Chapter 57 Courage

Xia Yu snapped out of her daze. "Of course I know the light is green."

He released the brake, stepped on the gas, and quickly drove away from the area where he could see the billboard.

Xia Zhen pretended not to notice Xia Yu's odd behavior. She found the contact in her phone labeled "Mom," sent them the photos, and a message: "Mom, you're so beautiful!"

Not long after, a string of bright red lips and kissing emojis appeared in response.

Along with the emoji, there was also a transfer of 52,000.

Xia Zhen accepted the transfer with tears in her eyes.

It is often said that children from wealthy families suffer inside because their parents only know how to give them money, satisfying their material needs but completely neglecting their spiritual well-being.

Xia Zhen did indeed feel bitter.

Because she had so much money, she had absolutely no idea how to spend it!

Upon arriving at the hot pot restaurant and entering the private room, Xia Yu said he had some work to take care of and would be back after making a phone call.

Xia Zhen nodded indifferently.

As the waiter opened the door to bring in the food, a man's suppressed anger could still be heard.

"Take off those ads on that building. That woman is dressed so provocatively. What kind of image does that make? Isn't she setting a bad example for children?"

Xia Yu didn't know what the person on the phone said, but his voice was filled with barely suppressed anger. "What do you mean we can't handle it just because it's not our building? Fine, go and draft a plan right now and buy that building for me."

As the door to the private room closed automatically, it also shut out the noise from outside.

"Miss, all the dishes you ordered have been served."

"Okay, thank you." Xia Zhen looked up and quickly said in surprise, "Are you the lady from the cake shop who offered to treat me to cake?"

The waitress was also taken aback. Looking at Xia Zhen's unforgettable face, a smile appeared on her tired face. "It's you. What a coincidence."

Xia Zhen noticed the name Li Pan on the woman's name tag and asked curiously, "Don't you work at the cake shop, big sister?"

Li Pan explained, "I'm on vacation today, so I came here to work."

Xia Zhen noticed that Li Pan looked unwell, and her eyes were red and swollen, as if she had been crying. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Do you need any help?"

Li Pan hadn't expected Xia Zhen to ask that. She wiped her eyes and said, "I'm fine, thank you for your concern."

Xia Yu walked in with a stern face, having just finished making a phone call.

Li Pan forced a smile, said "I won't disturb your meal," and walked out of the private room.

Xia Zhen took a bite of the beef in her bowl. She thought about it and still felt a little uneasy. The Li Pan she had met at the cake shop before was someone who cared about strangers and was obviously enthusiastic about life. But now, she had lost her vitality and energy and was instead lifeless.

Xia Zhen put down her chopsticks and stood up. "I need to go to the restroom."

Xia Yu responded casually.

When Xia Zhen chased after her, she happened to see Li Pan answer a phone call. She didn't know what was said on the phone, but she bumped into another waiter in a daze. She hurriedly apologized, but the other person only complained and didn't say anything more.

Li Pan bowed deeply and apologized several times. Only after hearing the other party say it was alright did she seem to let it go and walk away.

Seeing that the waiter was about to leave, Xia Zhen went over and said, "Please wait a moment."

The waiter gave a friendly smile and asked, "Miss, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Excuse me, I'm Li Pan's cousin. I just found out she's been secretly working here without telling me. She hasn't told me what's been happening at home, and I'm very worried about her..."

The man was skeptical. "Cousin?"

"Yes, I just came back from out of town. If I hadn't secretly followed my cousin here, I wouldn't know what she was busy with."

Seeing that Xia Zhen was still young and presentable, the man didn't think too much about it and sighed, saying, "I said you two are cousins, why don't you care about her more? She's almost driven to her death by her family!"

"What?"

The man happened to be free at the moment and had some time, so he patiently said, "I'm not the kind of person who likes to gossip. I'm just saying a few words to you because I'm concerned about the way her family does. Since you're her cousin, you must know that her family has always favored boys over girls."

Xia Zhen nodded without blushing or skipping a beat, "Yes, I know."

"It was one thing for her family to favor her brother before, but she finally got into university and saved every penny to finish her second year. She still has to work day and night to earn next year's tuition. But her family is so biased. Because her brother gambled and got into trouble, her parents secretly transferred all the money she had saved to her brother. If her parents hadn't come here to ask her for the money back, I would never have known that there were such biased parents in the world!"

The man spoke with righteous indignation, clearly feeling sympathy for Li Pan's plight.

Xia Zhen was silent for a moment, then said shyly, "It's been so long since I've contacted my cousin, I've forgotten which university she's studying at. Do you know?"

The wind on the rooftop was strong and cold, so strong it made your bones ache.

She didn't know when it started, but Li Pan had gotten into the habit of standing on the rooftop to get some fresh air when she was under a lot of pressure, and she had been standing there for longer and longer periods of time. Looking down at the people and things below that had shrunk in size, she involuntarily took two steps forward and held onto the railing.

Her phone suddenly rang.

Li Pan mechanically answered the phone. Not long after, she released her grip on the railing, and a light slowly returned to her empty eyes. "Really... someone is sponsoring my schooling?"

The people over there gave an affirmative answer.

Li Pan squatted down and sobbed.

Back at work, her colleague was about to ask where she had been slacking off, but seeing Li Pan's tear-stained eyes, she swallowed her words and instead comforted her, "Don't be too sad. There are still people who care about you, like your cousin, who is very worried about you."

"cousin?"

"Yes," the waitress said. "She also asked me to tell you that you must study hard in the future and make yourself stronger so that you will have the courage to break away from your family of origin. You must never give up hope for life."

Li Pan suddenly understood everything, and tears welled up in her eyes.

The colleague was startled, "What's wrong with you?"

"It's nothing, I just... I'll try my best to become a better person, more courageous..." Li Pan wiped away her tears and said with a smile, "I'm going to work!"

Her colleague watched Li Pan run away, puzzled but also happy.

This little girl has finally regained her energy.

Sitting in the car on the way back, Xia Zhen suddenly exclaimed excitedly.

Xia Yu, who was driving, glanced at her and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just got some good equipment in the game."

Xia Zhen looked at the golden candy that appeared in the glass bottle on the game interface. The appearance of golden candy meant that she had not simply helped someone regain their academic qualifications.

She suddenly felt fortunate that she had made it in time.

Xia Zhen's mood brightened, and she fed the golden candy to the boy reading in the small room. Suddenly, a large icon popped up on the screen.

[Congratulations to the player who obtained the Time Capsule!]

Meanwhile, in a hospital ward in the city.

Hao Hui had just returned from getting her food when she saw the white-haired boy in the wheelchair reaching out to the person on the hospital bed. She rushed over and shouted, "What do you want to do!"

Hao Hui excitedly pushed the person in the wheelchair away. The wheelchair slid backward and was about to hit the wall when Lu Huiming managed to catch it in time.

Hao Hui nervously checked the condition of the person on the hospital bed. Seeing that Lu Ci, who was still unconscious, was not otherwise amiss, she was slightly relieved.

Lu Huiming asked Lu Jin, "Are you alright?"

Lu Jin shook his head, "I'm fine, don't blame Mom."

It would have been better if Hao Hui hadn't been mentioned, because as soon as she was, Lu Huiming couldn't help but say to Hao Hui, "What were you doing just now!"

Hao Hui looked up and said, "He wants to harm Xiao Ci!"

Lu Huiming found it utterly absurd, "I think you've gone mad. How could Lu Jin have harmed Xiao Ci?"

"He's the one who caused Xiaoci to become like this, and he even tried to kill him while he was still unconscious! If I hadn't discovered it in time, he would have done it!"

Lu Jin said, "I just wanted to cover him with the blanket."

Hao Hui: "You're lying!"

Lu Huiming, unable to contain himself any longer, said, "Hao Hui, wake up! You saw the surveillance footage yourself. Xiao Ci's accident was an accident! You can't blame Lu Jin just because you can't accept reality!"

Hao Hui shook her head frantically, "No, I really saw it, he just wanted to harm Xiao Ci!"

Lu Huiming walked over and grabbed Hao Hui's shoulder. "Are you delusional? Lu Jin has never hurt anyone since he was a child. How could he possibly harm Xiao Ci?"

Yes, even when he was beaten black and blue, Lu Jin never fought back. How could someone as submissive as him possibly harm others?

Hao Hui didn't know how to convince others, and she didn't know if she was really hallucinating. In front of her husband, she covered her face and cried bitterly, "I... Huiming, I don't know what's wrong with me. I really saw it just now... I saw it... Yes, he had a needle in his hand, he had a needle in his hand! He wanted to stab Xiaoci in the neck!"

Lu Huiming turned to look at Lu Jin.

The boy sat quietly in his wheelchair, watching the farce unfold before him without a trace of joy or sorrow, just as Hao Hui, who was crying and making a scene, was merely a clown.

Lu Huiming felt a little nervous. This was his only son now, and he couldn't afford to become estranged from him. He gripped Hao Hui's hand tightly and tried to soothe her gently, "You've misjudged, Hao Hui. Your prejudice against Lu Jin is too deep, and you're just too tired, which is why you've misjudged him."

"I...I must have misread it..." Hao Hui slowly calmed down under Lu Huiming's comforting words, but was still in a daze.

But suddenly, a cold glint seemed to pierce her eyes.

She cried out in terror, "No, I didn't see wrong! I didn't see wrong!"

Lu Huiming grabbed Hao Hui, who was trying to rush towards Lu Jin, and impatiently dragged her out of the ward. "Are you really crazy! Hao Hui, you need to see a doctor!"

"I'm not crazy! I'm not!"

As the door closed, the woman's screams ceased.

Lu Jin toyed with the needle in his hand, a growing look of boredom appearing in his eyes.

Turns out, turning someone into a madman is such a simple thing.

He took a chocolate out of his pocket, tore off the wrapper, and put it in his mouth.

The sweet taste reminded him of the kiss the girl had given him.

The boy closed his eyes and sighed softly.

I really want to see her soon.