At this moment, Ling Yu had also just returned from the hospital with her boyfriend.
She was six weeks pregnant. Her boyfriend held her hand, a smile on his face, even softly humming a little tune.
Ling Yu rubbed her still-flat belly. She remembered how in her last life, when Gu Sheng had found out she was pregnant, he had been almost completely indifferent. It was hard not to feel a mix of emotions: she’d ended up with a loving man, and the company was steadily getting on the right track… All in all, her rebirth hadn’t been for nothing.
People needed to learn contentment.
Ling Yu had mentally prepared herself. When she got home, she noticed a string of messages from her “plastic” best friend Gu Xin, every single one about Yu Guan.
She’d seen the news about Yu Guan being hospitalized while scrolling social media that morning, but in her previous life, Yu Guan’s brain tumor wasn’t discovered until a year later. After surgery, he’d passed away not long after—that was the real reason she’d kept Yu Guan as a backup and never seriously tried to make it work with him.
Otherwise, with Yu Guan’s genuine top-tier celebrity status, if she was only looking at influence, she might have been willing to invest in their relationship, nurturing it until she needed to cash out.
In this life, Yu Guan had taken his breakup pretty hard, and in a fit of agitation, banged his head and had to be rushed to the hospital. In a way, it was a blessing in disguise—they discovered his brain tumor early.
Ling Yu considered for a moment and decided she ought to visit Yu Guan, to check on the condition of his tumor. If it turned out to be benign because they’d caught it early, she figured it might be worth trying to win him back…
So she was honest with her boyfriend about her plan.
Her boyfriend looked helpless, hesitated, then finally suggested, “Honey, wouldn’t it be better for us to just get married, live our lives, and run the business?”
Ling Yu felt aggrieved too, her voice sounding low and unhappy. “Hubby, I just can’t let it go… Besides, whether it’s Gu Sheng, Mr. Zhang, or Yu Guan, they all have their uses... Who knows, maybe we’ll be able to work together in the future.”
Her boyfriend wanted to say that even with those three combined, they weren’t powerful enough to call all the shots. Their joint new-energy company held several key patents and didn’t have to worry about seeking anyone’s approval—just paying attention to official attitudes and the powers-that-be was enough.
But seeing the tears well up in his wife’s eyes, his heart immediately softened.
He remembered the doctor warning that pregnant women could have big mood swings, and over the past month or so she’d only become more stubborn and prone to overthinking… What could he do? He could only go with her to visit Yu Guan.
By the time they reached the hospital, Yu Guan had just completed a series of specialized tests—by now he had a strong feeling he was getting closer to being diagnosed with ALS.
In his less-than-pleasant mood, he looked at Ling Yu with not just none of his former affection, but a little more irritation as well.
Still, she was someone he’d once loved, and although Ling Yu was heartless, he didn’t want to be unkind. “Fine, I’m here. But you’re not about to tell me you regret breaking up and want to get back together, right?” He glanced at Ling Yu’s boyfriend as evenly as he could. “Where does that leave your boyfriend?”
Ling Yu’s eyes were full of hesitation. “We did break up, but can’t we be friends after a breakup? Is it wrong for me to care about you as a friend?”
It was the pinnacle of passive-aggressive.
Yu Guan immediately felt uncomfortable, his insides roiling and his head buzzing. “So, did you come here just to rush me to my grave?”
Ling Yu froze.
It was the first time Yu Guan had ever spoken to her so harshly.
Ling Yu’s boyfriend took her hand. “We’ll take our leave. Take care of yourself.” With that, he led Ling Yu away.
As soon as they left Yu Guan’s hospital room, Ling Yu’s expression changed. “Looks like his situation really isn’t good.”
Her boyfriend breathed a sigh of relief and said, “I’ll send his assistant some money and find out what’s going on.”
With the power of cash, Yu Guan’s assistant found the two of them in person, described everything she knew in detail, and even threw in several screenshots of chat records and a few audio recordings of arguments between Yu Guan and President Zhao.
After the assistant left, Ling Yu and her boyfriend listened to the audio and read the chats in the car. She could see there was still plenty here to work with.
She needed to go home and organize her thoughts.
Meanwhile, not long after Ling Yu and her boyfriend left, Yu Guan, worked up by his agitation, fainted. Signs suggested his brain tumor might have ruptured. When the doctor got in touch with Yu Guan’s sister and received her permission, they decisively moved forward with surgery.
The operation was very successful. The tumor was removed, and from now on it was up to Yu Guan’s own body to recover. The next morning, at nine o’clock, Yu Guan opened his eyes in the ICU.
News that he was awake brought a wave of wild joy to his parents and sister.
The three of them stood outside the ICU, gazing through the glass in tears, cheering Yu Guan on.
After a series of tests, doctors determined that Yu Guan was conscious and that his five senses and language abilities were basically normal. But… his entire right hand could not move, and the right side of his body felt numb and powerless.
That night, after a stack of urgent test reports came in, the doctor regretfully told him he’d been diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Yu Guan’s emotions were steady—he had expected this. Just looking at his previous medical history, he could have told them he would be diagnosed with ALS before the doctor did. Gu Xin and her boyfriend Mi Jingzhou had their ways, so he also decided to keep his promise and become their guinea pig.
He was a bit surprised at how calm he felt about his own situation, as if another version of himself was just convinced he’d be fine.
Of course, there was still a dose of anxiety.
Once his condition stabilized and the doctors agreed he could be discharged from the ICU, he had his sister contact Gu Xin: While I’m still a fresh experimental subject, hurry up and take me away.
Ling Jing burst out laughing when she got the news.
Qin Jingzhou was fiddling with custom components in his hand and, seeing his girlfriend laughing like that, glanced at her phone. “He really is worthy of being the true heartthrob for a real Gu Xin.”
It was obvious Yu Guan didn’t like staying in hospital, and Qin Jingzhou was happy to help. So he contacted Chief Wang, who was responsible for liaising with him, and asked him to send someone to fetch Yu Guan.
Chief Wang didn’t even ask why, just said, “I’ll handle it right away.”
An hour later, Yu Guan was being wheeled into Qin Jingzhou’s current residence.
After being buried in a sea of practice questions for three days straight, Mi Xiaoxiao, who was hard at work at the moment, saw the newly bald Yu Guan and earnestly praised him, “You look beautiful bald, too.”
Fresh out of brain surgery, Yu Guan was well aware of his state, but he still answered seriously, “Thank you, you’re beautiful too.”
Mi Xiaoxiao replied confidently, “Of course. I am my daddy’s daughter, after all.”
Gu Zhiwei rested his chin on his hand, his eyes and heart completely on Mi Xiaoxiao.
Qin Jingzhou set his work aside, washed his hands, and got the medical file from the doctor who had come with them. He split the case file with Ling Jing, and the two of them sat beside Yu Guan’s stretcher to go over it.
Partway through, they traded files. After three minutes, Qin Jingzhou contacted Chief Wang again. “Send over the ones who want to learn from me. My prep class is ready to start.”
Chief Wang sounded full of good cheer. “No more than half an hour!”
The officials had patiently waited for Qin Jingzhou to give the word, and now that the timing was right, Chief Wang sent over ten hand-picked elite specialists.
Chief Wang had arranged for them a spacious unit in the expert building—nearly thirty people could fit there, with Yu Guan lying motionless on a stretcher in the living room, and it still didn’t feel crowded.
Qin Jingzhou seemed quite interested. After the ten elite specialists introduced themselves, he officially began teaching.
The specialists, following his instructions, looked through Yu Guan’s medical file and then, with Yu Guan’s cooperation, examined and familiarized themselves with the state of his right side.
Ling Jing, without needing a word from Qin Jingzhou, went into the study, came out carrying a small box about a meter square.
Qin Jingzhou thanked her, opened the box, and pulled out four fingertip-sized chips—these were the same chips that, for their handmade prosthetics, were mounted on the back and palm of the hand. He soaked them in medical alcohol, fished them out with forceps, attached one to the back of Yu Guan’s hand, two to his elbow, and the last one to the back of his head.
Then, with practiced hands, he used specially made metal wires to connect all the chips and finally hooked up a battery.
Yu Guan didn’t need Qin Jingzhou to instruct him. He tried lifting his completely immobile right arm. He didn’t manage the ninety degrees he’d expected, but he did get it up to forty-five degrees.
Before he could react, the accompanying doctor was already dumbfounded.
A moment later, the doctor rushed to Yu Guan’s side and, voice trembling, asked Yu Guan to try making various movements.
Yu Guan couldn’t complete most actions, but he could raise his hand and bend his elbow with no trouble.
The doctor was dazed for half a minute, then suddenly turned to Qin Jingzhou, “Master, do you take students? I’ve done my undergraduate, master’s, and doctorate in clinical medicine at Capital University—I’ll climb mountains or walk through fire, take no salary and bring my own food, I’ll take any hardship… Should I kowtow to you?”
The last line was obviously a joke, but all ten specialists cursed in their hearts: where did this bootlicker come from!
Ling Jing leaned against Qin Jingzhou’s shoulder, laughing loudly. “This reminds me of that meme, where the patient is fine but the doctor loses his mind!”
Qin Jingzhou believed the saying “opportunity favors the prepared,” so he didn’t reject this enthusiastic doctor. “Go find Chief Wang. If you pass the background check, you can join. I really am short-staffed here. I can’t promise you the best treatment, but it should be passable.”
Ling Jing hugged Qin Jingzhou’s arm and added, “The key is, you’ll learn a lot here.”
The doctor grinned from ear to ear. “Not to brag, but my background check will be no problem at all! Can I get your phone number? I’ll resign right away!”
Qin Jingzhou glanced at his daughter, Mi Xiaoxiao. “Little manager, we’ve got work.”
Mi Xiaoxiao hurried over, phone in hand. “Here I am, here I am.” After adding the doctor’s contact, she mumbled, “Oh, your last name is Nian, that’s pretty rare!”
Ling Jing blinked at Qin Jingzhou. They exchanged a look: the fourth supporting male in the story supposedly had the surname Nian. He must be related to Doctor Nian—maybe they were cousins.
At that moment, Yu Guan, lying on the stretcher, spoke up, “There are four chips, if I counted right, and they let me make a few movements. So if I stick on a few more, does that mean my right arm will go back to how it was before the surgery? Following this logic, even with ALS, sticking on chips will let me take care of myself, be lively and energetic like a normal person, right?”
Ling Jing answered, “What do you think?”
Yu Guan pushed up with both hands and smoothly sat up, moving with a crispness that didn’t fit someone only a few days out of brain surgery. “So this is the end of my life as a lab rat?”
Ling Jing purposely replied, “That’s right. You can go home now.”
Yu Guan was silent for a moment, then let out a long sigh. “So this is what it means to have loved and lost...”