I'm Here to Pay

After getting his leave slip, Lu Yuan had planned to leave school immediately. But when he stuck his head out into the corridor for a look, Xiao Bing still hadn't come out. The two had agreed to meet by the flower bed.

He could stop by the classroom and take some review materials from his desk to read on the way.

Class hadn't started yet, and the classroom was rather noisy. The students had split into two distinct camps.

Some had their heads down, drilling practice questions and making the most of their remaining time to review. Although most of them wouldn't get into Cultivation University, getting into a good ordinary university would be a fine outcome too. Finding a job after graduation would be much easier.

Cultivators had it very, very good, but ordinary people had to work hard at life too.

Quite a few students, however, had given up entirely. They weren't studying, instead clustering together and chatting excitedly.

His deskmate Ma Jin was one of them, still reading a web novel without a care in the world.

Lu Yuan sat down to get his materials. Zhou Xiyun, who sat at the neighboring desk, looked up at him and quietly asked:

"Lu Yuan, did you apply to Cultivation University?"

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"I saw you go to the homeroom teacher's office just now."

"Did you apply too?"

"Yeah."

"Way to go!"

Chen Shihe, who sat in front of them, had been working on practice questions. When he heard them, he turned around and joined the conversation.

"I envy you two. Hope you both get in."

"Chen Shihe, aren't you applying? Your True Essence isn't that low either," Zhou Xiyun asked.

"I'm not. My numbers fluctuate quite a bit, so applying to Cultivation University would be risky. I'd better focus on getting into an ordinary university."

Chen Shihe spoke calmly, but Lu Yuan could tell that he didn't seem to mean what he said. Lu Yuan didn't press him.

After chatting for a bit, they each went back to their own business. Lu Yuan grabbed a few review books and prepared to leave in a hurry. If the teacher came to the classroom, it would be hard for him to get away.

His deskmate Ma Jin suddenly put down his book and asked in bewilderment:

"Lu Yuan, what do you think I should do after I graduate?"

Lu Yuan was surprised. Great Immortal Ma was actually worried about his future? Was cultivating immortality not good enough anymore?

Ma Jin had spent all three years of high school reading web novels, so his grades were easy enough to imagine. His results on several mock exams had been truly touching. The homeroom teacher wanted to hit someone whenever he saw him.

Lu Yuan wanted to say that at this rate, he could only obediently hole up at home. But seeing how lost Ma Jin looked, he couldn't bring himself to mock him. Even Ma Jin worried about the future.

"Ma Jin, I've noticed livestreaming has been getting more and more popular lately. You could give it a try."

"Livestreaming? But livestreams are all about showing pretty girls. What would I stream?"

"You could stream about web novels. You love reading them so much, you could recommend them on a livestream. I believe you could not only make money, but also find lots of friends who share your interests."

Ma Jin thought about it, and his eyes gradually lit up.

"Thank you, Lu Yuan!"

Lu Yuan smiled, picked up his materials, and left his seat. He greeted Jia Xuanxuan as he passed, but unfortunately, she turned her head away. Heh.

Lu Yuan walked out of the classroom, feeling awkward. Xiao Bing was already waiting for him by the flower bed. They left the school gates together and took a taxi straight to the high-speed rail station. After buying two second-class tickets, they boarded the train and sat together.

The hour-long ride went smoothly. The only slight surprise was that a few young people in the carriage stared at Xiao Bing for a while.

"Dragon Boat Festival Little Sister."

"So cute."

Lu Yuan shot them a glare, and they hurriedly lowered their heads and pretended to scroll on their phones.

The scenery outside the window was pleasant enough along the way, typical of the south. But the farther they got from Ning City, the more it differed from Lu Yuan's memories.

By the time they reached Jiangzhou, it was an entirely unfamiliar city. Lu Yuan was certain there had been no such large city next to his hometown in his previous life. Over the past few days, he had looked things up online and found that only the people and things around him had changed very little. The farther away something was from him, the greater the difference from the original world. Was this transmigration or rebirth?

Jiangzhou First Hospital wasn't far from the high-speed rail station, so there was no need to take another taxi. The siblings walked, buying some fruit along the way.

They didn't know that, during this time, their parents were enduring the greatest ordeal of their lives.

Lu Yuan's mother, Xu Yongmei, lay on a hospital bed. Her hair was sparse, her face gaunt, and she had a tube in her nose. She looked terribly weak.

Lu Yuan's father, Lu Wenkai, sat sideways on the edge of the bed, his head lowered in silence.

"Wenkai, let's just forget it.

"My illness can't be cured anyway. Don't waste the money.

"If you sell the house, where will the children live?

"Dabao is about to go to university. We can't hold him back."

Lu Wenkai shook his head. "I'll find a way to get the money. Don't worry so much."

Xu Yongmei was about to try persuading him again when a woman in the next bed cut in.

"Sister Xu, don't give up. Xikangnuo works really well. Look at me-I've only been on it for a day, and I can almost get out of bed and walk already."

The woman also suffered from Twilight Syndrome, but she had paid for treatment and received Xikangnuo a day ago. The color had visibly returned to her face.

When neither Xu Yongmei nor her husband answered, the woman grew even more animated, her face alight as she spoke:

"As for the money, let your husband work harder on finding a way. One and a half million isn't that expensive.

"Look at my husband. I gave him a good scolding, and didn't he scrape it together in just a few days?"

Beside the woman was a middle-aged man wearing glasses. He gave an awkward chuckle but said nothing, looking thoroughly embarrassed.

Lu Wenkai's expression darkened, and Xu Yongmei spoke up. "All right, Sister Wang, I understand. Please stop talking."

The woman wanted to show off some more, but the other people in the ward all turned their faces away, unwilling to pay her any attention. Someone deliberately coughed loudly, and, having made a fool of herself, she could only shut up.

There were six patients in this critical care ward, all suffering from Twilight Syndrome, and she was the only one who had received Xikangnuo. That alone left the others feeling bitter, let alone her incessant showing off. It was truly irritating.

Who didn't know Xikangnuo worked well? Did she have to keep going on about it? One and a half million might be no more than the price of a meal to the wealthy, but for many ordinary people, it was the distance between life and death.

At that moment, a family member of the patient in the bed across from Xu Yongmei offered a kind suggestion:

"Xiao Xu, I heard Doctor Li has a treatment that's still experimental. It's very cheap. You could try it."

"We only heard about it ourselves, but at my age, I don't want to go through any more trouble. You could go ask about it."

The speakers were an elderly couple. The old man lay in bed, and judging by the wrinkles on his face, he was in his eighties.

Having lived to that age, he took things in stride. The old couple had only told them about it because they felt so sorry for Lu Wenkai and his wife.

"Really?"

Lu Wenkai felt as though he had grasped a life-saving straw.

"Really. But this treatment hasn't been made available yet, so you'll have to ask Doctor Li in private. He won't tell you if you ask him directly," the old man cautioned.

The "Doctor Li" the old man spoke of was none other than Doctor Li Tailai, Jiangzhou First Hospital's expert in treating Twilight Syndrome. If it was him, it was quite credible.

Lu Wenkai nodded to his wife and left the ward to find Doctor Li. He wasn't the only one tempted; several other family members were interested too. After all, Xikangnuo was simply too expensive, far too heavy a burden for ordinary families.

Doctor Li Tailai was seeing patients. An expert like him was usually very busy. Lu Wenkai took a look from outside the consultation room but didn't dare go in. The patient had warned him to ask in private, and with so many people there, that certainly wouldn't do.

Lu Wenkai checked the time. It was already past ten in the morning. After thinking it over, he decided to wait there until lunchtime. When Doctor Li Tailai went to eat, perhaps he would have a chance if he followed along beside him.

Then he thought again: showing up empty-handed didn't seem like the right way to ask someone for a favor. Should he buy a gift? But he was truly short of money now. He couldn't afford anything expensive, and if he bought something cheap, what if Doctor Li was displeased?

Lu Wenkai fell into a deep dilemma again. Getting medical treatment was just this hard for poor people.

"Dad!"

His son's voice suddenly rang out behind him. Lu Wenkai thought he had misheard, but when he turned around, there were Lu Yuan and Xiao Bing, carrying fruit and smiling.

"Dabao? Xiaobao? What are you doing here? Don't you have school today?"

Dabao was Lu Yuan's childhood nickname, and Xiaobao was Lu Youbing's, but only their parents called them that.

"We came to see Mom." Lu Yuan put the fruit on the ground and took out a bank card. "And to pay for her treatment."