Last night, since he wasn't yet certain whether he could find the Apocalyptic Mirage, Xu Mo hadn't promised a specific date for delivering the money. Now that the trip to Nanzheng City was confirmed, he felt it was necessary to inform Lin Yijing so she could be at ease as soon as possible.
Going to the hospital empty-handed didn't seem appropriate. Although he had little fondness for her father, Xu Mo still bought a bouquet of fresh flowers from a nearby florist out of consideration for Lin Yijing.
Normally, the hospital reception desk could provide information on a patient's ward. However, given the strained relationship between Lin Yijing and her father, a sudden visit might create an awkward situation. To avoid this, Xu Mo called Lin Yijing from the hospital's main lobby to let her know he was downstairs.
A few minutes later, Lin Yijing's delicate figure appeared in his line of sight. She was still wearing her signature pure white long trench coat, but her hair was slightly disheveled, her eyes puffy, and her expression weary—clearly, she had spent the entire night watching over her father.
"Xu Mo!"
A beauty is always a beauty. Even in her exhausted state, Lin Yijing exuded a heart-stirring charm. Her soft call of his name instantly attracted the gazes of more than half the men in the lobby. Holding a bouquet of flowers in the center of the hall, Xu Mo suddenly became the target of hundreds of envious, jealous, and resentful eyes.
Caught off guard by the unexpected attention, Xu Mo hesitated briefly before walking forward, stiffly handing the flowers to Lin Yijing. With a touch of formality, he asked, "How is your father's hand?"
"It's alright. He underwent a minor surgery overnight, and they managed to save it. But he probably won't be able to bend his fingers like before... Fortunately, it was just the pinky, so it won't affect his daily life too much." A faint, tranquil smile appeared on Lin Yijing's face. Just as she was about to thank Xu Mo again, her stomach suddenly let out a low growl. Blushing in embarrassment, she lowered her head, using the bouquet to hide her face. "Uh… these flowers are really beautiful, thank you."
"Too bad you can't eat them. If I had known, I would have brought breakfast instead." Xu Mo teased good-naturedly.
Lin Yijing couldn't help but smile, brushing her hair back from her forehead as she invited, "You came so early, so you probably haven't had breakfast either, right? Let me treat you."
After eating biscuits for two or three days straight in the Apocalyptic Mirage, Xu Mo was starving. He immediately nodded. "Sounds great! But… what about your father?"
"It's fine. My mom came this morning." Lin Yijing entrusted the flowers to a nurse at the front desk to be delivered to the ward, then returned to Xu Mo's side and walked out of the hospital with him.
Xu Mo recalled that Lin Yijing had mentioned her parents had been divorced for eight years and asked in surprise, "Your mother forgave your father?"
"Well, they were husband and wife for more than ten years. It's not easy to cut ties so cleanly. My mom has a soft heart. If my dad is truly remorseful this time, I think she'll forgive him…" As she spoke, Lin Yijing let out a long sigh, her expression betraying a hopeful longing for her parents to reconcile.
Seeing Lin Yijing's family coming back together, Xu Mo was genuinely happy for her. He smiled and said, "Tang Guo was right about you. Deep down, you have a soft heart… I used to think you were hard to approach."
"You mean back in school?" Lin Yijing smiled apologetically, clearly aware of her reputation. "The 'Ice Queen' thing… yeah, I've heard that before."
"Actually, it's 'Ice Queen Beauty.' You're missing two words."
This seemingly casual remark unexpectedly touched something deep in Lin Yijing's heart. She suddenly stopped, turned to face Xu Mo, and gazed into his eyes with an earnest expression. "Xu Mo, do you really think I'm that beautiful?"
Her sudden question seemed simple, yet without understanding her true intent, Xu Mo didn't know how to respond appropriately.
To be honest, rather than calling Lin Yijing stunningly beautiful, Xu Mo found her… standard. He racked his brain, but that was the only word he could think of to accurately describe his impression of her.
She had a standard figure, a standard face shape, standard silky hair, standard delicate features, and even a standard voice… The only thing that wasn't standard was her bust size. Other than that, she could practically serve as the textbook definition of a beautiful girl in her age group.
Yet, what truly captivated people upon first meeting Lin Yijing wasn't her exquisite face or her impressive figure, but rather the pure and refreshing aura she exuded.
In an era where even school campuses—once sacred grounds—were increasingly tainted by societal corruption, such an untainted student-like purity had become as rare as a giant panda. This was likely the fundamental reason why Lin Yijing had been crowned the top beauty of First High School for three consecutive years.
"I think the way men turn their heads to look at you is probably a better answer than anything I could say."
Xu Mo's tactful response made Lin Yijing smile faintly. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and sighed. "Actually, I'm really insecure…"
Xu Mo was momentarily taken aback. He never expected that Lin Yijing—who excelled academically and was beautiful enough to be envied by other girls—would say something so startling.
"Xu Mo, promise me something." Lin Yijing suddenly grabbed his hand and pleaded, "Don't tell anyone about my family situation, okay? Let it be a secret just between the two of us…"
Xu Mo nodded. He finally understood the source of her insecurity.
A disappointing father, a broken and impoverished family—such burdens weren't easy for anyone to bear, let alone an eighteen-year-old girl.
"Do you think I'm vain?" Lin Yijing chuckled self-deprecatingly, intertwining her fingers as she fidgeted. "Pretending everything's fine, afraid that my friends and classmates will find out… worried they'll laugh at me, look down on me…"
"No, this isn't vanity," Xu Mo shook his head firmly. "I actually understand how you feel."
"When I was four, my dad was a long-haul truck driver. Every trip he made brought in five or six thousand yuan. Given the cost of living back then, that was probably equivalent to fifty or sixty thousand today.
Back then, I had the best food, the best clothes, the best toys. I was the center of attention among the kids in my neighborhood. Even their parents went out of their way to curry favor with me. If I got into a fight with one of their kids, they would still take my side—just because they didn't want to risk losing a potential lender.
We had plenty of relatives, and they visited us often, always bringing gifts, never leaving empty-handed. Every time they saw me, they treated me like their own child.
Then, when I was four, my dad had a car accident. He hit someone and had to sell his truck to pay for medical expenses. With no more income, our relatives and neighbors still offered a few words of sympathy at first, but then they disappeared, and their attitude toward us turned cold.
Unwilling to endure their hypocrisy, my father took our last savings to try and start a business, but he got scammed out of everything. With no money left, our family fell into decline.
A year later, we moved away. The schadenfreude in those people's eyes… I never want to see that look again."
"You felt that way too?"
Hearing Xu Mo's story, Lin Yijing was surprised. But their similar experiences suddenly made her feel much closer to him, her voice even carrying an unusual warmth.
Xu Mo shrugged nonchalantly. "People envy the rich and mock the poor. That's just how this twisted society is. But the failures of the past generation don't define us. We're still young—we have the chance to build our own future, don't we?"