Chi Yao not only refused to cooperate with his treatment, but in the final moments of his life, he smoked and drank heavily in the hospital room, further ruining his body. He refused to eat and even had someone deliver him special drugs to numb both his physical pain and emotional suffering.

Perhaps he could have lived a few more months, but in his self-destructive despair, Chi Yao ultimately died on a cold, dark night.

Reborn, now fully aware of what will happen if he doesn’t change, Chi Yao knew he couldn’t just sit idly by.

After arriving at the hospital, he underwent some medical tests. While he looked healthy on the outside, the results revealed not only the tumor but several other minor health issues.

This time, Chi Yao was determined to listen to the doctors. They told him to avoid staying up late, to eat regularly, and to stay away from alcohol and cigarettes.

Obediently, Chi Yao went home and searched his entire house. He pulled out all the lighters from his drawers and threw all his cigarettes and alcohol into a large trash bag. These items, though extremely expensive, meant nothing to him now. Altogether, they were probably worth enough to buy a small apartment, but Chi Yao didn’t hesitate to toss them away.

Dragging the garbage bag downstairs to the trash bins, Chi Yao suddenly thought of someone. Since that person had come to help him at the hotel, he figured he might as well give them what was now useless to him.

Chi Yao made a quick phone call.

Xue Zhongming arrived quickly. He had just dropped the boy off at the hospital and hadn’t left yet because Chi Yao had asked him to bring the boy there. But soon after, Chi Yao called again, asking him to come over immediately.

Though Xue Zhongming was a bit tired and wanted to decline, he ultimately decided to drive over.

When he reached Chi Yao, he saw him holding a large garbage bag filled with what looked like trash.

“Here, this is for you,” Chi Yao tossed the bag to the ground with the same expression he would use when handing out alms to a beggar.

Xue Zhongming, though used to Chi Yao’s haughty behavior, still felt a tinge of discomfort deep inside.

“If you don’t want it, I’ll just throw it away,” Chi Yao said as he took the bag back and moved to toss it in the trash bin.

The bag clinked with the sound of glass, making it obvious it wasn’t just ordinary trash.

“I’ll take it! Why wouldn’t I?” Xue Zhongming quickly grabbed the bag. “I just thought it was strange that you came all the way down here to throw out garbage. You could’ve just called me, and I would’ve picked it up.”

“Heh,” Chi Yao gave a cold smile.

When Xue Zhongming opened the bag, not expecting much, he was momentarily stunned. Inside were many expensive foreign wines that Chi Yao had once collected. Chi Yao, without hesitation, had thrown these valuable items into a trash bag, treating them as if they were worthless. Something about Chi Yao’s behavior lately had been off.

In the last few days, Chi Yao had seemed different. Though his actions remained the same, the way he looked at people made Xue Zhongming uneasy, as if Chi Yao suddenly knew everything. It felt like Chi Yao was aware of how they flattered him to his face while mocking him behind his back, taking his money time and again.

“You’re really throwing all of this away?” Xue Zhongming asked, his voice shaking slightly with disbelief as he looked at the contents of the bag. The items inside were worth at least two million yuan, and included luxury cigarettes and lighters priced well over five figures.

“They’re useless to me now, of course I’m getting rid of them.”

Chi Yao’s gaze remained fixed on Xue Zhongming, and in that moment, Xue Zhongming felt an urge to back away, sensing that there was more to Chi Yao’s words.

“I went to the hospital recently for some tests. They found something in my stomach that needs to be surgically removed. If I keep these things around, I might not be able to resist the temptation. If I continue like this, and the tumor worsens, it will be too late for regrets.”

Xue Zhongming was shocked into silence. After a moment, he croaked out in a low voice, “A tumor…?”

“It’s benign. It’s fine. Once it’s removed, everything will be okay. No need to worry.”

No need to worry that he would die early and that they couldn’t continue to milk him for money.

For some reason, Xue Zhongming saw that message clearly in Chi Yao’s eyes.

“Good, good… glad to hear it,” Xue Zhongming replied with a forced smile.

“Now that we’re done here, you can leave,” Chi Yao said, dismissing him.

Xue Zhongming was eager to leave. Chi Yao’s unpredictable and brooding nature had always made him uneasy, and he didn’t want to stick around any longer than necessary.

“Oh, and one more thing!”

Just as Xue Zhongming was about to leave with the garbage bag, Chi Yao called out to him again.

“I’ve only told you about my hospital visit. Don’t tell anyone else,” Chi Yao said, a small smile playing on his lips, though his eyes were dark.

It was as if even if Xue Zhongming did tell someone, Chi Yao wouldn’t care. After all, he didn’t trust Xue Zhongming in the first place.

“Of course, I won’t tell anyone.”

“That’s good,” Chi Yao nodded.

As soon as he got into his car, Xue Zhongming’s excitement spiked. He placed the bag in the passenger seat, eager to open it. Inside was a bottle of red wine he’d long wanted to try. If only he had a corkscrew…

Then, to his surprise, he found a corkscrew in the bag and immediately opened the bottle, taking a large swig. As he slumped against the steering wheel, Xue Zhongming began to laugh uncontrollably, his shoulders shaking.

Tonight was his lucky night.

The next day, Chi Yao showed up at the bar on time for work. The same group of scumbags who had drugged someone the previous day had returned, as if this bar were their regular hunting ground. Yesterday’s fire had interrupted their plans, and the “prey” they almost caught had slipped away.