Xiao Ye collapsed onto the floor, his body stiff and unmoving.
His face was pale, and he didn't stir.
"You're not deliberately playing a trick on me, are you?"
Bai Xian'er was utterly stunned and reached out to help him up.
However, her earlier scream had alerted everyone in the Bai family.
"Xiao Ye..."
Seeing Xiao Ye, Mr. and Mrs. Bai's faces contorted with grief.
"Move aside quickly!"
Bai Xian'er was shoved aside by them in her daze. She saw the servants anxiously surrounding Xiao Ye.
The couple, their hearts filled with anxiety, turned to Bai Xian'er. "Xiao Ye, what's going on? Wasn't he fine just now?!"
"He fainted as soon as I walked in. How would I know why?"
Hearing her parents' cold words, Bai Xian'er's heart ached.
These were the people she cared about, yet they treated her like a stranger.
Her parents decided to take Xiao Ye to the hospital.
Bai Xian'er could feel her parents' blame; they seemed to believe Xiao Ye had fainted because of her appearance.
Witnessing her parents' favoritism and the servants' concern,
a flicker of jealousy sprouted in Bai Xian'er's heart.
She looked at Xiao Ye being rushed to the hospital, and Bai Xian'er blocked the couple's path, trembling as she questioned, "Is Xiao Ye that important to you? You've never cared about me like this before!"
Indeed, although they had provided for Bai Xian'er abundantly, they had never truly educated her.
Busy with work, they hadn't given her much love either.
Consequently, Bai Xian'er had grown increasingly rebellious.
If her parents had shown her care since childhood, Bai Xian'er believed she would have become a good child herself.
Seeing their intense concern for Xiao Ye, Bai Xian'er was clearly provoked.
"He looked fine, and then he suddenly fell ill. Who knows if he's faking it!?"
"Bai Xian'er, how could you say something like that?!"
The wealthy madam's face was furious. She didn't know if Xiao Ye's fainting spell would cause her to lose this child.
Overwhelmed by guilt, the wealthy madam felt Bai Xian'er was incredibly willful.
"If you hadn't appeared, our Xiao Ye wouldn't have ended up like this!"
Seeing the wealthy madam's anguish, Bai Xian'er couldn't help but sneer, "Who swapped the children? Who made you change both of our lives? If you've made mistakes, they are your mistakes as parents!"
If she had grown up in a poor family from the start, how could she have found this current life of hardship unbearable?
"Slap—"
The wealthy madam impulsively slapped Bai Xian'er.
She had no time to make amends for Xiao Ye, but Bai Xian'er had been pampered by them for over twenty years.
Her biological son had never experienced a single day of happiness.
"We've truly raised you in vain all these years!"
Bai Xian'er clutched her stinging cheek, her gaze becoming vacant.
This was the first time she had ever been hit in her life.
After Mr. Bai had sent Xiao Ye into the ambulance, he frowned and said sternly, "You should leave the Bai family. You worked as a servant for a few days, so go collect your pay for those days and don't show your face to us again!"
Bai Xian'er was utterly heartbroken, her body trembling.
She watched the couple turn away, offering her no semblance of affection.
Bai Xian'er stood there in a daze, her voice a broken whisper of pain, "Xiao Ye..."
She had already accepted becoming a maid, but even so, they wouldn't let her be.
Xiao Ye must have wanted to see her like this, right?
Personally driven out of the Bai family by her parents, Bai Xian'er was burdened with heavy debts.
At that moment, Bai Xian'er realized she could never win against Xiao Ye.
Trembling, Bai Xian'er took out her camera and walked away from the Bai family step by step.
"Master, Xian'er really... has no hope left!"
Bai Xian'er murmured mournfully, her eyes hollow.
Her impoverished family was now filled only with violence and arguments.
Bai Xian'er returned to school, where countless students looked at her like a clown.
The world felt vast, yet there was no place for her to find peace.
Her teacher found Bai Xian'er and informed her that her dance registration had been successful.
However, Bai Xian'er felt no joy. She stood under a tree.
She sent a message to her master: "I'll be participating in the stage performance at the school anniversary. Can you come watch me?"
Even though their meetings had been rejected before, Bai Xian'er never thought her master would be willing to come to school.
Still, in her despair, she clung to this sliver of hope.
"Master, please, don't abandon me."
If no one in this world cared about Bai Xian'er anymore, she would only stumble blindly towards a dead end.
...
Hospital.
Xiao Ye was wheeled out of the emergency room and lay on the hospital bed.
He opened his eyes and saw the anxious, excited faces of his parents from the Bai family.
"Xiao Ye, you're finally awake! You scared your parents half to death..."
Xiao Ye recalled his time at the Bai residence, teasing Bai Xian'er to do chores.
Then, it seemed his stomach condition had flared up.
"Where is Bai Xian'er?"
Hearing Xiao Ye's hoarse question, he didn't even care about the doctor's furrowed brow as he reviewed his physical examination report.
Mr. and Mrs. Bai gazed at Xiao Ye excitedly. They said, "We drove Bai Xian'er away. She won't bother your eyes anymore."
Xiao Ye frowned. "Why did you drive her away?"
Mr. and Mrs. Bai's expressions turned peculiar as they looked at Xiao Ye's pale face.
The wealthy madam's tears couldn't be held back. She leaned over the hospital bed, weeping.
"Seeing Bai Xian'er only makes us feel more guilty towards you!"
If Xiao Ye had been raised by them, he would never have developed cancer.
Every moment Bai Xian'er appeared at the Bai family's home, Mr. and Mrs. Bai felt they had failed Xiao Ye.
Seeing the wealthy madam cry so sorrowfully, Xiao Ye could understand his parents' feelings.
He said heavily, "Actually, you don't need to be like this. I've never considered you as parents."
"I am just a person of humble origins. Bai Xian'er was pampered and raised by you..."
Xiao Ye's voice held a touch of sincerity. He could feel his life was drawing to a close.
In his final moments, he had exacted enough revenge on Bai Xian'er.
So, he would return these parents to Bai Xian'er. He, Xiao Ye, didn't crave them and didn't want them anymore...
Xiao Ye's eyes were devoid of emotion. He wished to depart without any attachments.
Seeing the calm and detached Xiao Ye, Mr. and Mrs. Bai's eyes turned red. "It's all our fault. You are our only child!"
Xiao Ye didn't understand why these parents, whom he had known for such a short time, would cry so sorrowfully for him?
If it had been his original family, they would only have been happy that he, upon his death, wouldn't be a burden to them.
"I don't like hospitals."
Xiao Ye tried to pull out the IV drip, wanting to get out of bed.
The doctor beside him, holding the medical record, spoke anxiously, "You cannot be discharged now. Your physical condition has deteriorated significantly. If you leave the hospital again, you will be in mortal danger at any moment."