Worlds Apart | Chapter 50 | The Price of Survival | Novela.app

Having initially refused her with such arrogance, only to now come crawling back, Jiang Tong felt a lingering trepidation as he pressed the numbers. He half-expected Madam Xiao to mock him ruthlessly, playing out a classic scene from some melodramatic film. However, during the actual call, the elder woman remained strictly professional. Her tone was kind and polite, making no mention of their previous discord. It made sense; she had already emerged completely victorious in this silent confrontation, so there was no need to trample upon what remained of his dignity. Jiang Tong was not so foolish as to believe she felt any pity for him. He possessed enough self-awareness to know that Madam Xiao simply couldn't be bothered to torment him further. In her eyes, he was merely an insignificant nobody. The time and money she allotted to him were nothing more than a reflection of her profound, protective love for Kenneth. "Regarding Kenneth... how do you want me to explain this to him?" he asked Madam Xiao before hanging up. "Continue as you were," Madam Xiao told him. "I will handle Kenneth." Madam Xiao was as good as her word; the remittance arrived the very next day. It did more than just resolve Jiang Tong’s immediate crisis; it ensured that even if his university applications fell through, he could peacefully remain at the school as a laboratory research assistant for a year to rework his thesis. Bypassing Fang Dayong, Jiang Tong paid off the overdue medical expenses in one lump sum and then unilaterally informed the man of the treatment plan he had discussed with the doctors. His nominal stepfather listened submissively, nodding his head repeatedly, lacking even the courage to question the source of such a large, mysterious sum of money. "...I will also take responsibility for Beibei’s university tuition," Jiang Tong paused, adding at the end, "Uncle, you should focus on your health and retirement. Don't worry about selling the house anymore." There were no dramatic scenes of angry rebukes, mockery, or throwing money in faces. The clichéd soap opera suddenly shifted into a heartwarming tribute. Fang Dayong looked up at him in shock, but Jiang Tong did not allow the sentimental dialogue to continue, heading out on his own to collect the medication. He didn't hate Fang Dayong. Had their positions been reversed, he might not have handled things any better. But now that matters had reached this point, any pretense of genuine affection between them felt too forced. Then why bother acting the part of the filial son? Jiang Tong couldn't quite explain it himself; he simply felt, subconsciously, that without this line of dialogue, the role he was playing wouldn't be complete. He had hollowed out his own heart just to earn a chance to stand on this stage. Every little detail had to be perfected. Everything was back on track. His mother’s genetic testing showed positive indicators, and her treatment resumed in an orderly fashion. They hired a high-end caregiver; Fang Dayong no longer had to eat plain buns with fermented bean curd, and Beibei found pork ribs in her lunchbox. Jiang Tong declined his interview invitations one by one and began to focus on organizing his thesis. It was just that he suddenly began to suffer from insomnia. Hour after hour, he stared at the ceiling in the silent darkness. Once his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he could clearly see the winding cracks snaking from the corners of the walls toward the center. He couldn't sleep. Whenever he closed his eyes, Xiao Fengtai’s face would emerge from the darkness. A fresh, vibrant youth, his frame still slender but soft and resilient, like a sapling newly sprouted. When he smiled, his almond-shaped eyes would curve into crescents. He acted as if he had skin hunger; whenever they were alone, he became a human attachment that could never be shaken off. There were also the futures they had fantasized about: Jiang Tong standing at the lectern, calling out Xiao Fengtai for slacking off during a tutorial; shopping at the supermarket on Christmas Eve, then driving back to their shared apartment to simmer a pot of Tom Yum Goong and red wine beef stew while the snow fell outside. He didn't know when Madam Xiao intended to show her hand. He could only live day by day, precariously maintaining his relationship with Xiao Fengtai. The "difficulty" was a one-sided emotional burden; on the other side of the phone screen, the boy remained blissfully optimistic, knowing nothing at all.