"Xiao Chi, your father's seizures are becoming more and more frequent. You need to start making plans for some things soon..."

The doctor on duty sighed and patted Chi Chan on the shoulder.

Chi Chan nodded, her face expressionless.

After all, she had heard those words far too many times.

After the doctor left, Chi Chan filled a basin with water and used it to wipe Chi Minghe's body and massage him.

Her technique was swift and skillful; this was something Chi Chan did every day, something a nurse couldn't do with such meticulous care.

I didn't get off work until after midnight today. After finishing with Chi Minghe and his side, it was already past 1 a.m. when I left the hospital.

"call--"

Chi Chan breathed a long sigh of relief.

In the pitch-black night, you could clearly see distinct white vapor swirling in the air before slowly dissipating.

Chi Chan took a step, moving outwards with uneven steps.

Snowflakes drifted down onto her shoulders. Chi Chan wrapped her down jacket tighter around herself and walked forward with her head down.

The down jacket she was wearing was bought in the winter of her first year of work.

It's a well-known brand, and the quality is excellent.

It happened to be the same year that Chi Minghe had his accident.

It's been almost ten years!

Chi Chan walked and thought.

No wonder it's not warm at all.

Ten years ago, Chi Chan had just graduated from university.

Youthful exuberance, in the prime of life.

Just when she had finally built up enough confidence to embrace this new stage of her life.

A sudden and drastic change occurred.

Chi's father had an accident at the construction site.

High-level paraplegia.

Because Chi Minghe did not sign a labor contract, the boss refused to compensate him, insisting that it was an accident.

Chi's mother, Zhang Qiaoyue, along with Chi Chan's two uncles, went to the construction site and caused a scene.

In the end, the boss reluctantly paid out 100,000 yuan to settle the matter.

One hundred thousand yuan!

Such a cheap sum, directly and brutally buying out Chi Minghe's future.

This amount was just enough for Chi Minghe's surgery fee. The subsequent expenses incurred while he was in the hospital directly dragged down the entire Chi family.

From that day on, Zhang Qiaoyue began working day and night.

Chi Chan resigned from her job at a listed company in a first-tier city and found a job near home so that she could take care of her father.

The new boss knew about Chi Chan's family situation and felt great sympathy for her, so he offered her a very high salary.

But this salary is still not enough for Chi Minghe's medical expenses.

Capitalists are all exploitative; while offering high salaries, they also impose high work pressure.

Chi Chan was not only required to be available at any time, but also had to be grateful to her boss at all times.

Not only must we remember this kindness and put it into practice, but we must also work overtime and stay up all night to deal with the mountain of work.

An accident caused Chi Minghe's once happy and fulfilling ordinary family to fall back into abject poverty overnight.

Chi Chan's life, starting from the age of 22, was forever frozen in a gloomy state.

She remains so to this day, at 32 years old, for a full ten years.

She went from initial anger, pain, and despair to her current indifference and numbness.

Perhaps soon, just as the doctor hinted—

Will she then be completely free?

There are no filial sons at the bedside of a chronically ill patient.

This saying from the ancients is indeed true.

Chi Chan smiled bitterly.

She didn't know how much longer she could be a 'filial son'.

"Beep—beep—beep—"

My phone kept vibrating all night, even in the early hours of the morning.

Chi Chan stopped her random thoughts and took out her phone to check her messages.

On the phone screen covered in cobwebs, the little circle spun for a long time before the app interface finally appeared.

The QQ group for the top students of Class 3 is buzzing with activity.

Since graduating from high school, Chi Chan has been lurking in the group.

There haven't been any messages in the group for a long time.

But today the news suddenly broke.

"Please take good care of Mayor Ji and his wife [clasped hands][throwing flowers]"

"Please take good care of Mayor Ji and his wife [clasped hands][throwing flowers]"

"Please take good care of Mayor Ji and his wife [clasped hands][throwing flowers]"

...

The screen was dominated by a string of messages and red envelopes.

Chi Chan stared at the line of words for a long while before regaining her senses.

With my nearly frozen fingers, I slowly swiped across the phone screen, scrolling through the messages one by one.

I flipped through the pages for a while until I found a picture.

Click on the image of the cicada in the pond.

The small circle spun for a long time before it became clear.

It's a screenshot of a news broadcast from Xingcheng TV, featuring a handsome man and a beautiful woman.

It was Ji Siyuan and Ye Zijin, the same people in the class group who were always joking about Mayor Ji and his wife.

Upon seeing that it wasn't a wedding photo, Chi Chan's previously tense heart began to beat normally again.

She swiped her phone screen with two fingers to zoom in on the man's photo.

Ten years have passed, and many things have changed.

Ji Siyuan, however, remained incomparably handsome, showing no signs of the passage of time.

The man in the photo has piercing eyes; he has clearly matured a lot over the years.

But for her, it was still out of reach.

Chi Chan has always agreed with one statement.

Don't meet too many outstanding people when you're young.

Otherwise, in the latter half of your life, no one will ever amaze you again.

Ji Siyuan was undoubtedly the one who amazed Chi Chan during his impoverished remaining years.

He comes from a good family, is intelligent, and is the most handsome boy in the city's No. 1 High School. Every move he makes exudes nobility and confidence.

His excellence is worthy of being described with all the best adjectives in the world.

Even years after graduation, his legend still lingers in the city's No. 1 High School and among his friends.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!