"Is there any patient with Rh-negative AB-type blood? We have a critically ill patient in urgent need of a blood transfusion. If you have Rh-negative AB-type blood, please contact me as soon as possible. Thank you!"
"Still no one?" Xia Lu, huddled in her chair, looked up at the nurse.
The nurse shook her head.
"How long can he hold on?"
"I don't know. His life is at risk at any moment."
"I beg you, save him..." Xia Lu got up from her chair, grabbed the nurse's hand, and pleaded, "Take my blood, please. I have Type O blood. Isn't it said to be universal? Can't you try mine first? I'm begging you..." She rolled up her sleeve and stretched it out.
The nurse refused her, "Please calm down. There are still patients being brought in, maybe there will be a miracle."
Zhou Mingchen stood in the doorway of the medical room, watching the two of them from a distance.
"Boss Zhou, I got the medication; let's go," Qiu Cheng came out of the room and followed Zhou Mingchen's gaze. "What are you looking at?"
Zhou Mingchen turned his head and quietly instructed Qiu Cheng a few words.
"Are you sure?"
Zhou Mingchen nodded, and Qiu Cheng walked straight over to Xia Lu, who was curled up in the corner.
"Who inside is being resuscitated? Your relative?"
Xia Lu raised her head, her eyes blank. "He's my husband. We just got married."
"He needs Rh-negative AB-type blood?"
Xia Lu nodded, suddenly hopeful. "You are?"
Qiu Cheng decisively shook his head, "I'm not, but my boss is. He asked you to come over there to talk."
Xia Lu followed Qiu Cheng to a secluded corner in the hospital corridor, where it was empty and very quiet.
"Boss Zhou, I've brought the person you asked for."
Xia Lu looked at Zhou Mingchen and instantly understood. She quickly rushed forward and grabbed his arm, "You have Rh-negative AB-type blood too? I beg you to save my husband. He's in the emergency room, having lost too much blood trying to save me. Without a transfusion, he won't survive..."
Zhou Mingchen looked down at her.
Xia Lu's skin was very white, her bones were delicate, and her oval face, with a hint of baby fat, looked youthful and pitiful. Her large eyes were brimming with tears, and the slight droop at the corners made her appear all the more pitiful. Her delicate nose and thin lips added to her charming appearance, but now her face was marred by tears, evoking sympathy.
Most importantly, a loved one of hers was lying in the operating room, and he was precisely the lifeline she needed. Wasn't this the person Zhou Mingchen was looking for?
"I will save him, but you must agree to one condition." His voice was as cold as his expression.
"Yes, I agree. Whatever you want, I'll agree to it. As long as you can save him, anything goes," Xia Lu agreed without a second thought.
"Are you sure?" Zhou Mingchen narrowed his eyes at her.
"I'm sure. Any condition; I'm begging you!" As each second passed, Luo Fan's life was slowly ebbing away. Even if it meant climbing a mountain of swords or descending into a pot of oil, she was willing to try.
"Divorce him and marry me."
Xia Lu's expression instantly froze; her pupils dilated as she looked bewilderedly at the man in front of her, then turned to glance at Qiu Cheng who had led her there. "You said... what?"
"Divorce him and marry me."
Those words hit Xia Lu like a hammer, and she began to feel that the man was joking with her deliberately.
"Sir, this is a matter of life and death; please don't joke with me," she said, her face showing displeasure.
"I'm not joking."
Qiu Cheng tugged Zhou Mingchen's sleeve, advising softly, "Mr. Zhou, do you even know what you are saying?"
"As long as you agree to my terms, I will go to the emergency room and donate blood to save someone right now." He looked at Xia Lu in front of him, "His life is now in your hands."
Xia Lu's mind was a mess, feeling that this was merely a cruel joke from God, probably just a dream.
She knocked on her head hard.
"I will give you ten minutes to think," Zhou Mingchen looked down at his watch, realizing that it had stopped due to exposure to the waves, "In ten minutes, this deal will expire."
"However, how long the person in the emergency room can wait is unclear."
Having said that, he turned and walked toward the rest area without even giving Xia Lu a glance.
These ten minutes were torturous for Xia Lu. To save Luo Fan, she had to marry that absurd man; but if she rejected his terms, she would have to watch her newlywed husband die right before her eyes, a gamble she was bound to lose no matter what.
"Why are you doing this?" She found Zhou Mingchen in the rest area, who was resting with his eyes closed.
Zhou Mingchen did not answer her question. "Have you decided?"
"How does doing this benefit you?" Xia Lu persisted.
Zhou Mingchen opened his eyes, looked down at his stopped watch, "Ten minutes are up, Qiu Cheng, let's go."
With that, he stood up.
"Wait!" Xia Lu quickly grabbed his arm, "I beg you, save my husband... Only you can save him now..." After waiting so long at the hospital and only encountering this sole individual with Panda Blood, Xia Lu couldn't give up.
Zhou Mingchen impatiently shook off her arm, "I already gave you ten minutes. Since you didn't accept my terms, there's nothing I can do."
"I beg you..." Xia Lu knelt down, clinging to him desperately, "Only you can save him now, I will agree to anything but this condition, I beg you...you can't just stand by and watch him die... Wooooo... I can give you money! Any amount you want!"
"Do you think I look like I need money?"
In the rest area, everyone's gaze shifted toward the two.
Qiu Cheng reached out and grabbed Xia Lu's arm, "Miss, please stand up, let's talk this over calmly."
"If you can't even do such a small thing, it seems your husband isn't very important to you, it would be better to let him go," Zhou Mingchen looked at her coldly.
"Is human life just a joke to you?!" Xia Lu asked with a cry.
Zhou Mingchen turned to look at her, "I already gave you a chance."
Seeing his indifferent eyes, Xia Lu shivered. This man seemed not at all like a living, breathing human with blood and flesh; no matter how desperately she pleaded, she couldn't evoke the slightest humanity from him.
"Miss, let's talk calmly. Everyone around is watching us, it's not a good look, right?" Qiu Cheng coaxed, pulling Xia Lu up, "Mr. Zhou, let's talk nicely." He then winked at Zhou Mingchen.
"There's nothing to talk about, Qiu Cheng, let's go."
Zhou Mingchen turned and walked toward the exit without hesitation.
"Wait!" Xia Lu wiped away her tears, "If I agree to your condition, will you save him?"
"Of course, I always keep my word," Zhou Mingchen looked at her, knowing he had won.
"Fine, I agree."
Qiu Cheng looked at the two, whispering in Zhou Mingchen's ear, "Mr. Zhou, aren't you going to reconsider? Marriage is not something to be trifled with."
"None of your business," Zhou Mingchen whispered back.