My Sister Ah Wan

Part 6

16

When my sister finally fell asleep, Xie Bo Yan took my hand and led me out of the hospital.

On the way home, he remained silent.

Once we were back, he confronted me, "Fang Yin, whose kidney is being donated to Ah Wan?"

I sighed. "How would I know? The doctors said the donor's identity is confidential."

He looked at me intently, his eyes dark and serious.

"How did you find out?"

I sighed.

I knew I couldn't hide it from him.

"Find out what? That my kidney is actually a match for my sister's?"

"So it really is yours!" Xie Bo Yan seemed to deflate instantly.

He slumped onto the sofa, defeated. "Of course. If you hadn't known in advance, you would have cried. But today, you were smiling the whole time, as if everything was going according to your plan."

"So all the working out, the healthy eating—you were preparing for the surgery, weren't you?"

"I can't believe I didn't notice!" He let out a bitter laugh. "You've really grown up, haven't you? You're making such huge decisions without consulting anyone. You're just deciding everything on your own."

"Fang Yin, you're really something!"

"But I don't agree, and Ah Wan wouldn't agree either!"
"Then we won't tell her. She doesn't need to know in the first place."

Xie Bo Yan stared at me. "Fang Yin, do you even realize what you're doing?"

I knew exactly what I was doing, and I knew Xie Bo Yan was scared.

Just like in the previous life.

Back then, I was eight months pregnant.

I missed my sister so much.

When I came across an old, unused laptop in the storage room, I wanted to see if it had anything related to my sister.

I opened folder after folder, from the C drive to the D drive, and eventually, I really did find something.

It seemed to contain some images that had been cached from Xie Bo Yan's past chats with my sister.

There were pictures of landscapes, emojis, and even photos of my sister.

In one of them, she was wearing an oxygen tube on her nose, smiling happily at the camera, flashing a peace sign.

The report confirming the successful kidney match was also stored in there.

It flashed by so quickly that I didn't even react at first.

It wasn't until I flipped through three or four more images that I froze.
I quickly scrolled back.

I remembered that report.

I remembered that the results on the report I had seen before indicated it was not a match.

It was definitely not a match.

So why did this one say it was?

"What are you looking at? I've been calling you, but you didn't answer," Xie Bo Yan said as he walked in.

He saw what I was looking at.

I looked at him helplessly, hoping for an answer from him.

But the fear on his face was all the answer I needed.

So it was true.

Why?

Why did you lie to me?

I could have saved my sister!

On the way to the hospital, I kept asking him over and over, "Why? Why? Just tell me why?"

And now, I want to ask him the same question.

"Why? Why did you and my sister lie to me?"

17

I crouched in front of Xie Bo Yan.

He looked at me, then reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

He said, "Ah Wan's body is already at its limit. A kidney transplant won't fix everything. Even if you give her your kidney, it's just a drop in the bucket. Her entire body is deteriorating. But this is your kidney, and it's tied to your whole life, your long and full life."
"Using your kidney to extend her life by a year or two... we didn't think it was worth it!"

So that's how it was!

The weight I'd been carrying in my heart finally lifted.

"If my kidney can give my sister an extra six months, then it's worth it. If it gives her an extra year, then I've gained something. If it gives her two more years, I'd wake up smiling from my dreams."

"But what about you? What if something goes wrong during the surgery or afterward? Your health isn't that strong to begin with. What will you do then?"

"I'll be fine. My body can handle it. The hospital isn't some shady operation. If I weren't fit for surgery, they wouldn't agree to it."

In this second life, the first thing I did was find Dr. Jiang.

At first, he denied everything.

But when I threatened to report him, he gave in with a sigh. "You sisters really are cut from the same cloth."

"And afterward?" Xie Bo Yan asked.

"I'll go to bed early, wake up early, eat well, live healthily. It's a good plan!"

"But what if something goes wrong?"

"That's Ah Wan we're talking about. Isn't she worth the risk?"

They all thought that using my kidney to give my sister a year or two wasn't worth it.

But that's not how I see it.

She's my sister, the one who always treated me like a treasure. If giving her my kidney could help her live even one more day, how could it not be worth it?

In the end, I managed to convince Xie Bo Yan.

Deep down, I knew he was torn and didn't know what the right choice was. It seemed like whatever he chose, it would be wrong.

That's why, after my sister passed away in my previous life, he was consumed with guilt and regret.

18

Tuesday, light rain—the day of my sister's kidney transplant surgery.

I couldn't accompany her inside, so I waited outside the operating room.

Through the partition, I heard her voice.

She asked, "Dr. Jiang, how long will the surgery take?"

Dr. Jiang replied, "At most four hours. It'll be over quickly. Just take a nap, don't be afraid!"

She chuckled, "I'm not afraid, I'm actually very happy."

"What do you plan to do after the surgery?" Dr. Jiang asked.

My sister said, "Go on a trip, to Yunnan. I promised my sister."

I closed my eyes in contentment. This life was better than the last, and I was happy.

I fell into a deep sleep and had a long dream.

I dreamt of the first time I met my sister.

I was four years old.

Before I met her, my life had been dull, seemingly without color.

Until she handed me a pack of candy.

The wrappers were colorful, the flavors varied, and the sweetness lingered from my mouth to my heart.

She said, "Yin Yin, eat the candy. From now on, sister will always give you candy."

I held my sister's hand and walked forward, but she kept appearing and disappearing.
I couldn't find her, so I just stood there, obediently waiting for her to come back to me.

Then she brought me to a boy.

She said to me, "Yin Yin, this is Brother Bo Yan. From now on, he will take care of you and protect you in my place, okay?"

But it wasn't okay. I only wanted my sister.

Yet no one had ever taught me how to say no.

I was afraid of that boy. He didn't talk much, and he never smiled.

Until one day, during a thunderstorm, I clung to his clothes in fear.

He suddenly crouched down and said, "Get on, I'll carry you."

He carried me while I held the umbrella, trying my best to keep him dry, but in the end, my back got soaked.

When he noticed, he sighed helplessly, and as he draped his jacket over me, he said, "Yin Yin, you need to learn to protect yourself. You're the most important person."

I'm the most important person?

That was the first time anyone had ever said that to me.

"Yin Yin... Yin Yin..."

Someone was calling me.

It was the person who would call me to school, pick me up afterward, and bring me home.
I forced my eyes open.

Xie Bo Yan!

I opened my mouth to ask him something, but no words came out.

He reassured me, "Ah Wan is doing well. The surgery was a success. She's still unconscious, but don't worry, just rest."

Finally, I breathed a sigh of relief.

19

After a long while, I finally found my voice again.

"When will my sister wake up?"

Xie Bo Yan glared at me. "Don't even think about it."

I sighed, "She didn't see me when she went into surgery, and if she wakes up and doesn't see me, she'll start worrying."

He frowned. "Don't worry, they'll handle it. When Ah Wan asked where you were before the surgery, they told her they didn't let you come. They should know by now."

It didn't matter whether they knew or not; no one was doing anything for their sake anyway.

But from beginning to end, they never even glanced at Yin Yin, and that was what Xie Bo Yan couldn't get over.

I let out a small "oh" and felt relieved.

No matter how they handled it, they wouldn't let my sister be sad or upset.
As for their attitude toward me, I didn't care.

I saw my sister again a week later.

In that week, I had already regained the ability to get out of bed and walk around, while she still had to remain in bed.

But her complexion had improved a lot, and her eyes sparkled with a hidden joy.

She was truly happy.

"Yin Yin, come here."

"Mom promised me that as long as I focus on getting better, she'd agree to let us go on a trip. Yin Yin, we can go to Yunnan!"

Yes, we could finally go to Yunnan.

She had spent the entire winter bedridden.

When spring arrived and the flowers bloomed, she wore the scarf I had knitted for her, and with Xie Bo Yan pulling our luggage, we set off on our journey to Yunnan.

(The End of Main Story)