Chapter 215: I will repay him by toiling like an ox and horse in the future

In the blink of an eye it was weekend again; Xia Xi had some homework to do, so she didn't go to the library and stayed in the dorm. She buried herself in drawing for a while, then couldn't resist picking up her phone to glance at it.

She would glance at her phone every few minutes.

Finally the weather cleared; sunlight streamed through the window, falling on the light beige tiled floor, making the dorm bright.

Several roommates had dinner last night, stayed out late, and were still asleep, catching up on sleep in their own beds.

The pencil tip scratched the paper, making a soft rustling sound; Xia Xi couldn't calm down, and though teachers usually praised her clean, neat lines, she kept failing to draw them well, erasing back and forth many times.

She tossed the pen down in irritation, not meaning to press too hard; the lead snapped, and a tiny black piece rolled a few times on the white paper.

Xi Xi stopped forcing herself to focus on drawing, picked up her phone, got up, and went to the balcony.

Though the sun was out, the temperature remained low, wind blowing, making it chilly. She wore a black mock-neck sweater, her long hair loose, making her skin look especially pale; one hand rested on the railing as she stared blankly downstairs. Some people took advantage of the good weather to bring out quilts to sun, some rode bicycles past, and others returned from their morning run, holding breakfasts they'd bought.

Vibrant spring had taken on a tangible form.

Xi Xi lowered her head, lit her phone, and called Su Jinru, wanting to ask how things were at home.

Su Jinru didn't answer.

But it's understandable: lately Su Jinru would panic at the sound of an incoming call, as all sorts of strange people kept calling her. Most of the time her phone was kept by Xia Yue.

Xi Xi bit her lip and called Xia Yue.

The ringtone went on for a long time before automatically hanging up. Xi Xi frowned, tried again, but the same thing happened.

Left with no choice, she called her grandmother.

To her surprise, her grandmother didn't answer either.

Xi Xi's brows knit tighter; why wasn't anyone at home picking up? Could something else have happened?

She thought it over, couldn't put her mind at ease, and finally decided to call Xia Xuan. It was the weekend, so Xia Xuan should be at home.

The 'beep-beep-beep' sound lasted ten-odd seconds; Xi Xi heard it in her ear, her chest inexplicably tightening, feeling both anxious and worried. Just as she thought Xia Xuan's call wouldn't be answered either, the other end finally responded: 'Xi Xi.'

But it wasn't Xia Xuan's voice; it was Xia Yue's.

'... Sister?' Xi Xi murmured, her heart suddenly leaping into her throat, 'Why is Xiao Xuan's phone with you?'

Xia Yue was in the hospital. After days of running around, she looked especially exhausted; over the phone Xi Xi couldn't see her expression, but could infer from the prolonged silence that something bad had happened.

Could there be a worse situation than this?

What could it be?

Xi Xi's heart felt as if something were squeezing it; she delayed speaking, as if by staying silent she could prevent the event from occurring.

Suddenly, Xia Yue's stifled sobs came through the receiver. Xi Xi held her breath; one second, two, three passed, then she gasped and voiced the suspicion forming in her mind: 'Has something happened to Xiao Xuan?'

Over the past few days many things had occurred; although Xia Yue had wiped away tears a few times, she had never cried like this. She appeared calm and composed, not a weak personality, indicating that this matter exceeded her coping ability and was related to life and death.

Xi Xi asked again: 'Is it Xiao Xuan's heart...'

Xia Yue could barely speak through her sobs; uttering a single 'yes' exhausted all her strength.

Indeed it was so; indeed it was so. Xi Xi's eye sockets instantly reddened, mist gathering before her eyes. She tilted her head back, inhaled through her nose, not wanting to stay another moment: 'I'll go back right away.'

'Don't, you shouldn't.' Xia Yue stopped her, tears streaming nonstop, her words halting and broken, mixed with gasps on the verge of losing breath: 'Xiao Xuan, that foolish girl... she felt unwell in her heart but didn't say anything, afraid to trouble the family, gritting her teeth and enduring it. Last night she couldn't catch her breath... she fainted, was taken to the hospital by ambulance... examinations have already been arranged. The doctor said... the doctor said she needs surgery, and it can't be delayed.'

Xia Xuan had undergone surgery once at age two; back then the doctor said that with careful care she might live a normal life, though certainly not comparable to a healthy person—daily life would be fine, but there was also a chance of complications requiring another surgery. So the family treated her like a rare animal, preparing themselves psychologically for a possible second operation, just not expecting it to happen now.

Xi Xi suddenly felt lost, not knowing what to do, hearing Xia Yue advise her: 'Here at the hospital I and Mom are taking care of things; I've had your brother-in-law look after Grandma at home, so rushing back really wouldn't help much.'

Yeah, sis is right; she bought a ticket to hurry back, but besides guarding the hospital or home, what else could she do?

She couldn't help Xiao Xuan, nor could she resolve the family's predicament.

Xi Xi turned around, her back against the railing; the past twenty years had been smooth sailing, and she had never imagined life could be so hard.

She thought of a practical problem: 'How much will Xiao Xuan's surgery cost?'

The family's money had been squandered and wasted by Xia Chenggang; even the workers' compensation couldn't be scraped together, let alone surgery fees. Xiao Xuan's operation was imminent, the workers' compensation equally urgent—two massive burdens weighing on her head.

'I'll sell the house as soon as possible; don't worry about the money.' Xia Yue stopped crying, hastily wrapped up the conversation: 'Xiao Xuan will wake soon; I'm going to the ward, I'll hang up now.'

She hadn't yet told Xi Xi that the relatives of the person Xia Chenggang had killed in a crash had also come knocking; the money simply wasn't enough.

Xi Xi stood on the balcony blowing in the wind for a long time, then went back inside, feeling light-headed and nauseous, her body slow to warm up, a chill running from head to toe.

There was movement in the dorm; the roommates had woken up, some lying in bed with earphones watching their phones, some getting up to wash up in the bathroom, others muttering to themselves about what to eat for lunch.

In those carefree days, the biggest problem was what to eat for three meals a day.

Xi Xi sat quietly; time trickled by, and she finally made up her mind, picking up the phone on the desk—the clock showed 10:15 a. m.

Xu Yanfeng had no days off; weekends were just as busy, his father gradually delegating authority to him, so he was either at the company or on a business trip.

He had just returned from a trip; today he should be at the office. Lately she had been so preoccupied with family matters that she had ignored him, not even asking about his whereabouts.

Xi Xi held the phone, chin resting on its top, eyes lowered in thought; asking him for help, she felt sure he wouldn't refuse, knowing his background well—this wouldn't be difficult for him.

At worst she'd write an IOU and repay him with a lifetime of service; she was still young and sharp, and would eventually earn back double.

He could even transfer his shares in the Xu Clan to her as a birthday gift.

Xi Xi organized her thoughts, lifted her chin, laid the phone flat, opened the chat window with Xu Yanfeng, paused a moment, then tapped the screen and typed four characters: 'What are you doing?'

Not long after, Xu Yanfeng replied with four characters: 'In a video conference.'

Xi Xi placed both hands on the chair arms, eyes fixed on the screen, planning to wait until he was finished before speaking.

However, after two seconds Xu Yanfeng sent another brief message, his indulgent gentleness evident in the words: 'Just say what's on your mind; it's fine.'

He wasn't just placating her; he really meant it. Although it was an international video conference, the person on the other end was his brother, a full sibling, so there weren't many formalities to observe.

Xi Xi, unaware of this, only thought she shouldn't disturb his work: 'Focus on the meeting, don't get distracted. A few words won't make it clear.'

Xu Yanfeng thought it over and replied, 'It might take a while.' It couldn't be wrapped up in under two hours; this meeting mainly concerned a biomedical project worth over ten billion, requiring many details to be coordinated.

Xi Xi could wait: 'No problem, I'll wait until you're done.'