Chapter 3

By the time I, in a daze, reached the hospital, Nian Nian's attending physician handed me the cornea donation agreement.

"Miss Jiang, this is the donation agreement. Once you sign it, we will honor the patient's wish and donate one cornea to the patient in bed 16, Zhu Lingling."

I nodded, my hand shaking almost too much to hold the pen.

But just as I was about to sign, someone hurriedly pushed a hospital bed over, bumping my shoulder hard.

"Doctor, you must save Ruotong's eyes, she's a jewelry designer, her vision is everything to her!"

This voice sounded very familiar. I looked up and realized it was Song Yanting pushing the bed.

And lying on the bed, screaming with her eyes covered, was none other than Shen Ruotong.

I stood in place, watching them walk away.

My shoulder began to tingle belatedly.

Song Yanting is usually an extremely calm and composed person. Even when I was giving birth prematurely to Nian Nian, he could calmly call the ambulance and soothe me.

Yet now, for Shen Ruotong, he was panicked to the point of not realizing he'd collided with someone.

If only, when he bumped into me, he'd spared a glance at me, he could have seen Nian Nian's name on the agreement.

But his eyes only had Shen Ruotong in them.

I squatted down to pick up the pen, a sour feeling in my nose, large tears dripping down and falling onto the hospital floor.

After signing the agreement, I followed the doctor to the beneficiary's ward.

In the ward, the girl with bandaged eyes lay sleeping peacefully.

Nian Nian's one cornea would live on in her, for decades.

The doctor handed me a tissue: "Miss Jiang, my condolences. Little Jiang Nian, during her lifetime, was closest to Zhu Lingling. Being able to help her friend, I believe her spirit will also be happy."

I stood before the ward, looking for a long time, then followed the doctor to Nian Nian's ward.

Touching her hand repeatedly, her thin, sunken face, tears unexpectedly spilled from my eyes.

She was a gentle and lovely child, always able to find me when I was hiding from her crying, blinking her big shimmering eyes to comfort me.

But now, she couldn't even open her eyes to look at me anymore.

The delayed pain finally overpowered reason, and I hugged her tiny form, sobbing aloud.

Around me, the doctors also bowed their heads in silence.

At such times, any words of comfort are hollow.

Exhausted from crying, almost fainting, a nurse eventually helped me up.

I opened my swollen eyes, watching them cover Nian Nian with a white sheet.

My heart felt as if a chunk had been dug out, the pain making it difficult to breathe.

They pushed her to the morgue, and I rose, stopping the two nurses, their eyes equally red.

"Could you, not send her to the funeral home so quickly?"

I choked up, "I don't want her to leave in patient clothes, I want to buy her a princess dress, it's her favorite."

The nurses exchanged a look, nodding to me.

"Thank you," I cried again, "Thank you."

The two nurses hurriedly replied, "Of course, little Jiang Nian was so young... whatever you need, we'll try our best to fulfill."

I forced a smile, "No more."

Nian Nian was pushed away.

I sat there for a long time, gradually regaining some strength.

Taking heavy steps, I walked outside.

Just as I was about to leave the ward building, I was bumped again by a few hurried people.

An assistant-like person blocked the doctor carrying the cornea transport box: "We need this cornea, Miss Shen urgently needs this pair of corneas!"

The doctor instinctively looked at me, and the assistant also glanced my way.

"Ma'am," he approached me, "This pair of corneas from the donor is especially suitable for Miss Shen in all aspects. We're willing to pay to buy them."

He raised his chin, as if certain I wouldn't refuse: "Surely you've heard of the Shen Family, as long as you're willing, price is not an issue."

"Impossible," I outright refused.

The assistant was taken aback, hardly believing it.

"The Shen Family is indeed very wealthy," I looked at him calmly, "But some things are far more valuable than money."

Once I finished, I looked to the doctor: "Please go quickly, there are people waiting for this cornea."

However, the assistant directly sent two strong bodyguards to block the doctor's path.

"One million," he looked at me, "If you give me the cornea, one million can be credited today."

I refused again.

The assistant called someone, instructing the two bodyguards to block the doctor and me.

On the other end of the line was Song Yanting's voice.

"Ten million," he said, "I can go up to this price."

I raised my eyes, somewhat surprised.

Ten million, he said it so effortlessly, like simply going downstairs to buy an apple.

He could easily take out ten million.

But to quickly repay my debt to him, I didn't dare add even a single vegetable to my meals, working four jobs a day, tirelessly for my daughter's treatment, slimming down to eighty pounds, even my usually cold-hearted landlady felt sorry for me.

Suddenly, I found myself very ridiculous.

Each thing over these past six years—so utterly absurd!