NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1 - II
After arriving at the hospital, Xie Qi walked into the elevator, pressed the floor button, and soon arrived. Xie Qi followed the flow of people and walked outside.
As he was about to walk to the orthopedic surgery ward, he suddenly saw some people standing not far away.
A pleasant female voice came from inside, talking very loudly, “How can my son eat dripping nutrient solution every day? He has lost weight. After making ginseng soup, I will feed him even if he has to drink it like milk. I even brought a straw.”
The doctor in a white coat spoke to her in a good temper: “Your son has been lying down for too long. His stomach is very weak, and it is difficult to digest these things.”
Watching the excitement was perhaps a characteristic of all Chinese people. Xie Qi also discreetly halted and capitalized on his height to glance in that direction. The woman speaking was adorned in luxurious clothes and carried a thermos bucket.
The beautiful woman expressed with some anxiety, “I just put in a little ginseng in it? Can’t he drink this, doctor? Look, my son has lost weight, and his cheeks are sunken! I raised him to be fair and plump. My son, is so thin now!”
The doctor, maintaining a good temper, replied, “It’s really not possible. Even if he wakes up now, he will have to consume liquid food for two weeks. His gastrointestinal function has not recovered. Feeding him these things will increase the patient’s physical burden.”
The beautiful woman reluctantly conceded, “Okay, when will my son wake up? He has been lying down for half a year.”
The doctor responded, “This is not very certain…”
Xie Qi didn’t continue to listen, quickened his pace, and headed to his mother’s ward. Teacher Hou wasn’t permitted to enter the ward and remained in the ICU.
In contrast to Jiang Sining, Teacher Hou, an orphan with few relatives or friends, was quite withdrawn. He didn’t communicate much with Xie Qi, making their relationship somewhat unfamiliar.
However, he treated Jiang Sining well, and Xie Qi felt the same way. Though he recognized Teacher Hou as a stepfather from the bottom of his heart, he never addressed him as “dad” — after all, Teacher Hou was only ten years older than him, so Xie Qi always called him Teacher Hou.
Xie Qi arrived at Jiang Sining’s ward, but she hadn’t woken up yet. Xie Qi asked the doctor, who mentioned she had lost too much blood, and it might take her a few days to regain consciousness.
.
Xie Qi went to the lobby to settle the fee first. The medical fee of 8,800 per day and didn’t include the cost of Hou Linong’s later surgery, which would be another substantial expense.
Neither Jiang Sining nor Teacher Hou had any savings. Teacher Hou, having worked for only three years with a low teacher’s salary, didn’t have much in terms of savings.
Xie Qi felt a rare sense of anxiety.
On the way back to the ward, his phone rang—it was a small group message.
Pure-Love God of War: [Xie Qi, is your mother still awaking?]
Eternal Wheat-Door: [The school teacher organized a donation, but the amount is not large. It seems to be only more than 20,000. Xie Qi, come to school and get the money from Old Wang.]
Xie Qi had taken two days off and never going to class. He just went to the faculty dormitory to get a few bank cards of Teacher Hou. Unexpectedly, the school also organized a donation for him.
He felt warm and replied: [Okay, I will go to school tomorrow.]
Pure-Love God of War: [Aren’t you coming in the afternoon?]
Xie Qi replied: [I’m going to beg for money to my father in the afternoon =.=]
Eternal Wheat-Door: [?? Your biological father who abandoned his wife and children? Forget it, he abandoned you all. Can he give you any money?]
Xie Qi said: [At least pay the alimony for the past eight years. If he doesn’t pay, I will cry in front of his house.]
Eternal Wheat-Door: […]
Xie Qi: [Walk around and cry, then write eight hundred words of ‘miserable’ on the ground with blood.]
Pure-Love God of War: […]
They were aware of Xie Qi’s family situation. In the past, Xie Qi’s family was affluent, and he attended various cram schools since childhood, learning piano, violin, guzheng, international dance, calligraphy, and painting.
At that time, Xie Qi’s clothes and shoes were all high-end brands that cost hundreds of thousands.
However, Xie Qi’s biological father, Xie Dai, was a playboy. When Xie Qi’s mother, Jiang Sining, was beautiful, he married her despite his parents’ objections. The prodigal son turned around and changed his mind, and from then on, he and Jiang Sining would be together for the rest of their lives.
But a dog couldn’t change its habit of eating shit. Believing that the prodigal son would be a good man was Jiang Sining’s biggest mistake.
After Xie Dai got married, he frequently dined out. Eventually, he fell for a beautiful young female student and divorced Jiang Sining.
During this time, Xie Dai asked Xie Qi to choose between them. Surprisingly, Xie Qi opted for Jiang Sining over Xie Dai.
This decision shocked the Xie family, given their wealth compared to Jiang Sining’s ordinary background. If Xie Qi were wiser, he should have chosen the affluent Xie family for a more promising future, rather than opting for Jiang Sining, who had nothing to offer.
In summary, Xie Qi’s living standard plummeted, and Jiang Sining transitioned from a wealthy wife to an ordinary woman. Despite the hardships, neither of them regretted their choices.
Jiang Sining was adamant at the time and refused alimony from Xie Dai. In Xie Qi’s opinion, she should have pursued it and asked Xie Dai a few million to finalize the divorce agreement.
However, it was too late for such suggestions. If nothing had happened to Hou Linong and Jiang Sining, they could have lived well without taking money from Xie Dai.
Now, faced with his parents’ health issues, Xie Qi had no choice but to turn to Xie Dai. He even thought about selling all the holiday gifts Teacher Hou gave to his mother. Was he still afraid of embarrassment when dealing with Xie Dai?
The doctors estimated Teacher Hou’s treatment alone would cost 300,000 yuan. Jiang Sining’s medical expenses shouldn’t be exorbitant, and she hadn’t even undergone leg surgery yet. There was a lot of places to spend the money!
Even if Xie Dai agreed to pay alimony, it would only amount to 168,000 yuan per month over seven years, still falling short by several hundred thousand yuan.
Worried, Xie Qi expressed in the group chat, [If not, I’ll become a male model.]
Pure-Love God of War: [??]
Eternal Wheat-Door: [I’m afraid that won’t work. Male models usually have broad chests and abdominal muscles, while you… you don’t even have an A cup, and your abs only exist in dreams.]
Pure-Love God of War: [And you can’t pass the civil service examination as a male model.]
Xie Qi: […]
Persistently, Xie Qi stated, [Then I’ll become a male model. As long as I’m determined, I’ll undoubtedly become Asia’s peerless male model.]