Chapter 23 Doraemon Keychain

Chapter 23: Doraemon Keychain

Cheng Feng slept for a bit, then biked to the hospital.

Seeing his mother sitting on the bed, gazing vacantly out the window, he sighed and took her hand.

He chattered on about the day's trivial matters.

He even recounted the incident of saving Du Yanlan, his tone tinged with excitement, saying he had unintentionally given a girl a new lease on life.

His mother remained unresponsive, her face a blank mask.

But Cheng Feng didn't mind at all, doggedly sharing these small, everyday details with her.

After staying in the ward for over half an hour, he left and started his delivery runs.

He kept busy until ten at night, finally dragging his exhausted body back to the dormitory at the Shang family estate.

As soon as he pushed the door open, Fang Xuran looked up at him.

"Miss Second came looking for you around six this afternoon."

Cheng Feng was taken aback, instinctively blurting out an "Ah?"

Fang Xuran raised an eyebrow. "You... you didn't actually hit on Miss Second, did you?"

"I didn't!" Cheng Feng hurriedly waved his hands. "I'm just a nobody of a nanny, I wouldn't dare! Besides, I'm still young, I haven't even thought about dating."

Fang Xuran stared at him for a good while, then suddenly seemed to remember something and asked:

"Right, how old are you, anyway?"

"I'm fourteen," Cheng Feng answered honestly.

Fang Xuran was instantly speechless. After a long pause, he suddenly stood up, looking down at Cheng Feng, who was only a head shorter than him, his face full of shock:

"I thought you just had a baby face! You're actually a baby? I figured you were at least twenty. You're built like a twenty-year-old—what have you been eating to grow so tall?"

Cheng Feng scratched his head, smiling a bit sheepishly. "Just regular home-cooked meals, nothing special."

He was more active now.

He liked sports; he figured maybe that was the reason?

He didn't know for sure. Perhaps it was genetic.

Knowing Cheng Feng's real age, Fang Xuran's look towards him changed instantly, now looking at him like a little kid. Even his form of address changed, as if an elder was sizing up a junior:

"Xiao Feng, you should be in school at your age. Why are you out here working?"

Cheng Feng lowered his gaze. After hesitating for a moment, he still told him. It wasn't anything shameful; he was just reluctant to talk about not being in school. It made him feel inferior and at a loss. Who wouldn't want to study hard at the right age?

But he couldn't. He had no money, and no means to go to school.

"My mom is sick. It's cancer. I have to earn money for her treatment, so... I had to go out and work."

Fang Xuran fell silent for a long time.

Truth be told, his own family was well-off; he never lacked money in his pocket. But his parents, to force him to come work as a nanny to build character—and also to make him build good relations with the Shang family—had frozen all his bank cards, forbidding him from spending a single cent frivolously, insisting he serve others.

Thinking of those old fogies made him angry.

What kind of parents are so cruel as to make their own child work as a nanny? And not even give him pocket money...

If he had money to spare, he would definitely help Cheng Feng without a second thought. But right now, he was penniless himself, only able to offer a few hollow words of comfort.

As for suggesting Cheng Feng find another way out?

He knew perfectly well that starting a business required startup capital and even more required money for trial and error. It wasn't that easy.

Live-streaming sales seems glamorous, but the ins and outs and the costs behind it were numerous. It might not even compare to the stable salary of this nanny job.

Fang Xuran reached out and patted Cheng Feng's shoulder, his tone serious:

"Hang in there. Auntie's illness will definitely get better. By the way, what stage cancer is it?"

Seeing his concern for his mother, warmth flooded Cheng Feng's heart, and his eyes pricked with tears.

"Early stage. It's okay; the chances of a cure are very high."

Fang Xuran said, "I know a doctor at a certain hospital who's especially good at treating cancer. Even for late-stage cases, there's a sixty percent cure rate. It's just... the cost is a bit high."

Cheng Feng's eyes instantly shone with startling brightness. The cost wasn't a problem. If it could cure his mom's illness, he'd willingly sell the shirt off his back. He eagerly pressed him for the name of the hospital.

Fang Xuran told him the hospital's name and also gave him the contact information for that doctor.

Cheng Feng was deeply touched. He silently remembered this kindness, thinking that if Fang Xuran ever needed anything in the future, he would definitely do his utmost to help.

The two chatted until eleven-thirty, the distance between them closing considerably. Could they be considered friends now?

In Cheng Feng's heart, they were friends.

But in Fang Xuran's eyes, Cheng Feng was more like a little brother who needed looking after, purely viewed as a child who hadn't grown up yet.

Early the next morning, when Cheng Feng woke up, Fang Xuran's bed was already empty.

As for Luo Jun, he hadn't even taken off his work uniform, sprawled out on his bed, sleeping soundly. He was probably exhausted last night, going to bed without even taking a shower.

Cheng Feng got ready quietly and went to the staff cafeteria.

Unexpectedly, he ran into Xu Zhiyan again. This time, she had specifically brought him a keychain.

It was a Doraemon doll charm, very cute.

Cheng Feng had always liked these little trinkets. In his previous life as a girl, he had never received such a gift. So he didn't refuse, but felt a bit embarrassed after accepting it.

Remembering there was an employee supermarket in the villa, he simply took Xu Zhiyan there and let her pick a box of candy as a return gift.