"Auntie, it's not like your condition is untreatable. Why did you sneak back home? You had Yingying worried."
Xu Mu walked over and took a seat beside Li Yun.
"It is treatable, but the costs are too high. We've already borrowed 150,000 from you..."
"I can lend you more."
Xu Mu cut Li Yun off mid-sentence.
[Affection Points +10]
Li Yun looked at Xu Mu's sincere expression, moved to tears as she wiped her eyes. "Xiao Xu, it'll take hundreds of thousands. Even if it can be cured, how will the two of us ever pay you back?"
Beside them, Zhao Yingying sobbed as she sat next to Li Yun. "Mom, I'll pay it back! I'll pay it back!"
"That's exactly what I'm afraid of. You're still so young—how will you live with hundreds of thousands in debt?"
Li Yun sighed deeply. "Besides, the doctor said there's only a chance of recovery. What if the treatment fails?"
"Auntie, I can just give you the money. You don’t have to pay me back," Xu Mu said, looking at Li Yun.
"How could we do that? Money doesn’t come easy for anyone. I can’t just take yours for free."
Li Yun shook her head at Xu Mu. "Xiao Xu, I appreciate your kindness. All I ask is that you take good care of Yingying in the future."
"Uh..."
"What? You don’t want to?"
Li Yun was making it clear.
For him to take care of Yingying—wasn’t that the same as asking him to marry her?
"To be honest, Auntie, I’m already married," Xu Mu explained.
Hearing this, Li Yun was stunned. Why was it that every good man she took a liking to was already married?
"But don’t worry, Auntie. Your illness can still be treated..."
Just as Xu Mu was speaking, a knock came at the door.
Zhao Yingying immediately stood up and walked over to open it.
Her eyes widened in surprise at the person outside. "Brother Fang."
The visitor was none other than Fang Chu.
The moment Fang Chu stepped inside and saw Xu Mu, his expression darkened.
Li Yun had left the hospital without notice—such a big deal, and Zhao Yingying had informed Xu Mu instead of him?
[Protagonist’s Luck -10]
"Xiao Fang, what brings you here?"
Li Yun looked at Fang Chu weakly.
"Auntie, why didn’t you tell me you were leaving the hospital?"
Fang Chu spoke with concern. "Don’t worry, I’ve managed to gather 200,000. We can start treatment now."
Xu Mu couldn’t help but feel surprised. As expected of the protagonist—how had he gotten his hands on that much money?
"Xiao Fang, you don’t understand. I have cancer. I’m not going through with treatment."
Li Yun sighed softly.
"What? Cancer?"
Fang Chu was shocked. Li Yun looked so young, not even forty yet.
He had even been thinking about pursuing her someday—especially with her figure, something he’d fantasized about.
How could she suddenly have cancer?
Just then, another knock sounded at the door. Zhao Yingying, curious, went to answer it.
Seeing the man and woman outside, she was taken aback. "Uncle, Auntie, what are you doing here?"
"You forgot? When your mom was hospitalized last time, I drove her to the hospital. I was listed as the emergency contact. The hospital just called me."
The man, around thirty-five with a square face and permed hair, was Li Kun—Li Yun’s younger brother.
Beside him stood a woman with voluminous curls, heavy makeup, and narrow eyes—his wife, Qian Jing.
"Sis! The doctor told me you have cancer."
Li Kun hurried over, his voice filled with concern.
Meanwhile, Qian Jing’s eyes darted around, scrutinizing the apartment.
"Stomach cancer. The doctor said it was caused by long-term exhaustion, irregular meals, poor sleep—all leading to gastrointestinal dysfunction and eventually malignancy."
Li Yun looked at Li Kun, her expression indifferent. "Actually, I was just about to find you. I might not have much time left. Hurry up and return the 30,000 you owe us—give it to Yingying."
Xu Mu’s expression darkened at those words. That single sentence revealed a lot.
Li Kun, her own brother, had borrowed 30,000 from Li Yun and still hadn’t paid it back.
In other words, when Li Yun needed money for surgery, he hadn’t contributed a single cent.
"Sis, don’t worry. We’ll take care of Yingying from now on," Qian Jing said with a smile as she stepped forward.
Li Yun glanced at her and replied coolly, "Yingying doesn’t need your care."
Qian Jing’s face stiffened. Had Li Yun already guessed her intentions?
Zhao Yingying was a college student, already an adult—pretty, smart, and well-behaved.
Once Li Yun passed, they planned to take her in.
Then, Qian Jing would find her a wealthy husband, demand a hefty dowry, and use it to support their own family.
They knew Zhao Yingying’s personality—she’d never dare to refuse.
Raising her wouldn’t cost them a thing, and they’d still profit from the dowry. A win-win.
But Li Yun had just shut them down.
"Sis, what kind of attitude is that? If something happens to you, Yingying will be all alone. What if some predator takes advantage of her?"
Li Kun scowled.
"Who says Yingying will be alone? She has me!"
Fang Chu, seeing the dynamics at play, stepped in.
He shot Zhao Yingying a look, as if to say, See how dependable your Brother Fang is?
"Who the hell are you? This is a family matter—mind your own business!" Li Kun snapped at Fang Chu.
"Yingying won’t be alone, because Auntie will be fine."
Xu Mu spoke up calmly.
Li Yun and Zhao Yingying both looked at him, their eyes filled with gratitude.
[Affection Points +20]
[Affection Points +20]
Fang Chu cursed inwardly. This bastard had shifted the focus to Li Yun’s recovery—outmaneuvering him. So sneaky.
"And who are you?"
Li Kun glared at Xu Mu.
"I’m Yingying’s brother, a doctor. I can treat Auntie’s illness. You don’t need to do anything—just pay back what you owe on time."
Xu Mu’s tone was steady.
"Brother Mu… you’re a doctor?"
Zhao Yingying, tears streaming, grabbed Xu Mu’s arm.
"That’s right. Early-stage stomach cancer can be treated without surgery—just medication."
Xu Mu nodded with a smile.
"You little punk! Who do you think you are, curing cancer? You trying to kill my sister faster?"
Li Kun had barely finished when Qian Jing pinched his arm.
"If you can treat her, then hurry up and prescribe something. We don’t want anything to happen to Sis either."
Qian Jing shot Li Kun a meaningful glance.
Li Kun paused, then caught on. If this guy claimed he could cure cancer without surgery, he was either a fraud or a quack.
Letting him treat Li Yun would only speed up her death. Once she was gone, Zhao Yingying’s timid nature would make her easy to manipulate.
"No way! You’re a doctor? Where’s your medical license?"
Fang Chu stepped between Xu Mu and Li Yun, his voice icy.
Li Yun was someone he had his eye on—what if this guy killed her by accident?
Even with cancer, she could still live for years.
By the time his three-year restriction ended and his powers returned, getting money for her treatment would be child’s play.
"What’s wrong with you? He’s trying to help my sister, and you’re standing in his way. Got a better solution?"
Li Kun jabbed a finger at Fang Chu.
From now on, he and Xu Mu were allies in the same camp.
He couldn't wait for Xu Mu to start treating her sister sooner, to hasten Li Yun's demise.
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
