On that frustrating night, Li Dan and Feng Rongrong returned to their residence, exhausted.
"Working and studying is too difficult. If there's a next life," Li Dan said after a moment of silence, "I'd still choose to study abroad early."
The trials of these past days had transformed them from naive young girls into mature women, from clueless individuals to those capable of changing a lightbulb by hand. They had gone from avoiding household chores to becoming kitchen masters, capable of doing anything and eating anything.
Far from their pampered demeanor at home, the hardships and pressures they had endured while studying abroad had become the driving force for their growth.
As the two were deep in conversation, Li Dan's stomach suddenly rumbled, causing sharp pain in her abdomen.
Li Dan's face immediately turned pale. She curled up, crying out, "My stomach hurts so much!"
Seeing this, Feng Rongrong fumbled for stomach medicine from the first-aid kit. "Dandan, are you feeling unwell in your stomach?"
"Yes, it's a sudden discomfort. I feel so nauseous, I want to throw up." As she spoke, Li Dan vomited, terrifying Feng Rongrong.
Li Dan coughed incessantly, showing no signs of improvement. What could be done now?
"Zhang Tianxing, Zhang Tianxing!" Feng Rongrong called out loudly. Facing this situation alone, a female student, she was immediately flustered and didn't know what to do.
Hearing Feng Rongrong's cries, Zhang Tianxing snapped out of his deep study. He immediately rushed over.
Upon seeing Li Dan's condition, Zhang Tianxing carefully examined her vomit and discovered traces of blood.
Zhang Tianxing's expression changed. "Help Li Dan up, put her coat on her, and we'll take her to the hospital."
Li Dan shook her head frantically. Zhang Tianxing was unaware, but they both knew: in America, one couldn't afford to get sick. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that a moderately well-off family could be reduced to poverty by an illness. Students couldn't afford it. Usually, they would grit their teeth and see if they could endure it, or check the student support groups for suitable medication.
If they could take medicine, they would, and they would absolutely avoid American hospitals.
Feng Rongrong said with a troubled expression, "Zhang Tianxing, do you have any strong stomach medicine? Dandan said her stomach hurts. Have her take some medicine and see."
"Are you sure? She just vomited blood. Is this a situation that can be solved with medicine?" Zhang Tianxing retorted.
Li Dan was now curled into a ball, her voice weak and trembling. "It's nothing. I'll be fine if I take some medicine and drink some water."
Seeing Li Dan's state, Zhang Tianxing chuckled. "Stop being stubborn. You can barely speak. Look at how weak you are."
Feng Rongrong looked at Li Dan's expression and slowly nodded. Lives were at stake, and going to the hospital was the only option. She regretted studying finance instead of medicine; if she had studied medicine, she could have helped her best friend.
"You clean up here, I'll go get a car," Zhang Tianxing said, rushing out.
Zhang Tianxing went to his neighbor's door. "Charlie! Wake up, I need something."
The neighbor's light came on, and a sleepy Charlie stood before Zhang Tianxing with a displeased look. "Oriental boy, give me an explanation, or I'll report you to the police."
Zhang Tianxing handed him two hundred-dollar bills. "Dear Charlie, my roommate is sick, and I need your car. I'll fill it up with gas for you."
Charlie looked at the bills in his hand. "Alright, the keys are here. If there are any violations..."
"It's all on me. We're neighbors!" Zhang Tianxing said with a smile, taking the keys. "Good night, Charlie."
Zhang Tianxing immediately opened the car, started it, and drove it to his door, carrying Li Dan into it.
Li Dan was now barely breathing, her complexion a deep yellow, not the pale color from before. Zhang Tianxing frowned.
This little girl's body was a bit frail, and her current reaction was not optimistic.
Without time to think, Zhang Tianxing sped towards the hospital.
The twenty-minute journey took him eight minutes, and he rushed Li Dan into the emergency room.
The on-duty doctor quickly took Li Dan inside upon seeing her condition.
"Feng Rongrong, where do I pay?" Zhang Tianxing asked, unable to find the payment location.
"You don't pay here. Treatment first, then payment. They'll mail the medical bill to your home," Feng Rongrong said, turning to Zhang Tianxing with a worried expression.
It seemed Zhang Tianxing was indeed from a wealthy family and had never done anything himself. He didn't even understand the American healthcare system.
"You were driving so fast earlier, there must have been violations, right?"
"Who knows? We'll find out if we ask," Zhang Tianxing replied nonchalantly.
As they were talking, a police car pulled into the hospital.
"Who was driving this car just now?" an officer emerged from the police car, pointing at Charlie's car.
"Damn, it's not even tomorrow yet, and I've been caught red-handed," Zhang Tianxing stood up and said, "It was me, officer. Is there a problem?"
"Please present your driver's license, and there's a fine of five hundred dollars for speeding."
Zhang Tianxing immediately produced his driver's license. Fortunately, Guo Jiajia had helped him apply for an international driver's license before he left the country; otherwise, he would have been driving without a license. It was good to have a thoughtful and considerate female assistant who thought of everything.
After Zhang Tianxing paid the five hundred-dollar fine, the officer said, "Given that your destination is the hospital, we won't detain you. This is a one-time exception."
"Thank you!" Zhang Tianxing said gratefully. Damn, he had lost a lot tonight.
After dealing with everything, Zhang Tianxing returned to the emergency room. The doctor came out.
"Fortunately, you brought her in promptly. Otherwise, this young lady would have lost her life."
"What's her condition? Why is it so serious?" Feng Rongrong asked urgently. What was going on? Why was it so serious? It seemed Li Dan's plan to save money was ruined and completely disrupted. Her saving plan was over.
"There are two possibilities: one is gastroenteritis, which can be treated with medication. The other is acute appendicitis, which we have surgically removed. You can either handle hospitalization or go home for treatment later."
Feng Rongrong thought for a moment and said, "Doctor, we'll go home for treatment. Please prescribe some medicine for us." Zhang Tianxing was astonished. What? They had surgery, and she didn't want to stay in the hospital for a couple of days of rest? He couldn't understand.
However, Zhang Tianxing didn't want to spend any more money. Anyway, the hospital treated first and then sent a bill. He wouldn't have to pay for it.
The doctor nodded. He had seen this kind of situation too often. These international students were poor and couldn't afford to be treated in hospitals. It seemed this young lady was going to have to spend a lot.