Chapter 29: The Past Is Like Clouds, Vivid Before My Eyes

"Is that so?" Lin Tian couldn't help but ponder her words.

It was true. Even though he was a patient, the hospital was full of people; why did she always seem to spend so much time with him? It wasn't that he was suspicious by nature, but he had encountered so much lately that it was hard not to overthink things.

"Forget it, as long as she isn't causing any harm."

With that, Lin Tian took the bag of potato chips and smiled. "You still remember that I like this flavor."

Bai Yun smiled back. "I would never forget the things Brother Lin likes."

"You’ve been through a lot for me." Lin Tian felt a warmth in his heart and patted the space beside him. "Sit here and have some with me."

Bai Yun shifted over, nestling against his shoulder like a little kitten. At that moment, the sounds from the television drew their attention again.

"Brother Lin, what are you watching?" Bai Yun asked curiously, her large, bright eyes blinking.

"This show is quite interesting. How about I take you into the mountains to find treasures like she does in the future? Would you like that?" Lin Tian kept his eyes on the screen as he spoke.

Bai Yun nodded blankly, like a chick pecking at grain. "I’d love to!"

"Hmm." Lin Tian fell silent.

He was thinking that if he could really find valuable items in the mountains to sell, he would have to go explore once he was discharged. He could also check out that marketplace he had heard about to see if he could pick up any valuable stones. If he could make some money that way, he wouldn't have to worry about food and shelter anymore.

He recalled that the money he had received from Old Master Xiao on New Year's Eve had been partly donated to the orphanage and partly used for various expenses; there wasn't much left now. Having left the orphanage and wanting nothing to do with the Xiao family's misery, he had to rely on himself to make a living.

He watched the program with intense focus, afraid of missing any details. Even Bai Yun couldn't help but think to herself, *When did Brother Lin become so interested in these things?*

"The afternoon's hard work wasn't in vain—look, we found quite a few good things! That’s all for today’s show. See you at noon tomorrow, bye-bye."

The woman on the screen waved at the camera, followed by a long, hypnotic string of advertisements. Lin Tian organized the information he had gathered in his mind, learning quite a bit of useful knowledge.

That evening, the two ate and chatted about their childhood, laughing at the funny memories.

"Brother Lin, do you remember that New Year's Eve? The director went out for three days and didn't come back. There wasn't much food left in the orphanage, and we were all too hungry to even cry. You went out barefoot in the middle of the night to take a big bag of bread from someone else's house, and you ended up being chased by that family for over half an hour..."

As she spoke of this, Bai Yun’s eyes were full of admiration. If it had been her, she definitely would have been caught.

Lin Tian chuckled, caught off guard by the sudden assault of memories. If he hadn't been clever enough to hide in the snow back then, he probably would have been caught and sent to the police station.

"And there's more," Bai Yun recalled another incident. "In the third grade, a classmate bullied me at school. When you saw it, you charged at him like a madman and beat him until he was almost incapacitated. Later, his parents came to school and slapped you several times, but you took it without a word."

At this, Bai Yun couldn't help but shed tears. It was from that moment that her feelings for Lin Tian began to change, and she grew even more dependent on him.

Lin Tian hadn't known any of this at the time; he had only known that he couldn't let anyone bully his own, so he had protected her without a second thought. Even though the boy's parents had beaten him until he was foaming at the mouth and bleeding from the corner of his mouth, and the school had only mediated by having them pay a few hundred yuan, Lin Tian had actually been happy. After all, for the children at the orphanage, a few hundred yuan was a significant sum.

"The parents paid three hundred yuan to settle it back then—not a bad deal," Lin Tian sighed deeply.

As they were talking, the door was pushed open. Liu Qingqing entered with two IV drips. "Time to change the IV bottles."

Lin Tian didn't ask if she kept track of the time for every single patient; he just gave a polite, acknowledging smile. Bai Yun remained silent beside him.

"What's wrong? You two stopped talking as soon as I walked in," Liu Qingqing teased.

"Just whispering, didn't want anyone to hear," Lin Tian said, brushing it off. Liu Qingqing didn't press the matter.

After she left, Bai Yun said worriedly, "Brother Lin, I think I should go back and check on the children."

"Isn't the director looking after them?" Lin Tian frowned and glanced outside. "It's so late now; I can't let you go back. What if you run into someone bad?"

Bai Yun asked weakly, "Then where should I sleep tonight?"

"Just sleep right here. Move your things down. If that doesn't work, you can just sleep with me." Lin Tian said it so lightly, as if he didn't see anything improper about it.

Hearing this, Bai Yun blushed, her small hands twisting together. "Oh... okay."

In the middle of the night, while they were both asleep, the ward door suddenly opened. Xiao Ruoli had been feeling guilty all day for losing her temper and leaving Lin Tian there alone. After thinking about it for the whole afternoon, she returned to the ward. She hadn't expected that in just a few hours, someone else would be occupying the bed.

She stood there, unsure of what to do.

"Who is this girl?" Xiao Ruoli squinted, looking closely. "Could it be a friend from the orphanage?"

With that thought, she felt a bit more at ease, glad that someone was looking after Lin Tian while she wasn't there. She quietly backed out and gently closed the door.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Lin Tian felt much better after two days of recovery and told Bai Yun of his intention to be discharged.

"No way!" Bai Yun shook her head like a rattle. "You have to recover completely this time, or I won't let you leave!"

"You little girl, you've grown bold, haven't you? Daring to tell me what to do?" Lin Tian tapped her head lightly and said with a huff, "It's suffocating in here, and I can assure you I'm fine. If I keep lying here, I'll just wither away."

Since he insisted, Bai Yun didn't press the issue.

"Fine. But Brother Lin, you must take care of yourself when you get back. I have to go back now, too. You must come visit us at the orphanage when you have time! Don't you dare forget about everyone."