"I didn't make it in time. His condition deteriorated too quickly, and his family refused to sign. The doctors had no authority or courage to proceed with the surgery."
Zhang Chenyan listened quietly. He could understand the doctors but not Chen Yijing's family.
He realized that at least when the doctor rushed out, they genuinely wanted to do something to save him. But as for Chen Yijing's family...
"Why?"
"Why did they refuse to sign?"
Holding his head in pain, Zhang Chenyan shivered. It seemed like he was asking the people around him, but more like he was asking himself.
At that moment, three people suddenly ran down the hallway towards them, shouting as they went and knocking over a patient returning to their room, creating chaos along the way.
"Yijing, my son..."
"How could this happen? Please save him!"
With the cries of a middle-aged man and woman, they threw themselves onto Chen Yijing's body.
The girl following them looked disdainful, as if she had been dragged along unwillingly, keeping a deliberate distance from the middle-aged couple.
"Doctor, save him! Aren't you supposed to save lives? How can you let him die?"
The middle-aged woman was about to throw herself at the doctor but was pulled away by someone nearby.
"Why are you touching my wife? You killed my son, and now you're hitting people!"
The middle-aged man, ignoring Chen Yijing's body, rushed at the medical staff.
"This is a hospital! Are you crazy?!"
"You started it!"
"She lunged at us first, we didn't touch her!"
"You killed him! You have to take responsibility!"
"You're trying to avoid responsibility and now you're hitting people! Bullies!"
...
Zhang Chenyan, eyes red with anger, watched the farce unfold. Seeing it escalate, he couldn't hold back anymore.
"You killed him!"
He shouted, his voice piercing the silence.
No one expected him to speak out at that moment, and everyone fell silent, turning to look at him.
"You signed the papers! You killed him!"
He repeated, his voice firm.
"Don't slander us! He was our son, how could we want to harm him?"
Hearing this, Zhang Chenyan suddenly laughed. What he hadn't understood before, he now understood in an instant.
"Because if he died and consented to the autopsy, you would receive a huge compensation."
"You wanted the merit points, to continue living your parasitic lives with his merit points!"
He looked at the repulsive faces of the middle-aged couple, feeling nauseous and disgusted.
Could these things really be called human?
"Yes, I remember now. They repeatedly confirmed! When they saw the consent form Chen Yijing signed, they repeatedly confirmed the merit points!"
"They even asked if they would get the money as long as Chen Yijing died!"
The intern, unable to hold back, also started speaking, explaining non-stop.
"Don't lie! Of course, we had to understand the document our child signed. Is there a problem?"
The middle-aged woman, seeing the situation turn, tried to tear into the intern, but Zhang Chenyan pushed her back.
"Of course, you should understand the documents Chen Yijing signed."
"So, concerning anything about Chen Yijing, you must be very attentive?"
The middle-aged woman, scrambling to her feet, was immediately questioned by Zhang Chenyan.
"Of course, Chen Yijing is our child. If we don't care about him, who will? You outsiders?"
The reply was quick, and it also criticized Zhang Chenyan and the medical staff.
Zhang Chenyan nodded, "If that's the case, why didn't you sign the documents when the doctors asked for your consent for the surgery? The doctors must have made it very clear that signing could save Chen Yijing's life!"
The intern quickly added, "Yes! We confirmed multiple times! We explained everything to them!"
"We didn't understand! Stop twisting things!" the middle-aged man immediately played dumb.
"Besides, no matter what, shouldn't saving people be your first priority? Isn't that your duty as doctors?" the middle-aged woman chimed in.
They accused others of twisting things, but they were the ones doing so.
"Who would be responsible if they performed the surgery without consent and something went wrong?"
"If they did the surgery without your consent and it succeeded, wouldn't you still come to make trouble?"
"The doctors explained the risks clearly, and now you're playing dumb? Can't read plain text?"
"Don't rush to answer me, look up. This hospital has cameras everywhere. Not only will the current events be recorded, but your refusal to consent will also be recorded."
"What's wrong? Forgetting to cry in your madness? Keep crying! You need to maintain your emotional act!"
"Don't you want to blackmail the hospital for money? How can you do that without crying?"
"I suggest you skip the formalities and directly name a price. See if the hospital agrees, that'll save everyone trouble!"
Zhang Chenyan said sentence after sentence, a cold smile on his face.
"Two million merit points!"
As soon as the middle-aged man spoke, the woman beside him pulled him.
"Are you sure you only want two million merit points? Once the autopsy begins as per the agreement, you can't change your mind."
"Five million merit points!"
"Are you crazy? There's surveillance!"
These two sentences came one after the other from the man and woman.
"Very good, five million merit points!"
Zhang Chenyan nodded and turned to the doctor, pointing at the cameras.
"Prepare to file a lawsuit! Combine this with the audio files from the agreement signing. This is extortion."
Hearing Zhang Chenyan's words, the middle-aged couple panicked. They wanted to rush at him, but the security guards had already arrived, and they couldn't get close.
If it had been before, the hospital might not have acted so harshly, considering they were the deceased's family. But after this incident, the hospital understood what was really happening.
"Preserve all surveillance footage and prepare to file a lawsuit!" The doctor said and immediately turned away, no longer willing to engage with them.
After the doctor left, Zhang Chenyan grabbed the intern and said quietly, "I need these videos too. Chen Yijing is dead. I can't let him leave without justice."
The intern paused, then nodded, "Okay, I'll handle it."
Finally, watching as the staff took away Chen Yijing's body, Zhang Chenyan didn't stop them, just quietly watching him for the last time.
Chen Yijing had signed the consent for autopsy himself. Whatever his reasons, Zhang Chenyan chose to respect them.
When Chen Yijing's body was finally out of sight, Zhang Chenyan felt drained, collapsing to the floor. He was eventually helped back to his bed by medical staff.
After all, Zhang Chenyan had just undergone surgery not long ago. He was still weak, running on adrenaline. Now that the immediate crisis had passed, exhaustion and pain set in.
Perhaps because he was lying face up, tears kept flowing down his cheeks. He wanted to ask the staff if "crying" was a postoperative reaction.
Unlike the sharp pain when he saw Chen Yijing's body, Zhang Chenyan now felt a dull, lingering ache, gnawing at his heart.
He hadn't known Chen Yijing long. He was probably the shortest acquaintance Zhang Chenyan had made. They had spent less time together than he had with Alex or 0810, yet so much had happened in that short time.
Once again, he understood why Chen Yijing had spoken so much the first time they met. Without him, Chen Yijing might have left the world tainted by lies.
Why did Chen Yijing come into this world?
Zhang Chenyan remembered when Chen Yijing had asked to borrow his handheld console. Just his trust made Chen Yijing so happy, willing to open up to him.
What had Chen Yijing experienced in his life?
Zhang Chenyan used to believe in "suffering first, sweetness later," thinking one had to endure hardship to appreciate joy. But was that really true? Did fairness, cause, and effect really exist?
Chen Yijing's life had been too bitter.
Even worse, his life seemed to be only bitter.
Maybe because of his parents, Zhang Chenyan had thought all familial love was the same. But now he saw the world had both beauty and darkness. While he experienced the beauty, others were cowering in the dark.
Whether it was the surgery or his emotions, Zhang Chenyan felt utterly exhausted and drifted off to sleep again.
In his dream, he saw Chen Yijing.
They were back where they first met, near Tels Company, lining up to register.
Chen Yijing was still the rebellious teenager, speaking to him with a hint of provocation.
"I just feel like you're taking away my chances, so I'm annoyed. I don't like you."
"From what I see, you seem well-off, educated, and have a stable job. You don't seem like someone who seeks thrill. Why risk your life? You're not like us who have nothing to lose. Think it over."
"Hey, can I borrow your handheld console?"
"Actually, I'm a bit scared. I want to call home. They don't know I'm here... I'm afraid they'll worry."
"Oh my god! Really? You believe that?"
"You really believed it? And you're willing to lend me your console for that stupid reason and my poor acting?"
"Forget it, I don't want to borrow anything from you. You old-fashioned people are no fun!"
"Why did you believe me? You were really going to lend it to me? Weren't you afraid I'd run off with it? It's not cheap."
"You're the first person to trust me."
"Were you that unlikeable before?" Zhang Chenyan half-jokingly asked.
"Yeah, pretty unlikeable."
"Maybe because I was unwanted from birth."
...
This time, Zhang Chenyan didn't say, "Why so melancholy? Teenagers shouldn't be so sentimental."
He seriously said, "Someone will want you! Someone really will! Just live on, and you'll meet people who love you! Friends, family, lovers... they'll all come."
Hearing this, the dream Chen Yijing suddenly quieted, staring at Zhang Chenyan with tears streaming down his face.
This was the first time Zhang Chenyan saw him cry. Even when telling him about his awful experiences, Chen Yijing had remained calm and composed. He had never cried in front of Zhang Chenyan. Zhang Chenyan doubted he had ever cried in front of anyone.
Chen Yijing could be rebellious, challenging, calm, even gentle, but never sad.
Most of the time, he smiled, a mocking smile.
At first, Zhang Chenyan thought he was mocking others, but now he realized he might have been mocking his own fate.
"Really?" Dream Chen Yijing confirmed again.
"Really!" Zhang Chenyan nodded firmly, "I believed you just now, now you believe me."
"Okay, I believe you." Chen Yijing smiled warmly and softly, "In the next life, I'll meet them."
When Zhang Chenyan woke from the dream, he still felt disoriented.
He reached out to grab something, but another pair of hands tightly grasped his.
"Mom's here, mom's here..."
Xie Han repeated, her voice choked with sobs.
As Zhang Chenyan's vision focused, he saw Xie Han's tear-streaked face.
Seeing her worried expression, he felt deeply guilty.
He didn't want Xie Han to worry about him. He had planned to lie for a few days, go home pretending everything was fine, and only tell her the truth when he had fully recovered, so she wouldn't worry too much.
But in the end, he caused an incident. His emotional outburst affected his recovery, and the hospital had to notify his family.
Xie Han seemed more composed. After understanding Zhang Chenyan's condition, she immediately cooperated with the hospital, following the doctors' instructions.
Fortunately, Zhang Chenyan's condition wasn't too serious, just needed rest. But because of the incident, his one-day observation became three days.
"Mom, I have something to say." Zhang Chenyan looked at Xie Han.