When An Yi stood up, his legs felt weak.

He leaned against the wall for a few seconds before catching up with Lin Yuming’s steps.

It was shift change time in the morning. Lin Yuming took An Yi to the consultation room, and after An Yi sat down, he spoke up, “The volunteers regretted their donation.”

An Yi felt as if he’d been struck by lightning, his mind suddenly went blank. The whole world seemed to be enveloped in a heavy bass drumbeat, pounding on his chest and eardrums. Apart from his racing heart, he felt nothing at that moment.

Lin Yuming held his hand, squeezing it slightly, and asked with concern, “Are you okay? I received this news early in the morning and was worried you couldn’t handle it.”

The blood drained from An Yi’s face, and he asked stiffly, “Why did they regret it?”

“I heard it’s because the volunteer’s family didn’t agree, but I still need to verify the specifics,” Lin Yuming said gravely. “The most difficult part now is that Xiao Ya’s bone marrow transplant is already halfway through. If there’s no suitable match, then she… will be on borrowed time.”

“No! Absolutely not!” An Yi grabbed Lin Yuming’s arms in a panic, pleading frantically, “Give me their contact information, I’ll beg them! I can give them anything they want!”

“Don’t get agitated!” Lin Yuming held him down. “There are regulations in place, you can’t meet them. Let’s think of another solution.”

“What other solution is there? Please, give it to me secretly. I won’t tell anyone, I’m begging you…” An Yi was so desperate that he even wanted to kneel down, but Lin Yuming caught him in time, repeatedly urging him to calm down. An Yi covered his face, suppressing his sobs, which escaped from between his trembling fingers. Lin Yuming felt extremely distressed.

“Stay calm, it’s not a dead end yet.” Lin Yuming gently hugged him. “I’ll follow up on the situation over there, and the bone marrow bank will also try to find other matches. If there’s really no way out, then Xiao Ya will have to rely on you.”

An Yi looked up at him. “Me?”

Lin Yuming nodded. “I’ve read the report. You can be a half-matched donor for Xiao Ya. Of course, the risk of rejection after this type of transplant might be higher, so you need to prepare yourself mentally.”

An Yi finally calmed down slightly.

“Of course, we’ll try to fight for it over there, but we also need to prepare for the worst. Luckily, there’s still time,” Lin Yuming said solemnly. “You need to complete all the tests before Xiao Ya’s marrow extraction is finished. If everything’s okay, we’ll administer mobilization agents and prepare for the transplant.”

“Okay, I’ll definitely cooperate fully.” An Yi wiped away his tears.

Lin Yuming handed him a list of tests. “These are the tests you need to do. I’ve marked all the precautions for you. Go and get these done as soon as possible.”

An Yi nodded, carefully examining the list.

Lin Yuming asked again, “Have you been taking any medication recently?”

An Yi truthfully stated that he was taking Oxazepam, which made Lin Yuming furrow his brows.

“Will it affect the transplant?” An Yi asked worriedly. 

“Is there still time to stop the medication?”

Lin Yuming said, “In principle, the medication should be stopped for half a month.”

“Then I won’t take it tonight,” An Yi said immediately.

Lin Yuming looked at him for a moment and asked, “How long have you been taking it? How many pills do you take now? Is your depression mild or severe?”

“It’s just a bit of anxiety and insomnia,” An Yi said softly. “It’s not severe.”

Lin Yuming was somewhat concerned. “These kinds of psychiatric medications need to be gradually tapered off. Stopping suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms. You should see a psychiatrist to consult with a doctor first.”

An Yi shook his head. “I don’t have time to think about that now. As long as Xiao Ya is safe, I’ll do anything. Please help me again with the bone marrow bank. It’s rare to find a fully matched donor, and I really don’t want to give up so easily.”

“Rest assured, I will.”

With the examination form in hand, An Yi lowered his head and walked out.

His slender figure looked so fragile, as if a gust of wind outside the door could easily blow him down.

But Lin Yuming knew that this person had an unbreakable backbone.

If it were someone with a slightly weaker will, the unbearable years of hardship would have probably collapsed countless times and given up. But An Yi had always persevered, and it was heartbreaking to watch.

“An Yi,” Lin Yuming called out to him, “If you need anything, find me anytime. I’m here.”

An Yi nodded gratefully and turned to leave.

After the examination form was issued, An Yi went to do the tests that didn’t require fasting.

Over the years, because of repaying debts, he didn’t have much savings to begin with. Recently, with An Ya’s illness and the fees for the volunteer donor’s medical examination and nutrition, it had already exceeded 200,000. To make matters worse, An Yi had lost his formal job recently, leaving him unable to withdraw even a thousand yuan from his bank account.

When paying the medical bills, An Yi could only use the credit card that Yan Chen had given him.

Embarrassingly, after entering the password several times, the staff informed him that the card had been frozen and couldn’t be used.

With people waiting in line behind him, An Yi could only step aside.

He went to a shop outside the hospital to try it, and once he confirmed that the card was frozen, he went back to the apartment.

There was still a few hundred yuan in cash at home, plus the wages he had received from his part-time job these days, which barely covered the cost of his medical examination. But if the volunteer’s side really couldn’t continue, and he had to be the donor, then the cost of mobilization agents would definitely not be enough.

Not to mention the subsequent anti-rejection treatment for An Ya would require a lot of money.

An Yi went into the bedroom and pulled out a velvet jewelry box measuring ten centimeters square from the bottom drawer of his wardrobe.

It was delivered by Jiang Hai personally a few days ago, and he had been subtly urging him to give in to Yan Chen as soon as possible. Otherwise, the longer he waited, the harder it would be to step down.

That wasn’t good for their relationship.

An Yi nodded in understanding, but he was really hurt by Yan Chen this time. He wanted to calm down for a while longer and never contacted Yan Chen.

Inside the box was the necklace Yan Chen promised to give him at the auction preview.

The design had been revised, leaning more towards unisex style, and the densely set starry diamonds shone brightly, even in the dim and narrow environment, while the shimmering blue main diamond resembled the deep and mysterious ocean.

An Yi gently touched it and closed the box, then went to a jewelry recycling shop.

The boss was knowledgeable and his eyes lit up as soon as he saw the item.

However, he couldn’t afford it.

“The blue diamond on this necklace alone could cover everything on my counter. I can’t resell it easily,” the boss advised him. “You should probably go to auction; there are buyers with real strength and vision there.”

Going to auction required applying and going through a series of appraisal processes, and An Yi urgently needed money, so he couldn’t wait.

“How about this, I’ll inquire if anyone wants to collect it for you. If it goes through, I’ll only charge you six percent as my commission. How does that sound?” the boss suggested. “If you agree, let’s exchange contact information.”

An Yi added him on WeChat and went to several other shops, receiving similar responses.

In the evening, he called Lin Yuming to inquire about the situation with the donor.

Lin Yuming had been working on this all day, his lips were almost chapped, and his throat was dry and sore, but the news he received was still not optimistic.

“The donor himself was willing to donate, but I heard that the family strongly opposed it and even locked him at home,” Lin Yuming said heavily. “I heard from the senior colleagues in the department that there have been many cases of donors regretting their decision at the critical moment… But luckily, we still have alternatives to choose from.”

An Yi clenched his phone, feeling uncomfortable in his chest.

Lin Yuming remained silent for a long time before calling out to him, “Be strong, you’ll get through this. You are Xiao Ya’s hope.”

“…Mm, I will,” An Yi closed his eyes briefly. “Please don’t tell Xiao Ya about this.”

Lin Yuming agreed.

After hanging up the phone, An Yi looked repeatedly at the few contacts in his WeChat, then took a deep breath and called Jiang Hai to ask where Yan Chen was.

After receiving the location, he went out to find him.

That night was Qi Wenxing’s birthday, and he had rented out the entire club for a party.

The pulsating rhythm of the dance music was deafening, and young men and women on the dance floor danced wildly, presenting a hot and eye-catching scene.

As An Yi walked in, he immediately saw Yan Chen in the center of the dance floor.

He was wearing a loose black shirt with a deep neckline, and a silver chain hung around his collarbone, shimmering with a faint light.

He hadn’t combed his hair back; his bangs were scattered messily, and he wore earrings matching the necklace on his left ear. He leaned against a young woman with one hand casually draped around the waist of a tall guy. The three of them swayed their hips rhythmically together.

The colorful lights cast down, creating a hazy, decadent, and sexy atmosphere.

When he danced to his heart’s content, a trace of uninhibited smile crept onto his lips.

An Yi stood not far away, quietly watching everything.

Once again, he realized the class barrier that lay between him and Yan Chen, an abyss that could never be crossed.

Suddenly, Yan Chen’s gaze pierced through the crowded crowd and landed directly on An Yi’s face.

But it was just a casual glance. Before An Yi could react, Yan Chen withdrew his gaze, continuing to dance intimately with his handsome companions.

It wasn’t until the DJ stopped the music that Yan Chen pushed away his dance partner and walked towards him.

An Yi held his breath, watching Yan Chen approach and then move away, treating him like a stranger, never looking at him once.

An Yi took a few deep breaths and followed.

Yan Chen sat down in an empty booth, his gaze finally falling on An Yi’s face as he snapped his fingers.

An Yi was about to go over when he saw a tall figure in white rush over and obediently sit next to Yan Chen, handing him a glass of champagne.

He froze for a moment, hesitating to retract his right foot, which had already stepped out.

Yan Chen rested his arm on the person’s shoulder, lowered his head to sip the drink handed to him, and finally spoke softly, “Why are you here?”

An Yi lowered his head, trying to ignore the intimate posture of the two in front of him, and said softly, “I… want to borrow some money from you. There’s an emergency at the hospital, and I have no other way…”

“What are you mumbling about?” Yan Chen interrupted him. “Can’t hear you.”

An Yi tightened his pants seam, took a few steps closer, raised his voice, and repeated himself.

Yan Chen looked at him with a smile that was not a smile. “So, you’re here to beg for money.” Without asking if he had recovered from his cold or how he was feeling, he just came up to borrow money.

“Aren’t you the one who said I have no heart?” Yan Chen teased, deliberately making things difficult. “Aren’t you friends with Qin Muye? Why isn’t he here at a time like this?”

An Yi’s face turned pale, his fingers tightly pinching his palm, but he didn’t say a word.

He heard Yan Chen sarcastically say to him again, “I can give you the money, but you need to adjust your position here first.”

An Yi glanced up slightly at him.

Yan Chen gestured to him with his hand.

An Yi struggled to move closer, and Yan Chen pulled him into his arms.

An Yi staggered, nearly bumping into the boy sitting on Yan Chen’s other side.

He tried to sit up straight in a panic, but Yan Chen firmly grasped the back of his neck.

An Yi was forced to meet the gaze of the boy in close proximity, who smiled faintly at him, not comforting, but rather amused.

Yan Chen leaned in close to An Yi’s burning ear and said in a deep voice, “You’ve asked me several times what I think of you. Now you see, to me, you’re all the same. If I were to point out any difference, it would be that your skills are very poor, and you haven’t made any progress in all these years.”

An Yi’s eyes instantly turned red, tears filling his eyes.

“Xiao Yin,” Yan Chen let go of An Yi and turned to the person next to him, teasingly, “Teach him how to please someone properly.”

^[1]Author’s note:

Yan Chen is 70% reckless