Only After I Was Reborn Did I Realize That I Had Childhood Sweethearts Chapter 285: You Have a Father Who Loves You Very Much

After being dragged by his daughter for a dical check-up, Lin Guochuan had been uneasy, barely sleeping that night and even having a nightmare.

The next morning, he woke up feeling slightly better and was about to start planning ho renovations when the hospital called.

The doctor inford him that a significant shadow had been detected in his lungs and urged him to return for further tests imdiately.

Though the call ntioned ruling out tumors, the re ntion of lung cancer terrified Lin Guochuan.

He initially planned to go alone without telling his family, but his restless deanor tipped off Lin Youxi. After pressing him, she learned the truth and insisted on accompanying him—this ti bringing i Fang and Liang ijuan along.

Xia Yuan had wanted to co too, but Lin Youxi gently declined, saying i Fang’s presence was enough. Xia Yuan fussing over them might draw unnecessary attention.

Lin Youxi wasn’t the type to suffer in silence or hide things from her stepmother. To her, family hardships should be faced together.

In the waiting area outside the consultation room, Lin Guochuan sat numbly while Liang ijuan paced anxiously.

Not usually one for religion, she now clutched a jade Buddha pendant, murmuring prayers under her breath.

Lin Youxi and i Fang sat slightly apart. Though outwardly calm, her grip on i Fang’s hand betrayed her tension.

She was barely holding it together.

i Fang gently reassured her, “Don’t assu the worst. Lung shadows aren’t always cancer—it could just be nodules.”

“But I looked it up… nodules can be precursors to cancer.”

“Dr. Baidu isn’t reliable. No matter what, YuanYuan and I will be here with you.”

Lin Youxi nodded slightly, squeezing his hand tighter.

When Lin Guochuan was called in, the family followed.

After reviewing the CT scans and hearing about his years in construction, the doctor’s expression turned grave:

“The shadow is sizable with irregular borders. We’ll need an enhanced CT for clarity.”

Liang ijuan trembled as she asked, “Doctor… how likely is it to be cancer?”

“Further tests are needed, but even if it is, it appears early-stage with high survival rates. Staying positive is key to recovery.”

The word “cancer” nearly made Liang ijuan faint. i Fang steadied her as she pleaded tearfully,

“My husband has suffered so much… He just started catching a break… Please, you must save him…”

The doctor, accustod to such scenes, replied evenly, “We’ll do our best. But don’t despair prematurely.”

After settling Liang ijuan in the waiting area, Lin Guochuan erged with test forms.

“We need to schedule the enhanced CT first—”

“Uncle Lin, let handle this.”

i Fang took the papers. “Aunt ijuan needs you right now. I’ll run the errands.”

“Thank you…”

i Fang expedited the process, securing a sa-day CT slot. With results pending for 48 hours, the family returned ho.

Liang ijuan was visibly shaken—so much that Lin Youxi regretted bringing her.

But this was human nature when facing grave illness. i Fang, having died suddenly in his past life, couldn’t fathom his parents’ grief.

No one blad Lin Guochuan for neglecting his health, yet he admitted ruefully on the way back:

“I’ll quit my job tomorrow and rest until the results co.”

“Wait for the results first—”

“Regardless… if it is cancer, we shouldn’t waste money on treatnt—”

“What nonsense!“

Lin Youxi’s roar silenced the street. The tension lingered until they got ho, with i Fang trying to lighten the mood and Liang ijuan retreating to cook.

Lin Youxi, refusing to speak to her father, followed her stepmother to the kitchen, leaving i Fang and Lin Guochuan alone in the living room.

After a mont, Lin Guochuan suddenly led i Fang outside—

And knelt before him.

i Fang panicked. “Uncle Lin! Get up—!”

This’ll shorten my lifespan!

“I know this is selfish… but I have to say it now, while I still can.”

Lin Guochuan clutched i Fang’s arm desperately, his voice low and trembling.

“You know… I’ve never been a capable man. Youxi suffered so much growing up with , and ijuan never had an easy life either. My greatest wish was to give them a better future—that’s why I kept chasing money, even after you told we had enough…”

“Though I know you’re with YuanYuan now… I beg you, for the sake of all those years you’ve shared with Youxi, please watch over them both. This is my final request as a failing father.”

“Especially Youxi. She’s… my greatest worry in this world. Stubborn since childhood, I doubt anyone but you and YuanYuan can truly reach her heart anymore.”

When Lin Guochuan looked up, his bloodshot eyes held no tears—just the raw despair of a middle-aged man facing his limits.

“If even you two were to abandon her… she’d be utterly alone.”

“I’m useless. You lack nothing I could offer. So I swallow my sha to ask this of you.”

“Uncle Lin, you didn’t even need to ask.” i Fang t his gaze unflinchingly. “Youxi is family—we’ll never let her go. I swear this.”

“Good… that’s good…”

“Please stand. This isn’t right.”

As i Fang helped him up, he added gently, “Preparing for the worst is understandable, but it’s not ti yet. So things… only a father can give his daughter.”

“…You’re right.”

Lin Guochuan gripped i Fang’s shoulders. “Tell Youxi I’ll fight even if it’s cancer. And… I’m sorry for those hopeless words earlier.”

“She should hear that from you directly—just as she regrets shouting at you.” i Fang smiled wryly. “You’re equally stubborn, after all.”

Right, Youxi?

His gaze drifted to the faint shadow by the doorway.

After ushering Lin Guochuan inside, i Fang found Lin Youxi waiting in the courtyard—where she imdiately collapsed into his arms, trembling fingers twisting his shirtfront.

“Family hardships should be faced together.”

Yet without i Fang, she wouldn’t know how.

“A-Fang… I can’t lose him too…”

Her whisper shattered against his chest. “Not again…”

“I know.”

He cradled her gently, stroking her back—just as he’d done during every rare mont of vulnerability since childhood.

“Youxi… you have a father who loves you so much.”

Holding her now, he thought of the Lin Youxi from his past life. After losing both her mother and closest friend, her overworked but devoted father might have been her sole anchor.

How could she have gone on living if even he was taken?

Parents leave us soday—this is life’s inevitability.

But most wish to depart without regrets, having seen their children find happiness.

Not necessarily through grandchildren or legacy—no longer society’s default expectation.

Simply knowing they’ll have companionship… or the strength to stand alone.

That alone lets them rest in peace.

The final diagnosis ca back as benign pulmonary nodules—far from cancer, though requiring annual monitoring. If growth continued, minimally invasive surgery might eventually be needed.

For now, the crisis had passed.

Yet the scare changed Lin Guochuan. He resigned from his decades-long job to focus on ho renovations (handling the hazardous materials himself while recruiting helpers for the heavy work).

Lin Youxi convinced Liang ijuan to return permanently, seizing this chance to rebuild their marriage after years apart.

As for the trio?

Did they still need caretakers?

Not really.

They’d learned to take care of each other.