Chapter 12: Holding Hands

“Hey, no need,” Lin Zhi quickly raised a hand to stop him, “I’m not in a hurry.”

Lu Liu gave an almost imperceptible shrug and tilted his head to gesture for Lin Zhi to enter the office.

The room’s setup was simple: a spacious desk with a computer on top, a row of glass cabinets filled with folders, a water dispenser, two potted plants, and a small sofa set with a coffee table.

In just a few seconds, Lin Zhi took in every detail of the office. He always seemed to have this heightened awareness whenever he was alone with Lu Liu.

Acting like the host, Lu Liu poured Lin Zhi a glass of water, mixing hot and cold water to a drinkable temperature.

“Thanks,” Lin Zhi said, a little stiffly. “You and Doctor Lu…”

He had a general guess. Sharing the same last name, and having met Lu Liu’s father that day, he could tell Doctor Lu wasn’t related to him directly by appearance.

“Doctor Lu is my uncle,” Lu Liu explained.

As expected, Lin Zhi nodded and refrained from prying further into someone else’s family matters.

“My cousin is being discharged from the hospital today,” Lu Liu continued. “My mom and aunt came to pick her up, and my dad asked me to drop something off for Doctor Lu on the way.”

Lin Zhi nodded again, adding a quick “Oh…” to show he wasn’t brushing him off.

“What about you?” Lu Liu asked, studying Lin Zhi. “Why are you here looking for Doctor Lu?”

“I wanted to ask some questions about a surgery,” Lin Zhi answered vaguely.

“A surgery?” Lu Liu frowned. “You…”

Just then, the office door opened again, and Doctor Lu entered with his patient records, a pen clipped to the top.

“Doctor Lu.” Lin Zhi immediately stood up and nodded politely. Lu Liu stopped mid-sentence and turned toward the door.

“Ah,” Doctor Lu greeted with a smile, shutting the door behind him. “Hello, how can I help you?”

“Sorry to bother you,” Lin Zhi said, glancing at Lu Liu briefly. “I have a few things I’d like to ask you.”

“Sure, give me a moment,” Doctor Lu said as he walked over to his desk to input some important information into the computer. Then he asked, “Xiao Liu, why are you here?”

“My dad asked me to bring you the folder on the desk,” Lu Liu gestured with his chin toward the right side of the desk.

Doctor Lu picked up the folder and looked at its cover. “I was just about to need this. Thanks for bringing it over. It’s been a busy time lately. I’ll treat you to a meal once I get some free time.”

“No problem, Uncle,” Lu Liu replied smoothly, then added, “You can focus on my classmate’s matter first.”

Lin Zhi gave Lu Liu another glance.

“Hmm?” Doctor Lu’s gaze naturally shifted between Lin Zhi and Lu Liu. “You two are classmates?”

“Yes,” Lu Liu said with a smile. “If possible, I’d appreciate it if you could look after my classmate.”

Doctor Lu continued typing on his keyboard as he nodded slowly.

Lin Zhi tilted his head back and finished the glass of water Lu Liu had poured for him in one gulp.

In his past life, Lin Zhi had begged countless people—pulling strings to find specialists, borrowing money. By the end, the few relatives he had left avoided him like the plague, and Lin Qingye’s friends and colleagues went out of their way to steer clear of him.

Unexpectedly, in this second life, before he even opened his mouth to ask, Lu Liu—who was merely his classmate—had already started helping him build connections.

Lu Xueli finished entering the information, then walked over to the sofa with his thermos in hand.

“Doctor Lu,” Lin Zhi said, starting to rise again.

“Sit,” Lu Xueli gestured downward with his palm. “Stay seated.”

Lu Liu shifted to sit beside Lin Zhi, leaving the single sofa for Lu Xueli, shamelessly lingering in the office.

“You’re the son of patient Lin Qingye, right?” Lu Xueli asked kindly. “I just visited his ward. Do you have more questions? Go ahead and ask.”

“You mentioned last time that the success rate for the surgery was over 80%,” Lin Zhi said after hesitating for a moment. “Can I ask more specifically—what’s the actual success rate for cases like my father’s in this hospital?”

Lu Xueli didn’t answer immediately. He smiled, unscrewed the lid of his thermos, and took a sip of tea.

“Uncle,” Lu Liu interjected, despite not knowing Lin Zhi’s father’s exact condition. “Is that information confidential? If the hospital has statistics, could you share them with my classmate?”

“Let me put it this way,” Lu Xueli replied with a smile. “Mr. Lin Qingye’s condition was detected very early. We’ve informed the patient and his family of this multiple times.”

Looking at Lin Zhi, he continued, “In such cases, the risk of surgical treatment is almost negligible. Our hospital’s success rate for similar cases is 100%. However, follow-up chemotherapy is still necessary after surgery. Some patients don’t follow the doctor’s instructions post-surgery, leading to recurrence, which is why we don’t guarantee results upfront.”

Lin Zhi listened intently, and the weight in his heart finally lifted. “I understand. Thank you, Doctor Lu.”

“No problem,” Lu Xueli said, shaking his head. “I’ve already planned out a treatment regimen. As long as you cooperate, your father will be cured.”

“Yes, we’ll cooperate fully,” Lin Zhi nodded earnestly. “Thank you so much, Doctor Lu.”

“Thank you, Uncle,” Lu Liu chimed in from the side.

“Why are you thanking me?” Lu Xueli glanced at him. “I treat all my patients equally. It has nothing to do with you.”

Lin Zhi smiled faintly and glanced sideways at Lu Liu. To his surprise, Lu Liu was also looking at him, and their sudden eye contact caught him off guard.

“Doctor Lu, I’ll take my leave now,” Lin Zhi said as he stood up to say goodbye.

Before Lu Xueli could respond, Lu Liu interjected, “I’m leaving too, Uncle.”

“Alright,” Lu Xueli addressed them both. “When you get back, tell your dad to rest well tonight so he’s in better shape for the surgery tomorrow. Xiao Liu, come visit our house when you have time.”

Lu Liu opened the door and gestured for Lin Zhi to leave first, following behind and closing the door after them.

Lin Zhi waited for Lu Liu, and the two walked side by side toward the elevator.

“Thanks,” Lin Zhi said sincerely.

“What for?” Lu Liu laughed lightly. “Doctor Lu already said it had nothing to do with me.”

Lin Zhi didn’t respond, but he thought to himself that regardless of the connection, he was grateful for Lu Liu speaking up on his behalf.

“By the way,” Lu Liu turned to look at Lin Zhi, “From what you said earlier, your dad’s surgery is tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Lin Zhi nodded. “Tomorrow morning. He’s already staying in the inpatient ward.”

When they reached the elevator, Lu Liu stepped forward to press the down button. He licked his slightly dry lips and asked, “Can I visit your dad?”

“Ah?” Lin Zhi paused briefly. “Of course. But my dad looks pretty healthy—he doesn’t seem like a patient.”

When they reached the first floor, Lin Zhi started heading toward the inpatient ward, but he noticed Lu Liu walking in another direction. Instinctively, he called out, “This way.”

“I’m going to buy something first,” Lu Liu pointed outside. “Can you wait for me? Or just tell me the room number.”

“Don’t bother buying anything,” Lin Zhi said, clearly aware of what Lu Liu intended to buy. He smiled awkwardly and added, “Let’s just go straight up.”

But Lu Liu was determined to head outside. In the end, Lin Zhi had no choice but to reach out and grab his arm, finally stopping him.

It was summer, with high temperatures during the holiday season. Both Lin Zhi and Lu Liu were wearing short-sleeve T-shirts. Inside the air-conditioned hospital, the indoor temperature was pleasant. Lin Zhi’s fingertips were slightly cool, while Lu Liu’s arm was warm, their skin briefly exchanging their respective temperatures.

When Lin Zhi grabbed Lu Liu’s arm, Lu Liu froze for a moment, caught off guard, and let Lin Zhi pull him into the inpatient ward.

Once inside, Lin Zhi released his grip. The coolness on Lu Liu’s arm and the warmth on Lin Zhi’s fingertips quickly faded. A few pale finger marks on Lu Liu’s skin were soon covered by returning blood flow.

When they arrived at the hospital room, Lin Qingye and Yao Wenjing were chatting and laughing.

Lu Liu was slightly taller and broader than Lin Zhi. Walking behind him, Lin Zhi couldn’t block him from view. Both Yao Wenjing and Lin Qingye immediately noticed that Lin Zhi had brought someone along, and their conversation stopped.

“Dad,” Lin Zhi introduced, “This is our class monitor, Lu Liu.”

“Hello, Uncle,” Lu Liu greeted with a slight nod and a smile.

“Ah, hello,” Lin Qingye said, gesturing to the empty bed in the middle. “Please, have a seat.”

Yao Wenjing, who had been sitting on a small stool near the bed, stood up at that moment and widened his eyes, glancing back and forth between Lin Zhi and Lu Liu.

Lu Liu, on the other hand, discreetly observed Yao Wenjing several times and gave him a polite smile and nod.

“Why is Classmate Lu Liu here?” Yao Wenjing asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile.