At 8 o'clock in the morning, a nurse opened a window in the corridor, and a slightly cool breeze entered, causing a shiver in the person sitting on the chair.
Mo Xi felt a bit cold, probably due to the low temperature in the hospital corridor yesterday, he might have caught a chill. Beside him was Pei Hao, who was already leaning back on the chair, asleep. His hands were crossed over his chest, his eyes were still facing Mo Xi's direction, and a smile was on his face, as if he had a good dream.
In a daze, Mo Xi remembered the faint smile and the words "I miss you" that Pei Hao had said last night. Like a light cloud, they drifted onto his heart, causing a tickling sensation. In that hazy moonlight, Pei Hao's earnest confession felt like something from years ago, which would have captivated him instantly. However, yesterday, he had merely turned his head slightly, not offering any response, because he truly didn't know how to respond.
Not long after, a nurse came to talk to Mo Xi. She basically meant that the money they had paid was running out, so they should top up. Pei Hao woke up from his half-asleep state, shook his hair, and stood up to take care of the matter: "Sure, I'll go pay."
"Pei Hao!" Mo Xi stopped Pei Hao, who was already striding away, and followed him, "Let me do it."
"You have no money," Pei Hao ruffled Mo Xi's hair forcefully. Then, fearing that Mo Xi might get upset, he quickly added, "You don't even know where to go to make the payment."
Pei Hao was right. At the moment, Mo Xi had only a few thousand yuan left with him. Compared to his sister's medical expenses, it was like a drop in the bucket. He didn't want to owe Pei Hao any favors at this time, but reality was staring him in the face—Mo Zi needed the medical fees urgently, and he couldn't come up with the money.
Mo Xi lowered his head, his gaze dim, feeling quite powerless.
Sensing Mo Xi's downturned mood, Pei Hao put an arm around his neck, guiding him to the elevator, and playfully touched his nose with his fingertip. "Don't overthink it. Besides, I'm not using that money right now; it's just sitting in the bank."
Mo Xi pursed his lips. "I'll repay you as soon as possible."
Pei Hao had originally thought of saying there's no rush, or even just telling him not to bother repaying, since he was willingly spending it anyway. But when he thought about Mo Xi's unfamiliar attitude a while ago, he grew a bit irritated. In the end, he just threw out a casual "Whatever," and got into the elevator.
Not long after, Xiaojun came to relieve them with breakfast. After Mo Xi and Pei Hao finished eating, Xiaojun hurried them home to rest.
As they stepped out of the hospital, Mo Xi turned to Pei Hao and said, "You can head back; I've booked a hotel."
Knowing Mo Xi's personality, Pei Hao understood that he wouldn't stay at his house for long. However, he didn't expect Mo Xi to have found a place to stay so quickly, which indicated how much he wanted to distance himself from Pei Hao. Pei Hao didn't insist and only said, "I'll drop you off."
"No need," Mo Xi shook his head, anticipating his skepticism. He even showed the booking confirmation on his phone, "It's in the opposite direction of your house, so no need to go out of your way."
Ignoring him, Pei Hao flagged down a taxi and reported the address Mo Xi had booked, and then he got in.
"..." Mo Xi couldn't help rolling his eyes. Over these years, Pei Hao hadn't really changed, especially his stubbornness. Regardless of what he was determined about, no one could shake his resolve.
When the car arrived at the hotel entrance, Pei Hao's expression darkened, and Mo Xi was surprised. What kind of hotel was this? It was just a shabby, run-down motel. The entrance was in an alley, surrounded by open trash bags emitting a nauseating smell. They waited at the front desk for a service staff to show up.
"Are you sure you want to stay here?" Pei Hao suppressed his displeasure, glancing at Mo Xi from the corner of his eye.
"Other places are fully booked," Mo Xi replied softly.
"Fine then, call me if you need anything," Pei Hao sighed and then, with a pitiful tone, added, "Take care of yourself." When he said this, he didn't dare to look at Mo Xi directly, fearing that Mo Xi might once again deliver an icy rejection. He didn't want his disappointment to be too obvious.
Mo Xi's heart softened. Seeing Pei Hao, a person who was normally so proud, acting so pitifully weak, he felt a pang of sympathy, even though Pei Hao hadn't done anything wrong.
After Pei Hao left, Mo Xi sat in the room, lost in thought. He picked up his phone, turning it over and over in his hand. After contemplating for a while, he found a perfectly reasonable excuse for himself: He had to repay Pei Hao anyway, so setting him as a normal contact was just a matter of time.
After completing the task, Mo Xi felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest. He prepared to take a shower and then go to sleep. However, when he turned on the shower, he was taken aback. The water coming out was yellow.
He called the front desk, and they apologized, explaining that they had done some maintenance on the water pipes today, and some debris might have gotten in. They suggested he wait for a while.
So, he stood in front of the bathtub, letting the water run for ten minutes. The water did become clear, but there was still no sign of hot water. He called the front desk again, and the receptionist nonchalantly said, "It's too cold today, so the water heater hasn't heated up. Why not take a shower later tonight?"
Mo Xi was a bit speechless. It wasn't winter, and the temperature was around ten degrees Celsius. How could the water heater not be working? Could they at least come up with a better lie? Just say the water heater is broken; that would be more believable.
Oh well, it's not a big deal.
Mo Xi decided to shower later in the evening. He lay on the bed with his clothes on and dozed off.
After a while, he was awakened by the continuous sounds of someone next door, accompanied by various impact noises. Profanities from a man's mouth were incessant, and Mo Xi heard everything clearly. The soundproofing here was...
Frustrated, Mo Xi put on his headphones and managed to fall asleep again. When he woke up in the evening, it was already 8 o'clock. The noises from the neighboring room had ceased. Mo Xi got up, let the water run for a while, but it was still cold. He didn't want to wait any longer, so he took a cold shower.
Though not as cold as winter, the late autumn temperature was still bone-chilling. When Mo Xi reached the hospital entrance, he sneezed several times in a row.
Fortunately, before leaving today, he had asked the front desk for a blanket. He could use it to cover himself during his nap.
Xiaojun walked out of the ward to find a doctor when he ran into Mo Xi, who had just arrived. Xiaojun wiped away the traces of tears at the corners of his eyes, pointed excitedly at the ward, and said, "Your sister woke up. Hurry in."
Mo Xi quickly walked into the ward and saw Mo Zi lying pale in bed. Her face was puffier than usual, and she had several tubes connected to her body. Mo Zi, who was usually so confident and concerned about her appearance, how had she ended up like this after giving birth?
Mo Xi's nose tingled, and he couldn't hold back his tears; his eyes turned red.
"Xiao Xi, come here," Mo Zi's voice was weak as she raised her swollen hand to touch him, her lips curved into a smile, though her eyes were glistening with tears, "Don't cry, I'm fine."
Mo Xi held her hand, noticing how her whole palm was swollen, and her fingers didn't even touch together. He asked with concern, "Is there anything you want to eat? I'll go buy it for you."
"My brother-in-law already fed me. The doctor said I'll be fine as long as I recover well. Don't worry," Mo Zi moved slightly to adjust her position for a more comfortable conversation with Mo Xi. She looked worried and asked, "How's everything at your school? Don't let it affect your studies."
Mo Xi reassured her, waving his hand, "It's fine. I took two weeks off, and the school approved it quickly."
American professors were generally understanding about such situations; after all, human life was more important. Plus, they didn't really lose anything.
However, his internship company's manager wasn't too pleased because Mo Xi hadn't requested leave in advance, and now he was taking two weeks off. This caused a delay in many tasks. Mo Xi was also frustrated; his sister almost lost her life, so what else could he do? If need be, he could just resign.
After a brief chat with Mo Zi, Mo Xi asked her to rest early and left the room. He took out his phone in the corridor and saw a message from MischievousChild: "What a coincidence, I'm not in X City recently."
Mo Xi: "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"
MischievousChild: "Oh, I took some time off. Hope everything is resolved smoothly for your family~"
Mo Xi: "Alright, see you next time."
MischievousChild: "OK."
After putting his phone down, Mo Xi felt a bit puzzled. How could this be such a coincidence? As soon as he returned, MischievousChild wasn't in X City anymore. Was he really not in the city, or did he not want to see him?
Looking at MischievousChild's brief reply, it didn't seem like he was going to offer any explanation. Mo Xi scrolled back to the part where he had asked MischievousChild out for a meal. It seemed like MischievousChild was hesitant and hadn't agreed. If it were someone else, he wouldn't want to be too pushy either.
Well, he could deal with it later.
When Pei Hao arrived at the hospital, Mo Xi was sitting by the computer, working on his assignment. Pei Hao leaned over to take a look. The screen was filled with code, occasionally interspersed with words he didn't recognize. In the past, Pei Hao could at least understand some of the basic programming Mo Xi was doing, but now it looked like complete gibberish.
A line from an American TV show suddenly popped into Pei Hao's mind: "Smart is the new sexy." Mo Xi's earnest and contemplative expression... damn, he looked handsome!
He leaned in close to Mo Xi's ear and whispered, "You seem particularly attractive when you're thinking."
Mo Xi slapped the blanket onto his chest, his gaze still fixed on the computer. He replied expressionlessly, "Just go to sleep."
For the next week, Pei Hao continued to come to the hospital every day without fail, even if he had work during the day and dinner appointments at night. There were a couple of times when Mo Xi smelled the strong scent of alcohol on him, indicating that he had gone to entertain clients.
When they were together, Pei Hao didn't indulge in smoking or drinking. Mo Xi couldn't quite understand why, given Pei Hao's background, he needed to strain himself to win clients' favor by sacrificing his health. Every time he was about to ask, Pei Hao casually changed the subject, avoiding the topic.
Mo Xi wanted to advise Pei Hao to go home and rest properly. Working during the day and staying at the hospital at night, even with a strong body, wouldn't be sustainable for long. But Pei Hao turned a deaf ear to his advice. He continued coming to the hospital every day. Whenever Mo Xi was focused on his computer, Pei Hao would gaze at him with a mix of pride and admiration. He would continue staring until he was too tired to keep his eyes open, then he'd fall asleep in a daze. Early the next morning, he would go home, take a shower, and head to work as if nothing had happened.