The male supporting character was actually myself.

When she heard the words "late stage stomach cancer," she was completely stunned by the devastating news.

cancer?!

I'm only 62 years old, the age when my son is just starting to make something of himself and I'm ready to enjoy my retirement! How could I suddenly get cancer? And it was already in its late stages when it was discovered?

What should I do?! I don't want to die!

Countless images flashed through Liu Yingxiu's mind in an instant: laughing and playing cards in the card room, spinning and jumping in the dimly lit dance hall, and the handsome young man on live stream smiling sweetly and calling her "sister" repeatedly, making her feel as sweet as if she had eaten honey...

How could I let cancer defeat me when I have so many wonderful things in life that I can't bear to give up?

No! There are so many people in the world who have been cured of cancer, why can't I be one of them?

Didn't they say online that as long as you have enough will to live, you can overcome a terminal illness?

Thinking of this, a flame of hope ignited in her heart. Modern medicine is so advanced, she should trust the hospital and the doctors, and she would definitely be cured!

Thinking of this, Liu Yingxiu steadied herself, held her breath, and listened to the doctor and her son discuss the treatment plan.

Through the closed door, it was really hard to hear clearly. Familiar words like "targeted therapy" and "chemotherapy" drifted over vaguely. Unable to hear her son's response, she grew anxious and pushed the door open, asking, "Doctor, do I need to be hospitalized immediately?"

The doctor, who was suddenly interrupted, looked slightly embarrassed and glanced at Dong Muqian without replying.

Dong Muqian stood to the side with his head down and a serious expression.

"I heard everything!" Liu Yingxiu cried out anxiously, slapping her thigh. "I have late-stage stomach cancer! I'm a critically ill patient now, you have to arrange for me to be hospitalized for treatment right away!"

Both remained silent. She stepped forward to grab her son's arm, but Dong Muqian stepped back to avoid it and said softly, "Let's go back and discuss it first. I'll take you to another hospital for a checkup."

"Your mother is suffering terribly, what's there to discuss?"

Liu Yingxiu patted her withered hands angrily and said, "When you were a child, you were sick and needed to see a doctor. I didn't have a single penny in my pocket and I didn't hesitate! And you? Now that your own mother has a terminal illness, you have 100,000 yuan in your account but you still won't spend it on my medical treatment?"

Seeing the strange looks from the other patients in line, Dong Muqian snorted and dragged his mother out, saying, "It's not a matter of whether you see a doctor or not. You've had five children, you can't just take advantage of me!"

"Retirement requires five people to support us; let's go back and discuss it!"

Hearing this, Liu Yingxiu felt a chill run down her spine.

To make up for the nearly 100,000 yuan that had been spent, she had to go through countless sweet talk with the children to borrow the money. There wasn't much of a mother-child bond to begin with, and now she had a terminal illness and needed them to pay for her medical expenses…

She numbly followed her son out of the hospital, watching many elderly patients in hospital gowns being helped by their children who were chatting and laughing. Liu Yingxiu was extremely envious!

Looking up at her silent youngest son, she knew it was impossible for him to come up with money for her medical treatment!

So, does that mean we can only wait to die?

Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Hypocritical Mother and Son

Liu Yingxiu followed her son like a walking corpse, her mind flashing back to the faces of those who had died of cancer in the village, their cries as they succumbed to their terminal illness, their withered faces after death, lying on wooden planks in their burial clothes, the funeral music played on the suona, the white paper money flying everywhere, and the wailing of relatives and friends...

She never imagined that one day those images would be connected to her own life.

And now... familiar funeral scenes flash before my eyes from time to time, only the person lying on the wooden plank being taken to the crematorium by the hearse to turn into a handful of ashes is about to become myself!

The thought of all this sent chills down Liu Yingxiu's spine; she didn't want to die!

She must seize even the slightest hope! She wants to live! She wants to live a more fulfilling and vibrant life!

Overwhelmed by the fear of death, Liu Yingxiu was deeply affected. A fragment flashed through her chaotic mind—her son took the bank card, went to check, and when he came back, he seemed to have put the card in the closet?

So many things had happened suddenly before—she had a stomachache, was taken to the police station and was scared half to death and kept under guard for a week, and her son was arrested and disappeared without a trace—so she hadn't thought about the bank card at all.

Now that they were at a critical juncture of life and death, Liu Yingxiu's strong will to survive was aroused, and her mind became incredibly clear in an instant!

First, I need to appease my son and make him lower his guard so he doesn't contact those kids back home, lest he reveal the loan issue instead of getting medical treatment. Once he's off guard and not watching me anymore, I'll take his bank card to the best hospital in Beijing for treatment!

I can't worry about anything else; at the very least, I need to survive before I can have a future.

If all else fails, go to the media and play the victim, begging for donations. Use public opinion to pressure the kids into paying for your medical treatment! Once you're cured, if anyone dares to say anything, continue to expose their unfilial behavior to the media…

My youngest son often says that if a person doesn't look out for themselves, they'll be punished by heaven and earth. That's so true!

What else is there to live for if not for oneself?

"Son, is my illness very serious?" Sitting on the bus, Liu Yingxiu, having made up her mind, asked in a low voice.

It was late morning on a weekday, and the bus was sparsely populated, swaying along the road lined with blooming flowers on both sides. It was supposed to be a very bright and sunny day.

However, Dong Muqian was in a complicated mood and naturally had no interest in looking at the scenery.

Give me money for my mother's medical treatment? Absolutely not!

She's no help at all and always holds me back. Besides, she's given birth to more than just me!

Even if medical treatment is needed, all the children should contribute money; they can't just squeeze every last penny out of her. Besides, while there is indeed nearly 100,000 yuan in the account, half of it was Yu Chuchu's wedding gift. According to relevant laws, this money does not belong to the marital property, and she can take it at any time for her own use.

What can you do with the remaining tens of thousands of yuan?

Once she's in the hospital, money is flowing out like water. Plus, she has late-stage stomach cancer and is so old. Even if you throw in tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars, it will only extend her life by a couple of years. In the end, she'll lose both her money and her life.

Having just suffered a major setback, with the school suspending staff for make-up classes and parents politely declining by phone, I may have little income for a long time to come, and therefore cannot afford to spend money recklessly.

With his mind a jumble of thoughts, Dong Muqian nodded after a moment of silence when his mother asked him a question.

Based on his understanding of his own mother, he knew she would never want to die. She might even throw a tantrum, threatening suicide and demanding that he treat her illness. How should he deal with that situation?

"I'm already this old and have this disease, so I'll just give up on treatment!" Liu Yingxiu sighed, speaking as if it were the truth. "So many people in my hometown have terminal illnesses, they spent all their money and died. I'm optimistic. I'll eat and drink well and live one day at a time!"

Dong Muqian looked at his mother in disbelief, a surge of emotion welling up inside him.

I never imagined that after being selfish my whole life, I would finally have a change of heart in my old age.

He wanted to say a few kind words to comfort his mother, but he was worried that if she took them seriously, it would cause trouble. So he sighed with a worried look on his face, "Mom, you've worked hard for most of your life. Now that you have this disease, you can't give up on yourself. But you're getting old, and your body can't handle Western medicine chemotherapy."

"Why don't I ask around and find a good traditional Chinese medicine doctor? We can try some conservative treatment with Chinese medicine!"

"Alright! I'll listen to my son!" Liu Yingxiu knew perfectly well what he meant when he said that—her youngest son really had no intention of actively treating her illness!

What kind of body can't handle it?

Haven't you seen so many patients in their seventies and eighties in the hospital? And haven't you seen any elderly people who get sick and then give up on treatment?

It seems that no one can be relied upon; we can only save ourselves.

Liu Yingxiu made up her mind to close her eyes, lean back in her chair, and pretend to rest, but in reality, she was planning how to get the money to go to the capital for medical treatment. For the past sixty years, the farthest place she could go was the county town, and that required walking along mountain paths.

How do I buy tickets? How do I transfer trains? Which hospital should I go to after arriving in Beijing?

All of these need to be planned before any action can be taken!

Dong Muqian looked at his phone with a worried expression.

[A joint petition demands that this scumbag professor get out of Lingnan University!]

Teaching and nurturing students should not only focus on academic qualifications; moral character is even more important.

[If you're blinded by love, listen to this audio clip and beware of malicious men from humble backgrounds!]

[It's all Dong's fault! One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel. He's the one who started this problem of restricted speech on a prestigious university forum!]

[The terrifying aspects of PUA as seen in the Lingnan University forum incident...]

…………

Although the Lingnan University forum has been rectified and posts have been deleted, the ubiquitous self-media remains unchecked.

Riding the wave of the internet, all sorts of eye-catching headlines are flying around in order to gain more traffic. However, most self-media outlets insist on forwarding police reports and going through the whole incident before they start selling their books.

I scrolled through a few pages and all I saw were comments calling me a scumbag, and some students were even filing a petition demanding that the school fire them!

"Someone must be plotting against me!" Dong Muqian was furious.

In his view, the photo incident was a deliberate attempt to smear someone, but he couldn't figure out how it was done. After thinking it over, he could only suspect a certain teacher in the information department.

That guy is a computer expert!

He was a year younger than me and studied network engineering. He had once pursued Yu Chuchu relentlessly, but gave up because he couldn't compete with me.

Can anyone change the anonymous post's backend ID to their own?

Who can send an email and then make it disappear without a trace?

Who could possibly modify the image information to be exactly the same as the one in their phone's photo album?

Dong Muqian didn't understand things like network data, but in his knowledge, only a computer expert could do all this, and all things considered, it had to be that guy!

And more importantly, I heard that as soon as that kid graduated, his family paid for a house in the center of Lingnan City.

He was renovating recently, so he temporarily moved to the staff dormitory building!

Doesn't that match up perfectly?

A computer whiz, unable to win over his love interest, finds himself constantly sabotaging others. How can the original audio be so clear? That guy must have planted a listening device somewhere!

If we remove the bugging device afterward, wouldn't it be done without anyone noticing?

He secretly followed and took photos, then posted them on a forum. He then used his position to change the backend ID, pinning the blame for the exposure on himself! He might then send himself an email containing a virus that, once downloaded, would allow him to remotely control his phone and modify data…

The more Dong Muqian thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

If you want to turn things around completely, you have to find a way to get that guy involved and force him to tell you the whole story. Then you can send that kid to jail and clear your name!

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Was that really a test?

The mother and son, each with their own ulterior motives, got off at Lingnan University Station and walked into the school one after the other.

Even though they were wearing masks, these "influential figures" couldn't escape the sharp eyes of the curious students.

"Hey, hey, isn't that Dong Muqian? He's been released so quickly?"

"Defamation and spreading rumors almost ruined Teacher Yu's life, and all he got was half a month of detention and a public apology? Ha, the cost of committing crimes is really too low!"

"He married such a beautiful and gentle wife without spending a penny, and he's still not satisfied? What do you think he's after?"

"He's just greedy and never satisfied! Didn't you listen to the audio? He doesn't want a wife, he wants a slave! Maybe he's even thinking of taming Teacher Yu and then a few female students, and having multiple wives and concubines."

"Yue~ Stop talking, I'm about to throw up!"

"You have to be careful when you're dating. These days, hell is empty and the devils are all over the place."

"Look, look! That old hag looks terrifying! She's definitely not a kind person!"

"I can't believe that such a scumbag could become a university professor. How terrifying is that..."