Chapter 153

Chapter 153: Chapter 152 Ye Tianchen, alone, held a lobster in his left hand and an abalone in his right hand, and began to eat heartily, completely disregarding his image and not caring that Ling Yuxun and Xiao Ya, two great beauties, were present. He just wolfed down his food.

"You call this a poor appetite? I think your appetite is really not bad..." Ling Yuxun said speechlessly, looking at Ye Tianchen.

"Eat slowly, don’t choke!" Xiao Ya said with a sweet smile, watching Ye Tianchen.

"You two should eat too, don’t just watch me!" Ye Tianchen said, taking another bite of the big abalone.

Having been reborn in this life, it was only eating that could really pique Tianchen’s interest. Even the allure of beauties wasn’t that significant to him. Of course, this was relative; in the apocalypse, with countless beauties around him, Tianchen’s desires were naturally still strong. However, this time around, his desire was more to enjoy life rather than toil away.

"You’ve hoarded the entire table’s seafood in front of you; what are we supposed to eat? The table?" Ling Yuxun said, giving Ye Tianchen a glance.

Upon hearing Ling Yuxun’s words, Ye Tianchen realized that he had unknowingly moved several plates of seafood to his front, leaving none in front of Ling Yuxun and Xiao Ya. No wonder Ling Yuxun looked like she could kill him with her gaze.

"Heh heh, come on, come on, beautiful ladies, please enjoy, please enjoy!" Ye Tianchen said with an awkward laugh.

"How in the world will you find a girlfriend like this? You won’t be able to get married at this rate!" said Ling Yuxun in annoyance.

"That’s okay. Didn’t you say when we were kids that you wanted to marry me? Now is the time for you to keep your promise..." Ye Tianchen teased casually.

Ling Yuxun, who had wanted to give Ye Tianchen a harsh reality check, blushed at his remark. She couldn’t understand why his mention of their childhood made her red-faced. It had been many years, after all, and she should feel nothing. But the memories of her time with Ye Tianchen were deeply etched into her mind. She couldn’t forget them, and they always brought her a warm, happy smile. Could it be that she had planted the seeds of affection for Ye Tianchen in her heart back then?

"Who, who said I would marry you? With the way you are, even if you gave yourself to me, I wouldn’t take you!" Ling Yuxun shot back, regaining her composure and glaring fiercely at Ye Tianchen.

"No way, are you going back on your word now? I remember you said that no matter what, if I couldn’t find a wife, you would marry me. Trying to dodge the promise, are you?" Ye Tianchen, seeing Ling Yuxun’s embarrassment, deliberately continued in a serious tone.

Along the way, Ling Yuxun had tried all kinds of ways to make fun of him, of course, this was just how good friends chat. It’s just that Ye Tianchen hadn’t found the chance to strike back. Now that he saw Ling Yuxun knew how to blush, he wouldn’t let it go easily, teasing her whenever the opportunity arose.

"I, I never said that. Let Yaer tell you; even as a kid you weren’t much to look at. Why would I want someone like you?" Ling Yuxun, somewhat flushed and at a loss, reverted to using Xiao Ya as a shield.

"Psh, as if. I’m the epitome of suave, charming, and a gentleman with a broad mind and robust health..."

Before Ye Tianchen could finish his sentence, Xiao Ya’s cellphone began to ring. She took out an old-fashioned Nokia phone, the kind that cost two to three hundred yuan. It wasn’t to say anything demeaning, but such an old model of Nokia phone was rarely used nowadays, especially in an era where smartphones were everywhere. Even elementary school students didn’t use such old phones because the cheapest smartphones also cost only two or three hundred yuan.

"Dad, it’s me. What happened?" Xiao Ya asked softly.

"How could this happen? Okay, I, I’ll come back right away. I’ve already signed up, so it’s no problem. I’ll be quick!"

By the time Xiao Ya said the second sentence, she was already on the verge of tears, which made both Ye Tianchen and Ling Yuxun feel a tightness in their chest; something must have happened.

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Ya looked at Ye Tianchen and Ling Yuxun and said, "I’m sorry, something came up, I have to go now!"

"What happened?" Ye Tianchen asked.

"Nothing, it’s nothing. You guys keep eating, thank you!" said Xiao Ya with an anxious expression.

"Yaer, you’re heading home, right? I have a car, and I can take you so it’ll be quicker!" Ling Yuxun, being a very kind girl, hurriedly offered seeing Xiao Ya so agitated.

"No, no need. I can take the bus..."

"Yaer, we’re friends, and this is just a trifle for me; you’re too polite!"

Ye Tianchen realized that Xiao Ya didn’t want to be a bother. She was kind, adorable, and dignified—a rarity in girls today. That’s why Ye Tianchen was eager to help Xiao Ya, and judging from her behavior, something significant must have happened at home. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so anxious.

"Yeah, Yaer, don’t stand on ceremony with us, let’s go!" Ling Yuxun grabbed Xiao Ya’s arm and headed for the exit. At that moment, Ye Tianchen dropped any pretense, went to the counter, took out his Gold Card, swiped it to pay for the bill, and quickly left the seafood restaurant.

The sports car Ling Yuxun drove was clearly a brand name, though to someone like Ye Tianchen who knew little about cars, he couldn’t tell the make. But it was comfortable to ride in, and with Ling Yuxun at the wheel, Xiao Ya sat in the passenger seat, giving directions as Ye Tianchen settled himself in the back.

Xiao Ya felt deeply moved by both Ling Yuxun and Ye Tianchen; she thought herself fortunate to have met such wonderful classmates as soon as she arrived at school, able to make good friends, especially Ye Tianchen, who gave Xiao Ya a warm feeling inside. Unlike other boys she’d met, who always seemed to have an agenda, Ye Tianchen came across as different, with no designs of his own.

About two hours later, Ling Yuxun, driving quite fast because she knew Xiao Ya was in a hurry, completely disregarded traffic lights in her urgency. The drive took them out of Capital City and into the far confines of the suburbs, stopping outside a small village.

"This is the place, let’s go quickly; my mom is having a severe attack and needs to go to the hospital!" Xiao Ya said urgently.

"Okay, lead the way, we’ll follow. Don’t worry about us," Ye Tianchen nodded in response.

Giving Ye Tianchen a grateful look, Xiao Ya entered the small village. On its outskirts, Ye Tianchen had seen an ambulance, indicating serious problems. If Xiao Ya’s mother had only minor health issues, there would be no need for an ambulance; it had to be serious.

Following Xiao Ya through the village, turning here and there, Ye Tianchen and Ling Yuxun finally stopped in front of a somewhat dilapidated wooden gate. Xiao Ya pushed the gate open and entered to see a somewhat small courtyard surrounded by four old, shabby houses, revealing just how impoverished Xiao Ya’s family really was.

"Dad, Dad, I’m back! How is mom?" Xiao Ya hurried into the room, asking anxiously.

In the room, a woman in her fifties lay on the bed, pallid and sweaty, lips turning purple, hands clutching the quilt, seemingly in great pain. She was biting her lips so hard to bear the pain while Xiao Ya’s father—a plain and honest farmer with plenty of white in his hair, looking rather old—stood alongside three doctors, two men, and a woman.

"Mom, mom, it’s okay, I’m Yaer, I’m here!" Xiao Ya’s eyes filled with tears as she knelt beside the bed, her hands tightly holding her mother’s.

"Yaer, you’re back. How did the registration go?" the elderly woman asked with a forced smile, despite being overcome by illness.

"I’ve finished the enrollment procedures. Mom, please relax; I’m going to take you to the hospital right now!" Xiao Ya said urgently.

"Doctors, please, we must hurry to the hospital. She’s in a lot of pain; I beg you!" pleaded Xiao Ya’s father to the three doctors.

But the three doctors stood aloof as if displeased, apparently waiting for something without prioritizing the patient’s well-being.

"We want to take the patient to the hospital right away, but there are rules. The ambulance fee of two hundred yuan has to be paid before we can transport the patient; without that payment, we can’t use the ambulance," said one of the men in a white coat, feigning difficulty.

"But... we really don’t have the two hundred yuan. Can I pay you back later? I promise we will!" Xiao Ya’s father said desperately, nearly on the verge of kneeling.

"Please, take my mom to the hospital now; I beg you!" Xiao Ya was crying, the sight of her mother in such agony tearing her apart.

"No, without payment, she cannot be admitted to the vehicle," another doctor stated coldly.

"Please, I beg you to save my wife, save my wife!" In desperation, Xiao Ya’s father fell to his knees, imploring the three doctors to take his wife to the hospital—the couple had depended on each other for so many years, their bond undeniable.

"How can you be like this? Saving a life is urgent like putting out a fire. Are you even angels in white? You want money, is that it? I’ll give it to you!" Ling Yuxun couldn’t stand it anymore, pulling out a stack of money from her wallet to give to the three doctors.

Just as the three doctors glimpsed the stack of money, their eyes glittering with greed, "Boom!" one was sent flying with a kick. Ye Tianchen stepped forward, his face more serious and chilly than ever, "These three are no angels in white; they’re more like devils!"

(To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)