Chapter 20 My Blood Can't Be Used for My Father's Blood Transfusion

• When I finally pulled my wandering mind back to the present, I found Qin Guan staring at me.
• It wasn’t the look that men gave women, but the intensity of his undivided gaze made my cheeks burn.
• I looked away hastily. My phone rang then. I pulled it out of my purse and was surprised to see Xiao Shi’s name on the screen.
• She never called me. I had doubts about her actually having my number in the first place.
• Xiao Shi’s voice was absent of her usual calm when I picked up her call. She sounded as if she was choked with emotion. Was she crying?
• “Tianyang Hospital, the Emergency Ward. Get over here, quick.”
• “What?” I said, confused. “What happened? I’m not in the city right now.”
• “Dad was in a car accident,” she said tersely, then hung up.
• I always fell into a stunned daze whenever I came across something unexpected. It took me a long time before I reacted to the news.
• Fortunately, my phone’s volume had been dialed up. Upon hearing what Xiao Shi had said, Qiao Yi yanked me up from my seat hurriedly.
• “What are you doing, sitting there like an idiot? Your dad just met with a car accident. Get your ass to the hospital now!”
• I finally came out of my stunned stupor. My limbs felt numb. I couldn’t get to my feet.
• There was a loud buzzing in my head. I heard Qiao Yi saying, “Qin Guan, we’ll make a move first…something’s cropped up…we have to get to the hospital…”
• When the fog in my head finally cleared, we were already in the car. Qiao Yi had fastened the seatbelt for me.
• I turned back and looked at the beautiful courtyard. Qin Guan stood at the gates, calling out after us with a reminder.
• “Drive safely.”
• The wall of roses towered behind him. It looked so beautiful. The roses’ tiny buds of bright red looked like pinpricks of blood bursting from splintered skin.
• Qiao Yi kept up her stream of comforting words throughout the car ride.
• “Don’t worry, your dad’s going to be okay. The traffic in Hua City is horribly jammed and slow. Any car accidents that take place isn’t going to be a serious one. It’s just some slight bumping between cars.”
• I knew it wasn’t that simple an accident. Xiao Shi’s voice would not have trembled over the phone if that were the case. My father must have been involved in a serious car accident.
• Qiao Yi held onto my hand as she drove.
• “Everything’s going to be fine, Xiao Sheng. It’s all going to be alright. God’s not going to be so unfair to you. He’s not going to take your dad away from you after he’s done that with your mom. That won’t happen. Don’t worry.”
• Her words were of no use to me, but her hand was warm. I gripped Qiao Yi’s hand with both of my trembling ones. They wouldn’t stop shaking.
• We finally reached the hospital. Qiao Yi supported my stumbling frame as I hurried towards the Emergency Ward. The ward’s entrance was crowded with people.
• My eldest sister and her family. My stepmother. Xiao Shi.
• There was someone else standing next to Xiao Shi. It was Xi Qingchuan. He held onto Xiao Shi’s elbow. They looked like a couple, standing there like that.
• I wasn’t in the mood to be bothered about their intimate gestures. I raced over and asked.
• “How’s dad?”
• My stepmother’s cold eyes swept across my face. My eldest sister rolled her eyes. Only Xiao Shi approached me and answered, “he’s still in surgery. He lost a lot of blood.”
• “Is it bad?” I almost couldn’t hear myself asking.
• “It is.” Xiao Shi nodded.
• I went limp. Qiao Yi caught me.
• “Let’s take a seat and wait over there.”
• The doors to the emergency ward swung open. A nurse walked out and everyone rushed towards her. I was pushed to the back. Then, someone knocked into me. I stumbled and almost fell when someone held onto me until I steadied my feet.
• I heard the nurse say.
• “Mr. Xiao lost too much blood. We have a few patients who were similarly involved in car collisions. There’s now insufficient supplies in our blood bank. Mr. Xiao’s family members can get their blood tested before donating their blood for Mr. Xiao’s blood transfusion.”
• My eldest sister’s voice rang out first.
• “I’ve in the middle of my period. What should I do? Mom?”
• I stood at the back of the group, instantly tensed up and alert.
• “Where do we go for the test?”
• “The laboratory on the second level.”
• I raced for the second level. Xiao Shi followed shortly after and took a seat next to me. Her blood got drawn. My eldest sister stood at the door.
• “I faint at the sight of blood. I just can’t bear the sight of it at all!”
• “I don’t see you fainting when you have your period.” My stepmother’s words dripped with disdain. “You don’t seem to hesitate at all when you’re asking your father for money. Look at you making all these excuses when they’re just asking for a bit of blood.”
• “Mom, I told you. I’m having my period.”
• I got a tube filled for the blood test. As I sat in a corner and waited for the results, Qiao Yi got me a cotton ball for the puncture wound. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder.
• “Are you cold? I heard that people feel cold after having their blood drawn. You want to have my jacket first?”
• Qiao Yi used her free arm to take her jacket off. I grabbed her arm and shook my head.
• “That’s too much. It’s only one tube of blood.”
• “Your lips have no color at all. Stop worrying so much. Your dad is a good man. He’ll be alright.”
• “You’re right.” I nodded, then leaned into Qiao Yi.
• Xi Qingchuan stood a short distance away from me. He had his back turned towards me. He was making a phone call.
• My father had had a car accident, and he had turned up. I knew it wasn’t because of me. It was because of Xiao Shi.
• It didn’t matter. I didn’t care at all.
• The test results were out shortly. The nurse read off her list.
• “Xiao Shi is eligible for a blood donation. We’ll draw 300CC. Have you been feeling unwell or experiencing any discomfort recently?”
• Xiao Shi shook her head. I approached the nurse hastily.
• “How about me?”
• “Your blood type isn’t compatible with the patient’s. We can’t take your blood. Anyone else who hasn’t got their blood tested yet?” The nurse stretched her neck out and took a look at the entrance to the laboratory. “You.”
• She was pointing at my eldest sister.
• “You’re the patient’s daughter, aren’t you? Come and have your blood tested.”
• “No, I can’t do it.” My sister shrank back. “I’m having my period. I’ve told you earlier.”
• “Test mine.”
• Xi Qingchuan had just ended his call. He took his jacket off and threw it to his secretary.
• I retreated to the back of the group. I was in a daze.
• I stared at Qiao Yi.
• “Why can’t I donate my blood to dad?”
• “Your blood types don’t match. That happens.”
• “Does it?”
• “Of course. Sometimes, the blood types of parents and their kids don’t match up.”
• My stepmother had been standing beside us all along. She interrupted our conversation unexpectedly.
• “Xiao Sheng, what’s your blood type?”
• I told her without thinking, “I’m blood type A.”
• “How about your mother?”
• “Blood type O.”
• The expression on my stepmother’s face changed drastically. It looked extremely unnatural. The realization only dawned on me after she was done with her questioning.
• Qiao Yi’s reaction was greater than me. She got to her feet immediately.
• “Mrs. Xiao, why are you so concerned about these details? What’s so strange about a kid having a blood type that’s different from his or her parents?”
• “There’s nothing strange about it at all. But based on my knowledge, your father’s blood type is B. If your mother’s blood type is O, how did the both of them have a kid with blood type A?”
• “Mrs. Xiao, you should take care with what you say. This is no laughing matter.”
• My thoughts were in a mess. I reached out for Qiao Yi and grabbed her arm. Then, I shook my head at her.
• “Stop. Let’s get a seat somewhere.”
• My father was still in the Emergency Ward waiting for a blood transfusion. I wasn’t in the mood to quibble with my stepmother over such matters.
• They had been fixated over the details of my birth ever since my father had brought me home.
• A nurse came racing down the corridor then.
• “Are you Mr. Xiao’s family members? Why are you all here? Mr. Xiao’s oxygen level suddenly dropped below 70. He’s in a critical condition right now. Quick, get back to the Emergency Ward now!”
• My head snapped up. Xi Qingchuan’s blood was dripping slowly into a blood bag. My heart was pounding.