"Of course, I don’t blame you. I just feel so sorry that he has to suffer so much. But it is only through enduring the greatest hardships that one can truly stand above the rest."
Being by Rong Shaoze’s side, she had experienced too many things.
She had also come to deeply understand a truth: only by becoming very strong, strong enough to protect oneself and the people around her, could one avoid being oppressed and hurt by others.
If she wanted Xiaocong to live a safe and peaceful life, she could only harden her heart and let him suffer to become stronger.
Just like Xu Yao, he was also very grateful to his father for sending him to train.
If not for his father’s ruthlessness, he probably wouldn’t have achieved what he had today, nor would he have stood out from the crowd.
This world is just like that, survival of the fittest, and there’s nothing that can be done about it.
"Xinlan..." Rong Shaoze looked at her with emotion, and said with a smile, "Thank you for your understanding. I’m really very grateful..."
Lin Xinlan was embarrassed by his words, "What’s there to thank me for? You’re doing it for the good of all of us. I would not be ungrateful nor fail to understand your intentions."
Hearing her words, the man’s eyes shined even brighter.
He cradled her face, gazing deeply into her eyes, and couldn’t help but kiss her lips—
Lin Xinlan turned over, lying flat on the bed, and Rong Shaoze followed suit, pressing down on her.
Their fingers interlocked, chests pressed close, they could feel each other’s strong, pulsing heartbeats.
Lin Xinlan slowly closed her eyes, praying in her heart, truly wishing that time could stop at this moment, and never move forward again...
The next day, Tao Hua gave Lin Xinlan a call.
The test results were out. The virus in her body indeed had the function of causing human cells to age rapidly, making a person grow old at an accelerated rate.
Upon hearing this, Lin Xinlan felt like a bolt from the blue.
The last bit of hope in her heart vanished.
She was really going to age and die rapidly. It wasn’t false—it was one hundred percent true.
At that moment, her feelings were no different from those of a patient who had just been diagnosed with late-stage cancer.
Sadness, desperation, and mostly, pain so severe she wished she could die.
Tao Hua told her not to despair just yet, that he would find a way to cure her, and not to give up hope until the very last moment.
Lin Xinlan asked him earnestly, "Tao Hua, be honest with me. What are your chances of curing me?"
The man on the other end of the phone pondered and said, "I’m still not sure. I need a little time."
"Five days." That was his limit. In truth, he couldn’t even identify what the virus was, let alone immediately concoct an antidote.
Having studied medicine for over twenty years, this was the first time he had ever encountered such a challenging virus.
In five days, she wondered if the wrinkles on her face would multiply.
Now, she couldn’t even wait one day, let alone five.
But what else could she do except wait?
"Alright, thank you." She still thanked him with a smile.
In her heart, she had come to terms with it to some extent. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are natural phenomena. She was just encountering them a few decades earlier; it wasn’t anything worth making a fuss about.
"Should you tell Rong Shaoze?" Tao Hua asked her.
Lin Xinlan shook her head, "I don’t want to tell him for now. Telling him wouldn’t make a difference. Let him be happy for a few more days."
She could bear the pain alone.
Although truly loving couples should share weal and woe.