Fifteen days were left before the college entrance examination. Duan Dongwei checked Xiang Yanhua's body as usual. The advanced equipment showed that Xiang Yanhua's organs were failing.
The nurse beside him said worriedly, "What's going on? This patient was clearly getting better. How come all of a sudden, her organs are failing?"
"Xiang Yanhua has been lying in bed for ten years. There are many reasons for organ failure, such as long - term bed rest, infection, malnutrition and so on. Any of them could be the cause." Duan Dongwei looked at the person on the hospital bed absent - mindedly, his eyes calm.
"Her organs started to fail more than a month ago. Xiang Yanhua is old. It's remarkable that she has lasted until now. All we can do is try to slow down the rate of her organ failure."
"Should we tell her biological daughter, Lin Jinran, about this?" The nurse sighed and shook her head.
"No. Lin Jinran is about to take the college entrance examination. It will be in just over ten days. If we tell her during this period, it might affect her performance in the exam, which would be a great loss. What we need to do is try our best to slow down Xiang Yanhua's organ failure. That girl..."
Duan Dongwei stared at Xiang Yanhua's peacefully sleeping face. Images of Lin Jinran flashed through his mind, and a look of pity crossed his face. After a long time, he continued where he left off.
"Lin Jinran will surely find out about this eventually. We'll try to keep it from her. She'll know everything after the college entrance examination. If there are any problems then, let her come to me. It's my decision, and it has nothing to do with you."
The nurse followed Duan Dongwei's gaze and nodded. "Okay, I'll tell the others. Her mother surely wouldn't want to affect her daughter because of herself."
After the examination, Xiang Yanhua was sent back to her original room. Duan Dongwei followed closely behind. The caregiver had been waiting on the bench at the door for a long time. As soon as she saw them, she came up nervously and asked about Xiang Yanhua's condition.
Duan Dongwei shook his head at her. After settling Xiang Yanhua down first, when the others had left, he and the caregiver stood at the door of the ward and he expressed his apology.
"Xiang Yanhua's condition is not very optimistic. She's living on borrowed time." Duan Dongwei heaved a heavy sigh. He turned his head to look at the person in the ward and continued, "Auntie, you know that Lin Jinran is about to take the college entrance examination. It's less than twenty days away."
"I know, I know it all. Lin Jinran has had a tough time. She finally managed to make it to the college entrance examination, but unfortunately, her mother... It's really fate playing tricks on people." The caregiver's voice choked with sobs. She wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye.
From the very beginning, she had taken care of Xiang Yanhua herself and watched Lin Jinran grow up. She had seen the girl gradually improve and become better.
But at this crucial moment, her mother's condition was not optimistic.
Duan Dongwei withdrew his gaze and looked at the caregiver. A fleeting look of mockery flashed in his eyes, which was quickly replaced by guilt.
Duan Dongwei placed his hands on the caregiver's shoulders. Looking at her guiltily, he sighed again. "It's my incompetence. I'm sorry for failing Lin Jinran's trust in me. She came all the way from the imperial capital just to wake up her mother. Now... Alas."
All his words were summed up in that single sigh.
The caregiver shook her head. Duan Dongwei took his hands off her shoulders accordingly. The caregiver then said, "No, Dr. Duan, you've done a great job. I believe Lin Jinran will understand you. Lin Jinran is about to take the college entrance examination. I'll try to keep this from her so that she can prepare for the exam with peace of mind. We'll talk about other things after her exam."
Perfect. This was exactly the answer he wanted.
Dr. Duan nodded. He felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He took it out and saw that it was an unmarked call from the imperial capital. "I'm glad you understand. I have something to attend to and need to leave. Please take care of Xiang Yanhua."
As soon as he finished speaking, Dr. Duan quickly left. He turned several corners in a row and walked to a deserted place. He carefully observed his surroundings. After making sure there was no one around, he clicked on the recording function and officially answered the call.
"Duan Dongwei, with Xiang Yanhua's current condition, is she about to die?" A cold voice came from the other end of the phone. The person seemed to recall something from years ago and let out a self - satisfied and reckless laugh.
Duan Dongwei frowned. "Why are you calling me at this time? I'm still at work."
Yang Jinzhi snorted disdainfully. "It's just a call to ask for an update. It'll only take a few minutes. I'm asking you, when will Xiang Yanhua die?"
"It's hard to say. Every time I inject the drug in extremely small doses, afraid of being detected." Duan Dongwei knew what Yang Jinzhi was thinking. She wanted Xiang Yanhua dead and also wanted to ruin Lin Jinran so that she could live in peace from then on.
"Isn't there only about fifteen days left before the college entrance examination?" Yang Jinzhi said casually, slowly curling up a strange smile. A bad feeling welled up in Duan Dongwei's heart.
Could it be...
"I want Xiang Yanhua to die on the day of the college entrance examination. You, Duan Dongwei, go and inform Lin Jinran of this news. Lin Jinran cares the most about her mother. I'd like to see how she'll perform in the college entrance examination in the end."
A strange and sinister laugh kept coming from the phone.
"Lin Jinran witnessed her mother's suicide by jumping off a building when she was a child and suffered from depression. Although she got better later, this is still a potential problem. I wonder if she'll go crazy this time."
Then, under some pretext, take her home and send her to a mental hospital.
From then on, there would be no more Lin Jinran, and no one would be able to compete with her daughter, Ting Nian, for the family fortune.
This news was so shocking that Duan Dongwei blurted out, "Are you sure you want Xiang Yanhua to die on that day?"
That was the day when Lin Jinran would start the exam.
"What? Do you have any objections? Don't forget that your father hit someone with his car and then fled the scene. The police are still looking for him. Only I can save you."
"After it's done, I'll give you a large sum of money and destroy all the evidence related to your father. I'll also find a way to cremate Xiang Yanhua as soon as possible to avoid leaving any evidence. Duan Dongwei, whether you want to stay or leave is up to you."
The bewitching voice was like a snake spitting out its forked tongue, slowly landing in his ear and licking it icily. Duan Dongwei couldn't help shivering.
Maybe from the very beginning, he shouldn't have stepped onto this rickety boat. Now, he and Yang Jinzhi were on the same pirate ship, and he couldn't get off.
Duan Dongwei was silent for a long time. Gritting his teeth, he asked, "Are you sure you can destroy all the evidence? Both your father's and ours?"
It seemed that this question was quite ridiculous. Yang Jinzhi burst out laughing. When the laughter stopped, she replied coldly, "Since it concerns both our lives, I'll naturally be very cautious. Remember, we're on the same boat. If I get into trouble, you will too."
It was both a reminder and a warning.
To prevent Duan Dongwei from betraying her at the last minute.
Duan Dongwei looked at the strange number on his phone and said softly, "Okay, I understand."
So, Lin Jinran, I'm sorry.