Chapter 66 I think you probably need it right now...
Jing Yitong followed Fang Xingu's words and made a joke, but Fang Zhiheng and Ying Zhen did not dare to laugh - they still did not know what the two brothers' attitude was towards the marriage alliance, and they did not dare to speak casually for fear of saying the wrong thing and displeasing them.
The two people secretly observed the other two's expressions from the back seat of the car. Fortunately, Fang Xingu did not notice their strange attitude at all, and simply replied to Jing Yitong: "Oh, then you are welcome to insert your household registration information page into our household registration book anytime."
Jing Yitong raised an eyebrow: "If it's that simple, then we can just do it ourselves."
Hearing this, Fang's parents breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the marriage had not affected their relationship at all, and the two were getting along just as well as when they were children.
Ying Zhen covered her mouth: "Our two families definitely have intermarriages, there's no question of whether we'll marry or not."
All four of them laughed, and Jing Yitong explained seriously, "I was thinking that Xin Gu and I had discussed it before. After all, Xin Gu and I are both public figures, and it's not appropriate to go public right now, so we definitely can't register our marriage in a big way. I need to make some arrangements first and find a suitable time to register... Xin Gu, do you have any objections?"
Fang Xingu yawned: "If you have a plan, I'll listen to you."
Ying Zhen slapped his head in displeasure: "How can you be so casual? Don't you have any of your own ideas?"
Fang Xin dodged her slap: "Isn't it enough for a family to have someone in charge?"
Jing Yitong laughed and said, "I wouldn't dare to make the decisions for you. You're in charge of this family."
Fang Xingu defiantly retorted, "I don't want it."
Ying Zhen and Fang Zhiheng exchanged a glance, thinking that with their son like this, they would be completely at the mercy of others in the future.
Fortunately, it was Jing Yitong, whom I knew well.
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Fang Zhiheng and Ying Zhen took the earliest flight from Sanya back to Shanghai. They didn't eat anything along the way. At Wang Jinxu's request, Fang Xingu took them to have a simple meal before heading to the hospital.
Unfortunately, there is still no progress in Wang Jinxu's illness. Yesterday, Wang Jinxu received a blood transfusion in Jiangcheng, but her hemoglobin level is still hovering at a low level. Moreover, she has been eating liquid food for several meals in order to have a gastroscopy, and she has no strength left and can only lie in bed all day.
In just three short days, Wang Jinxu lost several kilograms. This serious illness was clearly a major blow to the nearly eighty-year-old woman.
Wang Jinxu, who was originally well-maintained and energetic, suddenly looked much older and lacked spirit. Her whole family was also worried, and everyone obviously realized that the situation might not be good.
During this time, many of Wang Jinxu's former friends and students wanted to visit her after hearing the news, but Fang Zhiheng saw that Wang Jinxu was not in good spirits, so he politely declined many people and only allowed a few people who were really familiar with Wang Jinxu to visit her and chat with her.
Fang Xin was fine after being away from Beijing for several days. His main job now was to work on the album, but the key to the progress was with Cao Yangxi. He only needed to keep in touch with Cao Yangxi remotely.
But Jing Yitong's work could not be delayed any longer. Although he wanted to stay, Fang Xingu knew from the frequency of his phone calls that he was really busy. Not only were there things to do at the studio, but there were also a few scenes left for him to film in the "Zhu Xin" drama.
Not wanting to delay Jing Yitong's work, Fang Xingu handed Jing Quanquan over to Song Jiao and then, without consulting Jing Yitong, packed his luggage and even booked his plane ticket, intending to send him directly back to Beijing.
Jing Yitong, holding the suitcase shoved into his hand, looked at Fang Xingu with concern: "Are you sure you can manage on your own?"
Fang Xingu forced a smile and said, "What do you mean 'alone'? My parents are here, aren't they?"
Seeing that Jing Yitong still looked worried, Fang Xin joked, "Don't worry, you've been taking care of her for many days already. Grandma knows you're busy, and she won't lose points for your image as a daughter-in-law just because you're at work."
Jing Yitong smiled helplessly and ruffled Fang Xin's head vigorously: "Call me if anything happens."
Fang Xingu looked into his eyes and nodded solemnly: "Okay."
Jing Yitong also left in a hurry, and Fang Xingu returned to being alone.
The day after Jing Yitong returned to Beijing, Wang Jinxu's gastroscopy was finally successful, but the final result was not ideal.
Doctor: "There is a large space-occupying lesion in the antrum of the stomach, which extends to the angle of the stomach and is blocking the pylorus. A biopsy has been performed, but the results may not be good. The preliminary diagnosis is stomach cancer."
Fang Zhiheng's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly felt extremely dizzy. Fang Xingu quickly supported him and helped him sit down on a chair nearby. Ying Zhen anxiously grasped Fang Zhiheng's hand: "Zhiheng, you can't collapse at a time like this!"
Fang Zhiheng shook his head with a wry smile: "When you reach middle age, the thing you worry about most is the health of your elders. Sure enough, I can't escape it either."
Fang Xingu asked the doctor stiffly, "My grandmother has regular check-ups, and the results of her previous tumor marker tests and CT scans were all quite normal, weren't they?"
The doctor explained apologetically, "Tumor markers have limited sensitivity and can often only be used as an auxiliary method. Moreover, Mr. Wang had undigested food residue in his stomach, which may not be clearly visible on a regular CT scan. We have already arranged for Mr. Wang to have an enhanced CT scan."
Fang Xingu hesitated before asking, "Can we determine now whether it's early or late stage?"
The doctor glanced at Fang Zhiheng and lowered his voice: "It's not certain yet, but... early-stage stomach cancer usually doesn't have any obvious symptoms. By the time patients actually develop the disease and seek medical attention, it's usually already in the middle or late stages."
Fang Xingu's mind was buzzing, and it took him a long time to calm down: "What are the follow-up treatment options?"
Doctor: "If it is diagnosed as stomach cancer, we will first need to perform surgery to remove part of the stomach to see if there is metastasis, and then determine the treatment plan."
Fang Zhiheng closed his eyes and nodded: "Okay, I'll leave the rest to you."
After seeing the doctor off, Fang Xingu and his family of three sat together in silence. Finally, Fang Xingu patted his parents on the shoulder and said, "Grandma is getting old, it's normal for her to get sick. You two need to cheer up."
Fang Zhiheng rubbed his face: "Xin Gu is right, I'll go see the old lady."
Ying Zhen also stood up and said, "I'll consult with experts in this field first to see if I can find someone to perform this surgery."
The family of three got busy again, and before long, the biopsy report came out. As expected, the words "poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma" defined Wang Jinxu's condition, basically confirming that it was stomach cancer, and that it was quite malignant.
Fang Zhiheng hesitated for a long time before finally telling Wang Jinxu about her illness. After all, Wang Jinxu was highly educated, and it was impossible to keep such a thing from her.
After learning of her diagnosis, Wang Jinxu remained calm: "It really is stomach cancer. Actually, I had a feeling about it."
Fang Zhiheng sat on the sofa in the room, sighing repeatedly. Wang Jinxu was annoyed by his sighs and scolded, "Why are you making that face? I'm not going to die tomorrow. It's just stomach cancer. Get it treated."
Fang Xingu chuckled, "Grandma, you seem to be in much better spirits now."
Wang Jinxu: "At least once we know the cause of the illness, we can treat it accordingly. We won't be like those days when we were completely lost."
Fang Zhiheng smiled wryly: "Mom, you have a much stronger mentality than me."
Wang Jinxu glared at him: "I'm already this old, it's normal for me to die."
"...Can you please stop talking nonsense!"
After the family confirmed the subsequent surgical plan with the doctor, Fang Xin was sent home to rest by Fang Zhiheng and Ying Zhen. They agreed to take turns to accompany him in bed. Although Ying Zhen was accompanied by many caregivers, it was still not as comforting as having a family member by his side.
That evening, Fang Xin returned to his empty home, feeling somewhat lost for a moment.
He is not a person with a refined taste for life. He is usually busy with work and is not often in Shanghai. As a result, his house is still decorated in the style of a developer. Apart from the necessities, there are very few other things in the house.
Moreover, he was always alone, so he had never felt that the house was too quiet before. But perhaps it was because he had gotten used to living with Jing Yitong over the past month or so. Although neither of them were talkative people, and sometimes even when they were together they were busy with their own things, Jing Yitong's presence in the room always made Fang Xingu feel particularly at ease.
Now that he was suddenly alone again, Fang Xingu felt that the room was very quiet and there was no trace of Jing Yitong, which he found hard to accept.
After taking a shower, Fang Xingu sat alone on the bed, hugging his knees. His thoughts were a little scattered, and his gaze suddenly fell on the left side of the bed. For the past few days, Jing Yitong had been sleeping on the left side of the bed. After returning to Beijing these past two days, Fang Xingu hadn't had time to tidy up, and the left side of the bed was still as it was before Jing Yitong left.
Fang Xingu hesitated for a moment, then tentatively patted the pillow that Jing Yitong had slept on, before carefully lying down on Jing Yitong's pillow and covering himself with Jing Yitong's blanket.
He closed his eyes and sniffed, smelling a familiar scent of shampoo and shower gel. Although it was the same brand Fang Xingu used, it still carried the scent of Jing Yitong, making Fang Xingu feel particularly at ease.
Fang Xingu curled up. Although Jing Yitong had only been gone for two days, Fang Xingu felt as if she hadn't seen him for a long time... She missed Jing Yitong so much.
Thinking this, Fang Xingu rested her head on Jing Yitong's pillow and simply made a phone call to him. Jing Yitong had told her before he left that she should call him if she needed anything, so it wasn't unreasonable to call him now, right?
Fang Xingu quickly came to a logical conclusion. He swiftly dialed Jing Yitong's cell phone number and counted down the seconds until Jing Yitong answered.
After the phone rang for three seconds, Jing Yitong answered it: "Xin Gu, what's wrong?"
Jing Yitong's voice sounded so gentle that Fang Xingu's tense nerves relaxed instantly. He felt a lump in his throat for no reason and longed to snuggle in Jing Yitong's arms for a while, just like when he was a child.
Jing Yitong waited for a while but he still didn't speak. She asked worriedly, "Xin Gu? Why aren't you saying anything?"
Fang Xin rubbed his nose and called out to him in a sticky voice, "Brother..."
"I'm here," Jing Yitong sensed his low spirits and pressed for details, "What happened? Did Grandma's test results come back?"
"Hmm, not good. It's stomach cancer, and it's quite serious."
Fang Xingu slowly explained Wang Jinxu's illness to Jing Yitong. Jing Yitong listened with unease, especially after discovering that Fang Xingu's condition was not good either. He said anxiously, "Wait for me, I'll take the earliest flight back as soon as possible."
"No way!" Upon hearing this, Fang Xingu refused without hesitation. "I just sent you back to Beijing, you're not allowed to come back!"
Jing Yitong patiently said, "I think you need me right now."
"I don't need it!" Fang Xingu said dryly. "Where can you leave now? The crew of 'Forging Hearts' has been waiting for you for several days, right? You're just going to make a cameo appearance, don't delay their schedule."
Jing Yitong was speechless. Indeed, he had returned to Beijing two days later than planned. The film crew had been working tirelessly to accommodate him, and he couldn't just go back to Shanghai on a whim.
Fang Xingu was still threatening him: "You're not allowed to come back. It's not like I'm sick. I'll be angry if you come back."
Even through the phone screen, Jing Yitong could imagine Fang Xingu's menacing appearance. He smiled and agreed, "Okay, I'll come back after I finish filming the rest of my scenes, at most a week. Take good care of Grandma and yourself, okay?"
"Okay, sure."
The two chatted for a few more minutes, and Jing Yitong asked Fang Xingu if he had eaten well today, but he didn't get a reply from Fang Xingu for a long time.
Jing Yitong called him twice more, but still received no reply. Instead, he heard the phone fall onto the bed with a thud, followed by Fang Xingu's even breathing from the other end of the line.
Are you asleep?
Jing Yitong chuckled softly and said into the phone, "Goodnight."
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Wang Jinxu had decided to have surgery to remove part of her stomach, but because she was too weak recently, several of her indicators did not meet the surgical criteria, so she had to rest for several days before the hospital agreed to the surgery.
The night before the surgery, Fang Xingu slept in the hospital, but he slept very restlessly. Gastric resection surgery is now quite advanced, and the main issue is observing whether cancer cells have metastasized, which has a decisive impact on subsequent treatment.
The next morning, before the alarm clock rang, Fang Xingu had already opened his eyes. He habitually checked his phone to see if he had missed any messages during the night, and saw that Teacher Chu had sent him several WeChat messages in the early hours of the morning.
"Xin Gu, please check Weibo after you wake up. These media outlets are going too far these days!"
Seeing Teacher Chu's serious tone, Fang Xin quickly opened Weibo and glanced at the trending topics. He discovered that Wang Jinxu's name was currently at the top of the trending list. Clicking on it, he saw that many media outlets were reporting that his grandmother had been diagnosed with stomach cancer and had passed away the previous day. Many uninformed bystanders, upon seeing the news early in the morning, began to mourn.
"Oh my god, this is so sudden! [candle]"
"I was listening to Ms. Wang Jinxu sing at the Spring Festival Gala just a few days ago..."
"Does this mean we'll never hear Teacher Wang sing on the Spring Festival Gala again? [crying]"
Fang Xin looked at Wang Jinxu, who was still sleeping peacefully, and was furious at these fake news and comments. Wang Jinxu was going to have surgery today, and these media outlets were practically cursing his grandmother!
Fang Xin felt a throbbing pain in the back of his head. He took a deep breath and went out to talk to Teacher Chu.
Teacher Chu said, “It’s new. This trending topic was posted in the early hours of the morning. I suspect that some media outlets heard rumors that Teacher Wang was sick and hadn’t been seen since, so they spread them like this. Teacher Wang is having surgery today, and your family must be exhausted. I didn’t call you last night so you could get some rest.”
Fang Xingu rubbed his temples: "Teacher Chu, thank you for your help. Have you figured out how to clarify things now? Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Yes, yes, because Teacher Wang hasn't registered an official account on social media. Using just any account to clarify might not be credible enough. Would it be convenient for you to forward the original Weibo post that spread the rumor to clarify things?"
"no problem."
At this time, Wang Jinxu had also woken up and was about to enter the operating room. Fang Xingu could not tell her about such troublesome things at this time, so he pretended that nothing had happened in front of her. While reporting to Qi Qiu, he found the Weibo post that had initially spread rumors about Wang Jinxu and forwarded it directly without any hesitation.
Fang Xin Gu: Don't news reporters need to verify the authenticity of information? Professor Wang is still resting next to me. //@Haijiao News: It is said that Professor Wang Jinxu passed away yesterday…
Fang Xingu didn't pay much attention to whether the wording was formal or rigorous; at this point, he was simply trying to clarify things as quickly as possible.
Thanks to his influence as a top celebrity, his fans flooded into the topic within minutes of the Weibo post being published, and forwarded it with expressions of confusion, surprise, or shock.
"That's great! I'm so glad that Teacher Wang is in good health!"
"I'm so glad you're okay, you scared me to death [crying]"
"Oh? You know Teacher Wang, right?"
"The news media these days have absolutely no professional ethics; they dare to publish this kind of news!"
"My God, I actually believed that just now..."
"I thought it was just a regular debunking post, but then I saw the blogger's ID was Fang Xin Gu? What's going on?"
While the online discussion was in full swing, Fang Xin had already taken Wang Jinxu into the operating room. In the corridor, he calmly edited another Weibo post:
Fang Xin Gu:
1. Thank you for your concern. Teacher Wang has indeed been diagnosed with stomach cancer and is currently undergoing active treatment.
2. All media outlets that just spread rumors should issue a public apology and delete the relevant blog posts, or they will bear the consequences.
3. I am a direct relative of Ms. Wang Jinxu.
Fang Xin's Weibo post caused another huge stir:
"Immediate family member? You wouldn't happen to be Teacher Wang's grandson/grandson-in-law, would you?"
"It really is stomach cancer... God bless Teacher Wang to live a long and healthy life [hands clasped together]"
"I've never seen such an effective debunking [laughing and crying emoji]. You better watch out, this news site, or you'll regret it to the core."
"Another day of praying for a cancer-free world [crying]"
"No, I always thought Fang Xingu hadn't received any formal vocal training, yet he could sing so well; it was simply pure talent. Nobody ever told me he was Wang Jinxu's grandson [shocked]"
"He certainly didn't receive any systematic vocal training. After all, he followed the path of a regular academic student, and then went to Shanghai for junior high school. I guess he probably only studied with Wang Jinxu in Jiangcheng during elementary school at most?"
"So the truth is, they might have had both exceptional natural talent and amazing skills..."
After posting the clarification message, Fang Xin stopped paying attention to what was happening online and waited anxiously with his parents outside the operating room.
The surgery took quite a while, not ending until noon. One-third of Wang Jinxu's stomach was removed, and she was still unconscious when she was sent back to her ward, still under the effects of anesthesia.
After a short rest, the doctor came over and told them about Wang Jinxu's condition: "The surgery was successful, but we found that it had metastasized during the operation... It would be best to have chemotherapy afterwards."
Perhaps having anticipated this outcome, Fang Xin's family did not appear particularly shocked, only stating that they would cooperate with the treatment.
Seeing this, the doctor comforted him, saying, "Don't be too nervous. If the stomach cancer is well controlled now, living another ten years is not a problem. The most important thing is to keep the patient in a good state of mind."
The family nodded to indicate that they understood. When they saw the doctor off and returned to the ward, Wang Jinxu finally woke up from the anesthesia, but she was still a little confused and could only open her eyes. Her pupils were able to follow their movements.
Fang Xingu leaned closer and said, "Grandma, the surgery was quite successful. You should also actively cooperate with the doctor in the follow-up treatment."
Wang Jinxu blinked.
Fang Xingu guessed that she meant she knew, so Fang Xingu said again, "You just had surgery, how about I stay with you tonight?"
This time, Wang Jinxu closed her eyes calmly, clearly disagreeing. She had plenty of caregivers and didn't need her family to stay with her at the bedside. This approach would only add to her fatigue and would be completely useless.
But this time, Fang Xin pretended not to notice her refusal and lied through his teeth: "Oh, you agree? Then I'll keep you company tonight."
Wang Jinxu opened her eyes and glared at him angrily, but because she was weak after the surgery, her glare was practically nonexistent, so Fang Xin continued to pretend he didn't see her.
Although Wang Jinxu felt that her family's presence at the hospital was meaningless, Fang Xin felt that she had a fulfilling night.
He first kept an eye on Wang Jinxu's IV drip, and as soon as one bag of fluid was finished, he would promptly notify the nurse to change it. Occasionally, he would talk to Wang Jinxu about some nonsense and songwriting experiences, even though the weak Wang Jinxu couldn't respond to him at all. He entertained himself and made himself very happy.
Although he was supposed to be keeping her company at the bedside, Fang Xin Gu didn't dare close his eyes that night. He stayed up all night with Wang Jin Xu until dawn.
Around noon, Fang Zhiheng and Ying Zhen came to relieve him. Seeing that Fang Xingu hadn't slept all night but showed no signs of fatigue, instead appearing quite excited, they were afraid he might have a mental problem, so they quickly asked the driver to take Fang Xingu home to rest.
Fang Xin Gu didn't feel tired at first, but after taking a shower at home, he felt exhausted and sleepiness suddenly overwhelmed him—so tired.
He hasn't slept well these past few days, constantly worrying about Wang Jinxu's condition, suffering both mentally and physically.
Although the outcome wasn't good, it's finally settled. All they can do now is cooperate with the hospital's treatment, so there's nothing to worry about.
Fang Xin went straight to bed after leaving the bathroom. He slept on the left side of the bed, next to Jing Yitong. Jing Yitong's scent made him feel safe and secure. But as time went on, the scent on the bed faded. He didn't know if he could hold out until Jing Yitong returned in four days.
Fang Xin had been sleeping soundly when he suddenly heard a click from the bedroom door, as if someone had opened it, followed by the sound of footsteps approaching.
Half-asleep, Fang Xin wondered, wasn't Jing Quanquan taken away by Song Jiao? Was he still dreaming?
But soon, he realized that something furry nudged his hand, which was hanging by the bedside. The sensation was very real; it couldn't be a dream.
Fang Xingu groggily opened his eyes and found that the bedroom door had been opened at some point. Light from the living room and hallway peeked in through the crack in the door, allowing Fang Xingu to see a familiar figure walking towards him.
The scenery is the same.
When Jing Yitong walked in, he discovered that Fang Xingu had opened his eyes at some point and was staring straight at him.
Jing Yitong was startled by his bright, large eyes: "Awake?"
Fang Xingu looked at Jing Yitong, who had returned four days early, in disbelief, and said in a hoarse voice, "Am I dreaming?"
Jing Yitong chuckled, kneeling on one knee by the bed, with one long leg on the ground. He leaned down and gently stroked Fang Xingu's face, then lightly placed a kiss on the top of his head: "It's not a dream, I'm back, so can you need my company this time?"
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Author's Note: I actually recommend that you read this after 1 a.m. every day. This author finishes writing right at midnight every day, and then has to revise and fix typos [crying emoji].
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