Chapter 350
Yannis was braiding Zinnia’s hair into a loose plait when he asked, “What would you like to eat? I’ll cook something nice for you.”
After her nap, her hair had come undone, so he patiently worked through the tangles.
“Um… I’d like chicken soup, braised beef with tomatoes, and pineapple shrimp,” Zinnia replied, sitting obediently as she thought about what she wanted.
Listening to her list, Yannis noticed all the dishes were nourishing and good for blood flow.
“Alright, get yourself ready. I’ll go make dinner,” he said.
He took a pearl hairpin from his bag, clipped it into her hair, and gave her hair ends an affectionate tug. With that, Yannis stepped out of the room.
Alone at last, Zinnia breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Suddenly struck by a thought, Zinnia scrambled to her desk. She took out the seed she’d been hiding. Peering into the small cup, she saw that, just as expected, the blood had already been absorbed.
Its surface, once covered in deep grooves and wrinkles, had smoothed out considerably. Only a little blood remained at the bottom of the cup.
Pressing the seed with her fingers, Zinnia noticed the outer shell had softened quite a bit. But the inside was still hard.
According to the Yarbrough family’s notes, the seed had to be completely softened before it could sprout.
No matter what methods they’d tried before, the seed hadn’t changed at all. If the Yarbrough family’s notes hadn’t said this softening was normal, Zinnia would have worried the seed was ruined.
She pressed it again. The inside was still tough, but the outer layer had expanded and softened a lot.
It had started out about the size of a pistachio, but now, as the skin unfurled, it had grown to the size of a grape. Once it was fully softened, it’d probably get even bigger.
The seed now occupied about two-thirds of the cup, leaving only a third of the space empty.
Feeling how hard the seed still was, Zinnia frowned. ‘Looks like it’ll need a lot more blood to nurture it,’ she thought.
Zinnia lowered her gaze to her bandaged hand. ‘Time is running out,’ she thought.
‘Since I know it works, I have to strike while the iron is hot and soften the seed as soon as possible. Whether it will sprout is still unknown,’ she reminded herself, not daring to waste even a second.
She grabbed the bow knot and slowly unwound the bandage.
Her hand was already injured. Nathan knew about this wound. Using it as a cover, Nathan and the others wouldn’t worry too much. But if she added any new wounds, they would definitely get suspicious.
As the bow came undone, it revealed a pinkish, pale wound. Perhaps because it had been reopened so many times, the flesh around the wound was already whitened.
Staring at the wound in her palm, Zinnia pressed her lips together and then took out an acupuncture needle.
Just as she was about to cut the wound again, a clear, cool voice suddenly came from the doorway. “Can you use my blood instead?”
At the sound of that achingly familiar voice, Zinnia’s fingertips trembled. She looked toward the door.
Yannis stood there, dressed in black from head to toe, his features cold and sharp. There was not a trace of warmth in his beautiful eyes; instead, they were filled with complicated emotions.
“Zinnia, if you needed blood for this, why didn’t you tell me? There are so many of us. You didn’t have to use your own,” Yannis said, his eyes lingering on the pale wound in her palm as he sighed almost imperceptibly.
If she’d just said something, there was no need for her to hurt herself, Yannis thought.
But the next thing Zinnia said left Yannis speechless.
“Yannis, your blood won’t work. Only mine is effective,” Zinnia replied softly.
Yannis’ brows furrowed. “Why can’t ours work?”
He wondered, ‘Is it really only hers? If only hers was effective, how much blood could she possibly give? And with her fragile health, this would surely put her in danger.’
“The Yarbrough family’s notes state that ordinary people’s blood is useless,” Zinnia murmured, lowering her gaze.
“If ordinary blood doesn’t work, then you-” Yannis frowned deeply, but stopped himself in time. “If you can’t talk about it, then we won’t ask.
If ordinary blood couldn’t be used but hers could, there had to be something more to it.
Zinnia looked at him and explained softly, “Well… it’s not that I can’t say. You know I’ve been frail since I was little – constantly taking medicine, soaking in medicinal baths, or eating health-building diets. Over the years, my blood developed some unique properties.”
Years of medication in her childhood had gradually altered the very composition of her blood.
Yannis lowered his gaze. “The last time your palm was injured, was it because you let out blood on purpose?”
His deep eyes were filled with concern. Given her anemia, every time she lost blood, it took a toll on her health.
Last time, it had taken him a whole month to nurse the healthy color back into her cheeks.
Zinnia remained silent. Her quiet spoke volumes.
“Does it really have to be your blood?” Yannis asked, his eyes filled with conflict.
He thought, ‘Her blood is needed, but the seed has only just begun to soften. God knows how much more it would take to make it sprout.
‘For most people, losing a little blood wouldn’t matter. But her heart condition… Her body couldn’t withstand any carelessness.
Torn between Nathan’s need and Zinnia’s fragile health, Yannis was caught in a painful dilemma.
They had tried countless ways to make the seed sprout, but now that the solution was right in front of him, Yannis found himself unable to go through with it. Every path would wound someone dear.
“I’m not sure if it has to be my blood, but right now, only mine works,” Zinnia murmured softly.
‘Maybe there’s someone else out there whose blood could make the seed sprout, but we just don’t have time to look for them. And if anyone else was raised on as much medication as I was, they’d be just as frail as me,’ she pondered.
“Zinnia, do we really have to do this?” Yannis’ voice was so hoarse it was barely audible.
“Nathan’s condition can’t wait,” Zinnia said, her voice unwavering. Nathan’s health couldn’t afford any more delay.
“But your health…” Yannis’ eyes clouded with worry.
If her body were fine, Yannis wouldn’t be so torn. The problem was, her health was already hanging by a thread.
If Nathan didn’t recover and something happened to her, they couldn’t bear that outcome.
Just imagining it made breathing feel suffocating. No one could accept such a consequence.
“Yannis, Nathan saved my life. Without him, I’d have died seventeen years ago. Now that he’s in trouble and I can help, how could I possibly stand by and do nothing?” Zinnia looked up at him.
Compared to helplessly watching Nathan grow weaker every day, Zinnia felt real joy at finally having a way to help him.
With hope right in front of her, there was no way Zinnia would ever give up, even if it meant giving her own life. That was the least she could do to repay Nathan.
“Yannis, do you know how happy I was when I found out my blood could help? Right then, I swore to myself: no matter how much blood it takes, I will save Nathan.” Zinnia knew he was worried about her.
“And don’t worry. My body isn’t that fragile. I’ve made it this far in one piece, haven’t I? How could something happen so easily?” Zinnia gave him a small, reassuring smile.
She also told herself firmly, ‘I’ll be fine.’