The afternoon sunlight filtered through the blinds, cutting the floor of Fu Sinian’s office into alternating patches of light and shadow. He was reviewing an important merger contract when his phone suddenly rang. The screen displayed two words: “Father.” At this hour, his father rarely called.
A sudden sense of foreboding gripped his heart.
“Sinian, come to the hospital, quickly!” Fu Mingcheng’s anxious voice came through, mixed with the chaotic noise of medical equipment. “Your mother suddenly has severe abdominal pain. The doctor says it’s acute cholecystitis and she needs surgery immediately!”
The pen in Fu Sinian’s hand slipped and fell onto the desk with a sharp snap, ink spreading into a dark blue stain across the contract. He shot to his feet, rushing out without even grabbing his suit jacket. “Which hospital? I’ll be there right away!”
“City First Hospital, we’re already in the emergency department!” Fu Mingcheng’s voice carried rare panic. “The doctor says a family member must sign before they can operate. Hurry!”
As he strode toward the elevator, Fu Sinian gave quick instructions to the assistant following behind him. “Cancel all my appointments this afternoon. There’s an emergency.” His voice remained steady, yet the faint tremor in his fingertips betrayed the turmoil inside him.
Every second of the elevator’s descent felt unbearably long. He thought of his mother, Shen Manjun. Her health had never been good over the years. Though she was only fifty-nine, she had endured much hardship in her youth supporting his father’s business, leaving her with lingering health problems. Last year’s checkup had already warned about her gallbladder. He had never expected it to flare up this severely, this suddenly.
After getting into the car, Fu Sinian took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Then he dialed Su Wanning’s number. At a time like this, he needed his wife by his side.
The call connected, and he immediately heard a soft piano melody in the background, along with the faint clinking of cups and plates. She was clearly not in her office.
“Wanning, Mom has acute cholecystitis and needs immediate surgery. A family member has to sign the consent form. Get to City First Hospital right now!” His words came fast, each one carrying undeniable urgency.
There was a brief silence on the other end, then Su Wanning’s slightly flustered voice replied, “Now? I… I have something going on here…”
Fu Sinian’s heart sank instantly. In the background, he heard a low male voice ask softly, “Wanning, what’s wrong?” That voice was all too familiar… Gu Jingchen.
“What could be more important than Mom’s life?” Fu Sinian’s voice rose involuntarily, his fingers tightening around the phone until they turned pale. “The doctor said the surgery must be done immediately. Come now!”
“But…” Su Wanning hesitated, her words faltering. “Jingchen… he suddenly felt unwell just now. I’m with him at a clinic…”
A cold laugh almost escaped Fu Sinian’s lips. Gu Jingchen felt unwell? Of all times, now? He suppressed the surge of anger in his chest and said each word clearly, “Su Wanning, I’m giving you twenty minutes. Get to the hospital immediately.”
Without waiting for her response, he hung up.
Outside the window, the city blurred past at high speed, yet his heart felt heavier than the congested traffic. This was the first time that, in a major family crisis, Su Wanning had not stood by his side immediately.
He couldn’t help but think back to three years ago, when his father had suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized. Su Wanning had rushed back overnight from another city, staying at the hospital for three days and nights without rest, her eyes red from exhaustion. Back then, she had held his hand and said, “Sinian, don’t be afraid. Your parents are my parents too. I’ll stay with you.” This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
But now, faced with the same kind of emergency, she hesitated… for another man.
When Fu Sinian arrived at City First Hospital, Fu Mingcheng was pacing anxiously outside the emergency room. The moment he saw his son, he seemed to find his anchor and hurried over. “Sinian, you’re finally here! The doctor said surgery must be done immediately. The consent form is ready.”
Fu Sinian took the surgical consent form from the nurse and quickly scanned its contents. His gaze lingered for a moment on the “surgical risks” section, where various possible complications were listed. His hand trembled slightly as he held the pen, but he still signed his name without hesitation.
“Where’s Wanning?” Fu Mingcheng looked behind him. “Didn’t she come with you?”
Fu Sinian’s throat moved slightly. He replied lightly, “She had something to handle. She’ll be here soon.”
He didn’t want his father to worry at a time like this… nor did he want him to know that when their family needed unity the most, Su Wanning had chosen to stay by another man’s side.
The doors of the operating room slowly closed, and the red “In Surgery” light lit up. Fu Sinian and his father sat side by side on the corridor bench, silence pressing down on them like a heavy stone. Time passed slowly, each minute stretching unbearably long.
Fu Sinian checked his phone from time to time, but there was still no message or call from Su Wanning. His mind replayed Gu Jingchen’s earlier words, “Wanning, what’s wrong?” The tone had been intimate, natural… as if he were the one closest to her.
“Dad, sit for a bit. I’ll make a call,” Fu Sinian said, standing up and walking to the window at the end of the corridor.
He dialed Su Wanning again. This time, it rang for a long while before she picked up.
“Sinian, how’s Mom?” Her voice carried a deliberately composed concern, yet that same piano music still lingered in the background.
“The surgery has already started,” Fu Sinian said, his voice as cold as ice. “When will you arrive?”
“I…” Su Wanning hesitated. “Jingchen’s tests aren’t finished yet. The doctor said it might be acute gastroenteritis, and he needs someone with him…”
Fu Sinian closed his eyes. A chill surged from his feet straight to his head. He could almost picture the scene… Su Wanning sitting beside Gu Jingchen in some upscale clinic waiting area, perhaps her hand held in his, perhaps her gaze full of the same concern that once belonged only to him.
“It’s not about choosing…” Su Wanning tried to explain. “I just think, with you and Dad there, Mom should be fine without me…”
“Without you?” Fu Sinian cut her off, a trace of suppressed anger finally surfacing in his voice. “Su Wanning, do you remember who you are? Do you remember who is lying in that operating room?”
Silence answered him. Only the gentle background music continued, almost mocking his pain.
“I’m giving you one last chance,” Fu Sinian said slowly, each word deliberate. “Now. Immediately. Come to the hospital.”
He hung up again.
His reflection stared back at him from the glass window, face taut, eyes no longer calm but filled with an indescribable ache.
When he returned outside the operating room, Fu Mingcheng looked at him with concern. “When will Wanning get here?”
Fu Sinian forced a faint smile. “She had an urgent matter. She might be a little late.”
He didn’t tell his father that the woman he once cherished above all else was now at another man’s side, abandoning her duty as a daughter-in-law for a so-called “acute gastroenteritis.”
The surgery lasted a full three hours.
During those three hours, Fu Sinian’s phone remained silent… no messages, no calls from Su Wanning.
When the operating room light finally went out and the doctor stepped out to inform them that the surgery had been successful, the heavy stone in Fu Sinian’s heart finally dropped. But another, even heavier weight settled in its place.
“Manjun will wake up soon. You can go to the ward to stay with her,” the doctor said with a smile.
Fu Mingcheng let out a long breath and gratefully shook the doctor’s hand. Fu Sinian supported his father as they walked toward the ward. At the moment he pushed open the ward door, he glanced at his phone one last time.
Still nothing.
At that moment, Fu Sinian clearly realized that something had changed irrevocably. When he needed support the most, Su Wanning’s choice had carved a deep, irreparable crack into their marriage.