"Please come back soon, Mom can't hold on any longer."
The woman her mother was referring to was Lin Zhi's teacher, Min Xuehua. One or two million was just a small amount of money to her, nothing to mention, but it was a lifeline for the Lin family.
"Why do you still care about him! What difference would it make if someone like him died!"
Lin Zhi rarely lost her temper with her mother. All that could be heard on the other end of the phone was her mother's sobbing. Lin Zhi knew she had spoken too harshly, but her life had been ruined by this so-called father.
But Lin Zhi's mother was really too foolish. Even though her husband cheated on her and had a child with another woman, she still refused to divorce him. She could forget all his bad deeds just because he said sorry. Lin Zhi couldn't understand it.
The father's child, born outside the family, had a bad life, was sickly from a young age, and was later diagnosed with leukemia. The family spent a lot of money on the child, and Lin Zhi felt sorry for the child and secretly helped him financially. The father's car accident was like adding insult to injury for such a family.
Lin Zhi could understand her mother borrowing money from her teacher. The company was in a growth phase, and all of Lin Zhi's money was invested in it. Her own money was simply not enough to cover her father's surgery and subsequent expenses. But what about the compensation? Besides, she had spent her money on this so-called younger brother in recent years. The family's livelihood depended entirely on Lin Zhi. Her mother found out, so she immediately contacted Min Xuehua. Min Xuehua's family was wealthy and didn't care about a million or two.
But Lin Zhi couldn't face her teacher; she was a disappointing student.
My mind is a complete mess.
She had to repay the teacher's money. After repaying the money, she would still have some money left. She could discuss with Kevin about the money for her father's follow-up treatment and get an advance from the company. She only regretted not working harder. If the company were big enough now, this amount of money would be nothing to her.
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs".
After getting off the plane, Lin Zhi dragged her suitcase back to her apartment. Without even resting, she drove straight to her teacher's house.
The villa's security guard recognized Lin Zhi and knew her relationship with Min Xuehua. He informed the people inside and then let her in.
Min Xuehua seemed to have known she would come, and was not surprised to see her.
"It's been a long time since you've been here."
Lin Zhi looked very anxious, with beads of sweat on her forehead: "Teacher, my mother has bothered you, I'm sorry."
“Sit down and talk.”
"Teacher, I've come to return the money to you?"
"Your company is on the rise, right? You should keep your money. You can pay it back when you have more money in the future."
Lin Zhi remained silent, standing awkwardly in front of Min Xuehua.
Min Xuehua sighed. Her student was good in every way, but she was too stubborn and had her own ideas. Once she made up her mind, no one could change it, just like her daughter.
"Then I now order you to sit down and have a proper talk with me."
When Min Xuehua hardened her stance, Lin Zhi became afraid and could only obediently sit down.
The aunt brought over some herbal tea, just one cup, to help Lin Zhi cool down. Lin Zhi stood up, bowed, and thanked her.
Min Xuehua said, "I heard about your father's condition from your mother. It's very serious. Right now, he's just being kept alive with money. I know you hate your father, but he is still your father, the pillar of the family. Your mother needs him, so please consider it for your mother's sake."
Lin Zhi held back her tears, lowered her head, and remained silent.
Min Xuehua handed over a piece of paper, speaking with the loving kindness of a mother: "I remember the day you stayed at my house, you were like this too. If I hadn't gone back to school to get some materials, were you planning to spend the holiday alone at school?"
Indeed, that was the time when the father brought the child home. The house was in a mess, and the mother told her not to come home.
"Teacher, I can never repay the kindness you have shown me in my entire life."
"You are like my own child to me. If I had a son, I would definitely make him marry you."
As far as Lin Zhi knew, her teacher and her husband had never had children, so it was normal for them to treat her like a child. However, Lin Zhi couldn't accept her teacher's care with a clear conscience.
You must accept the money.
"Silly child, if I take your money, you'll be penniless."
Lin Zhi remained silent.
Seeing her like this, Min Xuehua smiled and gave her a hug: "Child, go to the hospital, your mother needs you."
Lin Zhi held back her tears, stood up, and said goodbye to her teacher.
Jiang's father came down the stairs and walked towards his wife: "Your student seems to have always been quite pitiful."
"Yes, it's a pity we didn't have a son."
"Sigh, I miss my daughter. I'll give her a call."
Min Xuehua glared at her husband: "Your daughter should be filming right now, don't bother her if you don't have to."
After being scolded by his wife, Jiang's father silently put down his phone and stopped talking.
At the hospital, Lin Zhi saw her mother, whom she hadn't seen in a long time. Her mother seemed to have aged a lot overnight.
"Xiao Zhi, you..."
Where is that woman?
It's about the woman the father cheated on him with. Although they had broken up long ago, the child's father was in a car accident and his life was hanging in the balance, yet she didn't even glance at him.
The mother rubbed her hands together, her voice very soft: "She...she still has to take care of that Xiaofeng."
"Heh..." Lin Zhi sneered, "Too lazy to climb even a few floors?"
Through the glass, Lin Zhi saw her father, whose body was covered with various tubes, and the surrounding instruments were names she couldn't name.
They're really just keeping their lives afloat by paying money.
For so many years, she didn't want to see this father. Whenever she saw him, she would be reminded of those disgusting things that happened when she was a child.
It was already dark when Lin Zhi finished dealing with her father's affairs. Family members were not allowed to stay with their children in the ICU, but her mother was worried and insisted on sitting on a bench in the hospital corridor. Lin Zhi couldn't persuade her otherwise, and her mother only agreed to go home to rest after she promised to stay.
Lin Zhi finally had a moment to herself late at night. She was replying to work WeChat messages, and after replying to a few more people, she finally saw Jiang Lai's message.
Thinking of Jiang Lai, Lin Zhi frowned again.
It seems the "contract" needs to be terminated.
Lin Zhi didn't want Jiang Lai to know about her family's troubles. Even her best friends Kevin and Zhang Zhen didn't know. The fact that her teacher knew was already a headache for her, so she planned to handle it all by herself.
The light from the phone shone on her face, making it appear deathly pale.
She was like Jian Ning, but unfortunately she wasn't Jian Ning. There was no male lead in her life, nor was there Yu Xin.
A small boat lost at sea, the ocean floor teeming with unknown marine life. You never know if you'll encounter a man-eating shark or a kind dolphin.
Helplessness, fear... the boundless sea is unfathomable.
She searched everywhere, and then a twinkling star appeared before her eyes—a lighthouse that guided her.
She woke up from her dream and opened her eyes to see the white walls of the hospital. The air was filled with the smell of disinfectant. The first rays of morning sunlight shone through the window onto her face. She sat up and realized that she was still lost.
My phone vibrated; it was a WeChat voice message from Jiang Lai.
The WeChat chat remained unfinished between her and Jiang Lai; Lin Zhi hadn't replied to her yesterday.
After hesitating for a long time, Jiang Lai finally pressed the answer button.
On the other end of the phone, the girl's voice trembled slightly: "You finally answered."
"Sorry, I was too busy yesterday and didn't see your message."
Jiang Lai was taken aback. The other person's voice sounded exhausted: "What happened...?"
Lin Zhi fell silent, just as she had been that night when Jiang Lai tried to probe her inner thoughts.
Jiang Lai said, "If you don't want to talk about it, then I won't ask."
"Jiang Lai..."
"I am here."
"Some things have happened on my end, and our contract may have to end. I probably won't have the money to pay you."
Jiang Lai chuckled, unsure how to respond. Did Lin Zhi really think she was after her money?
"Sister Lin, I don't need the money, I don't want it to end."
"But..."
There was a knock on the door from Jiang Lai's side. She answered and came back to Lin Zhi, saying, "Anna is here. I'll hang up now. Anyway, I don't want it to end. I can earn the money myself. What you promised me was just resources."
Lin Zhi wanted to say something, but Jiang Lai had already hung up the phone, giving her no chance to refuse.
Lin Zhi had no choice but to put the matter aside for the time being.
On the other side, Jiang Lai breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, the call ended quickly, otherwise she would have heard Lin Zhi reject her.
Thank you, Anna, and thank you to your whole family!
While eating breakfast, Min Xuehua made a video call to her daughter and was heartbroken to see how much weight her daughter had lost.
Jiang Lai was in her room, and Anna wasn't there, so she could talk to her parents without restraint.
"If you ask me, your dad could just post one Weibo and you'd have all sorts of good resources. We'd rather not suffer like that!"
"Mom, no."
This is the nth time Min Xuehua and her husband have brought up this matter, and each time their daughter has rejected it. They even suspect that their wealth is poison in their daughter's eyes.
My daughter was better when she was little.
Jiang's father asked, "So what are your plans for the future?"
Jiang Lai said, "We take acting seriously and don't do anything superficial."
Jiang's father nodded, approving of his daughter's decision: "The entertainment industry now is not like it was back then. It's much more complicated now. Popularity stars don't last long. Talented actors are the right path!"
Jiang's father was rather conservative in this regard. He looked down on those popular celebrities, always thinking they were just pretty faces who made bad movies and whose lives were controlled by their fans. Unlike him, who didn't care what his fans thought, he still won Best Actor awards.
Jiang Lai retorted, "Actually, some popular celebrities also work hard; they just don't have good resources."
Min Xuehua said, "I can put in a good word for your company and make sure they don't hype you up."
"Mom~" Jiang Lai said coquettishly, "We can't let others know that we have a relationship. We hid it well in college, didn't we?"
Min Xuehua felt helpless and stopped discussing the topic.
--------------------
Author's Note:
Jiang Lai: I'm not after money!
Lin Zhi: So what are you after?
Jiang Lai: I'm after you not showering.
Lin Zhi: ...