Leave Without a Trace

Zhou Ling'er's eyes immediately reddened. "Mom, what are you saying? The doctor already said that a matching heart will be available in the next couple of days, and the surgery has a high chance of letting you live a normal life. You can't give up now!"

Zhou's mother looked at her daughter lovingly and shook her head. "Ling'er, I know you're a good daughter, but... I also know that there's still a big gap in the surgery costs, and our family... we just can't afford it."

Zhou Ling'er quickly shook her head. "Mom, don't worry about the surgery costs; I've found a way to cover them. We'll have the money in the next couple of days!"

Hearing this, Zhou's mother looked at her daughter in disbelief. "Ling'er, don't lie to me. Because of my illness, we've already borrowed from every relative we could. There's no way we could have raised that money..."

At that moment, a doctor in a white coat walked over to Zhou Ling'er and her mother, frowning slightly. "The patient should be resting in bed, not getting up on her own."

"I'm sorry..." Zhou Ling'er apologized, bowing her head. "The woman in the bed next to my mom... she just passed away despite the doctors' efforts..."

The doctor cast a deep look toward the hospital room, then sighed. "Don't worry, I'll do everything I can during the surgery. Based on the current condition, the success rate is at least 70%. How's the fundraising going?"

"Doctor... we don't want the surgery anymore," Zhou's mother said, her request causing the clipboard in the doctor's hand to drop to the floor. After a moment of silence, he bent down to pick it up, his voice full of reluctance as he spoke:

"The success rate... is really high. If you miss this opportunity, you might only have three months left. But if the surgery is successful, and you recover well, you could live long enough to see your grandchildren."

Zhou's mother shook her head with an awkward expression, her eyes filled with regret. "I'm sorry, you're a good doctor, but I really don't want to continue treatment."

The doctor appeared young, with heavy dark circles under his eyes. When he looked up, Tang Ao could clearly see that his eyes were red.

After a long five minutes of silence, the doctor didn't directly mention Zhou Ling'er and her mother's financial difficulties. Instead, he took a deep breath and pulled out his phone.

Tang Ao, being tall, could see that the doctor opened his bank app to check his balance.

Tang Ao noticed the account balance was a mere four digits, including a decimal point—only a few hundred yuan.

Next, the doctor opened a fund management app, where a nearly 200,000 yuan fund was displayed, though it had a 30,000 yuan loss.

The doctor's finger hovered over the "Sell" button, hesitating to press it.

A simple action like letting go took the doctor over a minute. Finally, after releasing his finger, Tang Ao saw that his hand was trembling. "I can lend you 200,000 yuan privately, and the hospital can organize a donation drive for you. We might be able to raise a few more thousand yuan..."

Seeing Zhou's mother's hesitation, the doctor's voice grew hoarse. "We can always find a way to get the money, but once a person is gone, they're really gone. I hope... you'll seriously consider this. With the surgery's success rate... it would be such a shame to miss this chance."

After saying this, the doctor walked away without looking back, leaving a few strands of hair on the floor. Zhou Ling'er and her mother exchanged glances, but neither spoke.

Tang Ao didn't linger. After noting Zhou's mother's bed number, he headed straight to the payment counter.

Five hundred thousand yuan, not a penny less—Tang Ao paid the full amount.

Just as he was about to leave, he noticed the doctor from earlier at another payment window. "Doctor Chen, what brings you here?"

"The situation with the patient in bed thirty... you know about it. Can you apply to the hospital for delayed payment after the surgery? I know it's a lot of money, but... it's a matter of life and death. I can advance 200,000 yuan myself."

"Doctor Chen, you're too kind. Are you interested in that girl who's taking care of the patient in bed thirty?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I have a girlfriend; we've been together for ten years. We're just saving up for a down payment so we can get married. Don't tease me; this is serious. Please make sure to ask for me. If it comes to paying, I can transfer the money as soon as it arrives tomorrow!"

As Doctor Chen spoke, the nurse at the payment window suddenly exclaimed, "Doctor Chen, wait a moment. Someone already paid. The surgery costs for the patient in bed thirty are fully covered."

"Huh?" Doctor Chen looked incredulous, then became a bit anxious. "Please check carefully. Could there be a system error? The mother and daughter were just telling me they were going to leave because they couldn't afford the surgery!"

The nurse's fingers flew across the keyboard, and soon she confirmed, "Doctor Chen, the system is fine. I've checked it three times. Just five minutes ago, a Mr. Tang paid 500,000 yuan for the surgery."

Hearing this, Doctor Chen let out a sigh of relief, his tightly furrowed brows finally relaxing as a weight lifted from his heart.

Then, he smiled bitterly and muttered under his breath, "I was too hasty! I should have waited to sell my fund. Hopefully, it doesn't go up today so I can buy back in. Zhou Pharmaceuticals' new drug is about to hit the market; the main holding in that fund is Zhou Pharmaceuticals. It's bound to make a lot of money."

Hearing this, Tang Ao was startled.

Good grief, Zhou Pharmaceuticals?

Isn't that the company Ye Chen is about to take down?

Anyone who buys that stock these days is doomed!

Tang Ao thought for a moment, then walked up behind Doctor Chen, pretending to be on the phone. In a voice just loud enough for Doctor Chen to hear, he said, "This is Tang Ao. Listen, sell all the Zhou Pharmaceuticals stock immediately. Zhou Ling'er from Zhou Pharmaceuticals just told me their new drug has issues, and the stock is going to crash soon. Don't touch their stocks or funds right now!"

Doctor Chen froze, mumbling, "Tang Ao? That name sounds familiar..."

As he muttered, Doctor Chen opened his phone's browser and typed in the name.

The top headline was a photo of Tang Ao and Zhou Qiao'er holding hands at "One Box of Duck," with Lin Ruoxue angrily standing in the background next to Ye Chen.

After pocketing his phone, Doctor Chen hurried away, leaving Tang Ao with a satisfied smile.

Good people deserve good fortune.

If Doctor Chen was smart, he could make a decent profit from this information.

Just as Tang Ao was about to leave quietly, keeping his good deeds hidden, he noticed a familiar, alluring figure.

Sister Hong?

What is she doing at the hospital?