Lu Lingchen hung up a call and came out of the ward, heading to a resting pavilion outside the hospital.
When he arrived, someone was sitting there with their head lowered.
"Sister Nian," Lu Lingchen called out to the person as he approached.
Shen Nian was replying to an email on her phone with her head down. Upon hearing Lu Lingchen's voice, she looked up. "You're here."
"Yeah." Lu Lingchen responded, his gaze falling on her wrist.
Her left wrist was wrapped in a bandage.
"Sister Nian, what happened to your hand?" Lu Lingchen asked.
Shen Nian glanced at the bandage on her wrist, then quickly averted her gaze, her expression still calm and composed.
"Oh, I just scraped my wrist a little. The doctor applied some medicine and wrapped it in a bandage to prevent the medicine from rubbing off when I move my hand around. It can be removed once the medicine is absorbed."
After saying that, she naturally tucked her left hand away.
"..." If one pondered her explanation closely, the inconsistencies and loopholes would become apparent, but Lu Lingchen's mind was in too much chaos at the moment to analyze the truth behind Shen Nian's words.
Shen Nian didn't want to dwell on the topic either, so she naturally changed the subject. "I just received a call. Your brother has canceled all his work engagements for the next six months without any explanation, just instructing the company to make the arrangements. The company is unsure of what happened since the matter is so significant, and they don't dare act rashly. So they called me to confirm the situation."
Currently, the company is in a period of growth, and many admiring bosses have been keen to extend olive branches to work with Lu Lingchuan. Several existing partners were also planning to renew their contracts with Lu Lingchuan... His schedule had already been arranged for the next six months.
But then Lu Lingchuan suddenly called and demanded the cancellation of all engagements, without giving any reason before hanging up. The company was left utterly confused, unsure of what had transpired. However, they knew that canceling all engagements could potentially cost the company tens of millions, if not more...
Such a substantial amount prevented them from acting on their own accord. Knowing that Shen Nian was Lu Lingchuan's personal assistant, and the most trusted and capable among his many assistants and secretaries, they immediately called her to confirm the situation. Only after receiving her response would they dare proceed.
Shen Nian lowered her gaze and spoke softly, "Today is a bit special. Your brother probably doesn't want to hear my voice, so I called you instead."
Normally, Lu Lingchuan would give orders to Shen Nian, who would then relay them down the chain. But today, Lu Lingchuan bypassed her directly.
So Shen Nian assumed it was because Lu Lingchuan didn't want to speak with her.
After all, they were still in the midst of a cold war.
Upon hearing this, Lu Lingchen immediately understood what Shen Nian was referring to. "There's no need to cancel. Proceed as usual."
With their mother being cared for by their father, and him as backup if needed, his brother's presence wasn't required.
"Okay," Shen Nian nodded. "I'll call the company back later."
The company was currently waiting for her response. Without her reply, they wouldn't dare act rashly.
"By the way," Shen Nian asked, recalling something. "How is your mother's condition? Has she regained consciousness?"
Li Mingshi's sudden coughing up of blood and fainting was truly terrifying.
"..." Lu Lingchen fell silent.
"Did the doctor say what happened?" Shen Nian asked, despite not having experienced such a situation herself. But she knew that suddenly coughing up blood was not a good sign.
Although she had been waiting nearby earlier, the distance from the corner to the emergency room was substantial, so she only saw the emergency room lights turn off and the doctors emerge. As for what the doctors said, she couldn't hear from that distance.
"..." Lu Lingchen remained silent.
Shen Nian noticed something was amiss and furrowed her brows, scrutinizing Lu Lingchen's face.
Earlier, she had been in a hurry to conceal the injury on her wrist, so she hadn't paid much attention to Lu Lingchen. Now, upon closer observation, she realized his eyes looked a bit red compared to earlier, and his face appeared more haggard.
"...What's wrong?"
"Depression," Lu Lingchen suddenly spoke up.
"..." Shen Nian's heart sank, instinctively gripping her bag tightly. Outwardly, she maintained a puzzled expression. "...Huh?"
"My mother underwent a full medical examination. The doctor said... my mother might have depression." Lu Lingchen revealed Li Mingshi's condition, still unwilling to accept it as fact.
"Along with... stomach cancer, mid-stage."
"..." Shen Nian's face instantly turned pale. Her grip loosened, causing her bag to drop to the ground, the unzipped bag spilling out a pill bottle and the phone she had just put inside.
Her body trembled, and she clumsily squatted down to pick up the bag, grabbing the pill bottle from the ground. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably.
"...Are you sure?" Her voice quivered.
"Yeah," Lu Lingchen closed his eyes and nodded heavily.
"After Ling Rui passed away, my mother's condition deteriorated. She often had irregular eating habits. A few years ago, my father wanted to take her to see a doctor."
For both physical and psychological evaluations.
"But my mother refused, becoming agitated whenever it was brought up. My father was afraid of provoking her, so he didn't force the issue."
And the result was...
"..." Shen Nian stumbled as she stood up, nearly falling over. She reached into her bag, rummaging around before retrieving a card and handing it to Lu Lingchen.
Shen Nian: "Take this."
Lu Lingchen glanced at the card she offered him. "What's this?"
"This is my savings from all these years," Shen Nian insisted on giving him the card. "Use it for the best treatment and medication available. If it's not enough, let me know, and I'll raise more funds."
It was only then that Lu Lingchen understood Shen Nian's intention, and he immediately pushed the card back to her. "It's not necessary."
"Take it."
"No need."
"Lu Lingchen, this is not the time to be stubborn. Take it. The password is... your brother's and my birthday."
She had obtained this card five or six years ago when she and Lu Lingchuan were in the throes of their relationship, so she set the password to their birthdays.
Later on... she never got around to changing it.
"Really, there's no need, Sister Nian," Lu Lingchen declined once more. "Sister Nian, our family can afford the treatment."
The Lu family was affluent. Lu Yanhua had his own company and shares in several other companies, with substantial income. Li Mingshi was a freelancer and hadn't worked since marrying Lu Yanhua, spending her time painting as a hobby. Her artworks had been featured in many exhibitions, making her a somewhat renowned painter.
Not to mention Lu Lingchuan's skyrocketing wealth.
So even if the treatment cost millions, the Lu family could afford it.
As for Lu Lingchen's remark about work pressure at the dinner table, he merely intended to divert his father's and brother's attention. With work obligations, they wouldn't have as much time to dwell on their mother's illness.
