Chapter 369: A Love Tested by Illness

Zhou Can had a nagging feeling his girlfriend was hiding something from him.

Looking back, he realized he’d been careless. Over a year ago, Su Qianqian had started using work as an excuse to stop picking up her medication from Tuyu Hospital.

Instead, she switched to getting regular check-ups and treatment at the Provincial People’s Hospital near Jin Yu Interactive.

Maybe, even back then, she’d already known her condition was getting worse.

He could only hope he was overthinking it.

Fighting back his anxiety, Zhou Can did something out of character after work. He didn’t go to the Cardiothoracic Surgery department to study under Dr. Hu Kan, but called him to explain the situation then hurried to Su Qianqian’s place.

There was a reason Zhou Can wasn’t going straight to her company.

He had a key to her apartment. Unlocking the door, he walked in. Everywhere he looked, there were traces of Su Qianqian—oil paintings on the wall, a pothos by the window, snacks scattered on the coffee table…

Su Qianqian wasn’t home yet.

Ever since Zhou Can had sent Hu Haikun to prison, business for Jin Yu Interactive had only gotten better.

Su Qianqian was their top star—ads, films, interviews, concerts, song recordings, livestreams—her schedule was packed. Other celebrities might have social dinners to attend too.

But Zhou Can had already spoken to Mr. Li about this. He made it clear Su Qianqian’s wishes would always come first—she didn’t want to go to these dinners, and no one would force her.

So Su Qianqian almost never attended them.

At first, a lot of people in the industry thought she was acting like a diva. They predicted her career would tank.

But somehow, her career just kept rising.

It’s like with business meetings—people think you can’t get deals done if you don’t smoke or drink, but after health issues force you to quit, you find deals still happen.

People expected quitting smoking and drinking would hurt their performance.

But after a while, those who tried it realized business didn’t suffer at all.

In the end, as long as profits were there, people still found ways to work together—even without all that nonsense.

Zhou Can turned on the lights and glanced around the living room, but nothing useful caught his eye.

Instinctively, he walked toward Su Qianqian’s bedroom.

Even though they’d been together for over two years, Zhou Can could count on one hand how many times he’d been in her bedroom.

He opened the door and entered. A faint, feminine fragrance filled the air—it was her scent.

Switching on the light, Zhou Can immediately spotted medication and a cup of water on the nightstand.

People suffering from chronic kidney failure needed long-term medication.

Zhou Can picked up the bottles: nifedipine and carvedilol, both used to control blood pressure. Kidney failure often led to high blood pressure, difficult to manage—usually at least two antihypertensive medicines had to be taken together.

Shenshuaining tablets.

The sight of this medicine made Zhou Can’s pupils constrict.

“That’s for lowering creatinine. Her condition really has gotten worse,” he muttered.

From what he remembered, her test results from two years ago—creatinine and urea nitrogen—were still normal.

He didn’t keep searching through her things, just left the room and shut the door.

But he didn’t leave. Instead, he sat on the sofa with his eyes closed, deep in thought.

Right now, he had more than enough money to pay for a kidney transplant for her. If he couldn’t get a donor through legal channels, money could solve it on the black market.

Hospitals saw all kinds of patients pass away daily, especially accident victims. Their organs were often healthy and young.

But in this country, people believe in letting the dead rest in peace, and few were willing to donate organs proactively.

That made organ transplants extremely scarce.

If more people would just agree to donate and hospitals set up fair compensation, the donor shortage could be solved.

Zhou Can had plenty of funds at his disposal. If the law allowed, he’d be willing to take the lead on this.

But the law made it clear: you couldn’t buy or sell human cells, tissues, organs, or bodies. Breaking this law was a serious crime.

With such strict crackdowns, the market had split in two.

Patients relying on legal channels queued up endlessly for transplants, while the black market was a playground for the rich—they could buy any organ with sky-high prices. Ordinary people could only look on in despair.

Of course, there were legal risks, and most people weren’t willing to risk it.

…

Around ten thirty that night, Zhou Can heard someone unlock the door.

“The lock’s been tampered with!” Wei Fang whispered, alerting Su Qianqian.

She spoke in a low voice, warning Su Qianqian.

Sending her to that special training camp really paid off for Mr. Qian.

The fact she noticed the lock right away showed her skills.

The door opened. Wei Fang slipped in holding a stun baton, ready for anything.

She immediately noticed the light was on and spotted Zhou Can sitting on the sofa.

“Boss!”

She put away the baton and greeted Zhou Can respectfully.

“Oh, it’s just Zhou Can! You scared me half to death,” Su Qianqian said, following her in. She held pepper spray in one hand and her phone in the other, ready to call the police if needed.

“Darling, you didn’t call to say you were coming! Have you eaten?”

Still, Su Qianqian could sense something was off about Zhou Can.

She closed the door, didn’t even take off her coat, and went straight to sit next to him.

“Your kidney failure’s gotten worse. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Zhou Can’s face was grim as he stared at her.

He was clearly angry—really upset.

“I’m fine! Besides, with this illness, the only solution is a transplant. Telling you would just make you worry.” Su Qianqian grabbed his hand, trying to explain.

“If I’m really your man, you shouldn’t hide things like this from me.”

Anger seeped into Zhou Can’s voice.

Wei Fang took the hint and ducked into her room, quietly closing the door. She never meddled in the boss’s private affairs.

“I just didn’t want you to worry! Don’t be mad, okay?”

Su Qianqian gently shook Zhou Can’s arm.

“I’m angry because you don’t take care of yourself. Even though your illness is getting worse, you still work so hard. What upsets me most is that you kept it from me.”

Zhou Can’s frustration was rooted in worry, not just anger.

They weren’t married and hadn’t lived as husband and wife, but their feelings for each other ran deep—just like a real couple.

Maybe even deeper than some married couples.

“I know I was wrong! Please don’t be mad.” She stroked his chest, trying to calm him.

“What am I supposed to do with you? If I hadn’t found out by accident, would you have kept this from me forever? Do you know how dangerous kidney failure can be?”

Zhou Can looked at her, more heartache than blame in his eyes.

Her makeup was still on and her face was drawn with exhaustion. After a long day of work, she was completely worn out. Chronic kidney failure was tiring on its own.

People like her couldn’t compare to healthy folks.

Still, even as tired as she was, she forced a smile and spoke to Zhou Can gently.

“Of course I know the risks! But all I can do is try to make every day I have left as meaningful as possible. If one day I truly have to go, I hope you’ll forget me.”

She must have already prepared for the worst.

“Su Qianqian, your life belongs to me now. Unless I say so, you’re not allowed to talk about giving up. Even if I have to sacrifice everything, I’ll find a way to cure you.”

Zhou Can truly meant every word.

If he lost all his money, lost his job—even went to jail—none of it mattered.

All he wanted was for her to live. To live healthily.

“Can, I want nothing more than to spend my life with you. But if fate stands in our way, we have to accept it. With your background, your talent, your looks—I know you’ll meet a woman a hundred or a thousand times better than me.”

Those words made it clear her illness was even worse than he had guessed.

Or maybe she was just so scared her mind kept preparing for the worst.

“Su Qianqian, you are unique in this world. No one could ever take your place. If you talk about giving up, you’re not just letting down our love—you’re letting me down.”

Zhou Can was the kind of man who didn’t fall in love easily, but when he did, it was for real.

With his circumstances, he could date a different woman every day if he wanted—he wasn’t short on options.

But Su Qianqian had become a part of his life—part of his very soul.

Losing her was something Zhou Can couldn’t even begin to imagine.

“I haven’t given up. I just mean that, if I ever leave this world, I hope you won’t grieve too hard. Forget me and find someone else to love.”

She gazed at him, tears glimmering in her eyes.

Who would willingly let the man they love end up with someone else?

When faced with a terrible illness, she was still just human.

“As long as I’m here, I won’t let anything happen to you! Kidney failure isn’t a death sentence; it’s not!” Zhou Can insisted. As far as he knew, she wasn’t at the transplant stage yet—her life wasn’t in danger.

Even at the final stage of kidney failure, people could survive for a long time on dialysis.

“Let me see your test results!”

His tone left no room for argument.

Su Qianqian hesitated a moment, then gave in. She pulled a thick stack of kidney function reports from her bag.

The reports covered a long stretch; with chronic kidney failure, tests were usually monthly.

They mainly checked kidney function, electrolytes, blood routine, parathyroid hormone, and so on.

The key was whether her creatinine kept rising.

Other countries used glomerular filtration rate as the main indicator.

Zhou Can started with the oldest report from two years ago. It was obvious—her condition had been getting worse in small steps, especially after a year ago when it suddenly went from a compensatory stage to decompensated.

Now, her disease was still progressing relentlessly, heading straight toward stage three kidney failure.

“I haven’t done my job as your boyfriend. For more than two years, I never even asked about your results, leaving you to face all this pressure alone. Qianqian, I’m sorry!”

He held her tight, suddenly realizing how thin she’d become.

Whenever they went out, Su Qianqian would always put on a happy face for Zhou Can, caring for him in every little way. You could only imagine the stress she bore every time she got a new test result.

“Don’t say that. And stop blaming yourself. I want you to live every day in happiness.” She pressed her face against his chest.

After holding her for a long while, Zhou Can whispered, “Qianqian, maybe you should quit your job. This rapid progression is probably linked to overwork.”

“But I love my job. It gives me a sense of success and happiness—and it helps you make money too. If I quit now, you and Boss Li might have to pay a huge penalty.” She lifted her face, looking at him earnestly.

Her words were sincere and unwavering.

“Money can always be earned again. But if I lose you, my whole world will turn dark. I’d wander through life like a shell of a person.”

To Zhou Can, money meant little. Love meant everything.

Family, love, friendship—these were the most important things in his heart.

Because he valued relationships so much, so many chief physicians were eager to take him on as a disciple and share their life’s knowledge. Friends jumped in to help without a second thought whenever he was in trouble.

Just a few months ago, when his parents’ factory was about to go bankrupt, Mr. Cui and his wife did everything they could to help. All because of Zhou Can’s character and charisma.

Zhou Can and Mr. Li started Jin Yu Interactive together, but Su Qianqian was crucial to its rapid growth.

Even now, though the company had many other signed artists, she still contributed over 50% of its income.

Simply put, without her, the company wouldn’t be where it is today.

That’s exactly why Hu Haikun had targeted her when he tried to take over Jin Yu Interactive.

“I promise, once things slow down, I’ll start taking on fewer jobs, okay?”

She pleaded with Zhou Can, hoping he’d agree.

Seeing him silent, she added, “I want my man to be rich, not broke. Don’t worry, I can handle it. Right now, I’m still doing fine. Besides, a big company like Jin Yu Interactive has to honor its contracts. There are just over four months left on my current contract, then I’ll renegotiate for a lighter workload.”

One look at her pleading eyes and Zhou Can couldn’t say no.

From day one, she’d always been independent and strong-willed.

He knew better than anyone how tough it was to sway her once she decided on something.

“Tomorrow I’ll take these reports to two nephrology specialists. You should also get checked at Tuyu Hospital again since it’s been almost a month since your last test.”

In other words, he basically agreed to let Su Qianqian keep working for a while.

“Alright! I’ll do whatever you say. You’re the most important person in my world—no one else even comes close.” She finally relaxed now that he’d agreed.

She was definitely independent, but Zhou Can meant too much to her—his opinion always mattered.

“Am I really even more important than your parents?” he teased.

Su Qianqian’s face darkened.

“I lost my parents young. My uncle and aunt put food on my table, and the country gave me free schooling. That’s how I kept chasing my dreams instead of just becoming an ordinary worker.”

Her childhood was so hard—it was no wonder she was so self-reliant. She’d been toughened by life from the start.

There’s nothing sadder than a child who grows up without their parents. They have to do everything on their own.

So young, she’d lost her home and her shelter from the world.

“Sorry—I didn’t mean to bring up painful memories. From now on, I’ll be your family,” Zhou Can promised, feeling even more love for this brave, beautiful girl.

She wasn’t just lovely on the outside—she had a radiant spirit too.

“Hmph, you big dummy. You’ve always been family to me! Stay with me tonight, okay?” she asked shyly.