2

2

That afternoon, I shamelessly sought out friends and family again, but since it hadn't been long since I borrowed last, few relatives were willing to help again. To that end, I didn't hesitate to put aside my dignity and kneel, barely managing to gather 80,000, still 20,000 short of the surgery fee.

Out of options, I could only resort to selling blood.

Meanwhile, a childhood friend sent me a message.

"Jiang Ce, how could Xu Qian do this? It's just too much; An An is still lying in the hospital, and she's vacationing by the seaside with another man."

Following was a picture.

In the photo, Xu Qian and Gu Xuan were wearing bikinis, lying on the beach by the Norwegian Sea, bathed in bright sunshine full of warmth and happiness.

I had no mood to reply because the excessive blood drawn had made me incredibly weak, but none of that mattered because I had to rush back to the hospital with the money.

To avoid accidents, I transferred the money to my WeChat account on the way.

However, just as I arrived at the hospital, ready to pay the surgery fee, Xu Qian's call came through.

"Jiang Ce! How dare you use An An's illness as a pretext to borrow money from relatives, then secretly transfer it to WeChat. Let me tell you, it won't help wherever you transfer it; I'm aware of every move you make on your phone, and I've already transferred the money."

I hurriedly opened my phone, the WeChat page showing the account logged in elsewhere, my heart sinking instantly.

"Xu Qian, that's An An's life-saving surgery money!"

I couldn't suppress my emotions, yelling out.

On the other end, Xu Qian hesitated for a moment, then began to sneer.

"Dare to yell at me? If you want to retrieve private savings, just say so. Using An An as a pretext again, when I return, I'll divorce you."

At that moment, I couldn't care about anything else. I rushed back to the ward and turned on the video mode on my phone.

"Even if you don't believe me, believe An An!"

In the video, An An looked weak and sickly.

I could see Xu Qian's face clearly becoming nervous upon seeing this.

But before she could speak, Gu Xuan's mocking voice came from the side.

"Jiang Ce, I know you're jealous of me, but no matter what, you shouldn't conspire with An An to act out a scene and teach a child to lie over a few tens of thousands."

With just one sentence, Xu Qian's tension immediately vanished.

"Jiang Ce, you know I hate being lied to. When I return, meet me directly at the civil affairs bureau!"

Xu Qian angrily hung up the phone, leaving behind those harsh words.

When I tried calling her again, I couldn't get through.

I knew, she had added me to the blacklist.

Looking at An An lying in the hospital bed, I wished it were me lying there.

Clearly, she saw An An's sickly state in the video.

Clearly, An An was already on the verge of death.

But why, why wouldn't Xu Qian believe it?

Didn't she consider, even if there's a tiny chance, that An An might actually be sick?

Suddenly, in the next moment, An An's cold little hand grabbed my arm.

"Daddy, An An actually heard everything; mom went with Uncle Gu to celebrate his birthday."

"An An also knows, An An's illness requires surgery, but the surgery money was taken by mom to buy gifts for Uncle Gu."

"But An An doesn't blame her; An An just wants to see mom one more time."

"But An An can't seem to hold on, An An is so tired."

"Daddy, An An loves you..."

The little hand on my arm suddenly slipped, and An An's heart rate began to plummet.

"An An, you can't sleep, you mustn't sleep!"

I frantically called for the doctor, but by the time the doctor came in, An An had already closed her eyes completely.

At that moment, my heart sank to the bottom, as if a heavy, unseen hand had gripped it tightly, making it hard for me to breathe.

The doctor gently patted my shoulder, full of regret.

He told me that if the surgery had been done sooner, even half an hour earlier in the operating room, An An had a chance to survive.

But those chances were personally destroyed by Xu Qian.