Chapter 38

◎ “I won’t agree to it.” Shen Suhui said coldly. ◎

After returning home, Shen Suhui sat on the sofa, the blow from this situation was too great for her, and she still hadn’t recovered from it.

Yu Ran sat next to her and cautiously held her hand.

“We’ll solve this together. Dong Ting is the closest person to you, and I will do my best to help you, whether it’s money or medical resources…”

“…” Shen Suhui was stunned and didn’t respond.

Yu Ran continued, “For now, you should arrange for Dong Ting to be hospitalized. His condition isn’t too bad recently, and I know many experts in this field in the U.S. I’ll have them come over for a consultation.”

“…”

Shen Suhui heard her, but the tears just kept flowing down her face.

“It’s useless, the diagnosis is terminal…” She was a pessimist, always thinking of the worst possible outcome, “Dong Ting will leave me sooner or later, whether it’s sooner or later…”

“I’m really useless. I should have taken him for a checkup sooner. He’s been having fevers and colds off and on since last year…”

As she spoke, Shen Suhui lowered her head and buried her face in her knees, crying uncontrollably, her body trembling.

“Let it out…” Yu Ran held her gently in her arms, her tone soft, “But Dong Ting can only rely on you right now, you have to be strong, okay?”

Probably exhausted from crying, Shen Suhui wiped her tears and sat quietly on the sofa, lost in thought for a while.

“You should eat something tonight. How about I make noodles?” Yu Ran asked softly.

Shen Suhui shook her head, wanting to say she had no appetite, but then changed her mind and nodded.

That evening, Shen Suhui took a sleeping pill. She hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in days, and with everything that happened today, it was even harder to sleep.

The sleeping pill didn’t work as expected. Shen Suhui tossed and turned in Yu Ran’s arms. Yu Ran had also been worried she wouldn’t feel sleepy, so she stayed up with her the entire night.

In the middle of the night, Shen Suhui, afraid of disturbing Yu Ran, went to the guest room. Yu Ran knew all of this.

She didn’t go after her, just opened her eyes and stared at the bottle of pills and the wind chimes on the windowsill, her thoughts gradually drifting away.

How did Shen Suhui manage to get through this before?

Maybe Jiang Shiluo knew the answer better than her.

But now was not the time to ask Jiang Shiluo these things. What she needed to do was help Shen Suhui through this difficult time.

The next day, Yu Ran was supposed to take leave to help Shen Suhui arrange for her family to be hospitalized, but Shen Suhui refused.

“Since they’re at the hospital, if anything happens, just call me.”

Shen Suhui nodded. “I know, don’t worry, drive carefully.”

Yu Ran nodded and, still worried, looked at her several times before leaving.

She had two surgeries in the morning, and after work, Yu Ran saw the message from Shen Suhui that Dongting’s hospitalization was arranged.

Yu Ran hurried to the hospital room, just about to knock on the door when the loud sound of crying could be heard from inside.

“How could this happen? Why does Dongting’s life have to be so hard? We don’t even have much money, and the chemotherapy costs a hundred thousand for the first round…”

“If we don’t do the chemotherapy, he can’t even leave the hospital, woo woo woo…”

“Mom, don’t worry too much. I’m feeling fine right now, maybe I’ll get better soon…”

“You’re fine now, but once you start chemotherapy, you’ll be in pain… wuwuwu…”

“Mom,” Shen Suhui whispered. “Stop crying for now. We should be optimistic, and give Dong Ting some strength, shouldn’t we? If he sees you like this, he’ll be worried too, and that could affect his treatment…”

“Optimistic, optimistic! It’s not you who’s sick, of course you’re optimistic. I think you don’t care about your brother at all.”

Shen Suhui had long gotten used to Wang Lanzhi’s maliciousness and contempt. Not wanting to argue in the hospital room, she simply pinched her fingers and lowered her head, staying silent.

At that moment, the door to the hospital room was knocked. Yu Ran pushed the door open and immediately saw Shen Suhui sitting on the bed, her head lowered.

Shen Suhui turned around and looked at Yu Ran when she heard the noise.

She quickly stood up to face her. Perhaps because the family was all present, or because Yu Ran was wearing a white coat, looking different than usual, Shen Suhui tightly clenched her fingers, feeling somewhat awkward.

“Doctor!!!”

Wang Lanzhi wiped her tears and hurriedly stood in front of Shen Suhui, blocking her way. “Is there something wrong? Our Dongting…”

“Has the treatment plan been arranged?” Yu Ran casually asked.

Wang Lanzhi nodded. “Yes, it’s arranged.”

“Next, make sure the patient eats light food. If you’re upset, don’t cry in front of the patient. Sick people are emotionally fragile, and your behavior will affect them a lot.”

“I know, I know…”

Wang Lanzhi wanted to say more, but Yu Ran looked at Shen Suhui behind her and said, “I’m here to see her.”

Shen Suhui glanced at Wang Lanzhi and followed Yu Ran out.

After closing the door, Yu Ran’s expression softened and became gentle. “How are you?”

Shen Suhui nodded. “I’m fine.”

“…” Yu Ran didn’t say anything further. In fact, both of them had nothing left to say.

The hospital was busy with people coming and going, and they maintained a polite distance from each other. Shen Suhui’s eyelashes were wet, indicating that she had been crying earlier.

Yu Ran had only been standing outside for a minute, yet she had already heard all the venomous words from Wang Lanzhi. But these were words Shen Suhui had heard for almost thirty years.

She couldn’t help but wonder if, whenever Shen Suhui stayed in the same space as them, Wang Lanzhi’s hurtful words would fill every gap, making Shen Suhui feel like she couldn’t bear it.

Shen Suhui rubbed her eyes. She wasn’t sobbing, but the tears fell uncontrollably. Before Yu Ran came over, she had managed to hold it in, as she was used to it. But when she saw Yu Ran standing outside, it felt like she had found a shelter, and she couldn’t hold on any longer.

Maybe this is what it means to become weak when you’re loved?

Seeing Shen Suhui’s aggrieved look, Yu Ran felt heartbroken. She wanted to reach out and wipe her tears, but Shen Suhui, afraid of affecting her profession, lowered her head and wiped them away with her sleeve.

“Have you eaten?”

Shen Suhui shook her head.

“Then come with me to the cafeteria, we’ll take the food back.”

Yu Ran could have packed it herself, but with the atmosphere in the hospital room, she preferred to keep Shen Suhui by her side.

Shen Suhui told Wang Lanzhi and the others and followed Yu Ran to the cafeteria.

Yu Ran told her to sit while she packed the food. They both carried it back to the hospital room.

“Go ahead and eat. I’ll talk to Dr. Yang.”

Dr. Yang was Shen Dongting’s attending doctor. Shen Suhui nodded obediently. With Yu Ran there, she felt much more at ease.

For now, only Shen Dong Ting was staying in the room, and it was spacious enough. After lunch, Shen Dong Ting rested, and the two older people lay on another bed to sleep. Shen Suhui tidied up the room and went out, not disturbing their rest.

As soon as she closed the door, someone grabbed her wrist. Yu Ran led her to the orthopedic doctor’s on-duty room.

“Yu Ran…”

Yu Ran pulled her into an embrace. “You’ve been busy all this time. Why don’t you rest here for a bit?”

Shen Suhui leaned on her shoulder, not saying anything, just quietly resting against her.

“Last night, you couldn’t sleep, right?” Yu Ran asked with concern. “You haven’t slept for many nights, you can’t keep doing this.”

“I want to rest too, but…”

Yu Ran held her shoulder and looked into her eyes. “I understand, but you must force yourself to calm down. After you rest for an hour, they’ll just be waking up. Then, you just need to focus on preparing for the first treatment…”

Shen Suhui thought for a moment. She had to remain strong, as Shen Dong Ting could only rely on her. She nodded.

Yu Ran smiled instantly. In her white coat, her smile seemed almost divine. Shen Suhui felt very close to her, and her mood lifted a little.

“I have surgery in the afternoon. I’ll go prepare for it soon. When you wake up, just go back to the room. I’ll come find you when I’m done.”

“Okay, okay.”

The on-duty room was quiet. Yu Ran had apparently put something fragrant in the room, and a faint floral scent lingered around Shen Suhui’s nose. Unexpectedly, she fell asleep for forty minutes.

When they returned to the room, the two older people had woken up. Because of the medication, Shen Dongting was still deeply asleep.

“Mom, Dad, have you rested?” Shen Suhui politely asked as she approached them.

Wang Lanzhi snorted coldly and said, “Do you think we could sleep? But you… where did you go just now?”

Shen Suhui didn’t mention Yu Ran. “Oh, I found an empty room to rest for a bit.”

“Are you asleep?”

“I’m asleep.”

“Hmph, you’re really carefree. Your brother is in trouble, and you don’t seem to care at all. He’s been so good to you all these years…”

“…”

Seeing Shen Suhui stay silent, Shen Suhua grabbed her wife’s hand. “Just say a little less, okay? These days, Xiao Hui has lost quite a bit of weight. She’s just a girl after all…”

“…”

Shen Suhui raised her eyes to look at her father. This was the first time in her memory that her father had spoken up for her. Every time before, he had been an accomplice in her mother’s outbursts.

This gesture didn’t warm Shen Suhui’s heart. Instead, it felt strange, unfamiliar, and even made her feel embarrassed.

“By the way, didn’t you have something to talk to Xiao Hui about? Dong Ting hasn’t woken up yet. You can talk to her outside. I’ll stay here and watch over him.”

The moment Shen Suhua said this, Shen Suhui felt something was wrong. Wang Lanzhi stood up.

“Come with me for a walk in the garden.”

Shen Suhui nodded and followed her.

This was the first time she’d walked alone with this woman, as usually, they would either fight or argue within a minute.

The sun was intense at this hour, and there were few people in the garden. Yet, neither of them seemed to feel the heat as they stood under the blazing sun.

Wang Lanzhi walked to a pavilion and stopped.

“Dong Ting’s treatment will cost a lot of money.”

She got straight to the point, never giving Shen Suhui a moment to brace herself.

“How do you plan to handle it?”

Shen Suhui replied, “I plan to take out my savings first.”

Wang Lanzhi asked, “How much savings do you have?”

“Three hundred thousand.”

“Three hundred thousand is nothing.”

“Three hundred thousand plus insurance should at least cover the expenses for a while…” Shen Suhui said. “Besides, Mom, you and Dad can’t contribute anything?”

“What money do we old folks have?” Wang Lanzhi suddenly shouted, “You’re so ungrateful! You’re almost thirty, no marriage, no savings. If I had known you’d turn out so useless, I should’ve strangled you at birth! Your brother has been so good to you, and you’re supposed to help him with his treatment! We raised you both, and it’s still not enough? We’re selling fruits, what money do we earn?”

“Whatever we have, we’ll use it. We’ll make do for now…”

“You don’t need to make it so complicated,” Wang Lanzhi suddenly said. “Do you remember that little Jiang from your blind date? He didn’t hold a grudge about the last dinner. He told me he really likes you. If you’re willing to marry him, he’s willing to give you eighty thousand as dowry…”

“…”

“Although eighty thousand isn’t a lot, it could save a life, right?”

Shen Suhui’s head was buzzing. Every word Wang Lanzhi said felt like a dagger stabbing into her heart, choking her throat.

It made her feel immense pain, suffocating.

“He’s got a good background too, works in a government agency, and his family’s well-off. His family has been in business for generations. Little Jiang is only with you because he has integrity, not relying on his privileged background. If you marry him…”

“I won’t agree to that,” Shen Suhui said coldly.

“What did you say?”

“I said I won’t agree to that.”

“…”

Wang Lanzhi’s expression immediately turned vicious. This was the look Shen Suhui had feared most since she was young.

But now, she wasn’t afraid anymore because Wang Lanzhi was getting old.

“Mom, why?” Shen Suhui questioned. “What do you take me for? Your servant?”

“I’ll find a way to treat Dong Ting. I’ll sell the car, sell the coffee shop, whatever it takes, but I won’t listen to your plan to marry Jiang You…”

She said, turning to leave. But Wang Lanzhi rushed over and grabbed her arm. Shen Suhui, in a fit of anger, pushed her away, and Wang Lanzhi fell heavily to the ground.

“You slut, heartless bitch! You think you’re such a pure thing? Jiang You must be blind to like you. You don’t know how lucky you are! It should’ve been you who died!!!”

Shen Suhui turned, rushed to Wang Lanzhi’s side, and grabbed her collar in one swift motion. Wang Lanzhi opened her mouth, but her lips trembled uncontrollably, and she couldn’t say a word.

If this person wasn’t her elder, Shen Suhui would have slapped her, but now, she could only push Wang Lanzhi away forcefully, knocking her to the ground.