The Medical Report

After that unhappy conversation, the two of them were at a stalemate again.

Lin Zhou didn't go upstairs to find him anymore, but her heart was firmly tethered to the matter. She knew he was sick, but she didn't know what kind of illness it was, so severe that it made him resort to such a monumental lie.

She was struggling internally. Logic told her she should do as Chen Xi said, leave completely and start a new life. But emotionally, she couldn't do it. She couldn't just stand by and watch the Shen Che who had tormented himself into this state.

The turning point came on an ordinary morning.

Lin Zhou was going downstairs to take out the trash. As she reached the landing, she saw a dark figure tumble down from above, landing heavily in front of her.

She screamed in terror, then looked closely. The person who had fallen was Shen Che.

His face was as pale as paper, his lips purple. He was curled up on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Shen Che! Shen Che, what's wrong?" Lin Zhou was terrified, rushing over to lift his head. His forehead was burning, his breathing shallow, and he had already slipped into a semi-conscious state.

With trembling hands, Lin Zhou took out her phone, ready to call for an ambulance. Just then, she saw a folded piece of paper slip out of Shen Che's jacket pocket and fall to the ground.

It was a follow-up appointment slip from the hospital.

Lin Zhou's gaze, as if guided by some unseen force, fell upon that paper. In the "Diagnosis" section, a few shocking black characters were like a branding iron, searing her eyes.

Name: Shen Che Diagnosis: Chronic Renal Failure (Uremia Stage)

Uremia...

Those words exploded in Lin Zhou's mind like a clap of thunder. In an instant, she understood. She understood everything.

She understood why he had to lie, why he had to hide himself away, why he had become so haggard, what those three regular "outings" a week were for...

It turned out he didn't not love her. He was loving her in the most tragic way possible.

Tears, like broken strings of pearls, rolled down her cheeks, hitting the cold ground. She held the unconscious man in her arms tightly, feeling as if her own heart was about to break.

Crying, she pressed the emergency number with a trembling finger.