An Unwanted Proposal

The noisy ward instantly fell silent. After Chen Lujun closed the door, he settled onto a chair beside Lin Yi’s bed, his gaze fixed upon him. From the look in his eyes, Lin Yi sensed a flicker of apology. Puzzled, Lin Yi scratched his head, completely unsure of what act Chen Lujun was playing.

At that moment, Chen Lujun retrieved a thick wad of banknotes from his inner jacket pocket. He placed them carefully on the hospital bed, as if afraid of startling Lin Yi.

“Uncle, what is this about?”

Lin Yi had never seen so much money in one place before, and his heart pounded with an unfamiliar nervousness.

Suddenly, the cliché scene of a domineering CEO offering money for someone to leave flashed through his mind. This absurd thought, ironically, eased some of Lin Yi’s tension.

If such a scenario were truly unfolding, Lin Yi would be a hundred percent willing to accept. Let Chen Sishi love whoever she wanted; he, Lin Yi, certainly wouldn’t dare to want her.

However, fantasy and reality were always distinct.

Chen Lujun’s next words abruptly shattered Lin Yi’s fleeting dream.

“Lin Yi, take this money for now,” Chen Lujun stated. “Consider it compensation for your future emotional distress.”

Huh?!

Lin Yi’s lips twitched. If he hadn’t misheard, Chen Lujun had said ‘future,’ hadn’t he?

He could understand ’emotional distress compensation,’ but what did adding ‘future’ to it imply?

“I didn’t bring much cash today,” Chen Lujun continued. “If you don’t mind, the car downstairs can be yours as well.”

“No, wait, Uncle, I’m a little confused.”

Lin Yi quickly interrupted Chen Lujun, clutching his head. After composing his bewildered thoughts, he finally spoke.

“Uncle Chen, I can understand you giving me emotional distress compensation. But isn’t this… a bit too much?”

Chen Lujun simply smiled at Lin Yi’s question.

“The future is long,” he said. “This amount of compensation still doesn’t feel like enough.”

“Oh, right, I remember your hometown isn’t here. You’re still renting, aren’t you?”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

His mind momentarily short-circuited, Lin Yi only catching the latter part of the conversation.

“I’ll buy a house near your school later. What kind of interior design style do you prefer?”

The words were utterly shocking.

Lin Yi’s already overloaded brain instantly crashed. He gaped, unable to utter a single word.

Chen Lujun politely refrained from speaking further. He waited for Lin Yi to process the deluge of information before discussing the next arrangements.

After a long moment, Lin Yi shook his dazed head.

“Hold on, hold on! Uncle, I was already surprised you were offering emotional distress compensation. Now you’re giving me a house and a car? I’m not even your son-in-law!”

As the saying goes, ‘take someone’s money, solve their problems.’ Lin Yi was just an ordinary student; what exactly did Chen Lujun want in return for all this money?

Even if he was wealthy, he couldn’t just hand out money for no reason, could he? That would make him a fool.

But Chen Lujun didn’t see it that way. He knew Chen Sishi’s personality intimately. Giving these things to Lin Yi was like giving them to his own flesh and blood; he wouldn’t feel a shred of regret.

Chen Lujun patted Lin Yi’s shoulder, leaning in to whisper beside his ear.

“It’s fine,” he murmured. “Even if you’re not yet, you soon will be.”

Lin Yi’s vision swam, and his entire body stiffened on the bed, as if turned to stone.

The sheer volume of information brought Lin Yi’s brain to a halt. He stared blankly at Chen Lujun, taking a long moment to gather his thoughts and form words.

“Uncle, you can’t just say things like that,” he finally managed. “I don’t like Chen Sishi.”

A smile played on Chen Lujun’s lips, as if he saw his younger self. He remembered how he hadn’t liked Chen Sishi’s mother back then, yet now? He was a father.

“Don’t worry,” he advised. “You should be very familiar with Chen Sishi’s temperament. If she were to hear us, I wouldn’t be able to help you with whatever might happen next.”

Hearing this, Lin Yi hastily clamped a hand over his mouth, casting a wary glance at the door. The door was closed; the sound shouldn’t carry outside.

Chen Lujun chuckled softly. Lin Yi, his brow furrowed, looked back at Chen Lujun.

“Uncle, you mean you want to help me, right? You just said you’d help me, didn’t you?”

Chen Lujun neither confirmed nor denied it, implicitly assenting to Lin Yi’s interpretation.

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Lin Yi sprang upright. He gripped Chen Lujun’s rough hand tightly, kneeling before him as if he had found his savior.

“Uncle,” Lin Yi pleaded, “I heard you’re the largest shareholder of New City Private High School, right? Can you help me transfer? Anywhere is fine, as long as I can just leave New City.”

Chen Lujun, however, shook his head. He unceremoniously pulled his hand back, shrugging helplessly.

Hope vanished from Lin Yi’s eyes.

He slumped back onto the bed, his gaze lifeless.

There was no greater agony than being given hope, only to be dragged back into the abyss. It was a psychological torment, a devastating blow.

“Is there really no way?” he mumbled, his voice hollow. “Can’t I escape?”

His head bowed, Lin Yi muttered to himself, an aura of despair clinging to him. Seeing him like this, Chen Lujun sighed. In truth, he had no way to escape either. If he had found a way back then, Chen Sishi wouldn’t even exist.

Furthermore, he had tried Lin Yi’s suggestion before. The result, he could only describe in one sentence: it was utterly unfeasible.

No matter where he ran, that girl would find him with uncanny precision. Therefore, instead of wasting effort going nowhere, it was better to just lie flat and accept one’s fate.

“Relax,” Chen Lujun advised. “Sometimes, you have to learn to enjoy it. The sooner you enjoy it, the sooner you’re free. Also, if you have a crush on someone, it’s best to break it off with her. It’ll be better for both of you.”

With those profound words, Chen Lujun stood and departed, leaving Lin Yi alone in the hospital room.

Lost in despair for a while, Lin Yi eventually came back to himself, his gaze falling on the doorway. He felt a blockage in his heart, a surge of emotion that simply wouldn’t release.

Just then, the ward door swung open. Three graceful figures entered: Lin Yiting, Qin Ruoxue, and Xu Wei. Noticing Lin Yi’s profound despondency, a hint of concern arose in each of them.

Lin Yiting was the first to sit beside Lin Yi, gently resting an arm on his shoulder as she softly asked, “Xiaoji, what’s wrong?”

“Hm?”

Lin Yi slowly turned his head. His eyes, which should have been vibrant, were now utterly desolate.

When Lin Yiting saw his darkened eyes, her brows furrowed involuntarily. She patted Lin Yi’s back, gently coaxing his face upwards.

Warm sunlight reflected in his amber eyes, bringing a faint spark of life back to their dull depths.

“Xiaoji, what’s wrong? Can you tell your sister?”

Her words seemed to pierce Lin Yi’s heart, and the unbidden emotions finally found their release. Tears instantly welled in his eyes, and Lin Yi threw himself into Lin Yiting’s embrace.

“Sister, I’m scared~”

For a moment, Lin Yiting was at a loss, but she continued to gently pat Lin Yi’s back. She assumed the string of events from yesterday had overwhelmed Lin Yi, causing him to break down like this.

“Don’t be scared, don’t be scared. Sister’s here.”

As she comforted the young man in her arms, Lin Yiting felt a pang in her own heart. Yesterday, she had nearly lost Lin Yi, nearly lost her only brother.

Lost in thought, two streams of clear tears traced paths down Lin Yiting’s face, and her voice caught in her throat.

“It’s alright, it’s all over now…”