Chapter 37: Pretending to Be Strong

This should be it."Inside the hospital, Yaoyao anxiously pushed open the tightly closed door."Mom," she called as she headed straight toward the bed near the window.

Lying on the hospital bed was an elderly man, around 60 or 70 years old, with white hair. Sitting beside him was a woman with a weathered expression—her grandfather and mother.

"How is Grandpa doing?" Yaoyao asked.

"He's stable now."

Phew, that was a relief. Yaoyao glanced worriedly at her still-sleeping grandfather and lowered her voice."Mom, what exactly is Grandpa's illness? Why did it come on so suddenly?"

"It's... uremia."

"Uremia?!"Yaoyao had picked up a bit of medical knowledge during her high school years in Japan. She knew a little about the disease."How could it get this serious? Wasn't there any sign earlier?"

"You know your grandfather. Even if something felt wrong, he wouldn't have said a word."

"Then for now… Mom, let's make sure Grandpa continues his dialysis. As for the expenses, I'll find a way to handle them."

For Luo Mama, the proudest thing in her life was having a daughter like Yaoyao. Since she was little, Yaoyao had always been more mature and considerate than other kids her age. Though she sometimes had clumsy, childish moments, she always showed a strength beyond her years when it truly mattered. Luo Mama felt deeply indebted to her daughter."Yaoyao, I have some money saved. You just focus on your own affairs."

"Don't worry, Mom. Trust your daughter—she can handle it."

"Of course I trust you, but—"

"Mom," Yaoyao gave a faint smile, gently cutting her off.

Seeing her daughter's expression, Luo Mama said nothing more, though deep inside she knew—her daughter was only pretending to be strong again.

After spending the morning tending to her grandfather, Yaoyao acted calm and relaxed. But the moment she left the hospital, her expression darkened with worry. Luo Mama knew her daughter all too well.

"Trust that I can handle this? But how can I, really? Why did Grandpa have to get such a terrible illness?"She clenched her fists."No. I can't let this beat me. Without dialysis, uremia is basically a death sentence. No matter what, I have to find a way to earn money."

She knew very well that her mother's income alone wouldn't be enough to support her grandfather's treatment. That's why, after receiving that phone call, she agreed so quickly to return to Boson…

"Yaoyao! I'm so happy you're working with us again! Oh, and did you hear? Manager Zhang got reassigned. I hope we get a nice manager this time.""And guess what? After you were fired yesterday, this insanely handsome guy came around asking about you! Sooo… what's going on between you and that hottie, hmm?"Bai Ling chattered on cheerfully.

But Yaoyao seemed completely spaced out, smiling and nodding, her mind clearly somewhere else.

"Yaoyao? Hello? What's wrong with you?"

"Huh? Sorry, Bai Ling, I didn't hear what you said. I'm just really tired. I'll get back to work now."

Watching her absent-minded figure walk away, Bai Ling scratched her head in confusion."She didn't even work yesterday… why does she look so exhausted?"

Throughout the entire morning, Yaoyao worked in a daze. She made several near-mistakes."No! Pull yourself together, Yaoyao!"But it was lunch break now."No one should be using the elevators, right? Just for a minute…"

Her voice trailed off as her strength drained. She slowly slid down the elevator wall and fell asleep right there.

"Hmm…"Half-asleep, she vaguely felt something touching her body. She shifted uncomfortably, but whatever it was followed her movements.

"Ugh…"With a displeased pout, she sleepily opened her eyes and reached toward her chest—only to feel her shirt pulled up and a pair of hands moving freely. She realized she was leaning against someone's chest.

She turned her head reflexively—"Y-You… Yuh, Yu Ao Tian?!"

Of course it was him again! She struggled to push his wicked hands away.

But not only did Yu Ao Tian not stop, his fingers became even more daring."Sweetheart, you were sleeping so soundly."

"Ugh…"Her face flushed bright red. She hated how casual he was about this sort of thing—and how her heart always seemed to race when he did.

"Yu Ao Tian! What are you doing?! Let me go!"

"Hm? You little troublemaker, I should be the one asking that. What are you doing?"

He finally stopped, and just as she breathed a sigh of relief, he spun her around to face him, making her straddle his lap.

So embarrassing.

She tried to pull down her shirt, but Yu Ao Tian grabbed her wrists."You sleep so deeply in public like this. What if someone just stripped your clothes off—would you even notice? Were you trying to tempt someone into a crime?"

"As if anyone else would dare do this except you!"

"Oh? So you're saying you're only tempting me, huh? Now what should I do to properly reward you for that?"

With a devilish grin, he leaned down...

"Mm…"A soft sound escaped her lips as her eyes fluttered shut. Her brows furrowed tightly."No… don't…"

The blooming sensations spread through her like wildflowers.

Yaoyao's every reaction only excited Yu Ao Tian further. He let one hand roam…

"Ah…"The overwhelming sensations became unbearable. She struggled against him, her hands pushing at his shoulders."Stop… Please…"

The mix of pleasure and shame was too much for her.

"Sweetheart, you're breathing so hard."

The rise and fall of her chest was all the evidence he needed of her sensitivity. Unable to meet his heated gaze, she turned her head away, trying to calm her breath."Enough. Please stop."

"But your body... doesn't seem to want me to stop," he said as he guided her hand toward—

"Ahh."She could feel just how pathetic she was. But the worst part was—

"Oh my, baby. Even when you touch yourself, you feel it that much?"

"Enough! Don't say another word! I promise I won't fall asleep like that again!"She wasn't sure why she blurted that out—but the most surprising part was…

Yu Ao Tian quickly buttoned up her shirt and straightened her clothes.

Stunned, her eyes widened. She slowly stood up, silent. And to her surprise…

He walked away, just like that.