Unexpected (GL) - Chapter 31

The day after Ella received the HLA matching report, she began her medical check-up. Fortunately, all her results met the required standards, and nothing unexpected or dangerous occurred. Both the doctors and the two women let out a sigh of relief.

Not long after the check-up results came out, Ella started receiving mobilization injections. After completing routine bl00d work and liver and kidney function tests, Xie Jing was helped into Ella’s hospital room by Shen Xinghe. At that moment, it felt like they had both finally laid down a heavy burden. They were no longer as tense as they had been in the past few days.

“Auntie,” Xie Jing said as she tried to approach. But Ella raised her hand to stop her. “Don’t come too close. I think I caught a cold.”

“Okay.” Xie Jing took a step back and, supported by Shen Xinghe, sat on the other bed in the room.

They chatted for a while, but Xie Jing was tired and soon went back to her own room to rest. After she fell asleep, Shen Xinghe returned to Ella’s room next door.

“Auntie, full myeloablative conditioning is very risky. Xie Jing’s health has never been good.”

After receiving the matching results, Shen Xinghe immediately asked the doctor about the transplant surgery in detail. She had thought that a successful match meant there was a good chance Xie Jing
could recover, but she didn’t realize that this was only the first step.

“I know. I’ll have to trouble you to take care of my little niece for a while longer. Please try to keep her happy,” Ella said helplessly. Her young niece had already been through so much—losing both parents and then falling seriously ill. Getting this far had not been easy.

The myeloablative method they chose meant that Xie Jing would undergo large doses of chemotherapy and radiation all at once to destroy as many cancer and leukemia cells as possible, preparing space
in her bone marrow for the donor’s stem cells.

The advantage of this method is that it allows the donor stem cells to quickly take hold and has a low relapse rate. However, the downside is severe toxicity from chemotherapy drugs, which patients
like Xie Jing, with weaker bodies, may not tolerate well. Serious complications can occur.

They had considered a reduced-intensity conditioning plan, but it carried a higher risk of relapse and still required toxic drugs for immune suppression and regulation. Xie Jing herself said she
would rather go through the pain once than live in constant fear. She didn’t want to experience this kind of anxiety again.

Before receiving the stem cell transplant, Xie Jing needed to stay in a sterile room for a period of time. The high doses of chemotherapy would completely destroy her immune system, leaving her
extremely vulnerable to infection after the transplant. The sterile room would provide a clean environment and reduce the risk of infection.

The next day, Xie Jing’s head was shaved, her body cleaned, and she was placed in the sterile room. Under the torment of lethal chemotherapy and radiation, she began to suffer from frequent fevers,
stomach pain, diarrhea, insomnia, and anxiety.

Xie Jing had already developed some psychological issues after the car accident. Now, under the heavy pressure and fear of death, her depression worsened rapidly. Shen Xinghe anxiously paced outside
the sterile room every day, trying different ways to cheer Xie Jing up through the screen.

Ella watched as Xie Jing grew thinner and weaker each day. She often ran to the restroom to cry her heart out in secret, then wiped away her tears and returned to tell Xie Jing funny stories from
her childhood as if nothing had happened.

At first, Xie Jing could still listen for a bit, but as the medications intensified, the fevers, vomiting, and diarrhea drained all her strength. She could only lie in bed, weak like a dying fish.

After eight or nine days in the sterile room, Xie Jing was almost skin and bones. All the pre-treatment procedures had been completed, but nothing seemed to help. Ella was so worried she couldn’t
eat. She often cried silently behind Shen Xinghe and Xie Jing’s backs, but forced herself to stay strong for the upcoming surgery.

Shen Xinghe didn’t know why, but in this hopeless moment, she suddenly thought of Qin Ning.

Xie Jing must’ve really loved Qin Ning. That’s probably why she always cared so much about her image around her, not wanting Qin Ning to know she was sick.

On a whim, Shen Xinghe gathered all of Qin Ning’s graduation and event photos and played them repeatedly on video for Xie Jing.

Maybe Xie Jing still had deep feelings for Qin Ning, because one day after seeing the photos, her will to live suddenly surged.

She started to be able to swallow food without vomiting and her health indicators slowly began to improve. She even managed to say a few words to them now and then.

Xie Jing’s change gave Shen Xinghe great comfort. Her heart was filled with both sadness and joy. She played Qin Ning’s videos more frequently, and those pictures were being updated in real-time.

A few days later, the doctor told them that Xie Jing’s condition had recovered enough for surgery.

Hearing this news, Ella finally let out a breath. She followed the doctor with heavy steps out of the hallway and into the hematology department.

Before Xie Jing’s stem cell infusion surgery began, Shen Xinghe somehow found a video of Qin Ning at an event. After watching it, Xie Jing moved her lips and smiled at her. Shen Xinghe read her lips
and realized she was saying, “Thank you.”

When Xie Jing was wheeled away for surgery, Shen Xinghe’s heart clenched. The road ahead was still long for Xie Jing. She silently prayed to her late uncle and aunt, begging them to protect Xie Jing
and help her pull through.

The waiting time for the surgery to finish felt unbearably long. Every minute dragged on. Shen Xinghe paced back and forth in the hallway, while Ella stood beside her, just as nervous. Even her lips
were trembling.

Just now, the doctor had mentioned that not long ago, a leukemia patient had relapsed due to HLA loss. Even after a second stem cell infusion and changing donors, the patient still passed away.

Ella couldn’t imagine how she would cope if something like that happened to Xie Jing. She was still so young, and they had only reunited less than a year ago.

“Xie Jing will be okay,” Shen Xinghe said as she held Ella’s hand, drawing warmth from each other.

“My poor niece,” Ella replied, squeezing Shen Xinghe’s hand back and giving her a grateful look. “But meeting you is the best thing that ever happened to her. I believe in her. She will make it.”

Shen Xinghe held her phone in her other hand. She lowered her eyes, lost in thought, without replying.

They waited for six long hours before the doctor came to tell them that the surgery was over.

But before they could relax, the doctor added that within the next 24 hours, Xie Jing would still be in great danger and they should prepare themselves mentally.

Just as the doctor said, right after the surgery, Xie Jing had an acute rejection reaction.

She developed a fever, body discomfort, and vomiting.

This condition lasted for about a month without signs of improvement. Xie Jing could only stay in the sterile room, suffering. Her mental state and skin condition became extremely poor.

Ella felt like she had cried more in the past few months than she had in her entire life.

Although pain cannot truly be shared, both Shen Xinghe and Ella had seen with their own eyes how much suffering Xie Jing went through. Just watching her in pain made their hearts ache—they couldn’t
imagine bearing it themselves, let alone having the strength Xie Jing had to endure it all.

After the surgery, Xie Jing experienced a long and severe period of acute rejection. It hadn’t even fully gone away before chronic rejection began. A few months later, she started having all kinds
of rejection reactions—oral, ocular, pulmonary, skin, intestinal GVHD, and more. She was constantly vomiting and having diarrhea, couldn’t be exposed to sunlight, lost her sense of taste, and had
frequent insomnia and nightmares. She became so thin she looked like a skeleton. That period of post-isolation observation was truly the darkest time for Shen Xinghe and Ella. It even led to both of
them being diagnosed with serious psychological issues.

What was originally one person’s battle became a fight for all three of them. In the end, they didn’t need to “understand” her pain to feel it themselves—they were living it too.

And just like that, the three of them spent another half a year in the hospital. Only then did Xie Jing’s rejection reactions begin to slowly ease.

As soon as Xie Jing’s condition improved, Shen Xinghe and Ella’s mental health also started to get better. A few more months passed before the three of them, skinny and exhausted, finally walked out
of the hospital, not even knowing what day it was anymore.

“I feel like I’ve been to the gates of hell and back a hundred times,” Ella groaned, leaning limply on Shen Xinghe. Her chin ached from bumping into Shen Xinghe’s sharp shoulder bone.

Shen Xinghe stumbled forward in a daze, one hand supporting Xie Jing and the other around Ella’s waist to stop her from falling. “…Same here.”

“Thank you both so much. This life, the next life, and the one after that—I’ll repay you even if I have to be your servant,” Xie Jing said, deeply guilty. She hadn’t meant to drag them into this.
Her aunt and Shen Xinghe had done so much for her. Without them, she would’ve died. So Xie Jing made a decision—no matter what, even if it cost her life, she would repay them.

“That’s not necessary. Just buy us a meal,” Ella said. After eating bland hospital meals every day, they were desperate for real food. Now that they were finally out, they had to celebrate.

“Okay, I’ll treat you to Chinese food,” Xie Jing offered. Though she couldn’t eat much herself, she chose the best Chinese restaurant in town and ordered a big table full of Sichuan dishes to thank
them.

“Enjoy your meal,” Xie Jing said. Although she was discharged from the hospital, she still had to return monthly for bl00d tests and sometimes take anti-rejection medication. The doctors warned her
to be very careful with food—no unsanitary or spicy items.

She slowly sipped a bowl of millet porridge and looked at the meat-heavy table with a calm expression. Seeing this, Ella gave her a thumbs-up. “Xie Jing, with this kind of willpower, you’ll succeed
in anything you do.”

Xie Jing smiled but didn’t say anything in response. She had chosen Sichuan cuisine instead of Cantonese because she had little self-control around food. But since she couldn’t handle spicy dishes,
she wouldn’t be tempted even if the table was full of delicious options.

After their meal, they returned to Ella’s villa in Country A. Although no one had lived there for a while, cleaning staff came regularly, so the house was still clean.

While living at her aunt’s house, Xie Jing often cooked simple, light meals herself. This habit forced the two pampered women—Ella and Shen Xinghe—to learn how to cook too. They had no choice.
Eating Xie Jing’s light meals every day was making their taste buds dull, so they had to start cooking to feed themselves properly.

After enjoying a few peaceful days, Ella suddenly received a phone call from back home. Then, without saying anything, she disappeared—leaving only a short message saying she had something to take
care of and telling Xie Jing and Shen Xinghe to stay home and not wander around. After that, she couldn’t be reached.

“Did she tell you where she was going?” Xie Jing asked, looking at Shen Xinghe with a hint of confusion and worry.

“No.” Ella had left in a hurry and didn’t give much information. Shen Xinghe had no idea where she had gone.