The sickly one in F4 was the group's darling.

With a "click," the door was gently pushed open, and Dr. Qin walked in. The room was very warm, but he still felt a stifling atmosphere.

Bai Yanzhi sat quietly on the edge of the bed, shrouded in an unyielding melancholy. He heard the noise and his fingertips twitched, but he didn't even lift his head, exuding a cold indifference that kept everyone at arm's length.

Dr. Qin walked quietly to his side, her tone solemn and low.

"Mr. Bai, the young master's vital signs have stabilized, and he is temporarily out of danger. Tonight, the entire medical team and I will be on duty all night, updating the data every hour. For tomorrow morning's full-scale cardiac examination, I have already coordinated with all the experts and equipment, and they are all in place and ready to be arranged at any time."

Bai Yanzhi reached out and took the receipt, his knuckles suddenly tightening, squeezing the paper into several creases.

He slowly stood up and turned to look at Dr. Qin.

Those eyes, which had long been in charge of a trillion-dollar business empire and had seen through countless people's hearts, were now covered with heavy weariness, but the scrutiny and sharpness deep in their eyes had not diminished in the slightest.

"Dr. Qin, I just want to tell you the truth."

His voice was deep and hoarse, each word carrying the oppressive aura of a superior: "The Bai family arranges for everyone to have a physical examination every year. Bai Ci's health is so weak, he even faints repeatedly and has frequent heart problems. Why hasn't anyone reported this to me all these years?"

The air suddenly became still.

Dr. Qin's expression hardened slightly. After a few seconds of silence, she gave an answer that surprised Bai Yanzhi.

"Because the young master has only had one physical examination."

His tone was steady, yet every word struck like a heavy hammer: "It was the year he first came to the Bai family."

Bai Yanzhi's brows furrowed sharply.

The year you first came to the Bai family?

Scenes from eight years ago instantly flashed into my mind.

That was the day Bai Ci was brought back to the Bai family. He was standing on the steps of the main building.

From afar, I could see a thin, small child following behind the old man. The child wore an ill-fitting gray coat, kept his head down, and had long hair covering his face. He looked timid and inconspicuous.

The old man simply said, "This is Bai Ci," and then brushed it off.

He had just taken over the group's affairs and was extremely busy. He only caught a glimpse of the child from afar and didn't even get a clear look at the child's face.

For the next eight years, Bai Ci will always be the most invisible person in the Bai family.

Quiet, aloof, and unassuming, like an insignificant speck of dust, unnoticed and uncared for.

Dr. Qin continued speaking, interrupting Bai Yanzhi's recollection.

"He never attended the check-up in the following years," Dr. Qin said truthfully. "The annual check-up notice was delivered on time, and the medical team reserved a spot for him every year, but he was absent every time. According to the rules, people who are absent from the check-up without any sudden illness are only marked as absent and filed, and are not reported separately. So his health records for these eight years are completely blank."

He paused, his tone becoming more complex and helpless: "Over the past few years, we've sent nurses to remind him many times, but each time they've missed him. The nurses report that the young master seems to be able to predict when he'll arrive, and he precisely avoids the house, even with the lights on and the door locked, he's nowhere to be seen."

"The medical staff who went there each time couldn't even see him once."

At this point, Dr. Qin seemed to recall something, and a faint, bitter smile appeared on her lips: "At the time, I just thought the child was too introverted and shy, and I didn't think much of it. Looking back now, his avoidance wasn't isolated; it was systematic. He avoided physical examinations, avoided medical staff, avoided everyone. He lived in the Bai family for eight years, and none of our entire medical team was familiar with his physical condition."

A dark glint flashed in Bai Yanzhi's eyes.

Systematic avoidance, for a full eight years.

He suddenly recalled the scene in the teahouse earlier that day. When he reached out to hand her something, Bai Ci instinctively recoiled, his whole body tense and on guard. He had thought it was just timidity and restraint, but now he realized it was a "conditioned reflex" developed from years of seclusion.

Dr. Qin handed the yellowed paper file to Bai Yanzhi.

"This is the original report from eight years ago. The conclusion stated that the patient's physical condition was weak and the cardiac load was slightly higher than the average level for their age. However, neither of these indicators reached the threshold for medical warning. There was no organic lesion, no clear diagnosis, no need for medication, no need for hospitalization, and the indications for mandatory follow-up examinations were not even met."

"At the time, this was a child who needed more rest and nutrition, and did not meet the reporting standards at all."

Bai Yanzhi took the report and his gaze fell on the conclusion section on the last page.

On the yellowed paper, several neatly printed lines were clearly visible: "Physical condition is weak. Cardiac workload is slightly higher than the average for people of the same age. Recommendation: Strengthen nutrition and engage in appropriate exercise."

The date on the document was September, the month Bai Ci first entered the Bai family.

At the bottom of the page, there is a handwritten note: The child is not very cooperative, has a pale complexion, and is thin.

"To put it simply," Dr. Qin said in a complicated tone, "there were no high-risk warnings back then, and no one needed to pay special attention to him. It was his deliberate avoidance over the next eight years that completely hid his health problems into a dead end that no one knew about."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the door was pushed open again, and Bai Jiheng strode in. He had heard every word of the conversation that had just taken place inside.

He snatched the report from Bai Yanzhi's hand, quickly scanned it, then abruptly looked up at Dr. Qin, his voice tense:

"Eight years ago, it was just mild weakness, but now it's a complete shock and fainting spell. They found myocardial ischemia and spiked cardiac enzymes! How could such a minor problem turn into a life-threatening situation? What caused it?"

"We cannot draw a precise conclusion at this time," Dr. Qin replied cautiously. "Routine examinations will not reveal any structural lesions in the heart, and we cannot find a clear source of damage. It is most likely a rare congenital problem, or damage accumulated over many years of metabolism, and there is another possibility..."

He stopped abruptly midway through his speech, unwilling to speculate.

"What is it?" Bai Yanzhi looked up and asked, his gaze deep.

"Without sufficient data to support it, there's no point in saying more." Dr. Qin shook his head. "We must wait for the young master to wake up and undergo a full set of in-depth specialized examinations before a diagnosis can be made. But one thing is certain: his health did not suddenly deteriorate recently; it was caused by years of continuous overexertion and slow deterioration. The root of the disease was planted as early as eight years ago."

The wear and tear over the years.

Those few words were so powerful they made it hard to breathe.

Bai Yanzhi's eyes darkened slightly, a belated bitterness rising in his heart.

He recalled that during the day in the teahouse, Bai Ci drank tea like water, drinking six cups in a row. Bai Ci said, "Sometimes the stream water has an earthy taste and needs to settle for a long time before it's drinkable."

Throughout the entire banquet, he maintained his composure and never mentioned feeling unwell.

As the older brother, he had no idea how much this child was hiding.

Bai Yanzhi suppressed his turbulent emotions and said solemnly and authoritatively, "Tomorrow, compile and send over all his physical examination, medical records, and follow-up records. Arrange for three shifts of medical staff to stay in the ward and record his vital signs every two hours."

"From now on, if he feels even the slightest discomfort or shows any abnormality, he can report directly to me without having to go through layers of reporting. I will personally oversee and finalize all the recuperation and treatment plans, and I will not allow any more oversights."

"Understood!" Dr. Qin nodded emphatically, his throat tight. "I will keep a close eye on things the whole time."

"Stand guard outside. If there is any unusual activity, come in immediately," Bai Yanzhi instructed calmly.

"Yes."

Dr. Qin quietly left, and the door closed silently.