with him failing to reply for so long, she would surely be heartbroken.

He hoped that when she woke up the next day, she would have a happy New Year.

Outside the window, snow was faintly drifting down, carrying a bone-chilling cold, yet it remained safely sealed on the other side of the glass.

The young nurse stared blankly at those exceptionally superior facial features and bone structure, unable to help a silent sigh in her heart: you reap what you sow.

A wretched soul working the night shift on New Year's Eve had indeed earned the chance to gaze at a handsome man up close.

Fang Ye placed the phone neatly on the desk, said "Sorry to bother you," and left the hospital.

Early the next morning.

Bai Li washed up as usual, dutifully ate breakfast with her stepbrother and stepsister, and then used studying as an excuse to return to her room.

Opening WeChat, Bai Li felt a mixture of emotions; Fang Ye still hadn't replied to her message.

How could anyone possibly be this busy?

Before she could figure out the reason, however, she noticed a small text message notification in the upper right corner.

It was an unfamiliar number.

It sent a single sentence: [Happy New Year.]

After a long while.

Bai Li went through a dazed round of guessing, unable to think of anyone who would send her New Year blessings via text message. The only possible person was Fang Ye.

Perhaps her brother had changed his phone number! That was why he hadn't been able to contact her all this time?

The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Yet when she replied to the message, she still cautiously probed:

[Happy New Year. Hello, may I ask who this is?]

It was already afternoon when the other party replied.

[Hello, I'm the on-duty medical staff at Beicheng Hospital. Last night, a gentleman surnamed Fang borrowed my phone to send you that message. I am not Mr. Fang himself.]

Bai Li was helping Ms. Hu wash some fruit. Finishing those words, she froze and quickly turned off the faucet.

The on-duty nurse at Beicheng Hospital? Why would her brother be at a hospital in Beicheng on New Year's Eve?

Wiping her hands, she picked up her phone and anxiously asked: [I'm sorry to bother you, but may I ask why he was at the hospital? Was he sick?]

The on-duty nurse replied: [Ah, that falls under patient privacy; the hospital has regulations against disclosing it. What I can tell you is that this patient has already left the hospital, and his health should be fine now.]

This left Bai Li with no way to ask further.

She replied with: [Thank you so much]

Then she switched over to Fang Ye's WeChat chat interface, intermittently tapping out a few lines of text before instantly deleting them.

If Fang Ye could receive the messages she sent, he wouldn't have needed to borrow a phone to text her, right?

During the dozen or so days of the New Year holiday, Bai Li had been constantly uneasy. Fang Ye was completely out of touch; whenever she asked Brother Cheng, Brother Cheng kept insisting that Fang Ye was fine, just very busy.

No matter how many excuses she was given, Bai Li couldn't feel at ease.

She had tried numerous ways to pry information out of Brother Cheng, but she never succeeded—Brother Cheng's lips were sealed tight.

She even contemplated running away again to Lingjiang or Beicheng to see for herself what on earth had happened. But the moment she opened the front door, Ms. Hu was standing right behind her, staring at her coldly.

"Bai Li, if you dare to take one step outside and make Uncle Su angry, I will make sure you never go to school again."

None of her methods worked.

Bai Li was practically on the verge of tears.

Just as she was at her wits' end and preparing to search for the phone numbers of merchants near the small building to inquire about the situation, Fang Ye's long-dormant WeChat finally sent her a message.

The message came very suddenly, and the wording was very brief.

[Brother has been busy. Cheng said you were worried about me. It's been a while since I asked how you're doing—how has life been treating you?]

Looking at that message, Bai Li pressed the voice message button almost by reflex: "Brother, are you still safe? Why did you go to the hospital on New Year's Eve?"

Terrified of receiving any bad news, she stared unblinkingly at the phone screen, waiting for a reply.

Fang Ye didn't send a voice message back; instead, he sent another text message.

[I caught a cold that day and went to the hospital. My phone was out of power, so I borrowed one to text you.]

Receiving this answer, the lingering sense of dread in Bai Li's heart dissipated slightly.

As long as he was physically fine.

Busy, everyone was busy—being busy was a good thing!

But since he was so busy, could it be because he was short on money?

After much deliberation, Bai Li suddenly remembered that she still had the bank card Fang Ye had given her in her bag.

Without hesitation, she grabbed the card and headed to the bank, intending to withdraw the money inside and then deposit it into her own phone to transfer to Fang Ye.

Or perhaps simply mail it to him directly.

In short, if her brother was short on money, returning the money to her brother was the right thing to do.

The weather in Jiangcheng was exceptionally harsh. Snow had piled up on the ground like a layer of white velvet, and though the sun peeked out slightly, it brought no warmth, making the air feel even colder.

The bank lobby was packed with people lining up to withdraw and deposit money.

The receptionist at the entrance glanced at Bai Li and suggested she use the ATM instead.

Obediently, Bai Li walked up to the ATM, followed the prompts on the screen, inserted her card, and entered her PIN.

The moment she saw the balance displayed on the bank card, Bai Li's pupils instantly constricted.

Her grip loosened, and the handbag in her hand slipped, thudding onto the floor.