Chapter 174: Chapter 172: Persuading Mrs. Chen

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Zhengnian rushed off to find Su Tang.

He sprinted the entire way, his heart pounding as if it would burst from his chest.

A frantic knocking at the door startled Su Tang, who was resting at home.

She was already far along in her pregnancy, and her movements were a bit clumsy. Supporting her back with one hand, she opened the door. Her heart tightened at the sight of Chen Zhengnian standing outside, his face pale and beaded with sweat.

"Chen Zhengnian? What’s wrong?"

"Doctor Su, my mom... she collapsed. They just rushed her to your hospital. The doctors say it’s critical, and they specifically asked for you! Please..."

Chen Zhengnian was rambling, his voice choked with emotion.

His respectful plea spurred Su Tang into action.

"Let’s go! You can tell me on the way!"

She immediately spun around and went back inside, grabbing a jacket with a speed that belied her pregnancy.

On the way, Chen Zhengnian explained what had happened in fits and starts.

Mrs. Chen had been heading out that morning when she was struck by a sudden, sharp pain in her chest and collapsed. The hospital’s initial diagnosis was an acute myocardial infarction; her condition was critical.

The attending physician wasn’t fully confident in handling the case and urgently needed an expert with Su Tang’s experience.

Her experience in surgery was greater than anyone else’s there.

Considering Su Tang’s limited mobility, Chen Zhengnian had already arranged for a car before he came to get her.

When they arrived at the hospital, the red light above the operating room door was lit.

Mr. Chen was slumped against the wall, looking utterly lost, while Chen Zhengnian paced back and forth anxiously.

The attending physician’s face lit up as if he’d seen his savior the moment he spotted Su Tang, and he rushed over to meet her.

"Doctor Su! You’re finally here! Director Chen is in a very unstable state. Her blood pressure is continuously dropping, she’s experiencing arrhythmia, and we suspect a large-scale infarction. The risks of thrombolysis are high, and we..."

Su Tang cut him off, her words rapid but clear. "Scans? ECG? What are the patient’s exact vitals right now? What medications has she been given?"

As she fired off the questions, a nurse helped her into a sterile surgical gown. Her pregnant belly was prominent, restricting her movements.

Su Tang took a deep breath and spoke decisively. "In my condition, I can’t enter the operating room. I won’t have the fine motor control required, and the risk is too great. I’ll guide you from the outside. You’ll be the lead surgeon, and you’ll do exactly as I say. Stabilizing the patient’s vitals is our top priority."

She couldn’t risk going into the OR. The intense mental focus and prolonged standing would be an immense strain on both her and the baby.

Worse, it could complicate her pregnancy.

But her experience and judgment were invaluable at a moment like this.

Su Tang was quickly led to an observation room adjacent to the OR, where she could maintain real-time contact with the surgical team via an internal phone and intercom system.

Her calm voice, transmitted through the speaker, was a pillar of strength, steadying the frantic atmosphere in the operating room.

Sweat beaded on the attending physician’s brow, but his hands steadied as he meticulously followed Su Tang’s instructions.

The minutes ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity to those waiting outside.

Chen Zhengnian clenched his fists, his eyes fixed on the operating room door.

Mr. Chen wept silently, muttering under his breath, "She’ll be okay. Doctor Su is here. She’ll be okay..."

Finally, inside the observation room, the tight furrow in Su Tang’s brow began to smooth.

The attending physician’s voice came over the intercom, laced with excitement and exhaustion. "Doctor Su! Her blood pressure is coming back up! Heart rhythm is stable! The thrombolysis appears to be effective—the ST-segment on the chest leads is starting to resolve! The patient’s vitals have stabilized for now!"

A collective sigh of relief was breathed both in the observation room and in the hallway outside.

Su Tang leaned back against her chair, and only then did a powerful wave of exhaustion wash over her. Fine beads of sweat dotted her temples.

She gently stroked her swollen belly, whispering, ’Be a good baby... you helped Mommy save someone...’

When Su Tang emerged from the surgical wing, she saw Wang Xinxin consoling Chen Zhengnian.

"She’s stable now, so don’t worry. But for the near future, make sure she avoids any major emotional distress."

Hearing Su Tang say this, Mr. Chen and Chen Zhengnian both nodded.

"When can we go see Aunt Chen?" Wang Xinxin asked.

Su Tang thought for a moment before replying, "You can go in once she’s completely out of the woods."

They couldn’t visit yet; they had to wait until the critical period had passed and Mrs. Chen’s condition had improved.

And so, Mrs. Chen was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit for observation.

After two days and two nights of close monitoring and treatment, her life was finally out of danger, and she was moved to a standard private room.

The severe illness had left her looking haggard, but the brush with death seemed to have washed away some of the stubbornness in her eyes.

That afternoon, Su Tang made a special trip to visit Mrs. Chen.

She wore a crisp white lab coat, her pregnancy now quite pronounced, but her gait was as composed as ever.

"Aunt Chen, are you feeling any better?"

Su Tang smiled and approached the hospital bed, her voice gentle.

Mrs. Chen looked at Su Tang, her expression complex.

She’d heard the story—that it was her son who had rushed out to find help. She had also overheard the nurses whispering among themselves.

They said it was all thanks to Doctor Su, who had directed the surgery from outside the OR.

She turned her face away, her voice raspy. "I’m not dead yet... Thank you for your trouble, Doctor Su."

"Please don’t say that. The important thing is that you’re safe."

Su Tang pulled a chair over to the bedside and sat down, casually tucking in the corner of Mrs. Chen’s blanket.

"What you went through was extremely dangerous—an acute myocardial infarction. You must avoid getting so agitated in the future. The strain on your body is just too much."

At the mention of agitation, Mrs. Chen’s expression darkened; she was clearly recalling the heated argument.

She remained silent, her chest rising and falling unevenly with lingering discomfort.

Su Tang watched her for a moment before speaking softly. "Aunt Chen, I know it’s not my place as an outsider to meddle. But when you fell ill, Chen Zhengnian was nearly frantic with worry. He stayed outside the OR for two days straight without a wink of sleep; he’s a shadow of his former self. And Uncle Chen looks as if he’s aged years overnight."

The rims of Mrs. Chen’s eyes grew red, but she remained silent.

"I know you have your own ideas about Chen Zhengnian’s marriage, and you want what’s best for him."

Su Tang’s tone was gentle, free of blame—filled only with understanding and a desire to gently persuade.

"You believe that for his future to be stable, he needs a good match from a similar background, someone you know inside and out. There’s nothing wrong with that. What mother wouldn’t want that for her son?"

Mrs. Chen’s eyelashes trembled, as if she hadn’t expected Su Tang to say that.

"But, Aunt Chen."

Su Tang’s tone shifted, her voice grew softer, and she lightly placed a hand on her own belly.

"You see, when it comes down to it, a life is something two people live together behind closed doors. It doesn’t matter how perfect or glamorous things look from the outside; if the people on the inside are unhappy, their life is still a bitter one.

It’s like a pair of shoes. Everyone else can say how beautiful and valuable they are, but only the person wearing them knows if they pinch.

Zhengnian is a smart man; he knows what he wants. He’s chosen Xinxin. He says she’s kind and steady, someone he can build a happy life with. That’s what really matters."

Su Tang paused, observing Mrs. Chen’s reaction.

Although Mrs. Chen’s face was still turned to the side, she was clearly listening.

"It’s not easy for a city girl like Xinxin to be willing to follow him all the way out here to the Northwest. Think about it: Zhengnian is in the army, so the time he can spend with you is already short. If he married someone he didn’t love or get along with, he would be miserable. How could he have a happy life then?

And if he isn’t happy, how could you, his mother, ever be at peace?"