Chapter 97

On the way back from Disneyland, the car was filled with souvenirs. Xu Yirou was thinking about the neighborhood kids she hadn't played with in a long time, and these were all gifts she wanted to bring them.

Kindergarten lets out early, and just after four o'clock, Xu Yirou and Paopao got on the bus to go home. However, their destination today was the neighborhood where they used to play.

Arriving at their usual sandpit, Xu Yirou immediately spotted the chubby prince diligently shoveling sand.

"prince!"

The prince turned around abruptly and was overjoyed to see two figures hopping and skipping towards him. Then, as if remembering something, he snorted heavily and turned his head away.

Xu Yirou and Paopao approached, and before they could speak, the prince asked in a disapproving tone:

What are you doing here?

"We've come to visit you."

The prince turned his back to them and said angrily, "I don't want to play with you."

Bubble frowned unhappily: "Prince, why are you facing people with your butt? That's so rude."

The prince abruptly changed direction, deliberately speaking in a fierce tone, and retorted, "Hmph, I didn't."

Xu Yirou could tell that the prince was in a bad mood, but she was very magnanimous and didn't mind her companion's attitude. She took out a beautifully packaged gift box from the handbag she was carrying.

"Prince, this is a gift from Bubble and me for you. See if you like it."

The prince's ears twitched. He slowly turned his head, his suspicious gaze falling on the little girl's hand, and asked curiously:

What is it?

"Snowflake crisps are delicious."

The prince licked his lips: "Will you give it to me?"

Of course.

Xu Yirou took two steps forward and stuffed the gift box with the logo of Lina Belle into his arms. She smiled sweetly and said, "Yesterday, Da Bao, Er Bao, Xiao Bao and my wife took me and Pao Pao to Disneyland. Pao Pao and I have eaten there. It was delicious."

When he learned that his friends remembered to bring him gifts after going out to play, he got angry with them, and the prince immediately blushed with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Rou Rou and Pao Pao. I shouldn't have been angry with you just now."

Bubble raised her little fist and threatened, "Then tell me, why were you angry with us just now? If you don't tell me, I might hit you!"

Bubble's strength is evident to all the other cubs around him.

Before Xu Yirou arrived, she once punched a seven-year-old brat from the neighboring community, making him cry and causing him to bleed from his nose.

From then on, that brat never dared to come here to cause trouble again.

The prince complained, both scared and aggrieved: "After you all became big stars, you stopped playing with me. Can't I be a little sullen?"

Bubble paused for a moment, then guiltily withdrew her little fist: "Of course we want to play with you, we just came to find you."

The prince sniffed as he held the cookie gift box: "Never mind, Grandma said boys should be magnanimous. I'm not angry with you anymore. Let's play together."

Xu Yirou breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that the three cubs were back together. Together, they distributed the remaining gifts to the other children.

The children who received the gifts were both surprised and delighted, their faces beaming with joy.

When only one gift box was left, Xu Yirou looked around blankly and asked, "I don't think I see Guoguo."

One of the cubs casually replied, "Guoguo has gone to make a lot of money. She's very busy now, and we haven't seen her in a long time."

Guoguo was a guest on the show "Our Trip". After the show ended, she became a child star with 300,000 followers on Weibo and frequently appeared on variety shows and endorsements.

Xu Yirou looked up at the sky; it was almost dusk, a time when the cubs usually played.

"Guoguo has worked so hard. I'll just deliver her gift to her house."

"Hey Rou Rou, don't go to her house, it's dangerous," a cub called out to her.

Xu Yirou: "?"

Several cubs who clearly knew something about the situation looked around, grabbed Xu Yirou's hand, and said mysteriously:

"Guoguo's mother is sick. Guoguo hasn't been to school or played lately. She's been working hard every day to earn money to treat her mother's illness."

“That’s right. My grandparents said I can’t go to Guoguo’s house to play because I’ll catch it from her mother.”

"Yes, yes, my mom said the same thing, so you absolutely must not go."

Xu Yirou's eyes widened, and she hurriedly asked, "What illness does Guoguo's mother have? Is it serious?"

The cub thought for a moment, then scratched its head in confusion: "I forgot..."

The prince on the other side immediately raised his hand: "I remember, I remember, my grandma told me about it, it's called... uh, it's called 'white-white disease'!"

Xu Yirou's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

She stared intently at the other person: "What white disease?"

"It's leukemia, okay? Prince, you don't know, so don't talk nonsense."

"Ah...is that so? But I clearly remember it being the white-white disease."

The two cubs were still arguing, and no one noticed that Xu Yirou's expression suddenly changed. The little girl's face turned pale, and she stood there motionless like a wooden statue.

This dazed state continued until they got home. The three siblings thought their mother had been bullied outside. After asking Bubble, they learned about Guoguo's mother's situation and immediately understood.

The three siblings took turns comforting the cub's mother, feeling sorry for her.

Will Guoguo's mother die?

“If she dies, what will happen to Guoguo? She will definitely be sad and cry, and won’t be able to eat.”

Xu Yirou's small body was curled up on the sofa, her eyes drooping, her watery black eyes completely lifeless, staring blankly at her toes, not looking at anyone.

Xu Niancheng sat to the side, holding her soft hand, while Xu Qingyan and He Nianzhu squatted on either side, quietly watching her.

“Mom, I know you’re worried about Guoguo’s mom, so my older brothers and I have decided to help her,” Xu Niancheng said gently. “Everything will be alright.”

Xu Qingyan stated in a deep voice: "I will contact the best experts and hospitals to do everything I can to save the child's mother."

He Nianzhu said casually, "Mom, you can rest assured. With my older brother taking care of things, how could we not handle it?"

Xu Yirou's lips drooped, her chin resting on her knees, and she slowly turned her head: "Is this Dr. Ma who treated me back then?"

Xu Niancheng and He Nianzhu felt unconsciously nervous.

Xu Qingyan: "Yes, Mom."

Xu Yirou lost interest and listlessly remained in her original position: "Dr. Ma is very good, but Guoguo's mother's illness is too severe, just like mine before."

"Dabao, why do people get sick?"

A look of deep confusion appeared on her innocent face: "Guoguo's mom is a very nice person. She used to buy us delicious food and invited us to her house to play. Guoguo is also a very cute child."

Knowing that no one could answer her question, she muttered to herself, "If only there were only colds in the world, and no terrible diseases."

"That way I won't have headaches, lose my appetite, have trouble sleeping, or be unable to go out and play."

Recalling her days in the hospital, Xu Yirou felt increasingly depressed and afraid.

Xu Niancheng hugged the cub's mother tightly, patting her head, then her back, and finally pinching her little ears, just like coaxing a child.

"Mom, Grandma's birthday is coming up soon. Have you decided what gift to prepare?"

This method of distraction was indeed effective, instantly pulling Xu Yirou out of her sad mood.

She sat bolt upright: "Oh no, I haven't bought a gift yet!"

"Then I'll go with you to pick one out tomorrow, okay?" Xu Niancheng said. "I won't go to kindergarten tomorrow, I'll take a day off."

"No, no, it's too pitiful for Bubble to go to school alone."

Xu Qingyan: "Bubble is also taking leave."

The moment she finished speaking, the mother cub's face suddenly changed, and she stood up, scolding the cub in a cute yet fierce manner:

"Can't!"

"If you don't work hard when you're young, you'll regret it when you're old."

"Have you forgotten what your mother taught you since you were little?"

The little toddler in front of the three brothers stood with his short legs spread apart, his eyebrows raised and his eyes fierce. He was childish but had a strong presence, which made the three adult children dare not misbehave.

Xu Qingyan quickly admitted her mistake: "Mom, I was wrong."

He Nianzhu: "Mom, my older brother knows he was wrong, please forgive him."

You can't scold your older brother anymore, okay?

Xu Yirou said with a stern face, "Erbao, what is our family motto? It is that brothers working together can break through any obstacle and share weal and woe. Do you think what you just said is right?"

He Nianzhu was truly stunned.

His mother shrunk for a full six months, during which time she never mentioned any family precepts. He found this unusual and secretly observed her, concluding that his mother had forgotten them.

Furthermore, since his mother later didn't remember his father, he was almost certain that his mother's memory was incomplete.

Xu Qingyan and Xu Niancheng also realized something, and the three of them exchanged a few silent glances.

He Nianzhu coughed twice: "Mom, of course I remember the family rules... But when did you remember them?"

"What is it?"

"It's the family motto. I've never heard you mention it before."

Xu Yirou gave him a strange look: "It's always been in my mind, it just came out a little while ago, I haven't forgotten it at all~"

For a period of time afterward, the three siblings took turns looking after the cub's mother, intentionally or unintentionally testing the extent to which her memory was recovering.

According to Professor Yunlan's conclusion, Xu Yirou's memories that were once sealed in her brain will gradually be unlocked over time. Currently, Xu Yirou has recovered most of the three siblings' childhood memories, as well as a small portion of her memories about her deceased husband.

“Ayan, the amount of anti-cancer substances in your mother’s blood has decreased by 5% compared to last month.”

"We reasonably suspect that as her body grows, this substance will gradually disappear, which is equivalent to the disappearance of the barrier protecting her. We cannot judge whether her condition will relapse at that time."

"You ask me what the solution is? At present, there is only one."

Professor Yunlan's aged yet steady words echoed in Xu Qingyan's ears: "We need to extract a portion of the flesh's blood to extract the anti-cancer substances inside and develop drugs or vaccines."

"The research process is long and unpredictable, and we must race against time. Please give me a reply as soon as possible, as time waits for no one."

The bathroom was filled with mist and heat.

The man standing under the showerhead has sharply defined features, and the water flows down in a winding path, outlining the sexy lines of his muscular physique—a scene that's only accessible to VIP members.

Jiang Yan gazed at the figure behind the bathroom door from afar.

With a whoosh, the bathroom door opened, and a rush of cold air rushed in. Xu Qingyan heard familiar footsteps approaching from behind him.

A pair of slender, soft hands encircled her waist: "You've been washing for forty minutes, what are you thinking about?"

Xu Qingyan's stiff body softened a little, and he turned around to pull Jiang Yan into his arms. The burning heat of his chest enveloped the woman in his embrace.

In contrast, his eyes were as black as ink, so indifferent and calm.

"I'm thinking about my mother."

"I guessed it."

Jiang Yan knew what he was worried about. If he were now the powerful head of Senming Group, she believed that with his decisive and efficient style, he would be able to quickly weigh the pros and cons and make a choice.

But at this moment, he was not President Xu, but just a child worried about his mother.

Therefore, he will feel confused and timid.

Jiang Yan hugged him, stood on tiptoe, and buried her face in his neck and shoulder: "Ayan, I know what you're afraid of. You're afraid that if the drug is successfully developed, Mom will become someone else's blood bag and be exposed to danger."

"But if we don't develop a drug, what are your chances of saving your mother if her old illness relapses?"

"Didn't Aunt Yun say that as time goes by, the anti-cancer substances in Mom's blood will gradually thin out and disappear? We just need to be more careful and take better care of her, and everything will be fine."

Jiang Yan's strikingly beautiful and aggressive features were now as soft as a hot spring.

Xu Qingyan felt as if a pair of warm hands had gently touched her heart, and she suddenly felt at peace.

*

In the kindergarten's Little Deer Class, a large beam of sunlight streamed through the glass windows, illuminating the entire classroom.

A cheerful piano melody flowed like a babbling brook, and the children below were full of energy, making simple hand gestures and singing loudly.

Like a group of vibrant little elves in the forest, they are infectious and touching at first glance.

Among the group of spirited little elves, there was a cold and aloof elf who didn't fit in. He was half-lying on the table, his dark, wispy hair obscuring his beautiful and delicate eyebrows and eyes, revealing only a taut chin.

The cubs around them, completely absorbed in their own world, didn't notice this cool newcomer.

It wasn't until the little boy sitting next to him dropped the cookies he had hidden in his pocket and bent down to pick them up that he noticed something was wrong.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Your face is very red," the little boy said, pointing at Xu Cheye's face. "Do you have a fever?"

Xu Cheye's eyes flickered: "I'm fine."

The little boy pursed his lips, sat up straight again, and pretended to ignore it, but in reality, he would suddenly turn his head and glance at it.

Wow, it's turned red again.

Oh my god, it's so red!

Xu Cheye has the fairest skin among the boys; even a slight fever can turn his skin as red as an apple.

“You definitely have a fever, I’m telling the teacher.”

"I didn't, don't tell."

"Why won't you let me speak?" The little boy stared at him intently, then suddenly grinned. "I know, you're afraid of being targeted, aren't you?"

The boy sitting next to her seemed to have discovered something amazing, and excitedly chattered, "So you're afraid of needles too? Hehe, I'm not afraid at all. I'm going to tell Meimei later, and then Meimei definitely won't want to play with you anymore."

Upon hearing this, Xu Cheye, who was enduring the pain, frowned and clarified in a hoarse voice:

"Although she invited me to hang out every now and then, I never agreed, not even once."

The boy sitting next to me: "..."

"Why won't you say yes? Meimei is so cute!"

Xu Cheye closed his eyes and ignored him. He had a splitting headache and felt like his whole body was on fire.

Seeing this, the boy sitting next to him stomped his foot and, without hesitation, raised his hand: "Teacher, Xu Cheye has a fever, let's take him to get a shot!"

Serves you right for not playing with Meimei! Humph!

The piano music stopped abruptly, and a series of hurried footsteps approached.

"Let me see, it's so hot."

The piano teacher, who had checked Xu Cheye's temperature, was startled. She withdrew her hand, immediately called the homeroom teacher, and then led Xu Cheye to the infirmary.

"Cheche, if you feel unwell in the future, please tell your teacher anytime. Don't be afraid of your teacher knowing. Being sick is a serious matter, and delaying it will only make it worse."

Teacher Wang held Xu Cheye's hand and chattered nervously.

The children in this kindergarten all come from impressive backgrounds; they're all precious gems. If anything happens to them, the teachers will also be implicated.

Xu Cheye insisted on not letting the teacher carry him and forced himself to walk to the infirmary.

However, the fever came on fiercely, and not long after he walked, he felt his vision gradually darken and his body sway uncontrollably.

--Sudden!

A ball fell from the sky and hit Xu Cheye on the head with a thud. The cub, who was already running a fever, felt dizzy and fainted without much struggle.

When he woke up again, Xu Cheye was completely different.