You Are Still Here

Chapter 28

Spring passed uneventfully. Cheng Zheng's birthday was going to be in the early days of August. Ten-odd days before the big day, he had already reminded Yun Jin umpteen times about his upcoming special day. Yun Jin thought long and hard about a suitable present, a task made more difficult because he insisted that he didn't want any gift that can be bought with money. Although his father Cheng Yan Sheng never spoilt him with materialistic possessions, for his dear son's 23rd birthday, he and his wife Zhang Jin Yin decided to buck tradition and get him a special gift which would remain a surprise.

To ensure that he reserved his special day for Yun Jin, Cheng Zheng started holding birthday celebrations with his different batches of colleagues and friends many days before it. One night, Yun Jin was alone at home and halfway through a Go match when she received a call from her uncle's handphone. In all these years, uncle rarely talked to her so mother was their common channel. Yun Jin had a premonition that something bad was about to happen.

Perhaps the whole world is truly under the terror of Murphy's Law – the more afraid you were of something happening, the more likely it would befall you. Uncle had only made it through half his speech but Yun Jin's heart had already plunged into an abyss.

Hey mother had been suffering from malaise for a long period. Originally, everyone assumed it was just an ordinary gynaecological issue. However after two months, her mother could not bear with it any longer and headed for the hospital for a thorough investigation only to discover it was mid-stage cervical cancer. Uncle had been caught off-guard and he admitted her into the hospital immediately.

An operation and treatment expenses totalled to a great sum of money. Mother didn't have insurance coverage and uncle was no longer as well-off as he once was. To tide through this, he had misappropriated company funds in his capacity as manager. He had intended to put the funds back before the year-end accounting was done but unfortunately, as fate would have it, this August the entire company was being subject to sudden account checks and his branch was next. Where on earth was he going to find such a large sum of money in time? If his fraud was uncovered, not only would he lose his job, but his reputation would also be ruined. The only silver lining was that mom's condition stabilised with that timely sum of money.

"How much is it?" Yun Jin ordered herself to remain composed but her voice still quivered.

"One hundred and fourteen thousand."

"One hundred ..." Yun Jin's voice trailed off.

"Yun Jin, you must understand your mom needed chemotherapy. And then there was also expensive medication ..." Uncle jumped in anxiously.

"She's my mother! My own mother! Why didn't you tell me in the first instance instead of touching money you had no business to? Why!" Yun Jin lost her cool and interrupted her uncle as tears poured down her face. "It's been two months. How long did you intend to hide it from me? What do you want me to do now?"

Uncle was startled at her outburst and he became even more incoherent "Yun Jin ... It's not like that ... Your mom is fine at the moment. We didn't want to inform you at first because your mom didn't want you to worry cause even if we did tell you, you have only just started working, where would you have that kind of money? ... I know Cheng Zheng is rich. Initially I wanted you to borrow from him ... That is a loan, not a handout from him but your mom refused. She said if you were to borrow from him, you may never be able to hold your own in his presence in future ... You don't have to say it but I know you have your pride. Uncle is really useless. I have made things difficult for you ... If your mom didn't mention it, I wouldn't even have thought of the repercussions if you were to take a loan from him. I'm a boorish man. But since your mom married me, I want the very best for her. I thought we could quietly tide through this, who knew we would be so unlucky? ... Yun Jin ... I wouldn't be calling you if I could help it. Your mom doesn't know about this conversation we're having. I'm just afraid if I'm found out, even Director Zhang won't look good ..."