"Waaah—waaah—"A newborn's wail pierced through the maternity ward of a hospital in Changsha.
"Born! Born!"Both Cao Yang's mother and Li Yan's mother lit up with joy.
"Congratulations! It's a boy. Mother and child are safe."
The two elders rushed into the ward, checking Li Yan's condition while eagerly examining the newborn.
"Mom… let me see him."Li Yan reached out weakly.
Her mother gently placed the baby in her arms. Li Yan's eyes softened, and that very night, she called Cao Yang to share the good news.
Hearing that Li Yan had given birth to his son, Cao Yang was genuinely happy. He told her to take good care of herself and the baby, promising that he would come back to visit as soon as possible.
…
The Xia family celebrated their new addition with joy.
Li Yan's family also rejoiced over their newborn grandson.
But Lei Yu… had no such happiness.
"Hey, you! Lei Yu! Your hospital fees are due!""You've delayed for days already! If you can't pay, discharge at once!"
In a small township health center in Sichuan, the nurse's tone was sharp and unforgiving.
"I… I know."Lei Yu struggled to her feet, gathering her belongings.
She had given birth only three days ago. Her body was still weak, but she had no choice—she couldn't even afford the minimum hospital fees.
Her car, her house, her savings—everything had been confiscated.
Her father was dead, her brother imprisoned, and every last cent her parents had saved was used to pay fines for her and her brother.
Since returning to Sichuan, her mother had scolded her relentlessly—for failing to control her brother, for ruining herself, for "messing around outside" and causing her father's death.
Her mother even demanded she abort the child and remarry, starting life anew.
But Lei Yu refused. She wanted to give birth to this baby.Why?She didn't even know.Maybe she just wanted… to hold onto something.
Because of this, mother and daughter had fought bitterly. Their relationship was in shambles.
"Ling'er… Mommy is taking you home."Lei Yu held her daughter tightly. Just as she reached the clinic entrance, the nurse rushed after her.
"Hey! Your bill isn't paid yet!"
"I'm sorry… I really don't have money now. I'll pay you back later."
"No way! Call your family!" the nurse snapped.
Lei Yu had no choice but to call her mother.
She was still using her Dongguan phone number—despite the expensive long-distance and roaming fees. She never shut it down.
Because she feared… if she changed her number, Cao Yang might never find her again.
But after all this time, Cao Yang had not called once.
She suspected he was dead—killed in that remote, hellish place—his body rotting, or decomposed to bones.Otherwise… how could he not contact her?
The thought stabbed her heart like a knife. She looked at baby Lei Ling and murmured:
"Even if you're dead… I will raise our child."
Soon, Lei Yu's mother arrived.
Though she scolded and criticized her endlessly, she was still her daughter—she couldn't leave her to die outside.
Lei Yu's mother reluctantly paid a few hundred yuan before taking her home.
All of Lei Yu's illegal earnings had been confiscated. The only property left was a large countryside villa that couldn't be seized because it had no market value.
But "not confiscated" didn't mean she could enjoy it.
How could a criminal family live in luxury?
A demolition team soon came with excavators and smashed the entire villa to rubble, leaving only two tiny clay-tile rooms for the mother and daughter.
Back home, Lei Yu placed the hungry, crying Lei Ling onto the bed.
"Mom… could you go buy two cans of formula? I… I don't have enough milk."
Her body and mind had been through too much—her breast milk was insufficient.
Her mother glared."She doesn't need formula! Rice paste is enough!"
"Mom…"
Still grumbling, the old woman went into town.
She had no money either. Their savings were gone, and even the earlier hospital fees had been borrowed from relatives.
"Here!"She slammed two cans of formula on the counter when she returned.
Lei Yu froze.It was a completely unknown, cheap brand.
"Mom… I said to buy Sanlu."
"Sanlu is expensive! Be glad you even have this!"
Lei Yu's heart sank, but she could only feed her daughter the cheap brand.
Boom—!Thunder roared, heavy rain poured.
The old tile-roofed house leaked everywhere. Water dripped directly onto the bed—right where baby Lei Ling lay.
"Waaah—!"Lei Ling cried loudly.
Lei Yu hurriedly moved her, then grabbed a raincoat and a ladder, climbing onto the roof in the storm to patch the leak.
Weak from childbirth, soaked to the bone, she slipped on the ladder coming down and caught a fever.
A fever wasn't deadly. She could endure it.
But Lei Ling couldn't.
The baby ate a lot, and the two cans of formula were gone in half a month.
Lei Yu had no money left. She could only cook rice paste.
But the child had gotten used to the cheap formula taste and refused to eat anything else.
"Ling'er, please eat a little… Once Mommy gets better, I'll go find work and buy milk for you, okay?"
Of course, the baby didn't understand.But somehow… as if she sensed her mother's desperation… she finally opened her mouth and ate.
Tears streamed down Lei Yu's face.How did things become like this?
Before she met Cao Yang, she wasn't rich… but she was never this miserable.
"Achoo! Achoo!"Far away in America, Cao Yang sneezed twice, rubbed his nose, and lifted Cao Yinuo, planting a loud kiss on her cheek.
"Yinuo, Yinuo… You have a little brother now. Hurry up and grow strong so you can beat him up someday!"
"Sir, do we still need these?"The housekeeper pointed at two boxes of luxury imported formula.
"No. Throw it out."Cao Yang waved dismissively.
Yinuo had already weaned and was eating real food. The milk powder was just taking up space.
The housekeeper sighed at the waste.This brand—advertised as royal-grade and made from top New Zealand dairy—cost hundreds of dollars a can. Two boxes were worth four to five thousand USD.
But she wasn't complaining—she'd take them home to sell.
"Cao Yang-gege, want to go for a walk?"Nanako asked sweetly.
Cao Yang agreed. He placed Yinuo in her stroller, and the three strolled through the night near Columbia University.
"Nanako, your Chinese is getting really good."
"Of course! I study every day!"She giggled proudly.
"Your school teaches Chinese?"
"Mm-hmm! We have Chinese culture classes too. Small, but people join."Then she added mischievously:"And my Chinese teacher is super pretty."
"Look, Cao Yang-gege—that's her!"
Cao Yang followed her gaze.
A tall figure stood under the streetlights.Something about that silhouette felt… achingly familiar.
As if sensing his stare, the woman turned around.
Their eyes met.
Time seemed to freeze.
In that instant, a line of poetry flashed through Cao Yang's mind—
"I searched for her a thousand times, only to turn around and find her in the dimmest corner of the lights…"