After the Divorce, I Unlocked a Perfect Life

"Is Wang Cuilan’s family here?"

The door to the operating room pushed open, and a nurse walked out.

Shen Qingqiu immediately stood up. "I am."

"The patient’s condition isn’t good. We need you to sign the critical condition notice."

"Okay."

Shen Qingqiu took the pen. Without looking too closely or asking any questions, she signed her name on it, cleanly and decisively.

Taking the signed notice, the nurse turned and went back into the operating room.

Shen Qingqiu sat back down in her chair. She rested her head on one hand, sitting there without a word.

Time crawled by. Another hour passed...

When the operating room door opened again, it wasn’t just a nurse who came out, but a doctor as well.

"Xiaoshen."

The middle-aged doctor took off his mask and looked at Shen Qingqiu.

"Teacher Ma..."

Seeing the doctor’s expression, Shen Qingqiu didn’t dare to ask. Her face was unnaturally pale.

"The surgery is pointless now. There isn’t much time left. Let’s move the patient to a ward so you can have a few last words..."

Shen Qingqiu shuddered. Lin Jiang, with his quick reflexes, caught her, helping the doctor support her.

"Teacher Shen!"

"I’m fine..."

Shen Qingqiu forced herself to calm down.

Just then, Wang Cuilan was wheeled out of the operating room.

Shen Qingqiu hurried over, ready to help the nurse push Wang Cuilan back to her room.

"Xiaoxiao..."

In the elevator, the effects of the anesthesia hadn’t worn off, and Wang Cuilan’s condition was even worse.

"Mom..."

"Don’t cry. Mom’s... fine..."

Shen Qingqiu clutched Wang Cuilan’s hand...

"Mom, Mom..."

Wang Cuilan’s voice was as faint as a thread. "Mom won’t get to see you get married..."

"You will. You’ll see it. Teacher Ma said you can be cured..." Shen Qingqiu said, forcing back her tears.

Gently, Wang Cuilan turned her head and looked at Lin Jiang.

"Auntie..."

Lin Jiang responded. He couldn’t feel her exact pain, but he empathized deeply.

"Are you our Xiaoxiao’s boyfriend...?"

Lin Jiang looked at Shen Qingqiu and saw that she was looking at him too.

"Yes."

Lin Jiang nodded, placing a hand on the side of the bed, trying to close the distance between them with the gesture.

Wang Cuilan smiled.

That single word seemed to fulfill her greatest wish.

Soon, the elevator doors opened.

"Find an empty room," the male doctor said.

As a teacher at the school, she was given special consideration by the department.

"Go to 807!"

Wang Cuilan was pushed into the hospital room, and the nurse connected various machines.

Even though it was useless, every extra minute they could buy was meaningful.

Once the machines were connected, the doctor and nurse both left the room.

Lin Jiang also followed the nurse out, leaving the final moments to the mother and daughter.

"Child..."

Wang Cuilan called out to stop Lin Jiang.

"Auntie..."

Wang Cuilan weakly lifted her hand and grasped Lin Jiang’s.

"Our Xiaoxiao..."

Wang Cuilan’s voice grew fainter and fainter. Lin Jiang had to crouch down just to hear what she was saying.

"Xiaoxiao has had a hard life..."

"Promise Auntie you’ll treat her well from now on..."

"Yes, I will."

"If she ever does something wrong, please be patient with her..."

"If you fall out of love with her, just divorce her..."

"Don’t... don’t you hit her..."

Lin Jiang’s eyes stung with tears, and he gripped Wang Cuilan’s hand tightly.

"I won’t. Please don’t worry, Auntie. I absolutely won’t..."

"I won’t get to see you two get married, but leaving her with you... I can rest easy..."

"I know. I’ll be good to her..."

"Xiaoxiao..."

Wang Cuilan struggled to turn her head toward Shen Qingqiu.

"When you’re married, you have to be good to him..."

"Take good care of your in-laws..."

"Have children for him..."

"Raise the children well..."

"I know, Mom..."

COUGH, COUGH, COUGH...

Wang Cuilan coughed a few times, and the monitor fluctuated.

"Auntie’s family is poor... we can’t give you a dowry. Please don’t look down on my daughter for it..."

"I won’t, I won’t..."

"You two live a good life... have lots of chi—"

BEEP BEEP BEEP—

The monitor let out a continuous tone, signaling that the patient no longer had any vital signs.

Life’s farewells are often so abrupt, they don’t even let you finish a sentence...

"Mom—!"

There was no heart-wrenching sob, just Shen Qingqiu’s silent, choked gasps...

Her pale hands gripped the white sheet tightly. She refused to accept it, as if she could snatch her mother’s life back from the hands of Death himself...

But for all the books she had read and all the roads she had traveled, when faced with life and death, she was still powerless...

She buried her face in her mother’s chest.

This was the last time she would ever lie in her mother’s embrace as a child.

She couldn’t bear to let go...