Chapter 40: Guessing the Truth
Zhao Yongchang quickly gathered his thoughts and stepped forward to lead the way for them.
Mr. Bai was in a private room on the third floor. His secretary and the nanny who took care of him were sitting in the hallway outside. When they saw Bai Zhenzhen coming over, they immediately stood up.
"Mr. Bai has just finished his emergency treatment and needs to rest quietly. It would be best if he stayed in the hospital for a couple more days for observation," Zhao Yongchang explained to them.
Bai Zhenzhen heard it, but her attention was focused on Bai Chuxiong, and she couldn't reply for the moment.
Shen Huai'an supported her shoulder, turned to Zhao Yongchang in a white coat and nodded, "Thank you, doctor. My surname is Shen, Shen Huai'an. May we go in to visit my father-in-law now?"
"Hello, my name is Zhao Yongchang. The patient's condition is stable now, and you can come in to visit. However, please be careful to keep quiet and avoid making noise, as the patient should not be agitated." Zhao Yongchang hesitated for a moment before exchanging names with him.
“Dr. Zhao, thank you for troubling me so late,” Shen Huai’an thanked him again, then lowered his head and gently opened the ward door for Bai Zhenzhen. “Dad is still resting. We can go in and see him first. Don’t worry too much.”
Although Bai Zhenzhen did not respond, she heard everything Zhao Yongchang said. She nodded haphazardly and went directly into the ward, with Shen Huai'an following behind her.
The secretary and nanny waiting outside glanced inside. Since it wasn't appropriate for too many people to enter the ward, the two of them remained seated on the bench outside the door.
Bai Chuxiong was still unconscious, his face slightly paler than usual. He was wearing some monitoring equipment, which emitted soft beeping sounds in the quiet ward.
Bai Zhenzhen couldn't help but cover her mouth after just one glance, her eyes welling up with tears again. She bit her hand to force herself to calm down.
The two didn't stay in the ward for long before Shen Huai'an, supporting her shoulders, led her out.
Seeing the two of them come out, Secretary Wang quickly came over to report to Bai Zhenzhen about what happened that evening. "Around 3 p.m., Mr. felt unwell while fishing at the fishpond behind the manor. He took some medicine after returning home and felt somewhat better, but he didn't have a good appetite at dinner and was preparing to go to his room to rest early. I felt that his condition was not good, so I quickly called Dr. Zhao. He came over and examined Mr., but he was still worried and stayed with him. Who knew that Mr. would actually..."
Secretary Wang didn't continue, but Zhao Yongchang had already told them.
The nanny, Aunt Zhang, nervously stepped forward to report to Bai Zhenzhen what she had prepared for Bai Chuxiong that day. In summary, she had strictly followed the doctor's instructions, preparing light and nutritious dishes suitable for Bai Chuxiong's body. He usually had a good appetite, except for dinner, when he ate very little.
"Thank you so much for being here today," Bai Zhenzhen said, pulling herself together to thank the two of them first. "I will remember your efforts. Your salary will be doubled this month. It's already very late, so you don't need to stay here. Go back and rest."
Secretary Wang and Aunt Zhang both earned good salaries. Although they were just doing their jobs, who would complain about having too much money? So, after declining the offer, they thanked her in return.
"Miss, please take care of yourself. Your husband will definitely get better." Aunt Zhang said a few words of comfort to Bai Zhenzhen before leaving. Although it was somewhat futile, she still hoped that Bai Zhenzhen could cheer up quickly after hearing them.
The big tree that always sheltered her from the wind and rain is about to fall, and she will have to bear all the storms to come on her own.
After seeing the two off, Bai Zhenzhen stood at the door of the ward and looked inside for a long time until Shen Huai'an helped her sit down in a chair and she felt a tingling and uncomfortable sensation in her legs.
Shen Huai'an took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders, then half-squatted down and gently massaged her calves. "The doctor said Dad's condition has stabilized. Now we just have to wait for him to wake up. If you can't hold on any longer, take a break. Don't let him worry when he wakes up and sees you."
He couldn't say anything nice like "it'll be alright" or "it will get better." He just wanted to be practical and make Bai Zhenzhen consider her health and not keep pushing herself too hard.
"I'll stay by your side. If anything happens, I'll go find a doctor immediately. When Dad wakes up, I'll wake you up right away too," he said, pulling her into his arms so she could lean on him and rest.
Bai Zhenzhen obediently closed her eyes and buried her head in his shoulder, but she was not sleepy at all.
She felt Shen Huai'an gently stroking her hair and heard his steady heartbeat. For some reason, it gradually pulled her out of her panic.
Neither of them slept during the rest of the night. Zhao Yongchang came to check on Bai Chuxiong twice, and after confirming that Bai Chuxiong's condition would not relapse, the two of them went into the ward to keep watch over him.
Just as dawn was breaking, a soft cough came from the hospital bed. Bai Zhenzhen opened her eyes and immediately went to the bedside.
Shen Huai'an went out to call the doctor, and soon the doctor on duty came with a nurse to give Bai Chuxiong a series of detailed examinations.
Zhao Yongchang took off his stethoscope and breathed a sigh of relief. "Mr. Bai's vital signs are stable. With a little more observation, we can remove the monitor soon."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Bai Zhenzhen, who was somewhat agitated, and then tactfully took the examination equipment and left, leaving the ward to the family.
Bai Zhenzhen was trying hard to hold back her tears, but when she opened her mouth, she couldn't help but cry out in grievance, "Dad, you have to get better soon."
"Goodness, the doctor said I'm fine now," Bai Chuxiong said, leaning against the pillow as Shen Huai'an helped him drink some water. His voice became clearer. "You must have scared me this time. Don't worry, I'm all better now and will be discharged soon."
“When will you get better? The doctor said long ago that you need surgery to have any chance of being cured. This time you've stabilized successfully, but what if…” Bai Zhenzhen didn’t want to argue with him at this moment, but her father’s condition was critical and he was stubborn. Every time she thought about these things, she couldn’t help but feel anxious.
Whether it's a million or a hundred thousand, she doesn't dare to think about what she would do if something really happened to Bai Chuxiong.
"Cough cough, Zhenzhen, life and death are predestined. Actually, I'm already very grateful that I've been able to buy you so much more time to arrange everything for you." Bai Chuxiong truly thought this.
Bai Zhenzhen, however, was not satisfied at all. She wanted her father to live a long, long life, to be with her forever.
Bai Chuxiong saw through his daughter's thoughts and sighed inwardly: "Zhenzhen, I've watched you grow up, become a beautiful and well-behaved young woman, and even watched you get married. I feel that even if I see your mother again, I'll have something to show for it."
Seeing that she still had a small mouth and a big mouth, Bai Chuxiong pretended to be relaxed and said, "Dad is already over fifty years old. It's not too old for me to go find your mother now. Otherwise, when I'm seventy or eighty, I'm really afraid your mother will dislike me and not want me anymore."
"Dad, have you forgotten what you promised me?" Bai Zhenzhen ignored his nonsense, glanced at Shen Huai'an beside her, grabbed his hand, interlocked their fingers, and waved it in front of Bai Chuxiong. "You promised to have the surgery, so you have to keep your word."
Seeing her straightforward actions, Bai Chuxiong subconsciously looked at his son-in-law, only to see Shen Huai'an still standing there, his gaze calm and unresponsive, his hand being held by his daughter, and he even slightly leaning down to cooperate with her.
But Bai Chuxiong knew that with Shen Huai'an's intelligence, he would soon be able to figure something out from the slightest clue.
Although the child's family background was not outstanding, he was really smart and perceptive. He had tentatively told Shen Huai'an that he could arrange for Shen Huai'an to join the company if he was willing, but he refused directly and also made it clear that he was willing to sign a legally binding property agreement with him, which directly showed his attitude that he had no desire for the Bai family's property.
Having navigated the business world for many years, Bai Chuxiong had developed a keen eye for people, and he could tell that what Shen Huai'an said was true.
He initially concealed his illness to ensure everything went smoothly. Now that he has paved the way for his daughter's future, it's time to tell her. Otherwise, given his daughter's numerous flaws in her behavior, the two of them might soon develop a rift.
Bai Zhenzhen hadn't noticed any of this yet; all she wanted to do now was persuade Bai Chuxiong to undergo surgery as soon as possible, and she couldn't see anything else.
Seeing that the father and daughter still had a lot to talk about, Shen Huai'an said he was going to the nurses' station to ask about the usage and dosage of the newly prescribed medicine, leaving the two of them alone.
“Huai’an, wait a moment, I have something else to say, listen to me,” Bai Chuxiong called out to him, and then explained in detail, “I didn’t mean to hide my illness from you, Zhenzhen only found out recently.”
“I was diagnosed with this disease about two years ago. The only way to completely cure it is through surgery, but there is a lack of advanced equipment in China. If I want to have surgery, I have to go abroad. Moreover, the success rate of this surgery is not 100%. So I have been hesitant about whether to have surgery. You all know that I left the company in the past two years. On the one hand, I wanted to take a break, and on the other hand, I was considering the worst-case scenario. I only have Zhenzhen as my child, and I just want to make plans for her during this last period of time.”
"I know that it was too hasty for you two to get married back then, and you didn't have time to cultivate your relationship. Now that I see you getting along better and better every day, I can finally put my mind at ease. If I am no longer here, you will be Zhenzhen's only close family member. I just hope that you can take good care of her for me."
Bai Chuxiong went to so much trouble to prevent Shen Huai'an from misunderstanding Bai Zhenzhen, but little did he know that Shen Huai'an had already guessed something when he saw Dr. Zhao and Bai Zhenzhen discussing his condition so familiarly.
Bai Zhenzhen's actions just now further confirmed his guess. Shen Huai'an was not without inner turmoil, but he did not show it.
In front of Bai Chuxiong, Shen Huai'an also expressed to him that no matter what, he would take good care of Bai Zhenzhen and cherish his wife.
However, some things inevitably leave a trace. Even though Shen Huai'an didn't want to speculate too much, at this moment, he seemed to vaguely understand why Bai Zhenzhen had been acting strangely lately.
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Author's Note: Zhenzhen doesn't have a crematorium; a good man will comfort himself. [doge emoji with rose in hand]
(If the comforting words don't work, move on to the next one~)
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