It was three days later that Su Rao regained consciousness. In the white, quiet hospital room, her fingertips trembled slightly.
Su Qing leaned over, frantically pressing the page button.
A moment later, a chaotic examination began.
Su Qing stood to the side, watching silently, without saying a word, until the examination was over and the doctor called her out.
"She can be transferred to a regular ward. The operation was a success. We'll just have to see how she recovers."
"Doctor Cao, does that mean my mother is fine?"
Su Qing bit her lip, suppressing the emotions churning within her.
For the past few days, the girl hadn't said a word, remaining obediently in the ward. She ate, slept, and occasionally read, but she never asked when Su Rao would wake up. Cao Wei Guang saw the strength in her eyes.
The frail little person seemed to have endured everything like an adult.
Now, the girl's bright eyes pierced Cao Wei Guang, trying to find some answer in his expression. Although the resection was a success, such matters were difficult to predict. Cao Wei Guang, having witnessed so much of life, aging, illness, and death, was at a loss for how to explain it tactfully.
Words like "medical miracle" offer no comfort.
"The resection was a success. If there's no further metastasis and the recovery is good, then there won't be any major problems."
"Okay, thank you."
Su Qing bowed. She remembered this doctor. It was he who asked her to sign, allowing her mother's surgery to proceed smoothly.
Su Rao, who had been transferred to a general ward, lay on bed with a pale face. She hadn't dared to speak to Su Qing.
Her child was so sensitive, Su Rao didn't know how to begin. She just wanted to be discharged. But when she secretly asked the nurse about it, before she could reply, the girl standing by her bed looked at her coldly, thanked the nurse, and said they wouldn't be discharged.
Su Rao felt a pang of bitterness in her heart, unsure how to face her child.
"Mom, get some rest. Are you hungry? The doctor told me you can have some liquid food. I'll go get some from the cafeteria downstairs." As usual, Su Qing stepped forward and tugged at Su Rao's blanket, her eyes betraying no unnecessary emotion.
It was as if nothing had happened.
"Nannan..."
Su Rao's grief-stricken eyes held a hint of sorrow.
With the IV already removed, Su Rao clutched Su Qing's hand, like a child who had done something wrong. "Nannan, it's Mom's fault..."
"Mom, what nonsense are you talking about? Your surgery was a success. You'll be discharged in a few days. I'll go get you some food now. You should rest."
Su Qing stopped Su Rao from saying anything. Her eyes, gleaming with light, shone upon Su Rao's face.
She was resolute.
Su Rao had a lot to say, but she swallowed it all in her heart, remaining silent. She simply nodded, agreeing.
"Okay."
As usual, Su Qing grabbed her lunch box and headed to the hospital cafeteria. However, today was different: she ran into someone familiar.
The person in front of her in line was none other than Mei Yeqin.
The female doctor who had administered her medication was holding her lunch box with a tight grip. Su Qing was stunned, debating whether to greet her.
Mei Yeqin turned and saw the conflict in her eyes. She didn't pause to actually chat with Su Qing. Instead, she gave her a smile, picked up her plate, and left.
Su Qing, feeling relieved, returned to the ward with her prepared meal, still lost in her thoughts. She shook her head, trying not to let her thoughts wander.
Su Rao had just woken up, feeling reasonably energetic, but she had just finished her meal and fallen back asleep. Su Qing took her lunch box to the bathroom. Their room was a shared dormitory, lacking a private bathroom. Washing and getting water required going to the public restroom at the end of the hallway. Su Qing had originally wanted to buy a single, simple folding bed, but since two of the three-person rooms had been unoccupied, she had settled on one for the time being.
After exiting the ward, Su Qing ran into Mei Yeqin, dressed in a white lab coat. Standing not far from the ward, she watched her emerge and then approached from a distance.
"Su Qing, right?"
Su Qing hesitated and slowly nodded.
"Hello, Dr. Mei."
She saw Mei Yeqin's nameplate read "Chief of Surgery." Her mind was a little confused. Jiang Sui had actually called a surgeon to apply medicine to her. She couldn't immediately deduce their relationship, and she wasn't sure if Mei Yeqin would tell Jiang Sui about she stay in hospital.
These rising emotions made her mind a little confused. She didn't know how to face this person who had known about her experience, the thing she didn't want anyone to know.
"Don't be nervous."
Perhaps sensing Su Qing's nervousness and evasiveness, Mei Yeqin's voice slowed down, her eyes softening, like the time she applied the medicine. There was no real need for a strategy.
But Su Qing remained vigilant, and Mei Yeqin wasn't particularly concerned.
"Can we sit over there and talk?"
Mei Yeqin pointed to a chair in the corridor to one side. It was noon, and the hospital's inpatient department was exceptionally quiet, with few people walking around.
Su Qing nodded, and the two of them sat down on the chairs.
"Su Qing, I'm Jiang Sui's aunt."
Su Qing seemed caught off guard by Mei Yeqin's directness. She froze, unsure how to respond. Confused, she bit her lip.
She hadn't anticipated the close relationship between Jiang Sui and Mei Yeqin. Thinking back to their past...
Su Qing felt a moment of embarrassment and awkwardness.
"I don't mean to say this. As his aunt, I saw that the person he loves is in trouble, so I came to you. Of course, I didn't tell him about your situation without your consent."
The slow voice, tinged with tenderness, finally brought some relief to Su Qing's anxious heart.
So that was it. This was what Su Qing worried about most. For some reason, even though the two of them were no longer related, Su Qing still didn't want the young man to know about her current situation.
"Thank you, Dr. Mei. Jiang Sui and I are no longer related. I'm sorry."
Su Qing bit her lip, clutching her palm, and spoke without hesitation.
Thinking of Jiang Sui, Su Qing's voice deepened, her eyes falling to the ground, her head hanging low, unwilling to lift.