"There's naturally no problem with that." Lin Chuan immediately nodded in agreement.

"Okay." Liao Long glanced at Lin Chuan and then said, "We will deliver the money tomorrow morning."

"When you bring the money, you can take your things." Lin Chuan said.

"Understood." Liao Long immediately nodded.

After Liao Long had finished speaking, he turned and left, and the crowd from the Liao family followed suit, leaving the scene. Liao Hu was the last to leave. Before he left, he glared fiercely at Lin Chuan, seemingly still bearing a grudge, wishing he could unscrew Lin Chuan's head and use it as a chamber pot if only he had been the match for Lin Chuan.

It was only after the Liao family had left that Lin Chuan and his group turned to leave.

"Li Minghua, this is as far as I can help you with this matter." Lin Chuan said with a smile, looking at Li Minghua. "I believe the Liao family will honestly deliver the one million to your house tomorrow. Don't be shy; if it's yours, take it. After all... you may soon lose the ability to work, and a million won't be enough to make up for the disability of your body."

"Thank you, all of you!" Li Minghua looked at Lin Chuan with gratitude.

"It's nothing." Luo Guoqing sighed and said, "In the break room, only the two of us got along. Now it's different, you can't come anymore, ah!"

Li Minghua smiled and said, "Perhaps this is fate. I accept it."

Li Minghua's wife had been wiping away tears the whole time at his side.

After Lin Chuan and others left, Li Minghua's wife pushed him out of the yard to watch Lin Chuan and his people leave.

The next day, as promised, the Liao family delivered one million—a bag of cash straight to Li Minghua's home.

"Where's Lin Chuan?" Liao Hu asked.

"He's left." Li Minghua glanced at him, then asked, "The money, did you bring it?"

"Yes." Liao Hu nodded, threw the canvas bag on the ground, and said, "Count it. It's a total of one million. Also, I've brought an agreement with me, sign this agreement. Once you take the money, this matter between us is settled, and you'll have to go to the police station to cancel the case."

Li Minghua knew that even if he wanted to cause trouble for them, it wouldn't be easy. After all, they had money and power. Now that they were willing to settle with one million, it gave him some security. If he were to go through the legal process, there was no guarantee of success, nor that he could receive one million in compensation. After considering everything, Li Minghua thought as long as he got enough money to keep his home going, that would be enough.

"Okay." Li Minghua nodded.

In the end, the one million was handed over to Li Minghua, who read over the agreement, verified it was correct, and then signed it.

............

On the second day after Lin Chuan returned to Jiangbei City, he received a phone call from Li Minghua, who said he had received the money and expressed his profound gratitude to Lin Chuan. Hanging up the phone, Lin Chuan was filled with emotions. He had never expected that a perfectly fine man would end up half-paralyzed from a beating and probably never have the chance to stand up again.

"Lin Chuan, I really thank you." Li Minghua said earnestly.

"Li Minghua, you don't have to be so formal," Lin Chuan laughed. "After all, we are brothers."

"Yes, good brothers." Li Minghua nodded.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Chuan was at work in the City Committee, where a bunch of people were resting in the break room, seemingly in peaceful harmony. In reality, it was full of scheming and forming cliques. However, Lin Chuan did not participate much in these things.

No sooner had he hung up the phone than his cell started ringing again.

"Brother Lin..." On the other end of the phone, Nuo Xiaoxi's crying voice came through.

"What's wrong?" Lin Chuan asked anxiously, "Girl, why are you crying?"

Lin Chuan was anxious as he thought Nuo Xiaoxi might have encountered some issue at school. Could it be that Guan Hu that kid had harassed Nuo Xiaoxi again? It was a possibility.

Nuo Xiaoxi choked up and said, "My mom... my mom, she..."

"What happened to your mom?" Lin Chuan asked urgently.

"My mom is critically ill; she's been taken to the hospital," Nuo Xiaoxi cried inconsolably.

At that moment, Lin Chuan quickly said, "Xiaoxi, where are you now?"

"We're at the Center Hospital." Nuo Xiaoxi nodded.

"Okay, I'll be right there." Lin Chuan hurriedly hung up the phone.

After hanging up, Lin Chuan rushed out from the break room in a hurry. He was extremely anxious as he was afraid that Nuo Xiaoxi might suffer some mishap. If it were anyone else, he would have to ask Minister Chen for leave before going. But Lin Chuan didn't need to; he could just leave, and nobody dared to question him.

Jiangbei City Center Hospital.

Nuo Xiaoxi's mother was at death's door.

By the time Lin Chuan realized what was happening, he was already lying on a hospital bed, his body tethered by all sorts of tubes, with the life sign monitor beside him displaying the patient's heartbeat, pulse, blood pressure... and other vital information. After months of suffering from illness, he had grown emaciated, his cheekbones prominent, his eye sockets sunken—it seemed that this was the face of someone gravely ill. His body was almost nothing but skin and bones.

Seeing Lin Chuan's arrival, Nuo Xiaoxi had already cried herself into a mess. She threw herself into Lin Chuan's arms and said, "Brother Lin, my mom, she..."

"Don't worry, everything will definitely be okay," Lin Chuan hurriedly comforted her.

Actually, during the last visit, the doctor had already told him that Nuo Xiaoxi's mother was in the late stage of cancer and had at most three months left. More than three months had passed since then; it was already a miracle of life which deserved praise.

"I'm afraid... I'm afraid I might lose my mom too," Nuo Xiaoxi said, choking up.

"Don't be afraid," Lin Chuan said with a smile, then continued, "Xiaoxi's mom will certainly wake up."

At this moment, the attending doctor came over to check the situation. All the patient's medical records were almost always archived, so when Nuo Xiaoxi's mother came for treatment, the doctor understood the situation as soon as he checked the archive. However, apart from carrying out a series of emergency procedures, the hospital was out of options.

After all, birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural laws of life; every person must go through this cycle from birth to death.

"Lin Chuan, could you come here for a moment?" the attending doctor called to Lin Chuan after checking the situation.

Lin Chuan nodded. Seeing the attending doctor calling him aside for a private talk gave Lin Chuan an ominous premonition. He patted Nuo Xiaoxi on the back and whispered, "You stay here and accompany your mom for a bit, I'll be right back."

"Okay!" Nuo Xiaoxi nodded obediently.

Lin Chuan turned and followed the attending doctor to the office.

In the office, the doctor had a grave expression on his face.

"Doctor Liu, what's the situation really like?" Lin Chuan asked anxiously.

"You need to prepare yourself mentally," Doctor Liu sighed and said, "Cancer cells have invaded the viscera, and the patient is now at death's door. I'm afraid... she might not make it through tonight."

Hissss...

Although Lin Chuan was mentally prepared, getting such news so abruptly made it a heavy burden; his heart was weighed down, and he didn't recover his senses for a long while. He took a deep breath and asked, "Is there... is there really no other way at all?"

"No more," Doctor Liu shook his head.

Even though Lin Chuan had seen plenty of life and death on the battlefield and had grown accustomed to blood and cruelty, suddenly accepting such a result was hard for him to bear. Lin Chuan stepped back twice and said, "Is this simply fate sealing its decree?"

"Lin Chuan, birth, aging, sickness, and death are all part of the natural cycle of life," Doctor Liu looked at Lin Chuan solemnly and continued, "I'm worried Nuo Xiaoxi won't be able to accept it, so I'm telling you this. I haven't told her yet. You see... maybe find a time to talk to her about it."

"I understand," Lin Chuan nodded.

"Also, prepare for the inevitable, prepare for the funeral," Doctor Liu said.

Lin Chuan looked solemn, nodded, and replied, "Mhm, I got it."

Lin Chuan's face was a mix of bewilderment and daze, and he could hardly move at all. He didn't even remember how he made his way back to the ward. Nuo Xiaoxi was sitting on the bed, wiping her mother's hands, with the coldness of her mother's hands only adding to Nuo Xiaoxi's distress.

"Brother Lin..." Nuo Xiaoxi looked at Lin Chuan with a questioning expression.

Lin Chuan glanced at Nuo Xiaoxi and said, "Don't worry, the doctor said your mom is fine and will wake up soon."

"Really?" Nuo Xiaoxi asked.

"Of course!" Lin Chuan nodded.

Nuo Xiaoxi hurriedly wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes and said, "I can't let my mom see me crying. I have to be strong."

Lin Chuan walked over and gently embraced Nuo Xiaoxi in his arms. This pitiable girl, with her soft exterior but incredibly strong interior, always managed to move people in an inexplicable way. Nuo Xiaoxi's beauty might be coveted by all men, but none considered the story behind her. The bitterness was enough to bring tears to anyone's eyes.

Beep beep beep...

Lin Chuan's phone suddenly rang. The caller ID showed Tang Yumeng. Tang Yumeng hadn't seen Lin Chuan all day and sent Xiao Xue to the resting area to find him, only to discover that Lin Chuan had skipped work. No one knew his whereabouts.

"Lin Chuan, where are you?" Tang Yumeng asked grumpily: "Not working properly, you skipped work again, didn't you?"

"Sis, I have something to handle right now," Lin Chuan's voice was much lower, and he stepped out of the ward.

"What is it?" Tang Yumeng demanded angrily: "If you don't give me a valid reason today, see how I deal with you!"

"Xiaoxi's mother is in the late stage of cancer, and she may not make it through tonight," Lin Chuan sighed and said: "Xiaoxi is the only child in her family, and she has no other relatives. I think... she might need my help."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, and finally, Tang Yumeng said, "Then... take good care of her. If there's anything I can help with, just let me know."

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