Accidentally Caught The Eye Of A Yandere - Chapter 4

Yining First People’s Hospital, Department of Cardiac Surgery, Inpatient Ward.

The long corridor was gloomy, appearing almost endless. Shen Ying sat hunched over on a bench. Most of the strangers passing before his eyes moved with hurried expressions and hasty steps, their visages steeped in the helplessness of life.

Bewilderment and panic were plainly visible in Shen Ying’s eyes; his emotions simply had nowhere to be released.

Last night, his grandfather had suffered a sudden cardiogenic syncope. Fortunately, he was brought to the hospital in time for emergency treatment and was now temporarily out of immediate danger. However, the situation remained extremely unoptimistic. The attending physician had explained everything to Shen Ying in great detail and with exceptional patience.

Yet, a massive barrage of specialized medical terminology left his head spinning and dizzy.

Due to overwork and chronic lack of sleep, the doctor said three of his grandfather’s cardiac blood vessels were blocked, with one completely obstructed. In short, the ultimate diagnosis indicated that his grandfather’s blood vessels were far too narrow, making stent surgery high-risk for him instead. The doctor only recommended proceeding directly with a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery—in other words, a heart bypass surgery.

“Your grandfather’s condition is already very severe. The surgery must be performed as early as possible, otherwise sudden cardiac death could happen at any moment…”

The attending doctor’s final words continuously echoed back and forth in Shen Ying’s mind, heartlessly urging him to make a decision and preparations as soon as possible.

Shen Ying begged the doctor to please schedule the surgery for his grandfather. But reality was ever cruel: if he wanted to save a life, he had to get the surgery done quickly, and this surgery required money—a vast amount of money.

As a mere student, Shen Ying could not possibly produce such a massive sum for the surgical fee, let alone the other medical expenses required after a successful operation.

His family had only just finished paying off their debts, and his grandfather didn’t have much money left on him. The savings Shen Ying had managed to put aside from his part-time jobs and game-boosting orders were nothing more than a drop in the bucket.

This sudden turn of events felt like a tragic cruel twist of fate following brief joy, stripping away any remaining chance for Shen Ying to struggle in life. He seemed destined to drown.

Shen Ying sat in silence outside the hospital room for an unknown length of time until a set of footsteps sounded nearby. Only then did he lift a hand to wipe his face. Looking up, he saw Peng Sheng walking toward him from the ward where his grandfather was staying.

“Are you okay?” The worry on Peng Sheng’s face was impossible to hide. After asking, he mumbled to himself, “Okay, that was a stupid question.”

“…” Shen Ying opened his mouth, staring at him unable to say a single word.

Peng Sheng’s family was currently the only people accompanying him and trying to figure out a solution for him. No matter how guilty he felt inside, he was utterly helpless; he didn’t dare open his mouth to put on a brave front and say, ‘You don’t need to worry about me.’

Unaware of his thoughts at this moment, Peng Sheng continued to comfort him: “Don’t worry. My grandparents know a lot of people; maybe they can help raise the money for you very soon. Saving a life is what matters most right now. As for repaying the money later, I’ll help you pay it back together, brother. You have to pull yourself together; Grandpa Shen is a good man with heaven’s blessing, he’ll definitely be fine.”

“…Mm, thank you.” Shen Ying opened his mouth, his voice suppressed as he tried to rein in his panicked, desperate heart.

“Borrow money again? Fuck! What do you Shen family members take me for? I’m not lending anything, get lost!”

“The money your grandpa paid back two days ago—we already used it to pay off our mortgage. We really don’t have any money left on us.”

“It wasn’t easy for you to pay off the debt, and now you’re asking to borrow again? You really have some nerve! I’m hanging up, don’t call again! Just pretend I don’t know anyone from the Shen family.”

“A dog really can’t change its habit of eating filth; like father, like son. After the father borrowed, now the son comes to borrow. Do you take me for some kind of sucker?!”

“No money. Let’s stop interacting between our families from now on, too. What bad luck!”

“How did he suddenly fall ill like that, needing a bypass surgery? Child, don’t panic just yet. I have two thousand yuan on hand right now, I’ll transfer it to your grandpa’s WeChat first.”

“How did it get this serious… Xiao Ying, don’t blame your aunt for being cold-hearted, but I hope you listen to my advice: it’s better not to seek treatment for your grandpa. Once you start treating this, your future life will be completely ruined. I’ll transfer three thousand yuan over to you first; no rush to pay it back, just take care of yourself.”

“You still can’t get in touch with your dad? Such a major event—try to find another way to contact him again. This is his biological father after all, he can’t really be so heartless as to turn a blind eye.”

“I heard your mom remarried a pretty wealthy man later on. Why don’t you ask your mom for help? When a human life is at stake, she won’t truly ignore you. Either way, I really don’t have any money on me.”

“It might be better not to treat it. This isn’t some minor surgery. Your grandpa is over 60 years old; treating it will only make him suffer.”

Shen Ying sat in a secluded corner of the hallway, clutching his grandfather’s phone tightly. After over a dozen calls, he had only managed to borrow 7,500 yuan. Regarding his grandfather’s condition, the doctor said conservative estimates required 250,000 to 300,000 yuan for the entire treatment course.

Peng Sheng’s family had known Shen Ying and his grandfather, Shen Yizhi, for many years, so most of their acquaintances overlapped. At this moment, Shen Ying knew clearly that when Grandpa Peng said he would help raise money, the result would be identical to his own.

Every word and every sentence spoken by each elder on the other end of the line was something Shen Ying understood and grasped fully.

And yet…

Ever since he could remember, he and his grandfather had depended on each other to survive until now. If his grandfather was no longer around, he didn’t know what the meaning of his existence would be.

He had never met his parents. His grandfather always said his father was no good and had dragged his mother down, mentioning that his parents discussed getting a divorce shortly after he was born, and custody was awarded to his father.

Later on, his mother returned to her maternal family and had no further contact with them. His father abandoned both his aging parent and child; rumor had it that he hitched himself to some rich lady and went abroad to live, vanishing without a trace ever since.

Regarding the debt his grandfather had spent over a decade paying off, Shen Ying only gathered pieces of the story here and there—it was the money his father borrowed back then to marry his mother, combined with a massive financial hole left behind after a failed business venture. Because of his father’s irresponsibility, all of it had fallen onto his grandfather’s shoulders.

Most of the money his grandfather earned over these years was used to repay debts, with only a small remaining portion supplementing living expenses. His grandfather used to say that a son’s debts should be repaid by the father, not a father’s debts by the son.

Shen Ying had lived a frugal life from a young age, but as long as his grandfather was by his side, he had never complained about heaven being unfair. He had always believed that the family’s debts would be cleared one day, and he and his grandfather would live a normal life free of debt.

Now, reality had dealt him a heavy blow, telling him that he didn’t deserve it.

At an age praised for endless potential, Shen Ying had nothing. Faced with the beatings of reality, he didn’t even have the power to fight back.

“Dad, don’t lose your mind in old age! The house Ah Ping and I worked half our lives to finally afford—you want to sell it just like that?!”

A middle-aged male voice sounded nearby. Shen Ying leaned against the corner wall, not daring to make a sound.

“I know Uncle Shen and Xiao Ying haven’t had it easy all this way, but this wasn’t caused by our family! The help we’ve given the two of them over the years is already more than enough. Uncle Shen is in his sixties now; giving up on treatment is what’s actually taking responsibility for Xiao Ying’s future!”

It was Peng Sheng’s father’s voice.

“Alright, stop talking. Dad was just anxious for a moment to say something like that. You know full well the deep friendship between Uncle Shen and our family, so don’t yell so loudly.”

It was Peng Sheng’s mother’s voice.

“In short, asking me to sell the new house is absolutely out of the question! Our family is finally about to move into a new place; forgive me, but I cannot bring myself to be that generous.”

Soon, Peng Sheng’s voice also reached Shen Ying’s ears, “But, are we really going to leave Grandpa Shen without treatment? Dad, do you really have no other way? Please help Shen Ying, in the future I’ll…”

“It’s not that I don’t want to help, it’s that our family simply doesn’t have the capacity to help! How are we supposed to help? Your dad isn’t heartless, and my heart aches for Xiao Ying too. But this time, I’d rather take him in as my own biological son to care for, supporting him to get into a good university in the future, than sell the house now. Besides, do you think if Uncle Shen knew, he would agree to undergo this surgery? It’s completely unrealistic!”

“Alright, don’t say any more, and don’t bring it up ever again. That suggestion was just me being confused for a moment without thinking it through… I’ll go accompany Old Shen a bit more.” After Grandpa Peng’s voice sounded, the entire world fell back into silence.

Hearing the final outcome of their discussion, Shen Ying felt both an overwhelming sense of helplessness and an unprecedented feeling of relief. He thought to himself that thankfully Uncle Peng was clear-headed and hadn’t allowed him and his grandfather to become sinners burdening others.

Sorting out his conflicted emotions, Shen Ying held his grandfather’s phone and numbly made several more calls, all yielding the same result without exception.

After a moment, Shen Ying recalled something. He hastily pulled out his own phone, opened QQ, found the Linbei No. 3 High School alumni group, and typed three characters into the search bar.

【Ying: Zhuang Kangbo, are you there? I’m Shen Ying. Can I ask you for a favor?】

Since it was the weekend, Zhuang Kangbo replied quickly.

【Zhuang Kangbo: Yo, isn’t this our school’s sole top student? Actively messaging me today—what favor? Out with it first so I can hear it.】

【Ying: Could I please borrow some money from your parents? I promise I’ll definitely pay you guys back in the future. I can write an IOU.】

【Zhuang Kangbo: Want to borrow money? Then you’ll have to come kowtow to me three times, apologize to my face, say you were blind before for not recognizing a great person, and be my lackey from now on. How about it?】

【Ying: As long as you’re willing to lend me the money, I’ll listen to you for everything in the future. I’ll do whatever you tell me to do.】

【Zhuang Kangbo: Don’t worry, I have plenty of money. The allowance my parents give me every month is probably something a fatherless, motherless guy like you wouldn’t even dare imagine since childhood. Speak up, how much do you need to borrow?】

【Ying: 300,000.】

【Zhuang Kangbo: 300,000? Are you sick in the head? Have you gone crazy craving money?】

【Zhuang Kangbo: Playing me, huh? Blocked. Get lost.】

Zhuang Kangbo attended Linbei No. 3 High School just like Shen Ying, in the same grade but a different class. Every time the two met, it was usually a tense, dagger-drawn scene.

Of course, the tension was something Zhuang Kangbo felt unilaterally. Shen Ying actually had never quite understood why the other party harbored such immense malice toward him, though he clearly didn’t have the spare time on regular days to ponder that question.

Just now, he had simply recalled how Zhuang Kangbo casually mentioned in front of him all the time that his family owned a factory and was extremely wealthy.

Shen Ying stared at the phone screen displaying the notification that he had been blocked, letting out a self-deprecating laugh. He had actually begun turning to anyone available out of sheer desperation.

He numbly scrolled through the relatives and friends in his grandfather’s phone contacts until he saw a specific note. His fingers, which had been lightly trembling, shook even harder.

The screen read: Han Xixue (Xiao Ying’s Mom).

This name and this contact note were not something Shen Ying was seeing for the first time. But because his grandfather had never said he could contact his mother, he had acted as if he had never seen it and had never mentioned a word about it.

After hesitating for a long time, Shen Ying pressed that string of numbers with trembling fingers, then slowly raised the phone to his ear. The dial tone felt as though it lasted for an entire century, only to end in a simple beep, followed by a cold, mechanical female voice: “Hello, the number you have dialed is currently busy, please try again later…”

In that instant, Shen Ying didn’t know whether he felt more disappointment or relief.

Holding the phone, Shen Ying typed: 【Hello, I am Shen Ying. Grandpa fell ill and is hospitalized needing surgery. May I ask if you could lend me some money? In the future, I will】

As the characters reached this point on the screen, a teardrop the size of a bean suddenly slammed down, making a distinct splash.

Shen Ying suppressed the ache in his throat, his fingers shaking as he deleted the typed characters one by one.

After clearing the text box, Shen Ying picked up his own phone, opened the browser, and typed a line of text: Which human organ is worth the most money?

Just as he hit the search button, hearing footsteps approaching nearby, Shen Ying quickly turned off the screen and wiped his face heavily with his hand. He originally thought the person coming would be Peng Sheng, but when he looked up, he saw the face of an unfamiliar man.

“Hello student, I was commissioned by my young master to come find you. He is aware of your current situation and says he will provide the funds to cover your grandfather’s surgical expenses, including all subsequent medical fees. His sole condition is that you sign your name on this contract.”