Who Needs a CEO? I Choose Stardom

"Sigh..."

「Huaxi Hospital, CT Waiting Room.」

Ni Guangli paced back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back, sighing as he went.

This sudden, unexpected diagnosis had left him feeling terrible.

After all, he was 67 this year. If the condition was serious, there was no telling what might happen.

On his 18th sigh, seeing the increasingly impatient looks from the people around them, Sang Yuan finally couldn’t take it anymore.

"Why don’t you sit down and rest a bit? This hospital is so crowded. When you get older, your bones are more brittle. It wouldn’t be good if you bumped into something and fell."

He was genuinely concerned for his father-in-law’s health, which was why he suggested he sit down. But when Ni Guangli heard this, he felt it was dripping with sarcasm.

’Showing off that you’re healthy, that they didn’t find anything wrong with you, is that it?’

But thinking of his daughter’s happiness, he ultimately suppressed the urge to curse him out. He obediently sat down and ignored him.

"Hey now, old fella, no need to get so worked up. You can see your son is just worried about you."

An old woman with a sallow complexion sitting nearby, who had long since grown dizzy from his pacing, struck up a conversation now that he had sat down.

Ni Guangli muttered irritably under his breath, "He’s not my son."

’If I hadn’t come with him for his check-up, I wouldn’t have found out I had a problem myself!’

He knew he had this kid to thank in a way, but the thought that he might need surgery soon, forcing him to halt the variety show he had just started preparing, made him incredibly agitated.

"Then he must be your son-in-law! To have such a devoted son-in-law, that’s a real blessing!"

"He’s not my son-in-law either."

An inexplicable fire raged within Ni Guangli, burning him up inside.

"Oh, for goodness’ sake! He’s not your son, and he’s not your son-in-law, yet he’s patient enough to bring you to the hospital? What more could you be unhappy about? He’s been running all over the place for you, and you’re still giving him a sour look. You’ve got it too good, that’s your problem! I’m almost eighty, you know! I’m not saying this to be mean. You have to learn to cherish your blessings!"

The old woman was genuinely annoyed with him, so her tone inevitably became passive-aggressive.

She was already feeling unwell, and then there was this person buzzing back and forth in front of her like a fly. The pacing was one thing, but he was sighing the whole time, too.

The others around them saw he was well-dressed and were afraid to cause trouble, but she wasn’t scared!

Having lived to her age and been diagnosed with cancer, she wasn’t the type to put up with anyone’s nonsense. The fact that she had tolerated him for this long was already a rare show of solidarity for a fellow patient.

Ni Guangli knew he was in the wrong but was too embarrassed to apologize to Sang Yuan in front of so many people. So he held his tongue and let her lecture him, but his expression! It grew visibly fouler by the second.

Having been his son-in-law for so many years in his past life, Sang Yuan naturally knew his temper.

To put it bluntly, even a hundred years from now when his bones had turned to dust, if you dug up his jaw, his mouth would still be sharp enough to cut glass.

So, he wasn’t angry. He just smiled and started a conversation with the old woman. "Grandma, what illness brings you here?"

Knowing he was trying to stop her from lecturing the old man any further, the old woman shot Ni Guangli a look that said, "You really don’t know what’s good for you." Then, turning back to Sang Yuan, her face broke into a smile. "Me? I’m here today for a follow-up on my liver cancer!"

"Liver cancer?"

Before Sang Yuan could say anything in response, Ni Guangli was the one who was shocked.

’Here I am, getting so worked up over a kidney stone that I can’t even sit still, while an actual liver cancer patient is calmly watching me pace around. How mortifying!’

Sang Yuan wanted to tell him, ’Don’t worry. Ten years from now, you’ll still have enough energy to chase your grandson around for a spanking. It’s just a kidney stone, there’s no need to be scared to death.’

But he knew he couldn’t say that, so he could only watch as Ni Guangli stewed in his anxiety.

"That’s right, liver cancer! But I caught it early, and the treatment has been very effective."

The old woman’s sallow face was filled with pride.

"I owe it all to my devoted daughter! She drags me to a check-up every year, and if I don’t go, she cries. You might laugh, but my daughter’s almost sixty, and she still cries like a little girl at the drop of a hat!"

"As long as parents are around, their children have a shelter over their heads. With someone to protect them, they can afford to be vulnerable once in a while. If I were gone, she’d probably have to swallow all her tears."

"So, be a little kinder to your children. Try to live a long life and love them well, and blessings will naturally find you! Don’t be scared if they find something wrong. Getting proper treatment is what matters most."

"Being your child must be a very happy thing."

Sang Yuan praised her sincerely, and the family members who had accompanied the old woman to the hospital couldn’t help but smile. They then started chatting with him.

And as they chatted, they even struck up a business deal. It was an incredible coincidence.

The old woman grew tired and closed her eyes to rest. Ni Guangli also sat off to the side, silent.

Hearing Sang Yuan quietly discussing an investment in some app, Ni Guangli couldn’t help but sneak a glance at him. ’My daughter might not be as reliable as other people’s, but having a reliable son-in-law is just as good.’

Instantly, that feeling of having been one-upped right from the start vanished completely.

"Sigh! It’s not that I wanted to come to the hospital. This kid! He insisted on dragging me here."

When the old woman ignored him, he even reached out and gave her a little nudge.

The old woman’s eyes snapped open, glaring at him. She looked like she was about to lose her temper!

Sang Yuan, who had just added the person’s WeChat and was about to schedule a meeting to discuss things further, saw this and quickly grabbed Ni Guangli’s arm.

Just as he was about to gently persuade him not to stir up trouble, he heard a number being called from the front. It was Ni Guangli’s. Sang Yuan felt an immense wave of relief, as if he’d been granted a pardon.

"Quick, quick, it’s your turn! Go on, go on! I’ll wait for you here!"

Forced to stop halfway through his act, Ni Guangli was momentarily stunned, feeling stuck and unsatisfied.

"Hey, didn’t you tell me yesterday that hiding an illness for fear of treatment is a bad idea? Get in there, the doctor is waiting! Let’s get this done so we can go home early!"

Ni Guangli had no choice but to go in for his examination.

After a detailed CT scan, the two took the films to see a urology specialist recommended by a friend.

Fortunately, after carefully examining the scans, the specialist said the stone wasn’t too large and could be treated conservatively with medication first.

"Uncle, you have to listen to the specialist. Drink lots of water. With this condition, you need to drink a lot of water to help pass the stone. Otherwise, even if you have surgery, there’s a high chance it’ll come back."

"I know, I know!"

’Just stop nagging me!’

Now, with just the two of them in the car besides the driver, Ni Guangli could finally swallow his pride and say a few soft words.

"I really have you to thank for this. If we hadn’t found it, I would’ve just assumed my backache was from exhaustion. By the time the stone got bigger, I’m afraid I’d have needed surgery. Imagine how much I would have suffered."

Sang Yuan thought to himself, ’Your surgery was in the summer, and you even had to stay in the hospital for two extra days because the incision got infected!’

But that was another thing he couldn’t say. Sang Yuan just laughed heartily. "It was just a coincidence. If you ask me, finding it this early is a reward for being a good person. If you hadn’t brought me to the hospital, you wouldn’t have gotten a check-up yourself, and you never would have known."

Kidney stones often develop over a long period. Many people feel discomfort for years without taking it seriously, and by the time the pain is unbearable enough to send them to the hospital, the condition is already severe.

To have a chance of curing it now just by taking some medicine and drinking more water in daily life was an excellent outcome.

By now, Ni Guangli had also started to piece things together.

’This kid probably brought me for a check-up on purpose. He must have lied about feeling unwell because he was afraid I wouldn’t agree.’

’This son-in-law is a real keeper!’

’He’s right up there with other people’s devoted daughters!’

A warmth spread through Ni Guangli’s heart, and his gaze toward Sang Yuan grew increasingly gentle.