Surgery is about to begin.
A doctor in a white lab coat stood in front Su Qing, frowning at the thin girl.
"Miss, is the patient's family here?"
"Yes, yes, I am. I'm the patient's daughter."
Su Qing's eyes had reddened when the doctor emerged from the operating room. She forced herself to hold them back, her fingers clenched into fists, her whole being possessed by a panicked composure.
"Has the patient been coughing up blood recently? Her condition isn't good. She needs surgery, and we need a parent's signature."
The nurse nearby placed the prepared surgical form in front of Su Qing while listening to the doctor's words.
But before Su Qing could take it, the doctor stopped her.
"Generally, family members under the age of 18 cannot sign. We need a family member, the patient's husband, or a parent."
Su Qing looked up at the doctor in disbelief. She bit her lip, repeating to herself, "Don't panic, don't panic."
"Doctor, I don't have a father, and my grandparents are dead. My mother and I depend on each other for survival."
Even after hearing such stories many times, the nurse beside him was still stunned for a moment. The doctor also frowned. Surgery in this situation carries risks. Looking at the little girl in front him, he was momentarily in a dilemma.
Legally, it's not allowed. A minor can't bear the responsibility and consequences, especially now that the family member's condition is critical.
Tears welled up in Su Qing's eyes, but she forced herself to hold them back. She straightened her back and looked at the doctor with a burning, determined gaze.
"Doctor, my mother needs surgery. I can assume legal responsibility for you performing the surgery. Now that I over 16, I can, in a sense, assume legal responsibility."
"I can film it, I can leave evidence. You proceed with the surgery, and I'm ready to sign."
Su Qing, interested in law, had read numerous legal texts. She gritted her teeth, a pleading expression never before seen on her pale face.
Those soft hands, now tightly grasping the doctor's arm, felt like a lifeline.
"Doctor Cao..."
Perhaps because those eyes were so soft, yet they held a steely resolve.
Cao Wei Guang was again shocked, his usually stern expression softening slightly. "The law also says to consider the case. Please sign."
Before she could finish her words, the nurse beside her had already handed Su Qing the slip. Su Qing didn't know how she managed to write the two words, "Su Qing."
Untainted by the mud, untainted by the clear water, Su Rao named her Qing, hoping her life would be clear and pure.
But it seemed as if fate had already planned things differently. Smooth sailing wasn't her thing. Even when she found herself mired in the mud, Su Qing didn't care, didn't care. She just wanted Su Rao to be well.
Facing the doctor and nurse's actions, Su Qing tried to force a smile, but her stiff muscles wouldn't obey.
Su Qing leaned against the door of the quiet operating room, her head lowered.
The word "silence," that cold, chilling expression, struck her heart. Su Qing folded her arms, her eyes fixed on the ground, her head lowered, her lips pursed.
Waves of torment washed over her.
Her mother had been coughing up blood long ago, and she hadn't even noticed.
Why hadn't she taken her for a check up sooner? Why hadn't she been more assertive?
An unknown amount of time passed before Su Qing's eyes, sore and numb, finally opened. The operating room door finally opened.
"The operation was a success. Although the liver tumor has been removed, there are still risks. She'll need to stay in the hospital for observation."
The doctor's words made Su Qing's ears alternate between clarity and darkness.
Su Rao lay on bed, eyes tightly closed, face pale, wearing an oxygen mask that looked as if it could be removed at the touch of a finger. This intensely irritated every nerve in Su Qing.
She had no idea how she had followed the operating table to the ward. She remained silent, refusing to eat or drink, by Su Rao's bedside, barely blinking.
Mei Yeqin, who was conducting rounds at the hospital, felt a familiarity when she saw the small figure and couldn't help but pull someone nearby to ask about it.
"Director Mei, you're talking about that little girl, the daughter of the female cancer patient who was just admitted today. She's quite pitiful. She has no father, and even then, few relatives. Doctor Cao was soft-hearted and performed surgery. Fortunately, nothing went wrong, and the operation was considered a success."
The nurse beside her sighed as she spoke. Although the operation was a success, the word "tumor" does mean a constant threat of death, a true race against death.
Mei Yeqin frowned at this, having never expected the situation to be so serious.
"She came alone?"
Thinking of her nephew, who treated the little girl like the apple of his eye, she certainly couldn't have come alone. However, if something serious had happened, he'd probably have contacted her. However, since she'd obviously not received any calls or messages from Jiang Sui, she couldn't help but ask a few more questions.
When the nurse said she'd come alone, Mei Yeqin was surprised, clearly not expecting it.
If Jiang Sui hadn't come, there was only one possibility: the girl hadn't told him at all.
At the time, she'd only been there to tend to the little girl's wound. The child was quite fond of her, but in her current situation, she was in constant danger of becoming an orphan.
Love from youthful years is most easily eroded by time, but her nephew, like her sister, was likely to be no different.
After much thought, Mei Yeqin returned to the office and called Jiang Sui.
The phone rang for a long time before being picked up.
"Hello."
The voice on the other end was hoarse, like someone waking up from a hang over.
Mei Yeqin frowned. It was already mid-afternoon, and Jiang Sui's temperament was like her sister's; he wasn't one to stay on bed.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
There was something off about his voice.
Jiang Sui's personality was usually aloof, and there was a hint of daze in his piercing eyes. He was still dreaming, dreaming of Su Qing coming to him and saying she loved him.
It was ridiculous, but Mei Yeqin's voice brought him back to reality.
"Nothing."
"What's going on?"
Mei Yeqin rarely called him.
"Nothing, just something about you and that girl from that time."
Mei Yeqin didn't speak directly, but instead asked. However, the long silence on the other end was enough for her, as an adult and someone who had experienced this, to understand.
"Ah Sui, that girl's mother is in the hospital. I ran into her there today."
Jiang Sui's fingertips clenched tightly, his eyes blank, a wry smile playing on his lips.
"Auntie, there's nothing between us anymore."