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

Footsteps echoed in the empty corridor, dull and monotonous, a stark contrast to the warm atmosphere inside the ward.

After turning the corner and completely out of the ward's sight, Bai Yanzhi suddenly stopped.

He pressed his back against the cold wall, his thumb pressing hard on his throbbing brow. The composure he had been carefully maintaining shattered instantly, revealing an unconcealable weariness in his eyes.

Bai Jiheng stood half a step behind him, his playful and carefree expression completely gone, replaced by a solemn look.

"What exactly happened?" He lowered his voice, each word filled with suppressed anxiety. "A group of top experts consulted for a long time, and you just casually mentioned a minor problem to Bai Ci. Tell me the truth."

Bai Yanzhi lowered his hand and looked up at Bai Jiheng.

The corridor lights shone down from above, casting a deep shadow beneath his brow bone. The darkness in his eyes was even deeper than Bai Jiheng had imagined.

"The equipment was top-of-the-line and cross-checked three times. The conclusion was that there was no organic lesion."

Bai Jiheng frowned: "No lesions? Isn't that a good thing?"

"No lesions, but he could die suddenly at any time." Bai Yanzhi's voice was low and hoarse, completely different from his voice in the ward just now. "His cardiovascular stress response far exceeds all known pathological models. His data is completely normal during the stable period, but once a trigger is triggered—temperature difference, emotional fluctuation, physical exhaustion—his myocardial damage indicators spike instantly, and his cardiac load increases dramatically. We can't find any lesions, we can't find the source, and all conventional treatment plans are just tentative."

Bai Jiheng's heart skipped a beat, and after a long pause, he managed to utter a strained voice: "What does 'at any time' mean?"

"The literal meaning." Bai Yanzhi's voice was very soft. "What happened last night could happen again at any time. Next time, we might not be able to hold out until Dr. Qin arrives."

The corridor fell into dead silence.

Bai Jiheng clenched his fist.

"What did Qin Li say?"

"Qin Li suggested contacting the Ji family. I contacted Old Master Ji as soon as I left the meeting room, and he agreed to help, entrusting the matter to Ji Huaizhou." Bai Yanzhi paused, "Old Master Ji's exact words were, 'He has a better way of handling things than I do.'"

"Ji Huaizhou?" Bai Jiheng's face darkened. "That one from the Ji family? The one who doesn't usually like socializing?"

"Yes."

Bai Jiheng's voice turned colder: "Do you even know how he treats Bai Ci? How long was Bai Ci treated like a ghost in F4? Did Ji Huaizhou ever even give him a second glance? Now that you've put him in charge of Bai Ci's illness, do you think he'll care?"

"He is the best of the Ji family generation."

Bai Jiheng and Bai Yanzhi exchanged glances for a moment, but ultimately swallowed back the words they were about to say. Their elder brother always made meticulous decisions; choosing Ji Huaizhou must have been the optimal solution after considering all factors.

"Regardless of his past attitude," Bai Yanzhi said firmly, enunciating each word clearly, "as long as he can cure Bai Ci, he will be my honored guest. However, if he dares to show the slightest disrespect or negligence towards Bai Ci during the treatment, that's a different story."

Does Bai Ci know about this?

"We can't tell him yet. We'll keep the consultation results, the Ji family's involvement, and the risk of sudden death all from him. Once he returns to school, I'll ask Ji Huaizhou to have more contact with him under the pretext of 'asking his roommate to take good care of him.' The two of them live in the same dormitory, and their daily contact won't arouse suspicion. Ji Huaizhou also needs to gather information and observe symptoms during these interactions in order to find a treatment plan."

"You mean, without Bai Ci's knowledge, let Ji Huaizhou secretly observe and treat her under the guise of being her roommate?"

Bai Yanzhi slowly explained, "Bai Ci is resistant to medical examinations. You saw how nervous he was when he had the examination this morning. If we directly tell him that 'you need to undergo long-term treatment,' he will inevitably become fearful and defensive. Such emotional ups and downs will only further increase the burden on his heart, which would be counterproductive."

"Ji Huaizhou is the closest professional to him. They live in the same building, so their daily contact won't offend Bai Ci. Besides," he looked up at Bai Jiheng, "with Shen Tinglan there, nothing will go wrong."

Bai Jiheng recalled Shen Tinglan's actions in protecting Bai Ci at the banquet, and the tension in his heart eased slightly.

"Shen Tinglan is reliable."

After a moment of silence, he continued, "What about Ji Huaizhou? What if he doesn't take it seriously, relying solely on Old Master Ji's relay?"

"I have obtained his private number and will speak with him personally to clarify things."

Bai Jiheng nodded, and was about to speak when Bai Yanzhi's voice rang out again.

"There's one more thing. Shen Tinglan contacted Ji Huaizhou today and borrowed the biomedical laboratory at St. Andrew's. The equipment is compatible with the Ji family's diagnostic system."

Bai Jiheng's eyebrows shot up, and a complex smile appeared on his lips, a mixture of admiration and awkwardness: "That kid Shen Tinglan is quick on his feet, he even offered to borrow the lab."

After a brief silence, Bai Jiheng spoke again, his tone heavy: "Brother, how long can this be kept secret? Bai Ci is perceptive; he's not stupid. Sooner or later, he'll realize something's wrong. Just now, when you came in, the way he looked at you clearly showed he'd noticed something. Are you sure you can keep this a secret forever?"

Bai Yanzhi fell silent, the image of the boy's trusting and unguarded eyes flashing through his mind. He had casually remarked that everything was going smoothly, and Bai Ci had believed him without reservation.

"Keep it a secret as long as we can." After a long silence, he said in a deep voice, "He doesn't need to know how dangerous his condition is. He just needs to know that everyone is doing everything they can to save him."

Bai Yanzhi looked at Bai Jiheng, then changed the subject: "When will the second brother arrive?"

"This afternoon or tonight, they didn't give a specific time, only saying they were almost there." Bai Jiheng's lips twitched, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "This time they deliberately didn't send flight information, probably because they were afraid I would go and intercept them. Last time they were detained for three hours while crossing the border, and in the end, Uncle Chen went over overnight to get them out."

Bai Yanzhi nodded slightly and didn't ask Bai Luochen any more questions: "Go and eat first."

"And what about you?"

"I'll be there after I make this call."

Bai Jiheng gave him a deep look, didn't try to persuade him any further, turned around and took two steps but stopped again: "Don't let that kid fool you. What 'no problem at all'? His face was as white as paper, and he still had the nerve to say that."

Bai Yanzhi's lips twitched slightly.

"And another thing," Bai Jiheng said coldly, his back to him, "If Ji Huaizhou dares to give Bai Ci a hard time—"

"I know," Bai Yanzhi interrupted him.

Bai Jiheng's figure disappeared around the corner of the corridor.

Bai Yanzhi stood alone by the window, staring at the number on his phone screen, and pressed the dial button.

After two beeps, the call was connected.