"We demand to be admitted! The boy is this sick, how can your hospital just watch him die and do nothing!" Adam Lawson roared at the doctor, his face flushed with anger.

The recent heatwave, combined with rolling blackouts, had been unbearable for Adam Lawson and his family. His young son, Joel Lawson, complained about the heat every single day.

At first, the family of six had been freeloading off the air conditioning at the mall. But now, the mall was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with people trying to do the same thing. On top of that, with the rise in fuel prices, running the generators had become too expensive, so the mall simply turned off the AC altogether.

Then, Adam Lawson heard that the government-run shelters for residents of the tornado disaster zone also had air conditioning, so they planned to sneak in and stay there. However, the guard on duty at the shelter entrance found out that their house wasn’t in the affected area and refused to let them in.

Defeated, Adam Lawson and his family could only go home.

They had been planning to go home and just endure it, but they ran into two of their neighbors right at their front door.

The neighbors were a father and son. A few days ago, the elderly father had suffered a heart attack triggered by heatstroke and was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. He had just been discharged today.

The old man joked with Adam Lawson’s family, "The past few days in the hospital were great. The wards have AC 24/7. It’s so hot at home, and the power’s out... honestly, it’s better to just live in the hospital. You can just lie there and enjoy the cool air."

Hearing this, an idea sparked in the minds of Adam Lawson’s family: to go to the hospital and freeload a bed and some air conditioning.

Among the six members of their family, only Joel Lawson, their precious grandson, had commercial health insurance. For a one-day hospital stay, it would only cost a few bucks after the insurance reimbursement.

So, the family decided to have Joel pretend to be sick to scam their way into a hospital bed, while the others would stay under the pretext of keeping him company.

To make Joel look genuinely ill, Adam Lawson and Noelle Quillan had wrapped him in a jacket for the entire trip. Now, Joel’s face was flushed red, and he felt dizzy. Cradled in Adam’s arms, he was somewhat delirious.

But to their surprise, the doctor wouldn’t admit him at all!

The doctor in the white coat said sternly, "Like I said, his condition doesn’t require hospitalization at all. He doesn’t even need to go to the heatstroke ward. Just go to a supermarket, buy a bottle of ice water, take off his clothes, and wipe him down with it. If you need, you can also buy 4°C saline solution here at the hospital."

"No way! My grandson needs to be admitted! And you call yourselves a service industry? Is this how you treat patients?" Adam Lawson’s mother shouted angrily.

"This is a public hospital! You can’t waste medical resources! If you want to be admitted so badly, go to a private hospital. You can stay there for tens of thousands a day! If you continue to cause a scene here, I’ll have to call security!" the doctor replied, growing angry. He had been dealing with unreasonable people like this all week, all of them just trying to freeload the free air conditioning, and it was giving the hospital administration a massive headache.

Adam Lawson and his family were about to protest further, but the doctor directly called over the security guards on duty, who dragged them out the door.

Around a corner just inside the entrance, Melody Summers couldn’t dodge in time and came face-to-face with Adam Lawson and his family.

Adam Lawson froze, then awkwardly straightened his clothes, which had been wrinkled by the security guards. He asked, "Melody, what are you doing here? Are you and your mother doing okay?"

Adam had previously schemed to get his hands on Melody’s school-district apartment. But just a few days later, a devastating tornado had struck. The walls of that apartment building were said to have cracked, and its property value had plummeted.

Adam felt lucky that Melody hadn’t agreed when he’d offered to buy it for 600,000. He was even a little smug that the apartment was now ruined. ’The worse Winnie’s life is,’ he thought, ’the more certain I am that cheating and getting a divorce was the right decision.’

Melody Summers replied flatly, "We’re fine."

Meanwhile, a groggy Joel Lawson only saw the cucumber in Melody’s hand and immediately started shouting, "Daddy, I want a cucumber!"

He hadn’t eaten any vegetables in a long time and had almost forgotten what a cucumber even tasted like.

Hearing this, Adam Lawson also noticed the cucumber and was shocked that Melody could still get her hands on vegetables. He put on a fawning smile and said to her, "Give the cucumber to your little brother. He’s got a bit of heatstroke, and a cucumber would be perfect for rehydrating him."

With that, he reached out to grab the cucumber from Melody’s hand.

Beside him, Noelle Quillan and their daughter, Joelle Lawson, couldn’t help but swallow. They wanted some too. Lately, all they had been eating was dried noodles mixed with Lao Gan Ma chili sauce. Fresh vegetables, fruits, and meat were too expensive, and whenever a new shipment arrived, it was snatched up in a frenzy. They could never buy any.

Adam Lawson’s parents also narrowed their eyes, staring covetously at Melody.

Melody dodged Adam’s outstretched hand. "You want it? 300 yuan a piece."

Hearing this, Adam frowned. "Melody, when did you become so materialistic? A girl shouldn’t be so obsessed with material things. You can’t be like your mother, with her mind only on money."

Melody snorted. "Oh, you’re not materialistic? Then pay up. This is your precious son, the one meant to bring glory to your ancestors. What, is he not worthy of a 300-yuan cucumber?"

At this, Adam’s mother cursed at her, "You worthless girl! My grandson wanting your food is an honor for you! How dare you ask for money!?"

Adam’s father also narrowed his eyes and said, "A worthless girl like you who doesn’t know how to respect her elders or care for the young... don’t blame us for disowning you. When we die, we don’t want you wearing mourning clothes for us!"

Melody laughed out loud. "When you die, I’ll be too busy setting off firecrackers to celebrate. Mourning clothes? In your dreams. Are you buying it or not? If not, I’m leaving."

Adam looked at the precious son in his arms, gritted his teeth, and nodded. "Fine, I’ll buy it!"

"Too bad. I don’t feel like selling it anymore." Melody gave them a scornful smile, turned, and strode into the hospital.

Joel Lawson immediately started wailing in anger. At home, he was a little emperor; his sister, father, mother, and grandparents all catered to his every whim. He had never been denied anything like this.

Adam, furious and humiliated, wanted to grab Melody, but the on-duty security guards were all watching him like hawks. He could only mutter a few curses before turning to leave with his parents, wife, and children.

*

Back in the family waiting area of the heatstroke clinic, Melody Summers gave the bread and the cucumber to Holly.

"This cucumber must have been so expensive. You eat it. I’ll just have some bread," Holly said, feeling a bit embarrassed. She knew that vegetables and fruits were only available from indoor farms now, and the prices were exorbitant.

"It’s okay, you eat it," Melody said with a reassuring smile.

Holly accepted it gratefully but still couldn’t bring herself to eat it. She decided to save it for her son, Buddy.

A short while later, the doctor wheeled Buddy out.

Buddy’s temperature had dropped. He was still a little dazed, but thankfully, he had regained consciousness.

"Make sure to keep him cool at home," the doctor instructed. "It’s too hot right now. If you live on a high floor, try to stay on a lower level during the afternoon. Wait until it cools down in the evening before going back up."

Holly, holding Buddy, nodded repeatedly.

Melody drove the mother and son home. On the way, Holly gave the cucumber to Buddy. He chomped on it with relish. He used to hate vegetables more than anything, but now, he thought this cucumber was so crisp and sweet—it was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten!

The three of them returned to The Metropolis Residences. Melody drove Holly and Buddy directly to Crystal Mart. The upper floors were too hot now, so they would take refuge in Crystal Mart for a while and head home once the sun began to set.

But just as she arrived at the supermarket, she heard a terrible piece of news: there had been a death in The Metropolis Residences!