Chapter 153: Fu Zhichen, I Have No Family Left

Chapter 153: Fu Zhichen, I Don't Have a Family Anymore

The tears he'd been holding back spilled out the moment the hospital room door closed.

Song Jiang covered his mouth, his body sliding down the wall, growing weaker and weaker, until he collapsed onto the floor.

The doctor's words, spoken to him privately after the Little Old Lady left the ER, replayed in his head, sentence by sentence.

"Cancer's always been one of the hardest things to treat in medicine. Your grandma's health was never good to begin with, and by the time it was discovered, it was already in the late stage. Her organs are already shutting down."

"There are a few common symptoms she'll go through—uncontrollable pain..."

Song Jiang cut him off before he could finish. The Little Old Lady was scared of pain—she never got shots when she was sick, only took medicine. He couldn't stand to watch her suffer.

"Isn't there anything to ease the pain?"

The doctor explained, "There is—sedatives or painkillers."

Song Jiang breathed a small sigh of relief. At least there was something to make her more comfortable.

The doctor went on, "She'll sleep a lot, her mind will get foggy, she might talk nonsense, she won't want to eat, she'll have trouble breathing—maybe even stop breathing altogether. And the most obvious thing—she'll get weaker and thinner every single day."

The long list of symptoms left Song Jiang reeling. His lips parted, so many questions flooding his mind that he didn't know where to start. He kept trying to say "I" but couldn't get the words out. It took him a long time, but he finally found his voice.

"What else can I do?"

"She's got at most a month left. The main thing is to keep up with the treatment. And in the time she has left, talk to her, share happy memories. Keep her mood up in her final days, bring her some comfort."

Every word hit Song Jiang's heart like a punch, one after another.

All the money he'd once thought could do anything suddenly seemed ridiculous, completely useless.

Money couldn't buy Yueyue's health, and it couldn't bring Fu Zhichen back.

...

...

Song Jiang stayed by her bedside day and night, barely resting. Mostly it was Song Jiang talking, and the Little Old Lady just listened.

He told her every funny story he could remember from his earliest childhood.

Like he wanted to let her live her life all over again.

Late at night.

The Little Old Lady had been sleeping longer and longer lately, waking up at all hours.

Dark circles shadowed Song Jiang's eyes. He dozed beside her hand, restless, brows knit tight, mumbling faintly in his sleep.

The Little Old Lady tried to reach up and touch Song Jiang's face, but she couldn't. Her body was held together by IV fluids—too weak to even lift her arms.

She knew her time was short. She couldn't be with Song Jiang much longer. Before she went, the thing she couldn't stop worrying about was the child she'd fought so hard to raise.

She still remembered the first day she took Song Jiang to kindergarten. Almost every kid was at the gate, crying into their parents' arms.

But little Song Jiang didn't. He'd blink his pretty almond eyes, no tears, holding her hand and asking, "Where are my mommy and daddy?"

She could only pat his head and tell the most made-up lie to comfort him.

"They've gone somewhere very far away. When you grow up, they'll come back to see you."

Little Song Jiang said eagerly, "Then I want to grow up fast! I want mommy and daddy to buy me candy too, and I want them to hug me."

She was always the one taking him to school and picking him up. To the other kids, Song Jiang was the kid with no parents.

Of course, some kids would mock him. With that "I've got something you don't, so you're the weird one" attitude, they'd say the most blunt, cutting things.

"You don't have a mommy or daddy. That's so sad."

"I got a ninety-nine on my test today, and my mom gave me candy. You didn't get any, Song Jiang."

"This is a building block set my dad bought me. Song Jiang..."

"..."

And on and on, over and over. Every other kid could talk about their parents. All little Song Jiang could do was listen quietly, pretending he didn't care, acting like an outsider.

Little Song Jiang never complained to her. She didn't know what he was thinking, whether he was jealous. All she could do was give him the best life she could manage.

She'd overheard him once—a soft, chubby little thing, surrounded by kids taller than him. Little Song Jiang didn't back down. He shot back with the fiercest voice he could manage.

"I got a hundred on my test!"

"The books say eating too much candy rots your teeth! I don't even like candy! You keep eating sugar and just wait—when you grow up, all your teeth will fall out!"

"My grandma buys me everything I want! A stupid building block set—I don't even like playing with those!"

"..."

And that's how it went, until the day Song Jiang turned eighteen. He asked her again, "I'm grown up now. So why still can't they come back to see me?"

Little Song Jiang had grown up and understood way more now. A simple lie couldn't fool him anymore. Song Jiang looked at her with red-rimmed eyes, and she couldn't think of another lie to keep fooling him.

She could only hold him in her arms, saying nothing. Song Jiang understood then, and he broke down crying in her arms.

She should've seen it long ago. She couldn't give Song Jiang complete love. What was missing would always be missing, nothing could fill it or replace it—like a crack that only grew wider with time. Everything she'd done was barely anything at all.

...

...

A month and a half later, the Little Old Lady had been in better spirits these past few days, her mind clearer too.

Song Jiang wheeled her to the hospital path with the most flowers.

He tucked a little bright red flower behind her ear. She was delighted, even asking him to take some pictures of her.

Speaking of photos...

Song Jiang froze, a little shy, as he pulled out the only thing he'd brought out of the book world from his breast pocket.

It was the photo of them at the beach, him on his tiptoes, kissing Fu Zhichen.

He didn't hesitate—he knew the Little Old Lady would respect whoever he loved, no questions asked, and he wasn't scared at all that she'd disapprove.

Song Jiang crouched down, holding the photo right in front of her. "Yueyue, look. This is the person I told you about—my boss. His name is Fu Zhichen."

The one he loved with everything he had, the one he wanted to grow old with.

During this time, he shared many stories about the two of them with the little old lady, from how they met to how they fell in love.

The little old lady had high hopes for their relationship and had full confidence in Fu Zhichen's character, so when she saw the photo of Fu Zhichen, she beamed with joy, nodding and praising repeatedly.

"Well-proportioned and handsome features, and sturdy too—he'll definitely be able to protect my Jiang Jiang in the future."

The little old lady squinted, holding it in her hands and examining it carefully for a while, then patted the top of Song Jiang's head and said with heartfelt sincerity.

"Although I've never met him, from your daily interactions with him, I can tell he must be a good kid—mature, steady, someone you can trust with your whole life. You two must build a good life together, you hear me?"

Now that she knew Song Jiang had a partner, she was naturally happy. Whether it was a man or a woman didn't matter; all she knew was that the little one who always loved to act cute and clingy with her would still have someone to love and care for him after she was gone. That was enough—she could leave in peace.

Song Jiang glanced at the little old lady, then at Fu Zhichen in the photo, and suddenly he seemed a bit dazed. Fu Zhichen, you've earned Grandma's approval—would you be happy? Even though it's just through a photo... does this count as you indirectly meeting my family?

The little old lady was unusually energetic all day, even eating an extra bowl at dinner. As evening fell, the sunset glow streamed through the window into the hospital room, and without the slightest warning, the little old lady closed her eyes and peacefully spoke the last words of her life.

"Jiang Jiang, you and him—you must be happy."

Song Jiang lay by the bedside, eyes red, clutching tightly at the little old lady's sleeve. One second she was still talking to him, the next they were separated forever.

He didn't know how to face it. No matter how the nurses pulled at him, he wouldn't leave, choking out words all night long in exhaustion, while the vital signs monitor by the bed beeped all night long as well.

Until the sky brightened fully, morning light scattering down gently, a breeze from somewhere swept by, and a few petals drifted past Song Jiang's hand.

The flowers by the hospital bed were changed bouquet after bouquet—turns out even the most vibrant ones have such short bloom times, withering in just a gust of wind.

The flowers fell, and Yueyue was gone.

Fu Zhichen, I don't have a family anymore.

＊

Confetti time! Buddies, no more sadness tomorrow!!!

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