Feng Lixin had started using an oxygen machine. Recently, he had been feeling more and more short of breath.
"Old Jin, is my condition serious?" he asked the doctor who was packing up the machine.
"It's not too bad, just some inflammation in your lungs," the doctor answered tactfully.
"Come on, doctor, don't hide it from me. For me, death could be a relief."
As his personal doctor, the man knew Feng Lixin endured excruciating pain every day. He wasn't living for himself, but for his younger brother, Feng Xinglang.
The doctor sighed. "It's not just your lungs; your liver and kidneys are starting to fail as well."
"Just tell me directly—how long do I have left?" Feng Lixin asked calmly.
"With conservative treatment, at most three months," the doctor answered truthfully.
"Three months... If I pass away like this, Xinglang will be even more alone, more lonely, and he'll hate the Feng family even more! I really don't want him to live a life filled with nothing but hatred. I want to find him a good woman, someone who can take care of him after I'm gone!"
"That's not going to be easy! With Second Young Master's temper, how could he marry anyone now?" the doctor shook his head, sighing.
"We have to try."
Every day, Feng Xinglang personally fed his brother the medicine, no matter how busy he was, he always came back.
This time, however, Feng Lixin turned his head away and refused to take it. "Xinglang, when will you bring a wife home for me?"
Feng Xinglang understood his brother's thoughts: he wanted someone to take care of him after his death.
"Your older brother hasn't even gotten married, why should I be in a hurry?" Feng Xinglang deflected.
"Look at me—who would want to marry someone like this? I'd only be a burden. Besides, I already have Youyou!" Feng Lixin said lightly.
His words were honest, but they left a bitter feeling in the listener's heart.
Feng Xinglang tested the temperature of the medicine with the spoon, then fed it to Feng Lixin.
"If you don't listen to me, I'll be in a bad mood and won't drink it," Feng Lixin teased, using the same tactic he had used to coax Feng Xinglang into drinking medicine when they were children.
He could sense that the hatred in Feng Xinglang's eyes was growing deeper. He feared that after his death, his younger brother would truly be consumed by that hatred, leaving nothing for him to hold onto except revenge.
If he had a family, a wife and children, things would be different!
Feng Xinglang slowly placed the spoon back in the bowl and said lightly, "How about this: I'll start a marriage search in your name. If there's a woman who genuinely wants to marry me, I'll marry her! How does that sound?"
Feng Lixin froze. He hadn't expected Feng Xinglang to agree, let alone propose such a condition.
"A marriage search in my name? Aren't you just making it harder for the poor girl?"
"I know you're worried I'll be lonely. But if the woman's heart isn't pure, if her intentions are impure, how could you possibly trust me to take care of your younger brother?" Feng Xinglang said firmly.
He was sure no woman with a pure heart would come forward to marry him—if any did, their motives would surely be suspicious.
Feng Lixin naturally had his concerns, but he couldn't help feeling that Feng Xinglang's argument, though twisted, made some sense: a woman with impure intentions wouldn't be able to care for his brother.
She couldn't possibly warm the cold, vengeful, and lonely heart of Feng Xinglang!
But in this world, was there really a woman so pure and kind?