After Becoming Roommates with an Obnoxious Wealthy Heiress - Chapter 49

Give up, Qin Shuyue. Just give up. Giving up is your best option.

The counselor’s class meant Song Jiajia and her clique wouldn’t cause her any trouble. After all, they had to act like well-behaved students in front of the counselor.

Qin Shuyue breathed a sigh of relief. At least she didn’t have to worry about preparing a performance for the Arts Festival anymore. Finally, there was something worth being happy about.

After packing her things, she rose from her seat. As she left the classroom, she couldn’t tell if it was just her imagination, but she felt Song Jiajia’s gaze lingering on her, a malicious smirk flashing across the girl’s lips. Her intuition told her this had something to do with the festival.

But the list had already been announced in class, and the counselor was aware of it, so… Song Jiajia couldn’t pull any more tricks. After comforting herself with this thought, she felt at ease enough to walk out of the classroom.

Now, her entire mind was focused on the hospital. She hurried out of the school gates and headed straight for the bus stop. Even after boarding the bus, Qin Shuyue felt dizzy and heavy-headed. She even began running through the worst-case scenarios in her mind.

Outside, the scenery shifted as the bus jolted along the road, tossing Qin Shuyue’s heart into a state of total disarray. Is the driver a novice? she wondered.

Helpless, she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the vibrating window, letting out a soft sigh. After several stops, the familiar mechanical voice chimed through the cabin:

“Arriving at Airen Hospital. Passengers please…”

Qin Shuyue picked up her canvas bag and moved to the rear door, gripping the handrail. Her palms were clammy; she hadn’t even realized she was sweating so much. She leaped off the bus in two quick steps and took a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill her lungs.

Pressing her lips together, she cast a heavy glance at the hospital across the street. She lowered her eyes and hurried across the crosswalk, heading straight for Dr. Li’s office.

“I’ve looked at your scans. There are some spots on the lungs, but nothing serious. Go back and take your medication on time. During this period, do not drink or smoke…”

“Dr. Li!”

A female voice suddenly echoed from outside the consulting room, cutting him off before he could finish. Dr. Li and the patient sitting on the stool turned in unison to look at Qin Shuyue.

Qin Shuyue froze. Her face instantly turned the color of pig liver. She tucked her hands behind her back and bowed her head, sheepishly closing the door as if trying to pretend nothing had happened.

Inside, the patient asked, “Is she your next patient? How are her lungs?”

“No, she isn’t,” Dr. Li adjusted his glasses and replied with a polite smile. “Her lungs are perfectly fine, don’t you worry… on the other hand, you need to take your medicine on time and maintain a regular schedule.”

The patient asked a few more questions about precautions and symptoms, and Dr. Li explained everything with patience.

Sitting on the blue plastic hospital bench, Qin Shuyue clenched her hands, feeling restless. She had forgotten to call Dr. Li to make an appointment beforehand. She rubbed her hands together anxiously, her upper teeth gnawing at her lower lip until it turned pale.

Would Dr. Li be angry with her?

As she thought of Dr. Li, images of her mother lying alone in a hospital bed with a ventilator over her face involuntarily flooded her mind. Mom… how is she?

Anxiety and dread occupied every corner of her heart. Why can’t I do anything right? I’m so reckless, so careless. Truly… why am I this kind of person?

“Qin Shuyue.”

Dr. Li’s voice, clear as a breeze, sounded above her head.

Tears welled up and swirled in her eyes. As he called her name, she quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and looked up with a gaze full of self-reproach and unease.

“Dr. Li…” she said guiltily. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”

A gentle smile touched Dr. Li’s lips. He had no intention of blaming her; instead, he tried to comfort her. “It’s alright. Come in.”

Qin Shuyue let out a breath, though her heart did not feel any lighter. Dr. Li led the way into the office, and she followed, thoughtfully closing the door behind them. She sat stiffly in the chair.

“Dr. Li, my mom…”

Dr. Li’s expression grew serious. From a stack of papers nearly as thick as five books, he pulled out a pathology report. He pushed it toward her. While she looked at the report, he opened his mouth to speak but hesitated, unsure of how to begin.

Once she had skimmed through it, Dr. Li finally asked: “Did you know there was a tumor in your mother’s body?”

Qin Shuyue couldn’t understand the technicalities of the report, but seeing the mass in the ultrasound image gave her an ominous premonition. Hearing Dr. Li’s words, she felt as if she had lost her backbone. Her legs went weak, and she nearly slid off the chair.

“Tu…mor.” She squeezed the word out of her throat, unable to find the courage to say anything else.

Dr. Li firmly gripped her arm, preventing her from collapsing to the floor. “Qin Shuyue…”

Her body felt drained of all strength. Her feet hung limp and powerless. A wave of cold washed over her, making her teeth chatter.

Disaster. A total disaster.

She never imagined things would escalate to this point. She thought her mother was simply recovering from a car accident. How could it… how could it have come to this?

She buried her face in her hands, hiding her tortured expression. Shock and terror swept through her soul, momentarily making her forget even how to cry or grieve.

“Is it malignant… or benign?”

The question hardly needed asking. If it were benign, Dr. Li wouldn’t be so guarded or wear such a solemn expression. He wouldn’t have had to weigh his words so carefully before speaking to a family member.

Dr. Li closed his eyes. He felt a pang of pity looking at the pale, bloodless girl before him, who looked frail enough to collapse herself. He truly wasn’t sure if she could handle the truth.

But facing her inquiry, he forced himself to look away from the sorrow in her eyes. “Malignant. Early-stage liver cancer.”

Hearing “early-stage,” Qin Shuyue’s lifeless eyes instantly lit up. “Does that mean she can be saved? Early-stage. I’ve heard that patients with early-stage cancer have a chance to survive, right?”

“Yes,” Dr. Li nodded. Hope seemed to draw closer for her, and she looked at him with eyes full of expectation. But Dr. Li didn’t dare meet her gaze. Her stare was too intense, too bright it made him feel like he was sitting on needles, burning with guilt.

“Other early-stage patients might have a chance, but your mother…” Dr. Li looked troubled, struggling to find a way to say it that wouldn’t be too crushing. He racked his brain for a gentler explanation, but he found none.

He had to prepare her. He had to tell her the truth.

“Your mother’s condition is very poor. She was in a car accident and only barely survived after multiple surgeries. Her body has already reached its limit… if we were to perform another surgery to remove the tumor…” Dr. Li’s brow furrowed deeper. He paused, searching for a euphemism, but ultimately failed.

“Your mother might not survive the operating table.”

Qin Shuyue’s mouth hung open, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief. Her breath hitched for several seconds.

“Dr. Li, I beg you, please save my mom. I can’t lose her. I really can’t be without my mom.”

Her knees buckled, and she nearly fell into a kneel. “I only have my mom left.” She choked up, her emotions uncontrollable as she sobbed and pleaded with him.

However, the reason Dr. Li had called her to the hospital was to persuade her to give up on treatment. The patient was no longer fit for a cure; the success rate was low less than 5%.

But he didn’t dare say that. He knew that if he mentioned a success rate, no matter how small, she would insist on it. He knew her character. As long as there was a shred of hope, she wouldn’t let go. Even if it were only 1%, she would rush forward without hesitation.

But this would destroy her. Her mother had already been a burden for three years—from her second year of high school to her second year of college. Would she be a burden through her junior and senior years, and even after she started working? Would this drag her down for the rest of her life?

If the patient could be saved, it would be one thing. But as it stood, while she had survived the previous surgeries, whether she would ever wake up was already a matter of miracles. To add a malignant tumor on top of that…

There was no hope. It was impossible.

Give up, Qin Shuyue. Give up.

“Give up, Qin Shuyue.” Dr. Li’s gaze gradually grew calm. He was a doctor; he couldn’t handle this with pure emotion. He had to consider everything and plan the best path for both the patient and the family. And the best path he could see for her was to stop treatment.

But she couldn’t hear a word of it. She shook her head violently, like a rattle.

“No, no, no!”

A near-insane stubbornness erupted in her eyes. She looked at the doctor, then at the case file on the desk. She shook her head, denying it, and told him firmly, “I won’t give up on my mom. I will never give up on her!”

“Even if the success rate is only 0.1%, I’ll try. I have to try!” She stared straight at him.

In the face of her growing agitation, Dr. Li became even calmer, his logic taking over. He looked at her and said softly: “The surgery alone starts at 350,000 yuan. Follow-up treatments will cost much more, because your mother doesn’t just have a tumor, and…”

“I need to reiterate.”

“Your mother’s physical condition is no longer suitable for surgery. If you insist on it, there is a 98% chance she will die on the table.”

Qin Shuyue gave a hollow laugh. “Doesn’t that mean there’s still a 2% chance of success?”

“Qin Shuyue!” Dr. Li looked at her with brewing anger.

Why is this girl so stubborn?! Had he not made it clear enough? Giving up was the right choice. Otherwise, she would be dragged down for the rest of her life. Was this what her mother would have wanted for her?

Dr. Li patiently explained her mother’s current physical state and the extent of her pain once more. But it fell on deaf ears. It was as if his words were a gust of wind that blew past her, leaving no trace in her memory.

She remained obstinate. “I want to save my mom.”

“Are you stupid?” Dr. Li finally snapped, his patience exhausted.

He had tried kind words, harsh words, and even intimidation, yet she wouldn’t budge. Realizing he had crossed a line with his last remark, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“How about this: go to the outpatient department first to pay the hospitalization fees. We can talk about the rest when you get back, alright? You have a month to think it over. You don’t have to give me such a definitive answer right now.”

He felt he couldn’t rush this. A girl her age was full of passion and easily provoked into rebellion. He needed to find a better time to guide her slowly and persuade her over time.

Qin Shuyue stood frozen.

Hospitalization fees? She originally had enough. But now she was 700 yuan short. Given her current financial situation, what right did she have to talk about saving her mother? Where would she even get 1 million yuan?

She was overestimating herself. She was dreaming. She even started to feel that she was being hopelessly headstrong. Why couldn’t she just listen to her father and the doctor? Was giving up on treatment really that hard?

Yes. It was far too hard.

She walked to the hospital stairwell, went down one flight, and stopped on the landing between floors. She dialed a number.

After a few heavy rings, a man picked up. A deep, mellow voice came through the line the voice of a man nearing fifty. He didn’t speak, waiting in silence for the caller to state their purpose.

When she heard the connection, Qin Shuyue’s heart leaped. She spoke with a trembling voice:

“Dad…”

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