"You tell me what’s going on," he said.
"No, you must promise me not to tell him. Even if it needs to be said, let me do it myself; you can’t reveal a single word to him."
Her tone was so serious that Tao Hua simply couldn’t make any promises.
If something happened, he would not be able to explain it to Rong Shaoze.
"I can’t promise you that. You may do as you please, I won’t be your host anymore." After saying that, he got up to leave.
Lin Xinlan hurriedly ran in front of him, blocking his way.
She bit her lip, pain in her voice, "I’m asking you to keep it from him because I don’t want him to be heartbroken. If there’s a chance for me, I will definitely tell him. I’m just afraid there’s nothing that can be saved... afraid he can’t take it..."
Tao Hua frowned slightly and asked seriously, "Do you have an incurable disease?"
"What kind of cancer?"
Lin Xinlan shook her head, "It’s not cancer, but it’s pretty much the same. Can you promise me not to tell Rong Shaoze?"
"How can you not let him know about something so serious?" Tao Hua said dissatisfiedly, "Besides, how long can you keep it from him?"
Lin Xinlan immediately started crying, heartbroken, "I know I shouldn’t keep it from him, but if I die, do you think he could live on his own? I don’t want him to die with me, I just want him to live well. Tao Hua, I beg you, please help me, there’s no one else who can help me now..."
Indeed, if Lin Xinlan died, perhaps Rong Shaoze would die too.
But to keep it from Rong Shaoze, he really couldn’t do it.
Seeing his thoughts, Lin Xinlan promised, "If there’s a cure, I will definitely tell him, okay?"
Tao Hua nodded helplessly, "Alright, I promise you, I won’t tell him."
"Thank you, I really appreciate it!"
"Let’s go. Now, I’ll take you to get checked out to see what’s wrong with you."
"Wait a moment, before the check-up, I want to tell you something first."
So Lin Xinlan told him about Qiao Yiyang injecting her with drugs and shared her suspicions.
Upon hearing this, Tao Hua’s face changed dramatically, "You mean to say, you’ll age rapidly and then die?"
Lin Xinlan nodded, "It’s just a guess, but it’s probably close. I’ve been feeling out of sorts lately and my appetite has been huge and suddenly I’ve developed wrinkles on my face. Thinking of Qiao Yiyang’s words, I believe there’s a fifty percent chance my guess is correct. I know you must think I’m talking nonsense, but really, why else would I feel like I’ve aged in just a few days?"
Tao Hua frowned deeply and said grimly, "What you’re saying may very well be true."
Lin Xinlan looked at him in amazement; he sighed and said, "I heard that about seven or eight years ago, a man in his fifties aged a lot overnight and a few days later, he had white hair and was emaciated. He died within a month. At the time, it was said that he died from exhaustion because he was already quite old. No one suspected there was anything wrong with his body; they all believed he must have suffered a huge shock that turned his hair white and caused him to lose weight rapidly and die. Now, it seems that rumor was true and perhaps, like him, you have been injected with the same drugs."
Lin Xinlan stepped back two steps in shock, her face devoid of any color.