Susu calmed her emotions and said happily, "That's great! An Jing said he invited that expert, and you can have surgery next week."
"Oh, that's really good news." Tianyi was already very calm. Whether the surgery succeeded or not, he was prepared.
In fact, death was not terrifying. The only thing he was worried about and reluctant to leave behind was Susu.
...
A week later, An Jing quietly invited a renowned expert to Lancheng.
This neurosurgeon's schedule was very tight and he could only stay in Lancheng for three to four days at most.
Before the expert arrived, the private hospital had made all the necessary preparations to assist with the surgery.
Susu tried her best not to tremble as she signed the surgical consent form. Looking at the risks of the surgery, printed in bold black letters, she clutched the form and hesitated to let go.
It was Xiao An Jing, standing beside her, who reminded her, "We must have confidence in this expert. Of the high-risk neurosurgery he has performed, only one has failed so far. The success rate is very high."
Susu slowly released the consent form, allowing the doctor to take it away.
An Jing gently patted her shoulder again and said, "Go back to the ward and talk to Tianyi for a while. I'll wait outside the operating room first."
Susu returned to the ward alone. She saw Tianyi sitting calmly on the hospital bed, listening to financial news from a small speaker. He was still concerned about the stock market and the economic development trends for the new year.
Susu quietly approached him and said, "Can't you just rest properly?"
"You're back." Tianyi turned his head towards her voice. "I'll have plenty of time to rest after the surgery. Who knows how long I'll be confined to bed then..."
Susu immediately covered his mouth and said, "That famous expert said that after the surgery, he will wake up within forty-eight hours at the latest."
"I will try my best to wake up. I want to see your smile as soon as I open my eyes." Tianyi fumbled and pressed a button on the speaker, changing it to play music.
Susu cupped his face and kissed his lips deeply. Mimicking his possessiveness, she said, "No sleeping in after the surgery. I'll be by your side, waiting for you to wake up."
Tianyi suddenly reached out and pulled her, shifting from passive to active, drawing her into his embrace. He said, "Is this perfunctory kiss enough? I want to remember your scent firmly."
As he spoke, Tianyi used one hand to trace her features, kissing her forcefully.
Susu gently pushed him away when she felt she could barely breathe, saying, "Qin Tianyi... don't leave me. Otherwise, I'll find you in heaven or hell..."
Tianyi also calmed his breathing and said, "Have you remembered everything I told you? If... I mean if, Ao Xiang and the children will all depend on you."
"Don't push everything onto me..."
Before she could say anything more, Tianyi kissed her lips deeply again. She, too, was frantically savoring his scent and warmth, fearing he would disappear from this world forever.
The doctor who came to inform them about the surgery coughed lightly at the ward door. Only then did they reluctantly let go of each other.
"Mr. and Mrs. Qin, it's time for surgery. Please prepare yourselves," the doctor said.
Susu's face flushed red as she replied, "Okay." But Tianyi still held one of her hands tightly, wanting to reassure her not to worry too much.
She squeezed his hand back forcefully and said, "I'll be waiting for you outside the operating room the entire time."
After the doctor performed the necessary pre-operative checks on Tianyi, he was wheeled into the operating room.
Susu stood at the entrance of the operating room, her gaze fixed on the illuminated red light.
An Jing sat on a chair outside, also very nervous.
He had spoken the most with this expert and knew well the great risks of this surgery. Therefore, before Tianyi entered the operating room, he dared not look at him, fearing he would break down.
"Susu, come and sit for a while. The surgery will likely take a long time. If you stand all the time, you won't be able to bear it," An Jing urged.
Susu snapped back to attention, still finding it hard to believe Tianyi had already entered the operating room. She turned and sat on the very edge of the long bench, trembling uncontrollably from nervousness.
An Jing said, "Tianyi will be fine. He has gone through so many hardships and always pulled through, turning danger into safety."
He said this to comfort Susu, and also to comfort himself.
Susu murmured with heartache, "How did he get through it each time? It seems I was never by his side, and he endured all the suffering by himself..."
She recalled his near-death experiences in boxing matches, the intense explosions he had encountered, and his battles of wits with Lu Yuanhong while enduring injuries...
At those times, she had been completely unaware. She covered her face with her hands in anguish, letting tears of worry stream down.
After he safely pulled through this time, she was determined to protect him well and never let such a thing happen again.
She reminisced about their moments together, how he had always been the first to shield her whenever something happened.
Seeing that his words had not comforted Susu but made her more distressed, An Jing said nothing more. He quietly left for a while and returned with two cups of coffee and some food.
While Tianyi was fighting for his life in the operating room, he and Susu could not afford to falter. They still had many things to face.
He watched Susu take a few sips of coffee before speaking again, "After Tianyi's surgery is successful, he probably won't be able to return to the group for a while. Xie Zhendong is watching us closely. I think the only way is to announce to the outside world that Tianyi's old illness has relapsed and he has gone abroad for treatment. At this time, we must hold on."
"I know," Susu said, having already wiped away her tears. Thinking of Tianyi's repeated instructions, she was determined not to let Ao Xiang suffer any setbacks.
When An Jing brought the foreign expert back, he had people discreetly pick up the expert at the airport first, and then he himself emerged from the airport alone, ensuring strict secrecy.
The current situation required that the morale of Ao Xiang's employees remain stable, and that opponents be given no opportunity.
They waited outside the operating room for an unknown amount of time. Susu dared not close her eyes for a moment, her gaze constantly fixed on the light outside the operating room.
When the operating room door opened, she was the first to rush forward. She watched the experts emerge, but dared not ask a single question.
It was An Jing, who followed behind, who spoke in English, "Doctor, how is it? Was the surgery successful?"
The expert replied first, "Don't worry, the patient is not in life-threatening danger for now."
"For now?" Susu's heart ached. She asked, "The surgery was successful, right? Then why is it 'for now'?"
The expert said with a solemn expression, "Yes, based on the patient's condition, we ultimately chose to use minimally invasive techniques to remove the blood clot. This causes less damage to the patient. However, after the blood clot is removed, there are some residual fragments that need to be absorbed and processed by the patient's brain function. This process relies on the patient's willpower. If he gets through it, then there won't be too much of a problem."
"But what will happen if he doesn't get through it?" Susu asked fearfully.