A Substitute Bride With Multiple Identities
Chapter 143 Yanhe, What Should I Do?

Chapter 143: Chapter 143 Yanhe, What Should I Do?

For Xia Zhilan,

which man doesn’t stray? Of those she knew, the married ones all kept mistresses, spending money on a few "thirds" and "fourths."

For them, having a lover was commonplace.

Fu Yanhe was a man, and he was no exception.

Moreover, he and Xia Ran had a foundation of feelings, so it was easy for Xia Ran to approach him.

Yet the word "lover" was like a slap, fiercely striking Xia Ran’s face.

Her complexion was a morbid mix of green and white, as she clutched at the center of her palm.

When Fu Yanhe had a car accident, the ridicule from many people in their circle had already begun when she broke off their engagement.

They mocked her for being a social climber, for being ungrateful.

Back then, she believed that Fu Yanhe would always love her, waiting for her.

She had claimed publicly that the Fu Family was calling off the engagement with the Xia Family because Fu Yanhe loved her and didn’t want her to marry a disabled person like him.

If she really went to be Fu Yanhe’s lover eagerly, what would those people say? What would Yan Yi think, having just broken off their engagement?

"By the way," Xia Zhilan’s indifferent voice came through again, "I’ve met that Miss Shen, and indeed, she’s a tough nut to crack."

"I’ve also found out recently that she’s had some minor conflicts with the Chen Family and the Shen Family, and she personally sent her own cousin, Shen Yingying, to jail."

She shared with Xia Ran a few more pieces of recent information she had gathered about Shen Yanhe, finishing with a few words of caution before hanging up the phone.

Xia Ran’s eyes flickered as she gazed at her phone, its screen already shattered, her eyes filled with an indissoluble gloom.

-

Elsewhere, Shen Yanhe was once again helping Shen Huai through a bout of vomiting induced by a rejection episode.

Unable to eat because of his medical condition, Shen Huai, tortured by the various symptoms that rejection brought about, had grown emaciated, skin and bones.

His cheeks hollowed, his body barely covered by a thin layer of skin, and his once bright eyes were now deeply dim.

He managed only to open his eyes and glance at Shen Yanhe dressed in protective gear, before closing them again due to extreme fatigue, falling into a faint slumber, his breathing barely perceptible, hardly any rise and fall in his chest.

That one look from him caused Shen Yanhe’s heart to wrench painfully, her eyes stinging with tears, almost unable to stand.

Only after confirming that Shen Huai was stable, did Shen Yanhe leave the intensive care unit with Dr. Qiao.

In the hallway, as Shen Yanhe and Dr. Qiao were removing their protective suits, Dr. Qiao said earnestly, "Shen Huai’s condition isn’t looking good."

"Even with the support of the CO2 drug, his immune cells are reproducing extremely slowly. That small amount of immune cells cannot help him get through the excruciating rejection period."

Especially since Shen Huai was experiencing acute rejection episodes.

There was nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. Thankfully, with the CO2 medication, no recurrent infections developed.

Otherwise, with Shen Huai’s scant immune response, he wouldn’t have survived a day if recurrent infection symptoms appeared.

One could say that Shen Huai was now relying on the CO2 drug to sustain his life.

Dr. Qiao took a deep breath, his gaze towards the extremely frail young boy in the intensive care unit carried a touch of sorrow.

He said, "Severe combined immunodeficiency is already a difficult disease the world struggles to cure; children afflicted with it rarely live a year. For Xiaohuai to have survived this long is already miraculous."

"Even if the bone marrow transplant is successful, it would only marginally extend his life, but also increase his suffering."

"The fact that ERN Biological Lab was able to develop the CO2 drug to extend the life of ill patients is a miracle in itself. To hope for Xiaohuai’s recovery is very difficult, and he might not be able to make it."

Dr. Qiao clasped his hands in the pockets of his lab coat, turned to look at Shen Yanhe, his expression showing some hesitation, "Perhaps I shouldn’t overstep, but, I still want to speak from a brother’s perspective to Miss Shen."

"If possible, let Shen Huai go."

The suffering was too great, too unbearable.

The immune response that normal people possess could somewhat alleviate the symptoms during rejection.

But the immune cells in Shen Huai’s body simply couldn’t shoulder the burden. Each episode of rejection not only ravaged him but also killed off a large number of his already few immune cells.

This made his symptoms extremely severe.

Although he had witnessed many deaths and really wanted to try hard to save Shen Huai, it was just too painful for him.

Shen Yanhe’s face was pale and her hands and feet were ice-cold, her chest felt as though it was being crushed by a thousand-pound stone, making it impossible to breathe.

She herself was a doctor, and she knew these were Dr. Qiao’s heartfelt words.

But she really couldn’t accept it.

Call her selfish if you will.

She couldn’t bear the thought of little Huai leaving this world so young, without having seen the sunlight, smelled flowers, tasted delicious food, or hugged her.

The atmosphere in the corridor became heavy.

Shen Yanhe leaned against the wall with her slender body, her smooth black hair clinging to her cheeks as it fell, her long, dense eyelashes concealing the emotions in her eyes.

After a long time.

A hoarse voice from Shen Yanhe broke the silence, "Let’s hang on... a little longer."

The medicine sent by Da Shixiong was almost here.

As soon as the medical herbs arrived, she would immediately begin researching the medicine for Shen Huai.

She slightly lifted her gaze and turned to look through the glass in Shen Huai’s direction. Her red lips parted and then closed, her voice strained, "Just wait a bit more, okay?"

Little Huai, wait for your sister.

If there really was no way to save you, your sister wouldn’t let you suffer any longer.

Evening.

Fu Yanhe came from the company to the hospital and saw Shen Yanhe sitting alone on a chair outside the Intensive Care Unit corridor.

The corridor’s dim light fell on her, making her appear alone and vulnerable.

Fu Yanhe wheeled his chair over to her and reached out to take her hand, which rested on her knees.

Her hand was very cold.

Fu Yanhe’s eyes dropped slightly as his warm hand enveloped her cold one, warming her up as he asked calmly, "What’s wrong?"

Shen Yanhe, who had been lost in thought, came back to reality, looked at Fu Yanhe, her lips moved slightly, but in the end, she just shook her head silently.

"It’s nothing, just a bit tired."

In these past few days, Shen Huai’s symptoms of rejection had been occurring repeatedly. Ye Min was on edge all the time, unable to eat or sleep well, which made her lose a lot of weight.

Shen Yanhe was also on edge, fearing something unexpected might happen to Shen Huai and afraid that Ye Min would work herself sick. She was also extremely exhausted.

Fu Yanhe looked up at her, his gaze inscrutable. Releasing the hand he had been holding, he opened his arms slightly, "Do you want a hug?"

For some reason, Shen Yanhe felt a sting at the tip of her nose and nodded heavily.

She stood up and sat on his lap with her legs apart, slipping her feet through the gap in the armrest of the wheelchair.

She nestled into his warm embrace, enveloped by the unique scent of sandalwood from his body.

Fu Yanhe hugged her like a child, one hand gently rubbing the back of her head, and the other softly stroking her spine.

It was a comforting gesture that provided a great sense of security.

She didn’t know if it was because of the pregnancy or because her emotions had been too suppressed lately.

But with Fu Yanhe holding her like this, patting, stroking.

Shen Yanhe’s eyes grew hotter and the tip of her nose more sour.

Eventually, she couldn’t hold back her tears, which fell with a plop.

"Yanhe... what should I do?" she asked with a soft cry, her voice choked, "What can I do to save my brother?"