Chapter 36 This sentiment is heavy...

Xie Tang stopped talking and walked to the window.

There was an old tree in the hospital garden, with only bare branches remaining.

"Li Zan," she said, gazing out the window, her voice slightly unsteady, "I don't even want to think about what I'll do if the surgery doesn't go well..."

She was almost overwhelmed by immense worry.

Whenever she thinks of the hardships her mother has endured over the years, and the difficulties she has faced since the divorce, her heart feels like it's being tightly gripped, making it hard to breathe.

We've survived the darkest five years, as long as we get through today...

"She'll be alright."

A deep voice came from behind him.

Xie Tang's heart skipped a beat, and she turned around abruptly to see Chu Song's tall figure approaching.

She couldn't hide her surprise, "What are you doing here?"

He lowered his head, looking at her gently, and said, "After thinking about it, I still think I should stay here with you and wait for the result."

Although Chu Song's explanation was simple, Xie Tang's tense nerves strangely relaxed the moment he appeared.

This person brought her a great sense of security time and time again during her darkest moments.

Chu Song noticed that she wasn't wearing makeup today, and the dark circles under her eyes and her pale complexion were unusually obvious. He also glanced at the bowl of soup noodles on the bench that hadn't been touched.

He picked it up; the soup was still warm.

"Have something else to eat." He handed over the bowl.

Seeing her shake her head, he picked up his chopsticks, took a strand of rice noodles, and asked gently but insistently, "Do you want me to feed you?"

Xie Tang was taken aback by his sudden action, her face flushing slightly: "No, no need, I can do it myself."

She went to the restroom to wash her face and came back.

Chu Song then handed the bowl and chopsticks to her.

Xie Tang sat on the bench and silently finished the entire bowl of noodles.

Chu Song took the empty box, threw it into the trash can, and sat down next to her.

“I asked the attending physician,” he looked at her, his voice steady, “the probability of the surgery being successful is as high as your chances of winning a lawsuit.”

Xie Tang looked up, her eyes filled with peace of mind.

You must trust the doctor.

Li Zan, standing to the side, seemed somewhat dazed. He noticed that Xie Tang's tense expression had actually relaxed because of Chu Song—he seemed to possess a power that could soothe the turmoil in people's hearts.

Li Zan was very pleased to see that he treated Xie Tang well.

Qin Wu and Chu Yi appeared in the distance of the corridor, holding a bouquet of flowers.

Qin Wu dared not step forward, standing at a distance, her gaze nervously glancing at Xie Tang.

The moment Xie Tang saw them, her anger surged.

She didn't understand where they got the audacity to set foot here, nor did she believe they genuinely cared about her mother.

She suppressed her anger and simply ignored it.

The surgery lasted a full five hours.

When the operating room door opened and the doctors came out one after another, Xie Tang wanted to rush forward to ask questions, but her legs suddenly trembled as if they had lost their strength, and she didn't even have the strength to stand up—it was a kind of torment mixed with extreme anticipation and fear.

Chu Song reached out and supported her arm at just the right moment.

Li Zan was the first to step forward. The attending physician took off his mask, his gaze swept over everyone, and finally landed on Chu Song: "The surgery was a success."

The weight lifted from her heart, and a wave of bittersweetness rushed to Xie Tang's nose.

She pressed on urgently, asking, "Will the illness relapse? Will my body have a rejection reaction?"

"Nothing is absolute, but the possibility of recurrence is extremely small. Whether the new spinal cord will be rejected requires long-term observation and follow-up treatment. It is recommended to stay in the hospital for observation for a week before discharge," the doctor explained patiently.

"Okay, thank you!" Xie Tang bowed deeply, filled with gratitude.

This feeling of gratitude is perhaps similar to that of her victorious clients.

At the other end of the corridor, Qin Wu breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the result, her guilt greatly reduced: "That's great!"

Chu Yi gently stroked her head: "Are you relieved now? Let's go back."

"I want to apologize to Auntie..." Qin Wu pursed her lips.

"You did nothing wrong," Chu Yi said helplessly.

"Although it did not cause a major disaster, it was ultimately caused by me."

"Whatever you want," Chu Yi sighed softly, reminding him, "but the anesthetic hasn't worn off yet, so there's no point in you staying here, and you might even annoy people."

Qin Wu gently placed the bouquet at the door of the ward and left with Chu Yi.

Xie Tang stayed by her mother's bedside all night, and Chu Song also silently stayed with her all night.

Xie Tang advised him to go back and rest, but Chu Song said it was inconvenient for her to go alone.

The next morning, Aunt Yu arrived carrying two large insulated containers.

Seeing Xie Tang's haggard face, she said with heartache, "Tang, go and rest on the sofa for a while. I'll take care of you."

Xie Tang shook his head in thanks and asked her why she had come.

"Your mother knew about your mother's surgery and specifically asked me to come. She doesn't dare to bother you now and said she'll come to visit after your mother is discharged. You must be exhausted after all these days. I made your favorite dishes, so please eat something and rest." Aunt Yu's smile was warm.

Xie Tang's nose tingled with emotion: "Thank you, Aunt Yu."

Aunt Yu laid out the food: "It tastes best when it's hot."

Xie Tang then realized he was hungry and began to eat heartily.

"It's all yours, no one's going to take it from you." Aunt Yu smiled, looking around. "Isn't Ah Song right here?"

"Brother Song has something to do at the company, so he has to go."

Aunt Yu nodded and smiled, "I didn't expect him to come and keep you company. You know what? He was supposed to fly to Macau yesterday to handle an important business deal, and Lao Zhao even saw him off at the airport. But just before boarding, he asked Lao Zhao to turn back and go straight to the hospital."

Xie Tang's heart suddenly stopped beating at that moment.

Aunt Yu's casual words were like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, stirring up a storm in her heart.

That man... did it all for her?

In order to be by her side during her mother's most critical and agonizing time of surgery, he gave up flying to Australia to handle "important business".

"Did he... come to the hospital specifically to be with me?"

Xie Tang heard her own voice tremble with disbelief. Her heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly by an invisible hand and then suddenly released. The strange, unprecedented impact almost suffocated her.

I think so.

Aunt Yu's affirmative answer and meaningful smile were like a ray of light, suddenly illuminating those details she had deliberately ignored or even suppressed—

His calm voice outside the operating room dispelled her panic.

And his silent vigil throughout the night...

These images are now bathed in a brand new, scorching glow.

A tremendous, almost dizzying sense of overwhelming flattery and bewilderment instantly gripped her. It was like being thrown into a warm whirlpool, drowning in it yet feeling a chaotic panic she couldn't control.

She didn't understand.

I don't understand why he went to this point.

Their relationship began with a cold, transactional contract, which should have been a clearly defined partnership.

She was used to bearing things alone, used to weighing gains and losses rationally, and had never expected or been prepared to accept such a heavy and unreasonable "goodness".

But what Chu Song did went far beyond the boundaries that a collaborator or even a "friend" should have.

For such a distinguished and busy person as him, time is money, the very gear that keeps his vast business empire running.

She knew without even thinking about the weight of that "important business" in Australia.

But he turned the car around, dropped everything, and went straight to the hospital, just to sit quietly beside her during her most vulnerable and vulnerable moment.

This sentiment weighed heavily on her heart, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

What followed was a deeper unease and self-doubt—was she worthy?

Is it worth the exorbitant price he paid, worth his seemingly unreserved concern?

This question grew wildly in her chest, mixed with an unprecedented warmth.

The once calm and composed Xie Tang, who kept her emotions firmly sealed, was now on the verge of collapse.

All the fragments of memory about Chu Song were re-examined, connected, and amplified in this shocking realization.

He is special.

This realization was no longer a vague perception or a hint from others, but rather it crashed into her heart in an overwhelming and undeniable way.

It was a kind of emotional response that transcended contracts and rational calculations.

Perhaps the feeling of being moved is a new bud that quietly sprouts in the gap between this heavy sense of being "overwhelmed with gratitude" and "self-doubt".

It emerged from the earth, filled with fear and unease, yet unable to resist drawing upon all the warmth and strength it felt from him.

The man named Chu Song was no longer just a contractual husband or business partner; his very existence began to touch the softest and most vulnerable part of her heart in an unprecedented way.

She knew that something was different.

At that very moment, upon learning that he had "come specifically for her," she was filled with confusion and excitement as she repeatedly asked herself, "Was it worth it?" but could find no answer.

"Then... what about the business?"

"Old Zhao said that A Song sent A Li. A Li complained a lot on the phone, but in the end, he still went obediently. Don't be fooled by the fact that one of them lives in Beijing and the other in Shenzhen, and they don't communicate much. A Li actually cares a lot about his younger brother..."

Xie Tang listened, feeling a little relieved, and her drowsiness dissipated considerably. She chatted with Aunt Yu while eating: "When they were little, my older brother always bullied Song Ge, but now that they've grown up, they're very loving towards each other..."

"It's also thanks to Master Chu's good discipline. It's just that these two brothers have suffered," Aunt Yu sighed softly. "In a family like this, for the sake of family honor and outward harmony, they have to swallow all their grievances..."

Xie Tang's thoughts were in turmoil, and he felt deeply helpless about the complicated situation of the Chu family.

Chu Zhi's philandering ways have harmed the family. The patriarch Chu stubbornly took back his illegitimate son, Chu Yi, which only made him more domineering and autocratic.

Even though Chu Li and Chu Song were dissatisfied, they had no choice but to accept it for the sake of the overall situation and their family responsibilities.

In this intricately connected family, everyone has their own unavoidable hardships, and upon reflection, one can't help but feel a little sorry for them.

After the anesthesia wore off, Xie Shuang experienced some pain, but fortunately, no other adverse reactions were observed, allowing Xie Tang to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

With National Day approaching, Xie Shuang reminded Xie Tang to take some time to visit her maternal grandparents.

Xie Tang had the same idea and expressed his intention to have the two elders live with him.

Xie Shuang naturally agreed, but she was also worried that the elderly man was used to life in the small town and would not want to leave his hometown.

Xie Tang said, "I'll think of a way."