Chapter 2001: Chapter 1904: Condition Worsens

Upon hearing this suggestion, Zhang Chao’s heart was clearly moved, but he was no longer that impulsive person who didn’t understand the ways of the world. Although he was touched inside, he didn’t rush into action. Instead, he planned to go back and privately search online, to understand the current operation model of Weibo, and then think it over carefully to see if there’s any feasible plan.

However, this plan hadn’t been implemented yet when it was stalled due to special reasons.

The morning after eating at the street food stall, Zhang Chao’s father accidentally fell off the bed early in the morning, causing his condition to worsen again. He was urgently sent to the hospital, and after the doctor checked him, he sternly told Zhang Chao that the patient’s condition couldn’t be delayed any longer, and he must have surgery immediately, otherwise, he wouldn’t survive for three months.

Upon hearing this bad news, Zhang Chao was completely dumbfounded, his mind went blank, and he lost all ability to think.

The doctor was Zhang Chao’s father’s attending physician and naturally understood Zhang Chao’s family situation. He couldn’t help but sigh, reached out to pat this not-yet-eighteen-year-old boy, seemingly wanting to give this half-grown child a bit of strength.

Zhang Chao looked confused, and after pausing for a long while, he hesitantly asked:

"Doctor, can’t medication work anymore?"

The doctor shook his head: "The condition has worsened, and medication can no longer sustain it."

Zhang Chao’s mouth opened, full of despair in his eyes, but he still nodded solemnly and said, "Okay, I will prepare the surgery fee, please help keep an eye on my dad."

Saying this, Zhang Chao mechanically walked out of the doctor’s office. After going out the door, he stopped at the intensive care unit door, looking through the small window on the door at his father lying inside, with tubes inserted all over his body.

The father who was originally strong and healthy and not even forty, in almost a year, had become emaciated due to the torment of illness, with only skin and bones left on his hands and feet.

Now lying on that hospital bed, unconscious, just a glance at his father made Zhang Chao feel a heart full of sadness and sorrow, and for a moment, he couldn’t control his emotions, and could only cover his mouth and lean against the door to suppress himself from bursting into tears.

After crying for a while, Zhang Chao seemed to have figured it out. No matter what, he couldn’t just give up like this, so he stood up, took out his phone from his pocket, and started scrolling through the phone numbers, not missing any relatives or friends he could possibly contact.

Although he felt hard to speak of it, and although in recent days he had already incurred a lot of debt outside to sustain his father’s condition, he still didn’t want to give up so easily. His father was still so young, he couldn’t just leave this world with regrets, otherwise, he would never forgive himself for a lifetime.

However, the results of the calls made Zhang Chao feel an unprecedented sense of shame, a surge of mixed emotions of shame, guilt, and anger rising from his feet to his head.

"For that sickly shell of your dad, my family has invested a lot of money. Xiao Chao, you can’t be so heartless. Your uncle and aunt’s money doesn’t come like windfall, how can we fork out money? You better look elsewhere." This was what his aunt, who always liked to preach about being a good person with conscience, said.

"Shameless little brat, if your sick bed-ridden dad is going to die, let him die. Why pull us relatives down with him at his deathbed? What kind of logic is this? We have no money. Your uncle is about to get a construction project and is short on money. We don’t even know where to borrow. When will you pay back the money you owe us?" This was from his sharp-tongued aunt.

"You want to borrow money? How much? Xiao Chao, how about this, your aunt has her eyes on a business. With a little investment, you can earn a fortune. Low investment and high return. Why don’t you sell your house and invest in this business with your aunt? You’ll be able to earn a lot back, and then your dad’s surgery fee will be covered. What do you think?" This was from his aunt who was always thinking about making big money.

As for grandpa and grandma, maybe because his uncle and younger uncle might have passed the message to them, when he called, the line was always busy, and he couldn’t get through.

This is his family, this is what’s called blood ties!

Even his former homeroom teacher and a few small friends, upon hearing about his family’s situation, were concerned about his father’s deteriorating condition. Although they couldn’t lend him much money, out of humanity, they still gave whatever they could.

But these relatives of his could be so indifferent to his father’s condition, as if whether his father lived or died had absolutely nothing to do with them.

Just this once, Zhang Chao clearly saw through the faces of these people, mist forming in his eyes, gripping his fists tightly.

Soon after he called, his former homeroom teacher hurried to the hospital, followed by the two small friends he had dinner with the day before. Upon seeing Zhang Chao, the teacher’s eyes were a little red, and she walked over briskly and asked:

"Zhang Chao, where is your father?"

Zhang Chao pointed to the intensive care unit. Because the patient was still in danger, visiting was not allowed. The teacher went over, looked through the glass window, and glanced inside.

Seeing Zhang’s father lying inside, the teacher’s eyes also showed some pity. In the end, she came up to Zhang Chao and said:

"Don’t worry for now, here’s a little money we gathered from classmates. Take it. I’ll go back to school later and discuss with the school leaders to see if we can organize donations from teachers and classmates to cover part of the surgery fees."

The teacher looked gravely at Zhang Chao’s pale face and red eyes, knowing this child was under immense pressure, and couldn’t help but sigh.

She knew very well that even if the school donated, the money would only be a drop in the bucket. On the way over, she had already asked other students who got along well with Zhang Chao, and knew that if surgery was to be performed, it would require hundreds of thousands in treatment costs. Such a huge sum was something ordinary families couldn’t come up with, but if the money wasn’t gathered, the hospital wouldn’t perform the surgery.

Thinking of this, the teacher’s mind was full of ideas turning over and over, even thinking about going back later and contacting charity organizations to see if there’s any hope, knowing the chances were slim. But how would you know if you don’t try?

Having made up her mind, the teacher was thinking about comforting Zhang Chao when suddenly, the urgent ringing of a mobile phone echoed in the quiet hospital corridor.