Chapter 179: And right now, there isn’t a single one to be found.

At the time, nothing unusual showed up in the tests—they only suspected it might be a lingering aftereffect from an old arm injury.

But now, he had come to the hospital.

It was because, some time ago, Sheng Xinhao suddenly noticed that the sensation in his left arm was diminishing—his sense of touch, pain, and temperature were all reduced, to the point of numbness.

This immediately made Sheng Xinhao realize something was wrong.

He rushed to the hospital for tests, and this time, they finally found the cause.

Given Sheng Xinhao’s status, as soon as he arrived, the hospital director personally led a team to examine him.

At the moment, it was Director Wu in charge.

“…The symptoms you’ve experienced in your left arm are entirely consistent with this condition,” Director Wu said.

“Then, Director Wu, now that you know the cause, please prescribe treatment as soon as possible,” Fang Wanrong urged anxiously, her face full of concern.

Director Wu looked at Sheng Xinhao, hesitating to speak.

Sheng Xinhao frowned. “Director Wu, just tell me exactly what’s going on.”

Finally, Director Wu said, “Although we’ve identified the problem, when it comes to treatment, after discussion, we see two options: surgery or acupuncture.”

“As for surgery, this procedure involves many nerves and blood vessels in the arm, so it requires extremely high surgical skill—especially in your current condition.”

“Moreover, the surgery needs specialized equipment and supporting diagnostic tools. Overseas, this wouldn’t be a problem, but here at home, our resources are relatively limited.”

“So, the success rate is lower.”

“In fact, it’s said there was only one person in the country capable of performing this surgery, but he’s already passed away.”

Director Wu mentioned a name. Sheng Xinhao remembered him—he had studied abroad, but died several years ago.

“Then… what now? Director Wu, even you can’t help?” Fang Wanrong’s eyes reddened.

“Director Wu, you mentioned acupuncture?” Sheng Xinhao asked.

“Yes, acupuncture can also be effective, and it’s relatively less risky. But unless it’s a true master acupuncturist, it’s impossible.”

“And right now, we can’t find a single one.”

Sheng Xinhao pressed his lips together and, after a long silence, asked, “What if I opt for conservative treatment?”

“Conservative treatment will only ease the symptoms.”

“Afterward, your arm may atrophy, and you could completely lose neural control of your upper limb, making it impossible to move or use it.”

In other words, Sheng Xinhao thought, his arm could be ruined.

“And that’s the best-case scenario. The real worry is that it could affect other parts of your body, even leading to complications like lung infections.”

In other words, there was still a risk to his life.

Hearing this, everyone present looked grim.

When it came to his own life, Sheng Xinhao naturally wanted to be okay.

As for Fang Wanrong, she depended on Sheng Xinhao. Their son was still young and needed his father’s support, so she didn’t want anything to happen to him either.

Fang Manping, too, had only gotten this far because she was Sheng Xinhao’s stepdaughter.

Of course, she didn’t want him to die.

Besides, she still had her sights set on Li Tingxuan. If Sheng Xinhao was around, maybe the Li family would consider her for his sake. But if he was gone, she’d have no chance at all.

“Old Sheng, what are we going to do?” After Director Wu left, Fang Wanrong sat beside Sheng Xinhao, her eyes red.

“Enough. I want some peace and quiet. You all go out,” Sheng Xinhao said irritably.

Fang Wanrong: …

In the end, Fang Wanrong took Fang Manping and her son and left the ward.

Watching them leave, Sheng Xinhao thought of Sheng Zexi, that rebellious kid.

That boy used to come home at least once a year, but now he didn’t even come back for New Year’s.

Even if he did, he’d stay at the Sang family’s house.

That ungrateful brat—if he knew about this, he’d probably be thrilled.

But what was wrong with being strict? What was wrong with a father disciplining his son?

Even though he had a younger son, most of what he had would still go to his eldest.

He’d done everything for his son’s sake—how was that wrong?

Yet the boy kept defying him.

Sheng Xinhao remembered that in just over half a month, it would be Sang Yuwan’s memorial day.

“That kid will probably come back then,” he thought. “I should find a time to see him.”

After staying in the hospital for two more days, Sheng Xinhao was discharged.

He would start with conservative treatment, while he and the hospital would continue searching for someone capable of performing the surgery. As for finding an acupuncture master, that would be even harder.

—

In the blink of an eye, it was April. Sheng Zexi, who had taken leave, boarded a train to Beijing with Gu Jianing.

Because of the distance, driving wasn’t practical—they had to take the train.

Gu Jianing was five months pregnant now, and with twins, her belly was round and prominent, which made Sheng Zexi anxious.

Trains were crowded and chaotic, making him even more uneasy.

So, days in advance, Sheng Zexi pulled some strings to get sleeper tickets.

Sleeping berths were much more comfortable than hard seats.

Still, when they boarded, the train was packed, and Sheng Zexi’s brow furrowed deeply.

He shielded Gu Jianing behind him, clearing a path step by step.

Sheng Zexi was tall and strong, so it wasn’t difficult for him.

Some people, noticing someone pushing through, were about to complain.

But when they looked up, they saw a man in military uniform, with a stern face and a rebellious air—not someone to mess with.

So they backed down.

And when they saw the woman he was protecting, even though she wore a hat and scarf, her big belly was obvious—it was understandable.

With Sheng Zexi leading the way, Gu Jianing felt fine.

She’d taken the train before and knew the smell wasn’t pleasant.

Now that she was pregnant, she was even more sensitive to odors. So beforehand, she’d used her points in the exchange shop to get something that blocked out all the bad smells on the train, replacing them with a fresh orange scent only she could smell, and also helped with motion sickness.

So all Gu Jianing could smell was the sweet scent of oranges—none of the train’s unpleasant odors bothered her.

She felt pretty good.

Soon, Sheng Zexi led her to their sleeper berths—upper and lower bunks.

This trip wouldn’t take as long as last time—just about 30 hours, or a day and a night plus a few hours.

Compared to their last trip from their hometown to the Northwest Military District, which took two days and two nights by train, Gu Jianing thought this was much better."