Chapter 52 – Rare Fate

Hao Ritian didn't speak and simply stared at Xia Xin to let her see for herself whether he was joking or not.

Her uneasy premonition had become reality. Xia Xin's hands trembled uncontrollably on top of her legs. She tried to widen her eyes and smilingly asked, "Ge, you must be kidding, right? Or are you angry that I asked you to buy a Pear 6? Then I won't buy it anymore, okay? Don't joke with me like this, it isn't funny."

Li Bufan's eyebrows furrowed. To have a 23-year-old adult be self-reliant, how did that seem like a joke? Xia Xin's expression – as though Xia Luo was abandoning her – repulsed him. He turned to look at Hao Ritian, prepared to stop him if he had any thoughts of compromising.

"I'm not joking." Hao Ritian shook his head. "It was my responsibility to take care of you when you were young, but you're not a child anymore. I worked and provided for the both of us before I was even 21, you just have to support yourself now. Although I'm a little worried, I can't keep you under the protection of my wings anymore. That wouldn't be good for you, but harmful instead. You should grow up."

After confirming that her brother wasn't joking, Xia Xin suddenly screamed, "I don't want to grow up! I want Gege to support me! Gege, you said it yourself that you're worried, right? We were fine before—why did you change all of a sudden?"

Li Bufan couldn't hold back anymore and sneered in a cold voice, "You've finally revealed your true thoughts. Frankly speaking, you just want Xia Luo to take care of you and follow you unconditionally. Aren't you being too delusional? Even your parents aren't obligated to support you your entire life, not to mention that he's only your brother. He also has his own life, so why are you clinging to him so much?"

Xia Luo had sacrificed so much for this younger sister, yet Xia Xin was not only ungrateful but also like a leech sucking him dry. She never realised how hard it was for Xia Luo to earn a living and spent money like water. She also never showed any consideration for Xia Luo or asked him to save up money for his treatment.

He knew Xia Luo basically didn't have any savings. If he did manage to earn any savings, they would be spent away by Xia Xin for various reasons. If the money had been spent responsibly, he wouldn't say a word—as an outsider, he wasn't qualified to meddle if an older brother wanted to give his sister money. Unfortunately, Xia Xin wasted all that money for the sake of maintaining her face, which angered him to the point where he was almost fuming with rage.

What kind of days would she be passing based on her abilities? If she wasn't Xia Luo's sister, he wouldn't spare a conceited woman like her even a glance.

Now that Xia Luo had finally decided to get rid of her, Li Bufan couldn't allow her to cling to him.

"Alright, stop."

"Shut up!"

Hao Ritian's helpless voice and Xia Xin's sharp voice rang out at the same time, with Xia Xin's voice even overshadowing Hao Ritian's.

After suddenly learning that her brother would no longer take care of her, Xia Xin was terrified. Although she'd never said it, deep down she knew that it was all thanks to her brother that she could live well, attend university, learn acting, and eat and dress well without ever worrying about money.

If her brother stopped taking care of her, what should she do about her tuition fees and her living expenses from now on? And her pocket money when hanging out with classmates? She had no clue how to handle this. Her biggest wish then was that her brother was merely joking with her, but with Li Bufan adding oil to fire, her temper ignited on the spot.

At that moment, she didn't care that Li Bufan was a star whom she'd secretly admired. All she knew was that Li Bufan was pushing her brother to ignore her, and she couldn't allow anyone else to be more important than her.

After yelling, Xia Xin shot to her feet and, without any regard for her image, pointed at Li Bufan with a grim face. "Was it you who talked bad about me in front of my gege? Is it you pushing my gege to ignore me? It must be you! Why are you so vicious? How are the matters between us siblings any of your business? I'm going to find someone to blow this matter with you up…"

Pa! The world turned silent.

Xia Xin covered her face in disbelief, her eyes swimming with tears. "You actually hit me?"

Hao Ritian looked at his hand, his expression dark. "Have you said enough?"

There was no comforting as she'd imagined and he'd even questioned her. Xia Xin felt aggrieved.

Hao Ritian wore an expression of regret and self-reproach before quickly becoming firm. "It looks like I've spoiled you. Before making this decision, I'd been a little hesitant, worried that you couldn't take care of yourself. But now it seems like I've made the right decision. You're already 23 years old this year, not 13, and should be able to tell right from wrong. Where do you think the money I give you comes from? I earned it by working for Bufan. He even pays me more than the others in order to take care of me, so how could you say that? It's despicable!"

Inwardly, Hao Ritian was cheering. That slap was really enjoyable. It was completely worth the sting in his hand.

He'd known for a long time that reason wouldn't work on a moron like Xia Xin. Even using tricks felt like overestimating her. Only by using the simplest, most direct strike would she understand pain and – later on – hopelessness. As such, Hao Ritian had never thought about using high-end schemes to deal with Xia Xin since she likely wouldn't be able to savour the experience—what would be the use of striking at her like that!

After his heartbreaking speech, Hao Ritian covered his chest and put on a pained appearance. Li Bufan rushed to support him and nervously said, "Are you alright, Xia Luo? Don't be anxious and don't bother with her. Come on, take a deep breath!"

Although he was happy to see her have such an ending and didn't even mind Xia Xin selectively scolding him, he didn't want to see Xia Luo get sick because he was stimulated by this; it wasn't worth the loss.

Hao Ritian waved his hand. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

He was just pretending since having no reaction would seem a little strange. He looked deeply at Xia Xin. "You should conduct yourself properly."

Hao Ritian paid Xia Xin no more attention once he'd said his piece and said to Li Bufan, "Let's go, I have to return the house first."

Li Bufan couldn't wait to leave. If he stayed with Xia Xin and this caused Xia Luo to have a mishap due to anger, he would regret it to death. Not to mention, he didn't want to stay with a brain-damaged person like her either.

The second Xia Xin heard the word 'house', she snapped out of her lifeless state. Regardless of how she usually disliked this place, as soon as she imagined not having the right to even step foot in here, and that she didn't have anywhere else to stay, the fear in her heart overwhelmed her and she almost couldn't breathe.

When she saw Hao Ritian and Li Bufan about to walk out the door, she hurriedly threw herself at Hao Ritian. "Ge, I was wrong! I really know my mistakes. Please forgive me, please don't ignore me. I can't do without you, Gege…"

Li Bufan was quick to block her and showed a sarcastic expression. What 'can't part with Gege'? More like 'can't part with Gege's money', right?!

Seeing that Hao Ritian wasn't planning on conceding, he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief before hurriedly pushing Xia Xin aside and taking Hao Ritian away as quickly as possible. Since Xia Xin was still here pestering, it was better to handle the house transfer procedures next time.

By the time Xia Xin chased them down the building, she only saw the rear end of their car. She finally realised that her ge really wasn't going to take care of her anymore. Confusion filled her eyes and all the energy left her body. She kneeled softly onto the ground and wailed, "Gege doesn't want me anymore. Gege really doesn't want me anymore…"

A few people who were unaware of the truth noticed such a pretty girl crying so sadly, repeating this sentence back and forth, and couldn't help but sympathise with her. A soft-hearted aunt approached to comfort her. "Did you fight with your gege, miss? Don't worry, what deep hatred could there be between siblings? Your gege surely still wants you!"

But none of the aunt's words got through to Xia Xin. She felt like the sky was about to collapse.

"Xia Luo, are you okay?" As Li Bufan drove the car, he continually glanced at Hao Ritian sitting in the passenger's seat, the worry in his eyes plain to see.

Hao Ritian coughed twice and tried to suppress it. He shot Li Bufan a smile. "I'm fine."

In Li Bufan's eyes, his smile seemed forced. Still, he could understand. Based on Xia Luo's personality, he must be guilt-ridden about swiftly breaking off from the sister he was mutually dependent with. Nevertheless, he believed that with time, it would get better.

What was important now was—

"Since we're out, we might as well go to the hospital. We'll give you a check-up and prescribe you some medicine. Your meds should be nearly finished, right?" As soon as he'd heard Xia Luo cough, his heart had seized. He wouldn't feel at ease unless they visited the hospital.

Hao Ritian's expression froze. The reason he'd coughed a minute ago was because he'd descended the stairs too hurriedly, causing him to inhale the chilly air without warning. On top of that, the inside of the car was stuffy. His cough was due to breathing cold and hot air alternately. Did Li Bufan think it was because he was wound up?

But it was true his medicine was nearly depleted. Hao Ritian was different from Xia Luo. He valued himself the most, and since this body currently had asthma, he would naturally treat himself better. Visiting the hospital for a check-up was a must. He needed to understand how to treat his condition more efficiently.

Thinking of this, he quickly relented. "Okay!"

Li Bufan relaxed. This is good. He's still willing to see a doctor.

When the car stopped in front of the hospital, Hao Ritian halted Li Bufan, who wanted to get off with him. "You don't have to go with me. Just wait for me here. I'll be back soon."

At the end of the day, Li Bufan was a celebrity whose career was beginning to take off, and Hao Ritian wanted to take care of him. The rented apartment he'd visited was remote and the residents living around them were seniors, so no one would recognise Li Bufan as long as he sufficiently disguised himself. But the hospital here was another matter. This hospital was built downtown and more people meant more eyes. If Li Bufan went out, there was a big chance he would be discovered.

And if, at that time, he was photographed with Li Bufan, he could imagine the rumours flying all over the Internet. It would definitely be a huge blow to Li Bufan's career; additionally, the TV drama he was currently shooting was his golden opportunity to soar into the sky so no matter what, he couldn't allow anything to go wrong at this point.

Li Bufan understood this too, but he didn't feel at ease letting Hao Ritian go alone. "I'll be careful to not get found."

"If you're dead set on it, then I won't go." Hao Ritian sat immovably in the passenger seat with a firm attitude that allowed for no refusal. Inwardly, he thought: Kid, do you think Ge can't deal with you?!

As he expected, Li Bufan conceded. "Fine, I'll just wait in the car for you. Call me if something happens."

Hao Ritian quirked his lips. "I know. I'll be in and out."

With that, he got out, and after asking Li Bufan to lock the car, he headed for the hospital alone. He made an appointment, waited for a while, then when it was his turn, followed the doctor for an examination. As they sat face-to-face, the doctor prescribed medicine for him while talking about problems that people with asthma should pay attention to. Hao Ritian took note of these problems and then asked, "Is there a way to cure asthma?"

The doctor looked at him with a serious expression and sternly said, "Asthma is very difficult to cure. It can only be effectively controlled. If controlled well, then as long as you pay attention, you won't relapse. Your condition, however, is serious. You shouldn't exhaust yourself too much while you're young and be more aware about various issues. Don't brush off the things I just told you during your day-to-day life. I believe other doctors have told you this before, but whether you followed their advice or not, you should be clear on that. Take your body seriously. Your asthma all depends on your self-awareness and care. If you yourself can't remember or do it, then it's useless for me to say any more."

Hao Ritian had in fact researched it on the Internet yesterday, and now that he'd listened to the doctor, he completely gave up hope. Asthma was like an unkillable cockroach. It was all too easy to relapse and controlling it required patients to consciously discipline themselves. "I got it."

Xia Luo threw himself into work too much. If he didn't work so hard, he wouldn't have died so young. Although there were external factors involved, his body's severe asthma was also the cause. Since Hao Ritian was here to substitute him, these problems were as good as gone. Once he eliminated all the factors that affected Xia Luo, there would be no problems in the future.

He wasn't insistent once he thought of that, but he couldn't run from the fact that he would have to 'enjoy' the treatment for asthmatic people for a long time. Who told Xia Luo's condition to be so serious? Even if he controlled it, it would take time.

After receiving the list of medications and paying for them, Hao Ritian carried the big bag of medicines with a headache. Most of it consisted of traditional chinese medicines, the taste of which was practically torture. He merely had to imagine the medicines and his mouth would be completely bitter.

As he wore a rare grimace on his face, Hao Ritian believed that even his footsteps had gotten a bit heavier.

Hao Ritian walked no further than 10 meters from the entrance of the hospital when an old lady suddenly appeared in front of him. The old lady was walking slowly and looked as though she would fall at any moment. Hao Ritian couldn't help but walk closer to keep an eye on her.

When the old lady glanced at him in passing, her expression noticeably changed and she stumbled, about to fall. Hao Ritian couldn't stand by and watch the old lady fall in front of him so he lent her a hand.

As a result, the old lady tightly grabbed his arm with both hands. Hao Ritian secretly thought: This isn't a knocking-porcelain scam1, is it? But judging from her clothes alone, it didn't seem like it. She was evidently a wealthy old lady.

"Child." Looking a little excited, the old lady clutched at him. "What a good child. Since you've saved my life, I must let my grandson repay you. Wait with me, my grandson will be here soon."

Hao Ritian, "…"

Excuse me?

When did I save your life? How come I didn't know?

Forget it. He wouldn't bother about whether he did or not. He let go of the old lady and prepared to leave. Li Bufan was still waiting for him.

He left… not. The old lady had a death grip on him. If he were to leave, he would definitely cause the old lady to fall. Inwardly, Hao Ritian wondered: What's going on? It was rare for him to be kind but it actually stirred up trouble?

"Old lady, you got the wrong person. I've never saved your life before and you don't need to have your grandson repay me. My friend is waiting for me, can you let me go?" Hao Ritian was helpless.

The old lady refused. "What do you mean you've never saved me? If you hadn't helped me, I would've fallen down. With my old arms and legs, a single fall would've given me problems. You're a good child. Just wait here with Grandma, my grandson will be here soon."

The strange old lady had all of a sudden become his grandma. Hao Ritian's face was full of confusion. He had always been the one to confuse others but now it was finally his turn to be confused by someone.

"Oh, he's here! He's here! See, my grandson is here." The old lady's voice suddenly brightened up. Hao Ritian woodenly looked over, his eyes immediately squinting when he did. Such a coincidence?

The tall man walked steadily over to them, his face calm and collected and his presence so strong that the people who passed by couldn't help giving him a second look. Once the man stood in front of the old lady, her grandson's calm expression made the old lady rein in her look of joy and adopt a prudent and dignified bearing. "Shaohua, ah…"

"We'll talk about you going out alone later." The man's quiet words caused the old lady to shrink her neck, but once she remembered the boy she was still holding, she quickly assumed the dignity of a grandmother.

"This is…" Just as she was thinking of introducing Hao Ritian to her grandson, the old lady realised that she didn't know Hao Ritian's name. Hurriedly, she turned her head to Hao Ritian. "Child, what's your name?"

Hao Ritian was speechless, but faced with the man's gaze, his lips made a small smile. "Xia Luo. My name is Xia Luo."

He looked high and low only to find him where he least expected. What a coincidence that he would once again run into the man he'd encountered yesterday. Though it had crossed his mind that they might meet again, he never expected it to be so soon. Maybe they really did have some rare affinity?

"Xia Luo, what a good name. Shaohua ah, it was Luoluo who saved Grandma just now. If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't have seen my old bones again." She first explained to her grandson the reason Hao Ritian was here—though her pretext was overly exaggerated.

Following that, the old lady looked expectantly at Hao Ritian. "Luoluo, this is my grandson, Mu Shaohua. He's 32 years old this year. Not only is he quite the looker, but he's also mature. He has a house, a car, a blank love history, and is very competent. What do you think of him?"

Hao Ritian's expression was somewhat odd. "…Mm. Not bad."

Except, why was her tone as if she was pitching a sale?

Mu Shaohua knew his grandma could be a little bizarre at times so he refrained from expressing an opinion towards her words. At most, he only listened to half of what she said. Even so, he had no doubt that Xia Luo had helped his grandmother out, thus, after thinking about it, he held his hand out to Hao Ritian, "Hello, I'm Mu Shaohua. Thank you for helping my grandma just now. If you need help with anything, feel free to ask me."

With his other hand, he pulled out a business card and passed it over. The business card was very simplistic. Hao Ritian glanced briefly at it and written on it was 'Mu Shaohua, Chairman of Fenghua Investments' and a phone number. There was nothing else besides that, completely different from the often gilded and gaudy goods found outside.

Hao Ritian shook hands with Mu Shaohua but refused the business card. "No need. I didn't do anything, I just supported the old lady."

But Mu Shaohua insisted while the old lady straight up stuffed the card into Hao Ritian's pocket. "Take it. If you need anything, just find him. Please don't be polite, or Grandma will feel hurt."

Naturally, she could tell that this was her grandson's private card, which was completely separate from business contacts. Didn't this mean her grandson's impression of Luoluo was quite good?

The old lady beamed from ear to ear at the thought of that.

Hao Ritian pretended to refuse one last time before accepting it. He didn't accept it to ask for help, but simply to learn about this man. When he returned, he could check out Fenghua Investments.

The old lady was finally satisfied on seeing him accept the card. Just then, Hao Ritian's phone began to ring and he knew without needing to think that it was Li Bufan. He'd been delayed for quite a while, and when he pulled out his phone to look, he was proven right.

Once he connected the call, he informed Li Bufan that he would be there right away. The person on the other side of the call didn't pry and just urged him to pay attention to safety before hanging up.

"Sorry, my friend is waiting for me, I have to leave." After notifying the old lady and Mu Shaohua, Hao Ritian didn't linger and hurried to where Li Bufan parked his car. Li Bufan was short on time and Hao Ritian couldn't hold him up. As for Mu Shaohua, they had plenty of time in the future.

As she watched Hao Ritian leave in a hurry, the old lady revealed an expression of reluctance and disappointment while feeling anxious inside. She wanted to reach out and stop him to chat some more but was blocked by her eldest grandson.

"Grandma, shouldn't you explain to me why you ran out alone?" The old lady could perceive a sense of danger despite Mu Shaohua's tone clearly being peaceful.

"I, I just came to visit my old friend. He's very bored staying in the hospital alone so I came to chat with him." The old lady's confidence was a bit weak.

"Oh, I won't stop you from seeing your friends, but you can ask our chauffeur to send you. Why did you need to take the public bus over? What if you get into an accident?" The look in Mu Shaohua's eyes suddenly sharpened.

The old lady hurriedly changed the topic. "Aiya, aren't I fine? Let's not talk about this—what do you think of Luoluo?"

There was a hint of expectation in her tone.

Though Mu Shaohua could clearly tell that she was changing the topic, seeing as she was safe, he didn't fuss over it. As for the old lady's question—

"Xia Luo? I've only met him once, I can't really judge." His eyes squinted and focused on the direction Hao Ritian had left as he replied lightly.

The old lady was a tad disappointed but didn't lose heart. "Luoluo is a good child. If you have time in the future, talk with him more and you'll know. And once you get to know each other, you can bring him home…"

Hao Ritian obviously didn't know why the old lady had been so enthusiastic towards him. After he got in the car with his bag of medicine, Li Bufan noticed that he was fine and breathed a sigh of relief. He asked while starting the car, "What took you so long?"

Hao Ritian smiled. "I met an old lady who tripped and nearly fell down, so I was a little delayed."

But the harvest was quite bountiful.

Knowing that he'd simply been delayed by something, Li Bufan no longer worried, nor did he ask any more questions. Once the car started, he turned the wheel to leave the hospital. To have gotten the whole afternoon off yesterday was already considered quite good. He'd had to force time out of his schedule for this morning, so he would be even busier later to make up for today's break.

But getting rid of Xia Xin was worth finding time for.