Successfully walked inside.
She had been here a few tis before, when she made so money and wanted to improve her relationship with this "sister" by buying her so gifts.
The campus was very quiet, with only the sound of reading drifting from the windows.
Walking through the tree-lined path, she found the junior secondary school’s teaching building and arrived at the door of her sister’s class.
Quietly standing in the shadow of the corridor, she waited.
She didn’t know how long it took, but finally, the shrill sound of the bell signaling the end of class rang out.
The classroom door was pulled open, and students in blue and white uniforms ca out in small groups.
Zhang Yan quickly searched through the noisy crowd and soon spotted that familiar yet sowhat unfamiliar figure.
Chen Shuangshuang had grown a bit taller since the last ti they t, with a simple ponytail and still a trace of childishness on her face.
She wasn’t laughing and playing with her classmates but carried her schoolbag alone, silently leaving.
Their eyes t in the air.
Chen Shuangshuang’s steps paused, and she quickly walked to Zhang Yan, lips tightly sealed, saying not a word, but her eyes gradually turning red.
"Let’s go, take leave from school."
Zhang Yan and she went to the horoom teacher’s office, explained the situation, and used her own ID card as a guarantee to successfully get leave for Chen Shuangshuang.
The entire ti, Chen Shuangshuang was unusually silent.
The two walked out of the school gate one after the other, silent all the way.
Only when they were standing by the roadside waiting for a car, did Zhang Yan finally speak, "Which hospital?"
"Pharmacy University Affiliated First Hospital."
"Which departnt?"
Chen Shuangshuang’s shoulders trembled violently once, her voice choked as she squeezed out three words through her teeth, "Oncology Departnt."
Zhang Yan’s hands and feet instantly turned cold, "Oncology Departnt? Tumor?"
"Yes." Chen Shuangshuang nodded, choking, "Yesterday Chen Yao ca back, she said she would accompany us to the hospital today. She probably... she probably doesn’t want mom to get treated! That’s why I called you."
Chen Yao, that’s her half-sister who just graduated from college.
Zhang Yan knew a bit about the conflicts in this blended family.
Due to the age gap, and not being born to the sa mother, those two elder siblings were always wary of Chen Shuangshuang and her mother.
Especially when her mother often had to send her living expenses and child support, even secretly sending her significant amounts of money after she’d grown up.
The other side had caught this before.
Once, Chen Yao even called and scolded her.
Looking at the flustered and helpless Chen Shuangshuang in front of her, the sense of responsibility as a sister instantly outweighed all panic and fear.
She bit her lip, saying firmly, "It’s okay. Tumors can be benign too. Let’s go and see first; things might not be as bad."
Chen Shuangshuang looked at her, silently lowered her head, and followed her onto the taxi.
She was a sensitive, smart girl; the complexity of the family made her much more mature than her peers.
She knew that her brother Chen Bingwen was about to get married, and the family finances were already very tight.
If her brother’s fiancée found out about this, the marriage would fall apart instantly.
Her mother’s serious illness was like a catastrophe for their family; her father would surely retreat for the sake of his son’s wedding.
Those two half-siblings without blood ties would definitely be eager to "cut off" from her mother.
She didn’t want to lose her mother.
But she was only a 15-year-old middle school student with no way out, and no one took her seriously.
At this mont, the only person she could think of to rely on was this "sister," who she always rejected yet shared the sa blood.
The taxi moved slowly through the congested city.
More than ten minutes later, they finally arrived outside the hospital gate.
The two hurriedly entered the outpatient building.
On Monday, the hospital was crowded, the air filled with the sll of disinfectant and the noise of people.
Zhang Yan’s hands and feet were cold, her lips dry.
She tightly held Chen Shuangshuang’s hand, and after consulting at the guidance desk, took the elevator towards the oncology departnt.
The two started searching from the oncology internal departnt room by room.
Soon, Chen Shuangshuang tugged hard on her arm, urgently saying, "Over there!"
Zhang Yan followed the sound and saw in the corner of the second departnt area, her mother’s frail and thin body slumping on a bench, occasionally breaking into a harsh cough.
Uncle Chen sat beside her, head lowered, saying nothing, a terribly gloomy expression on his face.
The stylishly dressed Chen Yao stood in front of them, holding a few dical reports and CT scans, loudly saying sothing.
Zhang Yan pushed through the crowded flow of people, walking inside with difficulty.
As the distance closed, Chen Yao’s cold and sharp voice slowly reached her ears.
"...The doctor was very clear. For your condition, if you want the best CAR-T cell therapy, you need 1.3 million, and it might not completely cure, and we don’t know how much more will be needed later."
"Even if we step back and use oral immunomodulators plus monoclonal antibody treatnt, it’ll cost nearly twenty thousand a year!"
"My brother is about to get married! We’ve already discussed the dowry and bridal gifts with the woman’s side, just waiting for the banquet."
"If they know we have such a life-threatening issue in the family, can the marriage still happen? Who gets the house then? It’s all a waste!"
"This is... cancer! It’s lymphoma!"
The word "cancer," like a bolt from the blue, shattered Zhang Yan’s last bit of hope completely.
Her mind buzzed loudly, her steps faltered, nearly causing her to fall on the spot.
She stared blankly at her mother, who was torntingly weak from illness.
Rationality collapsed at that mont.
"Mom—"
She rushed over, pushing past Chen Yao, and tightly embraced her mother’s frail body.
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