Chapter 10

Xia Zui looked at the elderly man in the livestream, whose face was only half-visible. His hair was completely white, and his clothes were worn. Having learned about livestreaming through Kang Xin, she found it hard to believe what she was seeing, fearing it might all be a dream.

Kang Xin gazed at Kang Honghou, her eyes brimming with tears yet flickering with a glimmer of hope. "Dad, she is helping us."

"It was she who reached out to me, saying she wanted to help me through this crisis, Dad."

Before she could finish, her voice choked with emotion. Seeing the mermaid effects on her phone screen, Kang Honghou quickly took the device and aimed the camera at himself. With tears in his eyes and a trembling mouth, he collapsed to his knees, sobbing.

Kang Honghou did not know exactly how much those virtual gifts were worth, but to him, anyone willing to help them was a savior. Especially since it had reignited a will to live in Xin Xin.

Watching the old man kneeling on the floor, his hands pressed together in a gesture of gratitude, Xia Zui felt a heavy ache in her heart.

The viewers, who had been watching the late-night stream, fell into a momentary silence, followed by a frantic explosion of comments.

[So it really is a genuine illness. A wealthy benefactor reached out to the streamer to offer help.]

[Damn it, a grown man like me is crying. I’m donating five thousand.]

[What kind of illness is it? Wishing the streamer a speedy recovery.]

[Stay strong! Don’t give up, streamer! Keep fighting!]

[Why did I have to see this in the middle of the night? Well, now I’m standing on my balcony, smoking.]

[The benefactor has sent over a hundred gifts, isn't that enough?]

[Grandpa, please stop kneeling. Don't do that.]

[Oh, this breaks my heart.]

Many passersby who had only come to watch the spectacle couldn't help but offer their own donations.

Xia Zui stopped sending mermaids and typed, "Everyone, please give only what you can afford. The streamer has leukemia."

After typing this, she resumed sending gifts. She didn't stop until she had sent three hundred mermaids. In the stream, Kang Xin tried to persuade her father to stop kneeling, but Kang Honghou wouldn't listen. She eventually knelt beside him, only for him to pull her up. "The floor is cold. Get back into bed."

Once she was up, Kang Honghou turned back to the phone screen, bowing repeatedly while saying, "Thank you for being willing to help us! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Tha..."

Xia Zui had received many "thank yous" before, but this was the only time one had made her feel so choked up.

[Xia Xia Xia: Please, no more thanks. Withdraw the money tomorrow and get the treatment. I hope for your speedy recovery. I’m leaving now; you should end the stream.]

Unable to bear watching Kang Honghou continue to kowtow, she decided to announce her departure. Once Kang Xin ended the stream, the old man would naturally stop.

After Xia Zui left, Kang Xin took the phone and tearfully expressed her gratitude. Through the comments, she had learned that one mermaid cost ten thousand yuan. This meant this reader had just given her three million yuan. Even after the platform took its cut, she would still receive one and a half million. It was enough for treatment, perhaps even with some to spare.

"Thank you, thank you all for your help. Everyone, please don't send any more gifts. Thank you!" Kang Xin bowed sincerely to the phone. A minute later, she straightened up and ended the livestream.

Kang Xin helped Kang Honghou up. "Dad, we have the money for treatment now. She just sent us three million in gifts; we’ll get one and a half million. Dad, we can get me treated."

Her voice trembled with a mix of relief and lingering sorrow. Hearing the news, Kang Honghou’s aged face was stained with tears. He covered his face, sobbing and laughing at the same time, unable to utter a word, his mouth hanging open in silent, voiceless weeping.

After a long while, once they had calmed down, Kang Honghou insisted that Kang Xin get some sleep. He didn't need to sleep, but she did. In her hospital bed, Kang Xin finally drifted off.

Outside the hospital, the night wind was biting. Kang Honghou wrapped his coat tighter around himself and, with trembling hands, dialed his wife, Pan Shuangyu. "Shuangyu, Xin Xin is saved."

"A reader of the novels Xin Xin writes donated three million. We’ll get one and a half million. Xin Xin is saved."

"We don't need to borrow any more money."

"Xin Xin is saved..."

The night, which had felt eternal, finally began to yield to the first light of dawn.

At nine in the morning, Pan Shuangyu arrived at the hospital with a thermos. Watching Kang Xin eat small bites of her meal, the heavy stone that had been crushing her heart seemed to finally fall away.

"Xin Xin, we've spoken to the doctors. You’ll have the bone marrow transplant in a few days. Xin Xin, you don't have to be afraid anymore." Her eyes filled with tears as she smiled.

Kang Xin nodded. Then she heard Pan Shuangyu say, "I talked to your father. What is the name of the person who helped us?"

"We want to thank her in person. Your father said that even though she called it a donation, the amount is too large. When you get better, we should slowly pay her back, don't you think?"

Kang Xin looked up at her mother and nodded earnestly. "Yes. She didn't tell me her name, but I have her phone number."

Seeing the renewed spark in her daughter's eyes, Pan Shuangyu smiled. "Give the number to me, then. Your father and I will call to thank her and ask for our benefactor's name."

In her rented apartment, Xia Zui was sprawled across her bed, fast asleep, when a ringtone startled her awake. She answered groggily, "Hello?"

"Hello, hello. Is this Ms. Xia? I’m Kang Xin’s mother."

Xia Zui sat bolt upright. "Is she alright?"

Pan Shuangyu quickly shook her head. "She’s fine. We’re preparing for the bone marrow transplant in a couple of days. We just wanted to call and thank you properly for everything you’ve done for our family. Thank you for saving our Xin Xin’s life."

Xia Zui smoothed her messy hair. "Oh, you're welcome. It was my own choice."

"Please don't say that. We are so grateful," Pan Shuangyu said, glancing at Kang Xin. "If it weren't for you, we truly don't know how much longer we could have held on. You’ve helped us so much, but we don't even know your name."

Xia Zui sighed. "I’d rather not disclose it. I only found out about Kang Xin’s situation, and I couldn't bear to see such a talented writer suffering like this."

"Oh, I understand," Pan Shuangyu said immediately. "Please don't change your number, or perhaps we could add you on another platform. Once Xin Xin is better, we will definitely pay you back. Thank you so much for your help."

Xia Zui kept her eyes closed against the lingering sleepiness. "No need to pay it back. Is Kang Xin there?"

Pan Shuangyu nodded. "Yes, she’s in good spirits today and is currently eating."

Xia Zui yawned. "Put the phone on speaker."

"Of course," Pan Shuangyu said, switching to speakerphone. She looked at Kang Xin. "Ms. Xia has something to say to you."

Kang Xin spoke quickly into the phone, "Xia Xia, I don't know your name, but I am so grateful. When I woke up today, I thought last night was just a dream."

"It turns out it was all real. Thank you so, so much! *Cough, cough.*" A series of coughs came from the other end, followed by some rustling.

After the line went quiet, Xia Zui spoke. "I apologize for invading your privacy through certain channels to learn about what you're going through. The donation was my own choice; you do not need to repay it."

Before they could protest, she interrupted softly, "I love your novels. They are warm and spirited. They kept me company through many cold nights."

"I want you to focus on your treatment and recover well. I don't need the money back; to me, it was a drop in the ocean. If you truly insist on repaying me..."

"Write me ten novels once you're healthy," Xia Zui smiled. "I’m placing my order now. And I want each one to be over five hundred thousand words!"

There was a long silence on the other end, and Xia Zui could faintly hear sobbing.

"Okay," Kang Xin said, covering her mouth as tears fell into her chicken soup. "I will write them. Just wait for me."

Xia Zui hummed. "I’ll be waiting. Don't go back on your word!"

After hanging up, all traces of sleepiness vanished. Xia Zui sighed, her mood complex.

"Xia Xia, what’s wrong?" Eleven asked.

Xia Zui looked at the light filtering through the drawn curtains. "I just feel like I could do more."

"I could have turned a blind eye, pretending I didn't know about their pain, and just continued watching entertainment livestreams. But I can't do that."

"I don't know how many families like Kang Xin’s are falling apart right now because of money and illness, nor how many families are kneeling and begging for help."

"I don't know how many patients are lying in hospital beds, day after day, waiting for their money to run out and waiting to die."

Xia Zui stared at the ceiling. "I think I should help more people."

The Godly Wealth System could feel her emotions. "Xia Xia, do whatever you feel is right. We support you."

Eleven put its hands on its hips. "That's right! We will always be your strongest backing!"

Xia Zui smiled as she listened to them.

Back at the hospital, Pan Shuangyu waited until Kang Xin finished her soup before clearing away the thermos. Just then, her phone lit up. She glanced at it. "It’s Ms. Xia."

She answered quickly, and Kang Xin listened in.

"Hello? Hello, Ms. Xia," Pan Shuangyu greeted, her voice gentle.

Xia Zui went straight to the point. "I’ve been thinking. Are there many people in your hospital who, like you, can't afford their treatment?"

Pan Shuangyu didn't know why she asked, but she answered truthfully, "Quite a few. Sigh, the hospital is full of crying."

Some cried because their families faced ruin; some cried because their loved ones had passed away. But for most, it was simply because they were poor. The inability to afford treatment was the greatest tragedy of all.

Xia Zui frowned. "May I ask a favor of you?"

Pan Shuangyu nodded repeatedly. "Ms. Xia, please, just say the word. Even if it’s something we can’t do, we’ll try our best. You are our benefactor; I will do whatever you ask."

"Very well. I would like you to help me identify families in the hospital suffering from severe illnesses who are in urgent need of money. I want to help them."