Chapter 4

The moment those words fell, the entire scene went dead silent.

Anna, kneeling on the ground, jerked her head up, her eyes full of disbelief.

Brandon behind her also froze, his lips trembling, unable to speak.

"Why?"

Anna's voice shook.

"Dr. Smith, how have we offended you? As long as you save the child, money is no problem!"

"One million! No, five million! We'll transfer it to you right now!"

She thought I was demanding a higher treatment fee.

The surrounding parents exploded in discussion, voices surging like a tide.

"Five million! Why won't Dr. Smith agree?"

"Exactly. Dr. Smith never charges us anything to treat our children. What's wrong today?"

"Still, you can't gamble with a child's life..."

These people who had once received my kindness now looked at me with reproach.

I ignored them, my gaze still coldly fixed on Anna's face.

Seeing me unmoved, Anna seemed to have all her strength drained. She collapsed to the ground crying, her voice shrill:

"You have no heart! How can you be so cruel!"

"She's just a child! You're refusing to save her! This is murder!"

Brandon also stepped forward with red eyes, pointing at my nose and roaring:

"Do you have any medical ethics at all! We came seeking medical help, not charity! If you won't save her, we'll call the police!"

He actually pulled out his phone and dialed emergency services.

Soon, a police car came roaring up.

Two officers listened to Brandon's embellished accusations, looked at Anna crying her heart out on the ground, and finally approached me with difficulty:

"Um... Dr. Smith, is it? Given this situation..."

Eve immediately stepped forward, blocking me, calmly presenting the clinic's charity certification documents:

"Officers, we're a charity organization. All assistance is voluntary and doesn't fall under medical dispute jurisdiction."

The police looked at the documents and immediately understood.

They sighed and shrugged at Anna and Brandon:

"We can't get involved in this. Providing help is a favor, not an obligation. We can't force it."

With their last hope shattered, Anna's face instantly turned deathly pale.

In the deathly silence, I suddenly let out a low laugh.

I walked back in front of Anna and looked at that face—both familiar and strange—asking word by word:

"Anna, do you really not know why I won't save your daughter?"

Under her incredulous gaze, I slowly pulled down my mask.