Rachel was rather troubled by the prospect. She rubbed the bridge of her nose irritably, suddenly feeling a huge weight on her chest that almost suffocated her.

However, she never liked infecting those around her with her bad mood. Problems could always be solved. She took a deep breath and reminded Jerry, "Don't tell Yale about these things. I'm worried he might tell Tyler about it."

Jerry found it very unfair for Rachel. "But this only happened because of Mr. Hunt. Things have blown up, and you can’t handle it by yourself. What will you do if you don’t tell him about it?"

Rachel cheered herself on. "It's fine, I can handle it by myself."

Jerry said nothing more.

When Yale returned to the car, Jerry and Rachel stopped talking about the matter. They headed to Elias' house. This was Rachel’s second time there, and she felt rather apprehensive, especially after the rejection the first time around. She gripped the file tightly. This file was her last chance. If she failed to convince Elias this time, things would have to draw to a close in utter failure.

Rachel knocked on the door, and they all stood up straight before the door. No one came to the door at first; it was all silent, as though no one was at home. Rachel knew that Elias must be inside. According to her research, ever since Elias was accused of medical malpractice and became the target of cyberbullying by family members of the victim and keyboard warriors, he never left his house.

Rachel waited for a moment before knocking on the door again. "Dr. Elias, I'm Rachel Lloyd," she said loudly.

The door opened just a crack, revealing a part of Elias' pale face that was largely hidden in the shadows. He spoke in a voice colder than the spring rain. "Ms. Lloyd, please go back. I've made myself clear–I will never pick up a scalpel ever again. You really shouldn’t waste your time and breath on this."

"Dr. Elias, you…"

Before Rachel was done speaking, Elias slammed the door shut. The sound of the door banging against the frame rang in Rachel’s ears. Rachel took a deep breath and knocked on the door once more. "Dr. Elias, please give me five minutes. Five minutes is all I need. If you still refuse to do it after hearing me out for five minutes, I promise I won’t bother you again."

Silence remained. After almost five minutes, Yale spoke up. "Ms. Lloyd, perhaps you should just forget it. This doctor looks like he has lost all will to live. You saw for yourself how he looked."

Jerry peeked into the house. "Yeah, Rachel. Given this doctor's current state, I think he really doesn't have what it takes to do a surgery. Even if you force him back to the country, he might be out of practice as well. You might as well engage a well-known doctor in the country to operate on Cecilia. She might stand a better chance that way."

Rachel’s determination wavered at that moment. She knew how difficult it was to ask someone like Elias, who had experienced something so major, to pick up a scalpel again.

Rachel was about to turn to leave when someone opened the door from inside. Rachel, Yale, and Jerry were all stunned. Elias stood at the door, looking dispirited and listless, but at the very least, he was finally willing to open his door and talk.

Rachel’s eyes lit up. "Dr. Elias."

"Come in first," Elias said.