After washing up, Lin Tianba finally put on clean clothes after many days.
But these were fucking another man's clothes.
Just thinking about it made Lin Tianba inexplicably sick to his stomach.
"Yue Mei, Little Jian, come here. Now that our family of three has been reunited, let's have a proper talk."
Lin Jian and Liu Yuemei walked into the bedroom, leaving Lin Tianba lying on the floor.
Finally, Lin Tianba broke down in tears.
"You ungrateful son! Why couldn’t you just kneel, kowtow, and beg me to take you away from this hell?"
Lin Tianba truly regretted everything. If heaven gave him another chance, he swore he’d never fall for Liu Yuemei’s deceit again.
But of course, that was just wishful thinking.
As the door opened, Lv Jian returned.He froze at the sight of Lin Tianba sprawled on the floor.
"Holy shit, isn’t this the internet’s number one scumbag dad?"
Even someone like Lv Jian was stunned by Lin Tianba’s antics—proof that his infamy was now common knowledge.
Meanwhile, the bedroom door opened, and Lv Renqi looked awkwardly at his returning son.
"Ah, Xiao Jian, perfect timing. There’s something I need to discuss with you. You should also get to know Little Jian."
Both names were "Jian"—one Lin Jian, the other Lv Jian.
Now, they could compete to see who was the bigger jian (a play on the word meaning "shameless").
Let the battle of the jians begin.
The next day arrived—the day of Wang Anjian’s surgery, also the second-to-last day of the year.
Early in the morning, Wang Anjian was wheeled in for the transplant procedure.
Outside the operating room, Lin Ran, Granny Wang, and Uncle Fu sat on the waiting chairs, their hearts clenched with worry.
Luo Yao wasn’t there; she was in one of the hospital’s labs.
"Check if there’s anything wrong with this soup."
Yi Buhuo sniffed it first, then took a small sip.
"This should be my brother’s medicinal recipe. It’s fine. Did you notice something off about Young Master Lin’s condition?"
Luo Yao shook her head. "His condition is fine. The soup might be tainted. I suspect there’s something in it."
Yi Buhuo paled and hurried to explain.
"President Luo, my brother would never dare! This recipe is a Yi Family heirloom—it has no side effects. It only boosts Young Master Lin’s vitality."
Luo Yao frowned. "I asked you to test it, not accuse Yi Siyin of tampering."
"Right, right. I’ll have it thoroughly analyzed with the most advanced methods."
Truthfully, Yi Buhuo had already gauged the soup’s safety from her taste.
She hadn’t become the Yi Family’s treasure because of her looks—her appearance was average at best.
Her reputation came from her uncanny palate, dubbed the "Yi Family Ghost Tongue." A single taste or sniff of any herb, and she could identify it without fail.
But Luo Yao’s orders were absolute.
Later, Yi Buhuo would reflect that sometimes, science and intuition were worth trusting.
Back in the waiting area, Lin Ran sat silently until a white-coated figure took a seat beside him.
"You’re just waiting here? The surgery will take hours. At the earliest, results won’t come until evening—maybe even tomorrow. And you won’t be able to see the patient immediately post-op. There’s no need to stay the whole time."
Lin Ran nodded.
"I know. But I promised Anjian I’d be here. I believe he’ll pull through."
"Me too," the doctor agreed.
Only then did Lin Ran realize who he’d been talking to. He turned, startled.
"Director Yi? Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be in the operating room?"
Yi Buhao smiled.
"Relax. My brother Yi Siyin is handling the surgery. I’m better at theory; he’s the master in practice. Besides, this isn’t even a challenging procedure for us. Everything will be fine."
Lin Ran sighed in relief. Granny Wang and Uncle Fu noticed Yi Buhao and greeted him weakly, their minds still on Wang Anjian.
Uncle Fu patted Granny Wang’s back soothingly.
"Director Yi, I’ve always wanted to ask—why do you run this hospital? To save lives or to make money?"
Lin Ran’s abrupt question caught everyone off guard.
"I do it for profit," Yi Buhao admitted. "In fact, without President Luo’s support, the Yi Family might’ve collapsed long ago."
Uncle Fu stayed silent. He knew the world wasn’t black and white. To ask such a naive question…
Who runs a hospital not to make money? Charity?
But Lin Ran had a deeper purpose. He wanted to understand the meaning of life through Yi Buhao’s perspective.
"Profit is fine, but how do you face so much life-and-death suffering without growing numb?"
Yi Buhao shook his head.
"I wasn’t finished. We do it for money and to heal. No doctor wants their patients to die. Even after countless failures, we can’t give up. When patients bet everything on us, shouldn’t we at least earn the money they pay?"
Lin Ran didn’t fully grasp Yi Buhao’s logic, but he had to admit—the man had principles.
These days, too many medical institutions exploited patients under the guise of "saving lives."
"You should wait in the lounge. This could take a while."
Lin Ran declined. "I’ll stay. Luo Yao might not find me otherwise."
Speak of the devil.
Granny Wang and Uncle Fu were stunned when Luo Yao appeared.
"Young Miss," they murmured nervously.
Luo Yao gave a curt nod, her icy demeanor unchanged—except around Lin Ran.
"I came to check. With Yi Siyin operating, there’s nothing to worry about. He’s a national treasure of medicine."
It was Luo Yao who had arranged for Yi Siyin to lead the surgery. Normally, the Yi Family didn’t serve commoners.
Wealthy elites clamored for their services, even offering fortunes to hire a Yi doctor privately.
But the Yi Family’s rule was clear: come to the hospital and queue like everyone else.
The only exception? If you were Luo Yao.
Her pulling strings for Wang Anjian was no small favor.
Granny Wang and Uncle Fu bowed. "Thank you, Young Miss."
Luo Yao and Lin Ran locked eyes, their gazes speaking volumes.
Luo Yao: The examination room is ready.
Lin Ran: Seriously? Now?
Clearing his throat, Lin Ran stood.
"I’ll go handle something with Luo Yao. Stay strong—he’ll be fine."
"Of course, Young Master Lin. Don’t mind us."
As the couple left, Granny Wang slumped into her chair like a deflated balloon.
"Don't worry, Big Flower."