NASAY CH 73

Luo Xing sat in the chair, nervously clasping his hands together.

The doctor didn’t tell him the results right away. Instead, after asking about his condition, he focused on adjusting the equipment, leaving Luo Xing to stew in his anxiety. Luo Xing didn’t have the nerve to ask either.

Honestly, he was no longer as obsessed with whether his ears could be healed. With modern communication tools like WeChat and his ability to read lips, he could still get by.

But…

But not being able to hear Huo Xingzhou’s voice firsthand, to listen as he softly confessed his feelings, to hear every detail of his words shaping the air around him—that felt like a bit of a loss.

Luo Xing wondered to himself, Would Huo Xingzhou be disappointed that I still can’t hear?

He looked up at the doctor performing the examination, silently hoping that a divine light would suddenly shine down upon him and the doctor would announce,
“Your ears can be healed! You’ll be able to hear the wind, the rain, the chirping of insects, and the songs of birds. You’ll hear the world welcoming you once more.”

Taking a deep breath, Luo Xing tried to suppress his scattered thoughts and focused on making it through the check-up. Finally, it was over, and he walked to the door to call in Huo Xingzhou and Wu Suyan.

“Please, have a seat.”

Wu Suyan took a seat on one of the chairs, while Huo Xingzhou walked over, pressing his hand firmly onto Luo Xing’s shoulder, silently offering him strength.

“Kid, are you nervous?”
The doctor glanced at Huo Xingzhou.

Huo Xingzhou paused for a second. Just a moment ago, he had thought this doctor seemed rather easygoing. So, he holds grudges, huh? After a brief moment, he chuckled and said, “Are you nervous?”

“What?” The doctor was taken aback.

Huo Xingzhou smiled and half-jokingly threatened,
“We have a saying in our dramas here: ‘If you can’t cure him, you better bring your own head to apologize.’”

The foreign doctor took a moment to process the words before his eyes widened in shock.
“Wait… Chinese doctors are supposed to present their own heads if they fail?!”

Wu Suyan couldn’t hold back her laughter. She cleared her throat and said,
“Alright, alright, if you keep acting, it won’t seem real anymore.”

The doctor sighed, then turned back to Luo Xing and got straight to the point.

“This boy lost his hearing due to an injury. Simply put, there was internal damage to his ear. I don’t know how the previous doctors treated him, but he retained a small amount of hearing. However—”

“However, what?”
Huo Xingzhou’s brows furrowed slightly.
“Just tell me, can it be cured or not?”

“Has he experienced any recent trauma or injuries? Because the last bit of his hearing is now completely gone. In other words, he is now fully deaf.”

Huo Xingzhou’s fingers tightened, his long fingers pressing so hard into Luo Xing’s shoulder that it left faint white marks. He clenched his jaw tightly, but didn’t speak.

Why didn’t he tell me?

The doctor didn’t give him the chance to ask Luo Xing anything and continued speaking.

“That being said, there is still hope for treatment. I can’t guarantee full recovery—I’m a doctor, not a god. All I can do is my best and leave the rest to fate. But the problem now is that you are in your final year of high school, with the college entrance exams coming up in less than three months. If you choose to have surgery now, including recovery and hospitalization, it will take at least two months. If you delay the procedure, there’s no way to know whether his ears will still be treatable in two months.”

After finishing, the doctor shifted his gaze from Luo Xing to Huo Xingzhou.

Luo Xing couldn’t hear any of it, but Huo Xingzhou could. Every single word drilled into his mind with painful clarity. The doctor’s heavily accented Mandarin felt like a blade slicing open his chest, pouring a scalding mixture of salt and boiling water into the wound—bubbling, burning, and raw.

This was the hardest decision he had ever faced in his life. No matter which option he chose, it felt like stabbing a knife into his own heart.

If he told Luo Xing to skip the college entrance exam, he knew Luo Xing wouldn’t agree.
But if Luo Xing remained deaf for the rest of his life, how could he ever truly be happy?

After a long silence, Huo Xingzhou finally spoke. “We…”

Before he could finish, Luo Xing suddenly asked,
“If I undergo surgery, will I be able to leave the hospital in time for the exam?”

Both Huo Xingzhou and Wu Suyan were stunned. They turned to look at Luo Xing in unison, as if he weren’t the one who had just asked that question.

Luo Xing had always valued his studies above all else. He had dreamed of getting into the same university as Huo Xingzhou—so why would he…?

The doctor nodded.
“Absolutely. If your recovery goes well, you could be back in school in just over a month.”

Luo Xing hesitated slightly and did some mental calculations. Even if the recovery period took the full two months, he could still review his notes. Besides…

He looked up at Huo Xingzhou and said,
“Teacher Cheng mentioned something about a guaranteed admission program before. At the time, I was really worried about you—I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to get in, so I didn’t say anything. But now, your grades should be high enough to meet the cut-off. I was thinking… should we just apply to that university?”

He really… really wanted to hear Huo Xingzhou say I love you with his own ears.

“Of course!”
Huo Xingzhou’s heart surged with joy. He wanted nothing more than to pull Luo Xing into his arms and kiss him right then and there. But with the doctor and his mother present, he held himself back. Instead, he steadied his voice and said,
“Alright, alright! We’ll go for that university! I’ll do whatever it takes to get in!”

Luo Xing nodded, rubbing his nose against Huo Xingzhou’s chest, quietly pushing down the fear of surgery failure deep inside his heart—making sure Huo Xingzhou wouldn’t notice.

The doctor watched the two of them and also suppressed the thought of possible surgical failure. He told himself, No matter what, I have to do everything in my power to help this kid hear again.

The world was so wonderful. And love—love was wonderful too.
It would be such a shame if he couldn’t hear it.

—

As they left the consultation room, Huo Xingzhou was still caught up in his excitement. He was halfway down the staircase when something suddenly hit him.

He grabbed Luo Xing’s arm, looked into his eyes, and slowed his speech.

“Little darling, your grandfather is in this hospital… He’s probably not going to make it. Do you want to see him?”

Huo Xingzhou asked the question carefully, his fingers gently rubbing Luo Xing’s ear.

Luo Xing froze, blinking as if he hadn’t heard correctly. Several seconds passed before he finally managed to speak in a dry voice.
“My… grandfather?”

Huo Xingzhou pulled him into a corner of the staircase, pressed a soft kiss to his lips, and then said in a gentle voice,
“He’s sick and doesn’t have much time left. Your mother… she asked me to send him a photo of you, but I couldn’t decide that on my own. So I wanted to ask you first.”

Luo Xing clenched his hands tightly.
The word grandfather felt so foreign to him. He couldn’t understand why people, on the verge of death, always wanted to see strangers one last time.

He had already witnessed too much loss recently. He didn’t want to watch another life slip away before his eyes.

But if he didn’t go… his grandfather might regret it, right?

Huo Xingzhou cupped his face, gently stroking his cheek with his thumb. His eyes were filled with soft, water-like tenderness.

“When people die, they disappear like a snuffed-out candle. Even if there’s regret, it won’t last in this world for long. No matter what you choose, there’s no right or wrong.”

Luo Xing nodded. He knew that.
But… he couldn’t be cruel.
Even if it was just like meeting a passing stranger, he could at least let the old man leave this regret-filled world without another regret.

He lifted his eyes and looked at Huo Xingzhou. After a moment of hesitation, he asked,
“Does my… grandfather look kind?”

“Is he the kind of person who seems strict but is actually very kindhearted?”

Huo Xingzhou’s heart ached. He pulled Luo Xing into his arms and hugged him tightly, as if he wanted to press him into his own bones and wrap him in his own flesh and blood.

“Come on, you’ll know when you see him.”

—

Following the room number Zhao Jiulan had sent, they quickly found the hospital ward.

Just as they arrived, they saw Zhao Jiulan coming out of the water room, carrying two hot water bottles. The moment she saw Luo Xing, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Across the short hospital corridor, they looked at each other from a distance. It was only seven or eight meters, yet Zhao Jiulan felt as if an entire galaxy lay between them—one that she could never cross.

The child standing before her had once been the person she loved most in this world.

After a long pause, Zhao Jiulan turned her head and went back into the water room.

She didn’t walk over to greet him. She didn’t join them in the hospital room.

Luo Xing was willing to see his grandfather—that was already enough for her.

Look at him.
He was still so kind.
Even if he could never forgive her, he still refused to blame those who were innocent.

Why hadn’t she realized it before?

Zhao Jiulan tilted her head back as two silent tears rolled down her cheeks.

The person next to her, busy filling their water bottle, glanced at her before looking away again.

After all, in a hospital, tears were the cheapest thing of all.

Luo Xing pushed open the door and looked at the elderly man lying on the hospital bed. His body was covered in tubes, and the room was filled with an unpleasant medical smell.

He was already too sick to speak. But when he saw Luo Xing, his cloudy eyes seemed to brighten for a brief moment. His hand, still connected to an IV drip, trembled slightly, and meaningless sounds escaped from his lips.

Luo Xing stared at the frail old man on the bed. Illness had tortured him to the point that he barely looked human anymore—his body was like a withered apple, dried up by time, his thin arms and fingers covered in nothing but loose skin.

So… this is my grandfather?

A wave of confusion swept over Luo Xing, but at the same time, he felt a deep sense of pity.

Once, this man must have been as dignified and energetic as Grandfather Huo. But now, he lay there, waiting for death to come and take his soul.

His nose tingled, and he stepped forward, gently placing his hand over the old man’s. In a soft voice, he said,
“Grandpa, I came to see you.”

Tears slid from the corners of the old man’s eyes, rolling down his temple and disappearing into his sparse hair, leaving behind only two faint wet marks.

Since he couldn’t speak, Luo Xing continued,
“Do you know how to play chess? I’m really good at it. When you get better, we can play together.”

The old man desperately opened his mouth, letting out hoarse, broken sobs. His voice was dry and burnt, like charcoal that had been scorched beyond recognition. He couldn’t form words, and his bloodshot eyes filled with urgency. The veins on his thin hands seemed to tense as if they were about to burst.

Luo Xing wiped away his warm tears and swallowed down the tightness in his throat. Blinking rapidly, he said,
“My mom said that when you get better, she’ll move back in with you. So please, get better. She only has you left… Don’t abandon her.”

The old man’s raspy voice cracked open like a floodgate. In a broken whisper, he choked out,
“I… I promise you… But call me again… call me Grandpa…”

His lips trembled uncontrollably. Luo Xing didn’t quite understand what he was trying to say until Huo Xingzhou came over and held him by the shoulder, giving him a silent cue.

“Grandpa,”
Luo Xing called out, gripping the old man’s hand tighter. He repeated it again and again, not even sure whose wish he was fulfilling.

A faint smile slowly appeared on the old man’s face.
“Good… good… My grandson is so rebellious… But I… I won’t get to see you… get married… I really wish… I could live just a little longer… so I could see you properly…”

Luo Xing’s vision blurred as his eyes burned with suppressed tears. He couldn’t clearly see the old man’s face as it gradually froze in place. He couldn’t even hear the sharp, piercing alarm from the monitors—a sound that felt like it was tearing through his soul.

But he could feel the frail fingers that had been holding onto his hand slowly go limp.

His grip loosened, and he turned, throwing himself into Huo Xingzhou’s arms.

At last, he could no longer hold back. He buried his face in Huo Xingzhou’s chest and broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.