Today, Melody Summers and Sophie Thorne went to the hospital together to visit Brianna White. After a period of psychological therapy, Briannaās emotional state had stabilized considerably.
When the two of them walked into Briannaās room, she was chatting with her caregiver.
The caregiver with Brianna was a warm-hearted, chatty woman in her forties.
She was feeding Brianna a small cake from the hospital cafeteria while chiding her gently, "Why are you watching your sugar? If you want to eat it, just eat it. When youāre full and happy, you have the energy to get through anything!"
Brianna chewed on the cake and replied, "I actually used to love sweets, but Iād break out after eating them, so I stopped."
As a streamer, she had to wear makeup regularly. If her skin condition worsened, her makeup wouldnāt apply smoothly.
When her skin wasnāt doing well, people in her streamās chat would mock her. But if she turned on a beauty filter, they would flame her for setting it too high.
Over time, she gradually became afraid to eat sweets.
The caregiver comforted Brianna, saying, "Donāt you mind what those people say. Your skin is just an organ. As long as itās functioning properly, thatās all that matters. Looks are secondary."
Just then, the caregiver saw Sophie Thorne and Melody Summers walk in and quickly stood up to offer them seats.
Brianna looked at Sophie and Melody, her eyes filled with gratitude. She said earnestly, "Thank you so much for saving me. If it werenāt for you, I wouldnāt be sitting here. Iāll never forget this for the rest of my life."
Melody quickly reassured her, "Weāre neighbors. It was the least we could do. How have you been feeling these past couple of days?"
Brianna nodded and replied, "I feel much better. The wounds on my body have all scabbed over. The doctors say my metabolism is fast, so Iām healing quicker than most people. Also, the headaches and the tightness in my chest are gone now, and my insomnia has improved a lot."
After speaking, Brianna looked at them with a cautious, hopeful expression and asked, "Um, can I be discharged today?"
Brianna knew how expensive private hospitals were; it wasnāt something an ordinary person like her could afford.
Yesterday, while walking around the hospital with the caregiver, she had overheard a patientās family member kneeling on the ground, crying hysterically, begging the hospital for a few more days and not to discharge them. They kept sobbing that they would have the money soon.
It had been heart-wrenching for Brianna to hear.
Although the doctors had told her that someone was covering all her medical expenses, she didnāt want to take such huge advantage of another personās kindness.
Sophie Thorne understood her concerns and replied with a smile, "Donāt worry about it. Just focus on resting for now. You fell from such a great height; the doctors also recommend you stay for a couple more days of observation."
Sophie then added gently, "Donāt do anything foolish again. Your life is so precious. Donāt let that trash affect you."
Brianna lowered her gaze and nodded. "I know. Having died once, Iāve figured it all out. Those people were never worth it. If thereās a next time, Iāll just push them all off instead. But Iām going to live my own life well."
Perhaps it was the therapy sheād received over the past few days, or maybe it was simply being well-fed and physically better, which in turn improved her mood. Brianna no longer had any desire to die. She even looked back and couldnāt understand why she had lost all hope and jumped.
She was even planning to travel the country after the natural disaster ended, sharing the scenery from her journey and experiencing the local cultures.
āThis world is so wonderful. Why should I throw my life away because of a swarm of flies Iāve never even met?ā
The three of them chatted for a while longer. Melody then remembered she had left some daily necessities sheād brought for Brianna in the car, so she got up to retrieve them.
Unexpectedly, on her way back to the room, she ran right into Yuri Walsh, who was doing his rounds.
Yuri Walsh smiled when he saw Melody Summers and greeted her. "Here to visit the girl who fell?"
Melody nodded but didnāt reply.
Ever since she and Yuri had exchanged a few words outside her door, only to be inexplicably mocked by Zara Walsh, Melody had little desire to interact with the siblings.
Melody didnāt consider herself a good-tempered person. Yuriās sister had sneered at her several times, and while Melody had let it slide for Yuriās sake, she didnāt want to have anything more to do with the two of them.
Yuri noticed Melodyās distant and indifferent expression and was taken aback for a moment. Then he added, "Weāll keep her under observation for another two days. If there are no issues, she can be discharged."
Melody nodded and replied, "I see. Thank you, Dr. Walsh."
Melody was about to turn and leave, but Yuri unexpectedly stopped her.
As Melody watched him with a puzzled look, Yuri sighed. He looked at her seriously and said in a sincere tone, "Miss Summers, Iād like to apologize for my sisterās previous behavior. Sheās been in a bad mood lately, so her words and actions have been offensive toward you. I hope you can forgive her and not stoop to her level."
Melody hadnāt expected Yuri to say this. She felt an apology was unnecessary. Zara Walsh didnāt like her, and she didnāt like Zara. They were just neighbors who didnāt interact, so it didnāt matter. They could just avoid each other in the future.
But seeing Yuriās sincere attitude, Melody could only say, "Youāre being too kind, Dr. Walsh. Weāre all neighbors. Thereās nothing to forgive. It wasnāt a big deal anyway."
Yuri felt a flicker of resentment toward Zara. āIf she hadnāt run her mouth,ā he thought, āMelody wouldnāt be taking her anger out on me now.ā
He sighed inwardly in resignation but kept a smile on his face. He said to Melody, "In that case, could you please not be so distant with me, Miss Summers? I genuinely want to be friends with you. You can just call me by my name, Yuri, and Iāll call you by your name. Is that okay?"
Melody was taken aback and instinctively wanted to refuse.
But Yuriās earnest expression made it difficult for her to voice the refusal on the tip of her tongue, and she just felt awkward.
Just then, a man in a sharp suit came running over.
He pushed right past Melody and stood before Yuri, panting. Bowing obsequiously, he said, "Dr. Walsh, I finally found you! About that special medicine for the volcanic ashācan you let us be the distributor? The price is negotiable!"
Melody froze. āA special medicine for volcanic ash? Could it be...ā
She immediately took out her phone, discreetly opened The Arcadia Store, and sure enough, saw a message from Paige Walshās research institute.
The message had been sent two days ago. Melody had been busy and hadnāt checked her messages, so she hadnāt noticed it.
It said that the drug had been successfully developed and would be distributed to various supply points and hospitals. They expressed their deep gratitude for Melody Summersās contribution.
The message also stated that Melody deserved significant credit for the drugās successful development. The institute had decided to report this to the organization and apply for a historic honor to be granted in her name. They hoped she would leave her contact information.
Melody didnāt reply. She didnāt want to expose her personal information. Besides, she felt it was all thanks to the magic of her space; she couldnāt take all the credit herself.
Meanwhile, facing the suited manās eagerness, Yuri said coolly, "Sorry, Iāve told you before. This batch of medicine is state-controlled. It can only be obtained with an ID and a prescription. Commercial transactions are forbidden."
The man in the suit was about to say more but was dragged away by security guards who had rushed over.
Yuri pinched the bridge of his nose. āThese security guards need to be replaced,ā he thought. āHow did they let these people in again?ā
Melody thought for a moment before asking, "That special medicine for the volcanic ash you were just talking about... how effective is it?"