Qin Jingwen sat on the cold hospital chair, her face a mask of misery and grief.
Father died on the spot at the scene of the accident. Mother suffered damage to multiple organs throughout her body and remains on the edge of life and death. Although younger sister escaped without serious injury, she was so traumatized by the grisly scene that she fainted dead away and has yet to regain consciousness.
The accident liability ruling found her father fully at fault, and all compensation owed to the other party — the deceased driver and one injured person — fell entirely on Qin Jingwen alone.
This sudden blow was enough to shatter Qin Jingwen, body and soul — yet this was not even the worst of it.
Her father's company had gone bankrupt, leaving behind an enormous amount of debt. The creditors tracked her down all the way to the hospital, and upon learning of her father's passing, they became even more relentless, refusing to let Qin Jingwen off the hook.
Qin Jingwen stood there in a daze, wanting to cry but unable to shed a single tear, when a nurse walked over.
"Miss Qin, please settle the hospitalization fees for your mother and sister as soon as possible. If payment is not made, we will discontinue treatment."
"Alright, alright, I'll figure something out right away."
Just the medical expenses alone had already left Qin Jingwen powerless, to say nothing of the compensation owed to the casualties and the enormous debts her father had left behind — even if she sold her very life, it would barely make a dent.
Even if there was nothing she could do, she still had to try her hardest to find a way. No one was willing to help her now — the only person she could think of was Chu Yang.
"Chu Yang…"
She had only managed to call out her boyfriend's name — everything she meant to say after that, she didn't know how to begin.
"Looking for me?"
Chu Yang's voice came through from the other end of the phone.
"I… my mother is ill, and I urgently need money right now. I…"
Qin Jingwen steeled herself against the turmoil within, cast her pride to the winds, and forced herself to lay bare her predicament. But before she could finish, Chu Yang's cold, hard voice came from across the way.
"Money? Are you borrowing money from me? Or are you trying to swindle money out of me?"
"Swindling money? Chu Yang, what exactly do you mean by that?"
Chu Yang's sudden remark sent the blood in Qin Jingwen's body plunging to an icy chill.
What had she done wrong, that Chu Yang would actually think her a liar?
"Still pretending? You've already shown your true colors, and you're still putting on an act with me. Qin Jingwen, you're utterly shameless — you cursed your own mother just to swindle money."
"I… Chu Yang, I don't understand what you're saying, I didn't…"
The word "acting" hadn't even left her lips before she was cut off again.
"Qin Jingwen, what other shameless demands do you have? Who else do you want to curse? I'm telling you — even if your family falls apart and everyone you love is gone, I still won't give you a single cent."
She could tell Chu Yang was furious beyond measure, yet his anger struck Qin Jingwen as deeply ironic. It seemed he had already learned of her family's situation — this was truly a case of everyone kicking a man when he's down; even the one she loved most was rushing to distance himself from her.
Yet her predicament left no room for pride; whatever Chu Yang might think of her, she was desperate to hold fast to him—her last remaining lifeline.
"I…"
Yet just as she swallowed her pride and opened her mouth to ask for help, a woman's voice drifted through from the other end of the line.
"Darling, the bath is ready — if you don't get in soon, it'll go cold."
"Hurry up, I'll be waiting for you in the bathroom."
The voice was so soft and coquettish it could melt a person — yet Qin Jingwen felt a cold chill crawl up her spine. That voice……
"Chu Yang, you all…"
Good that you heard it — I was just about to tell you: don't think you're so clever for deceiving me. I never had any real feelings for you either.
A single word from Chu Yang cut to the bone, sending Qin Jingwen straight to hell.
"The swindler you're referring to — did she tell you that?"
"Yes, she was the one who told me. What are you going to do about it? Threaten her? Qin Jingwen, I'm warning you — she's my woman now. As long as I'm here, don't even think about laying a hand on her."
An angry warning, and without the slightest hesitation, he hung up. Was this still the man she loved?
Rage, indignation, and a despair-tinged sense of grievance swallowed Qin Jingwen whole in an instant.
In the VIP premium ward, Qiao Shunchen, who had been unconscious for three days, finally woke up.
The gauze wrapped around his head, the faint scratches on his face, and the brow furrowed tight with the ache behind it—none of it could conceal the heroic, unyielding cast of his features.
"Why does my head hurt so much."
Qiao Shunchen cursed under his breath and sat up. Beside him, his sister Qiao Yu rushed to the bedside, her face full of worry. "Thank heavens, you've finally woken up."
……
"Your driver is dead."
"Damn it, I'll make whoever did this pay a heavy price." Qiao Shunchen's brow furrowed.
"Shunchen, the perpetrator is dead too — and that perpetrator was Qin Jun."
"Qin Jun?"
Qiao Shunchen was utterly astonished. Why would the culprit turn out to be Qin Jun? Had Qin Jun done it deliberately, or was it nothing more than a coincidence?
That's right, it was Qin Jun. Qin Jun had his wife and children in the car with him. The collision happened on the airport expressway. Qin Jun had apparently gone out to evade his creditors and was speeding in his haste. The police determined that the vehicle was traveling too fast, and Qin Jun lost control of the car, which then broke through the expressway median barrier and crashed into your vehicle.
Qiao Yu briefly told Qiao Shunchen the preliminary findings of the police investigation.
Qiao Shunchen brooded in silence. According to Qiao Yu, the tragedy might have been an accident. No—even if it was an accident, even if Qin Jun had died too, he would never forgive the party at fault. The enmity between him and the Qin family was something that could never be resolved in this lifetime.
"How are Qin Jun's wife and children?"
Qiao Shunchen asked in a low voice.
Qin Jun's wife was critically injured and has yet to be out of danger; the doctors say the chances of her survival are slim. His younger daughter suffered a severe shock and trauma and remains unconscious. His elder daughter has returned from abroad to handle the matter.
Qiao Yu continued, "Second Uncle has been scheming again these past few days while you were unconscious. Grandfather has given you a firm order—once you wake up, you are to get married and start a family. Only when you have a stable household behind you can he openly hand you the position of power within the company."
"Second Uncle is truly this impatient — before even confirming whether I'm dead or alive, he can no longer hold himself back. Very well. Then I shall shatter every last hope he has."
Qiao Shunchen said coldly, "Isn't it just about an heir? Since Grandfather wants one, I'll give him one."
After nightfall, Qiao Yu left, and Qiao Shunchen went outside for some air.
As he passed by the hospital garden, a fit of anguished sobbing brought him to a halt.
Qin Jingwen stood in the hospital garden, unable to face her mother and younger sister, let alone bear Chu Yang's betrayal at a moment like this — and could not help but break down in tears.
"Why… why…"
Qin Jingwen didn't even know what she was asking anymore. She only felt that all of this was unbearably unfair — infuriating, and yet even more so heartbreaking. The most wretched part of it all was that not a single person was willing to help her.
The heavens showed no mercy at that moment — torrential rain came pouring down in pillars. The downpour swallowed the tears, and the tears dissolved into the rain.
Just like that, the woman weeping her heart out in the pouring rain made Qiao Shunchen frown.
The pitch-black room held not a single ray of light — dark enough to frighten, dark enough to send the heart into a panic. And just as restless was the anxious soul within.
She had no idea what kind of man would walk through that door, yet she was about to give him everything she had. This meant that even if Chu Yang came looking for her, there could no longer be any possibility between them.
Fate allowed Qin Jingwen little time to linger in her grief. The door to the darkened bedroom was pushed open, and the instant she heard it, her body seized with sudden fear — along with an almost irresistible impulse to run.
But reality was staring her in the face — she needed the money, so she had no choice but to go through with it, did she? What right did she have to throw a tantrum and run?
The man quickly shut the door and made his way straight to the bedside, navigating the familiar surroundings by memory. He could make out the woman sitting there, yet her features remained unclear to him.