He had never expected his father, who had always been healthy and strong, to suddenly become like this.
According to the doctor, his father only had the appearance of a strong body. Inside, however, a serious cancerous change had developed.
It was like an ancient tree that seemed towering and enormous from the outside, while its trunk had long since been hollowed out by termites.
His father was just like that now. The cancer in his body had already spread everywhere.
It could already be considered terminal cancer. The fact that his father could hold on for another day was nothing short of a miracle.
"If I had brought Father in for a checkup sooner... would things not have turned out like this...?"
The man clutched his hair and spoke in anguish. If he had ignored his father's refusal and forcibly brought him to the hospital for an examination, would none of this have happened?
The cancer had now spread to an extremely dangerous stage. Ordinary physicians could not possibly save his father.
But renowned ace doctors from overseas were not people he could summon just because he wanted to.
"It's all my fault..."
A bitter smile appeared on the man's pale, haggard face.
If only he had brought his father in for checkups years earlier, things would never have reached this point.
His father was hovering at the brink of life and death, yet he could do nothing. As a son, he had failed miserably.
Creak...
The door was gently pushed open, and a beam of light shone into the dim room.
"Um... Mr. He Feng... th-there's a young lady here to see you..."
The nurse poked her head in and spoke softly, occasionally turning to look behind her with a dazed expression.
Even her speech was somewhat unsteady, as though she were extremely excited about something.
"Mm, I understand."
After taking a deep breath, He Feng forcefully slapped his cheeks, producing a crisp sound in the silent room.
He Xue must have come. He could not look too dejected in front of that child.
It was not yet time for He Xue to know the truth. He would put it off for as long as he could.
If He Xue learned that her grandfather was critically ill, it would be a severe blow to her.
"He Xue, didn't I tell you that you didn't need to come anymore..."
After straightening his appearance, He Feng walked out of the ward with a stern expression.
But halfway through his sentence, he realized that the woman before him was not his daughter, He Xue.
She was a young beauty dressed in elegant office attire, and she did not appear to be much older than He Xue.
Yet the mature air about her left He Feng somewhat stunned. Her natural presence in particular made him take several steps back.
"Hello, Mr. He Feng. It is a pleasure to meet you. Please allow me to introduce myself."
Yao Shi spoke with an icy expression and extended her right hand to He Feng.
"H-Hello... May I ask who you are...?"
After staring blankly for a moment, He Feng reached out and briefly shook her hand.
He was somewhat bewildered. Who was this cold, proud young beauty before him?
A friend of He Xue's? She did not look like a student. This girl looked more like a secretary.
"I am merely a maid sent under orders to assist you."
"Old Mr. He Jingao's condition is worsening, and he needs surgery as soon as possible."
Yao Shi turned to look at He Jingao inside the ward. It was only a matter of time before the cancer spread throughout his entire body.
There was still a sliver of hope now. If they waited until the cancer fully deteriorated, then not even immortals would be able to save him.
They had to race against time and operate on He Jingao as soon as possible.
"What? Orders? A maid?"
He Feng was thoroughly confused by the girl's words.
He even felt that this girl had come to prank him for amusement.
"Mr. He Feng, this young lady is the personal secretary of an important person. You can rest assured."
"If it is this young lady, she will certainly be able to help you."
The young nurse beside He Feng spoke softly.
Even she did not know exactly where this young lady had come from.
But being able to call Doctor Li Hua back after he had just gone overseas was not something an ordinary person could do.
"I-Is that so... But why would you help us...?"
He Feng glanced at the nurse beside him. Medical personnel would not lie to him.
But that only made things stranger. What sort of important person would willingly help his family?
"You may consider it a whim of that person, or you may consider it because of your family..."
Yao Shi paused here. After falling silent for a moment, she shook her head and chose not to continue.
Instead, she took a completed schedule from her coat pocket and handed it to He Feng for him to review.
"We have already arranged Old Mr. He's surgery for you."
"I hope you will not blame me for acting without authorization. Time waits for no one, and you should understand Old Mr. He's current physical condition better than I do."
Seeing He Feng too shocked to speak, Yao Shi slowly bowed to him.
"Then, Mr. He Feng, I shall take my leave."
After saying that, Yao Shi calmly departed.
Only He Feng, clutching the schedule in his hands with an excited expression, and the nurse, whose face was full of admiration, remained behind.
"D-Doctor Li Hua is back..."
Delicate, beautiful handwriting covered the white paper. At a glance, it was clearly a woman's handwriting.
He Feng stared fixedly at the final item on the schedule.
Tonight at 23:00, Doctor Li Hua will personally perform the surgery.
"Yes, Mr. He Feng. Doctor Li Hua was invited back by that young lady just now."
"Doctor Li Hua was so eager to participate in this competition. I really wonder what kind of magic that young lady used..."
The nurse stared at Yao Shi's departing figure with sparkling eyes. That cool older sister was so handsome.
"Who exactly is that woman...?"
He Feng blankly watched Yao Shi leave. Being able to bring Doctor Li Hua back so easily was not something that money alone could accomplish.
What sort of background did that seemingly young girl have...
The Meeting Between Women
"If I had known, I wouldn't have thought about so much yesterday. This is the first time I've ever had insomnia."
With her hair somewhat messy, He Xue hurried into the hospital lobby, her delicate little face looking exhausted.
It was as though she had spent the entire night unable to sleep. Her reddened eyes were bloodshot, and the dark circles beneath them made her appear haggard.
She had originally planned to come early today to visit her grandfather, but she had overslept.
"Sigh... What was I even thinking...?"
He Xue rubbed her brow and murmured softly. She had spent the entire night thinking about that boy wearing a KFC mascot head.
Why had Mr. KFC, sitting alone on a bench late at night, seemed so lonely at first?
All night long, He Xue kept replaying that scene over and over again.
As though possessed, no matter how much He Xue tried to forget him, that ugly-cute KFC mascot head would surface in the depths of her mind.
Thud
Just as He Xue walked with her head lowered, thinking about Mr. KFC, she crashed headlong into someone who had emerged from around the corner.
Both of them staggered back several steps, and He Xue lost her footing and fell straight to the floor.
"I'm terribly sorry. I was distracted, so I didn't see you."
Knowing that she was at fault, He Xue hurriedly apologized.
She had been distracted earlier. Otherwise, she would not have bumped into the other person. It was her fault.
Yet after quite some time had passed, she did not hear a single complaint or word of dissatisfaction from the other person.
"Um, are you all right?"
Sitting on the cold floor, He Xue pressed both hands against the hem of her skirt and spoke with an apologetic expression.
But when she saw the person in front of her, she could not help covering her little mouth. This professional beauty was simply unbelievably gorgeous.
"I am fine. Are you all right?"
Yao Shi shook her head. It had merely been a minor collision.
But when Yao Shi saw the girl before her, she suddenly froze. Was this not He Xue, the Eldest Young Master's classmate and companion?
She had not expected to meet her here in such a manner. It was truly unexpected.
It seemed He Xue had come to visit He Jingao, but the girl did not look well.
Was it because she had insomnia? Yao Shi discreetly swept her gaze over He Xue's little face.
Though light makeup concealed the flaws around her eyes, the exhaustion and weariness in them could not be hidden.
"Can you stand?"
Yao Shi bent down and extended her hand toward the girl.
Since she had encountered Eldest Young Master Wu Liang's classmate here, what should she do?
However, He Xue clearly did not know that she was Eldest Young Master Wu Liang's personal maid. Even if she interacted with her, there should be no problem.
"No need to trouble yourself! I'm fine! I'm really fine!! It was because of me just now that..."
He Xue covered her skirt and hurriedly rose from the ground, though her backside still faintly hurt.
But very quickly, He Xue was drawn in by the woman before her. Her beauty was no less than Teacher Ye's.
Moreover, the aloof coldness that kept others at arm's length gave her a unique charm.
"Miss He Xue, please do not concern yourself with such a trivial matter. However, I still have business to attend to, so I must excuse myself."
After exchanging a few simple words with He Xue, Yao Shi walked around her and headed straight out of the lobby.
She did not linger for even a second longer, leaving without looking back.
"What an aloof woman..."
He Xue blankly watched Yao Shi's retreating figure as she spoke.
Huh? Wait? Why did that beautiful woman know her name?
At that thought, He Xue froze. That elegant beauty actually knew her.
But when He Xue wanted to chase after her and ask, she discovered that the woman had already disappeared from the lobby without a trace.
"She's gone..."
He Xue lowered her head in disappointment. After all, she had surely never had the chance to interact with such a beautiful woman before.
But since the woman had already left, she could only ask her father about it.
"One of Father's friends... It really doesn't feel like it..."
He Xue bit her fingertip and muttered softly. Even her father could not possibly know someone like that, could he?
That elegant beauty did not look like someone from the same world as her at all...
Before you continue