Shen Jiarui's words made Luo Wuyan stop at the door of the room, her nose filled with boundless sorrow, and her eyes were soaked with tears.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "My father's ambition is not just to create a Shen Group that is almost the same type as the Luo Group. What he wants is far more than that."

He looked down on the Shen family and would never agree to a marriage alliance with them.

Shen Jiarui's pupils contracted slightly. "He doesn't even look down on the Shen family? Then whose family would he look down on?"

He always believed that being born into the top conglomerate Shen family was his greatest source of confidence since childhood.

But now they are still disliked.

"There's no point in saying anything more. Let's end our relationship here. I'm also very grateful for the care you've given me during this time."

Luo Wuyan slammed the door shut as she entered the room.

They were only separated by a door.

He can just open the door and go in.

His feet felt as if they were bound by a thousand-pound weight, and he could not move forward even half a step.

He knew that even if he rushed in, opened the door, and coaxed her back, it would be too late.

It also prevented her from fulfilling her wish to leave.

Without solving the fundamental problem, all efforts will be in vain.

It would be better to wait until he is truly capable of getting rid of her predicament; then everything will fall into place.

A deep, lingering pain surged and spread in Shen Jiarui's heart. He stood outside for an unknown amount of time.

The constant vibrations of his phone pulled Shen Jiarui back from his grief.

The call was from his mother, probably asking him to go back and handle the Shen family's affairs.

I got up and went to the kitchen, washed a pot of millet, put it in the porridge pot, and set the timer.

He left a note on the living room table telling her to get up and eat something before leaving the apartment.

The sound of Shen Jiarui closing the door rang out.

Luo Wuyan came out of the bedroom, walked to the kitchen door, and looked at the steam rising from the pot and the aroma of rice spreading everywhere.

She leaned against the door frame, her expression sorrowful and forlorn.

She said it was just for fun, but she ended up giving her heart to him.

——

night.

The Lu family villa was brightly lit.

Lu Zhiwei stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in the second-floor living room, holding her phone and constantly contacting well-known doctors both at home and abroad.

She wanted to know if there was any possibility of a cure for Shen Jinmo's illness.

After asking around...

Almost all of them received the same answer.

Some doctors even said, "If Song Hanzheng, the legendary neurosurgeon from back then, were still alive, perhaps we could give it a shot."

But the name Song Hanzheng has been forever frozen four years ago.

He could no longer live to stand up and treat Shen Jinmo.

Shen Jinmo is facing an intractable deadlock.

Lu Zhiwei put away her phone, sighed, and turned around.

Lu Anyu, wearing cartoon cotton pajamas, stood behind her, his round pupils covered with a thin layer of moisture, as if he could squeeze out tears at any moment.

"Mommy! Is Daddy really going to die?"

Going back to Mommy's side should be a very happy thing.

But the price he paid for this was losing his father, whom he had just found, which was nothing to be happy about.

Lu Zhiwei stood there silently, her eyes lowered.

She didn't know how to explain it to her son.

The little guy doesn't understand the complexities of adults.

All he knew was that death was a terrible thing, that it could send people to very, very far places, where they would never meet again.

"Mommy, let's be nicer to Daddy from now on, okay?" Lu Anyu suddenly rushed to her side, hugged her legs, and pleaded in a childish voice.

Lu Zhiwei held his small head in her arms, a sour feeling welling up in her nose.

"Um."

"Mommy, after my surgery, shall we ask Daddy to go to the art museum to see an exhibition?"

"OK."

Lu Zhiwei no longer coldly refused.

She could not repay Shen Jinmo's sacrifice with ordinary money and material things.

All he could do in his limited lifespan was to do everything he could with Lu Anyu.

Before we knew it, the day arrived for Lu Anyu's surgery.

Shen Jinmo donated bone marrow in advance, which was stored in the hospital's bone marrow registry.

Lu Zhiwei cooperated with Lu Anyu's physical examination and the doctor to determine the surgical plan and time.

Lu Anyu, who was about to enter the operating room, lay on the hospital bed, holding Lu Zhiwei's hand tightly.

Despite his young age, there was not a trace of fear on his face.

"Mommy, is Daddy here?" Before entering the operating room, the little guy wanted to see Shen Jinmo.

“He…” Lu Zhiwei sent a message to Shen Jinmo, but he didn’t reply. She didn’t know if he would come.

Just then, heavy footsteps came from the door of the ward.

Shen Jingmo, dressed in a black overcoat, appeared at the door with one hand in his pocket and a Lego box in his other hand.

His face was as pale as ever, and the cold wind made his bangs slightly disheveled.

They looked a bit travel-worn.

"An'an, Daddy's here." Shen Jinmo handed the toy to Lu Anyu.

Lu Anyu didn't take the toy. Instead, he pulled Shen Jinmo's cold hand over and placed it on Lu Zhiwei's hand: "With Daddy and Mommy with me, I'm not scared at all."

"An'an is the bravest baby in the world." Lu Zhiwei touched the little one's cheek.

The doctor came in and told Lu Anyu to change into sterile surgical gowns and enter the operating room.

Shen Jinmo suddenly bent down and whispered something to Lu Anyu.

After listening, Lu Anyu smiled.

"What did you say to him?" Lu Zhiwei asked curiously.

Lu Anyu shushed softly, "Mommy, this is a secret between Daddy and me."

After Lu Anyu was wheeled into the operating room, Lu Zhiwei and Shen Jinmo sat down on the bench outside the operating room.

Shen Jinmo's gaze kept sweeping over Lu Zhiwei's profile.

Her high, straight nose and curled eyelashes are like a work of art sculpted by God, exquisite and beautiful, and you can never get tired of looking at her.

Lu Zhiwei turned her head and caught Shen Jinmo's gaze.

Why are you staring at me like that?

Shen Jinmo's thin lips curved slightly, "Take a few more glances, in case you can't see it again later."

A single sentence plunged the atmosphere into sadness.

Lu Zhiwei's gaze lingered anxiously on Shen Jinmo's face: "Shen Jinmo, you're such a coward. You're afraid I'll hold a grudge against you for the rest of my life, so you've decided to desert first."

Shen Jinmo's thick eyebrows furrowed deeply, but a bright smile quickly spread across his face: "Do you know what I just said to An'an?"

"What?"

“I told him that I also had surgery and it didn’t hurt at all. Daddy isn’t a coward at all. You were born of Daddy, so you’re definitely braver than Daddy.”

Shen Jinmo said it with a smile.

Lu Zhiwei couldn't help but smile along with him.

Suddenly, the operating room door was pushed open, and a nurse wearing a mask hurriedly came out.

"The patient suddenly experienced severe bleeding, and the situation is critical. We need a family member's signature."

The nurse handed Lu Zhiwei a surgical informed consent form.

Lu Zhiwei's smile vanished abruptly. She took the document, glanced at it, and nearly fainted on the spot.

Fortunately, Shen Jinmo stepped in and helped her up in time.

"Doctor, what is the mortality rate for An'an's current condition?"

"A 50% probability."