Chapter 78 She Is Not Your Biological Mother

"Professor Gu, no!" Zi Xiaoyin trembled, her delicate body nearly fainting.

"Nang-ge!" Xu Chenyu shouted loudly from the ground, his face pale as death.

The surrounding university students cried out in alarm.

"Screech—!"

The piercing sound of brakes filled the air; the timid among them had already closed their eyes, afraid to witness the impending disaster.

Suddenly, someone darted out; the taxi driver had no time to hit the brakes.

"Bang!"

The car struck Gu Xiangnan directly.

"Ah!"

The people around screamed in fright and rushed forward to help.

But in astonishment, they saw Gu Xiangnan extend one hand, a single finger pressed against the hood.

The taxi could not move an inch farther.

Cold sweat drenched the driver, his eyes wide, mouth agape in shock.

"Mister, there’s a patient here—we need to get to the hospital quickly," Gu Xiangnan said.

The driver snapped out of his stupor and nodded hurriedly.

"Zi, get in the car," Gu Xiangnan urged, flashing over to lift the unconscious mother of Zi Xiaoyin and carrying her to the taxi.

Zi Xiaoyin, recovering from her surprise, wiped the tears from her face and climbed in.

Xu Chenyu, enduring his pain, followed.

The taxi sped to the hospital.

Zi Xiaoyin's mother was wheeled into the emergency room.

Xu Chenyu’s injuries were not serious; a doctor came to clean his wounds.

In the corridor outside the emergency room, Zi Xiaoyin sat on a long bench, hands tightly clasped, brows furrowed, eyes constantly drifting to the door.

Xu Chenyu, seeing her so tense, wanted to say something to ease her anxiety.

"Zi Xiaoyin, if you need money, you can tell me. Why go out and work?"

"My mother runs that pancake stall... It's so hard for her. So I..."

Zi Xiaoyin suddenly covered her face, large tears streaming through her fingers.

Xu Chenyu felt he had spoken wrongly, unsure how to comfort her.

"If only... If only I hadn’t gone out tonight... none of this would have happened!"

Self-reproach overwhelmed Zi Xiaoyin; she suddenly began to hit her own face. "It's all my fault—this face of mine keeps attracting trouble!"

Xu Chenyu’s heart ached; he quickly grabbed her wrist to stop her from hurting herself.

He, too, had once been captivated by her beauty and pursued her for a time. Now, guilt washed over him.

"I’m sorry. I harassed you for a long time before, and brought you trouble."

Surprised to hear his apology, Zi Xiaoyin looked up at him.

Xu Chenyu blushed. "If your mother's medical expenses are a problem, please let us know. We'll try to help."

Just then, the emergency room door opened, and a doctor came out.

"Doctor, how is my mother?" Zi Xiaoyin asked anxiously.

"Are you her daughter?"

"Yes."

The doctor spoke sternly: "The patient has suffered from long-term malnutrition, resulting in severe osteoporosis."

"She fell just now and has multiple fractures throughout her body, including a comminuted fracture in her leg. She’ll need a lengthy period of rest."

Frowning, the doctor asked, "These days, it’s rare to find people suffering from malnutrition. How could you let this happen? Why don’t you make sure she eats better?"

Zi Xiaoyin was stunned, moving to her mother's bedside.

Her mother, Zhang Hongmei, had regained consciousness and was gazing at her daughter.

"Mom, I’ve told you not to scrimp and save. After school, I can work to earn tuition," Zi Xiaoyin said, gripping Zhang Hongmei's hand tightly.

"Xiaoyin, it's all my fault. I’m useless and have dragged you down," Zhang Hongmei said, tears falling.

Gu Xiangnan and Xu Chenyu entered the room.

Zhang Hongmei looked at the two, puzzled. "Xiaoyin, who are these two?"

"Oh, this is my teacher, Professor Gu. And he’s my classmate, Xu Chenyu."

Hearing this, Zhang Hongmei forced a smile and nodded gently in greeting.

"Now that I’m ill, I don’t know when I’ll recover. I’ll have to trouble you both to look after Xiaoyin."

Xu Chenyu quickly agreed.

She turned to Zi Xiaoyin. "Xiaoyin, there’s still some money in the family savings book. You can withdraw it— you know the password."

Reluctantly, she held her daughter's hand tightly.

"Take good care of yourself. Don’t let me worry."

"Mom, don’t worry. Rest and recuperate. I believe you’ll get better soon."

Gu Xiangnan sensed something amiss, but the thought quickly faded.

Zhang Hongmei inhaled deeply, as if steeling herself, and said to Zi Xiaoyin, "Xiaoyin, there’s something I must tell you."

Her lips moved hesitantly, as if she had been preparing for a long time, before she finally spoke with difficulty.

"Actually, you... you... are not my biological daughter."

"What?"

Zi Xiaoyin stared at her mother, voice trembling, "How can that be? How can you not be my mother?"

"My child, though I wish it weren’t true, you really were adopted."

Years ago, Zhang Hongmei and her husband, unable to conceive after many years, finally decided to adopt a child from an orphanage.

At that time, there was a pair of strikingly attractive siblings in the orphanage. The couple originally planned to adopt them both.

But their financial situation was limited.

After much deliberation, they adopted only the sister.

"What?"

Still reeling from the first shock, Zi Xiaoyin now learned she had a brother, and was unable to process it.

"Mom, are you lying to me?"

"My child, why would I lie to you? I’m afraid you’ll go searching for your birth parents."

"I won’t. You’re my real mother—I won’t look for anyone else."

Zhang Hongmei shook her head and sighed.

"Xiaoyin, now that your father is gone, it’s just the two of us. You’ve suffered so much by my side. I’m afraid that if anything happens to me, what will you do?"

"You’re more beautiful than most; I fear... I fear someone might hurt you."

"If you can find your brother, then I can rest easy."

"No, you’re my mother. I won’t look for anyone else. We’ll both be fine."

Xu Chenyu quickly promised, "Auntie, don’t worry. With me here, no one will dare bully her."

Zhang Hongmei nodded, smiling. "Then, thank you, Xu."

Just then, the doctor entered and urged, "Family members, please step out and pay the fees. She’ll need to be admitted for treatment."

The three young people left the emergency room.

Zi Xiaoyin had come in a hurry; she didn’t have enough money in her mobile bank.

Xu Chenyu took charge, "Don’t worry, Xiaoyin. I have money."

He was used to spending lavishly and often kept tens of thousands on hand from taking friends out.

But he’d forgotten—since his father’s demotion, his mother had controlled the family finances and suspended his card.

He checked his phone balance: only two thousand left for living expenses. He wished he could crawl into a hole.

"The hospital requires a prepayment of fifty thousand yuan for admission. Will you pay by phone or cash?" the clerk at the payment window asked.

"I—I don’t have enough money. Can I wait until tomorrow to pay, after I raise the funds?" Zi Xiaoyin explained awkwardly.

"That’s possible, but tonight we can only provide conservative treatment."

Zi Xiaoyin pressed, "What does conservative treatment mean?"

"It means no medication, and no standard medical procedures. Once you pay, we’ll begin proper treatment."

"But if a fracture isn’t set in time, it will heal crooked!"

All three were students at the College of Traditional Medicine; they understood the basics.

"Yes, if it heals crookedly, the bone will have to be broken again and reset," the clerk explained.