Chapter 90: Can You Give Me a Reason?
Chapter 90: Can You Give Me a Reason?
Cheng Xi seldomly spoke harshly towards others, but today, she couldn’t help herself.
Lin Fan’s mother’s extreme way of thinking had led to her abnormal condition; she stubbornly wanted others to follow the plans that she deemed to be the best, but she never respected their wishes.
When she was young, she had been weak and powerless, unable to protect Lin Fan and Chen Jiaman. And now, she was still powerless to protect them.
After she left Lin Fan’s mother’s place, Cheng Xi contacted the officer who had initially brought Chen Jiaman to her. “I’d like to see Chen Fuguo. Is that possible?”
“At this point, normally, only a lawyer would be permitted to see him. What’s the matter?”
Cheng Xi then left to find a lawyer. She had two lawyer friends, but coincidentally, neither of them were around. One of them was on good terms with Cheng Xi, but he was out of the country on vacation. When he heard her explanation, he couldn’t help but scold her. “Are you crazy? Why do you care so much about others’ affairs!”
And he even posted about it on his feed: “I just met the stupidest doctor of the year!”
But despite his obvious misgivings, he still helped Cheng Xi get in contact with a friend of his. “He’s a bigshot lawyer who doesn’t take on just any kind of case. See if he’s willing to help you. But I’m warning you: I don’t think that you stand a chance unless you can prove that your professor’s laboratory treats its test subjects inhumanely beyond a shadow of a doubt.”
How on Earth would she be able to prove that? And Cai Yi’s methods of treatment weren’t inhumane; most of them fell within the scope of standard treatment methods used worldwide. It was just that in Cheng Xi’s opinion, they were overly simple and too rough for Chen Jiaman.
The lawyer that her friend recommended had some time to talk, and, coincidentally, he was even at Renyi right now. Cheng Xi rushed over and found him standing in the main lobby. Surprisingly, she saw a familiar face—he was the lawyer that Lu Chenzhou employed, the one who had drafted that “relationship contract” for her and Lu Chenzhou.
The lawyer wasn’t particularly surprised upon seeing Cheng Xi, and he even smiled as he said, “We meet again. I’m just about to go see Director Lu. Do you want to talk on the way there?”
Cheng Xi’s current mental state wasn’t appropriate for her to see Lu Chenzhou; she was too fretful. The lawyer didn’t push her to do so either. “Then I’ll come find you afterwards.”
And so, Cheng Xi waited in her office. Because it was still visiting hours when went back to her office, a patient’s family member immediately came up to her and started talking to her. Without much of a choice, she could only tamp down her emotions and carefully help him analyze the patient’s condition.
Before she could finish helping him, her phone rang. It was Lu Chenzhou’s lawyer. Cheng Xi thought that he had finished his tasks, but it turned out that he actually wanted her to go to Lu Chenzhou’s ward. “Director Lu also wants to hear about the situation. Are you willing to come?”
Cheng Xi sighed---she could only acquiesce.
After sending the patient’s family member away, the first person Cheng Xi saw after stepping out was Lin Fan. He was wearing a sky blue dress shirt and holding a similarly colored jacket draped over his arm as he gracefully stood by the nurses’ station and chatted with the nearby nurses. Maybe it was because he was paying close attention to the area around him, but he turned around at almost the same instant that she stepped out. When he saw Cheng Xi, he momentarily stilled before taking big strides toward her.
Cheng Xi recalled Lin Fan’s mother’s words, and couldn’t help but smile bitterly at the situation.
Lin Fan was already standing in front of her by the time she reacted. “I’m here to see Jiaman… Cheng Xi, I heard that my mother’s trying to transfer her away. Is that true?”
“Yes.”
His forehead scrunched up. “Why?” But after looking at Cheng Xi’s calm gaze, he realized that he had asked a silly question. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you that. Don’t worry. I’ll talk to my mom about it. Jiaman’s doing very well here, and I don’t feel like she needs to be transferred.”
Cheng Xi looked at him. The concern in his gaze hadn’t been diminished at all by the souring relationship between the two of them. She knew that, as long as she asked, he would definitely talk with his mother and use every means at his disposal to stop it from happening. But since Lin Fan’s mother already thought that Cheng Xi was using Chen Jiaman to deepen the feelings between her and Lin Fan, none of Lin Fan’s words would work. Also, she didn’t want to intensify the conflict between Lin Fan and his mother.
So after briefly thinking about it, Cheng Xi said, “Thank you, but you don’t have to say anything to Mrs. Lin. As Chen Jiaman’s birth mother, if there’s anything that needs her attention, then I’ll let her know myself.” Cheng Xi was feeling thankful for the slight break she had just now, as she had been able to calm down considerably. At the very least, it had been enough that Lin Fan hadn’t detected anything unusual.
He looked at her with a dazed expression.
But Cheng Xi didn’t look back. Instead, she stretched out her out and pointed at another room. “I’m sorry, but I’m still busy right now. If there’s anything else that you need to know, you can go ask Dr. An.”
Right after saying this, Cheng Xi turned to leave, but Lin Fan called her back. “Cheng Xi.”
Cheng Xi stopped, and quietly turned around to look at him.
Her gaze was too calm, so calm that it naturally commanded one’s silence. The pressure was so intense that Lin Fan felt like he couldn’t say anything, as anything he said would be extraneous. So he could only laugh bitterly and say, “Alright. Sorry for the trouble.”
Cheng Xi smiled and left. When she entered Lu Chenzhou’s ward, the first thing she saw were Lu Chenzhou’s grandparents sitting outside. The scene was reminiscent of a silent movie, as the two were playing cards without making a single sound. When they saw Cheng Xi enter, they became excited and happily whispered to her, “Dr. Cheng, you’re here?”
Cheng Xi nodded and looked into Lu Chenzhou’s ward. Lu Chenzhou’s grandmother chuckled. “They’re inside.” After gathering her cards, she happily shouted inside, “Zhou, Dr. Cheng’s here.”
After her announcement, the lawyer came out and led Cheng Xi in. Lu Chenzhou was sitting by the bed; one hand was connected to an IV drip and the other was holding a stack of documents, all while an elite-looking man stood by his side. Clearly, the three of them had been discussing business matters.
Cheng Xi stood by the door, assessing Lu Chenzhou’s mental condition. He seemed to be doing fine—for someone like him, maintaining his normal cold and aloof demeanor meant that he was normal. She asked, “Should I wait outside?”
“No worries, we’re almost done,” the lawyer said.
At that moment, the elite-looking man started packing his things up. As he left, the lawyer said, “I’ll send him out. Please wait for me, Dr. Cheng.” Then the two left.
Now, only Cheng Xi remained in the room with Lu Chenzhou. Out of habit, she started checking his medicine before realizing that Lu Chenzhou was still sitting there; his legs were stretched out, his hands folded by his abdomen, and his gaze coolly directed at her.
“Are you feeling alright today?” Cheng Xi asked.
“I thought that your relationship with Cai Yi was pretty good.”
This, Cheng Xi would never deny. “She’s my professor, and I respect her very much so.”
Lu Chenzhou laughed mockingly. “Respect, but also disagreement.”
“She is a respected professor, but I don’t necessarily have to agree with all of her thoughts and viewpoints. Even in the ancient times, conflicts between a teacher and their student was a normal occurrence.”
“Like with Plato and Aristotle?”
She had just discussed platonic love with him, and now he was even bringing up the schism between Plato and Aristotle; truly, he was a studious patient. Cheng Xi sighed. “I don’t dare compare myself to the great sages. It’s just like what my professor said. I’m ill-suited for scientific research.”
“Ill-suited, but you even want to prevent it from happening?”
Cheng Xi was serious. “She’s my patient. She came to my hands, and I’m responsible for her…… Even if I know that it might be useless, I still want to work hard and try to help her. I’m not a saint, as I’m just trying my best to maintain a clear conscience. So if it’s convenient, I’d like to request your lawyer to help me.”
Lu Chenzhou didn’t say anything. His eyes drooped slightly as he looked at his folded hands. Over the course of his illness, he had gotten quite a bit thinner. His slim body had even become a bit bony, and his skin even paler. Under the ward’s harsh lighting, his long eyebrows made his severe expression look a little more gentle.
But when he spoke again, his words were as detached as before. “Then you should also know that Donglai is the largest investor in Cai Yi’s research laboratory. As the current CEO of Donglai, why should I help you rather than her?”
He looked straight at her. “Can you give me a reason?”