When Liu Chen left C City, he added Qiu Lin on QQ and expressed that if anything was needed, he would ping him in the Meimei E-commerce QQ group.
Qiu Lin nodded silently when he heard this and then typed "Okay" in the QQ group.
Liu Chen looked at the QQ group on his phone and then glanced up at the silent Qiu Lin. He ultimately didn't say anything further and left directly.
He had no choice but to leave. There was an early morning class on Monday, but the earliest flight to Beijing wouldn't depart until noon. The last flight on Sunday had already taken off at 4 PM.
On the plane, Liu Chen pretended to be lost in thought while gazing out the window, but in reality, he was clearing out the piled-up prizes in his system.
The "Da Di Gong Guan" had become a gathering place for friends, and the system's prizes were no longer suitable to be stored there. Liu Chen flipped through his QQ chat history with Guo Da. The last time he chatted with Guo Da was in November. Guo Da mentioned hearing rumors that there might be purchase restrictions in the future.
Liu Chen hadn't paid much attention to the specific purchase restriction policies in his previous life, but buying a house in Beijing had indeed become a difficult matter in later years.
So, his reply to Guo Da at the time was that these rumors were very likely, and he suggested that it was time for him to make a shift and conduct an investigation in Sanya, focusing on the resale of vacation homes.
After landing, Liu Chen sat in a taxi, simultaneously sending a message to Guo Da, asking him to not renew the lease for the small apartment at Da Di Gong Guan when it expired, as she intended to live there herself, and inquiring about Guo Da's new business venture.
"Liu Chen, you're truly my lucky star! Are you free now? Let's talk over dinner."
"Sure."
He asked the taxi driver to turn around, and the car headed towards a copper-pot mutton hot pot restaurant near Chaoyang.
It had been quite some time since Liu Chen had last seen Guo Da. They mostly communicated via QQ chat, and Guo Da would calculate the dividends each month and transfer them to her account.
Of course, if Guo Da hadn't kept his promise and had engaged in any dishonesty regarding the dividends, Liu Chen wouldn't have advised him to shift his focus to the vacation home sales project in Sanya earlier.
Led by a young waiter, Liu Chen arrived at a small outdoor private room.
As soon as Liu Chen entered the room, he heard the system's voice.
'Temporary mission triggered: Save Yu Li, who harbors suicidal thoughts. Mission completion rewards: 50% sales increase buff (valid for five days) / one Infertility Cure sticker. After application, within thirty days, pregnancy chance increases by 100%. Mission failure: Sales halved, valid for five days.'
Liu Chen sat down calmly, pondering, "Who is this Yu Li?"
Guo Da raised his wine glass, got up from his chair with a smile, and toasted Liu Chen, "Chenchen, Lili, come on, it's been so long since we last met, let's have a drink!"
Hearing this, Liu Chen's gaze fell on "Lili," who was sitting beside them. He also stood up, raised his cola, and returned the toast to Guo Da, then to "Lili."
"Sister Yu Li, long time no see."
Upon seeing Liu Chen stand up and toast her, Yu Li also had to stand up. She smiled and returned the toast,
"Although this congratulation is a bit late, congratulations on getting admitted to Shuimu University."
As Yu Li spoke, Liu Chen observed her carefully. However, from any perspective, Yu Li only appeared tired; there was no sign of suicidal intent.
What could be the problem?
Liu Chen decided to create a private space for himself and Yu Li. After some thought, he sent a message to Guo Da on QQ.
'In ten minutes, pretend you have diarrhea and go outside for a walk for ten minutes. I have something I want to ask Sister Lili. Believe me, you should have also noticed that Sister Lili is a bit off.'
After sending the QQ message, Guo Da saw the notification on his phone, casually scrolled through it, and then froze upon seeing the message's content. He quickly returned, exited to another QQ conversation window.
After ten minutes, Guo Da suddenly clutched his stomach and whispered to Yu Li sitting beside him,
"Sister Li, I think I have diarrhea. Please keep Liu Chen company for a bit, I need to go to the restroom."
Yu Li looked at Guo Da, nodded, and even took a large portion of the tissues from the dining table, stuffing them into Guo Da's hand:
"The restroom might not have paper, take more with you."
"Okay!"
After Guo Da walked out of the private room, Liu Chen also put down his chopsticks. He looked at Yu Li, who had also put down her chopsticks and was looking at him. Liu Chen quietly took out a "Garrulousness Increase +3" buff from his system and applied it to Yu Li.
The hot pot private room, which had been filled with laughter moments ago, suddenly became quiet.
Liu Chen swallowed, wanting to speak several times, but couldn't figure out how to start. He couldn't just blurt out, "Are you planning to leave this beautiful world?"
Fortunately, the garrulousness buff was quite effective. In the silence between them, Yu Li took out a slender cigarette from her bag, held it between her fingers, leaned back against the chair, lazily propped her cheek with one hand, and turned her head to look at Liu Chen:
"Chenchen, can I call you that?"
Liu Chen nodded and also leaned slightly sideways, maintaining direct eye contact with Yu Li.
"Do you know? I used to think Guo Da was a gift from heaven, sent to compensate me."
As she spoke, Yu Li's lips curved into a cold sneer:
"Heh!"
"Turns out, it was heaven giving me a little sweetness before delivering a blow."
Listening to Yu Li's words, Liu Chen sensed something was amiss and interjected, "Is there a problem with Brother Guo Da?"
Yu Li shook her head, a hint of tenderness in her eyes. "Guo Da is a perfect partner. I love him, and he chose to marry me even knowing I couldn't have children. But I can't burden him any longer." Yu Li lowered her eyes, gazing at the tabletop, and sighed, saying,
"When Guo Da flew to Sanya last month, I went for a check-up at a nearby hospital. The doctor said I have breast cancer and recommended hospitalization for surgery."
Breast cancer?!
Liu Chen finally understood why Yu Li harbored suicidal thoughts.
In later generations, the cure rate for breast cancer could reach sixty to seventy percent, depending on the stage of the cancer. However, in 2009,
it was almost a death sentence.
"Whether I die early or late, I have to die. It's better to go early so that Guo Da can find someone else to love, get married while he's still young, and quickly forget me, this unfortunate woman."
Yu Li spoke with a smile on her face, but the smile was somewhat stiff, as if her facial muscles were forced into it.
By the end of her speech, tears silently streamed down Yu Li's cheeks.
Liu Chen looked at Yu Li, feeling a sense of melancholy himself.
Yu Li was capable and beautiful, but her life had been exceptionally difficult for the first thirty years. She had finally met Guo Da, a man who loved her wholeheartedly, only to be diagnosed with breast cancer.
However…
Thinking of the mission given by the system, Liu Chen felt there had to be a turning point. Liu Chen then got up from his chair and sat next to Yu Li, taking her hand, which held a cigarette.
"Sister Yu Li, how about this: tomorrow afternoon, I'll accompany you for another check-up at the hospital. I heard that breast cancer also has many stages, and if it's stage one, the possibility of a cure is very high."
Yu Li looked at Liu Chen holding her hands and smiled, shaking her head:
"Forget it. Having spent this year with Guo Da, I am already very content."
Looking at Yu Li, whose eyes lacked any spark, Liu Chen changed the subject and asked, "Sister Yu Li, where did you get your infertility diagnosis?"
Yu Li was taken aback by the sudden question and then replied,
"It was at a local hospital. I went with my ex-husband."
While Yu Li hesitated, Liu Chen began searching within his system. When his aunt and mother were pregnant, Liu Chen had thought it was because their bodies had been conditioned by the nutritional supplements he occasionally provided from the system, leading to quick pregnancies.
'Lucky Charm!'
Liu Chen looked at the Lucky Charms he had found and, after a moment of hesitation, applied two to Yu Li.
"Sister Yu Li, how about this: tomorrow afternoon, we'll go to Ditang Hospital for a re-examination. Sister Yu Li, don't refuse so quickly. Think about it, medicine is so advanced now, don't give up hope."
Seeing Yu Li's forced smile, Liu Chen had a flash of inspiration as she opened her mouth to speak.
"If you agree, I'll take you to see a gynecologist who specializes in infertility!"
"Alright, then we'll meet tomorrow afternoon."
After Yu Li agreed, Liu Chen waited, waiting for the mission completion notification, but it didn't come.
Liu Chen looked at Yu Li, who had already adjusted her demeanor and was continuing to eat the hot pot mutton. If it weren't for the system, he would have been fooled by her earlier agreement!
After careful consideration, Liu Chen decided to go to the hospital with Yu Li immediately after finishing their hot pot meal!
Guo Da paid the bill, and the three of them got into the car. Yu Li, sitting in the front passenger seat, cast a nostalgic glance at Beijing, where she had lived for just a year. As she looked, Yu Li's brow furrowed slightly.
"Guo Da, is this road heading towards Haidian? I feel like we're going the wrong way."
Guo Da, in the driver's seat, remained silent, his hands gripping the steering wheel. Only when Yu Li turned to look at Guo Da driving did she discover that Guo Da's eyes were red and his face was already streaked with tears.
"Let's... let's go to a private hospital. Sister Yu, you're not leaving me this lifetime. If you leave me, I'll follow you!"
Yu Li instantly realized that Liu Chen had deliberately sent Guo Da away to coax the truth out of her: "Liu Chen, you!"
Seeing Yu Li turn towards him in the passenger seat, Liu Chen quickly looked out the window at the passing traffic.
"Whatever it is, let's discuss it. Don't bottle things up. We still have good days ahead of us!"