Chapter 11: Why Are You Here?

“Mm,” Since he was already here, Lin Zhi decided not to hide it from Lin Qingye anymore. “I want you to check your lungs first.”

Seeing Lin Qingye hesitate, Lin Zhi earnestly added, “Dad, I looked it up online. The environment at your workplace contains small amounts of harmful gases. Spending long hours in the factory might harm your health. You see, you’ve been working there for over ten years. Sometimes, you even find masks stifling and don’t wear them properly. Let’s just get checked out. If there’s no problem, that’s great. But if there is…”

Lin Qingye glanced at him, and Lin Zhi chuckled sheepishly, grabbing his father’s arm and pulling him forward. “It’s just a few tests. It won’t take long.”

The results came back quickly. That afternoon, Lin Qingye received a notification from the hospital stating they had found a small shadow on his lungs and advised him to return for a more detailed diagnostic test as soon as possible.

Lin Qingye tried to sound as calm as usual when relaying this to Lin Zhi, but Lin Zhi still detected a hint of unease.

He was too familiar with his father’s forced calm tone.

“Let’s go now,” Lin Zhi said, unwilling to wait another moment. “We can’t delay.”

“Okay.” By now, Lin Qingye stopped insisting that his body was perfectly fine.

From the elderly to young children, there is a particular reverence for doctors. A doctor’s words were far more persuasive than Lin Zhi’s many attempts to convince his father.

“Lung cancer, positive…” Lin Zhi saw the definitive words on the report.

“What does this mean?” Lin Qingye’s expression stiffened. “I have lung cancer?”

“Excuse me, which stage of lung cancer is my dad in?” Lin Zhi moved closer to the doctor, forcing himself to remain steady as he asked, “Has the cancer spread?”

This diagnosis came much earlier than in his previous life, so it should be at an early stage, Lin Zhi thought, desperately hoping for good news. Nothing must go wrong, or he…

“How is this possible?” Lin Qingye said in disbelief. “I’ve never shown any symptoms or felt unwell.”

The doctor, a man in his 30s or 40s who was used to seeing patients and their families react with fear or despair upon learning of a diagnosis, calmly explained everything to the Lin family.

“Whether the cancer has spread or not will require further tests to determine,” the doctor said, making Lin Zhi’s heart tighten. “However, you don’t need to worry too much. Mr. Lin’s condition was caught early. With active treatment, it can be cured.”

Lin Zhi let out a breath of relief. The word “cured” was one of the most beautiful words he’d ever heard across both of his lives.

“You see,” the doctor pointed to the lung X-ray taken that morning, “This small shadow here is the tumor we just confirmed as lung cancer.”

The shadow was so tiny that Lin Zhi almost missed it.

“Where?” Lin Qingye couldn’t spot it at all.

“You caught it early, so it’s still very small,” the doctor explained. “Only a few millimeters. That’s also why you didn’t feel any discomfort. If it’s not removed, though, it’ll eventually grow and press against your lung’s nerves.”

“Doctor, please arrange surgery for my dad as soon as possible,” Lin Zhi said urgently.

“Don’t rush,” the doctor reassured him. “As I mentioned, we still need to determine whether the cancer has spread, even though the chances are small. We also need to check if your father has any conditions that might make surgery unsafe. If everything else is fine, we will definitely schedule the surgery as soon as possible.”

While Lin Qingye underwent further tests, Lin Zhi went downstairs and sat on a bench in the rehabilitation garden outside the outpatient clinic. He stared blankly ahead, his mind unfocused.

In the past half month since his rebirth, Lin Qingye’s illness and Yao Wenjing’s experience had weighed on him like two massive mountains. On top of that, he had been pushing himself to study and prepare, never allowing a moment of relaxation.

The only respite he allowed himself was occasionally thinking of “Zhi.”

Now that Lin Qingye had a chance of being cured, Lin Zhi finally felt like he could breathe a little easier.

The golden evening sunlight spilled across the rehabilitation garden, illuminating faces filled with joy or sorrow—patients taking slow walks, anxious family members, nurses eating quick meals. Although their emotions were disconnected, they all felt the lingering warmth of the sunset.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lin Zhi noticed someone sitting beside him, far too close for a stranger. There were still plenty of empty benches nearby. He turned to look.

Lin Zhi: “…”

These past few days, Lu Liu had been thinking about how to approach Lin Zhi without triggering his resistance. After returning from the library, Lu Liu quickly finished the two borrowed books. Both dealt with specific legal phenomena, and he extracted two keywords from them: domestic violence and independent household registration for minors.

Lu Liu knew Lin Zhi only lived with his father. In the past, he had overheard Lin Zhi complaining to his friends about his life. At the time, he dismissed it as just typical teenage rebellion. But after seeing Lin Zhi crying outside the classroom last time and observing his recent odd behavior, Lu Liu couldn’t help but feel a bit worried.

“Are you feeling unwell?” Lu Liu greeted him proactively.

“No,” Lin Zhi replied, lowering his gaze slightly. “Thank you for your concern, class monitor.”

Lu Liu studied Lin Zhi carefully. “You don’t look too good.”

“I’m fine,” Lin Zhi avoided further discussion and changed the subject. “What about you? What brings you to the hospital?”

“My cousin just gave birth,” Lu Liu said. “My mom’s here to visit them.”

“Oh,” Lin Zhi smiled. The birth of a new life always brought joy to many people. “Congratulations.”

Lu Liu: “…Thanks.”

“You should go see them,” Lin Zhi said, patting his knees as he stood up. “I need to leave too.”

“Lin Zhi,” Lu Liu called after him. “If something’s wrong, you can—”

“Class monitor, I’m really fine,” Lin Zhi interrupted politely. “Thank you so much for your concern. But honestly, you’re not much older than me. Whatever you can do for me, I can probably manage with some effort too.”

In fact, Lin Zhi had lived three years longer than Lu Liu, although those years had been hectic and, in the end, left him with nothing.

Lu Liu pursed his lips, his jaw tightening slightly.

“Alright, I’m leaving,” Lin Zhi gave a casual wave. “Bye.”

Lu Liu didn’t reply. He just watched Lin Zhi leave, deep in thought. It wasn’t until Lin Zhi’s figure disappeared around the corner that Lu Liu turned and walked toward the maternity ward.

Lin Zhi had a quick dinner near the hospital. Afterward, he packed a portion of lean pork and century egg congee with a couple of light side dishes to bring back for Lin Qingye, who was waiting for his test results.

Lin Qingye cooperated fully with the doctor’s treatment plan, and with Lin Zhi’s supervision, he completed all the necessary tests in the shortest time possible.

The results were positive: the cancer hadn’t metastasized, his physical condition was good, and he could tolerate surgery. The operation was scheduled soon.

“Uncle has lung cancer?” Yao Wenjing exclaimed, stopping what he was doing. “What’s the success rate of the surgery?”

“Over 80%,” Lin Zhi replied, leaning against the counter. It was late, and the milk tea shop was empty except for him and Yao Wenjing, who had stayed behind to clean up. “It’s early-stage and curable.”

“That’s a very high chance,” Yao Wenjing comforted him. “Don’t worry. It’ll be successful.”

“Yeah,” Lin Zhi tugged at the corner of his lips. “After the surgery, he’ll need to stay in the hospital for observation. We’re heading to the hospital tomorrow.”

“The surgery is the day after tomorrow, right?” Yao Wenjing asked, then offered, “Xiao Zhi, let me go with you.”

“No need,” Lin Zhi said. “Don’t skip work because of this…”

“I have to,” Yao Wenjing insisted, pulling his phone out of his work pants pocket. “I’ll ask my boss for leave right now. I want to visit uncle and be there for you.”

The next day, Yao Wenjing arrived at Lin Zhi’s house carrying a bag of fruit. Lin Zhi was helping Lin Qingye pack daily necessities for his hospital stay.

Lin Qingye had met Yao Wenjing before. In the past, when Yao Wenjing’s father “went crazy” on weekends, Lin Zhi had brought Yao Wenjing to their home.

After exchanging a few words with Lin Qingye, Yao Wenjing waited for Lin Zhi to finish packing. Then they all took a ride to the hospital together.

The hospital room had three beds. Lin Qingye was assigned the one near the window. The middle bed was empty, and the bed near the door was occupied by an elderly man, surrounded by a group of visitors when Lin Zhi and the others entered.

Although Lin Qingye was scheduled for surgery the next day, he moved around as usual and didn’t lie down on the bed after entering the room.

“Dad, go sit and rest,” Lin Zhi urged him while nudging him toward a seat. “Xiao Jing and I can handle the unpacking.”

“You should be telling Wenjing to rest instead,” Lin Qingye replied.

“Fine,” Lin Zhi turned to Yao Wenjing and said, “Xiao Jing, you should go sit and rest too. I can do this alone.”

In his previous life, Lin Zhi had mostly taken care of Lin Qingye by himself. Later, when Lin Qingye became less mobile, the tasks he had to manage were even more numerous and unpleasant.

“No worries, Uncle,” Yao Wenjing said, his hands not stopping as he worked. “You go rest.”

Later in the evening, the doctor in charge of Lin Qingye, who was also the surgeon performing the operation the next day, stopped by during rounds and took Lin Qingye’s temperature.

The doctor’s last name was Lu, and he was also the primary surgeon for the upcoming procedure.

Not long after Doctor Lu left, Lin Zhi excused himself, saying he needed to use the restroom, and left the ward. Following the nurse’s directions, he found Doctor Lu’s office.

He wanted to ask some final questions about the surgery. Maybe there wouldn’t be any new answers, but it could at least provide some peace of mind.

Lin Zhi was like a bird startled by a mere bowstring. Despite the doctor’s repeated reassurances that Lin Qingye’s condition had been caught early and the surgery had a very high success rate, Lin Zhi couldn’t shake the worry that something might go wrong.

The office door was closed. Lin Zhi curled his index finger and knocked lightly three times.

After waiting a few seconds without hearing any response, Lin Zhi was about to turn and leave when the door opened from the inside. Standing there was Lu Liu, his refined face and upright posture appearing in Lin Zhi’s view.

Lin Zhi: “…”

“What are you doing here?” Lin Zhi’s eyes widened.

“Waiting for someone. Are you looking for Doctor Lu?” Lu Liu stepped aside to let him in. “The nurse said he’s still making rounds and hasn’t returned yet. If it’s not urgent, you can wait inside.”

Lin Zhi froze in the doorway, momentarily not sure of what to say. He followed up on Lu Liu’s words and asked, “What if it’s urgent?”

“If it’s urgent, I can call him,” Lu Liu said, pulling out his phone. “But even then, you’d still have to wait for him to finish his rounds before he could come back. At most, I can make sure he doesn’t waste time on the way.”