Chapter 195: Heartfire

As soon as Wang Jia opened her eyes, she saw Li Dong.

Without caring how Li Dong ended up here, Wang Jia hoarsely asked, "Where's my mom?"

From her previous conversation with Fang Qingfei, Wang Jia knew her mother's condition was critical.

Adding to her unease, hearing Li Dong mention her mother made Wang Jia worry. Her eyes immediately filled with tears.

Seeing this, Li Dong quickly said, "Your mom is fine. Don't worry!"

Hearing Li Dong's words, Wang Jia's mood suddenly lightened, and she felt weak all over. She slumped back onto the bed, silently crying.

The attending physician, seeing the situation, didn't stay any longer. He gently closed the door and left the room.

Li Dong saw Wang Jia's face wet with tears and her silent sobbing and was at a loss for how to comfort her.

After a long while, Wang Jia finally stopped sobbing. She rubbed her eyes and whispered, "Thank you."

Li Dong, relieved to hear her speak, said, "You're welcome. Your fever hasn't gone down yet, so try not to get too emotional."

Wang Jia nodded faintly and didn't say anything more.

Li Dong sighed internally. The difference between Wang Jia now and before was huge.

It wasn't about physical changes but about her personality.

Wang Jia used to be warm and lively, full of quirks; now, she was silent and troubled.

Li Dong remembered when he first met Wang Jia—she made faces behind his back, cursed out the manager after being fired, and confidently rejected his offer.

And now, just in a short period of half a year, things had changed drastically.

In comparing the two versions of Wang Jia, Li Dong wondered if this counted as maturity.

Unfortunately, this kind of maturity came at too great a cost.

After a moment of silence, Wang Jia hoarsely asked, "Why are you here?"

"Fang Qingfei couldn't reach you, and your mother was worried about you, so I came to find you. Why haven't you called them these days?"

Li Dong was puzzled by this as well. Wang Jia wasn't in a coma; she could still make a phone call.

Wang Jia bit her lip and remained silent.

Li Dong didn't press further. He guessed Wang Jia might be afraid of hearing bad news.

After all, Wang Jia wasn't aware of Fang Qingfei borrowing money from him, so she might be worried about her mother's condition worsening.

Li Dong sighed softly and said, "Don't worry about your mother. If things go well, she can have the surgery in a few days. After the surgery, she'll need some time to recover, but she'll be able to leave the hospital."

Wang Jia's eyes lit up at Li Dong's words, and she asked excitedly, "Really?"

"Really."

Wang Jia couldn't hold back her tears again. This time, she wasn't just silently crying but sobbing loudly.

She had been suppressing her emotions for so long, and hearing that her mother was going to be okay made Wang Jia finally break down.

Li Dong saw this and didn't try to comfort her but instead felt a sense of relief.

The doctor had said Wang Jia's repeated high fevers were related to her inner turmoil, her heartfire not being quelled. 

Now that she was crying, it alleviated some of that heartfire, and her recovery should be faster.

Perhaps Wang Jia had been holding back too much or enduring for too long. Her crying lasted over ten minutes.

Once she had no tears left to shed, Wang Jia gradually calmed down.

After she had recovered her composure, Wang Jia asked, "Was the surgery fee covered by you?"

She had asked the doctor about her mother's illness, and the surgery required at least several hundred thousand. Since Fang Qingfei clearly didn't have that money, and Li Dong had found her, Wang Jia quickly guessed it was Li Dong who provided the funds.

Li Dong nodded and then shook his head, saying, "I provided the money, but it was borrowed by Fang Qingfei."

Wang Jia's eyes reddened again, and she sobbed, "Thank you, really, thank you!"

Whether it was Fang Qingfei or Li Dong, both were outsiders. Wang Jia was deeply grateful for their help.

After expressing her gratitude, Wang Jia added, "This money shouldn't be from Qingfei. Li Dong, I will pay you back. I earn six thousand a month now and will earn more in the future. Li Dong, trust me, I'll pay you back soon."

Li Dong didn't care much about the money and instead asked, "You're earning six thousand a month in Beijing?"

Wang Jia had been in Beijing for less than two months, earning six thousand a month seemed too easy.

Li Dong had an uneasy feeling. Did Wang Jia really take that path?

Seeing Li Dong's expression, Wang Jia knew what he was thinking.

If it were before, Wang Jia would have scolded him, but now she was too tired to be angry and explained, "I work very hard, and my boss values me, so my salary is a bit higher."

Li Dong didn't believe her and sighed without speaking further.

Wang Jia felt wronged and was afraid Li Dong might really think badly of her. After hesitating for a while, she explained, "I work three jobs. Six thousand isn't much, and I'll earn more in the future."

Li Dong then understood and shook his head, "You're working yourself to the bone."

Saying three jobs sounds simple, but doing them is exhausting.

No wonder she got sick from just a fever. With Wang Jia's small frame, it was impossible for her to endure.

Not to mention Wang Jia, even if Li Dong had to do it, he would be worn out from just two jobs.

"Stop torturing yourself. We'll talk about the money later. I'm not pressing you for repayment."

"You may not be pressing, but I can't ignore it. Otherwise, I can't get past this hurdle myself."

Li Dong smiled and didn't argue further. Instead, he said, "It's getting late. Do you want me to get you something to eat?"

Wang Jia shook her head. She wasn't in the mood to eat and had no appetite.

Li Dong frowned, "You haven't eaten properly for days. How can you return to Pingchuan in this condition? Your mother won't have the surgery until she sees you. Can you really bear to let her wait?"

Hearing that her mother wouldn't undergo the surgery, Wang Jia became anxious. She hurriedly said, "I'm better now. Let's go back to Pingchuan immediately."

"You still have a fever. The doctor said…"

"I'm really better!"

Before Li Dong could finish, Wang Jia tried to get out of bed. As soon as she stood up, her body gave way, and she almost fell.

Li Dong quickly went over to support her, half holding and half carrying her back to bed. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Wang Jia glaring at him angrily.

Li Dong understood her frustration and said, "What are you staring at? Look at yourself now—like a ghost. Do I look like I'm taking advantage of you?"

Wang Jia, embarrassed and angry, thought his words were rude.

"Keep staring. It's no use. If you didn't push yourself so hard, I wouldn't need to help you. Can you even get back into bed by yourself?"

Wang Jia, fuming, turned away and ignored him.

Li Dong smiled, finding this reaction more normal. He had thought Wang Jia had become so numb she couldn't even get angry anymore.

Seeing Wang Jia not talking to him, Li Dong decided not to disturb her and left the room.

As he heard the door close, Wang Jia turned around and glanced at it, her eyes slightly red.