Chapter 4: My Sister Gives Me Money
As soon as Xiaobing entered the room, she started complaining in a low voice.
“You didn’t wait for me after school today! I looked for you everywhere. When Dad asked where you went, I didn’t even know what to say!”
Lu Yuan thought to himself, I didn’t even know you existed after school today—how could I have waited for you?
But his sister was also a student at No. 1 High School? Judging by her age, she was probably in her first year.
“So where exactly did you go after school?”
“I just wandered around.”
“Are you dating someone?”
“How the hell could I start a relationship in just an hour?”
“Did you go look for Jia Xuanxuan after school?”
“Who’s Jia Xuanxuan? Why would I look for her?”
Xiaobing instantly got angry and grabbed a pillow, pressing it onto Lu Yuan’s face.
“Keep pretending! Go on, keep pretending! I’ll suffocate you!”
Lu Yuan laughed as they wrestled playfully. Having a younger sister was actually pretty fun!
Suddenly having another family member didn’t feel awkward at all—instead, it felt strangely natural.
This was probably what people meant by blood ties.
“Alright, enough messing around.” Xiaobing pushed him away. “Let’s talk business!”
She dragged over a chair and sat down properly in front of him.
“Your class handed out cultivator university application forms today, right? Take it out.”
Lu Yuan took the form from his bag and handed it over. “You’re pretty well-informed.”
“Heh!”
Xiaobing looked through the form for a while.
“Have you decided which cultivator university to apply to?”
Lu Yuan hadn’t thought about it.
Of course he wanted to become a cultivator, but before that, he didn’t even know what cultivator universities really were—how could he decide which one to apply to?
So he gave a vague answer:
“You saw it too—the application fee is 20,000 yuan. Mom needs treatment, and money’s tight at home. I think I’ll skip it.”
The application fee really was 20,000 yuan, including various testing costs. This was a major reason many students hesitated.
After all, the acceptance rate was so low that the money would most likely be wasted.
If it were free, Lu Yuan would definitely sign up first and think later.
“So you didn’t bring it up with Dad just now?” Xiaobing nodded. “I figured you’d be worried about money.”
Lu Yuan didn’t reply, effectively admitting it.
Xiaobing smiled slightly, then suddenly pulled out a thick stack of cash from her pocket.
“Ta-da! Ta-da! Ta-da! Look what this is!”
Lu Yuan took the money, puzzled. The bills looked a bit different, but the numbers were familiar—there were about seven or eight thousand.
“No need to count—8,456 yuan. I bought a hairband for one yuan, so 8,455 left.”
“It’s this one—looks good, right?”
She touched the short side ponytail in front of her ear, tied with a light purple ribbon.
“Where did you get so much money?”
“I’ve been working part-time at Shiweixuan Fast Food on weekends—you knew that, didn’t you? This is three months’ pay.”
Ever since their mother was diagnosed, Xiaobing had been working weekends. But for Lu Yuan, this was news.
“You can make that much from a weekend job?” Lu Yuan knew the ins and outs of the food industry well.
“Of course it includes commission. The manager said I’m very useful—maybe I’ll even get a raise next month.
Take this money for now. The Dragon Boat Festival is coming up, so I’ll definitely get a bonus. I’ll give that to you too.
If it’s not enough, borrow some from classmates—but you have to apply, bro!”
Lu Yuan held the money hesitantly, deeply suspicious of her explanation.
A high school student washing dishes on weekends couldn’t earn that much. Could it be that some sleazy manager had taken a liking to her?
But now wasn’t the time to bring that up. He handed the money back.
“You should give this to Dad instead. Whether I apply to a cultivator university isn’t that urgent.”
Right now, the priority was raising money for their mother’s treatment. Becoming a cultivator was important, but it couldn’t compare to saving her life.
Xiaobing froze for a moment, then suddenly became extremely agitated.
“No! Absolutely not!” She grabbed Lu Yuan’s arm tightly. “If you don’t go to a cultivator university, how will you save Mom? You have to get in!”
“You promised me!”
Lu Yuan was stunned. What did cultivator universities have to do with his mother’s illness?
“Mom’s condition—the hospital will…”
“The hospital can’t cure it—I’ve told you so many times.” Xiaobing tugged at his sleeve irritably. “Hospital treatment can only delay the onset of Twilight Syndrome—it can only buy a few years. Only cultivators can truly cure it.”
Twilight Syndrome!
Another unfamiliar term.
Lu Yuan fell silent.
In his previous life, his mother had lymphoma. In this life, it had become something called Twilight Syndrome. From what Xiaobing said, only becoming a cultivator could save her.
This was bad.
Even if Lu Yuan managed to get into a cultivator university, it would be too late—because in his previous life, his mother hadn’t even made it to the college entrance exam. He didn’t dare gamble on how long she could last this time.
Seeing his silence, Xiaobing pleaded, “Bro, it all depends on you. I’m only in my first year—it’s too late for me. You have to get in!”
“I understand.”
In this situation, Lu Yuan could only accept the money for now. His plans would have to change.
After chatting a bit more, Xiaobing went back to her room to do homework. She had it tough—since their mother fell ill, she had to work part-time and do housework.
Her room was separated from Lu Yuan’s by a thin wooden partition, with the door opening into the living room.
After she left, Lu Yuan opened his phone and searched for “Twilight Syndrome.”
The name alone didn’t sound simple.
After researching for a while, Lu Yuan put down his phone and let out a long sigh.
Twilight Syndrome was a terminal illness. Its symptoms resembled cancer—patients would gradually waste away, suffer intense pain, and eventually die from organ failure.
The difference was that cancer was caused by uncontrolled cell growth, meaning treatments like chemotherapy and radiation offered a chance of recovery.
But the cause of Twilight Syndrome was unknown. Modern medicine couldn’t even determine whether it was infectious or a self-originating disease.
It first appeared in human society over a hundred years ago, and the number of cases had been steadily increasing. What was once a rare disease had now become a common fatal condition.
According to data, the current incidence rate was as high as 0.02%.
That meant two people out of every ten thousand would contract it—and die within a year.
Worst of all, it didn’t discriminate by age or gender. Young people were just as likely to get it as the elderly.
There was only one drug that could delay the illness: Xikanuo.
Note—only delay, not cure. And its effectiveness decreased over time.
The first injection could delay the illness by about two years. The second only lasted sixteen months.
Most patients stopped responding after the fourth injection.
When Xiaobing said hospitals could only slow the disease, this was what she meant.
Lu Yuan checked the price of Xikanuo—it varied by region, but each injection cost around 1.4 to 1.7 million yuan.
If nothing unexpected happened, the treatment cost his father mentioned referred to this drug.
As for the claim that cultivators could cure Twilight Syndrome, Lu Yuan also found a small amount of information.
Some cultivators had relatives with the disease. It was said that certain cultivators had paid a “great price” to cure them.
As for how they did it, and what that “great price” was, there wasn’t a single word in the public records—everything fell under the cultivator confidentiality principle.
Xiaobing insisted he apply to a cultivator university because she had likely seen the same information.
But it wouldn’t be easy.
Lu Yuan’s grades had once been good—but that was in the past.
After graduating high school in his previous life, he had spent years struggling in society. All his high school knowledge had long been forgotten.
For most people, senior year was the peak of their knowledge.
Now, with only 35 days left until the exam, he didn’t even have time to review everything once.
He might as well focus on figuring out how to make money tomorrow.
No matter what, he had to get 1.5 million first so his mother could receive Xikanuo. As long as he could buy two more years, he could think of other solutions.
For now… he needed to sleep.
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