After hanging up the phone, An Ning lowered her gaze slightly.
One hundred thousand yuan was no small amount for her.
Even if she worked day and night without rest and practiced extreme frugality, it would take nearly two years to earn that much money.
But Yucan’s surgery couldn’t wait that long…
……
With the roar of a motorcycle engine and the sharp screech of tires against the pavement, a sleek black-and-red motorcycle came to a stop right beside An Ning, who had just stepped out of her building.
She looked up, puzzled, at the man blocking her path.
On the motorcycle, the man wore a black leather jacket over a same-colored T-shirt, his impossibly long legs clad in black casual pants tucked into black ankle boots.
A black motorcycle helmet concealed his features, leaving An Ning unable to see his face.
Beneath the helmet, the man’s dark, profound eyes scanned the girl from head to toe through the black visor.
White canvas shoes on her feet, a simple white T-shirt with jeans, and a white canvas bag slung over one shoulder.
Further up was her fair, delicate face free of makeup, with large eyes that held no particular emotion, giving off an aloof, distant aura.
Her black hair, reaching down to her waist, cascaded loosely like seaweed, lending her a pure, pretty appearance.
The person before him matched the photo he had seen in the file records just ten minutes earlier.
Just a bit too thin.
She was tall but noticeably slender.
He spoke, his voice clear and pleasant.
“An Ning?”
An Ning didn’t respond, her beautiful yet distant eyes tinged with confusion and wariness.
The man handed her a helmet of the same color. “The hospital sent me to pick you up. Get on.”
After a brief hesitation, An Ning took the helmet, put it on, and climbed onto the back of his motorcycle.
No sooner had she settled than he twisted the throttle, sending the bike surging forward.
Caught off guard, An Ning instinctively leaned back, then jolted forward from the momentum, her slender frame colliding firmly against the man’s broad back.
“S-sorry,” she apologized, slightly embarrassed.
Only then did the man clearly hear her voice—somewhat cool but pleasant, like sugar-free ice cream on a summer day.
Clear, translucent, crystalline.
His broad back stiffened slightly as he tilted his head. “Hold on properly.”
“Okay.”
An Ning complied, cautiously gripping the fabric at his waist.
She faintly caught the subtle scent on him—not overpowering or showy, but fresh and clean.
The man rode at breakneck speed, the motorcycle weaving through four-wheeled vehicles on the road like a sprinting cheetah.
In less than ten minutes, the motorcycle pulled up at the entrance of the city hospital.
Several medical staff in white coats were already waiting at the entrance, apparently for some time.
“We’re here,” the man said, still brief with his words.
An Ning got off, returned the helmet to him, and was about to thank him when the medical personnel hurriedly pulled her away.
“Quick, quick! Miss An is here!”
Before An Ning could process what was happening, she was ushered into an office.
Director Wang verified her information.
“An Ning?”
“That’s me.”
“22 years old, residing in Xiyuan Village, Linyang District, RH-negative blood, in good health, no unhealthy habits?”
An Ning nodded blankly. “Yes.”
“Good.” Director Wang immediately instructed a nurse, “Take Miss An for a blood test, then prepare for the transfusion.”
As soon as he finished speaking, An Ning was taken out again by two nurses.
Blood draw, filling out forms, signing documents, then another blood draw.
Dark red blood was drawn from her thin veins into transparent blood bags.
An Ning’s face turned pale, her lips losing color too.
“Doctor, I feel dizzy.”
The nurse drawing blood didn’t even look up. “Everyone gets dizzy during blood draws.”
An Ning said nothing more.
After one bag was filled, a man in black appeared, whispered something to the nurse, and then another bag was drawn.
In the end, a total of 1500ml of blood was taken.
Sitting in the rest area, An Ning felt severely dizzy.
Having worked 24 hours straight without even having time for breakfast, and now with so much blood drawn, her legs felt so weak she couldn’t stand up, as if her bones had been removed.
“Are you Miss An?”
A man’s voice came from above her.
An Ning looked up to see a middle-aged man in a black suit with a patterned tie, his hair meticulously styled, appearing to be some kind of successful professional.
An Ning nodded, her voice faint. “Yes, I am.”
The man smiled politely. “I’m Xu Lei, secretary to President Cheng of Cheng Corporation. Please come with me.”
An Ning struggled to her feet and followed him to a room. As soon as she sat down, Xu Lei placed a card and a document on the table, pushing them toward her.
“Miss An, thank you for saving the eldest daughter of the Cheng Group. This is the compensation promised to your mother. Please sign here.”
An Ning looked down at the black and white document on the table, picking up the pen but hesitating over the signature line.
Seeing her indecision, Xu Lei adjusted his glasses with a faint smile. “Miss An, rest assured, there’s exactly one hundred thousand in this card, not a cent less.”
He had seen plenty of poor families haggling over mere pennies.
It was rather amusing, really. President Cheng had originally prepared one million as reward, but that Ms. Li had demanded only one hundred thousand with an extremely mercenary attitude, even putting on an expression as if worried President Cheng couldn’t afford it.
Well, for such poor families, the largest sum they’d probably ever seen was indeed around one hundred thousand.
“That’s not what I meant.”
An Ning bit her lip and quickly signed her name.
Then she looked up, her eyes calm but her tone soft. “Secretary Xu… next time, if your young lady needs blood again… could you contact me?”
……
A card itself had little weight, but placed in An Ning’s cloth bag, it felt heavy.
This was Yucan’s lifesaving money.
She tightened her grip on the canvas bag slung over her shoulder and walked toward the hospital entrance.
One blood donation could earn one hundred thousand. If she donated five times, Yucan could have the surgery immediately.
She recalled Secretary Xu’s words: “We’ll consider it.”
Though somewhat unethical, she couldn’t help but wish that the Cheng Group’s young lady would need another blood transfusion in a few days.
Her head was spinning, her legs still weak.
Her hands trembled slightly as she opened her canvas bag, searching inside but finding not a single piece of candy.
Just then, an unidentified object came flying toward her in a parabolic arc.
She instinctively stepped back as it landed at her feet.
It was a chocolate wrapped in golden foil.
Looking up ahead, she saw him.
At the main entrance, a man in a black leather jacket leaned casually against a car, his posture lazy and relaxed.
He had removed his helmet, revealing messy black hair above a flawless, pale face with handsome features and clean, defined contours.
When he looked at An Ning, the corners of his narrow phoenix eyes lifted slightly, and his lips curved into a pleasing arc.