HSS CH3

Chapter 3: A Good Samaritan

When they arrived at the hospital entrance, Huo Yuchuan still hadn’t woken up. Lin Miao, having taken a ride in someone else’s car, felt it would be rude to just wake him up and leave, so he waited a while longer until Huo Yuchuan slowly opened his eyes.

Lin Miao’s eyes widened. “You’re awake?”

Huo Yuchuan paused, shifting away from Lin Miao’s shoulder.

Lin Miao unbuckled his seatbelt. “I’ll get out then.”

Huo Yuchuan grunted in acknowledgment.

Lin Miao got out of the car and went to see his father, who was crying and wailing about being broke and having a broken leg. His father went on and on about selling his blood or even his flesh to pay off the debt. Lin Miao couldn’t take it anymore. “Do you think you’re a pig that can be sold for meat?”

His father shrank back at the outburst, muttering, “So what am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to find that much money? I didn’t have a choice…”

Lin Miao retorted, “You didn’t have a choice when you borrowed the money?”

His father buried his head like an ostrich, too afraid to speak.

Lin Miao left, still seething with anger, and saw that Huo Yuchuan’s car was gone. He must have left already. So he finished his doctor’s visit quickly?

With his school bag on his back, Lin Miao stood there for a moment before heading towards the bus stop.

Two days later, after class, Lin Miao saw Huo Yuchuan’s car again at the school entrance. But Huo Yuchuan wasn’t there; only Little Zheng was standing by the car, asking, “Does Mr. Lin have time?”

Lin Miao felt a bit uncomfortable. “Just call me Xiao Lin.”

Little Zheng replied, “Alright, does Xiao Lin have time?”

Lin Miao: “……Yes.”

Little Zheng opened the car door for him. “Mr. Huo needs to see you. Can you come with me?”

Lin Miao got in the car in a daze and asked belatedly, “How did you know I’d be here?”

Little Zheng: “I guessed.”

Lin Miao thought about it and realized it made sense. They had run into him on the way last time, and there was only one university nearby—A University—so it wasn’t hard to figure out.

“Mr. Huo… What does Mr. Huo need me for?”

Driving the car, Little Zheng said, “Mr. Huo hasn’t been able to sleep these past few days.”

Lin Miao was taken aback. “He looks so energetic?”

“Not energetic,” Little Zheng said, “He’s on the verge of a breakdown.”

Lin Miao was startled. “Ah? Then I should go……”

Little Zheng: “Based on the previous two instances, being around you seems to help Mr. Huo fall asleep.”

Wait, am I supposed to sleep with him?

No, Lin Miao shook his head; that didn’t sound quite right.

“How did he sleep before?” There’s no way he hasn’t slept at all. Is he made of steel or stone?

“Mr. Huo only started having insomnia about a year ago,” Little Zheng said calmly. “He could still sleep with the help of medication at first, but that doesn’t work anymore.”

“Did something happen?” Lin Miao asked. “Why did he suddenly start having trouble sleeping?”

Little Zheng: “I’m not sure.”

Lin Miao worriedly said, “Did he do something wrong that’s keeping him awake?”

Little Zheng: “……”

Little Zheng fell silent for a moment, then said, “Also, on behalf of Mr. Huo, I have something else……”

He picked up a paper bag from the passenger seat and handed it to Lin Miao.

Lin Miao asked in confusion, “What’s this?”

“A contract,” Little Zheng said, “Are you having financial difficulties?”

Lin Miao immediately thought of the million his father owed and nodded awkwardly.

Little Zheng glanced at him through the rearview mirror and said, “Mr. Huo can help you pay off that million.”

Lin Miao looked up in surprise. “What? He……”

“Mr. Huo needs sufficient sleep,” Little Zheng explained like he was reading from a script, “If you can stay by his side and help improve his sleep quality, the million will be your compensation from Mr. Huo.”

Lin Miao couldn’t believe it. “He can really help me pay off the debt? A million?” What kind of good Samaritan is this!

Little Zheng: “It’s true, it’s all written in the contract.”

Lin Miao opened the paper bag and pulled out a document, which was pretty thick, about ten or so pages. It was then that he realized Huo Yuchuan was no longer the truant and sullen “bad student” from back then. He was a businessman who needed everything in writing, with clear terms to avoid disputes.

Lin Miao quickly skimmed through it and saw that it was pretty much what Little Zheng had said: Huo Yuchuan would pay off his debt, and in return, he would be there to help Huo Yuchuan sleep when he had insomnia. It didn’t seem like a bad deal. He was helping him sleep, and in return, his debt would be cleared. It seemed like he was getting the better end of the bargain.

But he had classes during the day. If Huo Yuchuan wanted to sleep, was he supposed to skip class to be with him?

As if reading his thoughts, Little Zheng added, “The schedule can be adjusted so it won’t affect your studies.”

Lin Miao felt a bit relieved, but his eyes caught something in the contract: next to “accompany to sleep,” there was a parenthesis that read, “including but not limited to the following methods: holding hands, hugging…”

Lin Miao was startled. “Why do I have to sleep while hugging?”

Little Zheng, like a robotic customer service agent, said, “It depends on Mr. Huo’s sleep condition. Whatever helps him sleep.”

Lin Miao: “What if it doesn’t work?”

Little Zheng: “I don’t know.”

Lin Miao: “……”

Lin Miao: “Will I have to pay back the money if it doesn’t work?”

Little Zheng: “Probably not.”

Lin Miao was skeptical—could he really trust this?

He thought for a moment, then asked, “Do I have to sleep with him every night?”

Little Zheng: “That depends on Mr. Huo.”

Lin Miao looked down at the contract in his hand. They were both guys, so sleeping together wasn’t a big deal. And for a million dollars, a hug or two seemed reasonable.

He flipped to the next page and saw that the contract term was twenty years.

“Twenty years?!” Lin Miao almost thought he had read it wrong.

Little Zheng: “After all, a million is not a small amount. The duration won’t be short.”

“But twenty years is too long!” Lin Miao was completely flustered. “What if he gets married in the future? Am I supposed to sleep between him and his wife and hug him?”