The Last Surgery

School bullying is a problem that cannot be ignored.

If not handled properly, it can affect a person's physical and mental health for a lifetime.

Li Ran had finally managed to make their home more harmonious, and because of this, Li Ziyang had become much more cheerful than before.

However, if the bullying at school wasn't resolved, Li Ziyang's physical and mental well-being would never truly improve.

"Dad, I hate going to school."

Li Ziyang wept, his pitch-black eyes filled with hatred.

Li Ran noticed that Li Ziyang's Ghost Power had surged from 60 to 70 in that instant, and he couldn't help but feel surprised: Does Ghost Power grow with resentment, obsession, and negative emotions?

This meant that the strength of the original residents in the residential complex was not set in stone.

Thinking of this, Li Ran felt more than ever that increasing his own strength as quickly as possible was the key.

For now, he had to calm his son's emotions.

"When Dad was your age, I didn't want to go to school either, and I ended up getting a sound beating from your grandfather. Son, Dad really understands you, but this isn't the way to solve it. Even if you stop going to school, you'll still be bullied if you run into them in the complex later. So, you must understand the principle that people are bullied if they are too kind, and horses are ridden if they are too docile."

"Dad, what does that mean?"

Li Ziyang wiped his tears and asked.

A sharp glint flashed in Li Ran's eyes as he punched the air, the strike cutting through with a whistling sound.

"It means... an eye for an eye!"

"Starting tomorrow, if Pang Hu dares to bully you again, you must bravely hit him back. If you win, Dad will give you a reward; if you lose, you'll get a spanking when you get home. As long as you can beat him once, he'll have to take a detour whenever he sees you from then on."

Li Ziyang seemed encouraged; he immediately mimicked the action, his gaze turning sharp as he swung his small fist at the air: "Win and get a reward, lose and get a spanking. Dad, I've got it."

"Very good. Now, let's go eat."

"Mm."

Li Ziyang's head had healed, and there was a smile on his face.

At the dinner table:

Braised beef brisket, blanched prawns, steamed hairy crabs, ice plant salad, and borscht.

The dishes were vibrant, the aroma rich, and the plating stunning. These five dishes gave Li Ran the illusion that he had stepped into a Western restaurant.

"You made all of this?"

Li Ran looked at Su Bingyao in disbelief.

He had always assumed that because of her obsessive-compulsive disorder and germaphobia, she wouldn't be much of a cook.

But this meal on the table made him see her in a whole new light.

Not only was her culinary skill excellent, but the presentation was also breathtaking.

Su Bingyao smiled sweetly and said, "I never said I couldn't cook, did I?"

"Mom, you haven't cooked in a long time. I'm going to try it first."

Li Ziyang drooled, impatiently picking up a piece of beef brisket and stuffing it into his mouth.

"It's just as delicious as before." Li Ziyang gave a thumbs up.

"Is it really that good?"

Li Ran was half-skeptical, so he also picked up a piece of braised beef brisket and put it in his mouth.

Su Bingyao watched her son and Li Ran intently, looking like a student waiting for exam results, feeling quite nervous.

The moment the beef touched his tongue, Li Ran froze.

"This taste..."

"How does it taste?" Su Bingyao asked, craning her neck, her beautiful eyes filled with anticipation.

Li Ran wore a look of pure enjoyment and intoxication: "Delicious, I love it."

"Really? Don't lie to me? I haven't made this in a long time."

Half-doubting, Su Bingyao also picked up a piece of brisket, blew on it carefully, and popped it into her mouth.

As it touched her taste buds, her expression changed drastically, and she spat the beef directly onto a tissue.

"Oh, you two are ganging up to lie to me, aren't you? It's clearly so salty." Su Bingyao glared at Li Ran with a coquettish pout, then shot an angry glance at her son.

Li Ziyang stuck out his tongue and giggled.

Li Ran, however, picked up another piece of braised beef brisket and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing heartily: "It might be a little salty, but the overall flavor is great. I really like it."

As he spoke, Li Ran picked up another piece and swallowed it in one go.

Seeing her husband being so supportive, Su Bingyao felt a warmth in her heart.

"Hurry and try the other dishes."

"Mom, did you put a whole bag of salt in the borscht?"

"One more word out of you, and I'll spank your bottom."

"..."

Having been alone for so long, Li Ran thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of a happy, harmonious family.

Eleven o'clock at night.

After washing up, Li Ran went to the master bedroom and informed Su Bingyao about the bullying Li Ziyang was suffering at school.

Su Bingyao looked astonished; clearly, she had no idea what kind of torment her son was enduring at school.

"I'll secretly follow our son during the parent-child activity tomorrow to protect him from the shadows, and at the same time, I want to record the truth as evidence."

"You're so thoughtful. My mind just went blank, and I had no idea what to do." Su Bingyao patted her heaving chest and let out a long sigh of relief.

Su Bingyao was wearing an ice-silk camisole nightdress that clung to her perfect figure. Li Ran quickly averted his gaze; if he looked any longer, he might lose control.

"I'm going to sleep," Li Ran said.

Li Ran lay on the tatami mat by the window, his mind filled with the image of Su Bingyao lying on the bed.

He had to calm down quickly and enter a state of sleep, not only to have the energy to face tomorrow's parent-child activity.

More importantly, it was almost twelve o'clock.

At midnight, if one wasn't asleep, an invisible virus would bore into the body.

He didn't want to turn into a terrifying monster tomorrow.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Su Bingyao's eyes. She parted her teeth slightly, wanting to say something but stopping herself: "Do you want to come to the bed..."

"Go to sleep, goodnight."

Su Bingyao changed her tone, quickly lying down and pulling the quilt over her cheeks, which were flushed and burning hot: "Oh my, how embarrassing."

A meaningful smile tugged at the corner of Li Ran's mouth on the tatami mat.

If it weren't for the impending danger of midnight, he would have charged into battle right then and there!

"Goodnight."

Inside a private clinic in Happy Home.

"Get the patient into the operating room, quickly!"

The clinic nurse handed the gurney over to Chen Jiabin.

Chen Jiabin nodded and anxiously pushed the patient into the operating room.

He glanced at the time.

23:40.

"There's less than 20 minutes left until 12 o'clock. I have to finish my work here quickly."

Chen Jiabin estimated the time; the surgery had to be finished within ten minutes. He needed five minutes to sprint back home, and another five minutes to drift off to sleep.

Once it passed twelve and he wasn't asleep, the consequences were unimaginable.

The reason he was still here in the middle of the night was because he had agreed to Dr. Lan's terms.

His arm had been broken yesterday, and if it wasn't reattached within six hours, it would be useless.

He had searched for a long time before finding this private clinic run by Dr. Lan.

However, he didn't have enough points to pay for the surgery.

Fortunately, Dr. Lan was easy to talk to. After a conversation, he agreed to reattach his arm on the condition that he perform manual labor at the clinic for three days.

As long as his arm could be saved, he agreed to such a good deal without a second thought.

Today was his first day of manual labor at the clinic.

The night shift ran from 3:30 PM to 11:30 PM.

The work consisted of nothing more than moving cargo, pushing patients to their rooms, and other odd jobs.

The doctors and nurses in the clinic treated him quite well, too.

"This is the last patient; I have to speed things up."

After pushing the patient into the operating room, Chen Jiabin turned to leave.

"My assistant has clocked out. You're going to help me finish this surgery." Dr. Lan, fully geared up with only his eyes visible, called out to Chen Jiabin.

"I... I don't know how."

Chen Jiabin was baffled. He didn't know the first thing about surgery; how could he be of any help? It would be a miracle if he didn't just get in the way.

"Don't you want to get off work early?" Dr. Lan glared at him.

A bead of sweat rolled down Chen Jiabin's forehead; he dared not disobey.

He had seen enough of the consequences of defiance over the past two days.

"Mm," Chen Jiabin agreed.

Following that, Doctor Lan performed some preoperative preparations.

"The patient ate something bad, causing unbearable abdominal pain that has kept her awake all night. Now, we need to remove what the patient has ingested from her stomach," Doctor Lan instructed.

Chen Jiabin nodded without really listening or understanding; he just wanted to finish his shift and go home to sleep.

"Doctor, I don't want surgery," the patient lying on the operating table spoke up.

The patient was a monster with a head like a frog and the body of a little girl. Her mouth was exceptionally large, with bloodstains lingering at the corners, and her eyes were like a pair of small lightbulbs, bulging out entirely—an indescribably bizarre sight.

Having survived the third day, Chen Jiabin's psychological resilience had grown stronger.

This level of strangeness was completely acceptable.

"If you don't want anesthesia and you don't want surgery, then you'll have to endure it."

"Doctor, I can do it," the patient said, very sensibly, her bulging eyes filled with a resolute will.

Although the patient looked bizarre, this tough attitude made Chen Jiabin look at her with newfound respect.

"If we are to remove the bad stuff, do you want it taken out from the top or the bottom?" Doctor Lan asked again.

Hearing this, Chen Jiabin felt inexplicably weird.

"From the top, please," the patient said.

Doctor Lan nodded and said to the patient, "You can open your mouth now."

The patient let out an "mm" and opened her mouth slightly. It grew wider and wider, and slowly, ever so slowly, the corners of her mouth began to split...

This scene made Chen Jiabin's scalp begin to tingle.

"Open it wider," Doctor Lan urged.

The patient's mouth split all the way to the back of her head, like a zipper opening in both directions, pulling straight from the front to the back. Then, her entire head began to flip open from the mouth like a clamshell phone.

"Boom!"

Chen Jiabin's head roared, and his scalp felt like it was about to explode.

What the hell?!

He felt completely unwell, his hands and feet trembling uncontrollably.

"Come here," Doctor Lan commanded Chen Jiabin.

Chen Jiabin walked to Doctor Lan's side, trembling all over, his head turned away, not daring to look at the patient at all.

"Use your hand to reach into the patient's stomach and pull out the bad stuff," Doctor Lan said.

Upon hearing this, Chen Jiabin's face turned ashen on the spot.

"Re... reach my hand in and... pull it out?"

"Stop with the nonsense. Even a child isn't afraid, what are you afraid of?" Doctor Lan scolded.

A child?

It was indeed... a child!

Time: 23:48

Chen Jiabin glanced at the clock on the wall, sweat the size of peas pouring down from his head like a waterfall.

There was less than twelve minutes left, and it would take five minutes to run back; time was running out.

Thinking of this, Chen Jiabin had no choice but to bite the bullet and reach his right hand into the patient's stomach.

"What a sin!"