Chapter 122 The Truth About My Ex-Girlfriend

The next day, Lin Yu received Lin Feng's interim medical examination report, and the results were not good.

In fact, all of this was foreshadowed. During Lin Yu's home quarantine, Lin Feng began to experience persistent dull pain in her back, which often kept her awake at night.

At first, she thought it was just discomfort from lying down for too long or a side effect of chemotherapy, so she kept quiet about it.

During the pandemic, seeing her husband staying by her side at the hospital every day to take care of her, she felt both heartache and guilt, and didn't want to add any more burden to everyone.

However, as time went on, her symptoms not only did not improve, but became more and more severe.

The dull pain in my back gradually turned into numbness and weakness. I also became drowsy and lost my appetite even when my favorite foods were in front of me. I would even feel nauseous at the smell of them.

Ultimately, these changes were confirmed in routine follow-up imaging examinations.

Bone scan results showed that the cancer cells had metastasized to the bones. The previously decreasing tumor marker levels rose again.

The attending physician informed my uncle of the situation, stating solemnly that bone metastasis is one of the most undesirable outcomes in cancer treatment.

Uncle was at a loss and couldn't make up his mind, so he had no choice but to call Lin Yu.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Yu fell into a long silence. According to the attending physician, Lin Feng's primary lesion had enlarged, and the current chemotherapy regimen was likely no longer effective.

In addition to bone metastasis, the doctor recommended a complete overhaul of the treatment strategy and the addition of bone-modifying drugs, as well as local radiotherapy for the metastatic lesions that cause significant pain.

This is the best approach at this stage, but given Lin Feng's current physical condition, it may be difficult for her to withstand such a high level of treatment.

On the other end of the phone, my uncle relayed the cancer hospital's suggestion. He said that Ruijin Hospital was conducting the first clinical trial in China on targeted combined immunotherapy for refractory bone metastases.

The attending physician believed that rather than letting Lin Feng continue to suffer meaningless pain, it would be better to try this new treatment, which was completely free of charge. This would not only prolong her life but also provide a buffer for her economic and physical health.

This was no small matter, and Lin Yu couldn't make a decision on his own. Just as he was hesitating, Zou Lang called. Considering that the two hadn't seen each other for a month, Lin Yu decided to drive to Zou Lang's rented apartment to discuss the matter in person.

Due to travel difficulties during the pandemic, she made a point of buying some food along the way.

Her driving skills have improved by leaps and bounds during this period, and parking and traffic jams, which used to terrify her, are no longer a problem.

This change wasn't just limited to driving; when faced with unknown difficulties, she found herself no longer as easily backing down or doubting herself as before.

Zou Lang had been waiting at the entrance of the residential area since early morning. After parking the car, Lin Yu followed him silently home.

The mask covered most of his face, and his figure was still heartbreakingly thin, but his shoulders seemed broader and more upright than he remembered. When he walked in front, he was able to shield his sister from some of the cold wind.

After entering the house, Lin Yu unpacked the takeout he had brought and arranged it on the table, while comforting the patient, "Shanghai has the best medical resources in the country. We should have confidence and leave the rest to the doctors."

"That's true, but as you know, bone metastasis basically means..."

Zou Lang sat at the table with his head down, his voice as ethereal as wisps of smoke. "I haven't dared to tell my mother about this yet, for fear she'll threaten to give up treatment. You know what kind of person she is."

Seeing her younger brother's pale face, Lin Yu couldn't bear it. She forced back her tears and sat down opposite him, gripping his arm tightly as if to transfer her strength to him.

"Eat first, then we'll figure something out together." Her voice was soft but firm. She swallowed gently, and tears seemed to slide down her throat into her stomach, turning into an invisible bitterness.

"You're a man now, you need to show your mother your responsibility, okay?"

"Sister, I'm so scared..." Tears suddenly burst forth, large drops falling onto the table, a few splashing onto the back of Lin Yu's hand, icy cold yet burning hot, intense and desperate.

"Why us of all people? My mother is such a good person, she has never done anything bad in her life. In the past, whenever a neighbor had some difficulties, she would go over and help mediate."

Lin Yu's fingers trembled slightly. She closed her eyes briefly, suppressing a sob that was about to escape her lips. "Zou Lang, now is not the time to be afraid. With me here, no matter what happens, we'll face it together."

Neither of them had much of an appetite, and after eating a few bites, they put down their chopsticks, leaving most of the food on the table.

Zou Lang's phone suddenly lit up at that moment. As Lin Yu was clearing away the dishes, he glanced at the WeChat interface out of the corner of his eye and his gaze fell on the completely black profile picture. His fingertips paused slightly.

Lin Yu knows only one person who uses this picture as their profile picture.

On the way back, as darkness fell, Lin Yu drove at high speed on the elevated highway, but his thoughts were drawn away by his conversation with Zou Lang.

Those scattered doubts suddenly connected, and she suddenly realized the truth.

Why did my aunt's family have such a smooth experience with medical treatment from the very first day they arrived in Shanghai? Why was Jiang Chuan so aware of my whereabouts and always able to appear at just the right time?

The neon lights outside the car window blurred into a hazy image. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, a nameless tremor rising within her.

Jiang Chuan's sacrifices were far deeper and farther than she had imagined, silently seeping into every crevice of her life, so profound that she could never repay them in her lifetime.

Even during their breakup, she never stopped protecting herself. This love, which transcended resentment and misunderstanding, allowed Lin Yu to regain a sense of security and the courage to confront the world.

She seemed unable to escape, and no longer wanted to struggle. In a moment, she suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

Since you're already so tired, why not follow your heart and live life to the fullest for once?

She abruptly turned the steering wheel, exited at the next intersection, and headed towards Jiang Chuan's home.

This time, she didn't want to wait passively anymore. Even if it was just once, she wanted to take the initiative and run to the person who had already opened his arms to her.

She parked her car next to a convenience store one block away from Jiang Chuan's house, the same convenience store where Jiang Chuan had seen Dong Wenbin when he drove her home.

As I returned to my car with a few bottles of wine, my phone suddenly vibrated. The last four digits of my number, 666, danced on the screen like a cluster of eerie blue will-o'-the-wisps, sounding the alarm for the dramatic turning points in every story.

Lin Yu stared at the flickering screen for two seconds, then swiped to answer the call.

"Miss Lin, it's been a long time." Bai Qianhe's voice rang out over the phone, sweet as honey laced with arsenic.

"What's up?" Lin Yu threw the bottle onto the passenger seat and asked coldly.

The divorce agreement has taken effect, and she, with the substantial assets she received from her ex-husband, awaits her flight to France.

Bai Qianhe knew that there was no possibility between her and Jiang Chuan. He was cold and ruthless towards her, taking whatever he wanted from her, as if her existence was only to satisfy his momentary needs.

She knew the most dignified choice at this moment was to leave without looking back, but the resentment surging in her chest corroded her reason like sulfuric acid, and the thought of revenge burned wildly in her veins like a raging fire.

She couldn't just leave so easily; she had to make Jiang Chuan remember forever that some mistakes should be regretted for a lifetime.

She chuckled lightly into the phone, her voice like a feather brushing against a blade, carrying a nonchalant malice. She could almost see Jiang Chuan's perpetually calm and composed face crumble because of her.

"I think you might be interested in some of the truth," she uttered slowly, each word dripping with venom yet alluringly sweet.

......

The real decision to retaliate came during Jiang Chuan's junior year of college. That day, he finished his part-time job at a piano tutoring class as usual and stood at the bus stop waiting for the shuttle bus back to school.

Someone called him from behind, their voice sweet like caramel. Jiang Chuan disliked sweetness, so he frowned slightly and turned to look in the direction of the voice.

A girl in a red JK uniform stood there, her dark brown curly hair falling over her shoulders, smiling innocently at him.

She wasn't alone; she had two clumsy backup dancers who were circling around the main character on stage.

Jiang Chuan thought so because the two people flanking her on either side of her looked at her with a gaze that lacked the intimacy of friends, instead displaying a hint of flattery and ingratiation. He glanced at them once before looking away.

Since losing his sense of taste, he has become more acutely aware of human nature. This kind of false friendship is nothing more than an exchange of interests where each party gets what they want—utterly boring. He glanced down at his watch, estimating when the bus would arrive.

The girl called his name again, this time almost beside his ear. He had no choice but to turn around again, a gentle, jade-like smile expertly playing on his lips.

This was the curve he had meticulously refined in front of the mirror, a technique that always worked perfectly. Sure enough, the girl paused on the platform, her cheeks instantly flushing crimson.

"Is it really you? We...haven't seen each other for many years, have we?"

Jiang Chuan searched his memory carefully, but could not find any trace of that face.

Perhaps he had mistaken someone for someone else, or perhaps it was just another pointless attempt to strike up a conversation, but he maintained his impeccably gentle expression, tilting his head to reveal just the right amount of confusion.

"Excuse me, do we...know each other?"

“It’s me!” The girl’s eyes sparkled, completely oblivious to the aloofness in his gaze.

“We learned piano together when we were little. My mom was your piano teacher. Bai Qianhe, do you remember? You said my name was very beautiful.”

Bai Qianhe? So it was Bai Qianhe. Hearing that name again, Jiang Chuan felt only irony, and the smile on his lips could barely be held back. He hurriedly bent down, pretending to tidy his shoelaces.

When she looked up again, her face had regained its impeccable gentleness. "Hmm, I remember now. I didn't realize you'd grown so much; I didn't recognize you at first."

His tone was flat, merely a polite greeting, but to Bai Qianhe it sounded like sweet nothings.

The boy's slightly stiff tone, spoken by his childhood sweetheart whom she hadn't seen in a long time, was repeatedly pondered in her mind, eventually turning into evidence of her heart fluttering.

He finally realized that the little girl who always followed him had grown into a beautiful young woman.

Even if Jiang Chuan only replied with an "um," it could spark countless imaginings in Bai Qianhe's mind.

His brief hesitation was not a sign of estrangement, but rather a flustered reaction to being amazed; his restrained greeting was not perfunctory, but rather a suppressed desire to speak out.

He must be trying to appear calm, just like any clumsy teenager experiencing their first love.

But Jiang Chuan replied with three full sentences, which undoubtedly boosted Bai Qianhe's morale. Her voice was cheerful, and her courage increased.

"Brother Jiangchuan, are you going back to school? I heard from my mother that you are studying law at Jiaotong University, and that major is very difficult to get into."

She paused, her eyes filled with fervent admiration. "You're amazing, you weren't affected at all by... what happened at home."

Jiang Chuan glanced at her with a complicated expression, but Bai Qianhe misinterpreted it as him being embarrassed by his family's decline.

Not wanting to embarrass him in front of his friends, she quickly pulled out her phone, adorned with crystal pendants, from her bag; the tiny sequins on her fingertips sparkled in the sunlight.

"Let's exchange contact information?" she asked in a lighthearted tone, with a deliberate air of consideration. "I'm studying at a music academy, which is very close to your school. Want to hang out sometime?"

Jiang Chuan looked at the garish pink phone and the rhinestones on his nails, and a wave of nausea rose in his stomach. But he still reached out and took it, deliberately avoiding touching it with his fingertips, and entered a number that even he didn't recognize.

"My car is here, let's talk later." He handed the phone back, his tone calm.

The bus slowly came to a stop. He boarded without looking back and saw through the window that Bai Qianhe was still standing there, her figure getting smaller and smaller, but stubbornly gazing in the direction he had left.

He quickly forgot about this little incident.

He admitted that on his way back to school, a dark thought did flash through his mind: Bai Qianhe's almost foolish admiration might be the perfect weapon for him to get revenge on Cao Jing and his wife.

She seemed like an easy target, her mind filled with unrealistic romantic fantasies. Getting her to suffer heartbreak over this illusory love would be a piece of cake.

Before he could even process the devastating news of his parents' sudden passing, the cruel truth about their marriage struck him down. Jiang Chuan's world collapsed completely under this double blow, and he lost all control over his life.

He seemed to be able to use Bai Qianhe's affection for him to manipulate her in return. In the past, he was a victim of lies, but now he could at least control the direction of the situation.

Just imagining the shock and anger her parents would feel upon learning the truth gave him a bloody, pleasurable feeling.

But he knew that the thrill of revenge was only temporary, and involving innocent people would only complicate the situation further. After all, stupidity was not an unforgivable crime.