The Last Operation

School bullying was a problem that could not be ignored.

If it wasn't dealt with properly, it could affect someone's physical and mental health for the rest of their life.

Li Ran had worked hard to make this family a little more harmonious, and Li Ziyang had become much sunnier as a result.

But as long as the bullying at school went unresolved, Li Ziyang's physical and mental health would never improve.

"Dad, I hate going to school."

Li Ziyang wept, hatred filling his pitch-black eyes.

Li Ran noticed that Li Ziyang's Mysterious Power had jumped from 60 to 70 in an instant. He couldn't help thinking in surprise, Does Mysterious Power grow with resentment, obsession, and negative emotions?

In other words, the residents who had been here from the start weren't stuck at a fixed level of strength.

Thinking this, Li Ran became even more convinced that increasing his strength as soon as possible was key.

For now, he needed to calm his son down.

"When I was your age, I didn't want to go to school either. Grandpa gave me a good beating to knock that out of me. Son, I really understand how you feel, but this isn't the way to solve it. Even if you stop going to school, you'll still run into them in the neighborhood, and they'll keep bullying you. So you need to understand: kind people get bullied, and gentle horses get ridden."

"Dad, what does that mean?"

Li Ziyang wiped his tears and asked.

A sharp glint flashed in Li Ran's eyes. He swung a fist through the air, the punch whooshing.

"It means... pay them back in kind!"

"Starting tomorrow, if Pang Hu dares to bully you again, stand up and hit back. If you win, Dad will give you a reward. If you lose, you'll get a beating when you come home. Once you beat him just once, he'll have to go around you whenever he sees you."

As if encouraged, Li Ziyang immediately copied him. His gaze turned fierce as he swung his little fists at the air. "If I win, I get a reward. If I lose, I get a beating. Dad, I'll remember."

"Good. Now let's go out to eat."

"Okay."

Li Ziyang's head had healed, and a smile had returned to his face.

At the dinner table,

braised beef brisket, poached prawns, steamed hairy crabs, ice-plant salad, and borscht.

The dishes were colorful and fragrant, and their presentation was stunning. Despite there being only five, they made Li Ran feel as if he were dining in a Western restaurant.

"You made all this?"

Li Ran stared at Su Bingyao in disbelief.

He had always thought that, because of her obsessive-compulsive tendencies and cleanliness, Su Bingyao probably wasn't much of a cook.

But this meal had made him see her in a new light.

Not only was she a good cook, but her dishes looked amazing, too.

Su Bingyao smiled sweetly. "I never said I couldn't cook."

"Mom, it's been ages since you cooked. Let me try some first."

Li Ziyang was practically drooling. He eagerly picked up a piece of beef brisket and popped it into his mouth.

"It's just as good as it used to be." Li Ziyang gave her a thumbs-up.

"Is it really that good?"

Li Ran was unconvinced. He picked up a piece of braised beef brisket and put it in his mouth.

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

The moment the beef touched Li Ran's tongue, he froze.

"This flavor..."

"How does it taste?" Su Bingyao asked expectantly, her beautiful eyes full of hope.

Li Ran looked blissfully pleased. "Delicious. I love it."

"Really? You're not just saying that? I haven't cooked in ages."

Still doubtful, Su Bingyao picked up a piece of brisket and carefully blew on it before putting it in her mouth.

The moment it touched her taste buds, her expression changed. She immediately spat the beef onto a tissue.

"Oh, so you two teamed up to lie to me, huh? It's obviously so salty." Su Bingyao shot Li Ran an affectionate glare, then turned an annoyed look on her son.

Li Ziyang stuck out his tongue and giggled.

Li Ran picked up another piece of braised beef brisket and popped it into his mouth, chewing heartily. "It is a little salty, but overall, it tastes good. I like it."

As he spoke, Li Ran picked up another piece and swallowed it whole.

Seeing how enthusiastically her husband was enjoying the food, Su Bingyao felt warm inside.

"Try the other dishes, too."

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

"Keep that up and I'll smack your bottom."

"..."

After being alone for so long,

Li Ran really enjoyed the warmth of a family getting along.

Eleven at night.

After washing up, Li Ran went to the master bedroom and told Su Bingyao about the bullying Li Ziyang had suffered at school.

Su Bingyao looked surprised. She had clearly had no idea their son was being bullied at school.

"For tomorrow's Parent-Child Activity, I'll secretly follow our son and protect him. I also want to record what really happens as evidence."

"You really thought it through. I panicked and couldn't come up with anything." Su Bingyao patted her ample chest and let out a long breath.

Su Bingyao's silk camisole nightdress clung to her perfect figure. Li Ran quickly looked away. If he stared any longer, he might not be able to control himself.

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

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

He had to calm himself down quickly and fall asleep. He needed to be well-rested for tomorrow's Parent-Child Activity.

More importantly, it was almost midnight.

At midnight, if he wasn't asleep, an invisible virus would burrow into his body.

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

A flicker of reluctance passed through Su Bingyao's eyes. She parted her lips as if to say something, then hesitated. "Do you want to come to the bed..."

"Go to sleep. Good night."

Su Bingyao changed course and quickly lay down, pulling the covers over her face. Her cheeks burned red. Oh, this is so embarrassing.

A meaningful smile curled Li Ran's lips as he lay on the tatami.

If it weren't for the perilous midnight hour coming up, he would have charged straight into battle!

"Good night."

Inside a private clinic in Happy Home.

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

The clinic nurse handed the gurney over to Chen Jiabin.

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

He checked the time.

23:40

"There are less than twenty minutes until midnight. I need to finish up here quickly."

Chen Jiabin estimated the time. The operation had to be done in ten minutes. It would take him five minutes to run home, leaving another five to fall asleep.

If midnight passed before he fell asleep, he couldn't imagine the consequences.

He was still here this late at night because he had agreed to Doctor Lan's terms.

The day before, he had broken his arm. If it wasn't reattached within six hours, it would be ruined.

It had taken him a long time to find Doctor Lan's private clinic.

But he didn't have enough points to pay the operation fee.

Luckily, Doctor Lan was reasonable. After they talked, he agreed to reattach Chen Jiabin's arm on the condition that he work as an unpaid laborer at the clinic for three days.

As long as his arm could be reattached, he hadn't hesitated to agree to such a good deal.

Today was his first day doing hard labor at the clinic.

He was on the night shift, from three thirty in the afternoon until eleven thirty at night.

His work mostly involved carrying supplies, wheeling patients to their rooms, and doing other odd jobs and heavy labor.

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

"This is the last patient. I need to hurry."

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

"My assistant's shift is over. Come help me with this operation." Doctor Lan, fully outfitted with only his eyes showing, called Chen Jiabin over.

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

Chen Jiabin was baffled. He knew jack about surgery. How could he be of any help? He'd be lucky not to get in the way.

"Don't you want to get off work early?" Doctor Lan shot him a glare.

A bead of sweat slid down Chen Jiabin's forehead. He didn't dare refuse.

He had seen too many examples over the past two days of what happened to those who disobeyed.

"Okay," Chen Jiabin agreed.

Doctor Lan then made some preparations for the operation.

"The patient ate something bad. She's been suffering from severe stomach pain and hasn't slept all night. Now we need to remove what she ate," Doctor Lan instructed him.

Chen Jiabin nodded, whether he understood or not. All he wanted was to get off work and go home to sleep.

"Doctor, I don't want surgery," the patient on the operating table said.

The patient was a monster with a frog-like head and a little girl's body. Her mouth was enormous, with blood still at the corners. Her eyes bulged like a pair of little light bulbs, grotesque beyond words.

After three days, Chen Jiabin had grown more resilient.

He could handle something like this.

"Then you'll have to put up with it. No anesthesia, and you don't want surgery."

"Doctor, I can handle it." The patient was very sensible. Her bulging eyes were full of determination.

Though she looked strange, the patient's bravery impressed Chen Jiabin.

"If we're taking the bad stuff out, do you want us to go in from the top or the bottom?" Doctor Lan asked again.

For some reason, Chen Jiabin found the question kind of weird.

"From the top," the patient said.

Doctor Lan nodded and said to the patient, "Go ahead and open your mouth."

The patient murmured, "Mm," and opened her mouth a little. It kept opening wider and wider. Slowly, slowly, the corners of her mouth began to split...

At that sight, Chen Jiabin's scalp began to prickle.

"A little wider," Doctor Lan urged her.

The patient's mouth split all the way to the back of her head, like a zipper being pulled open from the middle to the back. Then her entire head flipped over from the mouth, like a flip phone opening.

"Boom!"

Chen Jiabin's mind roared. His scalp felt like it was about to explode.

What the hell?!

He was completely overwhelmed, his hands and feet trembling uncontrollably.

"Come here." Doctor Lan ordered Chen Jiabin.

Trembling all over, Chen Jiabin went to Doctor Lan's side, turning his head away so he wouldn't have to look at the patient.

"Reach into the patient's belly and pull out the bad stuff," Doctor Lan said.

Chen Jiabin's face turned ashen on the spot.

"R-reach in and... pull it out?"

"Quit wasting time. You're not afraid of a child, are you?" Doctor Lan scolded.

A child?

She really was... a child!

Time: 23:48

Chen Jiabin glanced at the clock on the wall. Sweat poured from his head in huge drops.

There were less than twelve minutes left. It would take five minutes to run home. He was running out of time.

With that in mind, Chen Jiabin could only steel himself and push his right hand into the patient's belly.

"What a nightmare!"