My Alleged Husband

Chapter 543 - 522 Eavesdropping_1

Old Master Zhang and the doctor believed their conversation here was known only to themselves, but they didn’t realize that after their next topic, their most cherished family member would overhear them. He never imagined such a thing would come so quickly, he never thought the very thing he wanted to keep a secret would one day be so plainly exposed to others.

"Uncle Shi, I certainly regard you as my elder. If it weren’t the case, I wouldn’t have spoken to you about this matter and would have directly informed your family instead. I know this isn’t the outcome you want, but rest assured, I will keep this matter confidential. However, you also need to cooperate with my treatment. Only by cooperating can your body continue to persevere. Even though living each step is painful, who knows, you might be able to hold on for a few more years? There are precedents for such results. As long as you actively cooperate with the treatment and don’t let your morale collapse or become indifferent about it, you will eventually face a different path in life, won’t you? I will definitely keep this a secret for you, but you must promise me to actively cooperate with the treatment!"

Old Master Zhang didn’t speak; he just nodded and turned to leave the place, returning to his ward.

He knew he was about to face a prolonged struggle – not against someone else, but against his own body. If he was strong enough to resist the body’s demons, he would become very strong. But if not, he could only allow himself to grow weaker.

The next day, the doctor came to Old Master Zhang’s ward to discuss his condition. Unfortunately, at that moment, his most cherished family member, Zhang Yichen, was standing outside the door!

"Uncle Shi, your condition now requires you to immediately cooperate with treatment, or once the tumor worsens, your life will be at risk. I know you don’t want your family to worry, so you need to cooperate even more actively with the treatment to ease their concerns. If you don’t cooperate with us, imagine how worried they’ll be inside. They would have to endure the pain of their loved one leaving without being able to say anything, feeling utterly helpless. Can you bear to let this happen to yourself?"

Outside the door, Zhang Yichen was stunned. What did "tumor deterioration" mean, and how many things was his grandfather hiding from him? Why wouldn’t he share such a serious matter? Didn’t his grandfather trust him at all? Was he really that fragile? Was he unwilling to share this with Zhang Yichen, to let him accompany and share the burden?

"I know what I’m about to face, and I’m very thankful to you for keeping it a secret. I realize some outcomes are unavoidable, but if I start treatment now, my grandchildren will definitely find out. So, I’m wondering if I can wait a little longer and seek treatment later?"

"Your body can’t wait any longer. If you start treatment now, you might at least extend your life by three to five years, but if you don’t cooperate, you might not even have a few months left. Is that what you want for your grandson to see how quickly his grandfather leaves him? Don’t you know what your grandson cares about most? What he cares about most is you. If you’re gone, how can he continue to live happily? Everything you do is for him, yet to this moment, he is still in the dark, not knowing anything. Can you bear that?"

"I know I’m being a bit selfish, but I don’t want them to be affected by my condition. All I want is for them to live happily. Is that so difficult? I don’t ask for much, just their happiness. I don’t care about my own suffering, I don’t care what kind of torture I can endure. What I cannot bear is the thought of my grandchildren’s devastated faces when they find out. I can’t stand by and watch them collapse, feeling powerless!"

...

Zhang Yichen couldn’t bear to listen any longer; he pushed the door open and entered. Old Master Zhang was stunned to see his grandson entering, never having expected that the truth would be so easily overheard by him.

"Yichen, why are you here?"

"If I don’t come now, would you have kept your illness a secret from me forever? Don’t you know what I care about? Don’t you care at all about how I feel? If you cared about my feelings, you should’ve been honest and told me, instead of hiding it from me!

I’m so relieved I came early. Otherwise, I might have never known how my grandfather left us, and my heart couldn’t have handled such a blow. Grandpa, I know everything you’ve done was for my sake, so I wouldn’t get burdened. But it’s cruel that you’re enduring the agony alone, swallowing all the pain. Don’t you think it’s too cruel? I can’t let you, my grandpa, who raised and educated me, bear all this suffering alone.

No matter what, you must cooperate with the doctor for treatment now. If you actively cooperate, perhaps there will be great news to share with you in the end!"

"Then, for that piece of great news from you, I’ll cooperate with the doctor’s treatment. But you can’t tell your father about this. I can’t stand the insult of him coming back to my side only because of my sickness. What I want is to maintain my dignity at the end, not to let my son, whom I cherished so much, see how wretchedly I die.

Since he chose not to come back then, he doesn’t need to return now. I’d rather go to my grave without acknowledging him as my son. After all, he has his own path, and I have my own life’s journey to embark on. I’m not sure how tough it will be, but I hope that after these events, I’ll still be able to face them with a smile. I believe a smile can overcome everything. I don’t care how damaged my body will become. I just want to live a few more years to see what that great news from you is."