Bai Nina placed her hand against her burning cheek. She looked at Yun Muxi in disbelief. She would never have imagined that Yun Muxi would dare to hit her. Bai Nina was brought up like a princess. No one had ever laid a finger on her. Now, Yun Muxi had slapped her in front of so many people. Bai Nina was absolutely shocked.
Looking at the duo, Xie Ning felt that she had gained fresh insight into Yun Muxi"s aura. She initially thought that the pouring water act was the ultimate worse. She did not think that she would even slap her! The demanding Bai Nina was supposed to show Yun Muxi who was boss, but who knew that the soft-hearted Yun Muxi had taught Bai Nina a lesson instead!
Bai Nina was so furious about the slap that she pointed towards her and shouted, "Yun Muxi, just you wait!" Then, she turned and left angrily with her high heels. .h.i.tting against the floor loudly.
Xie Ning was disappointed at what a loser Bai Nina became. She was walking off just like that? However, she had no choice but to follow along.
Gong Yu looked at Yun Muxi in amazement. "Xiao Xi, just now..."
As if nothing happened, Yun Muxi said in a calm voice, "In the past, I just wanted to stay low and not stir up trouble. Now, after experiencing so many cases like this, it seemed like that won"t stop trouble from coming. In order not to be bullied, I can only become stronger. From today onwards, I will not back down. Even if it"s not for myself, I have to be stronger for Niannian."
Gong Yu said in a pitiful voice, "Xiao Xi, you don"t have to be so this, I will do everything to protect you!"
Yun Muxi shook her head and sighed softly."One can never wait for others to protect him. Getting stronger yourself is the right thing to do." Yun Muxi had lost all of her appet.i.tes and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I"m not hungry, and you eat the rest yourself. Take your time, I"ll go to the hospital first."
"Waiter, pack all these for me and get the bill!" Gong Yu raised his hand and waved to a waiter. He turned and said to Yun Muxi, "If you can"t eat them now, bring them back. We didn"t even touch them yet. You haven"t eaten in a day, and hence you will collapse if you continue like this. Let"s bring these and go. After visiting Niannian, I"ll send you home. You can eat them later."
When they stepped out of the restaurant, the rain had already stopped. The road was wet and the air was moist. Yun Muxi did not like this feeling. The only good thing was that the air was much cleaner.
The duo reached Niannian"s ward and when Yun Muxi looked into the window, she got the shock of her life. Just one day without seeing Niannian and all of her hair had already fallen. Yun Muxi"s heart ached terribly while looking at her bare head.
Murong Ye came to her and put his arm around her shoulder. "Xiao Xi, don"t be sad! Niannian is very strong; you can"t lose to her."
Yun Muxi nodded. She withheld the pity in her heart and changed into the sterile clothes before entering the ward.
Upon entering, she heard Niannian"s soft voice. "Mommy, have you finished work? Uncle Murong said that you"re extra busy today and might not come to see me!"
Yun Muxi said apologetically, "Sorry sweetheart, I"ve come late!"
Niannian shook her head and answered with a sweet smile, "Mommy, do you see my new hairstyle? A friend in kindergarten said that her mother used to cut her hair like this when she was younger. Then more black and shiny hair will grow. When my new hair starts to grow, I"ll look even prettier."
Yun Muxi looked at Niannian"s shiny scalp and sweet smile. Niannian"s heart-wrenching words made Yun Muxi felt even more terrible. She composed herself and smiled at Niannian. "Niannian, what did you do when I wasn"t here?"
Niannian immediately retrieved her small drawing book from under the pillow. She said to her proudly, "Mommy, quick, take a look! I drew everything!"
Yun Muxi sat beside Niannian on the bed and wrapped her skinny figure in her arms. She replied in a gentle voice, "Okay, I"ll look at it!"
Niannian flipped to the first page and pointed to the drawing as she explained, "Mommy, this is when I was getting my injection after you left yesterday. The nurse said that this is for a test. They have to take some bone marrow from my spine. The needle was very thick and it was very painful when she inserted it in. I endured the pain and did not cry. The nurse said that I was very brave."
Yun Muxi"s heart pained for her. She gently caressed her head and said, "Niannian, if you"re in pain, it"s okay to cry, and you don"t have to endure it."
Niannian looked up at Yun Muxi with her shining black eyes. "Mommy, I"m not going to cry. Last time when I went to get my injection, you told me that crying doesn"t take away the pain. So even though I feel the pain, I won"t cry. I will bite my teeth and the pain will go away very quickly. I will count in my heart slowly from one to ten and it will be over."
Yun Muxi looked at the three-year-old and her pity for Niannian made her felt like something was expanding in her chest. There was no more s.p.a.ce left for air. It was suffocating and painful.
Yun Muxi looked down and flipped a page. Niannian got excited again. "Mommy, this is the medicine the nurse gave me today. She seemed to be new here. She is very pretty and has big eyes like you. When I look into her eyes, it feels like I"m looking at you! But the medicine was so bitter. I vomited after swallowing it. It got all over my shirt and the nurse was very patient with me. She helped me to clean it off and gave me a clean shirt. She"s as gentle as you."
Niannian then flipped a page again. She pointed to a plate of green flowery things. "This is what I ate for lunch today. I don"t like this vegetable, but the nurse said that this is good for my illness. I must eat this to recover quickly. So I finished everything at once. Afterward, I couldn"t eat anything else."
Yun Muxi pinched her cheeks and was about to praise her for being obedient when she realized that touch...Yun Muxi"s heart tightened again. Niannian"s cheeks were even more swollen than before. It felt totally different from before.
Niannian saw Yun Muxi froze and smiled to her. "Mommy, did you miss pinching my cheeks?"
Yun Muxi quickly returned back to her and smiled as if nothing happened. "Niannian sweetheart, are you tired from all the drawings?"
Niannian shook her head and put on a bright smile. "I"m not tired. When I think about showing you these drawings, I"m not tired anymore. I"m afraid that I"ll forget anything, so when something happens, I draw it immediately. It is boring here, at least I can draw. I"m happy."
Their reunion time ended quickly. Yun Muxi held Niannian in her arms, unwilling to let go. She said gently, "Niannian, you have to hang in there and get better soon! After you recover, I"ll be done with my work. Then I"ll bring you to the beach and play, okay?"
Niannian nodded and replied obediently, "Okay! I"ll be obedient here and recover soon. Mommy must also remember to eat and sleep. You"re also working so hard and forgetting to eat."
Niannian started to pinpoint Yun Muxi like an adult and it sweetened Yun Muxi"s heart.
Niannian looked up and placed her tiny hand on Yun Muxi"s thin cheeks. She became a stern parent and said, "Mommy, you"ve lost so much weight! It feels so different when I hug you! You have to eat more and gain more weight so that you can carry me. If not, by the time I"m discharged, you can"t even carry me!"
Yun Muxi nodded. "I will eat my meals and you will get treated. You don"t have to worry about me, okay!"
The mother-daughter pair were extra sweet today. After another round of reminders and snuggling, Yun Muxi finally left the ward.
She looked at Niannian through the window. Niannian"s thin figure looked extra lonely while the weak and tiny body seemed to store a great energy source; she kept on smiling so brightly.
But after a while, Niannian seemed to have tired out. Sweat started to form on her forehead. She lay down gently, tucked herself in, closed her eyes and turned over.
Looking at her calm behavior, Yun Muxi felt like Niannian did not look sick at all; she was just taking a nap. However, the shiny scalp, extremely swollen cheeks, and pale face were all reminders that she was indeed sick, and it was very serious.
Although Yun Muxi tried very hard to be strong, her heart still ached so much that she found it suffocating. She continued looking at Niannian for a long time and did not want to leave.
Gong Yu went forward and placed his arm around her shoulder, comforting in a soft voice. "See, Niannian is already asleep. You should hurry and go back to get some rest. You haven"t eaten yet. Go back, eat something and get an early sleep."
Yun Muxi started to tell Gong Yu about the drawings that Niannian"s explained to her. Her words were as soft as a cloud in the sky, but each sentence weighed a 1,000 pounds. They were hitting her in the heart and she could not even cry out in pain because the pain was so overwhelming.
Murong Ye also came forward and stood beside them while looking at Niannian. He listened to what Yun Muxi had to say about what happened. After an unknown period of time, she was finally done. However, no one spoke a word.
After a long time, a nurse came towards them with bottles in her hand. She reminded kindly. "The patient is already asleep, family members can go back now. If there"s anything, we"ll call you guys!"
However, Yun Muxi asked in a plain voice, "Is she getting better or not?"
The nurse looked at Yun Muxi with sympathy but answered as-matter-of-factly, "This kind of illness is not a simple fever or cold where you can get better by eating some medicine for three to five days! Currently, Niannian"s condition is not getting worse, and neither is it getting evidently better."
Yun Muxi asked again in her plain voice, "So is bone marrow transplantation the only way for her to get better?"
"Yes, but a suitable match is not easy to find. Hence, it is still unknown as to whether or not we can do it." After speaking, the nurse looked at Yun Muxi. Her gaze was filled with more sympathy.
Yun Muxi did not look at her at all. Her gaze had never left Niannian. Finally, she asked, "Then, then does that mean that the chances of the father being a match is very high?"
"I can only say that the probability is higher, but her body might reject his bone marrow."
Yun Muxi thanked her and left. The nurse then entered the room and prepared to set up the IV drip for Niannian.
Gong Yu and Murong Ye followed closely behind Yun Muxi. She seemed a bit strange today. She was not being her usual self, which made them worry about her. However, recalling her last question...