Chapter 2 — Protecting Mom, Once Again

Chu Nien's expression was grim and shadowed.

"Nurses do not understand these technicalities. Screenshots can easily be manipulated, cropped, and taken entirely out of context."

Niem gritted her teeth in frustration.

"What about the surgical schedule, then?"

She turned her gaze directly toward me.

"Miss Chi, the operation timetable you asked me to look into has been successfully retrieved."

"Operating room number three, assigned to Chi, scheduled for emergency appendicitis surgery."

"Operating room number four, assigned to Man Ngung, scheduled for a heart transplant."

"The anticipated start times for both procedures are merely twelve minutes apart."

The color drained entirely from Khai Khiem's face, leaving it ghastly pale. The VIP ward where Man Ngung resided was located on the immediate upper floor. That woman had not been admitted earlier simply to wait for some miraculous recovery; she had been patiently waiting for my mother to meet her end. Seated in her wheelchair, having just been wheeled to the doorway of the meeting room by her younger brother, my mother looked as though every ounce of life and strength had been violently drained from her body after hearing these revelations.

"Khai Khiem."

Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Tell me the truth, who is that woman?"

A flicker of intense struggle crossed Khai Khiem's eyes.

"She is merely a patient. Do not listen to the nonsense Vang Ninh is spouting."

My mother stared fixedly at him.

"Then why are your hands trembling so violently?"

He offered no answer. I handed the organ donation consent form over to Canh.

"I formally request a handwriting analysis and verification."

"This is certainly not my mother's signature."

"Furthermore, I strongly suspect that my own signature has been forged as well. Please investigate both matters concurrently."

Khai Khiem suddenly snapped, his composure breaking completely.

"Enough of this!"

He brought his hand down hard upon the table in a furious slam.

"I am her husband! When anything happens to her, I am naturally the one who holds the right to decide how emergency measures should be administered!"

I stared back at him with icy unyielding eyes.

"Emergency treatment and harvesting her heart for donation are supposed to be the exact same thing?"

By eight o'clock in the evening, the hospital corridors had grown quiet and still. My mother was transferred to a standard monitoring room. Canh had his men place official seals on the doors; the surgery was put on hold, and all associated documents were sealed away. Yet, not for a single moment did I dare to sleep. In my past life, the notice of death had been delivered shortly after ten o'clock at night. Khai Khiem had claimed that the hospital had fought frantically to save her for three full hours. However, my subsequent investigations revealed that my mother had actually been wheeled into the private surgical wing next door at nine-forty-seven. I sent our exact location to Canh and my uncle. Afterward, I instructed the nurses' station clearly:

"Anyone attempting to transfer rooms, take my mother for unauthorized examinations, or administer sedatives must obtain direct confirmation from my mother while she is fully conscious, and the entire process must be recorded on video."

The head nurse nodded firmly.

"Rest assured. We have made detailed notes in the shift handover logs."

I thanked her sincerely. Yet, I knew all too well that certain individuals would never bother using the main entrance. At nine-thirty-eight, the door to the hospital room was pushed open. Two men dressed in pristine white lab coats stepped inside. One pushed a transport gurney while the other clutched a clipboard bearing documents.

"Patient Chi, the risk of pre-surgical infection is critically high. She must be transferred to the isolation ward immediately."

I raised my head sharply.

"By whose authority?"

The man flashed an impatient, condescending expression.

"This is an official directive from the emergency center."

"Where is the attending physician's signature?"

He flicked the paper briefly across my field of vision. A single glance was all it took for me to burst into bitter laughter. The official stamp was a complete forgery. The authorized seal for the emergency department of the Third Hospital contained a specific tracking code, yet this document bore none. I pressed the bedside emergency call button while simultaneously pulling out my phone to start recording a video.

"What are your employee identification numbers? Which department do you belong to?"

The expressions on the two men shifted instantly. Stepping in from directly behind them was Khai Khiem.

"Vang Ninh, stop making a scene. Being transferred to the isolation ward is purely for the safety of your mother."

I stepped forward, blocking their path to the hospital bed.

"My mother is not going anywhere."

Khai Khiem lowered his voice into a harsh hiss.

"Do you truly believe that making a massive spectacle out of this will benefit her in any way?"

"Just how long do you think your uncle can manage to protect you?"

"The hospital's future treatments, the insurance payouts, and even the operational capital of your mother's workshop all rely entirely upon me."

I stared straight into his eyes.

"Are you beginning to threaten me now?"

He closed his eyes briefly.

"I am trying to save this family."

"Which family? The family consisting of you and Man Ngung?"

He jerked his head up. The final traces of lingering gentleness in his eyes vanished completely.

"Just how much do you actually know?"

I smiled coldly.

"More than enough to land you behind bars."

With those words, he reached out as if to grab me by the arm. At that exact instant, the door to the hospital room was violently kicked open. Canh strode into the room with several men behind him.

"Take your hands off her."

Khai Khiem froze in place. The two fake medical personnel attempted to bolt toward the exit, but hospital security guards quickly intercepted them in the hallway. The head nurse rushed inside, her face drained of color.

"We never issued any arrangements whatsoever for a patient transfer!"

Canh picked up the fraudulent transport document and gave it a swift glance.

"Counterfeit seal, forged directive."

He shifted his gaze to Khai Khiem. Care to offer an explanation?"

Khai Khiem rapidly forced himself to regain his composure.

"I was deeply concerned about my wife contracting an infection, so I independently contacted a private care team."

Canh narrowed his eyes.

"Does a private care team possess the legal authority to transfer an hospitalized patient in the middle of the night?"

He found himself entirely unable to answer. I raised my phone in the air.

"He just stated moments ago that insurance, medical treatments, and capital flow all depend entirely on him. I have recorded every single word."

The look Khai Khiem cast in my direction was one of utter disbelief, as though he were setting eyes on a complete stranger for the very first time.