The lecture hall was far from the laboratory building.
No one knew why Xu Jia, who had originally gone to the toilet, had ended up there.
But this wasn't the time to find out the reason.
The operation lasted a long time.
By the time it was over, it was already evening.
The chief surgeon came out and said that the situation was not optimistic.
They had discovered that besides the bleeding, Xu Jia had a glioma in his brain.
Further examinations were needed to determine whether it was malignant.
The cerebral hemorrhage caused by this trauma was already extremely dangerous.
Coupled with this tumor, he might not wake up for a while.
Xu Tingyu watched the doctor's mouth open and close, feeling as if she had been struck on the head with a club.
Last week, she had taken Xu Jia out for dinner and they had even gone to watch a movie in the evening.
On the way back to his home, they had even discussed foreign universities for a while.
Yes, when she first proposed divorce to Qi Shifeng, she had already started thinking about a way out.
At that time, she thought that after the divorce, the Qi family would probably not allow her to appear in public frequently.
So she planned to go abroad with Xu Jia. She had experience of further studies and there had been dance troupe invitations for her at that time.
Earning money abroad would surely not affect the Qi family's reputation.
That's why she had picked up English again, and reading all - English novels was also for this reason.
During the discussion last week, Xu Jia had even said, "Sis, when the time comes, let's take Mom with us. Otherwise, she'll always cry at home."
"I just don't know if Brother - in - law will agree to you going with me. What if he misses you all the time?"
Xu Jia thought that Xu Tingyu wanted to go abroad with him because she was worried about him.
He didn't know that she was making plans for after the divorce.
Xu Tingyu didn't tell him the truth either. She just vaguely said, "Transportation is very developed nowadays. It's easy to meet whoever you want."
...
The siblings had talked about a lot of things, but they never expected that just a week later, Xu Jia would end up in the ICU.
When Zhang Qiu heard about the tumor, she fainted before she could even say a single word.
There was another flurry of activity as Zhang Qiu was rushed to emergency treatment.
And Secretary Qian, still in shock, had to go to the police station with the school leaders to cooperate with the investigation.
So he rushed away as if to escape.
Soon, Xu Tingyu was the only one left in the doctor's office.
She looked at the doctor blankly and asked, "If it's malignant, what will happen to him?"
"Miss Xu, I can only say that gliomas above Grade II are quite complex and difficult to cure."
"At present, we still don't know what grade the patient's tumor is. But, Miss Xu, from a personal perspective, I suggest you prepare yourself mentally."
"Also, see if you can contact the authority in this field, Professor Lin Shen."
This was a high - end private hospital under the Qi family. Naturally, the attending doctor knew who Xu Tingyu was.
Xu Tingyu was like a drowning person grabbing at a life - saving straw. She asked the doctor, "If we can invite this doctor, will there be a turn for the better in Jia Jia's condition?"
The doctor looked around to make sure there was no one else, then nodded. "I can't guarantee it, but I can say the probability is quite high."
"But this Professor Lin Shen is very busy. He's also abroad for academic exchanges these days."
Xu Tingyu understood.
This Professor Lin Shen was not easy to invite.
She had no connections, but Qi Shifeng surely did.
She didn't even have time to say much to the doctor before she turned around and called Qi Shifeng.
This time, the call was answered smoothly.
"Qi Shifeng, I need your help."
Her voice was panicked, and every word was tinged with a sob.
Qi Shifeng only asked three words, "Where are you?"
She reported the address.
Then, the man's deep voice came, "Wait for me."
At this moment, she suddenly felt at ease, as if she had seen a bright light in a bewildering wilderness.
She suddenly calmed down. After hanging up the phone, she started to handle a series of procedures such as hospitalization.
By the time Qi Shifeng rushed over, Xu Tingyu was sitting in the corridor.
She had her head down, and no one knew what she was thinking.
People were coming and going around her, but she seemed oblivious. She exuded a strong sense of brokenness.
On the way here, he had already heard about Xu Jia's accident.
Although he was not close to the Xu family and had even met them only a few times.
He knew that Xu Jia and Xu Tingyu had a very good relationship.
Moreover, it had been less than half a year since Xu Jianmin's suicide, and now Xu Jia had this accident.
He could well imagine how Xu Tingyu was feeling.
He strode towards her, and Xu Tingyu suddenly looked up. When she saw it was him.
She was like a drowning person grabbing a piece of driftwood. She immediately rushed towards him.
Then she buried her head in his arms.
His body still carried the cold from outside, but she didn't seem to notice.
She had no one else to rely on, so she just tightly held onto this person in front of her.
"Qi Shifeng, please save my brother, okay?"
She looked up at him in his arms, her tone full of cautious flattery.
Anxiety and panic filled her eyes, which made his heart clench suddenly.
Half a year ago, when Xu Jianmin committed suicide, was she also this panicked?
Why hadn't she asked him for help at that time?
This thought flashed through his mind, but he wasn't so petty as to settle old scores with her here.
He just supported her waist and whispered, "Don't be afraid. I'm here."
He sat her back down on the bench and listened to her request.
"Help me invite Doctor Lin Shen. Please."
She told him what the attending doctor had guessed.
When she heard these words in front of the doctor just now, she wasn't that scared.
But now, sitting in Qi Shifeng's arms and relaying these words to him, she was so scared that she was shaking all over.
Tears also kept sliding down unconsciously.
Qi Shifeng raised his hand, and his slightly rough fingertips brushed across the corner of her eye. "Don't cry. I'll have someone invite him."
With his promise, Xu Tingyu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She had never been so dependent on Qi Shifeng as she was at this moment. Leaning her head on his shoulder, she gradually felt less cold and less scared.
After Xu Jia was transferred to the ICU, they couldn't visit him.
After Zhang Qiu woke up, she still cried non - stop.
Xu Tingyu went in to comfort her. "Mom, Shifeng has already promised to help us invite Professor Lin Shen. The professor is an authority in this field. Jia Jia will be okay."
Zhang Qiu's eyes were all swollen from crying. Hearing this, she suddenly stopped crying and grabbed Xu Tingyu's hand. She asked uncertainly, "Really?"
"Really."
She nodded vigorously.
But Zhang Qiu was still a bit worried. "But I went to see Liu Ning a few days ago, and she said that you two were about to get divorced. Tingyu, is he lying to you?"
Why would a person who was about to divorce be so kind as to help them?
Xu Tingyu didn't expect that she had really gone to see Liu Ning.
It was probably what Xie Yu had mentioned, that she had gone to talk to Liu Ning about having a baby.
"Mom, I know you're worried and afraid that he's lying to us, but he's not that kind of bad person. He won't joke about Jia Jia's life."
Her voice was soft but firm.