I Promise to Walk With You for Half of my Life’s Journey - Chapter 20

An Chuxin took out her phone and dialed Cheng Xia’s number.

“Mr. Cheng, I would like to speak with you. It is about Cheng Sutong’s medical treatment.”

The meeting took place at An Chuxin’s home. Cheng Xia sat on the sofa, looking around the simple room. It was tidy and clean, with a yellowing pothos plant on the windowsill serving as the only decoration. An Chuxin poured him a glass of water and sat across from him. Cheng Xia gripped the glass tightly, remaining silent for a long while. Finally, he spoke.

“You are Tongtong’s homeroom teacher, right? Teacher An, our Tongtong seems very afraid of you. She is afraid you will find her a bother. Do you really have the nerve to talk to me about her treatment? If anything happens to her, I am definitely holding you responsible.”

“That is not true. I am her teacher, and I would never find her to be a bother.”

“I know all about the trouble you two caused at school,” Cheng Xia countered.

An Chuxin froze.

“Sir, that was a misunderstanding,” she began, but Cheng Xia cut her off. He was furious, believing this woman was the reason his daughter’s health had deteriorated.

“As a teacher, instead of guiding her toward a positive path, you are leading her astray and tormenting her.”

An Chuxin felt an overwhelming urge to cry. She felt deeply wronged. It was true that as a teacher, she had fallen for her student. She gritted her teeth and whispered to herself, “Sutong, I indulged you, and I must bear the consequences.”

She took a deep breath, but before she could speak, Cheng Xia struck her across the face. The force of the blow made her vision spin. She stumbled and crashed into the table, where a fruit knife sliced deep into her flesh. Blood began to flow uncontrollably from a long wound on her arm. An Chuxin gasped from the searing pain of the slap, the sharp sting in her arm, and the shattering of her heart.

She could no longer hold back her sobs. “I am sorry, Mom. I am sorry, Sutong. I am so sorry,” she whispered.

Seeing the blood pouring from her hand, Cheng Xia felt a flicker of remorse. He helped her downstairs and drove her to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Sutong could not get through to An Chuxin. She called her father instead. As soon as he picked up, his voice sounded urgent.

“Sutong, your Teacher An is in the emergency room to stop some bleeding. Do not come here. I am here with her. I will explain later.” The line went dead.

Sutong had a terrible feeling. She wondered why An Chuxin was in the emergency room and where she was. In her panic, she ripped out her IV needle and ran toward the emergency department. She ignored the blood dripping from her own hand, haphazardly covering it with a few tissues.

She ran into her father, and Cheng Xia explained everything. An Chuxin was currently unconscious while the doctors worked to stop the bleeding in her hand. Seeing the bloody tissues on his daughter’s hand, Cheng Xia knew she had abandoned her own treatment to run here. Something was completely wrong, but he did not know how to bring it up.

Sutong’s face was deathly pale, as if she might break at any moment. Propping up her weak body, she spoke to her father with an intensity he had never heard before. “Dad, I love her.”

Before she could finish, he cut her off, and the two began to argue.

“What has this woman done to bewitch you? She is your teacher. How could she lay a hand on her own student? Is this the character of a teacher?”

“Dad, my mother abandoned me when I was little. She left me in a broken state. But Teacher An is the person who makes me feel bright again. I grew up in an imperfect home, so I wanted to create a perfect home of my own. I love her because she makes me feel like I do not have to endure my inner turmoil alone. She taught me that I can seek help and rely on someone. She cares for me, looks after me, and stays with me. Please, do not hurt her. I beg you, I beg you. I started it. She did nothing wrong. I am the one who kept approaching her.”

Cheng Xia looked at her in disbelief.

“She is the one for me. For the rest of my life, it is her,” she screamed with all her strength. Suddenly, she tasted copper. She coughed, spitting out mouthfuls of blood. She tried to wipe it away with her sleeve.

Cheng Xia felt as though his world was ending. He forgot the argument instantly. “What is wrong, Sutong? Why are you coughing up blood? Go back to your room and rest. I will stay here.”

Sutong slid down the wall and sat on the floor, whispering, “I am fine, I am fine.”

She did not go back. She sat in the chair with her eyes closed, her head resting against the wall, trying to calm herself. The two of them sat in anxious silence for six hours. The doctors successfully removed the blade, cleaned the wound, and stitched it up. Fortunately, the tendons were not damaged, but she needed to be admitted for observation.

As night fell, An Chuxin slowly woke up. The first thing Sutong saw was the faint mark of the slap on her face, and her heart filled with a bitter mix of emotions. An Chuxin tried to sit up, but Sutong gently told her to stay still and rest.

A moment later, a tear escaped the corner of An Chuxin’s eye. Sutong wiped it away; it felt burning hot.

“Sister An, does your hand hurt a lot? I am sorry. This is all because of me. It is my fault for not protecting you. I will take care of you. I am healthy enough to do some chores.” She sounded like a panicked puppy, full of heartache and self-reproach. This was the first time she called her “Sister An” because she did not want to call her “Teacher” anymore.

An Chuxin felt a sharp pain in her hand and a lingering dizziness. She felt she had no one else to rely on but Sutong. The thought made her even sadder, and she began to cry. Sutong pulled her into a hug and kissed away her tears. “Do not cry, I am here. Where does it hurt? Is it your hand or your head? The doctor said you must avoid intense emotions. Please, just be good and let your hand heal.”

“Okay,” came a weak response.

An Chuxin noticed the blood on Sutong’s sleeve and asked what happened. Sutong told her she had just coughed up a bit of blood because she was upset and urged her not to worry.

“Sutong, my mother, her surgery failed.”

Sutong stiffened. She did not know how to comfort this young woman who had just lost her last parent. Any words felt hollow. She held her close and stroked her hair. “I am so sorry for your loss.”

An Chuxin continued to weep. “What am I going to do?”

“Chuxin, you must live well for your mother’s sake. She would want you to be okay. She will protect you in a way you cannot see. She is just staying with you in a different form.”

Neither of them slept that night. Sutong held her for hours. In her heart, she made a silent vow: “I will stay. No matter what happens, I will stay with you.”

An Chuxin’s hand required professional care. Every day, Sutong tirelessly helped her elevate the limb and applied ice to reduce the swelling. She changed the dressings, checked for infection, guided her through recovery exercises, and gave her pain medication. Fortunately, no complications arose.

“Sister An, let me help you change your clothes,” Sutong said.

At first, An Chuxin was resistant. She felt insecure and disliked the idea of someone undressing her, but she truly needed a change. She finally nodded. Sutong was incredibly gentle. Whether it was the outer layers or the undergarments, her movements were cautious, fearing she might cause the woman more pain. She washed all the dirty clothes herself. The two of them became each other’s world in the hospital. Sutong was very sensible. She did not want her father to work all day and then care for her at night, so she did everything she could herself while also taking over the care of An Chuxin.

As time passed, the day for discharge finally arrived. They were not fully recovered, but they could continue check-ups as outpatients.

A few days after leaving the hospital, An Chuxin requested another meeting with Cheng Xia.

“I have done some research,” An Chuxin said, handing him a stack of printed documents. “Cheng Sutong’s congenital heart disease is a rare and complex malformation. Conventional treatment only manages the symptoms; it cannot cure it. However, a hospital in Beijing recently introduced a new interventional surgery technique with a 70% success rate.”

She pushed the papers toward him. Cheng Xia looked at the dense medical jargon he could not understand, but the figure “70%” caught his eye.

“What about the cost?” he asked.

“Everything included, it is about 300,000 yuan, not counting follow-up rehabilitation.”

300,000 yuan. Cheng Xia’s hand shook. His monthly salary was only about 5,000 or 6,000 yuan. Since his wife left, he had raised his daughter alone and had very little savings.

“I cannot afford that,” he admitted, his voice full of powerlessness.

“I know,” An Chuxin nodded. “I cannot afford it either. But my mother, now that she is gone, the insurance will pay out a bit. There is also her funeral allowance, which I do not need for now. Altogether, it is about 100,000 yuan.”

She paused before continuing. “I can borrow the remaining 200,000 yuan. I have my teacher’s provident fund, so I can take out a loan. If that is still not enough, I will take on more part-time jobs.”

“Teacher An,” Cheng Xia interrupted. “Why are you going this far?”

An Chuxin had asked herself that many times.

“Because,” she looked at him, “I love her. I just lost my mother. I know what it feels like to lose the person closest to you. I do not want you to go through that pain.”

Cheng Xia was stunned.

“Cheng Sutong is not just your daughter,” An Chuxin continued, tears welling up again. “She is also my last connection to this world. If she leaves too, I do not know what the point of my living would be.”

The weight of those words was something Cheng Xia could not argue with. He saw her bloodshot eyes, her exhaustion, and the way she was willing to gamble her entire life for a future that was not guaranteed. This woman was serious.

“If the surgery is successful, then what?” he asked. “What do you two plan to do?”

An Chuxin was silent for a long time. She spoke honestly. “If the surgery is a success and Sutong survives to have a normal future, then I will leave. I will apply for a transfer to another city or change my job. I will not interfere with her life. But if the surgery fails,” she looked up at him, “if we cannot even grasp that 70% chance, then at least let me stay with her until the very end, as her partner.”

Cheng Xia closed his eyes. His mind was a mess of conflicting thoughts: traditional morality, worry for his daughter, a budding trust in this woman, and the prophecy that his daughter might not live past twenty-three. Finally, he opened his eyes. “Let me see the information on that hospital.”

An Chuxin handed the papers over. Cheng Xia flipped through them slowly and carefully. Though he did not understand the terminology, he understood the photos of successful cases where the children who smiled so brightly after their recovery. His Tongtong deserved to smile like that.

“Teacher An,” he finally spoke, his voice weary. “I do not know if I should believe you, and I do not know if what is happening between you and Tongtong is right. But I know Tongtong needs this surgery, and I cannot do it alone.” He gave a bitter smile. “I am just an uneducated worker. I have no connections. I would not even know which specialist to see in Beijing.”

He put the papers down and took a deep breath. “So, I agree. I agree to let Tongtong have the surgery, and I agree to let you stay by her side.”

An Chuxin’s tears fell as she nodded vigorously.

“However,” Cheng Xia added, “I have one condition.”

“Please, name it.”

“Until Tongtong graduates from university and becomes truly independent, both financially and emotionally, your relationship cannot be made public.” Cheng Xia spoke clearly. “I know this is selfish and unfair. But I must consider my daughter’s future. She is still young. Her life is just beginning. She cannot have her possibilities destroyed because of a relationship that is not accepted.”

It was a harsh condition, and An Chuxin knew it. But she also knew it was the greatest concession a father could make while trying to balance saving his daughter’s life and protecting her future.

“I accept,” she said without hesitation.

“Teacher An,” his voice choked up. “I raised Tongtong alone. She is my only hope. If this surgery works, and if she really survives, then I will simply consider myself as having gained another daughter.”

An Chuxin’s eyes were red with emotion. Cheng Xia looked at her, feeling a complex sense of two lonely souls reaching a compromise to support each other in a desperate situation.

Everything was for Tongtong.

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