Chapter 39 [VIP]
Han Shu came out of the doctor's office, and after taking only a few steps, he grabbed the railing on the side of the corridor and squatted down, exhausted.
"The patient's condition is quite special, and because it was discovered late, the tumor has already invaded the recurrent laryngeal nerve, as seen in the scans, making the surgery quite difficult."
"Although the nodule on the left side was determined to be benign, given the condition on the right side, we still recommend complete removal, and then determine the next treatment plan based on the surgical results."
The surgery a week later will be the final judgment.
She closed her eyes and buried her head between her knees...
When Han Shu pushed open the door to the ward where bed 62 was located, helplessness and despair washed over her like a receding tide.
She quietly walked around the half-drawn curtain and finally saw Xu Ying's figure.
At this moment, Xu Ying lay on her side facing the window, resting her head on her left arm. Her breathing was sometimes fast and sometimes slow, and her right thumb and forefinger were tapping her phone against the edge of the bed irregularly.
Han Shu took a deep breath, his tense body relaxed, and he naturally sat down at the foot of the hospital bed. "Mom."
Xu Ying visibly stiffened, then rolled over to lie flat on her back, her already stern face becoming even more gloomy. "So you know how to come back?"
"What are you talking about?" Han Shu smiled, got up, grabbed the armrest, and raised the bed a little so that Xu Ying could lean against it. "I just saw the attending physician and learned about the situation. The papilloma isn't a big problem. It will be fine after the surgery, so you can rest assured and relax."
Xu Ying snorted, "Do you think I don't know?"
Han Shu didn't respond, "Where's my dad?"
"I've gone to work." Xu Ying's eyes sharpened. "What about you? Are you planning to stay idle?"
"I haven't been idle. I'm here to take care of you at the hospital." Han Shu leaned over and glanced at the gap between the bedside table and the wall. "We didn't buy a folding bed... I'll go out and buy one later so it's convenient to stay with you at night. Is there anything else you need to buy? I'll bring it back with me."
"No need. Just find a decent job as soon as possible, and stop getting in my way all the time."
Han Shu naturally wouldn't argue with Xu Ying, and pretended not to hear.
The locust tree leaves were a deep, vibrant green, and the sky was a cloudless, azure blue. Even through the window, one could feel the sweltering heat. The ENT surgery department was on the fourth floor, offering a glimpse of the treetops. There was no wind, only stillness. Despite the sweltering summer heat, the room felt deathly silent.
The banana tree stretched its branches and leaves in the evening breeze. A huge spring rain dragon scale plant perched on the windowsill. Little Mimi on the cat tree was attracted by its gaze, raised her meowing fist to reach it, and finally punched the glass with a bang.
Wen Zhiyu leaned against the wall next to the door, with two cardboard boxes wrapped around his arms, and laboriously moved to the food bowl to add cat food. Da Mi curiously walked over, and after smelling the familiar scent, immediately ran back to the top of the cat tree, which was almost touching the ceiling.
Wen Zhiyu was startled and picked up the bag in his hand to explain, "Feeding, cat food."
Because of the backlighting, Da Mi's pupils had changed from round to oval, and she was staring straight at him.
Under such gazes, Wen Zhiyu felt uneasy. He quickly poured cat food and water, then retreated to the door and pressed the handle. The door was already a crack open, but he stopped.
He paused for a moment before turning around, his tone a little strange and stiff because he wasn't used to talking to animals. "She's gone. She hasn't been around for a long time."
—I don't know when I'll be back.
—I don’t know if he’ll ever come back.
Wen Zhiyu collapsed onto the sofa as soon as he came out of the cat house. He fiddled with his phone, the screen displaying his chat with Han Shu, the last message being a message she sent after landing.
[Invincible Strong Cabbage: I've landed, thank you.]
Wen Zhiyu was upset and wanted to send a message to ask about Han Shu's situation, call her to hear how she was doing, and even wanted to rush to the scene.
Through the living room's floor-to-ceiling windows, the light slanted across the spotless floor, then shifted eastward at a speed perceptible to the naked eye, causing the sky to darken.
"Hello?"
Wen Zhiyu cleared his throat and, unusually, stammered, "How is the situation?"
"What else can we do?" Qin Jianling asked weakly. "What is it?"
Wen Zhiyu asked, "When is the Beicheng Writers Forum that you wanted me to attend?"
On the other end of the line, the man sat up straight, eager to ask, "What the hell? Didn't you refuse to go no matter how much we tried to persuade you? Have you changed your mind?"
"You tell me the time first."
"August 21st to 23rd, are you going?!"
Wen Zhiyu checked the calendar on speakerphone, "I'm not going."
"...Then why are you asking?"
Wen Zhiyu hung up without any hesitation.
Wen Zhiyu looked around; everything was the same as before, yet it seemed completely empty. Every cell in his body was screaming. However, he had no identity, no qualifications, and no reason.
He tossed his phone onto the coffee table, lay down fully clothed, rested one arm on his forehead, and let his longing and worry grow wildly in the silence.
Except for the time when Xu Ying takes a nap and sneaks home to shower and change, Han Shu spends all her time at the hospital. During the week, Han Wenyu comes over every day after work, but is advised to go home to rest after dark, so the mother and daughter spend most of their time alone.
"What are you really thinking? Your parents have said so much to you, can't you listen to anything at all?"
"If you don't like our interference, then show us some action!"
"You still have time to read leisurely books now? If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't be able to sit still if I lost my job!"
Han Shu usually sits quietly, holding a book and reading it quietly. He accepts Xu Ying's criticisms but doesn't respond.
Until the day before the surgery.
The nurse came to insert the IV and repeatedly emphasized that Han Shu should not eat or drink after 8 p.m., to which Han Shu agreed. After the nurse left, just as he was about to ask Xu Ying what she wanted for lunch, a cup lid flew over.
"Get out! I don't want to see your stubborn, unyielding attitude!"
Han Shu remained expressionless, but clenched his teeth in pain as he bent down to pick it up. The folding bed was too soft, and after sleeping on it for six days, his back pain had become increasingly severe.
She did go out, but after cleaning the cup lid, she came back and picked up the book that was upside down on the stool.
The book cover bore the four small but striking characters: "Wen Zhiyu". She would pass a bookstore on her way home, and that day, almost as if possessed, she went inside and actually found the new book, "Eating Bones".
The promotional slogan on the book cover is a very short sentence: A dog's happiness is being able to eat a bone every day.
,"mom."
Xu Ying coldly turned her face away.
Han Shu saw this, smiled, and asked softly, "Mom, do you feel happy?"
"If you could make my life easier, I would—"
"Mom," Han Shu interrupted, "even if I completely abandon my own thoughts and do everything you say, will you be happy?"
He remained silent for a long time.
“From childhood to adulthood, I have felt that you have worked particularly hard. You would come home very late at night, not only to prepare lesson plans, but also to worry about my studies and piano practice, and even to arrange what clothes I should wear and what I should eat the next day. You would work overtime on weekends and during winter and summer vacations. In my memory, you have never been able to relax completely, think about nothing, and have a proper rest.”
Xu Ying's expression shifted slightly, then she said coldly, "You haven't even sorted out your own mess, yet you're here to judge my life?"
Han Shu shook his head helplessly, "In life, health and happiness are the most important things. I just hope you can really relax, stop worrying about me or work, and take a good rest for a while."
Xu Ying didn't say anything more, turned her back to Han Shu and lay down, as if she wanted to avoid seeing him. She didn't even answer when asked what she wanted to eat at noon, and only ate two bites of the small pot of rice noodles that she brought back according to her usual taste.
Han Shu didn't know if she had listened to him, feeling a sense of powerlessness, like punching cotton.
In the evening, Ling Lin arrived at the hospital, but did not enter the ward.
Han Shu made an excuse to leave. As soon as he reached the elevator, he was greeted by a strong hug and a familiar scent.
"Are you alright?"
Han Shu smiled faintly, "It's alright, I know what I'm doing."
Ling Lin pulled back slightly, her phoenix eyes slightly upturned as she carefully examined her, then tightened her arms again. "You've gotten darker and thinner."
"After living on the island for two months, of course I got tanned."
The two went to the courtyard and found a bench to sit down.
Ling Lin linked arms with Han Shu, the tassels on the cuffs of her short dress brushing against her skin. "Auntie is having surgery tomorrow. I'm afraid it will put pressure on her if I go now. I'll come see her after the surgery."
Han Shu felt a little itchy, so he reached out and brushed it away, then hummed in agreement, "It's okay if you don't come, you've been so busy lately."
"No matter how busy I am, nothing is more important than your affairs." Ling Lin shifted her position and put her arm around her shoulder, her expression serious. "Are you really alright?"
"Really!" Han Shu chuckled. "Athyroid cancer is known as the 'happy cancer,' so it's not a big problem."
Seeing that Han Shu was in a positive and optimistic state, Ling Lin felt half relieved. They chatted about her recent situation and watched her surfing videos repeatedly.
When the photo of Wen Zhiyu standing relaxed and comfortable on a surfboard, looking back at the waves behind him, appeared on the screen, Han Shu immediately swiped right, but someone with sharp eyes couldn't resist.
Ling Lin nodded repeatedly, "He really is handsome."
Han Shu chuckled twice, trying to hide his panic and helplessness.
After Ling Lin left, Han Shu sat on the bench for a long time.
The hospital was still bustling with people and vehicles at night. Sometimes family members would hurry into the inpatient building, and sometimes patients in hospital gowns would stroll slowly in the garden.
She sat in this inconspicuous corner, her gaze drifting aimlessly, letting the longing hidden in the inconspicuous corner of her heart surge.
At this time, Wen Zhiyu should be watching strange and unusual videos while washing dishes. If he encounters one he doesn't like, he'll poke the screen with his long-suffering lower lip until he's satisfied.
Afterward, he would wash his hands and go straight to his study on the second floor to start working. If he was in a good mood, he might fall asleep around 2 a.m. If he wasn't, he would see the first rays of sunlight rise above the horizon the next day.
Han Shu unlocked his phone and typed a few words.
[Invincible Strong Cabbage: What are you doing?]
The top immediately displays "typing in progress," followed by a white text box popping up at the bottom.
Which hospital?
Han Shu stared at the five words, somewhat bewildered.
[Invincible Strong Cabbage: Why are you asking this?]
Still, she replies instantly.
【。：Send my location.】
[Invincible Strong Cabbage: Where are you?]
【. :position. 】
【Invincible Strong Cabbage: [Second Affiliated Hospital of Beicheng University]】
After sending the location, Wen Zhiyu did not reply.
Han Shu approached the task with the same seriousness as reading comprehension, repeatedly trying to understand these fewer than twenty words.
Is he coming?
Where did he come from? Hainan Island?
Impossible, impossible.
Han Shu shook his head, trying to shake off this absurd idea.
Why ask which hospital he's at if he's not even here? And why does he need to pinpoint his location?
In what situations would we need location tracking? It's definitely necessary! Otherwise, what's the point of location tracking?
After hesitating for a moment, Han Shu inexplicably walked towards the main entrance of the hospital.
Amidst the bustling crowd, she looked around aimlessly, searching for a figure that didn't even exist.
The snack shops along the street have their signs flashing, and the owners are still hurrying back and forth, tirelessly serving their customers. Across the street, the bus stop is still packed with people waiting for their buses. The chirping of cicadas, along with the sounds of passing vehicles, rushes towards the towering buildings, only to be blocked by the cold steel and concrete.
In this tiny space, you can't see the sky or the sea.
Han Shu reluctantly withdrew his gaze, slipped on his Birkenstocks, and with increasingly heavy steps, rubbed his back as he walked back the way he came.
I heard the sound of a car door closing behind me.
For some reason, Han Shu wanted to turn around and take another look. And once he did, he couldn't look away.
A man in a sharp suit strode toward her, his face, sculpted like jade, looking exactly the same as the photo that Ling Lin had just admired.
"What are you doing here?"
Wen Zhiyu's knuckles curled unnaturally from lying, and his eyes were no longer as calm and reserved as usual. Only his voice remained calm after extreme restraint. "The Beicheng Writers Forum is right here."
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