Why didn't you tell me earlier that my little sister is still waiting for me?

Seeing that Chen Nanxing's method was really working, Xu Hongdou suddenly turned around and looked at Lin Bufan. The anger in her eyes had long been replaced by great astonishment: "This...what on earth is..."

Lin Bufan proudly tossed his colorful short hair and put his hands in his pockets. "I told you it's the exclusive secret recipe Nine-Turn Resurrection Candy! Do you believe it now? The sweetness is just a disguise. The essence lies in the... uh... life essence contained within! Eat my candy, and I guarantee she'll get better day by day!"

Although Lin Bufan's explanation still sounded incredibly implausible, the subtle improvement in Chen Nanxing's condition was real. Seeing her friend's expression truly relieved, Xu Hongdou swallowed back the doubts that were on the tip of her tongue, leaving only shock and... a glimmer of hope for survival.

Huang Yimei's face was also filled with surprise. She gently touched Lin Bufan's arm and lowered her voice: "Hey... that candy... and the calcium tablets for my dad... are they really specially made?"

Lin Bufan raised his chin proudly, his colorful hair swaying. "Of course! Anything I, Lin Bufan, produce must be top quality! Honest and honest, ten times the price if it's fake!"

Huang Yimei looked at the ordinary lollipop in Chen Nanxing's mouth and still found it hard to believe. She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Then...what about the bitter treatment you mentioned just now? What is it?"

"A bit more bitter?" Lin Bufan blinked, then reached into his magical trouser pocket again. This time, he pulled out a piece of exquisitely wrapped dark chocolate. He waved the chocolate in front of Huang Yimei's eyes and said with a grin, "Here, this is it! 100% pure dark chocolate, bitter to the core, with an endless aftertaste! Miss Rose, would you like to try one? Besides curing illnesses, it can also refresh the mind and beautify the skin!"

Huang Yimei looked at the exquisitely wrapped chocolate and quickly waved her hand and stepped back: "No, no, no... I can tell from the sound of it that it is extremely valuable, with thousand-year-old snow lotus and ten-thousand-year-old ginseng. I dare not taste it. You should keep it for treating illnesses and saving lives." Although she refused, her eyes involuntarily followed the chocolate, with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

Seeing this, Lin Bufan grinned and deliberately handed the chocolate forward again: "No matter how precious something is, isn't it made for people to use? Besides, how can it be considered a waste if I give it to you to eat?" His eyes suddenly became focused, and his voice became a little deeper, with a hint of coaxing: "Rose, do you know? Good things are like stars. They look beautiful when they shine in the sky, but they only have real value when they are picked and placed in the hands of the right person. For me, you are that right person. Let alone a piece of chocolate infused with various precious medicinal herbs, even if you really want to pick stars, as long as you ask, I will have to think of a ladder, right?"

Lin Bufan said without hesitation, gently peeled off the chocolate wrapper, and handed the small piece of dark brown, matte chocolate to Huang Yimei's lips, his eyes filled with tenderness and encouragement that could not be refused: "Come, try it, this is a sweet and bitter experience specially chosen for you."

Huang Yimei looked at Lin Bufan's serious expression, her cheeks slightly hot. After hesitating for a moment, she opened her mouth slightly and let Lin Bufan feed her the chocolate.

As soon as the chocolate entered her mouth, it was instantly softened by her body's warmth, and the rich, uniquely fragrant aroma of cocoa butter immediately filled her tongue. Huang Yimei subconsciously closed her lips and teeth gently, and the delicate chocolate slowly melted in her mouth, covering her taste buds with a silky smoothness. At first, there was a pure and intense bitterness, a bitterness that was very mellow and even a little aggressive. But soon, a complex layer of fruity acidity and woody notes slowly emerged, and then a subtle, natural sweetness quietly emerged from the back of her tongue, cleverly balancing the initial bitterness.

She couldn't help but close her eyes, savoring the wondrous evolution of flavors, feeling the silky texture and rich aroma intertwine and collide in her mouth. This taste, these layers of flavor… She opened her eyes and looked at Lin Bufan with a hint of confusion and uncertainty: "This chocolate… the taste is quite unique, rich and smooth, with a strong bitterness and a lingering aftertaste… but…"

Huang Yimei paused, as if searching for the right words, and finally said with a slightly skeptical expression, "But... this tastes like the 100% pure dark chocolate I buy at the imported supermarket... it seems... not much different?"

Lin Bufan's face immediately fell, and he covered his chest exaggeratedly. "Hey, you're going too far! I gave you this special chocolate worth a thousand gold, and you said it's no different from the cheap stuff you buy at the supermarket? Rose, what you said hurts my heart so much!"

Huang Yimei blinked innocently and savored it again: "But... I really can't taste any difference? It's just the pure taste of dark chocolate..."

"That won't do!" Lin Bufan pressed closer, "Even Ren Nanxing can taste the herbal fragrance in my lollipops. You must tell the difference today! Otherwise, won't my exclusive secret recipe be discredited?"

Huang Yimei was forced into a corner by Lin Bufan and had to frown and try hard to recall the story, trying to find something special.

After trying to recall the past for just a moment, Huang Yimei suddenly felt something was wrong. She subconsciously turned her head to see that Chen Nanxing on the hospital bed and Xu Hongdou beside the bed had stopped talking at some point. Both pairs of eyes were staring at them intently, with ambiguous smiles on their faces.

Huang Yimei was startled and quickly pushed Lin Bufan away. She rolled her eyes at Xu Hongdou and the others and said, "What are you looking at? Have you never seen anyone eat chocolate before?"

Xu Hongdou and Chen Nanxing smiled at each other, tacitly seeing the same mockery in each other's eyes.

Chen Nanxing blinked weakly, perhaps because there was hope for her illness, she was in the mood to joke: "Hongdou... look at those two... why do I always feel... like I'm watching you show your affection..." After saying that, she couldn't help but cough lightly twice, but a weak and warm smile hung on the corner of her mouth.

Xu Hongdou was stunned when she heard this, and subconsciously followed Chen Nanxing's words and looked at the couple who were "showing off their affection." When her eyes fell on Huang Yimei's face, which was exactly like her own, a strange feeling suddenly came over her - it was as if she was really looking in the mirror, and the person in the mirror was interacting intimately with Lin Bufan...

This thought made Xu Hongdou's heart skip a beat for unknown reason. Her cheeks suddenly turned red, and the heat quickly spread to her ears. She hurriedly looked away and pretended to tidy up the water cup on the bedside table, trying to cover up her gaffe.

Seeing this scene, Chen Nanxing's eyes lit up. Something was happening! Just as she was about to dig deeper, the door of the ward was gently pushed open, and Chen Nanxing's parents walked in carrying an insulated box.

Chen Nanxing's parents walked into the ward carrying an insulated box. When they saw Xu Hongdou, Mother Chen forced a smile: "Hongdou is here? This is..." Her eyes fell on Huang Yime's face, and she was stunned for a moment, almost dropping the insulated box in her hand.

Father Chen's eyes widened as well. He looked from Xu Hongdou to Huang Yimei, speechless with surprise. Chen Nanxing smiled weakly, "Mom and Dad, this is Rose. She looks a lot like Hongdou, right?"

Mother Chen came back to her senses and nodded repeatedly: "Similar, so similar! I thought I was seeing things just now..." She looked at Lin Bufan again: "Who is this?"

Hearing Chen Nanxing's parents' question, Lin Bufan, the social tough guy, immediately stepped forward, puffed out his chest, tossed his colorful hair, and opened his mouth to speak: "Hello, uncle and aunt! I am..."

Before he could finish his words, Xu Hongdou, who was standing next to him, was quick-witted and stood on tiptoe, covering Lin Bufan's mouth with her hand, and abruptly blocking the second half of his self-introduction.

"Mmmm..." Lin Bufan opened his eyes wide and tried to struggle, but Xu Hongdou suppressed him with a look.

Xu Hongdou covered Lin Bufan's mouth tightly and smiled awkwardly at Chen Nanxing's parents: "Uncle and aunt, he... he is my friend. We just came to see Nanxing. Now we are done and ready to leave."

Chen Nanxing's parents looked at the chaotic scene before them, especially the young man with his mouth covered and his colorful hair still struggling to "mumble," with a flicker of confusion in their eyes, but more of a numb exhaustion. Mother Chen managed a tight squeeze, her voice tinged with lingering heaviness: "Oh... okay... thank you for coming to see Nanxing... you're so thoughtful..."

Father Chen simply nodded silently, his eyes dim, not having the energy to delve into the origins of this seemingly striking young man. The doctor's words weighed heavily on their minds. Advanced pancreatic cancer... they no longer harbored any unrealistic hopes. They responded only politely to any visitors brought by their daughter's friends.

"Then uncle and aunt, we'll leave first. Nanxing, you should have a good rest." Xu Hongdou said quickly, and almost used all her strength to half-drag and half-pull Lin Bufan, who was still trying to pry her hands open, out of the ward.

"Hey... Hongdou..." Seeing this, Huang Yimei quickly said goodbye to Chen Nanxing and her parents, and hurriedly chased after them.

The door closed gently, shutting out the rustling noises outside. Silence fell once again within the ward, leaving only the rhythmic ticking of the instruments and the silent sighs of Chen's parents. Mother Chen walked to the bedside and tucked in her daughter's blanket. Looking at her daughter's pale, thin face, her eyes couldn't help but redden.

In the corridor outside the ward, Xu Hongdou didn't let go of Lin Bufan until she had dragged him more than ten meters away, panting.

"Hey! Xu Hongdou, what are you doing?" Lin Bufan yelled as soon as he was free, fixing his messed-up, colorful hair. "I'm just trying to build a good relationship with my future father-in-law and mother-in-law! Aren't you ruining my image?"

Xu Hongdou glared at Lin Bufan angrily: "What nonsense are you talking about? How can Nanxing's parents be your future father-in-law and mother-in-law?"

Lin Bufan shook his colorful hair as if it was a matter of course, and said confidently: "You don't understand this, right? The parents of all young and beautiful women could be my father-in-law and mother-in-law. Therefore, when I meet them, I must do my best to show my performance. This is not only an attitude, but also a habit that is deeply rooted in my bones! Opportunities always come to those who are prepared, do you understand?"

Xu Hongdou and Huang Yime looked at each other and simultaneously raised their hands to support their foreheads. Their movements and expressions were almost identical, even their helpless expressions were exactly the same.

Lin Bufan looked at the two "copy-and-paste" beauties in front of him, his eyes lit up, but he immediately remembered the business and asked, "You haven't said anything yet, why did you stop me from speaking just now?"

Xu Hongdou sighed and explained, "If I hadn't stopped you, would you have told Nanxing's parents that you were here to treat Nanxing?"

"Nonsense!" Lin Bufan puffed out his chest. "This is such a great opportunity to show off, of course I have to speak up! Otherwise, if I don't, my father-in-law and mother-in-law will attribute the credit to those quack doctors. Wouldn't that make me lose out?"

"I knew you were going to say that, that's why I stopped you." Xu Hongdou shook her head helplessly, her tone becoming serious. "Nanxing's condition... her parents have already endured too much. It would be fine if there was no hope, but if you give them hope and find out in the end that hope is dashed... that feeling of extinguishing hope with your own hands is the most despairing. I don't want them to go through the torture of going from heaven to hell again."

Upon hearing this, Lin Bufan's eyes widened, and he looked insulted: "Hongdou, do you lack trust in my medical skills?"

Just as Xu Hongdou was about to open her mouth to explain, Lin Bufan immediately raised his hand to interrupt her. His voice became much louder, attracting the glances of the few family members and nurses in the corridor. "Don't try to quibble! What you're saying is that you just don't trust my medical skills, right? I never thought that in your eyes, Xu Hongdou, I couldn't even handle a mere case of advanced pancreatic cancer. You disappoint me so much! You're insulting my character and my abilities!"

Lin Bufan's voice even echoed through the quiet hospital corridor. The words "late-stage pancreatic cancer" and "done" were particularly jarring. The glances from those around him, initially curious, instantly changed to one of surprise, suspicion, scrutiny, and even a touch of disgust and pity, as if he were a liar or a fool. A murmur of discussion rose.

Xu Hongdou and Huang Yimei's faces flushed instantly, not out of anger but embarrassment. Almost simultaneously, they reached out, one on each side, and grabbed Lin Bufan's arms tightly, dragging him towards the elevator without a word.

"Lin Bufan, shut up!" Huang Yimei pulled him hard while lowering her voice and scolding him urgently, "Why are you yelling so loudly? Are you afraid that others won't know? Do you know how much trouble it would be if the hospital found out that you were treating a patient privately without their permission, especially a cancer patient? This is against the rules! In serious cases, you could even get into trouble!"

Lin Bufan was dragged away by the two men, but he still stiffened his neck in defiance. His voice had lowered a lot, but his tone was still stubborn: "Rules? Rules are dead, but people are alive! At worst, just be discharged! Anyway, I'm here, Nanxing doesn't need to waste time in the hospital and suffer like this! Go home, eat and drink, feel better, and maybe you'll get better faster! What else can this crappy hospital do besides giving her those uncomfortable injections?"

"Keep your voice down!" Xu Hongdou was anxious and angry. She wanted to reach out and cover Lin Bufan's mouth again. "Whether to be discharged from the hospital is a matter for Nanxing and her family to decide. Can you please stop making trouble?"

After a lot of tugging and dragging, the chattering Lin Bufan finally got into the elevator that had just arrived. The elevator door closed, blocking out the complicated gazes from outside. Xu Hongdou and Huang Yimei finally breathed a sigh of relief. They glanced at each other, seeing the same exhaustion and helplessness on each other's faces.