"After all this time, you still remember; your memory is really good," Luo Xiaoqian remarked with amazement.
Mr. Leng smiled, but remained silent.
Back then, he was always busy, sometimes too busy to return home even once in a month.
Both children felt distant from him, and because of his personality, he wasn’t one to actively seek their approval. Instead, he could only observe them quietly from the sidelines—whether they had grown taller, what they liked to play with, what they liked to eat... He took care to remember every detail.
"Mr. Leng..." two nurses arrived, pushing a gurney into the room, "It’s time for your surgery."
"All right." Mr. Leng said as he stood up with their help and lay down on the gurney, "Xiaoqian, we’ll talk more later."
A few of them followed the nurses, pushing him out of the ward, quickly heading to the third-floor operating room.
Leng Zimo and Leng Zirui followed on either side, each reaching out to take hold of their father’s hand. As Mr. Leng felt the warmth of his sons’ palms, he smiled faintly.
Arriving at the third floor’s operating room, everyone stopped. Luo Xiaoqian comforted Mr. Leng with a smile, "Uncle Leng, don’t be nervous. This is just a minor surgery, nothing compared to the gunfire and bullets you’ve faced. We’ll be waiting right outside for you. Go for it! Once your surgery is over, we’ll all have chicken soup together!"
"Okay." Mr. Leng replied with a smile and then was wheeled into the operating room by the nurses.
Inside the operating room, Shen Yizhou was already gloved up and waiting.
As Mr. Leng was wheeled in, several assistants immediately began pre-surgery preparations, and the anesthetist approached, ready to administer anesthesia.
Mr. Leng raised his hand to stop the anesthetist and looked towards Yizhou, "Yizhou, I need to tell you something."
"Sure." Dr. Shen bent down towards Mr. Leng, "Uncle Leng, please speak."
Mr. Leng slightly lifted his face, "After the results are out, you must tell me first, no matter the outcome."
Upon hearing this, Dr. Shen’s expression suddenly changed, "Uncle Leng..."
"This is an order!" Mr. Leng said.
"Alright then." Leng Zimo did not insist, instead simply lifting his arm to draw her into his embrace.
Smelling the scent of smoke on him, Luo Xiaoqian looked up, puzzled, "You’ve been smoking?"
"Sister-in-law, don’t blame him, blame me. I strongly insisted that he join me for a smoke," Leng Zirui said with a laugh.
"That’s not what I meant." Luo Xiaoqian sat up straight, looking worriedly at Leng Zimo, "Did Dr. Shen say something?"
Leng Zimo had promised to quit smoking, and given his character, he always did what he said. Ever since he learned she was pregnant, he hadn’t smoked a single cigar, not even in France when Qin Lan offered him a fine Cuban cigar; he declined it.
Leng Zimo usually only smoked when he was feeling down, and Luo Xiaoqian instinctively guessed that something was wrong.
"It’s nothing, just haven’t gotten over the jet lag yet and smoked one to stay alert," Leng Zimo offered an apologetic smile, "It won’t happen again."
...............

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