Finally Being Snatched Away at My Wedding by My Ex-Boyfriend - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: At the Brink

Su Yuan stared at the door, defensively picking up a knife from the cabinet before leaning in to look through the peephole.

Under the peephole’s fisheye lens, the figure was somewhat distorted. After seeing clearly and hesitating for a long moment, he pulled out the key, unlocked the mechanisms one by one, and pushed the door open.

Chu Xiao was wearing a black shirt, his suit jacket draped over his arm, holding takeout containers. A faint reflection of Su Yuan’s pink top shimmered on the lenses of his glasses.

“Ah-Fei is under house arrest. He was worried you’d be in a bad state after seeing Pei Xing, so he asked me to check on you.”

Su Yuan kept his head down as Chu Xiao stepped past him and entered.

The old wooden table and the exquisite takeout boxes placed upon it were a poor match. Su Yuan moved his chopsticks to stir the rice slightly, considering it “eaten.”

Chu Xiao walked slowly through the one-bedroom apartment, surveying the surroundings. He stopped by the window and shook the reasonably sturdy security bars.

“Living alone is better than sharing.”

Su Yuan’s hand holding the chopsticks paused. Previously, to facilitate taking care of Su Jingzhang, he had shared an apartment with others near the hospital. He left early and returned late, only meeting his roommate once then, in the middle of the night, someone tried to pick his lock.

He had been so terrified he hid on the windowsill, the crushing pressure making him want to jump and end it all. Then, he thought of Pei Xing. So, he grabbed a fruit knife, threw open the door, and rushed out: “Come on! I have nothing left anyway; if I’m going to die, we’re going together!”

The bastard had been scared off. That same night, Su Yuan packed his meager belongings and moved out.

As he was thinking, Chu Xiao sat down across from him. “Did Pei Xing mention helping you now that he’s back?”

“I have no relationship with him. On what grounds should he help me?”

“After all, you were together for four years. And his current company is likely to go public around Christmas; the momentum is very strong. That’s why I thought…”

Su Yuan put down his chopsticks. “What are you trying to say?”

Chu Xiao stared at him, took a bank card out of his pocket, and placed it on the table. “Xin Xin, take it.”

He glanced at that bank card he had seen countless times. “Don’t you find it hypocritical? The Chu family wants to draw a clear line with me, yet you keep looking for me in private.”

“Consider this my personal selfishness.”

Su Yuan recalled the things Chu Xiao had said not long ago and felt increasingly disgusted.

“Brother Chu, you and my sister-in-law have been married for ten years. Even if you weren’t, I could never take your money.” Su Yuan pushed the bank card back. “I can’t respond to anything you said that night.”

Chu Xiao smiled. “I don’t need you to respond to me.”

Su Yuan walked to the entryway and pushed the door open. “Don’t come looking for me again, even in Chu Fei’s name.”

Chu Xiao showed no dissatisfaction. He tucked away the card, stepped outside, and looked at him composedly. “Xin Xin, you will accept it eventually. You’re welcome to contact me proactively. It’s just that, by then, the conditions might change slightly.”

Silence returned to the room, but the scent of cologne lingered for a long time.

The “disgust” in Su Yuan’s brain finally turned into a stomach spasm. He rushed into the bathroom. Having eaten nothing all day, he only threw up bitter, sour bile.

He forced himself to swallow the unrecognizable rice, took his medicine, and washed up hurriedly.

Su Yuan blocked the bedroom door with a cabinet, placed the knife under his pillow, and went to sleep fully dressed.

His dreams were grotesque. The art studio wanted him to be a ghostwriter; Chu Xiao wanted him to be a lover. Painting and family the two things that had bound his soul his entire life were now bringing him immense humiliation.

This past year, Su Yuan had experienced many “firsts.” The ivory tower he had once desperately wanted to escape had finally bared its fangs at him, asking: This is the life you wanted. No one treats you as the Young Master of the Su family or pities you for your heart condition anymore. How does it feel?

If only Papa hadn’t gotten sick. He could endure everything else.

Su Yuan woke up. After checking through the door crack to ensure no one had broken into the living room, he washed up and went out, donning his mask and baseball cap to repeat his numb life.

Pei Xing’s appearance was merely a gust of autumn wind; it blew past, leaving nothing but a chill.

…

The midday sun finally felt a bit warmer. Su Yuan took advantage of his lunch break to return to the pet park. He still wanted to take that little calico home.

One hurdle at a time.

It’s just hail falling from the sky, not knives. What’s there to fear?

“Meow, meow~” Su Yuan squatted by the bushes with a handful of peeled corn kernels. “Little Calico, come out. Come home with me.”

His legs went numb. Su Yuan used his arms to push himself up, placed the corn kernels aside, and sat on the flower bed to eat his rice ball. Today, he bought a tuna and pollock roe rice ball to reward himself.

Su Yuan ate in large bites, his expression finally becoming vivid under the sunlight excellent material for a photograph.

Zhou Wei sent the photo to the boss.

Last night, with a “do-or-die” attitude, he had staked out the apartment complex. The arrival of a black luxury car ignited hope. There was only one explanation for such a car appearing in a place like this: Su Yuan really lived here.

When Chu Xiao stepped out of the car, he was certain once more.

Pei Xing, who usually raised questions or demanded more accurate information, rarely replied with just three words: Keep following.

After Zhou Wei sent the pet park photo and prepared to approach Su Yuan as instructed to see what kind of rice ball he was eating, Su Yuan received a phone call. With a panicked expression, he ran to the roadside to hail a car.

There were few cars on the one-way street. Su Yuan didn’t know how long he would have to wait.

Zhou Wei immediately drove over. “Hello, do you need help?”

Clearly, Su Yuan couldn’t care about anything else. “Thank you! Could you please take me to Huaicheng Third Hospital? I can pay.”

Hearing it was the hospital, Zhou Wei stepped on the gas. But before he could drive for long, they arrived after just three turns.

“Thank you, here is the money”

“No need, hey!”

Su Yuan stuffed the money into his hand and pushed the door open. After running just a few steps, he had to stop to catch his breath, forcing himself to slow down. He was like a newborn lamb, stumbling and staggering.

Zhou Wei couldn’t help but grimace at the sight. He quickly messaged the boss and followed.

Su Yuan arrived at the ward where his father was, but the man was already gone. A nurse shouted to him at the door: “Xia Liren’s tracheostomy tube slipped. He’s having a massive hemorrhage and is being sent to the operating room for emergency rescue. Sign this, then go pay the bill immediately.”

It was a bolt from the blue; Su Yuan’s brain buzzed incessantly.

Su Yuan froze on the spot. His hand was so stiff he couldn’t even grip the pen to sign the critically ill notice. Only under the nurse’s urging did he manage to scrawl his name.

“Wrong signature,” the nurse reminded him with a frown. “You should sign ‘Xia Yu’.”

Su Yuan hurriedly crossed it out, signed the name correctly, and handed it to the nurse. Then, he was led to the payment window to cover the surgery fees.

“Your father, Xia Liren, has no medical insurance. You must bear all costs yourself. Here is the itemized list; pay quickly.”

Looking at the predatory figures, Su Yuan’s already racing heart momentarily stopped. He propped himself against the wall to barely stay upright. “Nurse, can I…”

“This covers the airway reconstruction surgery and ICU monitoring fees,” the nurse said, looking at his bloodless face. “You can pay the surgery fee first, but the ICU fees must be paid before the surgery ends.”

Su Yuan leaned against the wall, rubbing his eyes hard, but the tears only increased. The figure of 72,380 yuan on the surgery bill did not decrease.

He had just paid the hospitalization fees last week; he could hardly scrape together any more money.

He took out his phone, jumping from one payment app to another still not enough. He opened his bank cards one by one, placing his last hopes on them.

In an instant, many images flashed through his mind: his “fake” pride in refusing to be a ghostwriter, his “fake” nobility in refusing the bank card, his waste of money on a tuna rice ball, and his overestimation of his ability to take a kitten home…

Suddenly, a transfer record of 49,995 yuan from two days ago appeared before his eyes.

Su Yuan froze. Before he could check the details, the nurse’s urging forced him to complete the payment for the remaining balance.

Like a walking corpse, he followed the nurse to the operating room door. Before leaving, the nurse emphasized again: the ICU fees must be paid before the surgery ends. Otherwise, even if the surgery is successful, he won’t pull through without ICU monitoring and treatment.

Su Yuan nodded dully. The light on the operating room door reflected on his tear-streaked face. On his pale countenance, there was only a precarious red glow. His heart continued to race.

He sat on the bench, his trembling hands fumbling for medicine in his bag. He swallowed it with bottled water, tilted his head back against the wall, and waited for his condition to stabilize.

Soon, Su Yuan regained his senses and checked the bank transaction records.

It was a transfer from Mr. Percy.

There was a fixed amount on the 25th of every month, but this time the amount was five times the usual. Only then did Su Yuan remember the email he had sent a few days ago, which had five paintings attached.

Su Yuan opened his inbox; the email had been read, but the inbox was empty. Just as it had been for the past two years, Mr. Percy only bought paintings, transferred money, and received paintings he never replied to any emails.

A surge of immense gratitude and the feeling of a narrow escape prompted him to send an impolite thank-you note.

Honored Mr. Percy, thank you for your generosity; this means everything to me. Please allow me to delay shipping for a few days. I will include an additional painting as an expression of my apology and gratitude.

After sending the email, Su Yuan returned to the bank balance interface.

For the upcoming seven days of ICU monitoring and treatment, which cost as much as 150,000 yuan, this was just a drop in the bucket.

Fees, fees, fees… These three words had crushed him over the past year. He had even thought of asking Pei Xing for help, only to hear the soft, gentle voice of his girlfriend answering the phone late at night.

Su Yuan truly could not muster the courage.

He couldn’t find anyone to borrow money from. Chu Fei was locked up, and besides, he couldn’t and shouldn’t take that much money. Yet, clinging to a final hope, he called Chu Fei. When no one answered, he sent a message.

There were two names in his call history:

[14:00 – 21:00 Studio – Boss Chen]

[Chu Xiao]

Su Yuan’s finger hovered over them. The nurse’s message became the final straw: “Xia Liren’s family, the patient needs a transfusion; go pay the blood transfusion fees.”

He emptied his remaining funds, barely covering the 15,000 yuan for the transfusion.

The nurse at the payment window sighed at his red, swollen eyes. “Don’t forget, there are still ICU treatment fees. Later, he’ll need to stay in neurosurgery; each period is at least 240,000 yuan. Remember to prepare the money.”

Su Yuan couldn’t even sit properly on the chair. The way his legs dangled made his heart feel uneasy. He could only sit on the floor against the wall, wrapping himself as much as possible with the floor and wall to gain a sliver of security.

Finally, he took out his phone and dialed a number.

Su Yuan threw away his pitiful self-esteem. Self-esteem couldn’t buy money; it couldn’t buy his father’s life. Everything was because of him. Even if he had to use everything to atone, he was willing.

The cold fluorescent lights shone on his face. The chill of the floor seeped through his thin clothes, into his bones and organs. It seemed that taking this step wasn’t so hard after all.

Half an hour later, before Boss Chen’s reply of “let me think about it” arrived, a pair of black leather shoes stopped in front of him.

Su Yuan looked up blankly. Following the line of the straight black suit trousers, he saw Chu Xiao.

Chu Xiao had one hand in his pocket, a warm smile on his face. “Xin Xin, I saw the message you sent to Ah-Fei.”

Su Yuan didn’t know how he was helped up, or how he walked to the payment window on the first floor.

He stood in the noisy hall. In his ears were the overlapping sounds of landline rings, the wails of family members, the rolling wheels of hospital beds, and Chu Xiao’s coaxing.

“Xin Xin,” Chu Xiao took out that bank card, “I can solve all your problems.”

“Take it. I will take good care of you and your uncle.”

“Don’t be afraid.”

His remaining dignity turned into digits, stored within a tiny card.

Su Yuan’s fingertips trembled as he reached toward the card

“Haven’t all the fees been cleared?” the nurse at the window suddenly spoke. “You’re the family of Xia Liren who’s in surgery, right? They were just paid.”

Chu Xiao froze, his smug expression vanishing instantly. “What?”

Suddenly, Su Yuan sensed something and turned around slowly.

Through the scent of disinfectant and the noisy sounds, across the blurred crowd, Pei Xing stood there, quietly watching him.