Chapter 55

【PS: Thank you to Shanghua Pin Yu, Ge Yun, Jiulong Island Wang Mo, and Ao You for your generous donations. I'm really sorry this chapter is a bit late~ Also, just a heads up, the recommendation votes are about to break a thousand. If they do, I'll update three times. If they don't, I'll still update three times to celebrate the upcoming milestone!】

Until the morning exercises ended, Tong Yan did not appear. The guys in Dorm 121 couldn't give a clear explanation, and Huang Yelou was quite pleased. It was Chinese class in the morning, and the homeroom teacher was in the office. The other students returned to the classroom, but he went straight to the office.

When he entered the office, he was about to put on a look of righteous indignation when he saw Tong Yan sitting opposite Old Song.

"What's up, Yelou?" Song Xiancheng asked.

"Ah, um, I didn't see Tong Yan during morning exercises, I thought something had happened to him," Huang Yelou said awkwardly with a smile.

"He's been here the whole time, nothing to worry about. You can go back," Song Xiancheng waved him off.

If it were before, Tong Yan would definitely have mocked how Old Song had found such an unreliable class monitor, but now, he had no mood for it.

"Tong Yan," Song Xiancheng patted Tong Yan's shoulder comfortingly, "don't worry, medical technology is so advanced now, there's nothing you can't get through."

"Thank you, Mr. Song. I want to go to the hospital this morning, I won't be attending PE class."

"Alright, I'll write you a note. Your parents are at City Third Hospital, right?"

Tong Yan nodded.

"In that case, I have no classes this morning, I'll go with you. A parent of one of my former students works at City Third Hospital, maybe they can help."

"Thank you, Mr. Song." Tong Yan stood up and said solemnly.

After the second class, Tong Yan left the school with Old Song. Many people only noticed he was missing when PE class started. Huang Yelou, once again, righteously revealed that Tong Yan was absent, and the PE teacher chuckled, saying he had known all along.

Tong Yan only knew that his parents were at City Third Hospital, but he didn't know where they were staying. Fortunately, Old Song was there to help. He asked about the hospital records like a parent and found the ward where his mother was staying.

Tong Dad and Tong Mom never expected Tong Yan to find them. They hadn't planned to hide it from their son, but they wanted to wait until the doctors at the big hospital made a diagnosis and came up with a treatment plan, confirming that it could be cured, before bringing their son to see his mother.

"Yan, why are you here?"

"Shanshan called me," Tong Yan explained briefly, then pointed to Old Song behind him, "Dad, Mom, this is Mr. Song, our homeroom teacher. You've met him at parent-teacher meetings before."

Tong Mom's spirits weren't as bad as Tong Yan had imagined. She smiled, "I remember, but your dad hasn't."

"Right, right, I always went to the parent-teacher meetings," the honest Tong Dad said, "Mr. Song, it's really kind of you to come see us, it's a bother."

"Don't mention it, it's my duty. I'm Tong Yan's teacher, he's like my own child. I can't just stand by and watch him worry about his mother," Song Xiancheng looked at Tong Dad, "Mr. Tong, come with me for a moment. Tong Yan, stay with your mom."

Old Song called Tong Dad out, "I know a doctor at this hospital, a parent of one of my former students. Let's go find him..."

Outside, Old Song and Dad were trying to find connections, while Tong Yan stayed by his mother's bedside, "Mom, what did the doctor say?" Shanshan was scared and couldn't explain clearly, and his cousin didn't know much. Tong Yan still had no idea what his mother's illness was.

Tong Mom comforted him, "The doctor said there's a tumor in my stomach, but it's a good thing we caught it early. It hasn't turned cancerous, and it's treatable. They just need to remove it, and I'll be fine. Yan, it's all thanks to you for tricking me into getting a check-up. Otherwise, I would have suffered a lot."

Mom said more, mostly urging her son not to worry about her, not to let it affect his studies, and to focus on his exams. In her eyes, nothing was more important than her son's future, which depended on his outstanding academic performance. Although this view was somewhat biased and absolute, it was a widely accepted truth among most parents.

"Mom, you focus on getting better, and I'll focus on my studies and exams!"

Hearing this, Tong Mom smiled broadly. Tong Yan knew he had said exactly what his mother wanted to hear.

Tong Dad and Old Song had a productive visit. The parent of one of his former students happened to be the deputy director of the oncology department and an excellent surgeon. Tong Dad hadn't met the deputy director before; a young doctor had been in charge. After Old Song's introduction, the deputy director took over the case. Tong Yan felt much more at ease and thanked Old Song again, even thinking that if Old Song asked, he would do anything for him, even if it meant going through fire and water!

Actually, Tong Yan should be most grateful to himself. Early-stage stomach tumors often have no obvious symptoms and are hard to diagnose. By the time they are discovered, they are usually in the middle or late stages. If he hadn't insisted on a thorough check-up for his mother, the consequences would have been unimaginable. In the original timeline, his mother's illness had erupted during his college entrance exams, leading to the family's financial ruin and affecting his exam results, resulting in him only getting into a regular university in the capital.

Tong Yan stayed at the hospital for over an hour and learned more about his mother's condition. Although it was the most serious illness he and his parents had ever faced, it was not a death sentence. The chances of a complete cure with no lasting effects were still high.

"Alright, you've heard what the doctor said. Go back to school now. Your dad is here, so you don't need to keep coming. Got it?" Tong Mom pretended to be sleepy, urging Tong Yan to leave.

"Actually, we have some classes that are optional, like PE, computer, and Chinese. I'll come see you then."

Tong Yan's words made Tong Dad, Tong Mom, and Old Song laugh.

Old Song was quite open-minded, "This kid doesn't really need to attend Chinese class. He has the right to be proud."

Leaving the hospital, it was already past noon. Tong Yan said, "Teacher, I'll go back on my own. You should go home too."

"At this time, you won't find anything to eat at school. If you don't mind, come to my place for a meal. I live nearby, and it's simple for the two of us."

Song Xiancheng really liked Tong Yan. Although he was unhappy with his poor performance on the last exam, it wasn't because of his grades but because of his study state over the past month. He even felt a bit secretly pleased when he saw Tong Yan's results: "Let's see you not study hard, thinking you're so smart you can ace exams without effort. This time, you got a good lesson!"

When Old Song invited him to have dinner at his place, Tong Yan initially refused, but he couldn't resist Old Song's insistence. He also had a vague desire to see Old Song's home, for reasons only he knew.

"Come in, no need to change shoes. I don't have so many formalities."

Song Xiancheng led Tong Yan into the house. Before he could look around, he heard a girl's voice, "Dad, I'm back. What's for dinner today?"

Tong Yan and Song Xiancheng's nerves tightened simultaneously...

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