Chapter 213: Another Story Altogether

Her mind was in chaos right then, and she felt utterly helpless. Leaning into Lü Yang’s embrace, she seemed to feel again the strength she once knew while inside his body, giving her a sense of reliance. She truly lacked that kind of support and security at the moment.

“Yinyin, don’t cry. I’m here; nothing will go wrong.” Lü Yang had no choice but to wrap his arms around Lin Yin and comfort her with a few words.

He didn’t know if he had feelings for this person, but he did hold affection for this body. Moreover, due to the body swap incident and because he had shoved a great many things from his own body into hers, he would inevitably have to take on some responsibility for this girl. How much responsibility and to what extent, however, he was also uncertain in his heart.

She was very fragile now; he had to do everything in his power to protect her during this time, ensuring that nothing happened to her and that she wasn’t harmed, until she could become strong once more.

Moreover… after Lü Yang regained his male body, certain functions gradually returned, and his mind also returned to normal. Faced with the breathtakingly beautiful Lin Yin in his arms, he couldn’t help but subconsciously develop a desire to claim her as his own, even though… this thought made him feel despicable, shameless, and deeply sorry to Gong Jian, as well as to the sisters Yi Yi and Yi Ya, whom he wished to be with.

He shouldn’t dwell on it too much for now! Helping her get through the immediate difficulties was the most important thing.

…

The car stopped at the hospital entrance. Lü Yang paid the fare and helped Lin Yin out of the car. Lin Yin had been crying nonstop and was very weak at that moment; her legs felt rubbery and unsteady.

Lü Yang had Lin Yin wait by the roadside for a bit while he dashed to a shop next to the hospital to buy some gifts and fruit for the patient. Then, carrying the items in one hand and supporting Lin Yin with the other, he walked with her into the hospital.

Lin Yin leaned limply against Lü Yang, allowing him to guide her inside. As the inpatient ward drew near, Lin Yin grew increasingly anxious about her mother’s condition. At one point, she suddenly lost her balance and nearly fell to the ground, but Lü Yang quickly caught her.

“I’m going up now; you can go back,” Lin Yin said to Lü Yang, though deep down she really wished he could come up with her.

That definitely wouldn’t work… There was no way to explain it to her parents…

“Are you sure you can manage?” Lü Yang looked at Lin Yin with concern. The anger he had felt earlier over her refusal to swap bodies had completely vanished by now.

“If anything happens to Mom, I won’t live either!” Lin Yin suddenly burst into even more intense sobs, collapsing completely into Lü Yang’s arms.

“Nothing will happen to Mom; I’ll stay with you the whole time. Yinyin, please don’t cry…” Lü Yang held Lin Yin tightly, gently patting her back as he tried his best to comfort her.

At that moment, the two of them were stuck together like glue, seemingly inseparable.

…

Lin Mu had a bitter taste in her mouth, and the doctor had advised her not to eat too much. So she really wanted to chew on some sour plums to ease the bitterness. Lin’s Father had just gone downstairs to buy a bag for her. On his way back, he saw from afar what looked like his daughter Lin Yin walking with a boy, but he wasn’t entirely sure. So he quickened his pace and followed behind them…

Now, hearing Lin Yin cry and listening to her words, Lin’s Father was certain that the girl held tightly in the boy’s arms was indeed his daughter!

After calling Lin Yin and growing suspicious, he had also called Yi Ya. Upon confirming that Lin Yin had lied, he suspected that Lin Yin might have a boyfriend behind their backs. Seeing this scene now, hearing their conversation, and witnessing their intimate behavior only further confirmed his suspicions.

Lin’s Father knew his daughter Lin Yin’s character well. He knew that if it wasn’t her romantic partner, she would never let any boy touch her body—not even hold hands, let alone embrace like this.

“Yinyin.” Lin’s Father approached and called out to Lin Yin in a low voice, his expression rather grim.

Startled by her father’s voice, Lin Yin quickly pulled away from Lü Yang’s embrace, instinctively tidied her hair, and looked at Lin’s Father with a pale face, unable to speak for a long moment.

“Are you Yinyin’s classmate?” Lin’s Father looked Lü Yang up and down and asked him.

“Hello, Uncle… I… I’m Yinyin’s friend…” Lü Yang greeted Lin’s Father and offered a brief explanation, sensing that trouble was likely ahead.

“What’s your name?”

“My surname is Lü, and my given name is Lü Yang—Lü as in Lü Bu, Yang as in the sun…”

“You were the one who answered the phone earlier, right?”

“Ah…”

Although Lin’s Father had always opposed his daughter dating in college, his first impression of the tall, strong, and sunny Lü Yang was rather favorable. Moreover, Lü Yang was dressed in name-brand clothes and shoes, and he wore an expensive-looking watch on his wrist, clearly indicating a well-off family background.

Not just well-off—more like from a wealthy family.

Of course, all these clothes, shoes, and the watch had been bought for Lin Yin by Liu Hui over the past few days…

Lin’s Father also noticed a detail: the boy’s eyes were badly swollen, as if he had cried along with Lin Yin. This immediately raised his opinion of Lü Yang a few notches.

He certainly couldn’t have imagined that both pairs of swollen eyes were the result of Lin Yin’s crying alone.

“Did you bring Yinyin here?” Lin’s Father asked Lü Yang another question.

“Mm… Well… Uncle, you and Yinyin can go up now. I’ll leave her here…” Lü Yang glanced at Lin Yin and then turned his gaze back to Lin’s Father.

Lin Yin looked at Lü Yang as if she wanted to say something but held back. Seeing her father looking at her, she quickly lowered her head guiltily.

“Since you’re already here, why leave so soon? Come up and sit for a while,” Lin’s Father said, walking over and patting Lü Yang on the shoulder—a gesture that seemed either friendly or… approving?

Lü Yang looked at Lin Yin, but she turned her head away. Left with no choice, Lü Yang had to follow Lin’s Father into the inpatient building.

Lin Yin lifted her head and glanced uneasily at her father’s back before lowering her head and following behind the two of them.

“Are you still in school?” Lin’s Father asked as they walked, clearly probing into Lü Yang’s background.

“I’m working,” Lü Yang replied, then glanced back at Lin Yin.

“Where do you work?” Lin’s Father followed up.

“He works at Yida Group as… a Project Manager there,” Lin Yin cut in, answering for Lü Yang, probably worried that Lü Yang might reveal his actual job as a construction worker by the roadside if he wasn’t careful.

This was indeed the current “Lü Yang’s” job—arranged by Liu Hui, though Lü Yang himself was unaware of it.

“Yida Group? That’s a big company! So young and already a Project Manager at Yida Group—truly accomplished for your age!” Lin’s Father looked Lü Yang over again, clearly growing more and more pleased with him.

Parents generally don’t want their daughter to start dating too early, mainly because they worry she might end up with a boyfriend from a poor family or with bad character while she’s still immature. But if she finds a boyfriend who meets her parents’ approval, that’s another story altogether.

“Hehe…” Lü Yang chuckled, then glanced back at Lin Yin with a puzzled look.

“What illness does Mom have?” Lin Yin shot a meaningful look at Lü Yang and asked her father. She had been extremely worried about this all the way here, and of course, changing the subject was also a way to help Lü Yang out of a tight spot.

“It’s nothing serious…” Lin’s Father replied, looking slightly uneasy as he glanced at Lü Yang beside him.

“What exactly is it? And she needs surgery! What kind of surgery?” Lin Yin grew anxious, not understanding why her father kept being evasive about it.

The more he avoided the topic, the worse the situation likely was.

“Brain tumor…” Pressed by Lin Yin’s questions, Lin’s Father finally revealed it. Besides, it was impossible to keep it hidden any longer.

“How could Mom get a brain tumor?” Lin Yin’s voice trembled. Brain surgery—didn’t that mean they had to saw open her head?

Lin’s Father let out a long sigh and lowered his head.

“Is it serious?” Lin Yin asked her father, then immediately started crying again.

However, no matter how much she cried now, she wouldn’t collapse to the ground like before—which showed how differently she had behaved when she was with Lü Yang earlier…

“It’s alright. The doctor said… she’ll be fine after the surgery…” Lin’s Father lied to his daughter.

Actually, what the doctor had told Lin’s Father was… his wife’s brain tumor was located in a very unfavorable spot. Surgery was necessary; without it, she had only about half a month left. But with surgery, the risks were extremely high…

To put it plainly, they were doing their best and leaving the rest to fate…

That’s why, after careful consideration, he had called Lin Yin over, mainly afraid that their daughter would blame him later if she never got to see her mother again.

“Really?” Lin Yin believed her father’s words and felt slightly better.

“Of course,” Lin’s Father smiled at his daughter, though his heart was full of bitterness.

He thought to himself… perhaps it was fate that he happened to go down to buy sour plums, ran into his daughter with her boyfriend, and brought him up here… All of it was destiny, ensuring that his wife, in the final moments of her life, could meet the person who would accompany Yinyin for the rest of her days.

He hoped this young man would truly be good to Yinyin.

…

“Mom!” As soon as she entered the room, Lin Yin rushed to Lin Mu’s bedside, tears streaming down her face.

Lin Mu mustered her strength to pat Lin Yin’s head, smiled at her, and whispered a few words.

“Hello, Auntie,” Lü Yang said after setting down the items he was carrying. He instinctively glanced around the room.

Besides Lin Mu, the other two beds in the room were empty. A female doctor in her thirties was sitting on one of the other beds. When Lü Yang looked over, she happened to glance back and gave him a sweet smile.

Lü Yang frowned, feeling quite puzzled. Was this doctor here on rounds? Shouldn’t she be working instead of sitting motionless on a hospital bed during office hours?

“This is Yinyin’s… friend. His name is Lü Yang,” Lin’s Father specially introduced Lü Yang to Lin Mu, emphasizing the word “friend” and nodding meaningfully at Lin Mu.