Chapter 15: If I Don’t Marry Him, I Won’t Go to the Hospital

After a hearty meal, Li Yunchu finally put down her chopsticks. Since she was at home, there was no need to be polite or pretend to be reserved. After finishing, the girl rubbed her stomach and intended to help her mother clean up.

“I’m full. Mom, I need to tell you something,” her mother said.

Li Yunchu was taken aback when she saw the worried look on her mother’s face. Wasn’t her mother happy to have Pei Siyie visit? Why did she now look so troubled?

Concerned, Li Yunchu walked over to her mother. “Mom, what’s wrong?”

She glanced at Pei Siyie and noticed the rare seriousness on his face. Her heart began to race uncontrollably; she couldn’t help but feel nervous.

“Mom…”

Her mother remained silent, but Pei Siyie took out several sheets of paper from his pocket and handed them to Li Yunchu. She stared blankly as she took the papers. Just a quick glance revealed the words “examination report.”

The girl forced a smile. “What is this…”

She had already guessed. Her mother’s sudden urgency for her to marry, combined with the expressions on both their faces, hinted at something bad. Still, she tried to act casual. “Is this Dr. Pei’s medical report? Isn’t it a bit too soon to look at this…”

Clutching the papers tightly, tears welled up in her eyes as she read a few words: “diffuse… lymphoma…”

“What… what is this…” she rubbed her eyes and hastily shoved the papers back toward Pei Siyie. “Dr. Pei, we haven’t even confirmed anything between us yet. Your privacy doesn’t need to… be shown to me…”

Her voice trembled, but she forced a weak smile. “You two…”

Her voice grew softer, her hands slowly lowering. Reality was unavoidable. Sniffling, Li Yunchu opened the papers again and stared blankly at the words. Her vision blurred, and tears fell onto the examination report.

“Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma…”

Li Yunchu murmured in a daze. She didn’t understand the medical terms, but just seeing those words was enough to fill her with uncontrollable fear. It was already a tumor—how had she never noticed her mother feeling unwell?

“Dr. Pei, this disease…”

She looked to Pei Siyie for help, hoping for some good news. Perhaps… that it was benign. Or… not life-threatening.

Pei Siyie lowered his gaze, watching the small girl before him. She looked downcast, unable to believe what she was reading. For a long time, she stared at the report, then looked at him with pleading eyes.

But he was neither God nor Death. He could not control anyone’s fate.

“It is a malignant tumor of the blood system, but not without the possibility of cure. Even late-stage patients can prolong their lives temporarily through chemotherapy. I will find the best hospital for your mother. She just told me this afternoon—she originally wanted to admit herself for treatment but has been delaying it for a long time.”

Li Yunchu couldn’t hold back and sobbed, clinging to her mother. “Why didn’t I know at all… It’s all my fault. If I had found out earlier…”

Pei Siyie wanted to wipe her tears but restrained himself.

“You can’t blame yourself. Early symptoms resemble a cold or fever. There is weight loss, and some patients show few signs. Sometimes even hospitals miss it. It’s normal that you didn’t notice.”

“Yunchu, what we need to do now is get your mother treated as soon as possible, right?”

His voice was gentle, and seeing the girl crying in her mother’s arms made his heart ache. Even he was shocked when he learned of this. How could a young girl unfamiliar with such matters cope?

Li’s mother, seeing her daughter cry, also had tears in her eyes but maintained a smile. “Yunchu, I’m old. Getting sick is normal. Don’t cry. At first, I thought it was just a fever or cold. It’s not your fault.”

“Your father has been gone so many years. I miss him terribly. I wanted to settle our family, Yunchu, so I could peacefully meet your father.”

“No…”

Li Yunchu wept violently, trembling as she held her mother. “No, I don’t want you to leave me. Dr. Pei said there’s a chance for recovery. We can’t give up.”

“Yunchu, I want you to promise me something.”

“I know you want to find someone you love, but love doesn’t always mean it’s right. Listen to me—you’ve gone on so many blind dates and know what most men are like.”

“Promise me you’ll be with Siyie. Only if you marry him can I be at ease.”

Li Yunchu knelt on the floor, her body shaking from sobbing. Pei Siyie watched her reaction closely.

Of course, he wanted her to marry him. But he didn’t want her to agree out of coercion.

“Auntie, don’t make Yunchu suffer.”

But the next moment, Pei Siyie heard words that even he found hard to believe.

“Mom, I promise you. As long as Dr. Pei doesn’t mind, I agree.”

Her face was flushed from crying. Her tears stopped, but her body still trembled as she spoke.

“Mom, let’s go to the hospital tonight, okay? You can still be healthy for a long time. Yunchu will do anything you want! Please don’t leave me alone…”

Not only Pei Siyie but Li’s mother was equally shocked. She had tried to persuade her daughter for so long; Yunchu had only given perfunctory responses, using ‘getting to know someone’ as an excuse.

Now, she had agreed so readily.

Li’s mother let out a sigh of relief. She had even prepared to threaten her daughter if she refused. Even if forced, she wanted someone to look after her daughter in her later years.

Now that Yunchu had agreed, there was no need for harsh words.

“Tomorrow, you and Siyie will register your marriage. Only after that will I accept the treatment.”

Li Yunchu stood up, anxious. “Mom! How can you wait for something like this!”

Pei Siyie also spoke. “Auntie, the civil affairs office is closed tomorrow. Tonight, we’ll go straight to the hospital. On Monday, I’ll take Yunchu to register. That way, you’ll be at ease.”

After hearing Pei Siyie, Li’s mother finally relented.

* * *

At eight o’clock that evening, Pei Siyie busied himself at the hospital, finally completing the admission procedures and arranging tests for Li’s mother. The results would come out the next day.

Outside the hospital, after the ordeal, Li Yunchu was urged by her mother to see Pei Siyie off.

She kept her head down, silent.

Until the man beside her spoke quietly, “Do you feel like I’m forcing you?”

“Auntie came to me today. I was surprised too.”