After returning home with the child, her ex-husband knelt down and gently coaxed her.

In the vast city of Jinghai, the place with the most people is the hospital.

The smells of disinfectant and iodine mingled together, floating in the air and stimulating the senses.

She sat in front of the blood-drawing table, extending her fair and slender right arm.

A thin needle was inserted into a blood vessel in the right hand, and dark red blood flowed into a blood bag through a thin tube.

An Ning lowered her eyes, and on her left wrist, a ribbon of the same color as her white shirt was tied.

After a bag of blood was drawn, the nurse asked her if she needed to switch hands.

She gently shook her head, quietly watching the ribbon tied with a bow sway slightly, indicating that she didn't need it.

The two bags of blood were drawn quickly.

Fortunately, Cheng Wanwan doesn't need much.

She stood up, pressed the cotton swab soaked in iodine, and left the blood drawing room.

A tall, slender figure stood at the entrance of the blood-drawing room, hands in his pockets, eyes distant and indifferent, his cold and refined features seemingly coated with frost, radiating a chilling aura.

An Ning stood sideways in front of him, not looking at him. "Two hundred thousand. Mr. Lu wouldn't go back on his word, would he?"

"I wouldn't stoop to being a conman for such a small amount of money." The man's voice was deep as he looked down at her, pulling a card from his wallet and extending it in front of her.

Two slender, fair fingers with distinct joints and strong bones.

The nails are neatly trimmed and rounded.

These jade-carved fingers once traversed every inch of her skin.

Now, clutching a bank card, I feel chilled to the bone.

Thanks.

An Ning took the card, didn't even glance at him, and left directly.

"peaceful."

Lu Xiyan's voice rang out from behind.

An Ning paused in her steps.

"Four years have passed, and you're still as greedy as ever." Lu Xiyan stared at her retreating figure, her slender white arms gleaming, his deep eyes holding a profound meaning. "What? All that money is gone already?"

An Ning didn't turn around, her eyes reddening.

"That's none of Mr. Lu's concern."

She gripped the bank card tightly in her hand, the edge of the card digging painfully into her palm.

The color was slowly fading from his fair face.

Her legs felt weak as she walked step by step toward the hospital entrance.

After a long day of running around, without even having time to drink water or eat, I had two bags of blood drawn.

This triggered hypoglycemia.

An Ning's eyes were moist, and she had difficulty breathing.

As her consciousness began to fade, she gave a bitter smile.

Lu Xiyan, if you knew that I haven't been doing well at all these years.

Will you regret treating me like this?

Suddenly, the world spun around.

The cotton swab I was holding slipped and fell to the ground.

An Ning's vision went black as she fell into a cool, serene embrace.

She could smell a faint scent of sandalwood and cedar.

It's refreshing, smells nice, and makes you want to fall asleep...

The man caught her as she fell, almost instinctively.

It's light and airy, like a feather.

Holding her thin, bony shoulders, Lu Xiyan's chest heaved violently, his breath hot.

He stared intently at her pale, paper-white face, his deep phoenix eyes a dark red.

......

The VIP single suite was clean and bright, with a comfortable air conditioning temperature.

The woman's slender body was nestled deep within the thin white blanket, her eyes gently closed, her breathing even, and a faint blush returned to her delicate, fair face.

An IV drip was being administered to the back of the hand that was draped outside the blanket.

The man, with his upright posture, sat on the sofa beside the hospital bed, his suit jacket draped over one side, and the collar of his black shirt loosened by two buttons.

He sat quietly, his deep-set eyes fixed on the woman on the hospital bed.

"It's probably low blood sugar caused by fasting blood draw," the nurse politely told the man after completing the examination. "Generally speaking, it's not recommended to draw blood on an empty stomach, especially for people like this lady who are not in good health. They should not donate blood on an empty stomach."

Lu Xiyan's eyes darkened, and his hand on his lap tightened. "When will she wake up?"

"She might wake up after these two IV drips," the nurse said. "It would be best if she ate something when she woke up. Should I have someone prepare something?"

Shrimp and shredded chicken congee.

The nurse was taken aback for a moment, then realized after two seconds that he was reciting the menu, and quickly wrote it down.

Just as I was about to leave, the man said again, "Slow down the IV drip."

The nurse quickly adjusted the door before closing it and leaving.

The ward was so quiet that the only sound was the dripping of liquid.

Like a heartbeat, one beat after another...

Lu Xiyan's calm gaze fell on the woman's pretty features.

From her delicate eyebrows and eyes, across her pert nose, to her light pink lips.

A myriad of emotions rose in his deep, cold eyes, obscure and unfathomable.

Anning, do you know that disappearing without a trace is the cruelest kind of departure?

......

The person in the hospital bed is fast asleep, breathing lightly.

The hand outside the blanket felt as if it were enveloped by a large, hot hand. The back of the hand was gently caressed by soft fingertips for a while before being released.

Anning seemed to be having a long and distant dream.

I dreamt of six years ago.

The day she and Lu Xiyan first met.

It was also a bright and sunny summer.

......

"Hello, are you Ms. Anning An, who lives in Xiyuan Village, Linyang District, Jinghai?"

When the call came, Anning had just finished her all-night shift at the convenience store and was still a little groggy when she arrived at the rented apartment.

There was a bucket of instant noodles on the table that had just been prepared but hadn't been eaten yet.

"I am......"

The person on the other end immediately replied, their tone urgent.

"Hello, this is Director Wang from the Municipal Hospital. An urgent patient needs your blood donation; please come to the Municipal Hospital immediately!"

"My bloodline?" An Ning was still a little confused.

"Yes! The city hospital's blood bank is currently short of Rh-negative blood. A patient needs an urgent transfusion. Please come immediately!"

After hanging up the phone, An Ning's groggy head finally cleared up a little.

Although she didn't know how the hospital had called her, saving lives was the priority, and she didn't have time to think about it.

Just as I was about to take a step, the phone rang again.

She looked at the incoming call, hesitated for a few seconds, and then answered.

Li Chunfang's voice sounded even more urgent than that of Director Wang from before, "Anning, did you receive a call from the hospital? Go to the hospital quickly and donate blood!"

Selling blood?

An Ning's heart skipped a beat, and her brows furrowed slightly. "Mom, did you call the hospital?"

"Stop asking so many questions, just go get your blood drawn!"

Anning's contact information was indeed given to the hospital by Li Chunfang.

When she went to the hospital to pick up her son's medicine, she happened to run into an emergency patient being brought in by the hospital. She heard that the patient was the daughter of some group and needed a blood transfusion. She also overheard someone saying that the patient's family had offered a large reward to the person who gave the daughter a blood transfusion.

So she inquired and found out that they needed rare Rh-negative blood.

Her eyes lit up. Wasn't Anning from her family perfect for her?

She gave Anning's file to someone, and then couldn't wait to call her.

While urging her on, she also reminded her, "Anning, don't forget to get the money after the blood draw. They promised 10 yuan. Once you have that 10 yuan, you'll be one step closer to paying for your brother's surgery!"