These were things he had never understood before, nor had he been interested in understanding them.
Seeing the line for his parents' files, Qin Yusheng's gaze deepened.
It turned out to be a stepmother, not his biological mother. He had rarely contacted his family since university.
He had never understood her actions, nor even her life.
It wasn't until he met her grandmother at the hotel last time that he realized how pitiful this fool's background was.
He felt restless.
Qin Yusheng went to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of ice water, drinking it in one gulp.
His mind cleared a bit.
Pitiful?
Was being pitiful an excuse to scheme and trap him into bed, even if it was just to save the Zhao family?!
The thought of Xue'er's sacrifices for him, even donating a kidney to him when they were strangers, made his stomach churn with hatred for Zhao Shuyao.
Such a kind and pure girl had been harmed by Zhao Shuyao, left lying in bed as a vegetative state!
He raised his hand, pressing down hard on the spot where his kidney was.
A faint scar remained there.
"Xue'er, I will never fail you."
Qin Yusheng spoke hoarsely, then gulped down another mouthful of ice water.
His mind was completely clear now.
Perhaps it was the coldness of the ice water, but his kidney area began to ache.
Damn it…
The kidney transplant surgery had been many years ago. Because Fu Yanxue's donated kidney had a very high compatibility, there had been no problems all these years.
He hadn't expected it to hurt so much tonight.
Enduring the escalating pain in his kidney, Qin Yusheng grabbed his car keys and headed out. But as soon as he reached the door, before his hand could even touch the doorknob, he collapsed like a mountain.
He fell heavily in the entryway, unable to stand up again.
Zhao Shuyao, drowsy from sleep, vaguely heard a loud commotion from downstairs.
She frowned, shifted her position, and after a while, felt something was wrong.
Her kidney area ached faintly.
Although not intense, it was a sensation that was hard to ignore.
Zhao Shuyao threw off the covers and got up, intending to go downstairs for a glass of water.
She didn't see Qin Yusheng downstairs.
She had passed his bedroom earlier and seen his door ajar, but he wasn't in the room.
Strange, she had heard a commotion just moments ago, but now he was nowhere to be seen.
Zhao Shuyao walked towards the kitchen, and as she passed the entryway, she spotted a dark figure.
Since it was nighttime and the entryway lights were off, Zhao Shuyao was thoroughly startled.
She screamed and took half a step back.
After she could clearly see the figure, she immediately turned on the light.
It was Qin Yusheng.
The man's face was pale, and he was unconscious. His car keys lay beside him.
It looked like he had been about to leave.
"Qin Yusheng! Qin Yusheng! Wake up, stop pretending to be dead…"
Zhao Shuyao muttered, reaching out to touch the man's face.
It was so cold!
Zhao Shuyao recoiled her finger and immediately took out her phone to call for an ambulance.
The ambulance arrived quickly.
Not wanting to worry, Zhao Shuyao followed in the ambulance.
On the way to the hospital, she sent a text message to the old man, informing him of Qin Yusheng's condition.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Qin Yusheng was rushed into the emergency room.
The old man also arrived shortly after, pushed in a wheelchair by a caregiver.
Having come out in a hurry, Grandpa Qin was still in his pajamas, drowsy, and yawning in his wheelchair.
"Grandpa, why are you here?" Zhao Shuyao approached him.
"I was worried you wouldn't be able to take care of him alone. This kid doesn't know what's wrong with him again. He was always healthy since he was little, and he hasn't been sick all these years, so how could he suddenly collapse?"
Zhao Shuyao suddenly remembered.
They had gone to a roadside diner for food that afternoon. Could he have eaten something bad?
Oh no, then she would be the culprit?
"Don't worry, I had someone calculate this brat's birth date and time. He's tough, he won't die!"
Zhao Shuyao felt a pang of embarrassment after hearing Grandpa Qin's words.
As expected of his own grandson, looking at the old man, there wasn't a trace of worry on his face.
Instead of worrying about Qin Yusheng, Grandpa Qin took her hand and patted the back of it, "Are you hungry? I'll have someone buy you some supper. You're so thin, it pains me!"
"Grandpa, I…" Zhao Shuyao was about to say she wasn't hungry, but her stomach rumbled uncontrollably.
Grandpa Qin laughed heartily and instructed the caregiver, "Quick, go buy some barbecue!"
Qin Yusheng was wheeled out of surgery less than an hour later. He was in a wheelchair, conscious, and on an IV drip. Some color had returned to his pale face.
The first thing Qin Yusheng saw when he was wheeled out of the operating room was Zhao Shuyao and Grandpa sitting outside the operating room, eating barbecue and chatting happily.
The man's face instantly darkened, like the bottom of a scorched pot.
He had been in agony in the operating room, and these two scoundrels were eating barbecue?!
If he hadn't been too weak, he would have erupted on the spot.
"Oh, you're out," Zhao Shuyao said, without any intention of getting up, chewing on the green pepper beef in her mouth with relish.
"Looks like you're fine. It's good that you're fine, go home and rest! Yao Yao, what else do you want to eat? Grandpa will take you!"
Zhao Shuyao was about to say she wanted hot pot, but she glanced at the man's displeased expression and reluctantly changed her words.
"No need, Grandpa. You should go back and rest early. I'll take Yusheng home!"
She took one last skewer of squid before slowly getting up and walking behind Qin Yusheng.
The man exuded an icy aura.
Outside the hospital, in the car, the man beside her remained silent.
That cold aura emanated from him, chilling her to the bone.
"Why the long face? I drove you to the hospital in the middle of the night, and I still have to put up with this…"
Zhao Shuyao said indignantly, reaching for a squid skewer to eat.
Her hand suddenly became empty, and she saw it was already in the man's hand.
Qin Yusheng took a bite of the squid skewer, devouring more than half of it. "Tastes good."
Zhao Shuyao exploded like a lit firework, "Qin! Yu! Sheng!!"
She lunged forward to snatch it back, "You're not human! Give it back! This is my dinner! Buy your own if you want to eat! What kind of skill is it to snatch mine!"
Qin Yusheng finished the rest and then put the skewer back into Zhao Shuyao's hand, "Thank you. Since you wanted to help me throw away the trash, I won't be polite."
Zhao Shuyao looked at the bare skewer, wanting to cry but having no tears.
This man ate so cleanly, he didn't even leave her a shred of meat.
It was already past midnight when they returned to Tan Palace.
Zhao Shuyao was extremely sleepy. She staggered upstairs and fell asleep as soon as she hit the pillow.
After a simple wash, Qin Yusheng stood by Zhao Shuyao's bedroom door, the doctor's words from earlier echoing in his ears.
"Organs have a symbiotic phenomenon. Although it's transplanted into your body, everything from the original owner will affect you…"
The next day, Qin Yusheng went to Ren'ai Hospital.