Weak Breath Disease

"What's wrong?" Shen Heng looked at Xu Yuqin in confusion.

"Do you still have any money on you?" Xu Yuqin asked tentatively.

She wanted to see whether she could get Shen Heng to hand over his money. That way, even if he went gambling again, he would lose a little less.

Shen Heng tapped his fingers lightly against the sofa's armrest, quickly grasping Xu Yuqin's intention.

"Yes, but I'll keep the money. I have a use for it!" Shen Heng said calmly.

Hearing that Shen Heng did not intend to give her the money, Xu Yuqin's first thought was that he planned to keep gambling with it.

That thought was not wrong. If it had been the body's original owner, he really would have taken the money and kept gambling!

But the current Shen Heng would not. Xu Yuqin, however, did not know that.

Shen Heng's unusual behavior that evening had loosened her once-solid armor a little. She lowered her head, her voice carrying a trace of a tremor:

"Xiao Heng, can we please stop gambling?"

Silence...

Shen Heng's fingers slowly stopped tapping the armrest.

Yet Xu Yuqin did not stop because of his silence. Her body trembled slightly, and tears welled in her eyes.

"Xiao Heng, you really can't keep going like this. You'll ruin your future!"

"It doesn't matter what happens to me, but you can't do this. You still have a long future ahead of you! Your future shouldn't be like that!"

"..."

The more Xu Yuqin spoke, the more agitated she became, and her tears began streaming down uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault for being useless. I can't give you two a comfortable life. I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry..."

Her voice grew quieter and quieter, until only sobs remained.

Shen Heng watched Shen Shuning walk over at just the right moment and hug Xu Yuqin, remaining speechless for a long time.

An indescribable atmosphere spread through the living room, so soft and yet so heavy. Shen Heng felt as though something had touched the soft spot in his heart.

He remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Don't worry, Mom. I won't gamble again!"

His calm words eased Xu Yuqin's uncontrollable crying. She slowly raised her head to look at him.

She had heard Shen Heng say he would stop gambling many times-when he wanted money, when he lost money, when he asked her to help him borrow money...

But every time, Shen Heng would gamble again, then come home with new debts.

This time would be the same!

Xu Yuqin lowered her head sadly and answered softly, "Mm!"

Shen Heng glanced at his mother with her head lowered and Shen Shuning staring coldly at him, and could not help sighing deep inside.

He could more or less understand what the two of them were thinking, but...

This was a problem with no solution. Even giving them all the money he had would make no difference.

What she cared about was not the little money he had on him, but his constant borrowing and gambling. They wanted him to wake up and repent, but...

As long as he wore this body, they would not believe him, no matter what he said!

Just as Uncle Shen had said, prejudice in people's hearts was a mountain. No matter how hard you tried, you could forget about moving it!

Only time could prove everything!

"All right, Mom, hurry and drink it. Then wash up and get some rest!" Shen Heng reminded her softly.

Xu Yuqin gathered herself. Although she was still a little sad, she seemed to have grown accustomed to much of it over the years.

She forced a smile onto her face and nodded.

"Mm, this is the first chicken soup Xiao Heng has ever made for me!"

With that, she picked up the soup and began drinking it a little at a time.

For a while, none of the three spoke. A quiet atmosphere surrounded the living room, but its earlier warmth was gone.

A few minutes later, after declining his mother's offer to wash the dishes, Shen Heng carried the bowls and chopsticks into the kitchen.

He turned on the tap, pumped out some dish soap, and began washing that evening's dishes with practiced ease.

A little over ten minutes later, Shen Heng returned to the living room.

He glanced at the lit bathroom, then slowly shifted his gaze to the takeout bag his mother had left on the shoe cabinet after coming home.

After hesitating for a while, Shen Heng still walked slowly over and carefully searched through the bag.

A moment later, Shen Heng carefully pulled out a white medicine box.

With a turn of his fingertips, Shen Heng flipped the box to its front.

Most of the label on the medicine box had been torn off. He could only faintly make out two blurry characters, "Guan" and "Zhang."

"...Tube... dilate...?"

Shen Heng stared at the medicine box. He had not studied medicine and could not guess what illness this might be from just two characters, but that was not much of a problem.

Shen Heng glanced at the tightly shut bathroom door. The sound of water inside had stopped.

He carefully put the medicine box back, trying to return it to its original position so his mother would not notice, then walked back to his room.

He opened his phone's browser and quickly entered the two characters he had just seen.

Looking at the pile of useless webpages that appeared, Shen Heng frowned slightly and began to think.

"If it's a tube, it should be a blood vessel or an airway. There don't seem to be any other tubes in the body."

"As for dilate... dilation?"

He added the words he had thought of.

Several minutes later, Shen Heng's gaze slowly settled, the cold light of his phone screen shining on his face.

[Disease name] Weak Breath Disease

[Disease background]

Weak Breath Disease is a rare, chronically progressive respiratory disease that has emerged within the past seven years. Patients who contract Weak Breath Disease experience continuous respiratory failure, ultimately dying because they cannot inhale and exhale enough air to sustain the human body; patients typically survive for 5-7 years after onset. In the later stages of symptoms...

[Primary patients]

Children, the elderly, and other populations with weak constitutions and poor immunity

[Symptoms]

Mild to moderate stages: patients may exhibit only slight difficulty breathing or shortness of breath...

Severe stage: breathing difficulties worsen significantly, coughing intensifies, and bloody sputum may occur. Continuous use of bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory medications is required...

[Treatment plan] No treatment currently available

[Comment list]

Little Chen of Danhua Electromechanical: Is there really no cure for this disease? [crying.jpg]

Insomniac Bread Machine: Day 1321 since diagnosis. Today I found a dandelion on the windowsill. Turns out it can fly far without taking a deep breath.

Little Fish's Mom: Today my child asked why I couldn't play hide-and-seek with him anymore, but I didn't know how to tell him [crying.jpg]

Stay Positive and Optimistic at All Times: Jade Emperor, Buddha Tathagata, Bodhisattva Guanyin, God, anyone, please bless my mom and help her through this ordeal!

Anonymous netizen: Last night I turned the ventilator up to its highest setting and suddenly remembered the sound of our panting as I chased the wind with her at Qinghai Lake that year... at least the wind back then was free.

Breathing Meditation Instructor: Every day at 3 a.m., face east and take 49 deep breaths. I've lived an extra 11 months thanks to this method! Free breathing rhythm chart included → click to claim

78-Year-Old Patient Browsing Beauties: Don't be afraid, comrades! A mere disease demon is nothing to fear. Let me share a folk remedy: whenever you have trouble breathing, look at beauties on your phone, and your condition will improve!