"Yes, we really couldn't find any relatives with a blood connection to the child," Susu said sincerely. "Please, name your conditions. We can afford to pay any amount."
"Would our President Lu do charity work for money?" a man in his thirties next to Lu Yuanhong said.
Lu Yuanhong said to Susu, "This is my special assistant. The others are members of the Children's Charity Association. We were also at the children's hospital doing charity work and learned about this child's situation by chance. Several of us members have undergone bone marrow matching with this child, and only my bone marrow is suitable. This must be fate."
Susu looked at President Lu, who had a kind and benevolent face and was a philanthropist. She felt this was a stroke of luck for Xiaoxiao and said gratefully, "Thank you. This child can finally be saved."
Lu Yuanhong asked, "How did the child's parents die? And why is only your aunt left?"
Susu didn't know how to answer and vaguely said, "I never met the child's father, or perhaps he's impossible to find... As for the child's mother, she died in an accident..."
"So it's inconvenient for you to raise this child, which is why you sent her to the orphanage?" Lu Yuanhong interrupted her and pressed on.
"You could say that," Susu said quickly. "This child is very lovable. Although I can't keep her with me for the time being, I hope her illness can be cured, and she can grow up healthy like other children. As long as her illness can be cured, we're willing to spend any amount of money!"
Lu Yuanhong smiled and said, "I can donate bone marrow to this child, but I don't need your money. I have only one condition."
Susu asked, "What condition?"
As Lu Yuanhong was about to state his condition, his special assistant stopped him, "President Lu, won't donating bone marrow harm your health? Donating bone marrow is not the same as matching; it's not as simple as drawing a little blood. You..."
Lu Yuanhong waved his hand to silence him. "I know my own health. It's fine for me to donate some bone marrow to this child."
Susu feared he might waver again and quickly said, "Please, tell me your conditions. As long as I can fulfill them, it's no problem."
Lu Yuanhong then continued, "If the bone marrow transplant surgery for this child is successful with my bone marrow, I would like to adopt this child. This condition should be easy for you to fulfill, right?"
"You want to adopt Xiaoxiao?" Susu looked at the child playing with toys on the hospital bed, unsure if she should make the decision for the child. "But why do you want to adopt her?"
From what she could see, President Lu didn't seem like a bad person, but the thought of Yang Sijie's experience after being adopted back then terrified her. These wealthy people who seemed to be doing charity work, with their bright exteriors, who knew what peculiar habits and motives they had behind closed doors.
"To be honest, I've drifted through life without children. Since I feel a connection with this child, I want to adopt her. It would be nice to have a child in my old age." Lu Yuanhong seemed to be speaking with genuine sincerity.
Susu said very cautiously, "President Lu, how about this: let's cure Xiaoxiao's illness first. As for adoption, we can go through the legal procedures after Xiaoxiao's illness is cured. If you meet the adoption requirements, then I don't mind you adopting Xiaoxiao. It would be best if she could have a stable home."
Lu Yuanhong smiled and patted his thigh. "Alright, you're quite a responsible aunt. If you're still worried, you can visit her anytime after I adopt her. What did you say her name was just now?"
"Xiaoxiao. That's the nickname I gave her. I haven't given her a formal name yet," Susu said.
Just as Lu Yuanhong said "Oh," his special assistant said angrily, "How dare you question President Lu's ability to adopt? It's her fortune that President Lu fancies this child!"
Susu quickly replied, "No, no, I didn't question President Lu's financial ability. But raising a child isn't just about having money; it also requires love, patience, and unwavering responsibility... and so on."
"Alright, you two, stop arguing. Let's do as Miss Gu said. Let's treat the illness first, and we can discuss adoption later."
Susu asked excitedly, "So, are you willing to donate bone marrow for the child?"
Lu Yuanhong directly asked the doctor, "Please perform the surgery for Xiaoxiao as soon as possible. What procedures are needed?"
"That's wonderful," the doctor said busily. "You both just need to sign the surgical consent form. Our hospital will arrange the surgery as soon as possible. Now the child has hope."
Susu happily thanked Lu Yuanhong several more times, hugged Xiaoxiao on the hospital bed, and kissed her. She felt that heaven had eyes, and an unexpected turn of events had occurred. After completing all the pre-surgery procedures with Lu Yuanhong, she left the hospital. She would return to accompany Xiaoxiao on the day of her formal surgery.
After Susu left, Lu Yuanhong was still undergoing various pre-bone marrow donation examinations at the hospital. His special assistant accompanied him and whispered in his ear, "President Lu, the matters you instructed have been arranged. Whether that woman can return home safely depends on fate."
"What a pity, she really looks like her." Lu Yuanhong's expression suddenly turned unusually cold. "However, women who resemble her deserve to die even more."
Susu sat in the car. The rain and wind had lessened on the way back. She wanted to share the good news with Tianyi and Xiao Anjing, but she couldn't reach them on their phones. She estimated their flight time and thought they should have landed by now. Was it possible that their phones had poor signal due to some issue?
"Why did you run a red light?" a bodyguard sitting next to Xiao Lin suddenly shouted. This caused Susu and the bodyguards in the back seat to look up at the road ahead. Xiao Lin's foot was repeatedly pressing the brake, but it was no use. They had just run another red light. This was a busy area, with traffic lights at short intervals. Fortunately, the weather was bad today, and there weren't many cars on the road. They ran two red lights without causing a traffic accident.
The bodyguard next to him said nervously, "Can't you drive anymore? Stop the car and let me drive."
"I can't stop it. The brakes have failed." Xiao Lin gripped the steering wheel tightly, his foot pressing the brake pedal all the way down, but the car showed no signs of stopping.
Everyone in the car gasped. One bodyguard cursed, "Which bastard tampered with our car!"
Susu didn't know what to do and instinctively shielded her stomach with her hands. Xiao Lin, having calmed down, decisively changed the direction of travel and said, "We can't stay in the busy downtown area anymore, or an accident is bound to happen. Madam, quickly fasten your seatbelt and use a cushion to protect your vital areas."
"Right," another bodyguard agreed. "Fortunately, the car's speed isn't high. As long as we maintain this speed, can we find a road section with resistance that can slow us down?"
"You're still good, having served in the transport unit before," Xiao Lin said, making a sharp left turn and driving away from the main road with many traffic lights. Susu fastened her seatbelt as he instructed and used the car's cushion to protect her stomach. The bodyguards beside her were ready to act as a human shield for her. However, because they couldn't slow down or brake, Xiao Lin couldn't carefully consider where to drive, but relied on his experience to drive towards less crowded and wider roads.