"Keeping the kindness is one thing, Sister Tangning, I still can't just take your money for nothing. You can pay back the money you gave to Brother Chen on my behalf, consider it a loan from you. No matter what, I will definitely pay you back in the future!"
Once Su Mo had calmed his heartbeat, he immediately said this earnestly to Tang Ning.
Hearing Su Mo's words, Tang Ning was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay, but I'm not in a hurry to use the money. You can pay me back slowly, is that alright?"
Before Su Mo could speak, she looked him straight in the eye and said, "It's settled then. Don't try to refuse me anymore. I owe you such a huge favor. I can't just do nothing. Otherwise, I'll feel really ashamed."
Since Tang Ning had already put it that way, Su Mo didn't dare to refuse anymore and could only nod with a smile.
A thought, though subconsciously flashing through his mind, made his heart race: if he paid it back slowly, did that mean he would have this entanglement with Tang Ning in the future? As long as the money wasn't fully repaid, he would have an excuse to go to Tang Ning, to see her, and even…
Unaware that Su Mo, standing in front of her, was thinking about such random things, Tang Ning's face showed a satisfied expression. But soon, as if she remembered something, she frowned slightly and looked at Su Mo with a hesitant expression.
In the end, she couldn't hold back any longer and turned to ask Su Mo beside her, "Actually, I've wanted to ask you for a long time, Su Ya's illness is... I don't mean anything by it, I just want to see if there's anything else I can do to help."
Upon hearing this, Su Mo lowered his eyes slightly, and after a long silence, he finally spoke softly, "It's chronic myeloid leukemia. She was very young when it was discovered, and I was only in junior high school. There were no adults in the family, and medical insurance wasn't as comprehensive back then as it is now. Xiaoya's medicine was very expensive, and I didn't have any money, so I had to borrow money from Brother Chen and the others..."
“I have no education, and I can’t earn much money working outside. Xiaoya needs to take tens of thousands of yuan worth of medicine every month. I… I still want to save money for her surgery, but…”
Su Mo had never said these words to outsiders, including Aunt Liu who had been helping out at home for several years, but when facing Tang Ning, he couldn't help but say them all.
He didn't want to be perfunctory with her, nor did he want to lie to her.
Even though he had lied to her a great deal.
For example, the reason he came to her side.
For example, he and Xia Yang were old acquaintances.
For example, over the years, this person who only graduated from junior high school has never done any proper work. Instead, he has been deceiving people. He has never cheated good people out of their money, because these people actually dared to call the police, and most of them were poor people.
He mostly scammed people with shady income. Over the years, he has no idea how many times he has escaped death. There are many people outside who want to take advantage of him, but if you want money, you have to pay a price.
Xia Yang came to him because she knew about his past experiences.
Because Xia Yang, who also came from Xiping Town, had been his and Xiao Ya's neighbors for a period of time. At that time, Li Geng, the old swindler who had adopted him and Xiao Ya from the orphanage, was still around. When he was teaching the two siblings how to swindle, Xia Yang from next door also came to hang around for a while.
Although such tricks are usually not passed on to outsiders, the old swindler was a face-obsessed person who didn't follow the rules. He was coaxed by Xia Yang calling him "handsome uncle" and, when he got into the mood, he taught her a little bit of the tricks.
In other words, Xia Yang and he are from the same sect.
But the happy and carefree days didn't last long. The old swindler died in a car accident on a country road. There were no surveillance cameras at that time. When he was found, his body was already stiff.
From then on, he and Suya became orphans again, with no one to care for them.
Thinking of his dark past, Su Mo felt as if he were a rat in a ditch suddenly brought into the sunlight, bathed in Tang Ning's gaze.
He simply couldn't imagine how Tang Ning would view him if she knew his purpose in coming to her side and his sordid past!
Almost whenever he thought about that day, he felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his neck tightly, making it difficult for him to even breathe.
Su Mo's face turned slightly pale, and his hands, hanging at his sides, trembled a little.
"Su Mo, Su Mo, Su Mo..."
Just then, Tang Ning's voice suddenly rang in his ears.
Looking up blankly, Su Mo saw Tang Ning's worried gaze. "What's wrong? What are you thinking about? I've called you so many times and you didn't hear me. Are you... worried about Xiao Ya's illness?"
Tang Ning tentatively asked a question, then said to Su Mo to wait, took out her phone and dialed a number.
"Hello, Director Huang, it's me, Tang Ning. Yes, I have a patient here with chronic myeloid leukemia..."
Su Mo stared blankly as Tang Ning finished the phone call, during which she even asked him about Su Ya's blood type.
After Tang Ning hung up the phone, she turned to Su Mo and gave him a soft smile. "Don't worry, I've already spoken to people in Qing City and asked them to keep an eye out for me. We should get news soon. Then we just need to take Xiao Ya there for matching, and Xiao Ya will definitely get better quickly."
Tang Ning's voice was full of hope.
That's just how the world is. Money may not be that important, but it can solve nearly 90% of the difficulties in your life, which is why so many people are so eager to have it.
After listening to Tang Ning's words, Su Mo's mind was still blank and confused. He wanted to open his mouth to say something, but found that he seemed to have completely lost his language skills. All he could do was stare at Tang Ning in front of him, completely unaware of what to do.
By the time he realized what was happening, he had already pulled Tang Ning into his arms, holding her tighter and tighter, his eyes beginning to redden in that instant. "I..."
"Um?"
Understanding his emotional state, Tang Ning didn't pay much attention to the fact that he had hugged her again, and simply asked him in a low voice.
Su Mo's current favorability rating: 88.
"……Thank you."
The boy's voice was slightly choked up, and even his arms, which were embracing Tang Ning, trembled slightly.
"You're welcome."
Tang Ning replied with a smile, "Of course."
It's only natural.
Seven years ago, Su Mo's shout was no different from saving the original owner's life. Now, she will repay him with a life in return, and they can call it even. From now on, they can go their separate ways. Whatever the original owner owes her, she should ask him to repay her in full.
Tang Ning's eyes were filled with an extremely gentle smile.
The two didn't know how long they hugged, and even the nearby junior high schools had already let out of school. Waves of junior high students rushed towards the school gate. Only then did Su Mo, whose emotions had finally calmed down, release the hug as if waking from a dream amidst the snickering eyes of the students.
"I'm sorry, I didn't..."
Su Mo was about to apologize.
"It's okay, I know."
Tang Ning interrupted him, then pointed with some curiosity to a group of middle school students graffitiing on the school's outer wall with chalk not far away, "What are they doing?"
Upon hearing this, Su Mo turned to look.
His heart skipped a beat the moment he saw that wall.
He was very familiar with this "Wall of Love" at Xiping Middle School, because it had been there since his school days. He didn't know how many girls would immediately grab chalk after school every day, some even bringing rapeseed from home, and write their names together with his.
It is said to be a tradition of Xiping Middle School that if two people's names are written together, they will definitely get together and live happily ever after.
The more dismissive he was of this legend when he first learned about it, the more convinced and moved he became now, standing beside Tang Ning.
"It's... the town's lucky wall. They say if you write your name on that wall, you'll be lucky for several days. Midterms are coming up soon, right? These middle schoolers must be trying to get good grades, that's why they're all crowding in front of that wall writing their names. Do you... want to try it?"
Su Mo spoke with great conviction, and his smile was radiant.
If Tang Ning hadn't heard about the "love wall" at the guesthouse before, she might have believed it too.
Whether she believes it or not is unimportant; what matters is that Su Mo is willing to make a promise.
God knows how much she loved seeing these people confidently making promises in front of her, because when they later proved them wrong, it was always a resounding and crisp reversal.
"OK."
Tang Ning smiled even more brightly than Su Mo, without a trace of gloom.
Picking up the chalk that the departing junior high students had carelessly left behind, Su Mo led Tang Ning to write their names on the wall.
Looking at the four words closely placed together, Su Mo's tender gaze fell directly on Tang Ning's smooth, jade-like profile standing beside him.
Pei Yuan, who had just gotten out of the taxi, was leaning on his white cane when he looked up and saw this scene.
Under the slightly yellowing sycamore tree, a young man in a black sweater looked tenderly at the woman in a white sweater beside him.
As she turned to walk away, he saw a speeding car splashing water from the roadside with its tires. Without hesitation, he shielded the woman in white with his body, getting himself covered in mud.
"Oh my god, that person is so inconsiderate! Su Mo, how are you? I have some napkins, but it seems like I don't have enough. You need to go home and change your clothes."
"But you want to go to Wenshan..."
"When can't we go to Wenshan? It'll be bad if you catch a cold wearing wet clothes. Listen to me, let's go back."
"good."
Su Mo nodded with satisfaction and happiness, and then he saw an incredible look of ecstasy rise on Tang Ning's face as she stood facing him.
She gently pushed aside the person blocking her way, then excitedly rushed across the street and ran straight into the arms of a man who was also wearing a white sweater.
"Shen Yin!"
He heard her call that person that.
"What are you doing here? Did you come alone? Why didn't you call me beforehand? You're blind, what if something happened to you on the way?"
All of Pei Yuan's displeasure and anger vanished in an instant with Tang Ning's hug and her continuous greetings.
He was utterly captivated by this feeling and by Tang Ning, who brought him it.
All other people or things that obstruct his direct connection with Tang Ning, such as Han Jun and this other person, are stumbling blocks that he must remove, because he will never allow Tang Ning's gaze to fall on anyone other than him.
Thinking this, while replying to Tang Ning, Pei Yuan's gentle gaze fell on Su Mo, who was gradually approaching them.
Just one glance sent a chill down Su Mo's spine.
When he looked again, he couldn't see anything wrong with it.
He knew Shen Yin; he was Tang Ning's boyfriend and also blind.
But that one glance he made made him wonder if the man was really blind.
Whether he was truly blind or pretending, the only thing he knew was his own heart; he loved Tang Ning, loved her terribly.
There is no first come, first served in a relationship. Besides, can a blind man who still needs Tang Ning's care really bring Tang Ning happiness?
A person who can't see their own worth and is willing to make things difficult for Sister Tang Ning is definitely not a good match for her. If it were him, he certainly wouldn't have acted this way...
Thinking this, Su Mo immediately flashed a bright and sunny smile. "Sister Tang Ning, this is the brother Shen Yin you told me about before, right? He's just as outstanding as I imagined. Hello, my name is Su Mo. Sister Tang Ning should have introduced me to you before, right?"
As he spoke, Su Mo had already extended his hand.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I forgot you're blind. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to, I apologize, I'm so sorry..."
Before Su Mo could finish speaking, Pei Yuan gave her a forgiving smile. "It's alright. I know you didn't mean it. I really can't see. But if the price of having such a wonderful girlfriend as Tang Ning is my eyes, then I'd rather never see again for the rest of my life."
"You're just spouting nonsense!"
Tang Ning panicked.
"I'm sorry, but these are my honest thoughts."
Pei Yuan squeezed Tang Ning's hand tightly, as if he were holding the only warmth in the world, which made Tang Ning's eyes soften unconsciously.
Upon seeing this, Su Mo immediately clenched his fists.
He won't admit defeat...
Author's Note: The battle horns have sounded!
Pei Xiaolian vs. Su Xiaochai: Their skills in vying for favor are automatically activated!
It would be pretty good if the person being teased was myself, haha.
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