Life

"Xiao Hui, you don't need to worry. The doctor said your illness is only a minor one. You'll be discharged soon."

Huang Shujun smiled as she chattered away to Su Hao, terrified that he might let his imagination run wild.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Luo Shengrong hurriedly nodded.

"The doctor also said that you fell ill mainly because you've overworked yourself these past few years. So you can't read anymore for a while. You need to rest properly."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"To let you recover with peace of mind, our whole family has moved into the hospital for the time being. And since you can't read during this period, we'll stay here and talk with you so you won't get bored."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Su Hao listened seriously, pretending not to know about his condition. He nodded and promised his parents that he would recuperate properly and think about nothing during this time.

Then, when he found a moment alone, he went online and searched for "pancreatic cancer."

Pancreatic cancer was known as the "king of cancers"...

When Su Hao saw that, he suddenly understood. It meant there was no saving him. From the perspective of modern medicine, this was a terminal illness. Most likely, he would not last nine months.

Once Su Hao calmed down and considered his current situation, he realized that the starry universe was unfathomably mysterious—and was life not equally unfathomably mysterious? Humanity's understanding of life remained at a very superficial level. The overwhelming majority of illnesses and pains could not be cured, and their causes were unknown.

His own understanding of the human body was even shallower. He knew almost nothing about his own body. The knowledge he had pursued all these years had leaned toward the natural sciences, while he had neglected humanity's foundation—life. Even in the Light of the Universe he had built, there was not a single category for "medicine."

Su Hao silently entered Marble Space and added a new section after the many categories, naming it "Medicine." After thinking about it, he deleted it and changed it to "Life."

The end of medicine was life.

Illness was a powerful signal sent out by the body—a signal seeking help from the outside world after the organs and cells within could no longer endure the ravages. It was an attempt by life to cry for help.

Then what was life? Flesh and blood, cells, chromosomes, nucleic acids, proteins?

No one knew. All he knew was that life was a miracle amid the billions of years of the universe.

The meaning of life had already surpassed the understanding of humans, who were themselves life. Why did it begin? Why did it end? What was the point of living? No one could give a true answer to these questions. Besides, a normal person would never think about such questions at all.

But as Su Hao lay in his hospital bed, staring blankly at the "Life" section, he fell into deep thought for the first time.

Did these questions truly have no answers? A powerful desire to uncover the truth suddenly surged up within Su Hao.

The next day, Su Hao casually said, "Mom, I want to read some medical books. Could you get me a computer?"

"No!" Without even thinking, Huang Shujun refused immediately. In her eyes, her precious son had collapsed from his studies because he had studied himself sick and worn his body down.

At that moment, Luo Chaoxin, who was beside them, raised his hand as well. "Mom, if Big Brother wants to read, I want to read too."

Huang Shujun flew into a rage. For the first time, she picked Luo Chaoxin up and smacked him, scolding as she did so, "Read, read, read! What are you reading for? Luo Chaoxin, I'm laying down the law right here: if you ever dare to place in the top twenty in your class again, I'll break your legs, hear me? From now on, go play! If I catch you reading or doing homework, you'll be sorry."

Happiness had come too suddenly. This was Heaven. Luo Chaoxin forgot to cry even as he was being hit.

Su Hao helplessly scratched his head, then turned to his father, Luo Shengrong, and tried, "Dad, I just want to read. Could you help me get a computer?"

Before Luo Shengrong could speak, Huang Shujun immediately shouted, "No! I said no, so no!"

As she spoke, she shot Luo Shengrong a glare.

Luo Shengrong's heart, which had begun to soften, hardened again. He declared with full force, "Right, no!"

Then Huang Shujun began chattering on again, analyzing for Su Hao why she would not let him read, spouting nonsense about how reading was harmful to one's health, until Su Hao's head spun.

In the end, he had no choice but to change his approach.

Su Hao put on a resolute expression. "Mom, you don't need to lie to me anymore. I've known for a long time. I have cancer, don't I? I have less than nine months left, don't I?"

Huang Shujun and Luo Shengrong were dumbfounded. Luo Chaoxin only half understood, but he imitated his parents and widened his eyes as far as they could go.

At that moment, large tears fell from Huang Shujun's eyes like raindrops, and Luo Shengrong hurriedly pulled his wife into his arms.

Huang Shujun suddenly thought of something. She broke free from Luo Shengrong's embrace, pointed at her husband, and snapped in blazing fury, "Luo Shengrong, tell me! Was it you, you bastard, who told Xiao Hui?"

Luo Shengrong jumped in fright and immediately shook his head and waved his hands. "Not me, not me!"

"If it wasn't you, then who was it?"

Luo Shengrong's eyes rolled, and he happened to see Luo Chaoxin standing there with a baffled look on his face. He immediately pointed at Luo Chaoxin and defended himself, "Maybe Xiao Xin told him!"

Huang Shujun turned her blazing eyes on Luo Chaoxin. "Luo Chaoxin? Was it you?"

Luo Chaoxin was completely stunned. Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do? Su Hao found the sight so amusing that he said, "Stop guessing. No one told me. I sneaked a look myself while you weren't paying attention."

Huang Shujun stopped and cautiously asked, "Xiao Hui, you... aren't you sad?"

"Of course I am!" Su Hao said helplessly. "I'm definitely sad, but what can being sad do? It can't change the facts."

At once, the hospital room fell into a brief silence. No one spoke.

Seeing that the atmosphere was wrong and that Huang Shujun's tears were about to fall again, he hurriedly said, "Mom, I know you're doing this for my sake, but things have come to this, and there's no undoing it. In the last stretch of my life, can I live in my own way? I want to read."

Huang Shujun choked out, "But the doctor said that if you maintain an optimistic and positive attitude toward life, there's still a chance of a cure. So don't put too much pressure on yourself during this time. Just listen to Mom, okay?"

Su Hao comforted her. "Don't worry. I'll definitely cooperate actively with treatment, and I won't exhaust my body. I promise I'll only read for a little while every day."

Huang Shujun still hesitated, so Su Hao added, "And Mom, have you forgotten? Your son is a Genius. Let me study my own illness. Maybe I can find a treatment."

Luo Shengrong slapped his palm, and the clouds on his face scattered. "That makes sense!"

Su Hao struck while the iron was hot. "More than makes sense. As the saying goes, better to seek help from yourself than others. I should hold my own life in my own hands. Believe me—maybe it really can work."

In the end, Huang Shujun was persuaded. She agreed to bring Su Hao a computer and go to the bookstore to buy him some books on medical research and life sciences.

The condition was that he could use it for no more than four hours a day, and it would be taken away after those four hours.

But such a condition was practically no restriction at all to Su Hao. As long as he got his hands on the computer and swept all knowledge related to life and medicine into Marble Space, he could consult it freely within Marble Space.

Once Su Hao's matter had been settled, Huang Shujun turned her gaze to Luo Chaoxin.

"Xiao Xin, tomorrow Mom will take you to sign up for extracurricular interest classes. You need to learn art, piano, dance, taekwondo, swimming, table tennis... You must train your body until it's strong and sturdy, understand?"

Luo Chaoxin fell from Heaven into Hell.

This book has been contracted, so feel free to add it to your collection!