Snow Grace was left speechless again by Julia Yu's sharp remark.
Snow Grace was starting to understand Lisa Li a little.
Facing such a sharp-tongued, ruthless woman every day, often getting shut down with no comeback...
That must be torture!
If Snow Grace weren’t trying to win Julia Yu’s favor, she wouldn’t bother with this thankless task.
But Julia Yu is honestly just... indescribable.
Snow Grace could only say, "I don’t know what happened to you, I just know your brother is actually pretty pitiful! He’s in the internal medicine ward at County General Hospital. Go if you want, don’t if you don’t."
With that, Snow Grace stormed off.
She’s got a temper too, you know!
Julia Yu stood there for a long time, then silently returned to her office.
That evening after work, Lisa Li locked herself in her room and refused to come out.
The nanny waited for Julia Yu to return, then left for the day, leaving some still-warm food in the pot.
Julia Yu sat alone at the dining table, quietly eating while scrolling through her phone to an old family photo.
It was taken the year she turned eighteen, right before she got into college.
In that family photo, she was smiling brightly and sweetly, looking so innocent.
But her parents standing behind her seemed to be forcing smiles, looking close but actually distant.
She didn’t realize until she got into college that her home had lost all warmth long ago.
Her parents each had their own secrets, only sticking together for her sake.
As soon as she turned eighteen, they couldn’t wait to split up, build their own families, and have their own kids.
Her mother used a villa project to buy out all the years of raising her.
And on her father's side, what would he ask for in return?
Feeling frustrated, Julia Yu flipped her phone face down on the table. The once delicious food now tasted bland.
Lisa Li’s door opened. She walked out like a zombie, poured herself some water, didn’t even glance at Julia Yu, and was about to go back.
Julia Yu saw Lisa Li and, deep down, felt a little jealous of her.
Lisa Li actually has a kind of happiness most people never get. Her parents loved each other, and even when her father was dying, he was determined to find her a strong protector. He even used old favors to pressure Max Mo into promising to take care of his daughter for life.
If Lisa Li hadn’t messed things up, she could’ve had everything other people dream of, right at her fingertips.
Too bad, she didn’t cherish it.
As for herself, even if she wanted to cherish something, there was nothing to cherish.
Other than working hard on her own, she had no one to rely on.
Technically, she had parents, but in reality, they were gone the moment she turned eighteen.
What Snow Grace said today actually shook Julia Yu.
But Julia Yu just didn’t want to touch those old wounds.
After dinner, Julia Yu couldn’t hold back any longer. She grabbed her car keys and headed downstairs.
She remembered Snow Grace saying her brother was at County General Hospital, so Julia Yu drove straight there without a second thought.
At the intersection, while waiting for the red light, she spotted Stephen Song’s car not far away.
Stephen Song raised his hand, wanting to greet Julia Yu, but she didn’t notice him. When the light turned green, she sped off.
Stephen Song awkwardly put his hand down, feeling a little embarrassed.
Julia Yu arrived at the hospital entrance but didn’t go in. She just parked in the lot and sat there quietly by herself.
If her father ever asked to borrow money, she’d probably lend it to him.
But he never once asked her for it.
The last time he greeted her first was only because her mother asked.
Her father had his own family, her mother had hers—she was the only one who didn’t belong.
She didn’t know how long she waited before she saw her father come out of the inpatient ward. He didn’t see Julia Yu’s car and just walked past, his figure lonely and solitary.
Julia Yu closed her eyes for a moment, then finally opened the car door and went up to the ward building.
Finding her father and her stepmother’s child wasn’t hard.
She just asked at the nurse’s station and quickly found Leo Yu’s room.
Julia Yu pushed open the door and saw her stepmother and Leo Yu sitting on the hospital bed. Her stepmother was carefully feeding him.
Leo Yu saw Julia Yu and froze, then softly called out, "Sis."
Her stepmother clearly didn’t expect to see Julia Yu here and immediately stood up. "You—you, why are you here?"
Her stepmother looked a little embarrassed.
Back then, she’d done everything to stop Julia Yu’s father from going to his daughter, afraid he’d give money to her and leave their son without treatment.
Later, because of money, she listened to Julia Yu’s mother and persuaded her husband to try and convince Julia Yu to make a choice.
But Julia Yu was no longer the little girl she could bully at will. Julia fought back hard, almost costing her face.
Now, even if the family was poor, she was too ashamed to ask Julia Yu for money.
After all, Julia Yu was sending five thousand yuan a month to her father’s account, just as agreed.
She’d never raised Julia Yu, so she had no right to ask Julia to support her.
"Feeling any better?" Julia Yu just nodded to her stepmother and then turned to look at Leo Yu on the bed.
"Much better." After saying that, Leo Yu quietly added, "Thank you, Sis."
Julia Yu felt incredibly complicated about this little brother who was twenty years younger than her.
She put the fruit she bought on the bedside table and said, "Remember to peel it before you eat."
"Mm." Julia Yu smiled, and it was a beautiful smile.
Julia Yu and Leo Yu both looked like their father. Even with the big age gap, you could tell they were siblings.
Julia Yu reached out and patted Leo Yu’s head. "Get well soon, and when you’re better, Sis will buy you a toy."
Leo Yu looked at Julia Yu with even more admiration. "Mm."
Julia Yu didn’t stay long before she got up to leave.
Her stepmother walked her to the door. At the doorway, she struggled for a long time before finally saying, "I’m sorry."
Julia Yu paused, glanced at Leo Yu in the room, and said calmly, "There’s nothing to be sorry about. You had your reasons. You did everything for your son, and that’s not really wrong."
"After I married your dad, I did worry that if he always missed you, he couldn’t give his whole heart to me or my child. I was selfish, I was wrong, so I treated you coldly. You were so sensitive, you must’ve felt my hostility. Back then, I really had nowhere to go. When I was with my ex-husband, I suffered a lot and didn’t save any money. After marrying your dad, all his money went to your mother. We’re both old, no savings, and then little Leo got sick."
"To pay for Leo’s treatment, your dad sold the old house. If it weren’t for Leo’s schooling, we wouldn’t have bought this small place. But that money was nothing compared to the medical bills. I know you’ve always been strong. You put yourself through college, you’re capable. But no matter what, I was selfish. You’re right, I never raised you, and you don’t owe me anything. You came to see Leo today, and I’m already grateful."
Her stepmother wiped her eyes. The stress of life made her look almost sixty, even though she was only forty.
She was actually much younger than Julia Yu’s mother, but looked at least ten years older.
Life’s hardships really do age people quickly.
"Leo never knew he had a sister. Last time you came home, he was so happy, kept asking me about you. When he heard you were a brilliant lawyer, he was so proud. He said he wanted to be just like you, study hard and be outstanding. But I never told him—his body can’t handle that kind of pressure. The doctor said he’ll have to take it easy all his life, no hard labor." Her stepmother spoke with a sob in her voice.
"I never asked you—what illness does Leo have?" Julia Yu asked.
"Congenital heart disease and asthma," her stepmother replied. "The doctor said, unless he gets bypass surgery, he might not live past thirty-five. But the surgery can’t be done in N City, because Leo’s case is complicated—it needs a big hospital. All together, the surgery and materials would cost about a million yuan. We don’t have that kind of money. For now, we can only treat him conservatively, just taking it day by day."
Julia Yu’s eyes trembled.
"The doctor said the sooner the surgery, the better. But... I’m not complaining or asking for money. Your dad warned me not to say anything—he said you’ve had it tough enough. But I’m so bitter inside, I can’t hold it in. Leo’s my only child, I’ll never have another. If anything happens to him... how will I go on?" Her stepmother’s words hit Julia Yu hard.
Julia Yu didn’t even have the courage to reply—she turned and fled in embarrassment.
Her stepmother watched Julia Yu leave, sighed, wiped away her tears, and went back to the hospital room.
Facing her son’s expectant gaze, she forced a smile. "Do you really like your sister, Leo?"
"I do!" Leo Yu’s eyes sparkled adorably. "Sis is so pretty, Sis is amazing!"
Her stepmother felt even more bittersweet. She patted her son’s head gently and said, "Leo, study hard in the future, get into a good university like your sister, and become an outstanding person, okay?"
"Okay!" Leo Yu replied happily.
Julia Yu drove home in a daze, didn’t bother to change, and collapsed onto the bed. In her mind, she kept seeing the scene from when she was eighteen—her parents’ determined separation, and Leo Yu’s bright, worshipful eyes.
Those two scenes flashed over and over in her mind. Frustrated, Julia Yu grabbed her pillow and buried her face in it.