Shen Yizong lowered his gaze and took a deep breath.
Stomach cancer, late stage.
This illness wasn't recent then.
Shen Yilin loved playing basketball and didn't smoke, so there was no opportunity for him to be exposed to toxic gases for extended periods.
That left only the period when he was unconscious.
Shen Yizong had investigated after waking up and knew how difficult his brother's life had been during those years, often going without food.
As for moldy food, he likely ate a lot of it.
And overexertion.
Even after he woke up and dealt with the owner of that club, the suffering his brother endured still weighed on him.
Late stage.
Shen Yizong understood what those two words represented.
Seeing that the man before him remained silent, his gaze lowered, the doctor felt a pang of unease.
He had never encountered such an uncomfortable man; his mere presence exuded a chilling aura.
"Doctor, what is the cure rate for late-stage stomach cancer?"
The doctor pursed his lips, a hint of difficulty in his tone. "I can only tell you that the possibility of curing late-stage stomach cancer is very small—or rather, there is practically no chance of a complete cure; because at the late stage, cancer cells often spread and metastasize, even breaking through the serosa and extending to the omentum..."
The doctor explained extensively, implying that it could spread to adjacent organs like the colon, liver, lungs, and pancreas, or even to the bones.
In the end, the doctor offered only two options: chemotherapy or radiotherapy, or the use of targeted therapy drugs.
Shen Yizong didn't fully understand, but he knew the outcome was the same: a slim chance of a cure.
He remained silent for a long while, then looked up at the doctor. "What about a more skilled doctor?"
The doctor seemed embarrassed but still replied, "Actually, if it were mid-stage stomach cancer, 40% of patients can be cured. But this patient is already in the late stage, with a cure rate practically at zero. A better doctor would likely not make much of a difference."
Qingcheng was a super-tier city, and First Hospital was the best among Qingcheng's hospitals, renowned nationwide.
In essence, he was already one of the top experts in gastroenterology in the country.
However, looking at the man's murderous gaze, as if he would demand the doctor's life if he couldn't cure his brother, the doctor's Adam's apple bobbed a few times.
"Of course, if you could contact a world-class renowned physician, you could consult them as well. After all, it's not impossible that I might be ignorant."
Shen Yizong asked, "What about Harlana?"
"Professor Harlana?!" The doctor's spirits lifted; this was a figure considered the pinnacle of the profession by all doctors.
"Professor Harlana might not be able to do anything with this either, but I can only say that if miracles truly exist in this world, then Professor Harlana is the one most likely to perform one."
Shen Yizong nodded. "I understand."
With that, he turned and walked towards the ward.
The doctor watched his retreating back with a sense of pity. Not to mention Professor Harlana, even if all the world's renowned physicians gathered, and countless medical research organizations pooled their efforts, there was nothing that could be done.
Shen Yizong returned to the ward and looked at his brother lying on the hospital bed.
"Yilin, it's my fault for burdening you," he murmured. "Don't worry, I will definitely cure you!"
If miracles didn't exist, he would take them, he would snatch them!
That was how he had always operated.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
It was the weekend, Qin He's usual livestreaming day. She now had over a hundred million followers on short video platforms.
And on Weibo as well.
Everyone knew about her multiple online personas. Recently, her developed medicines had frequently won international awards, bringing glory to China.
There were numerous interviews in international magazines. Although they were with the development team, the other three medical professors did not claim credit, attributing all success to Qin He.
Qin He had also received official thanks from Country Y for her work in embalming.
Not long ago, it was revealed that she was the perfumer, Lilac.
A person like this, livestreaming to teach health and beauty, with all proceeds donated, drew many curious viewers.
Miss Qin family had become a figure akin to a celestial being.
Rumors even circulated online that Qin He was a lizard person, and many people believed them.
After Qin He finished lunch and planned to take a nap before her livestream, she received a call from Shen Yizong.
"Big Brother Shen, is something wrong?" Qin He asked with a smile.
Shen Yizong's voice on the other end held a gentle tone. "Miss Qin, I just heard from Yilin that today is your livestreaming day. I'm truly sorry, but today is the anniversary of my parents' passing, and I've taken him to the suburban cemetery. I might not be able to make it back in time—"
Today was the anniversary of the Shen family parents' passing?
Qin He quickly replied, "It's alright on my end. I can set up the equipment myself. Yilin doesn't need to come. Honoring your parents is the important thing. Please convey my regards and offer two sticks of incense for Uncle and Auntie on my behalf."
Shen Yizong's voice was polite. "Thank you, Miss Qin."
After hanging up, Qin He went to get the livestreaming equipment.
Every time she livestreamed, Shen Yilin had already set everything up, and Qin He only needed to do a simple setup.
After the broadcast began, many people flooded into the livestream room.
Without Shen Yilin present today, the comments scrolled by very quickly.
Qin He smiled and answered questions, admitting with some helplessness, "Your messages are appearing too fast."
She answered a few questions here and there, and after a while, she began teaching makeup. Someone commented, asking her to teach perfumery.
The two conflicting opinions quickly led to a heated debate in the livestream room.
Among the messages, someone jokingly posted: [Why not teach undertakers makeup? I can be a corpse and die.]
Qin He's expression turned serious. "Jokes like that are not appropriate."
By the end of the livestream, the single session's earnings had surpassed ten million.
The platform granted her special access, and the money was immediately transferred out, directly to the charity foundation's studio.
Qin He was packing away her makeup when her phone rang.
It was a video call from Gu Qishen.
Qin He answered and smiled. "Are you calling at precisely this moment?"
"I was watching your livestream just now," Gu Qishen said in the video. He was sitting beside a floor lamp, the yellow light casting a golden hue on his hair from behind him.
Qin He propped her chin in her hand. "Where's Lele?"
"He's asleep. Do you want to see him?" Gu Qishen asked. "If you do, I can have someone bring him over."
"Forget it, if you bring him, he'll definitely wake up." Qin He clicked her tongue. Hearing that, one might think Lele was his own son.
They chatted for a while, and then Qin He went back to her room to wash up and get into bed.
Her recent surge in popularity was making her somewhat anxious.
It was precisely at times like these that those people would hesitate to make a move against her. Her time was running out.
Gu Residence.
Gu Qishen looked at his phone screen as it went black and set it aside.
He picked up the thick stack of documents on the table and began to look through them one by one.
His focused expression suggested he was examining crucial files, but the papers were filled with proposals from wedding planning companies worldwide.
After Gu Qishen had Yu Jing release the news, many companies had even submitted proposals as thick as books to show their sincerity.
These corporations were aware of Gu Qishen's budget; securing this contract would allow them to live a life of luxury for the rest of their lives.
Gu Qishen was engrossed in his reading.
On the side table, there was another document, a single page.
It was a drawing of the shape of gold threads within the intricate patterns of the Ten Thousand Forms Theory, traced by Gu Qishen with a gold ink pen.
He had already instructed Yu Jing to investigate this shape, and he believed a conclusion would be reached soon.