Chapter 16: Diehards
"Alright, you need to calm down now, or your heart won’t be able to take it."
After Song Xiaodong told Xiao Yingying several jokes, making her laugh for about ten minutes, he stopped.
Xiao Yingying gradually reined in her laughter and said, "Will I still be able to laugh like this in the future?"
Song Xiaodong gently shook his head and said, "No, you can’t, unless I’m by your side; otherwise, it’s too dangerous for you."
"I see..." Xiao Yingying’s expression turned gloomy, but then she suddenly grabbed Song Xiaodong’s arm, saying, "Then, can you be by my side? I can give you money, a lot of money."
Song Xiaodong looked at Xiao Yingying, then gently shook his head again, saying, "That won’t do, if I have to accompany you every day, I’d be bored to death."
Xiao Yingying released Song Xiaodong’s arm, nodded, and said, "That makes sense. I’m already feeling so bored myself; if you were with me, you’d definitely be just as bored too. That would be too dull. I’m sorry, I thought it was simpler."
Song Xiaodong patted Xiao Yingying’s shoulder and said, "Given how pitiful you are, if one day I’m feeling bored, I might keep you company for a while."
"Really?" Xiao Yingying’s eyes widened in surprise.
"Mm, but I do charge for my company," he warned.
"Sure, I have a lot of money. I haven’t really spent much; you can have it all," she replied eagerly.
𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
Song Xiaodong asked casually, "How much do you have?"
"I seem to recall checking a few years back, it should have been over five million. In these past years, my dad and the rest have been giving me money, so it should be more now," she answered.
Song Xiaoru’s face darkened, what a rich girl indeed, not even sure about how much money she had, and that was just pocket money.
But Song Xiaodong didn’t take it seriously. He yawned and said, "Alright, let’s stop here for today. My sister and I have things to do, so I can’t see you out."
Xiao Yingying stood up and said, "OK then, I’ll be going now. Oh, Brother Xiaodong, can I have your phone number? I promise I won’t bother you needlessly. I’ll add you on WeChat and just send you a smiley face when I want to reach out. If you’re busy, you don’t have to reply to me."
Song Xiaodong gave Xiao Yingying his phone number, and only then did she leave reluctantly.
"Xiaodong, is her illness really that serious?" Song Xiaoru asked.
Song Xiaodong nodded and said, "Very serious. You can tell her family is extremely wealthy; they must have sought famous doctors around the world by now. If it were curable, she would have been cured long ago."
Song Xiaoru sighed softly and said, "Such a pitiful child, so beautiful and so innocent. If only..." She shook her head, unable to continue.
Song Xiaodong collapsed onto the bed and said, "Life and death are predestined. It’s already quite remarkable that she has lived up to now; she’s really lucky. Let’s not talk about her anymore."
Song Xiaoru looked at Song Xiaodong and said, "By the way, I was scared to death when you started giving her acupuncture just now. When did you learn that skill?"
"I learned it from a teacher in the military, my medical skill is not ordinary now, it’s definitely a miraculous recovery, the acupuncture works instantly."
Song Xiaoru gave Song Xiaodong a glance and said, "Look at you being so full of yourself. If you’re so great, why didn’t you cure Xiao Yingying’s illness?"
"Her illness is not incurable; it’s just too troublesome and too exhausting to treat."
"You can really cure her? Didn’t you say her illness was incurable?"
"Normal Western Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine basically have no solution, but my way of treating is quite special and there’s still a glimmer of hope."
"Then go treat her," exclaimed Song Xiaoru, suddenly getting excited.
"Sis, I know you have a good heart, but treating her is not so simple and I’m not very sure about it. Besides, treating her definitely means taking off her clothes, right? Imagine such an angel-like beauty, if I can’t control myself and then I take advantage of her, won’t that lead to big trouble later on?"
Song Xiaodong slapped his thigh hard and said with glaring eyes, "Hey, you’re supposed to be treating people, and you’re thinking about all this nonsense?"
Song Xiaodong winced in pain and said, "Sis, I’m telling the truth. Moreover, if I treat her, there’s a risk involved for me too, and it’s no joke. My acupuncture mainly uses energy, almost like Qigong. Ordinary illnesses are okay, but for something like hers, I wouldn’t dare to act rashly."
"So that’s how it is. We really shouldn’t mess around without being certain. If she gets better, that’s good, but if not, and we end up taking on the responsibility, that would be a big problem. She has such a powerful background; if they start to hold us accountable, we’d really be in for it."
It’s easy to say, but thinking about Xiao Yingying, Song Xiaoru couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. Such a nice girl to have contracted such an illness—if only she were healthy, she would be truly be heaven’s favored daughter.
"Dongzi! Dongzi!" With the shouting, a fat and a skinny guy rushed in.
Song Xiaodong suddenly jumped up from the bed and embraced the two guys.
The fat one’s name was Li Gang, and the skinny one was Wang Xiaoqiang. These two guys had been Song Xiaodong’s close buddies since childhood. As soon as they heard Xiaodong was back, they immediately came to his house.
Li Gang’s body fat caused Song Xiaodong quite some pain when hugged, and pushing him away, Li Gang said with wide eyes, "Wow, I tell you Dongzi, you’ve really become sturdy. Your arms are like iron lumps."
Song Xiaodong laughed and said, "Gangzi, you’ve gotten even fatter."
Wang Xiaoqiang chuckled and said, "This guy can eat more and more now, how could he not get fatter?"
Song Xiaoru smiled and welcomed them, then said to Song Xiaodong, "While you weren’t home, Xiaoqiang and Gangzi often came to help out. No one dared to bully me."
Song Xiaodong put his arms around the shoulders of his two friends and said with a grin, "Good to know you two guys still have some conscience. Let’s go have a proper drink later as a reward for you."
Li Gang winked and said challengingly, "That’s a must. The three of us haven’t had a good drink together for years. Today we’re going to drink our fill. I just don’t know if Dongzi, your alcohol tolerance has increased, don’t let me knock you under the table too easily."
Song Xiaodong glared and responded, "Today, if I don’t get you two under the table, I’ll start calling you both ’brother’ from now on."
The three men agreed to go out, and Song Xiaoru gave them a few more words of caution, watching them leave. Now she felt more at ease, knowing Song Xiaodong had such medical skill, at the very least, his future was secure. Her little brother had finally grown up.