"If he had only lost his memory, that wouldn't have been too bad. Memories can always be slowly retrieved. Even if he truly never recovers his memories, as long as his personality is the same, he wouldn't be too different from before. But now, it seems that's not the case."
Lu Xixi furrowed her brows and said, "We were all following him around the school, and you all saw it. He was alone in the classroom, leaning over the desk crying—I know Chen Nuo, and he's absolutely not the type to hide away and secretly shed tears on his own! And there's more! On the sports field, when a basketball was hurled at him… You all saw his instinctive reaction."
As she spoke, Lu Xixi sighed, her face filled with concern.
Sun Keke and Li Yingwan both carefully recalled the scene at that moment. When the basketball flew towards Chen Nuo, the action Chen Nuo took was to shield his face with his hands, curl up his body, and instinctively turn away. This was clearly a habitual action of evasion and self-protection, and it was an instinctive first response. This is how the most ordinary person would instinctively react to an external blow.
But this is definitely not how Chen Nuo should act!
What should Chen Xiaoguo be like? If he were standing on the sports field and a basketball flew towards him… He would certainly strike as flamboyant a pose as possible, and who knows, he might even kick the basketball back with a move like the Foshan Shadowless Kick! Even if he didn't do that, after catching the basketball, this rascal would definitely toss the ball directly into the basket with swag and nonchalance. Then he'd stroll off with his hands in his pockets, swaggeringly. In short, both showy and pretentious. That's how Chen Xiaoguo should be!
Three women stood outside the emergency room lobby when suddenly, Lu Xixi pulled the two girls back. Inside the lobby, Chen Nuo, who had been sitting, stood up and seemed to look outside out of instinct. Then he rubbed his eyes. Were my eyes playing tricks on me?
He walked to the triage desk and handed the thermometer he had taken out of his mouth to the nurse. "I… don't seem to have a fever."
The nurse glanced at it. "Mhm, 36.5 degrees, normal." While quickly writing down the temperature on the medical record, she handed it back to Chen Nuo, saying, "Go find a doctor."
Chen Nuo took it and returned to the emergency department's doctor's office. Once the doctor had taken back the medical record, he scanned it briefly and then asked, "Past medical history, any major illnesses?"
"Hm?"
"I'm asking if you have any family history of diseases like diabetes, or major illnesses such as your personal history of conditions like hypertension or heart disease. Also, have you undergone any surgery recently?"
The young man looked at the doctor and then suddenly bowed his head, speaking softly, "Yes, I have… Last month… Um, no, that's not right. I…"
Quickly calculating the approximate days in his mind, Chen Nuo raised his head, his expression somewhat troubled. "Half a year ago, um, November last year, I felt unwell and went to the hospital. They discovered I have…"
"What?"
"Cancer..."
The doctor's face changed; the somewhat casual expression turning serious immediately. He didn't look at the medical record anymore and raised his head to look intently at the young man before him, frowning as he said, "It's… what exactly?"
"Primary central nervous system lymphoma." The young man clearly articulated this term—these words, he remembered very clearly. This term, which he didn't understand when he first heard it, stuck firmly in his memory.
"When was it detected?" asked the doctor, straightening up.
"…Last year, um… November 2000, I guess, towards the end of the month."
The doctor quickly picked up the pen and wrote a line on the medical record. Then, looking up in surprise, he asked, "Have you received any treatment?"
"…Um, I should… not have," Chen Nuo answered uncertainly.
The doctor widened his eyes in disbelief! His first instinct was to blurt out, "How is that possible?!" From November of last year till now, it had been over nine months! Primary central nervous system lymphoma was a malignant tumor! If left untreated and allowed to develop... In over nine months, the patient would likely be gone! And yet, there he was, alive and kicking, sitting right in front of the doctor?
In truth, Chen Nuo also felt very uneasy. He said "should" not have received any treatment. Probably... He seemed to have lost his memories of the past half year. Based on his experiences tonight, it seemed that "he" had done many things and had changed a lot over that half year... Therefore, he actually didn't know whether he had ever been treated or not.
"Be clear, this is no joking matter," the doctor shook his head. "Have you actually been treated or not?"
"I don't remember," Chen Nuo whispered.
The doctor's heart skipped a beat. This is troublesome. He was just an ordinary emergency internist. When it came to brain cancer, a neurological disease, he wasn't an expert. Although he understood the basic medical knowledge and principles, he wasn't specialized enough.
He pondered his words for a moment. "Do you feel anything else?"
"I feel... like I've forgotten a lot of things," Chen Nuo's face wore a look of distress and panic. "And... I've found that I, I seem to have... changed into a different person."
"..."
The doctor mused for a moment, then said slowly, "The condition you're talking about, primary central nervous system lymphoma... indeed, in its advanced stages, it can lead to a decline in intelligence, loss of some memory... As for you feeling like you've changed into a different person, yes, in the late stages of this disease, symptoms can also include changes in the patient's personality."
Hearing the serious tone in which the doctor spoke these words, the boy felt an odd sense of relief wash over him for some reason. So... it was the illness that caused the memory loss... and personality change? Yes, personality change! At least there was a reasonable explanation. That was better than being utterly bewildered and panicked.
"Then you..."
"I just feel like I can't remember a lot of things tonight... and some people, I clearly don't remember ever meeting them, yet they seem so familiar to me. And... I..." Chen Nuo paused, squeezed his fingers hard, and said in a low voice, "Forget it, no, that's all." Then he asked another question, "Doctor, are all these... caused by my condition? The primary central nervous system lymphoma?"
"It's very likely," the doctor didn't dare to be certain, but still spoke slowly. "For this disease, I suggest you come to the hospital tomorrow... You should go to a major hospital, see a neurologist, and have a proper examination."
"Okay."
"Where is your family?"
"...Not around," Chen Nuo shook his head.
"..."
The doctor collected his emotions and continued slowly, "We are a district hospital, and this department is likely not equipped to treat your condition. I recommend you go to the city hospital tomorrow, see a neurologist, consult a specialist about your condition. You might need a CT scan, and some other examinations. Plus, it would be best if you have a family member with you."
Chen Nuo slowly walked out from the emergency office, expressionless as he headed towards the exit of the hospital. Actually, he wasn't feeling too bad or scared anymore. Anyway... I've known about this illness for a while now. Back when it was first diagnosed, I was indeed scared and miserable for a while. It was at this district hospital, just in the daytime outpatient clinic. I had come in because I'd taken a fall, felt dizzy, and had a nosebleed. The doctor he saw then said pretty much the same thing as the emergency physician did tonight.
Initially, when he first found out, his immediate reaction was fear. Then, after returning home, I initially felt awful, completely choked up inside. It seemed as if he wanted to talk to someone, but... after a long thought, he couldn't think of anyone. Sitting at home, for a long time in front of his grandmother's portrait, his only thought was still, "Who should I talk to? And what should I say?" My mother is in prison. My grandmother passed away. I'm all alone in the world, utterly solitary. In school, forget friends; I don't even have a single classmate I can talk to.
But after all these thoughts... the young man suddenly wasn't afraid anymore. It was very strange. He suddenly realized that he didn't know what he should be afraid of. Afraid of death? But what would happen if I died? Anyway... nobody would care, nobody would be hurt, right? And moreover... maybe after dying, I would go to the Underground... and get to see Grandma? So... After the fear, the boy became numb.
Chen Nuo walked out of the office with his medical record in hand, crossing the emergency hall... As he suddenly looked up, he saw Lu Xixi and two other women standing in front of him.
"What was the doctor just saying to you... what did it all mean?" Lu Xixi's face turned ashen!
Chen Nuo moved his lips but did not speak.
Lu Xixi swiftly snatched the medical record from Chen Nuo's hand and looked at it closely…
"...Patient's self-reported medical history: Diagnosed with primary central nervous system lymphoma in November 2000?
Self-reported symptoms: Changes in memory, changes in personality.
Diagnosis: CA pending.
Recommendation: Transfer to another hospital for treatment..."
As she read this, Lu Xixi felt the world spinning around her; even as a formidable Controller, her hands began to shake uncontrollably.
Sun Keke, who was anxious, was also looking over and couldn't help asking, "What is this primary central nervous system lymphoma thing?"
"It's brain cancer," Chen Nuo said in a low voice.
THUD.
Sun Keke sank to the ground.
「 」
"Your things are all packed." The middle-aged woman walked into the room. Wu Daodao was sitting on a small stool, his feet soaking in a wooden basin. She said to him, "I've brought you two shirts and two pairs of clean underwear. Wear those black pants tomorrow; they're more resistant to dirt, so you won't need to change them for a few days while you're out."
"Mhm." Wu Daodao was a bit distracted.
Wu Daodao also climbed into bed. He leaned the pillow against the headboard and lay there propped up, taking out a thread-bound, vertical-format book from the nightstand and starting to flip through it.
"..." The middle-aged woman looked annoyed at Wu Daodao lying beside her. Suddenly, she took a deep breath, then cuddled up, her face wearing a slight smile. "The kids are all asleep early..."
Wu Daodao was stunned. "… Eh?"
The middle-aged woman continued, "You'll be gone for quite a few days once you leave... Hey, Wu Daodao! Stop playing dumb with me! Hurry up!!"
Wu Daodao turned pale, his body shuddered, and he saw her leg wrapped in her pajama pants laid over his own calf...
"That, that... Oh, oh, my head... I have a terrible headache today... Maybe I haven't slept well these past few days; the headache is unbearable..." said Wu Daodao in a guilty yet pleading tone, "Some other day... some other day..."
"…" The middle-aged woman's face grew cold, and she gave Wu Daodao a harsh glare and huffed, "Useless thing, hmph!" With that, she turned over, her backside towards Wu Daodao, ignoring him.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Wu Daodao let out a long sigh of relief.
「 」
After they left the hospital last night, Lu Xixi forcibly knocked Chen Nuo unconscious and took him back! That night, Chen Nuo lay unconscious in his room. Sun Keke went home, and Li Yingwan was settled in Xiao Yezi's room to rest. And the long-legged girl, Li Yingwan, spent the night listening to Lu Xixi roaring in the living room like an enraged lioness!
In the middle of the night, Lu Xixi called Vanel over, then unleashed a torrent of fury on him! She railed in Russian and English, all sorts of shouting, all sorts of roaring. Vanel almost thought he would surely be torn to shreds by the furious Star Sky Empress that very night! Then, the shocked and terrified bear-like Davarishi scampered back in the middle of the night, practically wetting himself, and made several phone calls. When he returned at dawn, he pleaded with the Star Sky Empress and swore a torrent of oaths. He even offered to swear on the name of his long-deceased grandmother that he had absolutely not made a mistake, that such a blunder was impossible!
"Your Majesty the Empress! You must believe me!
"When Davarishi was in Brazil, we found the most elite medical team to conduct a thorough and in-depth examination for him! They are world-renowned brain specialists! Neurology experts! And the most meticulous full-body checkup!
"I can guarantee, last night I repeatedly confirmed Davarishi's medical examination records from his time in Brazil with the Brazilian side! Moreover, I had different experts re-examine the reports! The brain CT and MRI scans Davarishi had done in Brazil were all read by at least three neurological specialists! The director of that hospital swore to me that the patient's MRI scans show he absolutely does not have any primary central nervous system lymphoma!
"If he had such a serious illness, that top-tier hospital in Brazil couldn't possibly have failed to detect such a major condition!"
This statement finally allowed the Empress, who had been agitated all night, to breathe a slight sigh of relief. Then, still uneasy, of course, she immediately decided to have another examination done right there in a Jinling hospital!
This checkup was organized by the leggy Miss Li Yingwan. Arranging such an examination as a foreign investor was, naturally, extremely convenient. In 2001, it was still an era when various local governments actively sought foreign investment, and foreign investors received treatment that was almost better than that of nationals. They could use special 'green channels' and get appointments with specialists whom ordinary patients could never get to see, no matter how long they queued. There were even dedicated medical departments serving foreign investors. Of course, this phenomenon changed significantly many years later. One can't say whether it was right or wrong, but at that time, it was indeed a peculiar existing phenomenon.
In the morning, Lu Xixi and Li Yingwan accompanied Chen Nuo for the hospital checkup. Sun Keke did not go. After all, Sun Keke's family was strict. Last night, when School Belle Sun learned Chen Nuo was ill, she nearly had an emotional breakdown. Fortunately, Lu Xixi later calmed her down and ordered School Belle Sun to go home first... Otherwise, Old Sun would definitely have come looking for her in the middle of the night!
After Sun Keke returned home, she didn't dare say anything to Old Sun and his wife, simply claiming she was too tired and sleepy and went to her room to rest. That night, hiding under her covers, the girl had a good cry. One moment, her heart ached that Chen Nuo actually had other women... The next, she was distressed that Chen Nuo had lost his memory. Then, even more agonizing was the discovery that Chen Nuo had been diagnosed with such a terrible, terminal illness! That Chen Xiaoguo... is he going to die?
In the morning, School Belle Sun waited impatiently for Old Sun and his wife to leave for work. Once they were gone, she came out of her room. Without bothering to dress up, she quickly washed her face, brushed her teeth, and rushed out the door. She didn't even take her bicycle, instead hailing a taxi and heading straight to Chen Nuo's house. But she was still too late. Lu Xixi and Li Yingwan had already escorted Chen Nuo to the hospital for the examination.
「 」
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
Reaching the fifth floor, Wu Daodao took a couple of light breaths. He checked the door number. Then he straightened his shirt collar. He took out a black armband from his bag and put it on his arm. After thinking for a moment, he took something else out of his bag, gripping it in his hand, and then reached out to knock on the door.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Footsteps approached, and the door opened. Wu Daodao looked closely at Sun Keke, who was standing in the doorway. I recognize her! I saw her at Master Jiang's birthday celebration! I remember she's supposed to be Little Junior Brother Chen Nuo's girlfriend. Seeing Sun Keke now, her face was etched with worry, and her red eyes clearly showed she had been crying. Wu Daodao instantly understood!
His expression instantly shifted to one of profound grief. He stepped forward, grabbed Sun Keke's hand, and shook it a few times. His tone was even more mournful. "I'm late! I'm late! Did my junior brother have a peaceful passing? As his senior brother, I dared not delay and rushed here overnight. I must give my junior brother a proper send-off!! My condolences! My condolences! Sister-in-law, you must stay strong!"
As he spoke and released her hand, a thick white envelope was left in Sun Keke's palm. Then, Wu Daodao looked at the still somewhat dazed Sun Keke, swallowed, and asked, "So, which day is the funeral banquet?"
[Please have a little patience when reading, alright? I won't write the protagonist as having two souls in one body. Have you forgotten about that black and white grain of rice? That was foreshadowing planted long ago. Don't start complaining that you're dissatisfied the moment you encounter a slightly more complex or convoluted plot. If you just want instant gratification, you might as well watch Japanese action movies. A novel can be a satisfying read, but it needs some twists and turns to be more interesting, right?]