Dr. Zhu, in his forties, energetic and composed, gestured for Cheng Ji to sit down and said, “You look pale. Haven’t been resting well these past few days, have you?”

Cheng Ji wasn’t sure what this was about and gave a vague reply, waiting for the doctor to continue.

The doctor got straight to the point. “Cheng, I need to have a serious talk with you. I think you’ve fallen into a kind of misunderstanding. As a doctor, like you, I hope for my patients to recover. But sometimes, we have to bow to reality and to the natural order of life. Birth, aging, illness, and death—that’s the way of life. And the truth about that way is that it allows no miracles.”

Cheng Ji looked at him silently.

The doctor continued, “I know your mother is your only family, and that’s why you can’t let go. But if holding on was all it took, humanity would have achieved immortality by now. Cheng, it’s time.”

Cheng Ji remained silent.

The doctor added, “Treatment is no longer effective. All the medical interventions are doing is adding to your mother’s suffering. I strongly suggest you transfer her to a hospice care facility where she can spend her remaining days peacefully and with dignity. This is the third time we’ve had this conversation. From the very beginning, I’ve been advising you this way. Patients like your mother, in the end, leave nothing but emotional and financial devastation. You’ve done enough. It’s time to move on.”

At that moment, Cheng Ji understood why that boy had entrusted his body and future to him—it was because he had nowhere else to turn, utterly exhausted.

To stop treatment meant actively giving up on his mother, something he might never forgive himself for. Growing up in a single-parent household, his bond with his mother was likely profoundly deep.

Continuing treatment, on the other hand, meant he’d have to sell his blood, his body, or even his organs to pay the mounting medical bills, only to end up with the same result.

Either choice was unbearably painful, so the boy had simply abandoned himself first.

Cheng Ji inhaled deeply, then exhaled just as slowly, and said to the doctor, “Could you give me one night to think it over?”

The doctor agreed. “Of course. Whether it’s transferring or discharging her, the paperwork can’t be done until tomorrow morning anyway. Take your time.”

Hearing the word “discharge,” Cheng Ji hesitated. He still owed the hospital over 20,000 yuan.

In the taxi earlier, he’d checked his bank account on his phone—only a little over 4,000 yuan remained, his last bit of savings. If he chose to transfer her, there would also be hospice fees to consider.

“Dr. Zhu,” he began hesitantly, not expecting much, “if I decide to transfer or discharge her, could the paperwork be done first, and I’ll pay the outstanding fees later when I have the money?”

The doctor studied him for a moment before smiling. “All right.”

“All right?” Cheng Ji couldn’t believe his ears.

The doctor said, “It’s not allowed for others, but for you, I’ll vouch for it.”

“Thank you so much,” Cheng Ji said gratefully.

The doctor replied, “Cheng, this is the first time you’ve sought help from anyone in all these days. How could I turn you down? Actually, part of what I wanted to discuss with you is this: no one can stand alone in this world. Under too much pressure, even the strongest spine will break. Asking for help now and then isn’t shameful. Everyone sees what you’ve been going through and wants to help, but they’re afraid of hurting your pride or being rejected.”

“I accept—I really accept,” Cheng Ji replied quickly. “Thank you so much. Truly, I promise to change whatever faults I have and repay the money. I’ll make sure the hospital doesn’t lose out.”

The doctor smiled at him. “No rush.”

After saying goodbye, Cheng Ji headed to his mother’s hospital room.

The room housed four patients in critical condition, lying in beds side by side. His mother’s bed was the one closest to the window.

The other patients and their caregivers were already asleep. Cheng Ji moved quietly toward his mother’s bed and, in the faint light from outside, studied the emaciated woman lying there.

Death had already taken most of her, leaving what little remained sustained by the tubes connected to her. If the tubes were removed, she would be gone too.

He wanted to call out “Mom,” but the word wouldn’t come out. Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed and silently spoke to her in his mind. Ma’am, we’re in trouble.

I’m not used to having a mother, so when I got into that fight earlier, I didn’t think of you at all. We might end up dragging each other down.

Because of me, our enemies will probably find you.

Because of you, I can’t leave this city or the hospital with a clear conscience. I’ll have to deal with them within these limited confines.

Cheng Ji sighed, leaned down, and whispered in her ear, “Tomorrow morning, I’ll transfer you. After that, let’s face whatever comes together.”

He found a caregiver’s chair, lay down, covered himself with his down jacket, curled up, and soon fell asleep, overcome by exhaustion.

After lying down in a daze for over an hour, a painful sensation gradually started to build up in a sensitive area. Although it wasn’t intense, it felt long and enduring.

He turned over and sat up, reaching under his clothes. Immediately, he jumped in pain.

He touched something.

On his left nipple.

This object was beyond his knowledge, and he didn’t know how to describe it, so he touched it again.

It really hurt.

He jumped off the chair and rushed into the hospital bathroom, locking the door. He lifted his shirt and glanced quickly, letting out a painful scream despite his strong mental resilience.

“Fuck!”

He should’ve been more polite, but he couldn’t help it. Just like the small silver stud on his belly button, there was a ring on his left nipple.

He squatted down, covering his mouth with both hands.

The stud on his belly button was small and tucked in, so it wasn’t a big deal.

But this ring…

Earlier, he had climbed up the building with his bare hands, fought someone, bound them, and even climbed down the wall. Every movement caused the ring to rub.

The ring was inanimate and didn’t hurt, but his nipple was swollen, as big as a grape.

Before he knew about the ring, it had only been a dull pain. But now, knowing it was there, the pain had intensified.

He felt overwhelmed, his body hunched, tears falling.

Why did Manager Zhou suggest this? Wasn’t it too unprofessional?

Why not put a hole in his own body to avoid the pain? He sobbed and thought, “I need to get this ring off.”

As he grabbed the bottom of his shirt, preparing to remove the ring, his emotions were chaotic, and his eyes watered with each tear.

He used to cry a lot in his past life, but rarely because of physical pain. This time, though, it was different. That area was too sensitive.

He regretted not noticing it before the climb or the fight. If he had discovered it sooner, maybe it could have been treated.

Now, things had worsened, and he had no idea how to treat the inflammation in that spot.

Shivering, he gently touched the ring, pulling on it. The pain was so intense that he had to summon all his willpower to avoid crying out. It was as if hundreds of people were scraping their nails on a blackboard in front of him, sending a chilling shock to his scalp.

The ring came off.

When he finally removed it, he was drenched in cold sweat, his vision darkened, and his legs nearly gave out beneath him. He almost collapsed onto the cold bathroom floor, but luckily, the toilet lid was right there to catch him, saving him once again.

The skin on his chest had broken, and tiny beads of blood were seeping out.

This ring must have been pierced within the past couple of days. It had been properly sterilized during the procedure, and while it might have caused some minor discomfort, it shouldn’t have swollen like this. It was his own fault for making things worse.

He slumped to the floor, trembling, clutching his violated body tightly.

Ahhh, he was no longer pure!

Gripping the ring tightly, he stormed out of the hospital room, made his way to the public restroom in the ward, and entered one of the stalls. There, he hurled the ring into the toilet and flushed it repeatedly, over a dozen times, the veins on his forehead still bulging.

Out of misplaced rage, he tore off his undergarments: his torn t-shirt, his barely-there shorts, his thong, and his fishnet stockings.

He threw on his down jacket, returned to Ms. Cheng’s bedside, grabbed a bottle of disinfecting alcohol, and went back to the restroom. From his pocket, he pulled out a lighter, gathered his discarded clothes into a bundle, and set them ablaze.

The restroom doubled as a smoking area, so there wasn’t a smoke alarm installed. Cheng Ji carefully controlled the flames, and once the fire had burned everything to ash, he scooped up the remains and flushed them down the toilet.

“Welcome back to humanity,” he muttered indifferently.

After a long while, he left the restroom and headed to the nurses’ station to ask for an anti-inflammatory ointment. Though the ring was gone, the pain lingered.

But as he approached, he noticed both nurses were dozing off—one propping her head with her hand, her head bobbing forward, and the other slumped over the counter. The clock already read 2 a.m. Feeling guilty about disturbing their rest, he decided to return to Ms. Cheng’s room instead.

He lay back on the caregiver chair, stared blankly for a while, endured the lingering pain, and finally fell asleep, completely drained.

In his sleep, he dreamed a series of chaotic, disjointed scenes. All he could see were pale, white breasts, rolling toward him in waves, crowding around, jostling to press against his face. He shouted, “No, no, no! Help! I don’t want this!” But they kept coming.

Eventually, he spotted a healthy, firm male chest with defined muscles. When he looked up to see the face, it was Qi Beisong’s. The shock jolted him awake.

Clutching his chest, he gasped for breath, his forehead drenched in cold sweat.