Chapter 582: Bad News, Good News

Chapter 582: Chapter 582: Bad News, Good News

The next day.

Li Xu checked the system’s new intelligence.

[Today’s Intelligence: Patient Zhang Yuanzhi, early-stage lung cancer. Pulmonary surgery is viable. Post-op treatment with Barbed Skullcap...]

Zhang Yuanzhi was the patient from yesterday morning.

He’d had a lung puncture biopsy, and the results would take 12 to 24 hours.

That’s why the results weren’t available yesterday.

They should be ready today.

Just as he expected, it was lung cancer.

Fortunately, it was in the early stages, so there was still hope.

At Dean Song’s request, he was holding consultations at the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine for one more day, so he had to go in today as well.

...

「Outside the specialist clinic at the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.」

A young man and woman sat on a bench in the waiting area.

The young man wore a simple black T-shirt, and the young woman wore a pure white one. They huddled close together, shoulder to shoulder, like a pair of open black-and-white wings, supporting and warming each other in the hospital air thick with the smell of disinfectant.

They looked very much in love, their heads bowed as they whispered to each other.

Occasionally, a gentle smile would bloom on the young woman’s face, followed by a look that was both blissful and mock-reproachful as she gave the young man a light, playful glare.

However, beneath this sweet facade, they couldn’t hide the lingering tension in their eyes.

"Zhang Yuanzhi, why are your palms so sweaty?"

The young woman gently squeezed the young man’s hand and asked in a low voice.

"It’s... probably just too hot in here."

The young man forced a smile.

Soon, his name appeared on the queue screen.

The two stood up, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open to enter the consultation room.

Li Xu was looking at a medical file. Seeing them, he nodded slightly. "You’re here. Have a seat."

The young woman seemed even more anxious than the young man. She pulled a thick stack of test reports from her bag and handed them to Li Xu. "Dr. Li, we had a rush needle biopsy done yesterday afternoon, and the results are back now. Please, take a look for us."

Li Xu took the report, his gaze falling on the key diagnostic conclusion.

[Pathological Diagnosis: (Upper Lobe of Right Lung) Invasive Adenocarcinoma...]

Although he had already suspected it, his heart sank upon seeing those words.

’It really is cancer,’ he thought.

He then began to carefully analyze the various imaging files—the CT and MRI scans, as well as the complex biochemical markers.

He studied them intently, not missing a single detail.

After reviewing the files, he gestured for the young man to extend his hand and began to take his pulse.

Throughout this time, the young man’s expression was somber, even ashen.

He let the young woman tightly grip his other hand, keeping his head down and staring at the floor without a word.

It was clear that while the young woman was afraid, she was filled with a passionate determination to face this together. In contrast, the young man’s eyes held something more complex and conflicted—a despair that made him want to run away.

He was thinking about so many things.

To him, their two red marriage certificates were not just a testament to their love, but a crushing mountain.

A lifetime of responsibility.

If he really had a terminal illness and didn’t have long to live, then that marriage certificate would become an inescapable shackle for the woman he loved so dearly, a burden for the rest of her life.

He didn’t want that.

Li Xu withdrew his hand and gathered his thoughts. Just as he was about to explain the diagnosis, the previously silent young man suddenly looked up at the young woman. "Lili, can you wait for me outside for a moment?"

"I’d like to speak with Dr. Li alone."

The young woman froze for a second. Seeing the resolve in his eyes, her own eyes immediately reddened, and her voice shot up.

"What could you possibly have to say that I can’t hear?"

"Zhang Yuanzhi, I’m your wife! We just got our marriage license yesterday!"

"Even if you were dying, I’m the only one who can sign the papers, you know that? Your life isn’t just yours anymore, it’s mine too."

"I’m not leaving. I’m staying right here to listen."

But the young man was uncharacteristically adamant.

He stared at her, his gaze a mixture of pleading and unquestionable stubbornness.

"Lili, please. Just for a few minutes."

Seeing his pained expression, the young woman’s heart softened.

She bit her lip and, after a moment’s hesitation, stood up.

But before leaving, she fixed him with a resolute stare, leaned close to his ear, and said fiercely in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Zhang Yuanzhi, I’m telling you, don’t you even think about leaving me behind."

"Whatever happens, I’ll be with you. If you dare get any stupid ideas, I’ll die right in front of you."

With that, the young woman wiped away a tear, turned, and quickly left the room, closing the door behind her.

After she left, Zhang Yuanzhi seemed to let out a sigh of relief, his body slumping into the chair like a deflated ball.

He exhaled a long breath, as if trying to expel all the fear that had built up inside him over the past few days.

"Doctor, thank you."

"I’m ready. You can tell me."

The young man’s voice was hoarse, as if he had summoned all his strength just to utter those words.

In truth, not just for him but for anyone in the world, the word "cancer" was a terrifying nightmare, a death sentence from the grim reaper.

The saying "to pale at the mention of cancer" was no mere figure of speech; it was a bloody lesson paid for by countless broken families.

Li Xu looked at this young, fragile life and said seriously, "It’s okay, don’t be so pessimistic. I have some good news and some bad news for you."

"Let’s start with the bad news."

"The bad news is, according to the biopsy results and your pulse..."

Li Xu paused, looking the young man in the eyes. "You have a confirmed diagnosis. It’s lung cancer."

Upon hearing this, the young man visibly trembled, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

He then clenched his hands together so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

’What decision is he making?’

’Is he going to give up on treatment?’

’Or is he going to divorce that foolish girl?’

After a brief, suffocating silence...

The young man suddenly looked up, his voice trembling as he asked, "Doctor... how... how long do I have to live?"

"A year? Six months? Or..."

Li Xu was taken aback for a moment, then he let out a laugh and waved his hand. "You’re overthinking it. It’s not as serious as you imagine."

"Now, for the good news."

"The good news is, while the tumor is confirmed, its growth is confined to the mucosal layer. It hasn’t invaded the surrounding blood vessels or lymph nodes, and more importantly, there’s no sign of significant distant metastasis."

"This is classified as early-stage lung cancer—you could even say it’s in the transitional phase from carcinoma in situ to microinvasive carcinoma."

"For this type of early-stage lung cancer, surgical resection can achieve a radical cure. After the surgery, you can, in theory, achieve clinical remission, and your life expectancy will not be affected at all."

"This is scientifically proven."

"In other words, because we caught it early, if we treat it promptly and remove it, you’ll be just like a normal person. You’ll live as long as you were meant to live."

"It won’t affect your lifespan whatsoever."

"So..."

Li Xu looked at the completely stunned young man and said with a smile, "I think you understand what I’m saying, right?"