"When can the surgery be scheduled at the earliest?" Luo Yuan asked the doctor.

"It's hard for me to say," the doctor said, "the patients with renal failure are still fighting their last battle. Judging from their family's wishes, they want to do everything they can to save them, but the chances are very slim. All we can do now is wait, but it shouldn't be for too long."

"Okay, I'll transfer the surgical expenses to Ye Chengxi's account first. I'll come back in a few days to pay the remaining fees."

After thanking the doctor, Luo Yuan proceeded to the payment counter downstairs and transferred three hundred thousand yuan directly into Ye Chengxi's account. Without informing Ye Zhe'an, he left the hospital directly.

On his way back to the apartment, he made a phone call to the real estate agent and said that he wanted to sell the house as soon as possible, and that the price could be lowered appropriately. The agent said they would do their best to keep an eye out for potential buyers.

After returning to the apartment, Luo Yuan felt a bit uncomfortable. He lied down on the bed for a while, then remembered that he hadn't eaten lunch yet, so he got up again.

Ye Zhe'an left the food he made in the morning at home. There wasn't much to eat in the fridge, and since he couldn't cook, he could only boil some water and have a bowl of undercooked, tasteless plain noodles to fill his stomach reluctantly.

After finishing eating, he sat at the edge of the dining table lost in thought. The afternoon sunlight poured in through the French windows of the balcony, illuminating half of the room brightly and filling it with a vibrant atmosphere. However, there was nobody to appreciate such a scene.

Luo Yuan closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath before slowly exhaling. He stood up and walked towards the side couch.

There was a safe inside the wardrobe, and only he knew the password. After entering the password, the safe door opened, revealing no bank cards, no checks, no cash, and nothing related to money. There was only a lonely, pale yellow paper bag lying inside, just as it was two years ago when he put it in.

Luoyuan squatted in front of the cabinet door, his five fingers spread open, covering his eyes. The physical discomfort was nothing compared to the pain in his heart. Despair... It had been almost two years, and only now did he truly feel the depths of despair.

He returned to the living room with a paper bag, sat in front of the dining table, and poured out a stack of photos from it.

The surface of the photos has been frosted, each one looks brand new, and each one is of the same person.

At that time, Ye Zhe'an was still young, in his twenties, wearing a jersey and sweating on the field. Although his face seemed cold, it radiated sunlight as if the entire world's flowers were blooming just for him.

Luo Yuan fell in love with Ye Zhe'an during that time. It was their freshman year in college when Luo Yuan was a first-year, and Ye Zhe'an was a third-year student. From then on, every year, he followed in Ye Zhe'an's footsteps. When Ye Zhe'an prepared for the postgraduate entrance examination, he did the same. When Ye Zhe'an decided to stay at the university, he also chose to stay.

The file bag without photographs was so light, as if the past two years were merely a dream. A faint smile appeared at the corner of Luo Yuan's mouth, it was time to wake up from this dream that had gone on for far too long.

Before dinner, Ye Zhe'an returned to the apartment and brought back some Chinese yam and mutton. He planned to stew a mutton and Chinese yam pot for Luo Yuan, to nourish his stomach and replenish his qi. Luo Yuan was too skinny, which made Ye Zhe'an feel a little worried for him.

When he entered the house, the lights were off. It was still not yet May, and the sun set early. At this time, the house would be very dark without lights, and nothing could be seen clearly. He thought Luo Yuan was sleeping in the room, so he casually turned on the living room light.

Luo Yuan sat on the sofa.

He seemed to have just realized that Ye Zhean had returned, and turned his head to smile at him. "Teacher Ye, you're back?"

Ye Zhe'an felt that Luo Yuan was acting strangely, but couldn't figure out why, so he decided not to mention it.

"I bought some lamb meat. Shall I make lamb stew for you?" Ye Zhe'an carried the vegetables and went to the kitchen, asking Luo Yuan.

"Sure, just hearing it makes me hungry." Luo Yuan stood up from the sofa, swaying his body a little. After sitting for so long, his legs felt a bit numb.

He steadied himself, and ran towards the kitchen with a smile on his face.

Ye Zhe'an tied an apron around himself and busily worked at the operating table with him on his back. Luo Yuan leaned against the door frame, greedily gazing at Ye Zhe'an's figure as if wanting to capture every moment of his entire life.

Perhaps it was his intense gaze that made Ye Zhe'an turn around. Luo Yuan did not avert his gaze, and his figure disappeared from sight. Ye Zhe'an continued to stare at his face.

"Did you go to the hospital today?" Ye Zhe'an turned around and went back to continue dealing with the ingredients.

"Um, I was free in the afternoon, so I went and didn't tell you because I was afraid you were busy," Luo Yuan tried to make his tone sound casual, "You know, I deposited three hundred thousand yuan into your brother's account. I'm sorry, but today I only brought this much with me. I'll transfer the remaining five hundred thousand yuan to your card in a few days."

"I asked the doctor, and he said this amount should be enough. But if it's not enough..." Luo Yuan licked his lips, "I'll give you more, okay?"

"Enough," Ye Zhe'an interrupted him, "Eight hundred thousand is enough. If it's still not enough, I'll figure out a solution myself."

He stopped what he was doing, lowered his head, and supported himself on the console with both hands. His voice was a little hoarse as he said, "Luoyuan, the money, I will repay you in the future. It might be very slow, but I will definitely return it."

"Sure, I'll wait then." This was Ye Zhe'an's final dignity, and Luo Yuan decided to let him keep it.

Dinner was a large portion of casserole, accompanied by a bowl of yam and red date porridge for each person. Luo Yuan, unusually hungry, not only finished all the porridge but also devoured the entire casserole with Ye Zhe'an. After the meal, he offered to wash the dishes himself, and Ye Zhe'an didn't object, taking his clothes and heading to the bathroom to take a shower.

Luo Yuan stood by the pool, washing and rinsing himself. Tears unexpectedly fell into the pool, and he could no longer hold back. He let himself cry silently.

Ye Zhe'an finished taking a shower and came to the living room. Luo Yuan was sitting on the sofa watching TV. The TV was on mute, and Luo Yuan's eyes had no focus.

Ye Zhe'an sat down beside him and saw a cowhide paper bag on the coffee table. He paused for a moment, and his heart uncontrollably started pounding fiercely.

Luo Yuan pushed the brown paper bag in front of him and said, "The two-year contract has come to an early end, Teacher Ye. You're free now."

Ye Zhe'an's Adam's apple rolled uncomfortably. Why? He wanted to ask why, but couldn't find the words. He picked up a paper bag and pulled out a thin piece of paper from inside. His gaze fell on the signatures of the two people at the bottom, one strong and full of anger, the other graceful and filled with joy. He remembered the mood they had when they signed this contract, but now, the contract was about to become null and void.

"My father asked me to go to the United States to manage the subsidiary company for him, and I happened to not want to go back to school to teach anymore, so I agreed." Luo Yuan took a deep breath and proactively addressed Ye Zhe'an's confusion. "I'm about to leave soon. Here's the contract, you can throw it away or tear it up, it's up to you to decide."

Ye Zhe'an's gaze was deep as Luo Yuan looked at his sharply defined profile. His heart ached horribly, and he continued, "My dad intends to sell this house, so... you should pack up your things and take them with you recently. I also need to pack up my belongings."

Ye Zhe'an clenched the delicate piece of paper tightly, suddenly feeling an unparalleled anger. His jaw tightened, and his lips formed a thin line. The veins on his forehead throbbed, and his Adam's apple rolled for a moment before he asked, "Luo Yuan, what exactly do you take me for?"