Chapter 226 It turns out that was his last chance

"What?"

Lu Yanzhi didn't understand at first.

What is Shi Nian's file?

"Mr. Lu, I just went to the archives department to print Ms. Han Wei's medical records. The person there is a bit careless and pulled out Ms. Shi's file as well," Secretary Zhou said.

Lu Yanzhi frowned deeply as he stared at the documents in front of him.

He asked again, "You mean, this is Shi Nian's medical record from when she received treatment here?"

Zhou Zhiyu sighed deeply, nodded, and said, "President Lu, I wasn't sure at first, but after looking at some information, I confirmed that Miss had come to see a doctor a year ago."

Zhou Zhiyu paused slightly, glanced at Lu Yanzhi with concern, and then said, "Miss Shi is very ill."

Lu Yanzhi felt like he was in a dream.

Nothing of it is real.

He reached out and took the document from Zhou Zhiyu's hand, then opened it.

Zhou Zhiyu had already quietly left to attend to other matters, and the entire corridor was quiet, with only Lu Yanzhi standing there.

He flipped through the medical record page by page.

The doctor did not include the specific events in the report, but only the changes in the patient's condition, the treatment plan, and the medication used.

But these time points...

Lu Yan stopped falling and sat on a chair to the side, staring blankly at the ceiling that was illuminated by the light.

Judging from this medical record, her illness became more and more serious with each visit.

Later on, the doctors were even considering whether to notify the family.

Especially two months ago, her condition suddenly worsened.

If you calculate the timeline... then it happened during their cooling-off period.

To be more certain, based on the timeline, it was during her hospitalization.

He never visited her while she was hospitalized.

besides……

And that auction.

Lu Yanzhi closed his eyes in pain.

How could he possibly compete with her for that tanzanite, the birthstone she had prepared for her child?

The mere thought of it made him feel like he was dying.

Lu Yanzhi looked at the medical record again and again, his hand holding the paper trembling slightly.

The medical record states that she had previously refused to take the medication, but later told the doctor that she was willing to take it.

The timing also marked their first medical visit after going to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

He understood what she was thinking.

After losing that child in country F, the child remained a source of deep regret for both of them; they both longed to have another child.

So, the reason she refused to take the medication was that she wanted to have a child with him...

His fists were clenched so tightly they were trembling.

So, on that very night, she gave up on him completely.

He couldn't even remember what he said to her that night.

He remembered that he had brought up divorce.

She kept looking at him.

Is it really necessary to do this?

"And what about me?"

Are you sure you want a divorce?

"good."

That night, she seemed to have only said these four sentences.

After three confirmations, the final "okay" – is it letting go, or compromise?

Why didn't he notice it at that time?

Looking back on that night, all he remembers is the intimacy on the big bed and the frustration he felt when he proposed divorce.

At that time, he didn't know that it was her...last chance to give him.

The last time...

The corridor was filled with the smell of disinfectant, and his tears dripped onto the documents with a soft, pattering sound.

His hand holding the document trembled slightly.

For the first time in his life, he tasted such profound regret.

If... if he could have understood back then.

If he had seized the last chance she gave him, would things have turned out differently?

The words she said to him in the sunflower field are still vivid in my mind.

"Lu Yanzhi, we already have our own lovers."

"Keep moving forward, and look ahead in life."

"Don't hurt your loved ones like you did before."

And at the charity gala, in the rooftop garden, what she said—

"President Lu, don't show too much concern for people other than your own people, because that would be disloyal to her. It would upset her."

"President Lu, some people are dispensable."

"But some people, once they decide to leave, will never look back."

So... he's been the one hurting her, the one making her sad.

She was so heartbroken that she fell ill, but she didn't tell anyone. She secretly received treatment on her own, and because of their shared obsession with that child, she refused to take her medication.

In order to gain his attention and avoid being blamed, Han Wei pretended to have depression.

The one who is truly sick is Shi Nian.

If it weren't for that careless person in the archives department, she might never have let him know about this.

What was he doing while she was sick and in pain...?

“Ha…” Lu Yanzhi laughed painfully.

He was worsening her illness and intensifying her suffering.

In fact, she fell ill because of him in the first place.

Lu Yanzhi kept searching and found the date when Shi Nian first came to see a doctor.

He kept recalling what had happened some time before that point in time.

Something must have happened that overwhelmed her, causing her to develop obvious symptoms, which led her to seek medical attention.

Lu Yanzhi kept thinking, recalling each and every event.

Time seemed to be slowly rewinding.

With each step back, he realized that she seemed to love him a little more.

Finally, he found the point of change.

From the moment she saw him completely, to the moment she felt a little sad and disappointed, to the moment she completely gave up on him—that turning point.

One year ago, she held up her phone and told him she needed to talk to him.

"Ah Zhi, she messaged me." At that time, Shi Nian was wearing a white dress, her long, smooth hair reaching her waist, and she looked gentle and graceful.

She showed him her phone and said, "Ah Zhi, you need to give me an explanation. What's going on? I've heard a lot of rumors lately, saying that you and that florist, Han Wei, have a close relationship."

"She even messaged me. This is a provocation!"

He only glanced at his phone at that moment, and he felt annoyed.

“She doesn’t need to message you,” he said. “Shi Nian, what’s wrong with you lately? You’re always like this. Do you know how annoying it is for me?”

"This is the message she sent. You said I've been like this lately because I keep receiving messages from her... and, the photos taken by outsiders, of you and her going out to eat, coming and going together, and other things."

With red eyes, she pressed on, saying, "Ah Zhi, my own husband is being the subject of all sorts of rumors, and a third party has come to my door to provoke me. How can I possibly ignore it?"

"Shi Nian, I told you, I've been very busy lately," he said, suppressing his anger.

But she wouldn't let him leave; she insisted he give her an explanation.

At that time, Yu Yiyang was having a fight with his pet canary. The canary was crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide. Yu Yiyang had a few drinks with him and complained about it.

At that point, he had another guess.

"Shi Nian, did you deliberately have someone send you these things and then say that Han Wei sent them? To use this to interrogate me?"

"What?" Lu Yanzhi, lost in his memories, suddenly noticed her pale, bewildered face and her wounded eyes in his mind.