Chapter 84

Chapter 84: Why Is Heaven So Cruel Yu Jiaojiao's heart ached. "It's okay, Xiao Yue. Lawyer Ruan is a very kind person. She won't mind any of that. You can relax a little." Yu Jiaojiao reached out her hand, wanting to pat the little girl's head. Because of the chemotherapy, the little girl had lost all her hair and always wore a fluffy pink hat when going out. Yu Jiaojiao knew that Liu Ming had bought this pink hat for her, and the little girl treasured it like a precious gem. Yu Jiaojiao's emotions were complicated, her eyes stinging. Her outstretched hand paused mid-air before slowly descending to gently pat the little girl's hat. "Xiao Yue, don't worry. Lawyer Ruan will definitely help with your brother's case!" "Mm-hmm." The tension and anxiety on the little girl's face melted away, replaced by a smile as she said crisply, "Thank you, Sister Jiaojiao and Lawyer Ruan." Listening to the conversation from the back seat, Chu Tang let out a heavy sigh inwardly. What unfortunate souls they were. Why did the rope always snap at its thinnest point, and misfortune always befall the wretched? Chu Tang had strong empathy and was highly sensitive. When faced with something like this, she felt deeply distressed, and her eyes even grew moist. She composed herself, steadied her emotions, then turned around to say to the people in the back, "Jiaojiao, help Yueyue buckle her seatbelt." "Okay." ... Liu Ming and Liu Yue were staying in the same hospital. It was an ordinary public hospital, with four hospital beds squeezed into a cramped ward. It was early winter, and cold winds blew outside. The temperature was low, and the ward's windows were tightly shut. The moment Chu Tang walked in, she caught the sour, rancid smell emanating from the man on the bed nearest the door. She had no idea how many days it had been since he last bathed. Chu Tang almost couldn't hold back a dry heave. She furrowed her brows and forced herself to endure the discomfort as she followed Liu Yue further inside. Liu Ming was lying on the bed at the very back. The man was propped against his pillow, facing the window, staring blankly at the withered leaves drifting past outside. "Brother." Liu Yue called out crisply. Liu Ming immediately turned his head to look over. "Xiao Yue, you're here. Have you eaten?" Liu Yue nodded with a smile and replied, "Mm-hmm! I just ate." She was lying. She had sneaked out of the hospital this morning to find Yu Jiaojiao for help, and hadn't had a chance to eat yet. To keep her brother from worrying, she could only lie. "Jiaojiao, you came too." Liu Ming smiled and greeted Yu Jiaojiao. After the greeting, Liu Ming's gaze shifted to Chu Tang's face, and he asked hesitantly, "And this is?" Yu Jiaojiao replied, "This is the lawyer from our firm. You can call her Lawyer Ruan." Ruan Chutang nodded in greeting. "Hello. I've already heard about your situation from Jiaojiao. Can we talk further? I can help you seek compensation from your former employer." Liu Ming's expression was complicated as he stammered, "I... I'm sorry, Lawyer Ruan, but I don't have the money to pay for legal fees..." The man gave an awkward smile. "You can see for yourself, in my current condition I can barely afford my medical bills. I really don't have the money to hire a lawyer... I'm sorry to have made you come all this way for nothing." Chu Tang said seriously, "That's no problem, Mr. Liu. You can pay the legal fees after you receive the compensation from the other party. I'll sign a full-risk contingency fee agreement with you." Liu Ming looked puzzled. "What's a full-risk contingency fee agreement?" Chu Tang explained, "It means that if we lose the case, you won't have to pay a single cent." Hearing Chu Tang say this, Liu Ming's expression shifted. "Can it really be done that way?" "Of course." Chu Tang's expression was earnest. Liu Ming said, "Then... then alright." "Good." Chu Tang nodded. "Now, I need to ask you about some specific details of the case." Yu Jiaojiao said, "Lawyer Ruan, you two go ahead and talk. I'll take Xiao Yue back to her ward first." After Chu Tang had finished learning about the situation, Liu Ming took out his phone. "Lawyer Ruan, those are the basics. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask anytime. How about we add each other on WeChat for easier contact?" "Sure." Chu Tang took out her phone and opened WeChat. "I'll scan your code." For lawyers, adding clients on WeChat was completely normal. After exchanging contact information, Liu Ming opened a food delivery app with a yellow icon. His entire right hand was gone, with white gauze wrapped around his wrist. Liu Ming struggled to swipe the phone screen with his left hand, browsing for food delivery options. Chu Tang glanced at it. "Let me help you." Liu Ming smiled apologetically. "Then I'll trouble you, Lawyer Ruan." Chu Tang picked up Liu Ming's phone and looked at the screen, suddenly freezing. On the screen, every single food option was priced under ten yuan. Chu Tang looked at the interface. "Pin Hao Fan." She had never known such cheap meals existed. Chu Tang's brows furrowed slightly. Such cheap food—surely it wouldn't even cover the cost of ingredients? One could only imagine what kind of raw materials went into such meals. Seeing Chu Tang frowning and not moving for a long time, Liu Ming looked at her with confusion. "What's wrong, Lawyer Ruan? Just pick any one under ten yuan." Chu Tang handed the phone back to him. "I just remembered that I saw someone selling ready-made boxed meals downstairs at the hospital entrance. They're also ten yuan a box. How about I go downstairs and buy one for you? It'll be faster than delivery, and you can eat sooner." "Oh? Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?" Chu Tang shook her head. "It's no trouble at all. It's just downstairs. Wait a moment." Chu Tang left the hospital and walked into a roadside restaurant. She took out her phone and sent a WeChat message to Yu Jiaojiao. 【Has Xiao Yue not had lunch yet?】 Yu Jiaojiao replied quickly. 【Probably not. She came to find me at around nine, and we haven't had a chance to eat yet.】 【Okay.】 She ordered three portions of food, all light and suitable for patients. Suddenly thinking of something, she made a phone call to hire two caregivers. Carrying the packed meals back to the hospital, she found that the two caregivers she had hired had already arrived. One caregiver was male, the other female. Chu Tang handed one portion of the meal to the man. "This is for the patient in Room 503, Bed 4, on the 5th floor of the inpatient building. His name is Liu Ming, and he's the one you'll be looking after." The male caregiver took the meal and nodded. "Got it." Chu Tang then handed the other two portions to the female caregiver. "These are for the patient in Room 602, Bed 3, on the 6th floor." After doing all this, Chu Tang went to the hospital's payment window and paid the hospitalization and treatment fees for the siblings Liu Ming and Liu Yue. Coming out of the hospital. Chu Tang received a WeChat transfer from Liu Ming. 【Lawyer Ruan, you're a good person. Thank you for being willing to help us siblings.】 【The nurse just came to tell me that someone paid the fees my sister and I owed. Was that you? Thank you so much, really. Once I get the compensation from the factory, I'll pay you back.】 Chu Tang felt a pang of sadness in her heart and replied with a simple "Mm." She didn't accept the transfer. The biting cold wind blew through Chu Tang's hair. She stood by the flower bed at the hospital entrance, her emotions unable to settle for a long time. Yu Jiaojiao stood behind her, wiping her tears, her voice choked with sobs: "Lawyer Ruan, the hospital just issued another critical illness notice for Xiao Yue. The attending physician said they still haven't found a matching bone marrow donor. If they can't find one soon, Xiao Yue... she doesn't have much time left... Why is her life so cruel... She's such a kind and lovely girl, she's only eleven years old. Why is heaven so merciless..." Yu Jiaojiao's tears flowed freely, and she sobbed uncontrollably. Chu Tang's eyes also welled up with hot tears. She stood in the cold wind, her nose red from the chill, her chest feeling tight and heavy. Liu Yue was only eleven, and her life was already running out of time. Liu Ming had dropped out of school early to work and earn money for his sister. Now he was disabled and had lost his ability to work—he had only just turned nineteen. A long, heavy silence. Chu Tang took out her phone and made a call. "Help me get in touch with a specialist in leukemia treatment. Also, come to Dongcheng Hospital on Minghua Road to handle the transfer procedures for a pair of siblings."