Chapter 57: Taking One Step Ahead

Hearing Chen Feng's words, Sun Xiaorui's expression turned melancholy. She sighed and said, "I wonder when the next time will be?"

Her father's sudden stroke and collapse had been truly terrifying.

If he didn't wake up, he might never wake up again.

Even if he were lucky enough to wake up, there was a high possibility of hemiplegia. If that happened, as his daughter, she would certainly have to stay home to care for him alongside her mother. How could she go traveling with Chen Feng then?

Chen Feng also knew that with Sun Xiaorui leaving like this, it was unlikely he would be able to travel with her again in his lifetime.

On one hand, her father's situation was very complicated, and she might not be able to return to his side for a while; on the other hand, he estimated that his own days were numbered—whether he could even hold on until the New Year was a question.

Thinking of this, Chen Feng couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy himself.

However, he could only say against his heart, "It should be soon. Your father's illness might just be a false alarm. Try to think positively."

Sun Xiaorui gave a bitter smile and nodded.

Lin Wan suddenly spoke up, "Sister Sun, how about I give you the money we earned from the last livestream right now?"

"Didn't we say last time that I'd wait until you get your salary next month?" Sun Xiaorui looked at her with slight confusion.

Lin Wan smiled and said, "I just heard about your father being ill. It's the same if I give it to you early."

Sun Xiaorui thought about how her family currently needed money, so she didn't make a fuss and nodded, "Then thank you very much."

"You're welcome, it's what you deserve." Lin Wan took out her phone, searched for a moment, and said, "The total earnings for that day were forty-six thousand five hundred. After the platform took its half, which is twenty-three thousand two hundred and fifty—uh, let's just call it twenty-three thousand three. We'll split it equally, so thirteen thousand one hundred and sixty-five each."

Sun Xiaorui said very decisively, "Just give me ten thousand."

"That won't do. We agreed to split it half-and-half. I'll transfer it to your WeChat right now."

The two had added each other on WeChat long ago, and Lin Wan promptly sent the money over.

"Thank you. You're a really good person," Sun Xiaorui said with heartfelt gratitude.

Lin Wan smiled. "It's what you deserve. You're a good person too, trusting me like this without worrying I'll stiff you. I certainly won't let your trust down."

Sun Xiaorui smiled without speaking, instead reaching out to give her a tight hug; everything was understood without words.

Chen Feng changed the subject and asked, "Didn't the airline give you a specific departure time?"

Wu Mengting shook her head with a bitter smile. "No. It looks like we'll probably have to take the train back this time."

Chen Feng smiled. "There's nothing wrong with taking the train. You can enjoy the scenery out the window along the way."

Lin Wan complained, "That's over a dozen hours!"

Chen Feng suggested, "You can livestream. If you livestream on the train, I'm sure many netizens would be interested. If you don't want to livestream, you can just buy sleeper tickets and sleep the whole way through."

"Sleeper tickets are unavailable. I checked on my phone and there aren't any at all."

"Haven't you heard of scalpers?"

Lin Wan rolled her eyes. "Sleeper tickets are already expensive. Once scalpers hike up the price, they'll be ridiculously high. The two of us aren't as rich as you."

Chen Feng shook his head and laughed. "That's not fair. I just heard that you earn tens of thousands a day; you can't afford a sleeper ticket?"

Lin Wan said indignantly, "Do you want us to take the train that badly?"

"Haha, of course not. I'm just helping you make a backup plan. Alright, I'll leave you to it. I'm going to go buy a ticket to Qiongzhou first."

After saying that, Chen Feng went off to buy his ticket on his own.

Only then did Lin Wan ask Sun Xiaorui, "What illness does your dad have?"

Sun Xiaorui didn't hide it and told her.

"Then why didn't you let him go with you?" Lin Wan complained.

Sun Xiaorui shook her head with a bitter smile. "He's not my boyfriend; how could I have the nerve to ask him to go back with me?"

"He might not be your boyfriend, but he is your lover. Now that your family has trouble, he shouldn't just ignore it, right?"

Lin Wan suddenly directed her disdain toward Chen Feng again.

Sun Xiaorui continued to shake her head with a bitter smile. "I have no right to demand anything from him. And he has no obligation to do anything for me."

"Sigh, you're just too easygoing."

Lin Wan could only express her sympathy.

Wu Mengting, however, felt that Chen Feng wasn't in the wrong. She knew Sun Xiaorui was merely a mistress kept by Chen Feng; Sun Xiaorui had no right to demand anything from him, and Chen Feng had no obligation to provide it.

The three of them lowered their heads and scrolled through their phones until Chen Feng returned.

"I'm luckier than you. My flight is in an hour, so I might be leaving before you," Chen Feng said to them with a smile.

The three women had varying expressions upon hearing this.

Lin Wan: "Can't you book a later flight?"

Sun Xiaorui: "Then be careful traveling alone."

Wu Mengting: "..."

Chen Feng ignored Lin Wan and only said to Sun Xiaorui, "You too. If anything happens after you get back, you can contact me. If I can help, I definitely will."

"Mm," Sun Xiaorui nodded.

Unable to stand it, Lin Wan huffed and said, "Hypocrite. Why can't you go back with her? Her father is unconscious in the hospital."

Chen Feng gave her a sidelong glance and said bluntly, "Stay out of our business."

After glaring at him, Lin Wan didn't say anything more. She had no reason or right to interfere in the matters between Chen Feng and Sun Xiaorui.

"Brother Feng, how many days do you plan to stay in Qiongzhou?"

Wu Mengting spoke up to ease the atmosphere.

"Not sure, we'll see," Chen Feng answered casually.

With a look of longing, Wu Mengting said, "I've always wanted to go to Qiongzhou too. It's a pity I can't go with you this time, otherwise it would definitely be very interesting."

This was clearly an implication.

This gave Chen Feng a bit of a headache; this silly girl really wouldn't give up even when hitting a wall.

Chen Feng could only smile politely, neither directly refusing nor agreeing.

Seeing this, Lin Wan's impression of Chen Feng dropped again in her mind. She stepped in to bail Wu Mengting out, saying, "Tiantian, I'll take you next time when I'm free. The blue seas and skies there are quite nice."

"I want to go right now. What do you think I should do?" Wu Mengting suddenly asked with a smile.

After a moment of being stunned, Lin Wan turned directly to Chen Feng and said, "Brother Feng, seeing how much Tiantian wants to go, just let her come along. Even Xiaorui doesn't object; why are you being so difficult as a man?"

Chen Feng was momentarily speechless.

To be honest, having a young, beautiful, and pure woman like Wu Mengting devoted to him, he did feel some level of affection for her. What was there to be "difficult" about?

But he had a terminal illness!

The more Wu Mengting showed her devotion to him, the more he felt he should not accept it.

Otherwise, he would truly ruin her.

Just as Chen Feng was at a loss for words, a sudden burst of noise from the surroundings provided him with an escape.

"It's snowing! It's snowing!"

"It's getting heavier!"

"What a massive snowfall!"

"Yeah. With snow this heavy, can the planes even take off?"

"Damn it! With this much snow, they definitely won't be able to take off."

"Fuck! I have urgent business. Does that mean I won't make it?"

...

The four of them looked out toward the departure lounge. Through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, they could see large snowflakes drifting outside.

At first, the snowfall seemed sparse and scattered, but before long, it grew increasingly dense. Snowflakes filled the sky, covering the entire airport.

Fuck!

Seeing this, Chen Feng could only use that word to express his current mood.