Chapter 28 Secrets: "You don't have to tell me, I can guess"...
28
“I’m sorry, Dr. Zhao…” Meng Yao’s lips were pursed until they turned white. After a long while, she finally spoke: “I can’t do the thing of pushing my grandmother to be a real person for an experiment.”
Despite knowing that this method, though risky, was the most profitable, she still couldn't convince herself otherwise.
Her grandmother was her greatest hope in this world. To push her into an experiment with an outcome that no one could predict, turning her into cold, recorded data, even if the unknown risks were small, felt like an insurmountable weight to her at that moment.
Dr. Zhao understood, but still wanted to try again: "This is the safest method I can think of for you right now. I understand your concerns, but Phase III clinical trials are different from early stages. The main purpose is to further determine the efficacy and monitor long-term side effects. The admission criteria are very strict. Your grandmother's health condition meets their requirements. A great breakthrough always requires a group of great people to try and sacrifice first. This is not just an experiment..."
"I don't care who gets sacrificed! I don't mind if I have to do this experiment, but it absolutely can't be my grandmother!" She suddenly stood up uncontrollably, her voice rising and trembling at the end.
Meng Yao was always gentle to outsiders, and even Dr. Zhao was stunned by this sudden outburst.
The two stared at each other for a long time.
"sorry……"
Meng Yao realized her lapse in composure, her eyes filled with suppressed pain and stubborn insistence as she leaned back in her seat: "I'm sorry, Dr. Zhao, thank you for your kindness, I'll go back and think about it carefully... My mind is a bit muddled right now."
Her voice trailed off towards the end. The office remained silent for a long time before Dr. Zhao sighed deeply: "The most urgent thing is to stabilize your grandmother's condition. Don't worry, it will take some time to meet the surgical requirements. If we can't find Professor Anderson, I will do my best."
Meng Yao nodded vigorously, her throat felt like it was blocked, and she couldn't make a sound. She could only keep nodding and bowing to express her gratitude.
For the entire day after leaving the hospital, she felt as if she were shrouded in gloom; the sunlight shone on her, but she felt no warmth whatsoever.
If we disregard drug trials, her primary goal should be to contact Professor Anderson.
It's easier said than done.
How could a student like her have such connections? Lin Tianhai did mention it, and even used it to blackmail her before. But during the previous dinner, things had completely broken down between her and the Lin family. Now, the Lin family really wants to reconcile with the Fang family, and they've been sending her a lot more messages these days.
However, if she were to re-contact the Lin family because of this, it would mean that she was announcing on behalf of Fang Huaixu that they were reconnecting. She and Fang Huaixu had witnessed the Lin family's methods and intentions, and she knew that he did not want to have any further connections with them beyond cooperation. If her actions changed this, she wondered what Fang Huaixu's attitude would be.
Thinking about this, she couldn't help but feel a little ironic about her thoughts during the day: she had become too complacent after spending some time with Fang Huaixu, how could she have imagined that her relationship with Fang Huaixu was like that of a couple in love?
Their marriage was a transaction; she was a "commodity" given to Fang Huaixu as a bonus after receiving benefits from the Lin family. Her duty was to be honest, well-behaved, and occasionally enrich her sugar daddy's life.
Fang Huaixu had stated from the beginning that this was merely a business marriage devoid of any romantic feelings.
Now, the company's investment, the handling of online trolls, and even the severing of ties with the Lin family are all, to some extent, caused by her. She is nominally a member of the "Lin family" with whom he had an unpleasant working relationship, so how could she have the audacity to fantasize about being in a relationship with him?
But apart from the Lin family, she racked her brains and sadly discovered that the only person she could think of who could still contact Professor Anderson was Fang Huaixu.
But now this possibility is immediately and decisively denied. If we add unnecessary trouble to Fang Huaixu, it will probably be more than just repaying a favor.
She couldn't figure out when Fang Huaixu would explode, but she feared it might be the last straw. If she lost Fang Huaixu's support and was targeted by Lin Tianhai, the chances of finding a way to save her grandmother would become even slimmer...
"Meng Yao?"
A deep, pleasant voice sounded in her ear, startling Meng Yao. Fang Huaixu was slightly opening his eyes and looking at her. She then realized that Fang Huaixu was still explaining a homework problem to her, and quickly apologized, "Sorry, sorry, I was daydreaming..."
Fang Huaixu gave her a puzzled look. Meng Yao didn't dare to look at him anymore. She looked down at the open exercise book, but the words she wrote down were as messy and disorganized as insects floating on the paper.
"You're using this word incorrectly. It's not usually used to describe emotions. You're getting it wrong." As usual, he tapped the paper with his long, slender fingers.
"Oh, I'll correct it..." She lowered her eyelids to correct the mistake, thinking that Fang Huaixu had been coming back early these past few days to tutor her, so she had to put in some effort to act it out and get by.
But as soon as her mind is clear for a moment, all she hears are the doctor's words.
What's wrong with you today?
Fang Huaixu's voice rang out again, this time with particular certainty: "He's been absent-minded ever since he got back today."
"Really?" Meng Yao nervously gripped her pen, looked up awkwardly to meet his gaze, and tried to appear relaxed: "I slept too late last night and didn't sleep well, haha..."
“Lack of sleep does affect a person’s concentration,” Fang Huaixu said, seemingly trying to make amends for her, but then he changed the subject, “but it won’t leave you in a depressed state. You don’t seem sleepy right now…”
His observational skills were always frighteningly sharp: "Did something happen today?"
Meng Yao forced a smile: "I'm really fine, I'm just sleepy. Why don't I take a rest today? I'll go back to my room to rest."
Fang Huaixu stared at her relentlessly, his words concise: "You won't really sleep when you go back to your room. You look very sad right now, and you won't sleep well with something on your mind."
Meng Yao wanted to argue, but the muscles on her face that were taut with a smile suddenly became extremely tired after Fang Huaixu exposed her true feelings.
She could no longer laugh, didn't know what to say, and didn't want to say a word. Her gaze gradually dimmed. At this moment, she was more exhausted than ever before, like a puppet whose strength had been drained. No more words could enter her mind or ears.
The room was quiet. She thought Fang Huaixu would ask more questions, but Fang Huaixu just sat quietly beside her, waiting at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
Until she managed to clear her mind, she sighed helplessly, "I also have times when I run out of energy. If you continue chatting with me, I can't guarantee that you'll say anything nice."
“It’s okay,” he finally spoke, his steady voice as gentle as ever: “Everyone has bad days, talking about it will make you feel better.”
Meng Yao didn't know how to react, so she closed her empty eyes and said, "...I don't want to talk about it."
"All right."
Having received Fang Huaixu's affirmative answer, she thought she finally had a chance to be alone. Unexpectedly, Fang Huaixu suddenly pulled up a chair and sat opposite her, facing her directly: "You don't have to tell me, I can guess."
Meng Yao was slightly taken aback and subconsciously looked up at him.
Fang Huaixu seemed to get serious and thought, "Have you reached a bottleneck in your exam preparation? Judging from the recent practice questions, your progress has indeed been much smaller than before. But this is how the process of improving scores works. Your overall condition is constantly improving, so there's no need to be anxious. If you maintain this level of progress until the exam, you should have no problem getting into any domestic university."
Meng Yao looked away without responding, and Fang Huaixu answered his own question: "It seems not."
After saying that, he continued to guess: "Did the Lin family send any more messages? If it's them, you can hand it over to me to handle. If you're too embarrassed to ask me, you can hand it over to Chen Jie."
"no……"
Seeing that the Lin family had been inexplicably involved again, Meng Yao had no choice but to speak up.
"Let me think about it some more..."
Fang Huaixu listed everything out without the slightest impatience, asking clearly and thoroughly: "I can't possibly be unaware of work arrangements. There shouldn't be any pressure in the short term, or have you seen any negative comments online?"
Meng Yao felt bewildered by his sudden talkativeness and couldn't bear to leave him standing there, but her mind couldn't process any more thoughts, so she could only subconsciously shake her head.
Fang Huaixu continued, "I'm not familiar with the interpersonal relationships at school. Did you encounter any bad people gossiping about you?"
"No……"
"Do you feel pressured because you think my teaching style is too restrictive, and you haven't chatted with the study group in a long time?"
"No……"
Fang Huaixu fell into thought again: "Could it be that something's wrong with Grandma? I remember when you mentioned it to me last time, didn't you say she was close to being discharged from the hospital?"
Meng Yao felt as if an invisible hand was gripping her heart tightly. She tried hard not to show it on her face, and after a long while, she finally looked firmly into his eyes: "Stop guessing. This is no small matter. Whether you help me or not, I don't know how I'll handle this..."
Fang Huaixu raised an eyebrow: "Why?"
Meng Yao bluntly stated, "I can't repay your favor."
Fang Huaixu slowed his speech and hit the nail on the head: "Shouldn't it be decided by the person making the offer?"
Meng Yao was not persuaded by him, and he understood the outcome. He continued, "If I feel that your conditions are unreasonable, violate my principles, or exceed the value range that I consider appropriate, I also have the right to refuse the transaction. Since you are willing to tell me this now, it means that at least in your heart, I have the ability to solve this matter. As for whether I am willing to do it, I can only be sure after you have said it."
His words were precise, his eyes deep, and after he finished speaking, he waited quietly for her reply, saying nothing more.
Should I say something?
She was filled with trepidation. The urge to confide that she had suppressed for so long almost burst out because of Fang Huaixu's words, but her lips only parted slightly. More than whether Fang Huaixu would agree to the condition, she was thinking about why Fang Huaixu should agree to it.
She has nothing now and can bring him no benefit whatsoever. He has no idea what the cost would be of hiring an expert who is almost unknown.
What exactly is their relationship that makes him want to do this? And how will he "ask" for this help?
In the past, she would have refused without hesitation and forged her own path, but this concerned her grandmother, so she made a difficult choice.
All the hesitation, struggle, fear, and hope were contained in this suffocating silence.
Author's Note: Both of them are clever little ones who see through things but don't expose them~ It's just that Yao Yao has a stronger personality, so there won't be too many misunderstandings between them [please!].
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