A woman knelt before Chen Jinzhao.
This scene left Chen Jinzhao, who hadn't even registered her identity, even more bewildered. He shook his head, not dwelling on her identity, and immediately reached out to help her up from the ground.
"Please, get up first."
"If you have something to say, we can talk it through properly. There's no need to kneel. If you still refuse to get up, then there's really no point in me helping," Chen Jinzhao's words made the woman instantly burst into tears.
Chen Jinzhao took this opportunity to pull the woman to her feet.
As the woman stood up, she accidentally dislodged the child's wig. It was then that Chen Jinzhao noticed the child's skin was a sickly pale white, suggesting the hair loss was due to illness.
Suddenly.
Chen Jinzhao remembered something.
He hesitated, "Wait, are... are you Zhang Wanting?"
The woman nodded through her sobs, choking out, "Mr. Chen, thank you for still remembering us. I've truly run out of options now. Can you save my daughter?"
"She..."
"She's dying!"
Chen Jinzhao's heart trembled slightly. He quickly had Zhang Wanting sit down and poured her a cup of tea, urging her to speak slowly.
Zhang Wanting recounted, "A few days ago, my Zhongxiao just got out of the hospital and came home, but then our house caught fire..."
"Where is Li Zhongxiao?" Chen Jinzhao's heart skipped a beat.
"He..."
Zhang Wanting wept, unable to control her grief.
"He died in the fire protecting me and our daughter. I only brought his ashes back to our hometown for burial yesterday. My face was also burned like this then. If I've scared you, Mr. Chen, I'll cover it up right now."
Chen Jinzhao's pupils slowly contracted.
On the day Li Zhongxiao was discharged, Chen Jinzhao had even received a thank-you text message from him. He never imagined that in just a few days, Li Zhongxiao would be dead.
It was at this moment.
Chen Jinzhao noticed that the scars on Zhang Wanting's face showed signs of festering, indicating she hadn't sought medical treatment but instead rushed to bury her husband and visit hospitals for her daughter.
A truly unfortunate soul!
Just then.
Zhen Hai crushed his cigarette butt and walked in from outside.
He held a few stacks of cash and, without a word, handed them to Zhang Wanting. "Alas, this should be a hundred thousand. It's what we all chipped in from the security office. Take it for the child's treatment."
"Xiao Chen, you must help them. They are truly pitiable people."
Zhang Wanting did not refuse Zhen Hai's kindness, nodding repeatedly in thanks, tears streaming down her face.
Chen Jinzhao asked again, "What is the child's current condition?"
Zhang Wanting tearfully told Chen Jinzhao that her daughter, Li Xiaoxi, was in the late stage of leukemia and suffered excruciating pain every night, unable to sleep. The money Chen Jinzhao had given them last time had also been lost due to a scam call.
In the days that followed, it seemed as if all misfortunes had befallen her.
In Zhang Wanting's words, she had truly reached the end of her rope.
Chen Jinzhao glanced at Li Xiaoxi, who had already fallen unconscious, and immediately said to Zhen Hai, "Prepare a car for me. I'm taking them to the hospital now."
Zhen Hai immediately handed over his car keys to Chen Jinzhao. Chen Jinzhao, disregarding minor details like his driver's license, rushed with Zhang Wanting and Li Xiaoxi to the nearest hospital.
Time was life!
Chen Jinzhao immediately instructed the hospital to provide emergency treatment for Li Xiaoxi and asked Zhang Wanting to have her wounds treated to prevent further infection.
Seeing Zhang Wanting's reluctance to go, Chen Jinzhao knew she was worried about money. He sighed, "The burns on your face are extensive and have become infected. If you don't get treatment, it could be life-threatening. Think about it, what will happen to Xiaoxi if you're no longer here? She's so young, can you bear to leave her to live alone?"
Zhang Wanting's heart trembled. She stopped being stubborn and followed Chen Jinzhao's instructions to get her wounds treated.
While waiting for the results, Chen Jinzhao called Yu Mengzhi. Yu Mengzhi was puzzled why Chen Jinzhao was calling her during work. Chen Jinzhao then explained the plight of Li Zhongxiao's family and added, "To save the child's life now will cost some money, but I only have tens of thousands on me, so..."
Before Chen Jinzhao could finish, Yu Mengzhi interrupted him, "I understand. This is a matter of life and death. I'll transfer a million to you first."
Chen Jinzhao was silent for a moment, then said, "Mengzhi, thank you."
Yu Mengzhi replied, "Didn't I tell you? My money is your money. We can't just say thank you to each other anymore; it makes things too distant."
"Alright, I'll remember that."
Not long after.
The million yuan arrived on time, bringing relief to Chen Jinzhao.
This was a trust of immense weight.
The attending physician, after examining Li Xiaoxi's vital signs, informed Chen Jinzhao that her condition had worsened. If a matching bone marrow donor could not be found, she would not survive for more than a month.
Chen Jinzhao immediately said, "Doctor, please keep a close eye out."
The attending physician nodded. "It seems a new batch of bone marrow donor data has been updated recently. I've already had someone check it. If we find a suitable match, we'll notify you immediately. However, please also prepare for the worst-case scenario of not finding a match."
"I understand."
That evening.
The doctor informed Chen Jinzhao again that there was indeed a matching bone marrow donor in the new list of volunteers.
Both Zhang Wanting and Chen Jinzhao felt a surge of hope.
"Doctor, what is the volunteer's attitude? Can the surgery be performed tomorrow?" Chen Jinzhao asked eagerly. The doctor patiently explained, "We have contacted the volunteer, and he has agreed to the bone marrow transplant. The earliest we can perform the surgery is seven days from now. You are truly fortunate to have found a matching bone marrow donor in such a vast sea of people."
Seven days might seem long, but hope was far better than despair.
Zhang Wanting wept with joy.
Time passed, and seven days flew by in an instant.
Today was the day of Li Xiaoxi's surgery. Yu Mengzhi specifically came to the hospital to see if there was anything she could help with.
At ten in the morning.
The scheduled surgery had not begun. When the doctor appeared, a complex expression was on his face. Chen Jinzhao signaled Yu Mengzhi to take Zhang Wanting outside for some fresh air, then asked, "Doctor, what happened?"
"Alas..."
"The donor had a change of heart at the last minute, making it impossible for us to proceed with the surgery," the doctor said.
Chen Jinzhao was shocked and frowned. "What's the situation now?"
The doctor's face was grim as he told Chen Jinzhao in a suppressed voice that to prepare for this surgery, the hospital had already compromised Li Xiaoxi's immune system. This was a necessary step for a bone marrow transplant, allowing her to accept hematopoietic stem cells. The immune system is vital to the human body; without it, exposure to even mild bacteria could lead to death. Furthermore, with Li Xiaoxi already in the late stages of her illness, if a matching bone marrow donor could not be found within three days, death would be her fate!
The reality was too heavy for Chen Jinzhao to accept.
The doctor shook his head inwardly. Finding a suitable bone marrow donor was already incredibly difficult. Where could they possibly find another one in such a short time?
It was extremely difficult.
At the same time.
Chu Zixiong, who had not shown himself for days, also appeared at the hospital. After gathering information, he called Ning Fei to deliver the good news. "Young Master Ning, Chen Jinzhao is at his wit's end. Should we give him some hope now, only to crush him again?"
Chu Zixiong's laughter was somewhat sinister.
Ning Fei smiled faintly. "No need. Just let him watch that little bastard die slowly. That will be even more despairing for him."
"As for anything else, don't do anything, lest Chen Jinzhao target you."
"Young Master Ning, I understand!"
The two chuckled in tacit agreement, as if destroying a young life was as simple as crushing an ant.
There was no guilt, only a hint of pleasure.