Chapter 401 What do you need me to do?
Mu Nanyan took a deep breath and raised her head from Lu Yiran's arms. The hesitation in her eyes had been replaced by a gentle determination.
"Yiran, I want to help him."
She spoke softly, her voice not loud but clear.
She paused and looked at the snow still falling outside the window, as if she could penetrate the night and see an old man in a ward who was fighting the disease.
"It's not because he's Shangguan Jiuze's father, or even because of any personal connection. It's simply because... I've seen that kind of despair, and I happen to have the ability to offer hope. If I choose to stand idly by because of past grudges, I might... never find peace."
This kindness has long transcended personal grudges and comes from the purest empathy and choice deep in her heart.
Hearing this, Lu Yiran looked at her deeply, a hint of understanding flashed in his eyes.
He understood her kindness and was well aware of the weight behind this choice.
He didn't say anything more to dissuade her, but nodded solemnly and said in a deep voice:
"Okay, since this is your decision, I will immediately contact the most authoritative experts and institutions in the country to ensure that the entire process is foolproof."
His promise was concise and powerful, and was her strongest support.
At this moment, the sliding door of the balcony was suddenly pushed open with a "crash" sound, leaving a larger gap.
A little head popped out, Chenchen's cheeks were bulging, and it was obvious that there was still food stuffed in them that he hadn't had time to swallow, just like a little hamster that was stealing food.
He blinked his big eyes, looked curiously at his parents hugging each other in the cold wind, and muttered incoherently:
"Dad, Mommy...what are you doing on the balcony? The food is getting cold! My mushroom soup is still on the table!"
There was a hint of grievance and urging in the little guy's tone, which instantly broke the slightly solemn atmosphere on the balcony and brought the warmth of reality back to the eyes.
Mu Nanyan and Lu Yiran smiled at each other. The heavy topic of life and choices was instantly diluted by their son's innocent concern.
"Okay, here I come."
Mu Nanyan responded softly, walked over and reached out to wipe the oil stains from the corners of Chenchen's mouth.
Lu Yiran also put his arm around her shoulders and led her into the warm room.
"Eat first. We'll talk about everything after dinner."
Back in the brightly lit restaurant, the table was still filled with the heat and aroma of food.
Chenchen climbed back into his chair contentedly, picked up his small bowl, and continued to enjoy the bowl of mushroom soup that was almost "forgotten".
After dinner, Lu Yiran fulfilled his promise and went to the study to make several phone calls, concisely arranging to contact the top medical team.
He was extremely efficient and soon returned to the living room.
Mu Nanyan also sent a message to tell Shangguan Jiuze her decision. The two agreed to meet at the best private hospital in Haicheng tomorrow.
At this time, Mu Nanyan was sitting on the sofa, watching Chenchen concentrating on piecing together a Lego spaceship on the carpet.
Seeing Lu Yiran coming out, she gave him a questioning look.
Lu Yiran nodded to her, indicating that things were progressing steadily.
He walked over to her and sat down, naturally holding her in his arms, and the two of them looked at their son quietly together.
At this moment, the wind and snow are still blowing outside the window, but the house is warm and quiet.
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At ten o'clock the next morning, Mu Nanyan and Lu Yiran appeared on time at the entrance of Kangrui Hospital, the top private hospital in Haicheng.
As soon as the car stopped, Mu Nanyan saw Shangguan Jiuze who had been waiting at the entrance.
She almost didn't recognize him.
The Shangguan Jiuze who was always well-dressed and had a somewhat unruly noble demeanor, now looked particularly haggard.
He was wearing a slightly wrinkled dark coat, with blue stubble on his chin and dark circles under his eyes clearly visible. He exuded an unconcealable fatigue, obviously after accompanying the patient all night.
Seeing Mu Nanyan get off the car, Shangguan Jiuze's dim eyes finally lit up a glimmer of light. He walked forward quickly, forcing a rare but somewhat forced smile on his face, his voice slightly hoarse due to fatigue:
"Nan Yan, you're here...really, thank you very much."
His tone was filled with sincere gratitude, and his eyes fell on her eagerly, as if looking at her only hope.
However, when he caught sight of Lu Yiran getting off the car right after him, the grateful smile faded a little and his eyes turned cold.
But he seemed to be trying his best to control his emotions. He just pursed his lips and didn't say much. It was obvious that he attributed Lu Yiran's existence purely to accompanying Mu Nanyan.
"Mr. Shangguan's illness...is it serious now?"
Mu Nanyan looked at his tired appearance and asked softly.
Shangguan Jiuze's expression darkened, and he nodded solemnly:
"Well, the situation isn't optimistic. I'm currently undergoing intensive chemotherapy, and it's a very difficult process."
There was a barely perceptible choke in his voice.
The two of them walked towards the inside of the hospital while talking in low voices about the patient's condition.
The smell of disinfectant filled the air.
Lu Yiran followed the two of them silently, half a step behind them, his face tense and his jawline taut.
He looked at the backs of Shangguan Jiuze and Mu Nanyan walking side by side with a cold look in his eyes, and it was obvious that he was extremely displeased with Shangguan Jiuze.
But he knew very well that the focus at the moment was Mu Nanyan's donation assessment, not personal grudges, so he could only suppress his dissatisfaction and follow the two of them without saying a word.
Shangguan Jiuze led the way, taking Mu Nanyan and Lu Yiran through the quiet and bright corridor of the VIP ward area. Finally, they stopped in front of a huge glass window.
Behind the glass is a strictly isolated sterile laminar flow ward.
Shangguan He lay quietly on the hospital bed, connected to various monitoring devices. A transparent oxygen mask covered most of his face, revealing only his tightly closed eyes and an extremely pale and haggard outline.
When Mu Nanyan and Lu Yiran looked through the glass and saw the people inside, they both showed shock that was difficult to conceal almost at the same time.
Especially Mu Nanyan.
The last time she saw Shangguan He was just two months ago, at Shangguan Fuling's grand birthday party.
At that time, Shangguan He, wearing a well-tailored suit, stood under the bright lights, full of vigor and energy, his words and deeds were full of calm elegance and dignity, and he was the well-deserved center of the entire venue.
But at this moment, the man who was once calm and strong was lying so weakly in the white hospital bed. The breath of life seemed to be sucked away by the heavy pain, and only the numbers jumping on the instrument were left to prove his struggle.
The most shocking thing is that his once thick and meticulously combed hair has now become extremely sparse, and his scalp can be clearly seen. This is the most intuitive and heartbreaking mark of the ruthless destruction of chemotherapy drugs.
The huge contrast made Mu Nanyan speechless for a moment. She could only stare blankly at the figure on the other side of the glass. A sour feeling mixed with sympathy and the impermanence of life suddenly surged into her heart.
And Lu Yiran, who was standing next to her, also had a complex and solemn expression on his stern face.
Although he did not like other people in the Shangguan family, especially Song Yajun, he always had respect for Shangguan He himself as a senior in the business world.
Shangguan He has a unique vision and acts in an upright manner. He is one of the few people in Haicheng's business community whom he truly admires. This is also the basis for Dingsheng Group to maintain important cooperation with the Shangguan family.
At this moment, witnessing with his own eyes a powerful elder being tortured by illness, he couldn't help but feel a sense of heaviness and sigh in his heart.
The shadow of death is so tangibly pressing before our eyes that all personal grudges seem insignificant and distant at this moment. Only the awe and regret for life weigh heavily on our hearts.
Mu Nanyan slowly came back to her senses from the shock, her eyes never leaving the frail figure behind the glass window.
She tilted her head slightly, lowered her voice, fearing to disturb the tranquility of the ward, and asked with clear concern:
"Jiu Ze, Mr. Shangguan...what is his specific condition now? What did the doctor say?"
Shangguan Jiuze also turned his gaze to his father, and a deep worry welled up in his tired eyes.
He took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice steady, but it was still hard to hide the heaviness:
"The situation is not optimistic. It was diagnosed as acute myeloid leukemia, and it's the type with a poor prognosis. I'm currently undergoing the second cycle of intensive chemotherapy, but the effect..."
He paused, his voice a little hoarse.
"The results are not as good as expected. The risk of infection and bleeding has been high. He spends most of his time in a coma like this, with very few moments of wakefulness and little strength."
His words were like heavy stones dropped into a silent lake, and every word was filled with unquestionable severity.
"The doctor said that chemotherapy is only a temporary solution. If we want to fundamentally solve the problem, or even have a chance of long-term survival, we must undergo an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant as soon as possible after the next remission. Otherwise..."
He didn't say anything else, but the unfinished despair was already filling the air.
Transplantation is the only way to survive, and the starting point of this road is standing right next to him.
Mu Nanyan listened quietly, feeling increasingly heavy-hearted.
She looked at the old man in the ward who was struggling with fate, and then thought of her own hematopoietic stem cells that might bring a turning point. The decision she had already made became more firm and regretless.
Mu Nanyan withdrew her gaze from the ward and turned to look at Shangguan Jiuze, who was unable to hide his anxiety. Her eyes were clear and firm. Without any extra hesitation, she asked directly:
"What do you need me to do?"
Shangguan Jiuze heard this, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw, and hurriedly explained:
"I've asked the doctor in detail before. The match from the bone marrow bank is only preliminary, based on low-resolution typing results. Now we need to draw your venous blood, and we also need to collect a blood sample from my father and send them together to the laboratory for very high-precision genetic sequencing."
His speech was a little faster due to his urgency.
"The purpose is to confirm whether the HLA (human leukocyte antigen) loci between the two of you are completely compatible, or in certain circumstances, whether they meet the criteria for a haploidentical transplant. This is the most critical and rigid indicator in determining whether a transplant can ultimately be performed."
"Okay, I understand."
Mu Nanyan nodded, then turned around and looked at Lu Yiran who had been silently guarding by her side.
Lu Yiran immediately understood her intention. Without her saying anything, he spoke calmly and gave the answer he had already arranged:
"Don't worry, the top domestic hematology experts and testing team I contacted are already in place on this dedicated floor. They are ready to draw your blood and perform all subsequent tests at any time."
His preparations were so thorough and swift, as if he had anticipated every step, just to ensure that all processes were carried out under the most authoritative and safest standards.
"Then let's go."
Mu Nanyan said softly, her tone calm but full of power.
Shangguan Jiuze looked at the couple in front of him who had such a tacit understanding, especially Lu Yiran's calm but controlled action. He felt a mixture of emotions in his heart, which eventually turned into a low voice:
"Thank you... this way, please."
He turned around first and led them to the blood collection room that had been prepared long ago.
Under the guidance of Shangguan Jiuze, the three of them walked through the corridor and came to the independent blood collection room at one end of the VIP area.
The environment here is private and comfortable, completely different from the noisy ordinary outpatient clinics.
Inside, a head nurse in a clean white uniform and with a calm demeanor and another seemingly experienced examiner were ready.
Standing next to him was a male doctor who was about fifty years old, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and had an elegant temperament.
Seeing Lu Yiran come in, he nodded slightly:
"Mr. Lu, everything is ready."
Lu Yiran nodded to him, then looked at Mu Nanyan, his eyes silently conveying encouragement and support.
Under the guidance of the nurse, Mu Nanyan sat down on the blood collection chair.
She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her slender arms.
The head nurse skillfully disinfected and put on a cuff for her. The cool cotton ball rubbed against her skin, bringing a slight coolness.
The examiner followed Shangguan Jiuze into the preparation room next to the laminar flow ward to collect a blood sample from Shangguan He who was lying on the bed.
The blood drawing process was quick, and the stinging sensation of the needle tip piercing the skin was fleeting.
The dark red blood slowly flows into the blood collection tube.
Mu Nanyan turned her head away, not looking at the needle, but looking out the window. In the distance was the clear winter sky of Haicheng.
She knew that this was not just a tube of blood sample, but also carried the heavy hope of a life.
After the blood was drawn, the head nurse carefully applied hemostatic tape on her.
The leading expert doctor stepped forward and said in a serious and polite tone:
"Ms. Mu, thank you for your kindness. We will immediately send the sample to a top-tier genetic sequencing center for high-resolution HLA typing analysis. This process usually takes three to five working days to produce definitive results. Please rest assured that we will handle it with the highest priority."
Mu Nanyan nodded:
"Okay, thank you, doctor."
After everything was done, Lu Yiran naturally stepped forward and held her arm. Although he didn't say much, his protective attitude was self-evident.
Shangguan Jiuze looked at the carefully labeled blood samples that would determine his father's fate, then looked at Mu Nanyan again. Thousands of words were stuck in his chest, and in the end, he only repeated them solemnly:
"Nan Yan, really... thank you."
Next, it’s time to wait.
Waiting for science to give the final answer and waiting for fate to make its judgment.
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