The CEO's Porcelain Wife

The Decree of Fate

"Mommy, you need to tell me what happened so I can assess the urgency and decide if I need to come back. I’m not in Hong Kong right now, and your getting angry and anxious won’t help. You still need to tell me slowly.” Sima Chun could only patiently try to calm his mother, a sixth sense telling him that this matter was directly related to him.

"It's hard to explain on the phone. Grandma had a sudden heart attack yesterday because of this. Your father is arriving home tonight. If you're still a descendant of the Sima family, please come back as soon as possible,” Gao Suqing said, wanting to hang up.

Opening her eyes, she was greeted by a full view of white, along with her mother’s anxious and worried gaze. She wanted to sit up and hug her mother, crying in despair, but the IV drip in her arm reminded her she couldn’t move recklessly. Her mother’s eyes were red-rimmed, and her body seemed increasingly thin. She suddenly remembered the doctor's words: Without immediate treatment, the maximum survival period is one year. No, I can’t live without Mom. I have to find a way to help Mom live a healthy and happy life.

“Mom, can I ask you a question?” Sima Qing asked cautiously.

“Go ahead, child.”

“What kind of relative is big brother to us?”

“He’s the son of a good friend from your father’s hometown. We haven’t had much contact because they lived so far away. This time, he is on a business trip to the mainland and was just stopping by to visit us.” Qing’er’s mother dared not mention the childhood betrothal.

“Has he gone back yet?” Sima Qing asked anxiously.

“No, he’s still outside making a phone call.”

“Secretary Lin, have the Old Madam go back to the hospital first, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He couldn’t believe his grandmother had blown up like this.

“President, the Old Madam wouldn’t listen to my explanation, and the Madam also came. They’re throwing things around in the office. The staff in the entire building can’t work. The stocks in China are still plummeting. We've invested 6 billion USD so far and there’s no effect. Minister Jia and the other executives are in a meeting, and the Old Madam went and kicked over the mainframes in the finance department, pulled the phone lines in the minister’s office, and smashed the huge TV screen in the conference room. The workers are trying to repair it. No one can reason with her or stop her. Everyone knows the Old Madam has a heart condition, and if something were to happen, no one can take the responsibility. The Madam was throwing files in my office, and she ripped the phone lines off the wall… President, this problem seems very serious,” Lin Yue said, flustered, not knowing what to do.

“Secretary Lin, immediately have the head of security, Minister Qian, escort both of them home. If he can’t even handle such a small matter, tell him not to come to work tomorrow.” Sima Chun hung up the phone, furious. The security department had dozens of people who were all good for nothing, allowing two old women to create chaos throughout the entire building. Those two old women were doing nothing at home all day except going crazy with the thought of having grandchildren. That actress, what's her name, Nana, even said in the newspapers that she was pregnant with his child - twins, six months along! Pah, these women were really ignorant, he felt like he could no longer ignore the women who wanted to become Mrs. Sima.

“Qing’er, are you feeling any better?” His voice was always so gentle when he spoke to her.

“Much better, thank you, big brother.”

“The doctor said you fainted because your constitution was weak. You need to eat more in the future, understand?” Sima Chun said, lovingly patting her head.

Qing’er’s mother, with her eyes red, walked away.

“Big brother, did my mom find out something?”

“Silly girl, wasn’t your fainting telling her that your condition is very serious?”

Sima Qing could no longer hold back her tears. With teary eyes she looked at him, saying “I really don’t know what to do. The doctor said that my mom’s condition is very bad.”

Seeing her cry, his heart ached. He felt like he hadn't taken good care of her. At such a young age, she had lost her father. If she lost her mother too, she would definitely not be able to handle it. But right now, her aunt was a cachectic patient, and had reached the terminal stages, making it difficult to have any hope of recovery.

"Qing'er, don’t cry. You must be strong. Don’t ever cry in front of your aunt, okay?”

“Big brother, do you think my mom will die?” She wanted to hear good news from his mouth.

Sima Chun gently wiped away her tears: “Qing’er, be good, don't keep crying, okay? If you don't cry, I'll answer you.” Seeing her endless tears, he truly felt a pain in his heart.

“Oh, then I won’t cry,” she immediately stopped the tears.

“That’s right, good girl. Quickly wipe your face with this hot towel, you need to pick yourself up, okay? Nothing is absolute, as long as we try our best, there's always hope."

“Are you saying that Mom still has hope?” This was the happiest news she had heard today.

“You can understand it that way.” This little girl will probably need more time to accept reality.

"Qing'er, would you like to take your aunt to a better hospital for treatment?" Sima Chun asked carefully.

"I don't know where to go for treatment," Sima Qing replied truthfully.

“I have a few friends in Hong Kong who are experts in this field. I’ve just contacted them. They can’t guarantee a cure, but they'll do their best to extend her survival time. Because they haven't seen the patient, my friends can't say much more."

“It’ll cost a lot of money to go to Hong Kong, right?” Sima Qing asked softly.

“Silly girl, don’t talk about money with big brother in the future. You only have to say if you want to go or not.”

Sima Qing, with gratitude in her eyes, looked at Sima Chun and nodded. She felt like a large burden had been lifted off her shoulders.

“Thank you, big brother.” Tears came to her eyes uncontrollably.

Sima Chun wrapped his arms around her. “Qing'er, I really want to hold you. Is that okay?”

Sima Qing reached out and tightly hugged his waist, and cried out loud, waah! Yes, if she didn't cry, she wouldn't be able to bear it. After her father passed away, her mother’s health had deteriorated. She had to work every day to earn money to pay for her schooling. She had been sensible since she was a child, and always the best student in the entire school. Every time her mother was ill, the pressure she felt was immense.

Sima Chun didn’t say a word. He just patted her back softly and tenderly.

Knock knock knock… knock knock knock…

“Qing’er, I’ll go open the door. You go wash your face in the back, okay?” He really wanted to let her cry her heart out in his arms, but this untimely knocking on the door…

An Da pushed open the door, holding a phone. “Young Master, the Master is calling with an urgent matter…”

“Mommy, I have things I need to do right now. I’ll be back in two days.”

“What? Two days? No, you need to come back immediately!” Gao Suqing nearly yelled.

"Secretary Lin, I’m sorry to bother you so late," Sima Chun said, dialing Lin Yue's number.

“It’s no problem, President, please tell me what you need,” Lin Yue said, already preparing for bed.

“Immediately go to the hospital to see the Old Madam. Help me ask her why she was hospitalized.” Call me back in one hour.

“Yes, I’ll go immediately.” Lin Yue was always so respectful and polite.

Sima Qing slept soundly all night, until the break of dawn. When she woke up, she glanced at the time: Heavens, it was already past six in the morning! Without even washing her face, she rushed out of the house.

When she opened the door, she angrily cursed: “Hey, are you blind? Why did you park the car in front of someone's house?" The driver was slumped over, sleeping on the steering wheel. Luckily, the car window was open. She cursed a few times, but the man didn't react. She became enraged and found a broom in the house and hit the driver on the head with it: “Hey, quickly move your car!”

Sima Chun, feeling an attack on his head, swiftly seized the weapon: “Qing’er?”

“I’m sorry. I really didn't know it was you,” Sima Qing said, her face flushed red.

“You slept in the car last night?”

“Oh.” He handed her the broom, asking, “Can we go? Do you need to fix your hair first?”

“Wait for me, I’ll be right back,” Sima Qing said, touching her messy hair, before escaping back into the house.

Arriving at the hospital, Qing’er’s mother was having breakfast with An Da’s care.

“Qing’er, were you too tired last night, so you didn’t stay at the hospital?”

“Oh, yes. I slept very well at home. Mom, I’ll go do the discharge procedures. Is it okay if we take big brother’s car later?” She asked, seeking her mother’s opinion.

Qing’er’s mother looked at her daughter and then at Sima Chun, wondering what had changed about her daughter…

“Alright, whatever you say. This gentleman has already done the discharge procedures. I really need to thank young master.” Qing’er’s mother looked gratefully at Sima Chun.

The provincial capital hospital was indeed large, with many patients, but Sima Qing felt like they didn’t need to wait in line. The hospital director was very respectful to Sima Chun. After two hours, all of the test results were out, including the tissue biopsy. The doctor was explaining the various test results to her, but she was more confused than ever. “Excuse me, Doctor. What did you mean when you said my mom has a 4.0x5.0 malignant tumor in her right lung? What does ‘malignant tumor’ mean?”

“Young lady, to put it simply, a malignant tumor is – cancer.” The doctor said, observing her reaction. Seeing that she was still confused, he continued.

“What is cancer?”

“Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells (malignant tumor cells), which spread from the original site to other areas. If this spread cannot be controlled, it will invade vital organs, cause organ failure, and eventually death.” The doctor continued to speak, all the while paying attention to her facial expressions. As a doctor, he had to explain the patient’s situation clearly to the family members.

“The malignant tumor cells in the patient's body have now spread to other parts, and have invaded the liver. The patient has a severe wasting condition.”

“Are you saying my mom…will…die?” Sima Qing said as she stood up, her face completely drained of color.

“If she doesn’t receive immediate treatment, her maximum survival period is… about a year.”

“What? My mom can only live… a year!” Sima Qing felt a darkness engulf her eyes, and she fainted.