Chapter 76 Do You Want Me to Beg You
Lily couldn't shake the worry she had felt for Michael's stomach issues in her past life.
But now here he was, moved to tears over a simple bowl of oatmeal Sophie had made for him.
Why did she even bother trying to help him?
Eric's sarcastic voice interrupted her thoughts, "Michael, shouldn't you be calling your sweet and considerate fake sister to keep you company? Why are you clinging to Lily?"
Michael wanted to respond, but Alvin nudged him aside to get checked out.
The attending doctor sighed, looking at Lily, "Last time he refused treatment and checked out early, then went straight back to drinking. It's practically a death wish. If he keeps this up, it's only a matter of time before it turns into stomach cancer."
Lily remembered that in her past life, Michael had always managed his condition well, and it never got this bad.
Leaving the office, she saw Dennis waiting outside.
She walked over to him, "Where's Eric?"
"He went to the restroom. What did the doctor say?"
"The doctor said he needs treatment and to take his medication regularly, or it could worsen into stomach cancer."
Lily felt a wave of emotion wash over her.
Dennis knew she was kind-hearted; otherwise, she wouldn't have come to the hospital at all.
He hesitated, "What are you planning to do?"
"I don't know."
Lily looked up at Dennis, "Do you have a girlfriend?"
They were standing close to each other.
Dennis avoided her gaze, "We're not together yet."
She spoke softly, "Is it the girl we saw at the restaurant?"
She had seen Dennis dining with a girl once.
Dennis's throat tightened, "No."
An awkward silence fell between them.
Before long, Michael came out in a wheelchair, looking pale.
Seeing him like that, Lily's tone was distant, "The doctor said you should accept treatment, take your medication on time, and stop drinking."
"My memory's terrible. I always forget. You used to be around to remind me, but now that you're not home, I keep forgetting."
Michael's words were loaded with meaning, and he could see the softness in Lily's eyes.
It seemed she still had some feelings for him as her brother.
If being sick could bring Lily back, he'd rather stay ill.
Lily's lips curled in a mocking smile, "You can have Sophie remind you. She loves doing that kind of thing."
Michael was taken aback, "I think the medicinal food you used to make was effective, but you're the only one who knows how to make it. I know you put in a lot of effort before, and it was my fault..."
"But that's not medicine. It won't help."
Lily understood what Michael was implying, but she didn't respond.
She looked at Michael, "Just focus on your treatment. I'm leaving."
"Lily, will you come back to see me?"
Michael's eyes were filled with hope.
Lily felt a bit soft-hearted, but remembered seeing Sophie at the hospital last time.
Her voice was calm as she refused, "We'll see."
With that, Lily left without staying at the hospital any longer.
Michael watched her leave and turned to Alvin, "Do you think Lily's starting to forgive me?"
Alvin doubted it. He thought Michael had a long way to go if he wanted to win Lily back.
Lily and Dennis returned to the apartment together.
Eric hurried ahead, "I need to use the bathroom. You guys take your time."
Lily and Dennis walked behind him. She turned her head, "I didn't expect that company to be Eric's. Are you working there too?"
"Yeah, through some connections."
They walked into the elevator side by side. Lily felt frustrated and glanced at their reflections in the elevator doors.
She caught a whiff of alcohol from him, "Can I ask you something?"
Dennis adjusted his collar and looked at her intently, "What is it?"
Lily hesitated, then couldn't bring herself to speak.
Dennis stepped closer, looking down at her, "Go ahead."
His intense gaze made Lily back up until she was pressed against the elevator wall.
She bit her lip, "It's nothing."
Dennis felt inexplicably irritated and flicked her forehead, "Don't overthink it."
Lily covered her forehead.
What did he mean by that? Was he talking about Michael being in the hospital or having a girlfriend?
When the elevator doors opened, Lily bolted out.
Dennis followed, rubbing his temples. It had been a while since he'd drunk so much, and he felt a bit dizzy.
Back at the apartment, Eric looked up, "How'd it go?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb. When you mentioned having a girlfriend at dinner, Lily had a big reaction. Don't tell me you didn't notice."
Dennis poured himself a glass of water and leaned against the table. He swirled the glass slowly, "Once she goes off to college, she'll forget about today."
Once she sees more of the world, she'll grow. All he could do was watch her leave.
Eric gave Dennis a look, "I hope so."
But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with Dennis this time. Maybe Dennis hadn't realized that his feelings had changed in a way he didn't quite understand.
In the days that followed, Lily felt awkward around Dennis. She did have feelings for him, after all.
Now, Lily was pretty sure that her online crush from her past life wasn't Dennis. Even though their game names were the same, they probably weren't the same person.
Lily remembered that her past life's crush would appear in the game soon, in less than half a month.
She thought she might try to accidentally meet him.
During her live stream that evening, Lily noticed her fans asking about the finals.
[Lemon, are you going to participate in the finals?]
[Titan Team's lineup won't stand a chance without you.]
[If the Roberts family is so biased, let that awful woman compete! Our Lemon isn't someone who comes and goes at their beck and call!]
Lily glanced at the time and realized the finals were tomorrow.
She hadn't planned on participating, so she hadn't kept track of the date.
She noticed the names on her fan list, including Michael and Austin. They were both online, watching the stream.
Maybe the fans' questions were planned.
Lily's voice was calm, "I don't plan to participate in this competition, but I'll definitely join the next one."
Better to clear things up early to avoid trouble.
After she spoke, she noticed Austin had left the stream. Hopefully, Austin would get the message.
On the other side, Austin angrily exited the stream, feeling a mix of frustration and disappointment.
Only now did he truly realize that Lily wasn't coming back for the competition.
He had always hoped that Lily wouldn't abandon the Roberts family's honor. After all, it had always been important to her.
She had even come back for the revival match last time. He believed she wouldn't skip the finals, thinking she was just sulking.
But this time, he was wrong.
Austin, laughing and crying, looked at Michael, "Michael, what should I do?"
"Austin, I've told you before, your apologies lack sincerity, and you've been bullying her. If I were her, I wouldn't forgive you either."
"But I've always talked to Lily like that, ever since we were kids, and she never got mad. Why did she suddenly change?"
Austin couldn't understand, "I used to argue with her because I didn't want to lose my pride. She's my sister; I'd never really hurt her."
When someone hit Lily at the branch office, he was the first to rush over.
He just didn't say it out loud. Why couldn't Lily understand?
"Austin, what are you going to do about the competition?"
"I'll talk to David. He'll find a way to get Lily to compete!"