555 Pressure
“Notification for Player 0000! Effect of Good Samaritan triggered. You’ve saved the sick girl and obtained a lot of EXP.” The system said, but Han Fei’s attention was entirely on the girl. “Your name is Fu Yee?”
The girl’s name was similar to Fu Yi. They had the same surname, so she was probably Fu Yi’s illegitimate daughter. The kneeling Han Fei felt dizzy. His legs wobbled, and he sat on the ground. When he faced the females who wanted to kill him, Han Fei consoled himself with the idea that there wouldn’t be anything worse. Han Fei finally managed to soothe most women, but fate had presented him with a big ‘gift’. A new female appeared, and it was a girl. Han Fei stared at the girl who had once murdered him multiple times, and his expression was complicated.
“I notice you have problems walking. Are you sick?”
“Progressive muscular dystrophy, the doctor says this is an illness caused by a genetic mutation.” The girl was optimistic. She didn’t lose hope because of her illness. She fought the illness head-on. She was very kind. The fact that she risked her own life to save the stray cat was the best evidence.
“How much money is required to cure your illness?”
“I don’t know. Mom never told me. She told me not to worry. It’ll get better.” The girl was shy. She kept averting her eyes when talking to Han Fei.
“Good.” Han Fei smiled, but he silently took out his phone to research online. Progressive muscular dystrophy couldn’t be healed. Many children lost their ability to move. Most of them would die around twenty due to a failing heart. In other words, getting this disease meant one’s life was in a countdown.
With the aid of masterful acting, Han Fei’s expression didn’t change, but his fingers that held the phone paled.
“When will your mother return?”
“I don’t know. We only just moved here. She said it’s easier to find a job in the city and I’ll have better treatment. Recently, she has been leaving early and coming back late. She works hard.” The girl felt guilty. “If not for me, mom would have a better life.”
“Never think like that.”
“I know.” The girl smiled at Han Fei. Her smile was adorable. “So I will try my best to get better. I will take care of her after I grow up.” Han Fei didn’t say anything but comb the girl’s disheveled hair. The girl didn’t resist. She felt like she had met Han Fei before. When she spoke to Han Fei, her voice was soft, like she was afraid of scaring him away.
“This is it. Boss, come!” The receptionist and a pair of husband and wife rushed to the fourth floor. They were armed with mops and brooms as they glared at Han Fei.
“I need to go. This is my number. Call me if you run into any trouble. After I’m done dealing with other stuff, I’ll come back to find you.” Han Fei grabbed a pen and paper to write down his phone number. Then, he raised his arms in surrender as he walked towards the door. “I mean no harm. I saw the girl falling from outside, so I rushed here to save her. I can compensate you for the broken door.”
“Don’t hurt him! I can be his witness! He’s plainclothes! He saved this child.” The bookstore manager huffed as he climbed up the stairs. “Thankfully, he was here, or there’d be another death at this hostel.”
Han Fei didn’t argue with the hostel boss. After he paid for the door, he returned to the girl. “Do you remember the student who came to find you in the morning? Where is he now?”
“Mom didn’t take his money. She even scolded him. He quietly put down the money and left. I have no idea where he went.” The girl thought. “He was despondent when he left. Youshould look after him.”
“I will.” Han Fei was in a hurry to find Fu Sheng, so he didn’t wait for the girl’s mother to return. He ran out of the alley, calculating the time Fu Sheng left. “Fu Yee was most likely Fu Yi’s illegitimate daughter. Fu Sheng knew that. He probably came here to avoid a tragedy from happening.”
In the Mirror God’s world, Han Fei played the Mirror God. He was the main character; but in Fu Sheng’s memory world, Fu Sheng was the main character, Han Fei was just the side character. Han Fei had made the decisions Fu Yi didn’t do in real life, so the memory world started to change. Han Fei, who had attempted other inheritance missions, knew that these small changes would ultimately change destiny.
“Fu Sheng was trying to do something, but he failed. He didn’t return to school but went somewhere else.” Han Fei’s wife called the police, but since Fu Sheng was over eighteen and he wasn’t missing for more than twelve hours, they couldn’t do anything. The school admin didn’t like Fu Sheng, so they ignored the wife.
Thankfully, Han Fei never had any hope in these people. He walked out of the small alley. He tapped into Fu Sheng’s emotions and tried to follow his trails. Eventually, he reached the small mountain behind the school. The sky was dark, and the place was deserted. Typically, the school forbade its students from coming here. “He was seen here last on the security footage. Did he come here to be alone?”
The mountain provided a good vantage point. One could see the surrounding buildings and even the students at school. Using the flashlight on his phone, Han Fei walked up the steps. He didn’t shout Fu Sheng’s name. He only kept racing upwards. He had a feeling Fu Sheng was here. Han Fei finally reached the summit. There was a viewing deck in mid-construction. The rails were just fixed. The scaffolding had the only light. Under the yellow ray, a student leaned against the railings. His new uniform was wrinkled. His bag filled with books and test papers sat on the ground. Han Fei was relieved when he saw his son uninjured. He didn’t make any loud noises. He messaged his wife and then silently moved to Fu Sheng’s side. He looked down the distance to see what had captured Fu Sheng’s attention.
The city was bright. The students wandered around the school compound. Some of them raced around the field, and others studied in class. Young couples found quiet corners to be together. Everyone was busy with their things. They had their own reason for being alive.
Fu Sheng turned around when he heard the footsteps. When he saw his father, different emotions appeared in his eyes. There was disgust, pain, and relief. Fu Sheng felt conflicted. He wanted to be alone, but he was afraid of loneliness. He hated his father, but he wanted warmth from his family. “Sorry, I skipped school again.” Fu Sheng said. He didn’t look at Han Fei but kept his eyes on the other students.
“It’s fine.” Han Fei wasn’t just saying that. He understood the pain within Fu Sheng. No one approved of Fu Sheng more than Han Fei.
Fu Sheng had a special feeling hearing his father’s reply. His father used to be aggressive and selfish. He always blamed others for his problems but recently, his father had changed. The night breeze touched the pair of father and son. It seemed to take something away with it. The distance between the two became closer. “They look so happy. They are always ready with smiles.” Fu Sheng’s eyes were still on the other students. He didn’t wish for much; he just wanted a life like the others.
“I am smiling every day too. Can you guess if I’m happy?” Han Fei grabbed the rails and joined Fu Sheng. He didn’t have any children, and he didn’t know how to be a good father. Sometimes, he was more like an adult child. Neither of them said much. They studied the city in the night until Han Fei’s phone rang. It was his wife.
“We should go back. We shouldn’t make our family worried.” Han Fei picked up Fu Sheng’s bag. “Come on. We’ll have dinner at a restaurant tonight.” Han Fei was an excellent actor, but he was himself at that moment. This was because he wanted to leave behind some actual memories for Fu Sheng in his limited time left. Fu Sheng didn’t say anything but followed quietly behind his father.
The two got down the mountain and reunited with Han Fei’s anxious wife. UnlikeHan Fei, his wife, rushed over when she saw Fu Sheng. Her tears fell as she grabbed Fu Sheng’s arms. She examined Fu Sheng’s body. Her concern was genuine. She was like Fu Sheng’s biological mother.
“Come, we’ll have something good tonight!” Han Fei looked at his wife and Fu Sheng. He led his family to a presentable restaurant.
“The price here is quite expensive.” The wife whispered after she read through the menu. “Should we go to another restaurant?”
“This place is fine. After all, this is a significant day for me.” Han Fei smiled as he looked at Fu Yi’s family.
“Did you get promoted? You got to design that game again?” His wife was happy for him.
“No, tonight we get to eat together as a family.” Han Fei placed Fu Tian on the seat. He looked at Fu Sheng and his wife. He sighed. He thought this day would never come. The family was finally seated together. This was Han Fei’s happiest moment since he entered the memory world. The dishes were served. While Han Fei’s family had their reunion, a pair of mother and daughter sat on the bed in the dilapidated hostel.
“I hope you weren’t frightened by what happened.” The mother used the needle to patch up the girl’s old clothes.
“I’m fine.” The girl was very happy. “Mom, I think I saw dad today.” Hearing that, the mother’s warm expression disappeared. She put down the needle and said coldly, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
“It’s true! He looks just like the picture!” The girl tried her best to grab the note with Han Fei’s phone number. “He saved me today. The uncle at the bookstore said he is a policeman!”
“Policeman?” The woman smiled sadly when she heard that. “Then you really got the wrong person. Someone as selfish as him will never be a police officer.”
“If you don’t believe me, you can call this number. Dad left it behind.” The girl handed her mother the note. The woman ruffled the girl’s hair. She assumed her daughter had projected her lost father on a kind policeman. “Come on, call it!”
“Okay, I’ll call it. I need to thank the kind gentleman anyway.” The woman took out her phone. Before she could make a call, she received a call from a Doctor Zhu.
The woman shoved the note into her left pocket. She grabbed her phone and ran out of the room. She only answered the phone after she was sure her daughter couldn’t hear her. “Doctor Du Zhu, can my daughter still be saved?”
“Yes, but it’ll need a lot of money.” “Can you save her first? I’ll pay later.”
“I’m afraid we can’t do that.” Du Zhu’s voice came from the phone. “I heard from your debtors that your husband is a manager at a big company. They loaned you the money because they trusted you. If you really love your daughter, why didn’t you go to the girl’s father for help? Blood is thicker than water. He wouldn’t ignore you.”
“I don’t want to go beg him. Can’t you just give me some time?”
“You didn’t need to beg him. His daughter is sick. Shouldn’t he pay for her treatment? He’s her father.” Du Zhu’s voice changed. “I suggest you go to his company to find him tomorrow. He wouldn’t reject you in public, right?”
“I’ll think about it.”
“You can have the time to think about it, but does your daughter have the time? You’re delaying her best treatment period.” Du Zhu was impatient. “We don’t have endless space here at the hospital. I have been reserving the spot for you because I pity you. You better pay up in the next three days.”
“I will. Thank you, Doctor Du.” The woman wanted to say something more, but the call ended. She stood in the old corridor. After some time, she pulled out a name card and some small change from her right pocket. The name card had Fu Yi’s name, his company address, and his contact number.
