“Still need to take it easy and rest after being discharged.”
“Thank you, Doctor, thank you so much for the trouble.”
Mother said this while trying to stuff a red envelope into the doctor’s pocket.
“No, no, no. What era is this? That’s not done anymore.”
Startled, the doctor quickly waved his hand to refuse.
After a bit of a tug-of-war, Mother couldn’t convince the doctor and could only regretfully wonder if she could hide the red envelope somewhere the doctor wouldn’t see but would eventually find.
The bathroom door opened.
The doctor looked up at the girl in a white dress—beautiful, with a pure, cold, and aloof temperament.
It was hard to imagine she used to be a boy…
He vaguely remembered that when Qiu Ye broke his arm last time, Bai Yao often came to take care of him, bustling about, and even added several younger relatives on WeChat out of concern for Qiu Ye’s condition.
Back then, Bai Yao was still a thin, boyish figure.
The doctor smiled and nodded at Bai Yao and Qiu Ye.
“How do you feel?”
“Okay, I guess… Thanks, Doctor.”
Bai Yao muttered, leaning on her crutch and limping along.
Actually, she could walk a few steps without the crutch, but she was afraid of making the fracture worse.
Qiu Ye followed closely beside her, watching her steps nervously.
“Make sure to come back for regular checkups. When you have time, do some rehab exercises—just lift your legs while playing on your phone. It’s not a big deal. The fees will be settled: more money in, less out. I think there’s still some refund left. Don’t forget.”
Bai Yao’s situation was special, so the doctor paid extra attention.
Qiu Ye and Mother nodded along on the side.
Watching Qiu Ye carefully escort Bai Yao out of the ward slowly, Mother picked up the luggage and was about to leave after greeting the doctor, but the doctor reminded her:
“After discharge, you might want to find a psychologist. Suddenly becoming a girl… she might not be able to accept it.”
“Uh…”
Mother hesitated.
She thought Bai Yao had accepted it pretty quickly—she even had a boyfriend now.
Surely there was no need to see a psychologist, right?
In fact, she felt the psychologist might need some comforting instead…
But Mother still agreed, “Okay, thank you. Sorry for the trouble.”
She carried the luggage and trotted to catch up with Bai Yao and Qiu Ye.
The two were just waiting by the elevator door.
“Auntie, let me take the luggage?”
“No need. Just look after Bai Yao.”
Mother stopped on Bai Yao’s right side, flanking her with Qiu Ye on the left.
“Uh…”
Bai Yao guiltily glanced at her mother.
“How about Qiu Ye comes to our place to hang out?”
If she left, Qiu Ye would be alone for over ten days until school started.
How pitiful was that?
Qiu Ye was tempted but worried that Bai Yao’s father would be hard to deal with.
Seeing that Bai Yao’s mother didn’t say anything, Qiu Ye gave her an out:
“Maybe not? Don’t I have the competition to prepare for? Pretty busy.”
“Right, he’s busy anyway.”
Bai Yao pouted and lightly tugged at Qiu Ye’s sleeve.
“Fine…”
The elevator finally arrived.
They all stepped inside.
By the time they reached the first floor, Bai Yao had already put on her usual cold expression.
Even in a pure, cute dress, she couldn’t hide her icy demeanor.
She had completely shed the weak, pathetic, and helpless image she showed her mother and Qiu Ye in the ward.
With a blank, expressionless face, Bai Yao followed her mother out of the inpatient department.
Qiu Ye stopped at the entrance and waved at the mother-daughter pair.
“I’ll take a cab back. You two go ahead.”
Bai Yao kept turning back, but Qiu Ye was already looking down at his phone, hailing a ride.
A strong wave of loss suddenly surged up.
She bit her lip tightly, her face growing even colder, trying to control her emotions.
Ever since she got the System, Qiu Ye had been with her all the time…
Now that they were suddenly separated, the separation anxiety and disappointment made her nose tingle.
“We’re taking the high-speed rail back? Your dad drove over to pick you up.”
“Oh.”
When did the family buy a car?
Leaving the inpatient department and walking out of the hospital, Bai Yao spotted her father’s figure on the roadside outside.
Beside him was a relative who looked familiar but whose title she couldn’t recall.
Bai Yao instinctively felt resistant.
Her brow furrowed slightly.
She didn’t want everyone to know about her situation.
Mother had promised she wouldn’t have to face relatives, but Father brought a relative she wasn’t familiar with without telling her…
It made her feel uncomfortable.
“Wow~ Bai Yao is so beautiful now!”
The relative enthusiastically opened the door, inviting everyone to get in.
“I was just driving nearby on business. Your dad called, and I came to pick you up.”
Bai Yao’s tension eased a little.
She glanced at Father, who remained silent, and followed Mother into the back seat.
“Do you recognize me? I held you when you were little.”
“Call him Uncle.”
Father urged.
Bai Yao froze awkwardly.
The uncle didn’t mind and cheerfully started the car:
“Bai Yao has always been quiet and pretty. Now that she’s a girl, it suits her.”
The car merged onto the main road, and gradually the conversation died down.
The atmosphere was quiet and awkward.
Bai Yao leaned sideways, close to Mother, and whispered:
“Who is Uncle to Dad?”
“Your dad’s cousin.”
“Oh.”
That explained it.
She leaned back against the seat, turned her head to look out the window, worrying about what her father thought of her and about being separated from Qiu Ye…
Would he prefer sons over daughters?
Father was much more old-fashioned than Mother.
In Mother’s words, he was a man who couldn’t make money, was chauvinistic, and had no real opinions.
Bai Yao clutched her phone and sent Mother a WeChat message:
“What does Dad say?”
Mother hesitated for a moment, then typed back:
“I heard from others that he wants to have another child.”
“So when you need money, ask him for it. Otherwise, if you really get a little brother, what will you do in the future?”
“In these few years, think of a way to drain his money. Make him buy you a house, at least pay the down payment. Otherwise, you’ll end up with nothing.”
Although Bai Yao really cared about money, her first thought was:
Mother was almost forty.
Even if Father had no issues, could Mother still give birth?
She perfunctorily typed back: “Mm.”
Now she understood why that obsessed woman had inexplicably bought a house and taken on a thirty-year mortgage.
To be honest, if she had to fight, grab, or beg for it, she would rather not have that money, even if it was rightfully hers.
She wasn’t lacking…
She could support herself, and she didn’t mind renting.
If she wanted to get married or buy a house in the future, she was willing to work hard together with Qiu Ye.
That was better than fighting, scheming, and calculating, wasn’t it?
Bai Yao rubbed her nose bridge, her head aching.
She had just been discharged, and a bunch of troubles were already coming at her.
“Chat with him more. Don’t stay silent. After all, you’re his child. Even if you’ve become a daughter, if you have a good relationship, he’ll be willing to spend money on you.”
Reading Mother’s comforting words, Bai Yao looked up at Father sitting in the passenger seat.
She pursed her lips, her aversion growing even stronger.
“He doesn’t have any money anyway. He even had to borrow for the hospital fees.”
“Saying he doesn’t have money—let him borrow. If you don’t ask, where would his money go? Who knows where he spends it?”
“Fine.”
Bai Yao was also someone without much of her own opinion.