“No! Don’t…” Catching Zhou Yuqian’s fierce gaze, she immediately fell silent. She was so foolish, taking herself too seriously. She was just a mistress, after all. When an old lover came to make a scene, she actually dared to order him to stop. Zhou Yuqian had merely bought her. Her legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground. How could his dignity tolerate such defiance? If she said another word, Xie Jiayi might end up crippled…
“After you’re done, send him to the hospital. Get the medical expenses reimbursed at the company!” Zhou Yuqian, like an untouchable emperor, gave a brief command and then, without wasting more time, stepped into the elevator.
The golden sunlight spread across the courtyard. Xie Jiayi was held with his hands twisted behind his back by a bodyguard, his abdomen repeatedly struck by fists, each blow causing his stomach and lungs to churn in agony. After countless hits, his organs seemed displaced; he could no longer curse, and a sweet, metallic taste surged in his throat. He spat out a mouthful of blood, the bright red droplets floating in the sunlight. His eyes turned to the doorway where Lai Hui was being tightly held by another bodyguard, crying out in despair. With his last bit of strength, he roared, “Lai Hui, I hate you! I hate you! Remember this, unless you die, I’ll never let you live in peace as long as I live!” Exhausted, he collapsed to the ground…
Xie Jiayi hated her, and she hated Zhou Yuqian. She wished she could break his bones and drink his blood; she wanted to inflict a hundredfold the pain and humiliation he had brought upon Xie Jiayi. She believed she would hate him for life. Yes, she believed! But when Xie Jiayi went abroad for further studies and when Zhou Yuqian bought her jewelry worth tens of thousands without batting an eye, that was just what she believed. The first time, she didn’t accept it, still full of hate; the second time, she again refused, and Zhou Yuqian gave it to a client’s woman, who accepted with a beaming smile, and Lai Hui began to regret her hatred; the third time, she accepted but didn’t wear it immediately, her hatred diminished; two years after the incident, he gave her jewelry for the fourth time. People say ‘things happen in threes,’ her hatred was now negligible. It wasn’t that she loved those shiny pieces of jewelry, but they could be exchanged for piles of cash. After two years as a mistress, Lai Hui had learned to be pragmatic. Wasn’t it easy for Zhou Yuqian to do whatever he wanted with her, just like squashing an ant? It was also then that Lai Hui understood, money could not only buy love but also buy away hate! Zhou Yuqian used money to buy away her love for Xie Jiayi and her hatred for him! Just as Xie Jiayi said, “Lai Hui, you are truly despicable!” Yes, she was despicable! But in this world, how many people aren’t? Businessmen cut corners for profit, hospitals refuse treatment to the poor, and law enforcers act unjustly. If they weren’t despicable, would Lai Hui be so low as to use her body and dignity to prolong her mother’s life? Despicable! Everyone has this tumor-like trait in their bones! It just depends on your luck. If your luck is bad, the tumor turns malignant, and there’s no cure!
Chapter 4
The car stopped in front of the hospital. The streetlights cast a dim, powerless glow, and raindrops danced in the light. The driver in the front seat handed Lai Hui a fruit basket wrapped in clear plastic, containing red imported apples, purple mangosteens, and yellow mangoes, all bought on Zhou Yuqian’s instructions when they passed a fruit store earlier.
“Go up first. After Xiao Chen drops me off, he’ll come back for you!” Zhou Yuqian said, his head resting against the seat back, not even lifting his eyelids as he spoke.
Lai Hui agreed and gently kissed his cheek before stepping out of the car.
The elevator was eerily quiet with only her inside, like a lamp-lit box locked from the outside, with no control over entering or leaving. When the seventh-floor light lit up, the doors opened, and she stepped out, escaping the stifling box.
The corridor was dimly lit, with darkness at the end, her high heels echoing in the emptiness, occasionally mixed with the groans of patients, like the howls of ghosts from the underworld, fading into the air after just a couple of sounds.
In the fourth room on the left, Lai Ruying, lying in bed chatting with her caregiver, turned to see her daughter entering. Her face, marked by years of illness, resembled a rough-skinned pear, dotted with large and small black spots, her cloudy eyes softening as they looked at her daughter.
“Oh, you’re here. Come, sit here!” The caregiver stood up to offer her seat to Lai Hui and added with a smile, “She was just mentioning you, saying you must be busy and haven’t had time to visit recently.”
Lai Hui smiled back at her, glanced at her mother in bed, walked around the bed, and placed the fruit basket on the table.
“Mom, you worry too much. I’ve just been busy with work these past couple of days, haven’t I come today? With you saying that, Xiao Yu might think I’m an unfilial daughter!”
Lai Ruying’s head followed her daughter’s movements — only her head could move — her withered face turned towards the window, her eyelids lifting slightly to look at Lai Hui.
“I was just chatting with Xiao Yu, worried that you’re too busy to take care of yourself.”
“Oh! Sister Hui bought fruit, you two chat, I’ll go wash them!” Xiao Yu, thinking the mother and daughter hadn’t seen each other in days and would have much to talk about, tactfully took the fruit basket and left the room.
As soon as Xiao Yu closed the door, Lai Hui spoke to her mother, “I’m a grown woman now, can’t I take care of myself? You focus on getting better, don’t worry about me!”
Lai Ruying, her voice old and hoarse, said, “Ah, I know you, child. Without me, you wouldn’t know how to look after yourself. Remember when you were in high school, if I was too busy to cook, you wouldn’t even say you were hungry, just watched me finish with a customer’s haircut, and that’s when your stomach problems started…” She went on and on, as if her mouth had been sealed for days, now bursting with words once the seal was broken.
