Chapter 31: The Truth!

The time for Chen Pingping’s surgery was fast approaching. Early the next morning, Su Chen booked his ticket and boarded a flight to Yanjing.

To ensure the best possible outcome, Chen Pingping’s surgery was scheduled at Yanjing Tianyun Hospital. Among all domestic medical institutions, its authority and expertise in the field of neurosurgery were beyond question.

However, precisely because it was the most authoritative hospital, it attracted a massive influx of patients. Although Chen Pingping had managed to raise enough money for the medical expenses, the fact that she was able to secure a spot for surgery so quickly was largely thanks to the proactive assistance of a kind-hearted reporter and the widespread sensation caused by the fundraising campaign. Otherwise, it would not have been nearly so easy to get the procedure done on such short notice. Without this help, it would have been uncertain whether she would have had to wait indefinitely for her turn or be forced to switch hospitals.

Soon after the flight landed in Yanjing, Su Chen headed straight to the hospital.

"Ah Chen... thank you so much for making this trip again. I don't even know how to thank you properly!" Upon seeing Su Chen, Zhu Fei grasped his hands tightly, her eyes instantly brimming with tears.

Su Chen held a significance to Zhu Fei that went beyond measure. He was not only Pingping’s savior but also a beacon of light that appeared when they had reached a dead end—a trusted friend, or perhaps even family.

"Don't say that. Transportation is convenient these days; it’s no trouble at all!" Su Chen replied with an easygoing smile. "How has Pingping been lately? Is she doing alright?"

"There's nothing major, don't worry. Her spirits are okay, though she's been a bit down since shaving her hair," Zhu Fei sighed helplessly.

Because the surgical site was on her head, Pingping had to have her hair shaved the day before the procedure.

Su Chen nodded in understanding. "That’s normal. Little girls like to look pretty, but it’s nothing serious. I’ll go talk to her and cheer her up in a bit."

As he entered the ward, Su Chen immediately spotted Chen Pingping, who was staring blankly out the window.

"What's wrong? Why is our little princess unhappy?" Su Chen asked, approaching with a gentle smile. "What are you looking at that's so interesting?"

Hearing Su Chen’s voice, Chen Pingping turned sharply. Her eyes lit up, and a sweet smile spread across her face as she called out, "Ah Chen Brother!"

Su Chen sat down beside her and asked tenderly, "Is it because your hair was cut and you think you don't look as pretty, so you're feeling a bit down?"

"It’s not because of that, Ah Chen Brother..." Chen Pingping shook her head slowly and whispered, "I'm not sad about my hair. I'm worried that if I don't wake up, how sad Mom will be!"

Su Chen was stunned. He had never expected such mature thoughts and deep concerns from a seven-year-old. She was only seven, yet so sensible—worrying not about the failure of the surgery itself, but about what would happen to her mother if it did.

"Don't worry, that won't happen. Why would you think such things?" Su Chen said with deep affection. "The doctor performing your surgery is the best in the world, and our Pingping is the bravest little girl in the world! Your mom is the mother who loves you the most in the world, and as for me, your Ah Chen Brother, I happen to be the most handsome person in the whole world..."

Chen Pingping tilted her head, feeling a bit speechless, but eventually couldn't help but laugh. "Ah Chen Brother, you being the most handsome person in the world doesn't seem to have anything to do with my surgery, does it?"

"How could it not have anything to do with it?" Su Chen said, feigning a righteous and serious tone. "With the world's most handsome brother looking out for our little princess, all those gods and Buddhas will have to give me some face because of my looks! Stop overthinking it, Pingping. With me here, they’ll ensure your surgery is a success for my sake!"

Seeing Su Chen talking such solemn nonsense to make her laugh, Chen Pingping burst into cheerful giggles. "Brother, you're lying! The gods are in heaven and the Buddha is in the West; you're on earth, so you couldn't possibly know them!"

"That's a long story. You must know about Sun Wukong, right? Back when he was pinned under the Five Elements Mountain by the Buddha, I happened to be passing by and met him, so I gave him a banana..."

Standing outside the ward, Zhu Fei watched her young daughter laughing heartily, then looked at Su Chen, who was spinning his serious stories. Her heart eased, and she felt a sense of gratitude toward Su Chen that was beyond words. She and her daughter were truly blessed to have met someone as kind and gentle as Ah Chen during their darkest hour.

The next morning, because a reporter had come to visit, Su Chen decided to arrive a little later.

"Pingping, once your surgery is successful, Sister will buy you all the delicious treats you want, okay?" The speaker was a girl of about twenty-five or twenty-six named Gu Yeling, a journalist who had joined the *City Express* this year.

After learning the background of the incident that had gone viral on Douyin, she had been following Chen Pingping’s case closely. When she accidentally discovered that the hospital they were using was just an ordinary Grade 3A facility, she had immediately helped them contact Yanjing Tianyun Hospital and used her connections to secure the best chief surgeon.

"Okay, thank you, Sister Yeling!" Chen Pingping nodded obediently, offering a sweet smile.

"What's there to thank? Sister likes Pingping the most!" Gu Yeling stroked her head gently. Thinking that such a well-behaved little girl would soon have to lie on a cold operating table caused a pang of heartache in her. Why did such a young, adorable girl have to suffer? If only that wretched "First Deep Love Su Chen" were the one enduring this instead!

The thought of that shameless, fame-seeking user on the internet made Gu Yeling grit her teeth. She couldn't understand how someone could be so despicable; the mother and daughter were already so pitiful, yet he had the heart to bully them! If that man dared to appear before her, she would slap him without hesitation.

"Sister believes in you; the surgery will be a success. Mom and I will be waiting outside until you come out safely. Stay strong, Pingping!"

Chen Pingping nodded, then added seriously, "And Ah Chen Brother will be waiting too!"

Gu Yeling paused, puzzled. "Pingping, who is this Ah Chen Brother?"

"Ah Chen Brother is the most handsome and kindest person in the world..." Chen Pingping said proudly. "Mom told me that if Ah Chen Brother hadn't helped me, Mom and I would never have been able to afford the surgery fees!"

Gu Yeling was even more confused. Weren't the surgery fees raised by enthusiastic netizens? Was this "Ah Chen Brother" one of them? She didn't think too much of it, simply nodding with a smile. "Yes, so many people love you and want you to get healthy, so you must stay strong!"

"Mm, don't worry, Sister, I will, because I'm the bravest and strongest little girl in the world!" Chen Pingping replied earnestly.

By 11:00 AM, it was finally time for the surgery. After watching Chen Pingping enter the operating room, Gu Yeling went to a supermarket to buy the toys and snacks she had promised. Even though she knew Pingping wouldn't be able to eat them for a long time, she couldn't break her promise.

When she returned to the ward and set the items down, she headed back toward the operating room to wait. Before she could get close, she saw a strange young man standing beside Zhu Fei. Was this the "Ah Chen Brother" Pingping had mentioned?

Gu Yeling prepared to greet him, but as she caught sight of the man's face, her emotions surged like a tidal wave, and she froze in her tracks.

This young man was none other than the "First Deep Love Su Chen" who made her grit her teeth in anger!

How could this be? How could it be him?

Gu Yeling’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief. She was certain she hadn't misidentified him; she had specifically looked up his profile on Douyin, where she had angrily cursed him as a beast in human skin who wasted a handsome face! But why was this scoundrel here? And why did Zhu Fei’s attitude toward him seem so friendly and trusting?

Was there more to this than met the eye? Was there some hidden story?

As a journalist, her professional instinct kicked in, and she subconsciously began to re-examine the entire incident. Suddenly, her body trembled. An incredible thought crossed her mind, causing her to shudder.

It couldn't be... could all of this have been his doing all along?