Chapter 2 - 001 Return from the Calamity_
Night had fallen, and after Tong Jia fed her son dinner, Tongtong, who had undergone chemotherapy, soon couldn’t hold on and fell asleep.
At this time, a nurse came in pushing a cart, as it was time for the routine injection for the girl. On the exposed delicate and fair part of the girl’s arm that resembled jade, there were various large and small purplish needle marks, which looked especially shocking.
After the injection, the nurse noticed the girl had no reaction, flipped her eyelids, and checked her heart, feeling that something was amiss, she quickly left with the cart. Soon, a middle-aged male doctor briskly walked in, followed by the nurse who had given the injection.
"Dr. Lin, the patient showed a tendency to go into shock after the injection of the mobilizer. In such a condition, she is absolutely unsuitable for donation, otherwise an accident could occur at any time."
Dr. Lin frowned deeply, "The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow, how could problems arise now? Observations over the past few days shouldn’t have led to this. What exactly went wrong?"
Fearing death, the nurse asked, "Dr. Lin, shall we contact the family to search for another match?"
"Give me a moment," Dr. Lin quickly left.
Just then, the girl on the bed suddenly started panting violently; her body struggled like a fish out of water, her hands flailing, her face turned rapidly red as she struggled for air. The nurse inwardly cursed their luck—this was a typical allergic shock. It was fortunate she was right there. Otherwise, a minute later and the girl would have been beyond saving. Tong Jia watched from the side, her heart in her throat.
Once the girl had calmed down, the nurse wiped the sweat from her forehead, and just then, Dr. Lin came back. The nurse said, "The patient just had a severe allergic shock, but we have brought her back. Her body is no longer fit for donation."
Dr. Lin waved his hand and looked at the quietly sleeping girl on the bed, who seemed so peaceful and beautiful, like a painting, oblivious to the fact that she had just walked through the Ghost Gate.
"We are proceeding with the surgery tomorrow. Stay with her tonight, and I’ll give you a few days off after the surgery," Dr. Lin said before leaving.
The nurse couldn’t believe it, the girl was already in this state; how could the family still want to proceed with the surgery? Didn’t they realize they were sending her into fire?
No accidents occurred overnight; the girl slept soundly. The next morning, after a final check-up, the nurse wheeled the girl out of the ward. Tongtong had just woken up and suddenly started crying loudly, "Why is the pretty sister going away?"
Tong Jia comforted him, "The pretty sister is going to have surgery. She’ll be better after the surgery. Doesn’t Tongtong want the pretty sister to recover?"
Tongtong wiped away his tears, "I want the pretty sister to get better, then she can play with me."
Tong Jia kissed her son but felt unease in her heart.
Six hours later, the girl was wheeled back into the ward. Seeing the sleeping girl, aside from her overly pale complexion, she appeared to be fine. Tong Jia breathed a sigh of relief. Although she was a stranger to this girl, she couldn’t help but care for her—perhaps out of pity.
After doing a final check-up on the girl and finding no abnormalities, the nurse, exhausted, left.
Tong Jia had bought an extra portion of pork liver and lean meat porridge at noon, kept warm in an insulated container, thinking of feeding it to the girl when she woke up. After all she’d been through, her body must be struggling.
Tong Jia walked toward the girl with a bowl in hand, and just then the girl opened her eyes. Her eyes were particularly beautiful, set like two pieces of obsidian against her fair face, "You’re awake, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
The girl shook her head.
Tong Jia found the girl to be endearingly quiet and calm, as precious as a doll. If she were her daughter, she would be too heartbroken to bear it, but how could her family be so heartless, to totally ignore her?
"This is the pork liver and lean meat porridge I bought for you, it’s good for replenishing blood. Eat a bit more." Seeing that the girl was not in a position to eat by herself, she scooped up a spoonful and fed it to the girl’s mouth.
"Than...thank you," the girl uttered a few syllables from her throat, opened her mouth, and sipped slowly.
Suddenly, a few streaks of blood seeped from the corner of the girl’s mouth, and Tong Jia jumped in alarm, "What’s wrong with you?"
The girl opened her mouth, and a gush of blood spurted out, splattering Tong Jia’s face. Tong Jia stood petrified, as if paralyzed with fright, but then she immediately dropped the bowl and swiftly pressed the emergency call button on the bedside. Holding a towel, she wiped the girl’s mouth, trembling with fear, "The doctor will be here soon; you must hang on."
More blood flowed from the corners of the girl’s mouth, staining the white pillow red. Her gaze grew more and more distant, and suddenly, she reached out and grabbed Tong Jia’s hand. Tong Jia felt how terrifyingly thin and cold that hand was.