Call Me Daddy

The thought of the colonoscopy made the old lady shiver, but with the money already spent, she had no choice but to go through with it.

Now, sitting in the wheelchair that Su Aobai was pushing, clutching her bloated stomach, the old lady looked utterly defeated, not even in the mood to mutter complaints.

Next time! Next time I definitely won’t listen to him and come to the hospital for an exam!

The old lady silently swore this to herself for the umpteenth time.

Soon, it was the old lady’s turn for the gastrointestinal endoscopy. Family members weren’t allowed inside, so Su Aobai handed the old lady over to the nurse. Since there was also a period for an IV drip, Su Aobai waited outside for about half an hour before the nurse called him in to pick her up.

The old lady was in a half-conscious, half-asleep state. Su Aobai had hired a temporary caregiver to help her put her pants back on. As the old lady slowly came to, the nurse brought over the endoscopy report

“There’s a bit of an issue. You should go and get an appointment with a proctology specialist.”

The nurse who delivered the report had a somewhat serious expression, causing Su Aobai’s heart to skip a beat. The groggy Dean Mother Ji didn’t seem to catch what the nurse said, her mouth half-open, still not fully awake.

Su Aobai took the two reports. The gastroscopy results were good, showing only mild superficial gastritis. However, the colonoscopy report was less optimistic.

There were a few polyps in her intestines, one of which appeared suspicious and was suspected to be a malignant tumor.

Su Aobai’s heart sank.

The reason he insisted on bringing the old lady for an annual physical examination, even going so far as to have a gastrointestinal endoscopy done every year, despite doctors typically recommending it every 2 or 3 years, was because of the memories from the original owner. In those memories, the old lady had passed away from colon cancer shortly after retiring.

By the time the cancer was detected, it was already in the late stages.

Elderly people tended to endure pain, and many would hide their illnesses from their children unless absolutely necessary, fearing the cost of hospital visits. As a result, minor ailments often turned into serious conditions. No one could say for sure when the old lady’s gastrointestinal issues had started.

For the past few years, the test results had shown that her gastrointestinal health was fine. But just as Su Aobai began to feel relieved, the same disaster from his previous life struck again.

However, this time, it was discovered a year and a half earlier than in the original owner’s memories.

Su Aobai suspected that the old lady hadn’t been following his advice, possibly eating leftover food at home or consuming cheap but hard-to-digest meals.

***

He didn’t dare delay.

He quickly registered the groggy old lady, still sitting in the self-service wheelchair, for a specialist appointment in the proctology department. After waiting in line, they entered the examination room. Upon seeing the elderly doctor in a white coat and the two interns beside him, the old lady finally fully woke up.

“Are you the family member?” the doctor asked, glancing at the test report and then at the two of them, directing the question to Su Aobai.

Dean Mother Ji was a perceptive woman. Noticing the serious expression on Su Aobai’s face, she realized that this time, the test results weren’t as optimistic as before.

“Doctor, just tell me. I can handle it,” the old lady said straightforwardly.

Seeing her determined attitude and apparent calm, the doctor decided to speak frankly.

“Based on the colonoscopy results, it doesn’t look good. We suspect it’s a malignant tumor.”

Upon hearing the doctor’s words, the old lady felt faint, her mind reeling.

Isn’t that cancer?

“Don’t panic just yet. Look, the nearby section of the intestine is still healthy. Even if it’s cancer, as long as it’s detected early and treated promptly before it spreads, there’s a good chance of recovery.”

From the doctor’s experience, this seemed to be an early-stage colon cancer.

“I recommend getting admitted to the hospital as soon as possible and scheduling surgery,” the doctor said, turning to Su Aobai, assuming he was the patient’s son.

Cancer treatment isn’t cheap, and post-operative care and medication can be a significant burden for many families. The doctor had seen many cases where elderly patients with a chance of recovery opted out due to financial constraints or unfilial children.

“Doctor, how much… will it cost to treat this illness?”

The old lady remained silent for a while. When she heard the doctor say it was in the early stages and that there was a good chance of a cure, she sighed in relief. But soon after, the cost of cancer treatment became a heavy burden pressing on her chest.

As the director of an orphanage for decades, most of her salary had been spent on the children there. At her age, her personal savings still didn’t exceed five figures.

As for the other account with a six-figure balance, that was reserved for Su Yixing and couldn’t be touched.

Initially, Su Aobai would send the old lady 15,000 yuan each month, but later, at her strong insistence, it was reduced to 10,000. He told her to spend it on herself and the child, and whatever was left could be donated to the orphanage. But the old lady didn’t do that.

Out of the 10,000 she received each month, she would donate 2,000 to the orphanage in Su Aobai’s name. The remaining 8,000 was mostly spent on Su Yixing for things like clothes, snacks, and school supplies, but it didn’t cost much. Each month, the old lady managed to save over 7,000 yuan, and over the years, she had saved up about 500,000 yuan.

Housing prices in Yangcheng were high, and she planned to save up to 600,000 yuan to make a down payment on a 70 or 80 square meter apartment for Su Aobai and his daughter. With his current income, he could easily afford the remaining mortgage.

“At least be prepared to spend around 150,000 yuan. I see you have employee health insurance, so part of it can be reimbursed,” the doctor said, giving a rough estimate. The actual cost could vary greatly depending on the medication used later. Some imported drugs weren’t covered by insurance but were more effective. The doctor was giving the most basic estimate.

Even this figure was enough to make the old lady hesitate.

She felt she had lived long enough and didn’t want to waste so much money on herself. Besides, cancer wasn’t guaranteed to be cured even with treatment. What if it recurred in a few years? Not only would she have suffered through surgery for nothing, but the later stages of the disease would also bring unbearable suffering.

The old lady thought of many reasons, but was she being pessimistic? No, she just wanted to find a few convincing reasons to justify her decision to give up treatment.

“We’ll treat it, no matter the cost. Doctor, please prepare the hospital admission papers and schedule the surgery as soon as possible.”

Before the old lady could speak, Su Aobai made the decision.

There was no need to think about which hospital was best for the surgery. Knowing that the old lady had died from colon cancer in his previous life, Su Aobai had specifically chosen a hospital with a renowned proctology department for her check-up this time. The senior specialist in front of them was the top surgeon for colorectal cancer.

“This isn’t your decision to make. Listen to me.”

Just as the old lady was about to refuse, Su Aobai firmly interrupted her.

“You’ve raised a good son—so filial!” The doctor remarked with a pleased expression as he instructed the intern to prepare the admission papers.

“Mom, you raised me as a child; I’ll care for you in your old age. It’s the natural order of things.”

The old lady, who was about to protest, heard Su Aobai’s words, and her lips trembled as she suddenly burst into tears.

She had no biological children in her life, but with him calling her ‘Mom,’ she felt her life had been truly worth it.

***

When Su Yixing came home from school in the evening, the house was empty. She didn’t think much of it, assuming her grandmother had gone to the orphanage again to visit the children.

She put down her backpack and walked into the kitchen. After checking the vegetables in the fridge, she swiftly started preparing dinner. Since it was just her and her grandmother, two dishes and a soup would be more than enough. Based on past experience, her grandmother usually returned from the orphanage by 6:30 P.M. at the latest, so the timing would be perfect to eat dinner together once the food was ready.

But even after she had finished cooking the two dishes and the soup, the clock on the wall showed 7:00, and her grandmother still hadn’t come back.

Su Yixing was about to go downstairs to the neighborhood supermarket to borrow the owner’s phone to call her grandmother when she ran into Su Aobai at the stairwell.

Over the years, their encounters had been limited, often just a brief meeting, and they had exchanged no more than ten words in total.

“Your grandmother is in the hospital.”

Su Aobai had spent the whole day making arrangements—completing all of the old lady’s hospital admission procedures, contacting people to request the head doctor to perform the surgery, and finding a reliable female caregiver for her. Since Su Yixing had school, and some more private matters were difficult for him to handle, it was necessary to have someone else assist. After everything was taken care of, Su Aobai rushed to the old lady’s rented place to pack some of her daily necessities, knowing she would have to stay in the hospital for an extended period.

It was only when he saw Su Yixing that he realized both he and the old lady had forgotten to inform her of the situation.

There was no way to keep it from her now. Not only would the surgery require a hospital stay for observation, but even after the discharge, Su Yixing, who shared an apartment with her Dean Grandma, would need to take extra care of her until she fully recovered.

So, Su Aobai explained the situation to her.

Upon hearing that the grandmother who loved her most had cancer, Su Yixing was so shocked that her limbs went weak. By the time they reached the hospital, she couldn’t even recall how she had packed her grandmother’s things or what kind of transportation they had used to get there.

She only remembered that he had said it was fortunate they had caught it early, that it was still in the early stages, and that with timely treatment and proper post-surgery care, there was a good chance of recovery without affecting her lifespan.

She knew that whether it was the annual thorough check-ups that had allowed her grandmother to catch the illness in time or the money spent on her treatment, the credit belonged to this man.

For that, she had to be grateful to him because he had saved her Dean Grandma, the most important person in her life.

For the first time, Su Yixing took the initiative to thank him.

But Su Aobai’s reaction remained indifferent, as if he hadn’t heard her at all.

***

The next day, Su Yixing arrived at school with dark circles under her eyes.

Although the prognosis was optimistic, the fear of cancer still lingered in her heart. She had nightmares all night, dreaming that her grandmother had left her. This made her get up before dawn and rush to the hospital. Only after seeing her grandmother sleeping soundly in her hospital bed did Su Yixing feel relieved, realizing it had only been a nightmare, and she left the hospital at ease.

“Why did you come to school so early today?”

Zhu Xining arrived in the classroom not long after Su Yixing. She placed her backpack inside her desk, unzipped it, and pulled out a stack of papers.

“My Mom arranged a full check-up package for her employees. Since it was a group purchase, and a few employees quit in the meantime, there were a few extra slots available. I remember you have a grandmother and a father, right? Here are three check-up tickets, and you can use them anytime this month. If you don’t, they’ll just go to waste.”

Zhu Xining handed the stack of papers to Su Yixing with a look that said, “If you consider me a friend, don’t refuse.”

“You shouldn’t take these check-ups lightly. A lot of issues don’t show up on the surface, especially with older people. They often hide their ailments. These check-up packages were bought at a discounted group rate by my Mom’s company, so they’re really affordable. Besides, my family doesn’t have many relatives, and I don’t have a lot of close friends either. Giving these extra check-up opportunities to you is just a way to keep it within the family.”

Fearing that Su Yixing might refuse, Zhu Xining added a few more words to convince her.

Seeing the check-up tickets, Su Yixing couldn’t help but think of her hospitalized grandmother. She couldn’t hold back her tears and quickly rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

Her strange reaction made Zhu Xining’s heart skip a beat. What exactly had happened?