Volume One, Chapter 15: Giving Up Treatment

I was pushed back into the operating room once again.

This time, however, things were better because my mother ran faster, and the nurse arrived promptly, so there was no air embolism—only a slight bleeding.

The only thing that made the situation look grim was the boiled egg my mother fed me.

This time, I had to undergo a gastric lavage.

Because of the commotion, everyone who cared about me showed up once more.

The cramped hospital room was filled with people again.

Lu Feng muttered apologies beside me, saying that last time, to wake me up, he had even brought my mother over.

I found his approach somewhat amusing and bewildering.

Technically, he had no reason to apologize to me, yet he kept insisting that he shouldn’t have so hastily informed my mother about my hospitalization.

Not only did he cause her to rush over, but it also made me suffer.

This time, I was truly too weak to speak.

I knew Lu Feng cared about me.

Besides, since I have cancer, my mother was bound to make this trip sooner or later. For a cancer patient like me, death is merely a matter of time.

What struck me was the contrast between Su Qingya and Liu Ying—one with red-rimmed eyes, the other with an expression full of anger. Their stark difference made me smile despite myself.

Su Qingya didn’t say a word, while Liu Ying busily went over precautions with my mother.

Perhaps it was due to my frailty, but I was easily drowsy, yet I did not want to wake up alone in the cold, empty hospital room.

Su Qingya seemed to sense my thoughts. She came over, held my hand gently, and whispered, “Gu Ze, rest. I’ll stay with you.”

Seeing the tenderness in her eyes, I suppressed my smile and slowly withdrew my hand. “Thank you, but I’m sure the company is busy while I’m away. I don’t want to trouble you.”

Apparently surprised by my refusal, Su Qingya’s eyes widened as tears welled up rapidly.

“Su Qingya, stop pretending,” Lu Feng sneered beside us. “Everyone knows you’re just waiting for Gu Ze to die. Seeing him like this must make you secretly happy!”

Su Qingya’s face immediately turned pale. She looked at Lu Feng anxiously. “No... that’s not true. I didn’t know he was ill... I didn’t mean to...”

“Too late for excuses now,” Lu Feng interrupted coldly.

“What do you mean, daughter-in-law? Are you the one who did this to my son?” my mother suddenly cut in with a sarcastic tone.

“Why has my son become like this? Last month, when I called, he was fine!” She burst into tears, her voice trembling.

To outsiders, this might have looked like a mother’s grief over her child. But I knew better—she was just trying to extort money from the situation.

In truth, I was more aware than anyone that my mother never loved me. She raised me as a bargaining chip.

If I succeeded, I was to be her dutiful son; if I ended up like my father—idle and useless—then I didn’t exist in her eyes.

That was why I chose to leave everything behind, giving my assets to Su Qingya.

I smiled bitterly to myself: after all, I truly loved Su Qingya, and I knew she didn’t hate me as much as she seemed to.

“Mom... I didn’t expect Gu Ze to end up like this either...” Su Qingya wept as she shook her head, “I don’t want to see him like this...”

“Hmph. Auntie, seeing your shocked face, I guess you don’t know that Gu Ze couldn’t even get a divorce from her,” Lu Feng added fuel to the fire. “Even after he’s been bullied like this, Su Qingya refuses to divorce him and demands he leave without a penny!”

“What?!” My mother’s face flushed with anger, her words stumbling out, “You’ve done this to my son... and you refuse to divorce him? You even want him to leave empty-handed?!”

I watched as she collapsed onto the floor, sobbing loudly. “Is there any justice? Sending off a black-haired son while still alive! Qingya, how can you be so heartless? Don’t you know how much he loves you?”

I cast a reproachful glance at Lu Feng. He probably didn’t expect things to escalate like this either; his gaze dropped guiltily.

As the situation worsened, I managed to croak, hoarse even to myself, “Mom... please get up. It’s not what you think.”

Hearing me speak, Lu Feng quickly pulled a chair over.

Seeing this, my mother begrudgingly brushed the dust off her skirt and sat down silently.

Yet she still wore the expression of someone determined to get an explanation from Su Qingya.

Su Qingya looked at me in disbelief, probably not expecting me to defend her.

“Su Qingya, I’m not blaming you, but tell me—since marrying you, has my son ever had anything good?” My mother began to lecture from on high.

“The medical expenses during my son’s hospitalization...”

“Auntie, Miss Su has already paid for one course of treatment, totaling ten million,” Liu Ying interrupted before my mother could continue.

“Ten million? Son, what disease costs ten million?!” My mother’s proud expression vanished instantly.

“Mom, rest assured, I will risk everything to cure Gu Ze’s illness...” Su Qingya whispered, then fell silent for a moment before adding, “If it can’t be cured... at least I’ll...”

“Risk everything?” My mother shouted. “Whose fortune and life? That company belongs to my son! I’m telling you, Su Qingya, divorce my son at once! Leave empty-handed yourself!”

My mother suddenly stood and shoved Su Qingya hard. No one expected the frail old woman to have such strength—Su Qingya was pushed against the bed rail with a loud clang.

Su Qingya groaned in pain but managed a pale smile. “Of course... it’s with my own money.”

“Mom, we’ll get divorced after a while,” I rasped. “Don’t make things difficult for Qingya.”

My mother glanced at Su Qingya warily, then turned to Liu Ying. “Doctor Liu, how long is one course of my son’s treatment?”

Liu Ying replied calmly, “About half a month. If another course is necessary, it will cost more.”

My mother’s face instantly filled with sorrow. “Son, after the divorce, sell the company and come home with me!”

“Auntie, this is cancer. Without treatment, he’ll die,” Liu Ying said helplessly. “And with Gu Ze’s wealth, he can afford at least ten courses of treatment.”

“Ten courses...!” My mother’s eyes widened, her voice trembling. “How much money is that?”

“Son, pack up and come home with me. I’ve booked a fancy hotel for you tonight! We won’t treat it anymore, no more treatment!” She started pulling at my IV tubes. “Listen to your mother; this is all a scam! When I came here, I stayed in a guesthouse with good conditions and hot water. Let’s rest there for one night and leave first thing tomorrow!”