Chapter 54
"Ms. Lin, please sign."
"But……"
"Without external assistance, our medical capabilities can at most allow her to see you one last time."
Lin Keli's pale fingertips gripped the surgical consent form, her eyes reddening. Her mother had finally reached this point in the shortest amount of time, her simulated brain tissue a death sentence.
"Doctor, give me a minute."
As soon as the doctor left, Lin Keli grabbed Chi Xia's hand. "Xia, what should I do? My mom is dying. She said before that even in death she wouldn't want her brain tissue to be placed in her body. What should I do?"
When the two arrived at the ward, Lin Keli's mother had just been admitted to the ICU for intubation and was waiting for surgery. The doctor was about to call Lin Keli when she brought Chi Xia to see her mother. Unfortunately, she was asked such a critical life-or-death decision before she even got to see her.
Chi Xia grasped Lin Keli's hand in return. This was the first person to say she would take care of her and treat her like a sister after her sister Mu Se's death. Chi Xia calmly looked into the other's eyes and asked, "Do you want to respect your aunt's wishes?"
Lin Keli shook her head vigorously. "I only have this mother left. My father ran away with his lover, and my mother and I depend on each other for survival. I'm only 29 years old. What will I do for the rest of my life without her? I haven't gotten married or had children yet, and I haven't achieved anything in my career. I can't live without my mother, Xia."
Hot tears dripped onto the back of Chi Xia's hand. She took out a tissue and wiped them away for Lin Keli. "Don't cry. Just sign the papers and have the surgery. When your aunt wakes up and blames you, tell her that she didn't ask for your opinion when she gave birth to you."
Lin Keli paused for a second, then burst into laughter through her tears, agreeing several times as she ran and shouted, "Doctor! I'm here to sign!"
Chi Xia watched her run towards the doctor and then towards her mother, a faint smile appearing on her face. One day, her sophistry could save a life.
The surgery lasted for nearly six hours. Chi Xia sat with Lin Keli at the door the whole time, waiting. Lin Keli held her hands so tightly that they were covered in sweat, but the other woman wouldn't let go and kept talking.
“My mom used to be very frugal. She wouldn't buy a new lipstick for a whole year, saving all her money for my dad to start his company. She would go grocery shopping at dusk, buying the cheapest produce. But she was never stingy with me. She would buy me whatever I wanted. She said she had no life left and couldn't let me suffer too. But seeing how frugal she was, how could I bear to see her suffer alone? So I suppressed my own desires and was very obedient, asking for nothing. But…”
Childhood trauma is like a thorn piercing flesh; no matter how many years have passed, touching it again still causes unbearable pain. Lin Keli choked back tears, leaning on Chi Xia's shoulder, the tears streaming down her face and soaking Chi Xia's shoulder, blurring the skin. "That man started a company and then got involved with his business partner. He said my mom never helped him, that we were a burden, and that he would have been rich long ago if it weren't for us. When my mom argued with him, he hit her. He hit my mom, Xia, what right does he have to hit my mom? My mom hasn't had a single good day with him, sob sob sob..."
Chi Xia hugged her and gently stroked the back of her head, her fingertips trembling with her sobs. "It's all in the past. Bad people don't deserve a single tear from us."
Lin Keli wiped her tears hard with her sleeve. "You're right, you scoundrel, he's not worth it!"
Chi Xia: "Don't worry, the doctor said that the success rate of this type of surgery is almost 100%. Auntie will get better soon, and you will take care of her and live a good life together."
Lin Keli hugged Chi Xia tightly. "Thank you, Xia. I'm so grateful to you today. Otherwise, I... wouldn't know what to do."
Chi Xia held her shoulders and reached out to wipe away her tears. "It's okay, don't cry. From today onwards, Auntie will be healthy and ready to start a new life with you."
Lin Keli nodded, then smiled, "Yes."
When the operating lights went out, the two of them got up together. Lin Keli nervously gripped Chi Xia's hand tightly, waiting for the doctor to come out and tell her, "Ms. Lin, your mother is alright."
After thanking the doctor, Lin Keli turned around and hugged Chi Xia tightly, repeatedly saying, "My mom is alright now."
After settling her mother in, Lin Keli told Chi Xia to go home and rest. Lin Keli was mainly responsible for the college's internal affairs, leading the grade group's activities and assisting the director in management. She did not teach classes, but Chi Xia was the homeroom teacher of Class 3 and also taught classes. With the physical fitness simulation test approaching, she needed to make some preparations.
It was almost 1 a.m. when Chi Xia left the hospital and reached out to hail a taxi.
"Bang bang!"
A luxury car drove over from the parking space next to Chi Xia and stopped in front of her. Chi Xia glanced at the license plate, opened the passenger door, and got in.
Ye Feng: "You and Lin Keli seem to have a good relationship."
Chi Xia: "You came with us?"
Ye Feng turned the car around and drove away, tapping the steering wheel lightly with his fingertips. He chuckled, "I'm not as sentimental as you. I can't wait five or six hours. I just arrived a little while ago. By the way, I found something out about Lin Keli. Do you want to hear about it?"
smoothly?
Chi Xia looked at Ye Feng, who seemed slightly excited and eager to share, and couldn't see anything wrong with him.
Chi Xia: "Go ahead."
"Lin Keli's father died five years ago. His death was extremely gruesome. It was done by the Dawn Assassins. A bounty of 30,000 is offered."
After Ye Feng finished speaking, he observed Chi Xia's reaction through the car mirror.
This level of bounty is the reward for a novice assassin. Lin Keli had just finished talking about her family information when Ye Feng suddenly dropped such a bombshell. It was truly a rollercoaster ride, as if it was waiting for him at this crucial moment.
Chi Xia turned her head slightly to look at the other person, and first praised him, "You're really amazing, obtaining such private information in such a short time. May I ask, Young Master Ye, have you found out about Lin Keli's father's mistress? What's her current situation?"
Lin Keli said that her father was having an affair with his business partner, and if Lin Keli hired someone to kill him, she would most likely take care of his lover as well.
Ye Feng gave a restrained smile, exchanged a glance with Chi Xia in the rearview mirror, and said, "It seems your relationship is indeed unusual. She even told you all this. Her father has three business partners, only one of whom is a woman. Guess what? The one he's having an affair with isn't that woman."
Chi Xia's eyes widened slightly. "What is that?"
"That's right. Lin Keli's father came out as gay during his entrepreneurial journey, abandoning his wife and children. He lost both his money and his career, but his boyfriend is doing very well now, owning 51% of the company and having absolute control. Isn't that interesting?"
What a complicated plot, it's as melodramatic as a soap opera.
Chi Xia glanced at Ye Feng, who was in a state of complete ease and subconsciously accelerated, his excitement overflowing. He was indeed a promising young man to be able to think of conducting an investigation around his actions, and such cooperation would be more efficient.
After the key information was supplemented, Lin Keli's background became complicated. She confided her hatred for her father to herself, but never mentioned the woman her father had an affair with, or the crucial information that her father was already dead.
Humans are, after all, far too complex creatures.
Chi Xia sighed softly, while Ye Feng smiled, as if he had won a round. "Teacher, I never thought you could act impulsively like this."
"Humans are not plants or trees. The death of Lin Keli's father must be investigated carefully. Who hired someone to kill him? Also, did Lin Keli have any contact with her father's gay partner?"
Aren't you afraid of being disappointed?
"Maybe this will clear her name."
The car smoothly drove onto the elevated road, and Ye Feng couldn't help but look at the person in the passenger seat again, "How do you determine a person's apparent identity and hidden identity?"
Chi Xia: "Everyone is multifaceted, and information can always contain errors, but a person's behavioral intentions are clearly discernible. Why do they do what they do, and what are their intentions? Once you figure out this main thread, everything else can be used as supplements."
"What if the main plot is affected by personal subjective factors? People aren't always objective and rational." After asking this question, Ye Feng seemed to instantly understand the key point that had been puzzling him about Chi Xia.
Chi Xia yawned. She had been staying up late for two days in a row and had been busy with various things. Suddenly, her eyelids felt very heavy.
The car was relatively quiet at this moment. She took off her large-framed glasses, closed her eyes to rest for a while, and spoke in a soft, half-asleep voice, "So, who you choose as the carrier of your intelligence is just as important as how you process the information."
Ye Feng originally wanted to ask Chi Xia the questions she hadn't had time to answer before, but in the blink of an eye, he saw that she had already leaned back in her seat, turned her head to the side, and closed her eyes to sleep.
Ye Feng looked down at the glasses she was holding, then looked away, closed the car window, turned on the air conditioning, and adjusted the tint of the car windows so that all the neon lights that had been following them on the elevated road and trying to see through the windows were blocked, leaving only a quiet, dark interior, perfect for resting.
As they drove into Moon Bay, along the tree-lined road leading to Xin Ran's large villa, Chi Xia slowly opened her eyes and stretched her neck. "Thank you for today. I'll treat you to dinner another day."
Ye Feng looked at her and said, "Tomorrow, I happen to be free."
"..." Chi Xia thought of an excuse while putting on her glasses, "Let's wait until your exam is over. Today, Director Ma scolded me for keeping my distance from students."
Ye Feng laughed, "Keep your distance, and what else?"
Chi Xia frowned. Why was this guy getting even more excited? Teacher-student romance? Could he have started this himself?
Chi Xia opened the door and got out of the car. She wanted to avoid this kind of scoundrel who was risking his reputation. Although she didn't have much of a reputation to uphold, spreading rumors was disliked.
Ye Feng quickly followed, saying, "It's too late, how about I stay the night?"
Chi Xia looked up and saw that Xin Ran's room was still lit, so he probably had something to share with her too. "You have to talk to my landlord."
The two went inside, and Xin Ran came downstairs with a glass of wine. "Hey, Ye, you're here again. Are you really planning to woo your homeroom teacher?"
Ye Feng grinned. "It's so obvious. Teacher Xin, how about we make a deal?"
Xin Ran glanced at Chi Xia, who seemed to be making a hasty retreat, and asked, "What, is Young Master Ye going to buy my villa at a high price and give it to your beauty?"
Ye Feng laughed out loud, "Such a good thing? Then name your price."
Chi Xia went upstairs. "You guys chat, I'm going back to my room to sleep."
As he passed by Xin Ran, the other person handed her a drink, chuckling softly, "Tonight's spoils. Go pour yourself some more, it's on the balcony."
When Chi Xia took it, the two exchanged glances; one looked at her with a questioning look, the other with an affirmative one. It was indeed important information; it seemed they couldn't wait until tomorrow.
Ye Feng stood downstairs, watching the two interact so tacitly, and unconsciously clenched his fist in his pocket.
Chi Xia took a sip of wine, its rich sweetness irresistible. She tilted her head back and downed it in one gulp. Her steps became light and graceful as she hurried to see how much Xin Ran had left for her.
Xin Ran suppressed a laugh and turned her gaze back to Ye Feng, "You really want to buy my house?"
Ye Feng's face darkened instantly. "I won't buy it, I'll just stay here."
Xin Ran smiled and said, "Sure, take your pick of any room on the first floor. Goodnight."
"Wait a minute." Ye Feng pulled his hand away and pointed upstairs. "How can a teacher live upstairs?"
Xin Ran stopped and turned around, her face beaming with a smile, "She paid."
"How much...how much? It's not like I can't afford it."
Xin Ran turned around and said, "How about this, I'll give you a discount because we're acquaintances, 88,000 a night."
Ye Feng's eyes widened. "Teacher Xin, why don't you just rob me? This is no different from robbery. Now I know where you got the money to buy this big villa. You just take it by force, don't you?"
Xin Ran smiled, "You're a quick learner. Pay up, and choose any room you like."
Ye Feng raised the bracelet, operating it while nitpicking, "Are you bringing breakfast or not?"
Xinran: "Would a sandwich be okay?"
"Beep!" Ye Feng transferred the money. "It'll do."
Xin Ran saw the 88,000 yuan had arrived in her account. "Here you go. I'll add two fried eggs for you. The WiFi isn't encrypted, and there's plenty of hot water. Goodnight, Ye."
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