Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 302: The dead will never understand the grief of the living…

Ryan didn’t have much experience with hospitals. Growing up in an orphanage, he was pretty tough physically.

If he ever got sick, it was usually something minor that could be handled at a small clinic near the orphanage.

He never had a reason to visit a hospital himself, and as for having a family member seriously ill and needing hospital treatment—that was something completely foreign to him.

To this day, he still didn’t know who his biological parents were or where they might be.

Thinking about Mia’s situation, Ryan let out a deep sigh.

Overthinking things is like putting shackles on your feet—it only holds you back.

Not to mention, there was no way to be sure yet. Even if Mia really did have some serious illness, what could he do about it?

Connections, money, and resources—these are the things that make up a modern person’s power.

Even though Ryan had gotten close to Alice and her circle, and it seemed like he was part of their world, deep down, he knew the truth. They were never the same.

Take this situation, for example. If Mia had leukemia, her chances of recovery would be way higher than, say, Frank’s daughter.

Leukemia is already tough to deal with, but if someone with Mia’s status and resources couldn’t handle it, Ryan figured he wouldn’t stand a chance either.

But, strictly speaking… it wasn’t like he had no chance at all.

After all, he had the system. Sure, it wasn’t as overpowered as the cheat codes you’d see in web novels, but it had still helped him do things he never thought possible.

Maybe if he completed a mission, he’d unlock some kind of miracle doctor skill—something that could bring people back from the brink of death, heal the sick, and mend broken bones. That would definitely help Mia.

Of course, getting a skill like that would be insanely difficult. It wasn’t just about luck anymore.

Watching the elevator numbers climb, Ryan sighed and shook his head slightly.

There wasn’t much he could do for now, so he decided to stick to the original plan: find the girl, then meet up with Mia again and figure things out from there.

According to the info Mia gave him, the girl’s room was 1602.

As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, Ryan spotted the room number and headed straight for it. But when he got to the door, he hesitated.

Visiting a patient… shouldn’t he have brought flowers or something? Showing up empty-handed, without even a good excuse, would just make him look rude.

He rubbed his chin, remembering how the police had the whole area downstairs locked down. He had no choice but to abandon his original plan and adjust his mask.

As luck would have it, just as Ryan was debating how to enter, the door to room 1602 opened from the inside.

A nurse stepped out, her eyes focused on the medical chart in her hands, so she didn’t notice Ryan standing right in front of the door. They almost bumped into each other.

“Oh, sorry, sorry!”

The young nurse was startled, and Ryan quickly stepped aside, apologizing awkwardly.

The door hadn’t closed yet, and Ryan’s eyes naturally drifted through the gap, taking in the scene inside. The room was well-lit, and he could see everything clearly.

The 16th floor was the hematology department, and all the rooms here were private. This one was no different.

It was a simple, white room with a clean bed. Through the spotless floor-to-ceiling windows, you could see the blue sky and white clouds outside. On the bedside table, there was a vase with fresh daffodils.

And, of course, there was the girl sitting on the bed, her face turned slightly to the side.

“Hey, hey, hey! What are you looking at?”

Ryan was still trying to peek inside when the nurse’s annoyed voice snapped him back to reality. She waved the medical chart in front of his face, almost hitting his nose.

“Hey! If you’ve got nothing to do, then move along! Don’t you know it’s illegal to invade a patient’s privacy?”

The nurse was clearly upset, hands on her hips, ready to defend the girl inside from what she assumed was some creep.

Ryan took a closer look at the nurse. She was young, just like her attitude suggested—probably fresh out of school and still in her internship.

His actions had definitely caused a misunderstanding, but there was no point in explaining.

“Sorry, sorry.”

Their conversation at the door didn’t seem to catch the girl’s attention. She just sat there quietly, staring out the window. You couldn’t read any emotion from her face.

Ryan wanted to observe a bit more, but the nurse was getting more irritated. She slammed the door shut, leaving him standing there, stunned.

Ryan’s face tightened as he stared at the closed door. It was clear that getting inside now wasn’t going to happen.

Honestly, his original plan of just walking in was doomed from the start.

The hematology department wasn’t like other wards where visitors were welcome. Here, they were extremely strict about who could enter, and for good reason. The bacteria carried by outsiders could be deadly to the patients inside.

“I’m here to visit her.”

Ryan forced the words out, feeling the nurse’s sharp gaze on him. Technically, it wasn’t a lie. He was here to find out the truth, and visiting the girl was part of that. Nothing wrong with that, right?

“Visit?”

The nurse tucked the medical chart under her arm and circled Ryan a few times, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. She studied him closely, especially his face, not blinking once.

Gulp.

Ryan swallowed hard. After nearly getting caught by the police downstairs, he was on high alert. Under her scrutinizing gaze, there was no way he could feel comfortable.

Even with the mask on, his heart was pounding. He was terrified she’d somehow recognize him.

Time seemed to drag on. Ryan was sweating, his nerves fraying. He could only offer a strained smile in response to the nurse’s stare, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Luckily, it seemed like the nurse wasn’t the type to keep up with the news. After what felt like an eternity, she finally stopped inspecting him. With a strange look, she brushed off some imaginary dust from her uniform and stepped back.

“Visit, huh? Do you even know what illness the patient has?”

“Leukemia…”

Talking about this in front of the room made Ryan feel uneasy. He lowered his voice, trying to sound serious. Seeing how cautious he was, the nurse glanced at the door, and her previously annoyed expression softened a bit.

“Go to the front desk and register. Whether they approve it or not, you’ll need to be prepared.”

Clearly not interested in continuing the conversation, the nurse threw out that instruction and turned to leave. Before she walked away, she made sure to double-check that the door was securely closed, giving Ryan no chance to sneak in.

Ryan stood there in silence for a moment, staring at the door. If he wanted to get inside, it seemed like he’d have to follow the proper procedure.

Forcing his way in wasn’t an option. That wasn’t his style. He was here to find clues, not cause trouble.

Growing up poor, Ryan understood the pain of illness all too well. He didn’t want to drag Alice and the others into this. He doubted Alice would be able to empathize with the suffering of an ordinary person anyway.

At the front desk, a small line had already formed. Men, women, young, and old—all kinds of people were there, hunched over, filling out forms on the wall with shaky handwriting.

One man, who looked like a husband, gently patted his child’s head, trying to comfort them, though his eyes were filled with sorrow.

Another man, dressed in a sharp suit, was visibly struggling. Ryan watched as he removed his glasses, his hands trembling so much that it took him several tries to complete the simple task.

“Patients never feel the pain of their loved ones. The dead will never understand the grief of the living…”

Ryan’s mood grew heavier as he observed the scenes around him. Hospitals were places where you could always witness life’s hardships and suffering. But that wasn’t the purpose of a hospital.

Hospitals were meant to save lives, though not everyone was lucky enough to be saved. In that sense, wealth and status didn’t matter.

Taking a deep breath, Ryan joined the line, his eyes drifting toward the elevator, waiting for a familiar figure to appear.

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