Chapter 14: Could You Please Wait a Little Longer?

“Stop crying. What happened?”

Lin Xilan sometimes found Jiang Cuiping truly unbearable; to her, she seemed nothing but weak.

After wiping away her tears and calming herself, Jiang Cuiping said, “Xilan, it’s Xingxing—she’s sick.”

Lin Xilan breathed a sigh of relief, having feared the worst—that Lin Xingmian had taken an extreme step because she couldn’t bear Lin Wei’s choice.

“What illness? Where is she now?”

Jiang Cuiping couldn’t explain clearly and immediately took Lin Xilan to the hospital.

The doctor explained Lin Xingmian’s condition in detail: uremia, already at a critical stage, requiring a kidney transplant.

Lin Xilan felt as if she were dreaming. She couldn’t understand why such a young girl like Lin Xingmian could suffer from this disease.

Back in the ward, Lin Xilan’s eyes were bloodshot. She grasped Lin Xingmian’s hand, reproachful. “Why didn’t you take better care of yourself? How many times have I told you?”

Lin Xingmian pouted, tears streaming down her face.

“I was afraid to use the bathroom because Lin Wei told me not to close the door when I went. I didn’t want him to see, so I held it in. I…”

She spoke with deep grievance, and Lin Xilan’s heart felt like it was being cut.

“Sis, I really didn’t know it would come to this. I thought if I just endured it, it would be okay. I’ve been drinking very little water, but why do I still have to urinate?”

“Fool!”

Lin Xilan pulled Lin Xingmian into her arms, tears falling along with hers. Now, just the thought of all those nights when Lin Xingmian had endured and hidden to avoid Lin Wei made her furious.

“Waaah, Sis, will I die? I don’t want to die—I still want to go to school, I want to earn lots and lots of money.”

Lin Xingmian clung to Lin Xilan’s clothes, burying her face in her chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

“No, Xingxing, trust me. I won’t let you die.”

The attending doctor said that as long as a suitable kidney donor could be found, Lin Xingmian still had a good chance of survival.

So Lin Xilan held onto one belief: she must find a suitable kidney for Lin Xingmian.

But this was no easy task. Across the nation, countless uremia patients waited for a matching kidney. Lin Xilan had researched many cases where patients died before finding a donor. The more she thought about it, the more fearful she became, solidifying her determination to find a kidney for Lin Xingmian as soon as possible.

Lin Xilan stayed by Lin Xingmian’s side in the hospital for a week, with Jiang Cuiping occasionally coming to take shifts.

One day, Lin Xilan returned home to get a change of clothes and immediately ran into Zhou Yuheng.

“Why haven’t you answered my calls? Where have you been all this time?”

Lin Xilan looked up at Zhou Yuheng, hesitating over whether to reveal Lin Xingmian’s situation.

“Never mind, it’s none of my business where you go. When will you handle the paperwork? I expect you to keep your promise.”

Zhou Yuheng urged.

Lin Xilan lowered her head, furrowing her brows tightly, remaining silent. Zhou Yuheng grew puzzled.

“What’s wrong?”

Lin Xilan met Zhou Yuheng’s gaze, her mind filled with images of Lin Xingmian lying in the hospital bed, torn inside.

“…”

She remained silent for a long moment. Zhou Yuheng’s patience wore thin.

“Lin Xilan, don’t tell me you’re backing out now?”

He spat the words through clenched teeth, his expression darkening.

Lin Xilan clenched her fists tightly, took a deep breath, and said, “Zhou Yuheng, my sister is sick. She needs me now. Can we put the divorce on hold for a while?”

Lin Xilan intended to leverage the social connections of Zhou’s grandfather to help find a kidney donor quickly for Lin Xingmian. If she divorced Zhou Yuheng now, how could his grandfather support her?

She stared at Zhou Yuheng, who returned her gaze, the atmosphere gradually turning tense.

Zhou Yuheng’s eyes suddenly grew cold. He stepped forward and grabbed Lin Xilan by the neck, speaking slowly and deliberately, “Are you playing me for a fool?”

Lin Xilan pushed him away, taking a step back to explain, “I’m not playing you. You can check for yourself—my sister is really sick. Zhou Yuheng, can you just wait a little longer?”

She felt trapped and desperate. She didn’t want to beg or appear pitiful, but this was Lin Xingmian’s life. Compared to that, what was her pride worth?

Yet the joys and sorrows of people are often worlds apart. Zhou Yuheng had never cared for Lin Xilan’s feelings. How could he empathize with her predicament?

“Lin Xilan, why should I wait? What does your sister’s illness have to do with me?”

Lin Xilan stepped forward and nodded. “Nothing to do with you, but my sister means a lot to me. Zhou Yuheng, I’m not trying to hold you back. You can be with Song Qingli—I won’t interfere.”

“Just give me some more time with the divorce.”

“No chance,” Zhou Yuheng said flatly.

“Lin Xilan, I won’t wait. I’ve already done what I promised. I hope you keep your word, or I don’t know what extreme measures I might take.”

Zhou Yuheng gave Lin Xilan an ultimatum: three days later, he would expect to see her at the civil affairs bureau.