Chapter 41: Just Give Up
“Zhizhi...” Old Master Li interrupted Fu Zhi before she could finish her words. In a shaky voice, he asked, “W—Who is Xiao Li?”
Fu Zhi lifted her eyelids and replied, “Your grandson and my nephew.”
Fu Zhi’s reply successfully threw Old Master Li for a loop, and he did not know what to say. Right now, there was a complicated feeling in his heart, and he felt as if he had seen a lotus growing on an osmanthus tree.
He quickly composed himself and replied, “Zhizhi—”
‘Have you forgotten that you kissed his eyelids and called him your big brother when you were still a kid?’
However, before the second part of the sentence could roll off his tongue, Fu Zhi chimed in, “Well, it’s impossible to clean up the residual toxins at once. Besides, there’s an off chance that he might...”
She paused for a moment as she tried to phrase her words right. “He might become impotent after the subsequent treatment.”
Old Master Li was stunned by the news.
‘What did she just say?’
It took him quite a long while to compose himself, and by the time the news finally sank in, his eyes bulged wide as he asked, “What did you just say, Zhizhi?”
“The capsule is cool in nature,” Fu Zhi replied apathetically. “Therefore, in the course of cleansing the residual toxins in his body, it may or may not cause him an erectile problem.”
Old Master Li felt as if the sky had fallen. He could even hear the sound of his heart crumbling.
He tried to hold back his tears, but it was a wasted effort. His eyes went red around the rims as he choked on his tears. “Why? Of all people, why does it have to be him? Will he still be a man if he becomes impotent?”
“Well, don’t be so pessimistic. As I said, there is only an off chance of that happening. It’s possible that he could be cured completely, but the procedure is kind of complicated.”
Fu Zhi’s reply brought light back to Old Master Li’s eyes. Just as he was about to say something, Fu Zhi added indifferently, “Besides, given the current level of technology, even if he can’t be cured, you can have another son to carry on the family line. Xiao Li has bad manners, so I suggest you give up on him.”
Old Master Li was speechless.
By the time he recovered from his dumbstruck state, he said, his voice bordering on panic, “Zhizhi, please don’t tell me you’re serious. It would still be possible if I were 20 years younger, but don’t you think it would be ridiculous for me to have another son at my age? I would become a laughing stock!”
The old man paused for a moment. His voice cleaved to his throat as he sobbed. “So Zhizhi, now that we are in this situation, you’re our only hope. Please do whatever you can to save Xiao Li.”
Fu Zhi pressed her lips firmly as she contemplated this. In the end, she gave in to Old Master Li and nodded reluctantly. “Alright, then. I’ll try my best.”
“You have to!” Old Master Li said, wiping the tears off his eyes. “I have only one grandson, so there’s no way out for me.”
If he had one more grandson, then...
Fu Zhi replied, “Alright, got it.”
Old Master Li felt a little guilty. “Zhizhi, I’m really sorry for troubling you this time.”
“It’s okay.” Fu Zhi shook her head. Her beautiful eyes were glowing brightly in the darkness.
Then, she added softly, “As long as you pay me.”
Old Master Li was stumped, “I... I have to pay you?”
“There’s no such thing as free lunch. I’ve already waived the fee of the first treatment.” Fu Zhi frowned. “Of course you have to pay for the rest if you want me to treat him!”
****
When Fu Zhi left the Li Family Household, Li Nanli was still standing beside the window. He held his phone in his slender fingers as he tapped at the windowpane thoughtfully.
After a long while, his phone rang. He answered the call and Jiang Jinshu’s nervous voice belted out from the other side of the line. “My superiors have already started the investigation. When are you going to return the capsule to me?”
“I lost it,” Li Nanli replied calmly, ignoring the anxiety in Jiang Jinshu’s voice.
His expression remained unchanged under the bright silver light, and the harsh lines that ran down each side of his face were dyed gold by the westbound sun.
“You lost it?!” Jiang Jinshu jumped up from the couch. He could not remain calm anymore as he shouted, “If my father ever finds out, he will break my legs! Do you know that?”
“So?” Li Nanli raised his brow. “At least you’re still alive.”
Jiang Jinshu was speechless.
‘What the f*ck?’