Yan Huan donated another 400cc of blood. She did not pass out; in fact, she did not even feel light-headed. She was a little weak, however, and her hands and feet were cold. The doctor covered her with two blankets, and hooked her to an IV. She felt much better after that.
“I’m fine now.” Yan Huan pushed the blanket away and sat up. She smiled at the nurse, but her voice sounded weak. She did not look okay. “Can you remove this for me? I want to go home now.”
She could not stay at the hospital. She did not want anyone from the Lu family to see her. She did not want Lu Yi to know that the blood had come from her. This was her new life, and she did not want to have anything to do with anyone from the Lu family ever again. Especially Lu Qin— she did not want to see that scumbag’s face. She was afraid she might vomit out of sheer revulsion, or worse, slap him viciously across the face as soon as she saw him. She could not afford to cross him just yet, not when she was still a fledgling, unable to fly on her own.
She was no match for Lu Qin. A starving, sickly horse was still bigger than a dog; Lu Qin was still part of the Lu family, despite his lack of accomplishments. Right now, she was just a two-bit actor with no one to back her, there was no way she would be able to win against him. Not yet, at least.
“You should lie down for a little longer,” the nurse said kindly. “Is there something you have to attend to back home? I can help you call your family and let them know you’re still in the hospital.”
“I’m fine.” Yan Huan had already gotten to her feet. She swayed a little, but told herself she could handle it. “I have to go home, my family’s waiting for me.”
The nurse was about to try to persuade her to stay more, but she saw the determined look on Yan Huan’s face and knew her mind was set. She helped Yan Huan remove the IV needle and let her go home.
Yan Huan walked out of the hospital. Her face was deathly pale; her skin was already extremely fair to begin with, and now she looked like a ghost. But she went to the market anyway and bought her groceries, swaying unsteadily on her feet the entire time. After that, she walked home, looking as though she might collapse at any moment.
She opened the door. Yi Ling was inside, carrying Little Bean in her arms, and the two of them appeared to be engaged in a staring contest.
“Oh, Huanhuan! You’re back!” Yi Ling noticed Yan Huan standing at the door, and tossed Little Bean aside unceremoniously. Luckily, Little Bean was a cat, and landed deftly on all four feet. A dog would probably have died of broken bones in this home by now.
“I’m dying of hunger here.” Yi Ling ran over to Yan Huan and hugged her. “Where did you go? Wait, did you sneak out to have dinner without me? I’m so hungry I feel like I’m just skin and bones now. Little Bean’s starving, too.” Little Bean jumped off the sofa, walked over to Yan Huan, and began to rub her tiny head on her owner’s legs.
Meow… Master, I’m hungry.
Meow… I was bullied while you were gone.
“I’ll make dinner right away.” Yan Huan touched her face, feeling a little self-conscious. Before entering the apartment, she had put on some makeup and lip gloss to hide the lack of color in her face. She didn’t want Yi Ling to worry.
Yi Ling knew about Yan Huan’s rare blood type and was extremely paranoid about Yan Huan not having enough blood. She was so worried about it she watched Yan Huan carefully whenever she was on her period, checking every so often to see if she was feeling light-headed or was suffering from anemia. Her concern was understandable; Yan Huan’s blood type was extremely rare, after all.
Yan Huan knew that her mother had a common blood type, which meant that Yan Huan probably inherited her rare one from her father. But Yan Huan’s father was a complete mystery to both Yi Ling and Yan Huan.
Yan Huan’s mother had never mentioned him, and Yan Huan had never asked. She had assumed early on that she was fatherless, that he had died a long time ago.
Leaning against the kitchen counter, Yan Huan wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and valiantly made two bowls of noodles, despite her discomfort.
Yi Ling’s face fell. “Why noodles, Huanhuan? Can’t we eat something else?”
