Chapter 446: Chapter 446: I Hope the Rest of His Life Is Filled with Happiness

The next day, while Xu Qinghuan and Jiang Xingye were having a meal, Li Hu finally caught her in the cafeteria.

Carrying his tray, he braved Jiang Xingye’s murderous gaze and sat down across from Xu Qinghuan, "Hello, I’m Xu’s homeroom teacher. I have something to discuss with her."

Only then did Jiang Xingye’s gaze soften.

"Brother Li, what’s up?" Xu Qinghuan squeezed her chopsticks, stopping her meal.

Li Hu stated, "I heard you’ve been skipping English classes consistently. Is it because you don’t understand, or is there something else going on?"

Xu Qinghuan smiled slightly, "Who’s been telling you that I’ve been skipping English classes consistently? The class monitor?"

Li Hu neither confirmed nor denied, but the answer was clear.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xingye also perked up to listen, the anger inside him already burning. They attended the same school, and despite his wife being bullied, he was completely unaware.

"On the morning of the first class, I was asked by the dean to accompany him to the Army General Hospital for a consultation. At that time, I thought it would only take the morning, so I took a half-day leave. I returned a bit late and was ten minutes late for the first English class that afternoon."

Xu Qinghuan was indeed a bit angry, "That teacher said I needn’t attend her classes in the future. She wouldn’t allow me back in the classroom."

Snap.

Jiang Xingye’s chopsticks broke in his hand; his ice-cold gaze aimed at Li Hu, as if Li Hu were the English teacher.

Xu Qinghuan pressed his wrist, and like a bubble pierced by a hole, Jiang Xingye’s entire rage deflated.

Li Hu hurriedly said, "I didn’t know about this matter. I just heard you’ve been absent for almost a week, so I came to ask about the situation."

Xu Qinghuan thanked him, "I know being late without reason is wrong, and I’ve already sought forgiveness from the teacher, but I’m not sure why she’s holding onto this.

Since you’ve asked, I hope you can convey this issue to the school; I’d prefer to receive the school’s disciplinary opinion rather than a biased disposal from one teacher."

Li Hu replied, "This was definitely not ’without reason.’ Don’t worry, I will report this to the school. However... I heard Professor Cen plans to take on a closed-door disciple and intends to choose from the freshmen. Constantly missing classes would make a bad impression."

Xu Qinghuan was not concerned about the so-called closed-door discipleship, so she didn’t ask whether it was "Professor Cen," "Professor Chen," or "Professor Cheng."

"It’s not that I don’t want to attend; that teacher said as long as it’s her class, I wouldn’t be allowed in."

Li Hu originally intended to suggest she bow down to the teacher, but after thinking it through, he decided to hold off, preferring to talk about it privately when the opportunity arose.

He mainly feared that if he spoke now, Xu Qinghuan’s husband would hit him.

The three stopped talking and soon finished their meal, separating at the cafeteria door.

In front of numerous onlookers, Jiang Xingye pulled Xu Qinghuan forcibly to one side, his dark eyes solemnly fixed on her, "You haven’t told me anything for such a long time!"

Xu Qinghuan knew this was his Achilles’ heel, initially wanting to say she simply wasn’t keen on attending that teacher’s classes, but instead, she worriedly said, "I don’t really have the mind to handle this matter right now."

"What’s happened?" Jiang Xingye’s tone indeed softened.

Xu Qinghuan recounted the events of Monday’s consultation at the Army General Hospital. "When I previously took my father’s pulse, I sensed his heart wasn’t well. I asked repeatedly, but he always said it was nothing—probably just insufficient rest;

The patient’s physical condition during the consultation is similar to my father’s. If that’s the case, it’s reasonable my father has a heart problem."

At this point, Jiang Xingye genuinely had no mind to focus on English class anymore. "Don’t worry, I’ll go ask around."

"Who will you ask?" Xu Qinghuan gripped his arm, "There’s no need to ask. The surgery has to be scheduled next week; it can’t be postponed any longer. If I’m to perform the operation, they would certainly inform me."

"Can you... do it?"

Though he didn’t say much else, Jiang Xingye could still discern the surgery was considerably difficult.

Xu Qinghuan said, "At present, I’m the most reliable choice as the surgeon. I know if the surgery fails, I may never pick up a scalpel again for the rest of my life, but he is my father.

This shrapnel could slice into his heart at any time. I can’t stand by and watch him die."

She couldn’t bear entrusting her father’s fate to someone else either.

Jiang Xingye disregarded being on campus, pulling her into his arms, "When is the surgery scheduled? I’ll be with you."

"Okay!"

Jian Jingchuan directly rejected the arrangement for Xu Qinghuan to perform his surgery, "No way, I won’t accept my daughter operating on me. Have you considered the consequences if she fails?"

Shao Lizhong said, "Indeed, the surgery carries significant risks. However, we’ve evaluated; having another doctor perform the surgery poses even greater risks, with success rates below thirty percent, while Doctor Xu has a success rate above eighty percent."

Wu Banghui explained further, seeing his disbelief, "Currently, globally we know of only Doctor Xu who excels in both surgery and acupuncture. Our main anticipated risk is if the heart’s surrounding vessels are damaged, requiring acupuncture for hemostasis.

This task can only be accomplished by Doctor Xu."

Jian Jingchuan replied, "Then let’s not do the surgery!"

Shao Lizhong shook his head, "This is an organizational directive, and such orders must be obeyed. Furthermore, our recommendation is whether to proceed entirely rests on Doctor Xu’s decision."

Jian Jingchuan refused, "Don’t inform her of my condition."

"I’ve already guessed it!" Xu Qinghuan’s fingers traced over the paint strokes on the teacup labeled "Serve the People," addressing Huo Fuhai, "Grandpa, I’ve long known my father’s health isn’t great, and there are cardiac issues. I figured it out during Monday’s consultation."

Huo Fuhai was taken aback; he couldn’t speak for quite a while.

"I’d like to handle my father’s surgery myself!" she willingly proposed, "I can’t trust anyone else to do it. If the surgery fails, I could never forgive myself."

Huo Fuhai cautioned her, "If you perform the surgery yourself, failure is still a possibility. Then what?"

Xu Qinghuan wiped the tears from her face, "I will be extremely cautious, exert every effort to succeed, and won’t fail!"

Huo Fuhai felt deep compassion for the child, "If you truly think this way, I can’t let you do the surgery."

Xu Qinghuan stated, "Grandpa, my father is still young. I hope his remaining life will be happy, and that fate treats him kindly. I believe in my ability; I can do it."

Huo Fuhai didn’t give a definitive answer, "I need to consider your request."

After Xu Qinghuan left, he sat for a long time, lost in thought.

For him, this indeed posed a difficult choice.

The old man had faced countless challenges throughout his life; yet, true difficulty often stemmed from the choices inherent to human nature.

The first lesson in the afternoon was pathology. Xu Qinghuan arrived five minutes early, finding many empty seats; she chose a spot in the second section of the first row, and took out her books. Seeing the professor who entered, she paused in surprise.