Doctor, can I still be saved?

"Yueyue, why are you up so early today? Shouldn't you sleep in more?"

Su Lin Yue turned to look at Su Li, and her eyes instantly widened.

"Bro... you, you..." Su Lin Yue's voice trembled, as if she had seen something terrifying.

"What did you do last night?!"

Su Lin Yue rushed over and grabbed Su Li's shoulders with such force that she almost crushed his bones.

"Huh? I didn't do anything..." Su Li looked utterly bewildered. "I was just playing games last night..."

"Playing games?!" Su Lin Yue's voice instantly rose by eight octaves. "Look in the mirror! Come here quickly!"

Without another word, she dragged Su Li to the mirror.

Su Li looked into the mirror with some helplessness. He only had dark circles under his eyes yesterday; it shouldn't be too bad today, right?

However, when he saw his face clearly in the mirror again, he froze.

"Holy crap..."

The face in the mirror was so pale it was almost transparent, completely devoid of color.

But the most terrifying part was around his eyes. Those dark circles weren't just dark anymore; they were a deep purple, almost glowing.

With such a complexion, it wasn't just that he hadn't slept for days; it looked like he had just crawled out of a morgue after being reanimated!

"This..." Su Li touched his face. "I feel quite energetic, though?"

"Energetic my ass!"

Su Lin Yue was about to cry. "Su Li! Are you feeling unwell? Don't hide it from me! Your complexion is worse than a dead person's! We need to go to the hospital right away!"

"No, no, don't cry, Yueyue."

Although Su Li felt fine himself, looking at his reflection, he knew it was like telling someone you're not drunk when you're already dancing on the table – nobody would believe you!

"Okay, okay, to the hospital. We'll go right now."

Su Li quickly comforted his younger sister. "It's better to get checked out just in case, so you don't worry."

"Then hurry up and change! I'll change too!"

Su Lin Yue pushed Su Li and turned to rush back to her room.

Su Li sighed and returned to his bedroom.

He casually picked up a hoodie he usually wore and put it on.

"Huh?" As soon as he put on the hoodie, Su Li felt something was off.

The sleeves seemed a bit longer? The shoulder area also felt a bit loose.

"Did this shirt stretch out?"

Su Li looked at himself in the dressing mirror and found the shirt was a bit loose.

"Did I really lose weight from staying up late recently?"

He touched his arm. Although he felt his muscles were still there, they did seem a bit thinner.

"Never mind, going to the hospital is more important."

Su Li thought for a moment, rummaged through a drawer, and pulled out a mask. He then put on a baseball cap, covering himself up completely.

After all, if he went out looking like this, he'd probably have a concerned elderly lady call the police and an ambulance.

By the time he walked out of his room, Su Lin Yue had already changed.

"Bro, let's go! I've got the car keys!" Su Lin Yue grabbed Su Li and they rushed downstairs in a hurry.

The underground garage.

The black SUV was parked there quietly. It was his dad's legacy. Ever since his parents passed away, Su Li had maintained it meticulously, treating it like a member of the family.

Su Li got into the driver's seat and skillfully fastened his seatbelt.

"Click." The moment his hand touched the steering wheel, that feeling of unease returned.

Normally, the seat position was his "golden sitting posture," adjusted countless times. His arms should be slightly bent when holding the steering wheel, in a position to exert force.

But today...

He felt he had to extend his arm straighter than usual to grip the steering wheel.

And why did his field of vision seem slightly different? He used to be able to see the rearview mirror without looking up; now he had to lift his eyelids slightly.

"What's going on?"

Su Li was a bit baffled. "Did Yueyue secretly drive my car before and adjust the seat?"

He subconsciously glanced at Su Lin Yue in the passenger seat.

Su Lin Yue was anxiously looking at her phone, checking numbers, and didn't notice what was happening here.

"Forget it, maybe it's because I haven't driven it in so long."

Su Li shook his head and adjusted his seat again.

"Hmm, that's much more comfortable."

He started the car, and the black SUV drove out of the garage.

City Center Hospital. Because it was the weekend, the registration hall was packed with people.

However, Su Lin Yue was lucky. She managed to get a number for a renowned specialist who was seeing patients. Her fingers flew across the screen, and she quickly secured a spot.

In the consulting room, Su Li and Su Lin Yue pushed the door open and walked in.

The specialist sitting behind the desk was an old man with graying hair and thick glasses. He looked very authoritative. Beside him stood a young male assistant.

"Sit down. Where do you feel unwell?" the specialist asked without looking up, writing on a medical record.

Su Li hesitated for a moment, then took off his mask and hat.

"Hiss..."

The moment he took them off, the air in the entire consulting room seemed to freeze.

The specialist, who had been relaxed and about to explain a case to his assistant, suddenly stopped his pen.

The young assistant beside him gasped, his eyes widening in horror.

His complexion, those dark circles... was this really a living person?

The specialist's expression turned extremely grave. He pushed his glasses up and examined Su Li's face closely, his gaze like he was looking at a dead man.

"Sir, do you feel any particular discomfort?" the specialist's voice became cautious.

Su Li scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh, Doctor, I actually feel pretty good. Besides my complexion, I feel great. I have a huge appetite, and I didn't even feel sleepy on the way here."

"Spirit is good?" The specialist's brow furrowed even tighter, enough to crush a fly.

"A final burst of energy before death?" the assistant muttered softly.

"Don't talk nonsense!" The specialist glared at his assistant, then turned back to Su Li with a serious tone. "Mr. Su, your condition might be quite complex. I can't tell just by looking."

He quickly typed on the computer. "Alright, let's start with a full body check-up. Check this, and this, and this."

The printer whirred and spat out a long strip of paper, almost dragging on the floor.

"So many?" Su Li stared at the examination slip, which was longer than his life, feeling a bit dazed.

The specialist handed the slip to the assistant. "Xiao Hu, you personally take Mr. Su for his check-up. Remember to follow Process Number 1."

"Process Number 1?!" The assistant, addressed as Xiao Hu, changed his expression and then nodded solemnly.

"Understood, Director. I know."

He turned around and gestured for Su Li to follow, his attitude overly respectful. "Mr. Su, please come with me. This way, through the green channel."

Su Li and Su Lin Yue exchanged glances, seeing the bewilderment in each other's eyes.

"Is hospital service this good nowadays? A personal escort? Have I been out of touch with society for too long?"

For the next hour, Su Li experienced what "emperor-level treatment" was like.

No queues, no waiting, not even blood draws – the head nurse performed it herself, her touch as gentle as caressing a lover.

Various high-tech instruments were used on him one after another. He went in and out of the CT scanner, and ECG stickers covered his body.

By the time the last test was done, Su Li felt utterly exhausted.

While waiting for the results, Su Li finally couldn't help but pull aside the busy Assistant Hu.

"Uh... Dr. Hu, may I ask a question?"

Su Li pointed at the pile of examination slips. "I just look a bit pale, do I really need so many tests? How much will this cost?"

Although they had some savings, they couldn't afford to waste it like this.

Assistant Hu stopped and looked at Su Li, then at Su Lin Yue, who was looking worried beside him.

He hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice to comfort them.

"Don't worry, Mr. Su. Your situation is quite special."

"Although it's troublesome, according to the latest regulations, all costs for such special cases are fully covered by the national medical system. You won't have to spend a single cent."

"Huh?!" Su Li and Su Lin Yue exclaimed in unison, their voices so loud they startled the passersby in the hallway.

"Special? Free?"

Was this a windfall?

But Su Li's heart sank, and a sense of foreboding washed over him.

He knew that in this world, the free things were often the most expensive.

Special cases? Full reimbursement? This usually only happened in two scenarios: either you had a disease of great research value, or...

"Could it be..."

Su Li touched his face, and a chilling thought crossed his mind:

"Am I really going to kick the bucket?"