Chapter 2515: 2426 How Are You? (Alliance Leader Wang Li Ping Bonus Chapter 2)

"Boss, let's have dinner tonight." Su Yun swayed in from outside, waving at Zheng Ren from afar.

"Doctor, I don't know your surname, but I still want to thank you." After hearing Su Yun's words, the woman said calmly, "I won't disturb you anymore; I'm leaving."

After saying that, the corner of her mouth twitched slightly; it was unclear whether she was holding back sorrow in her heart or trying to leave Zheng Ren a smile. But in the end she wore a blank expression, expressionless as she left.

Su Yun walked over and had a brief encounter with the woman.

He froze, as if seeing a ghost, "You... you... you how..."

The woman slightly turned sideways, making way for Su Yun, and walked out slowly.

Su Yun watched the woman's back disappear at the doorway, puzzled, then frowned and walked over to Zheng Ren, asking, "How come you look like that person I met at the B-ultrasound room door half a year ago?"

Zheng Ren felt that face blindness was truly a shortcoming, and Su Yun completely outclassed him in that area.

He silently nodded.

Su Yun had long sensed that something was off; with his keen mind and rich clinical experience, he instantly figured out what had happened.

"Boss, is the child still alive?"

"He's probably beyond help already." Zheng Ren sighed, "They said they'd discharge him today, and she plans to take the child to see some sunshine and grass."

"You too?" Su Yun asked briefly.

Zheng Ren recalled seeing the little boy half a year ago; by then he already had late-stage cancer, beyond saving. I don't know what price the woman paid to forcibly extend the child's life by a few months.

Back then it couldn't be done, and now... it's probably impossible. The tumor tissue has likely metastasized completely, something surgery can't fix. My skills are improving, but the tumor keeps spreading.

He shook his head, remaining silent.

Su Yun patted Zheng Ren's shoulder and said, "Don't dwell on it; human effort sometimes has its limits."

"But I want to go see him." Zheng Ren said in a low voice.

"Huh? Not scared anymore?" Su Yun sounded a bit surprised.

"I've only seen him once; I don't know what he's like now." Zheng Ren said seriously, "I just want to see him, see him off at discharge, and say a few words."

"You go yourself; I'm not interested in this kind of thing." Su Yun staggered into the office.

Zheng Ren thought for a moment, then strode out, heading straight from the ward area to the inpatient billing desk.

Actually, he didn't have much in mind either; he hadn't had much deep interaction with the little boy before, and they'd exchanged no more than five sentences.

Moreover, those memories have faded with time; Zheng Ren can't even recall whether the little boy used to call him uncle or older brother.

It seems he was called uncle, and I used to complain about it to myself.

While letting his mind wander, he arrived at the inpatient billing desk.

Many people were handling discharge paperwork in the afternoon, with long lines forming in front of over a dozen windows. Finding someone wasn't too hard for Zheng Ren; picking out a familiar face among a crowd of mosaics was, in a sense, simpler than for others.

The woman was queuing at window number three; in the crowd she looked like a forty- or fifty-year-old, her waist slightly bent, worn down by life and endless sorrow to the point of breathlessness.

Parting, life and death—these are among the most important things in the world.

Zheng Ren sighed, but without hesitation, he stepped up to the woman and extended his hand.

"I'm Zheng Ren; you can call me Doctor Zheng." Zheng Ren introduced himself solemnly.

"Um..." The woman blinked in confusion, looking at Zheng Ren, puzzled as to why this young doctor had followed her here.

Nevertheless, she obviously had good upbringing; she instinctively reached out, shook Zheng Ren's hand, and said softly, "I'm Wen Xiaonuan; nice to meet you."

"Which ward is the child in? May I go see him?" Zheng Ren asked.

The woman looked at Zheng Ren's eyes, feeling lost, but still said, "Oncology Department Three, bed 7-18."

"Then you go ahead with your business; I'll go see the child." Zheng Ren shook hands with the woman, acknowledging their introduction, then turned and left.

Oncology Department Three—Zheng Ren kept repeating it in his mind, not bothering to wonder what kind of look the woman would give him.

He strode to the elevator of Inpatient Ward Three, not rushing to take the fire escape but joining everyone else in crowding into the elevator to go up to the 18th floor.

The elevator was crowded; Zheng Ren waited a long time before finally getting in.

Usually Zheng Ren doesn't like crowded places—more people mean more noise, and he gets quite irritable. But today he felt different.

Just being alive, being able to chat and laugh, is already good enough. Even without that, as long as one is alive, it's a great fortune, even if many people wear frowns.

Here it's bustling, yet it also has the warm, everyday feel of human life.

Upon reaching the 18th floor, Zheng Ren stepped out of the elevator and headed to Oncology Department Three.

Ward 7, bed 18—the little boy on the bed was staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. It had been half a year since I last saw him; he had grown much thinner. A large lump protruded from his neck, his condition clearly grave just by looking. Yet his eyes remained lively, though he was bored.

A bloody-red system panel appeared before Zheng Ren.

Various diagnoses of tumor metastasis, each one life-threatening.

This was within Zheng Ren's expectations; it would be strange if everything were fine.

He walked over slowly; the little boy noticed someone approaching, lowered his gaze from the ceiling, and looked at Zheng Ren.

"Huh? Uncle, how come it's you?" His voice was hoarse, speaking with difficulty. Yet despite that, he remained mischievous and cheerful, as if he had no idea what he was facing.

Zheng Ren smiled, sat on the white stool beside the bed, and said, "I came to see you."

"Are you still okay?" the little boy asked.

"I'm fine, and you?"

"I'm so-so, but this time I'm being discharged, and my mom said she'll take me to see some grass." The little boy said, "It's the wild kind, endless grasslands. Now that it's autumn, if I don't go see it now, I won't get another chance."

Is it autumn? Zheng Ren isn't very sensitive to seasonal changes. Every day he's immersed in the department doing surgeries; if it weren't for Yi Ren changing his clothes for him, Zheng Ren wouldn't even realize it, likely wearing just one or two sets of clothes for a whole year.

Sitting by the bed, Zheng Ren didn't know what to say.

But the little boy was quite talkative; his hoarse voice was due to the tumor invading his thyroid gland, as well as his cervical spine, which compressed the trachea.

He kept chattering on, treating Zheng Ren like a big toy, a big friend.

"You look not bad." After a few minutes, the little boy's stamina was nearly exhausted, his speech becoming fragmented, and only then did Zheng Ren take over and ask.

"Mm, I'll try to keep living." The little boy said, "By the way, my name is Shi Jian—'Shi' for stone, 'Jian' for strong. And you, uncle?"