The vampire heiress is two-faced

Page 142

"Romania... Ah, I remember you were quite interested in that place, Jin'er."

The girls were excitedly discussing the hospital's annual tour.

Considering that patients undergoing long-term treatment might become listless due to staying in the hospital for too long, the hospital came up with this activity plan—regularly organizing free trips for all patients receiving treatment in the hospital, taking them on excursions to neighboring countries. The novelty brought by exotic customs is enough to cheer up the patients.

This was Yang Jin'er and Aurora's third year staying here. They had visited France and Spain in the previous two years, and this year the hospital arranged for their activities to take place in Romania.

And now they have grown into graceful young women.

"Hehe, you really understand me. Romania is a cultural melting pot of Eastern and Western Europe, and I've longed to visit its customs and culture for a long time."

Although Jin'er couldn't move her feet, she still happily swayed her upper body.

"Once I recover, we can go wherever we want. I want to travel all over Europe, then return to the East, and write down my experiences in a book..."

"Aurora, will you come with me?"

...

When asked by her best friend, the brown-haired, optimistic girl answered without hesitation:

"Of course. You and your father have been kind to me, so of course I won't just run away."

Jin'er scratched her head in confusion: "Me? I've done you a favor? What favor?"

Aurora smiled and gently pinched her cheek.

"The grace of meeting you."

"Meeting you is a blessing from heaven. To meet you in this vast sea of ​​people is a miracle in itself... and you are willing to open your heart to me and be my friend... how can this not be a kindness to me?"

Jin'er asked, puzzled, "With your personality, you shouldn't lack friends..."

Aurora said, "But what I lack are true friends."

In this chaotic world, a girl like Aurora who approaches others with such fiery passion would only be seen as having ulterior motives by anyone. What kind of fool in this world would be kind to others for no reason?

But Aurora happens to be that kind of person.

She believes that what people in chaotic times lack most is enthusiasm for life and an optimistic attitude.

Even if you can't see the future, you must not extinguish the flame in your heart, because otherwise you will be swallowed by despair and fall into an abyss of no return.

From a young age, Aurora firmly believed in this principle, which is why she has always lived the way she does now, passionately and happily in this chaotic world.

Just like the goddess of dawn whose name suggests, she shines upon everyone around her.

She was willing to open her heart to others, but few people were willing to open theirs to her. Her good intentions were all misinterpreted as having ulterior motives, to the point that she never made a single true friend.

And so, she met this girl named Yang Jin'er.

Jin'er happened to be a naive, innocent, and withdrawn girl. She possessed intelligence and knowledge, but her long-term imprisonment had left her completely ignorant of human relationships and social dynamics...

She was quickly won over by the enthusiasm of Aurora and soon completely trusted her. Fortunately, Aurora was indeed a good girl, otherwise Jin'er would probably have been in danger long ago.

And so, by a twist of fate, the enthusiastic and optimistic girl and the innocent girl who longed for friendship became inseparable best friends.

"Jin'er, pinky promise."

"why?"

"We made a pinky promise to be best friends forever and never be apart."

"it is good."

"It's a deal, huh?"

"we have a deal."

Chapter 156 Hope

Although Jin'er has met a friend who will accompany her for life, it does not mean that her good fortune will continue.

In fact, being born in that era of ravages of disaster was itself a misfortune.

...

"I've decided to discontinue treatment for that blonde girl."

"Dean Steyer...what did you say?!"

"She has been treated for three whole years... but her condition has not improved at all. If this gets out, do you know how much damage it will do to our hospital's reputation?"

"But we made a promise to Mr. Yang..."

"The East is in complete chaos now. That merchant surnamed Yang is probably in dire straits himself and has no time to care about his daughter."

"But..."

"Enough, Dr. Jaeger. Abandoning her... would be more beneficial than harmful to our hospital. We could then legitimately absorb the enormous medical bills paid by her father and use them to improve the hospital's services."

"Conditions... Just think about it, how many patients could this money save!"

The conversation in the darkness ended with the dean's final decision.

“This is a necessary sacrifice. Rather than wasting this money on her incurable disease, we can use it to save more patients. Alright, get out of here, Dr. Jaeger. I have some paperwork to do.”

"Also, the orphan who's always with that girl... keeping her around might lead to unforeseen problems, it would be better to abandon them both."

...

...

...

So, after a walk in the Romanian countryside, when Aurora pushed Yang Jin'er back along the road, the campsite was deserted; the carriage had already hurriedly left with everyone.

There wasn't a single piece of food left.

It wasn't until their calls went unanswered for half an hour that they finally accepted the fact in disbelief.

They were abandoned, and they were not given any chance to leave the forest alive.

"How could this be... how could this happen..."

Yang Jin'er covered her face and wept bitterly.

"I'm sorry, Aurora, I knew they couldn't cure me... that they would abandon me and embezzle our medical expenses..."

"Your illness was almost cured, but I'm the one who dragged you down... Waaah..."

...

"It's not your fault, Jin'er!"

Aurora comforted Jin'er and gently wiped away her tears.

"We promised to stay together forever. If they lose you, I'll come looking for you!"

The brown-haired girl displayed her usual resourcefulness, quickly devising a plan of action.

"Jin'er, let's find a place to shelter first. There might be wild animals in the forest, and we're both unarmed. If we encounter them... it will be very dangerous."

Yang Jin'er rubbed her swollen eyes and sobbed as she replied:

"Hmm. I...I know how to navigate in the forest; I've read about it in books. Let's head back the way we came. Once we get out of the forest, everything will be easier..."

But as the saying goes, "Man proposes, God disposes," and deadly calamities struck them one after another.

It's raining.

They found a cave to shelter in to avoid getting wet and catching a cold, but a rare downpour was enough to wash away all the ruts left by the carriage.

They...had no hope of leaving the forest by the same route.

...

Although they could collect some rainwater to quench their thirst, it was ultimately insufficient to alleviate their immediate crisis. By noon the next day, they were undoubtedly seeing stars due to hunger and thirst.

Jin'er's body was already weak, and now she has fallen into a semi-comatose state.

"Jin'er..."

Aurora gritted her teeth and looked outside the cave.

"Wait for me here."

...

...

...

After an unknown amount of time, Jin'er felt something being stuffed into her mouth. She instinctively bit down, and a sweet and sour liquid flowed into her throat.

She groggily opened her eyes and saw Aurora holding some berries, smiling as she picked one up and waved it in front of her.

"Open your mouth, ah——"

"Oh my. What kind of fruit is this?"

"I don't know either, but I saw the little rabbits eating them, so they must be edible."

"But this is not enough for the two of us."

Jin'er pushed away the small handful of berries that Aurora offered.

"You should eat it..."

Aurora said, "You're a patient! If you don't eat more, what if you get sick here?"

Jin'er shook her head: "You should eat more so you have the energy to go out and find more food. Even if I eat a lot, I'll just sit here doing nothing."

The two tried to refuse each other, but in the end they each ate half of the dozen or so small berries.

...

After some time, their bodies began to protest again. Eating only a few berries was not enough to replenish the energy their bodies needed.

"So hungry."

"It's still early before sunset. Jin'er, let me go out and find some more food."

　...

"Actually... Aurora..."

Yang Jin'er looked at her, hesitated, and then swallowed the words she was about to say.

Yang Jin'er wanted her to leave her behind; perhaps that would offer a glimmer of hope. She was just a patient with limited mobility, and Aurora staying with her would only be a burden...

But Aurora showed no intention of abandoning her; saying such a thing would likely hurt their relationship.

Even if I said it aloud, Aurora definitely wouldn't change her mind. Rather than saying these emotionally charged nonsense, I might as well do as she says.

"Okay, then be careful on the road."

Aurora gave a thumbs up: "I'm fine. I'll see if I can catch a couple of small animals to eat this time..."

Just as Aurora was about to leave, she suddenly felt a pain in her abdomen.

"...Huh?"

She touched her abdomen, and a familiar aches and pains flooded her mind...

The intense and complex movements she engaged in while searching for food and avoiding wild animals in the forest caused the surgical wound on her liver to reopen.

But she still set off without saying a word.

...

As evening fell, her return and the unsightly condition she couldn't hide did not escape Yang Jin'er's notice. At Jin'er's insistence, Aurora lifted her clothes over her abdomen, revealing the purplish-red bruises all over her body.

"Why...why did you insist on going to find food?"

Aurora forced a smile: "If I hadn't come... Jin'er would have starved to death..."

Jin'er shook her head: "Nonsense! You're like this now...where are we going to find a doctor to treat you!"

Now, in the blink of an eye, Aurora has become an even more critically ill patient than Yang Jin'er.

...

“Aurora, that’s enough. You’ve always helped me without asking for anything in return... Now, it’s my turn to help you.”

Jin'er gritted her teeth and propelled her weak body forward in her wheelchair.

“I…I’ll go out and ask for help. I can find my way and I know how to find food. I can’t stay here and wait to die, Aurora. Your illness will kill you…”