“Sir, could you wait here for a moment? My daughter’s really sick and she hasn’t been to the hospital. I flew over here especially to send my daughter to the hospital. Why don’t you send us to the hospital too?” She was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to hail a cab once she brought Zijin down.

  “Alright.” There was no reason for the driver to refuse this transaction. But was this auntie’s daughter really sick? “Auntie, will your daughter be able to come down herself since she’s sick? Do you need me to help you out?”

  “Not for now. I’ll go upstairs and take a look. I’ll call for you if I need help.” Ding Jiayi was unsure of Qiao Zijin’s condition. What if the driver saw something he shouldn’t have? Then, Zijin would lose all her marriage prospects!

  After hurrying up the stairs and confirming the unit number, Ding Jiayi knocked on the door. “Zijin, it’s Mom. I’m here. Hurry and open the door. Zijin, wake up. Are you at home? Zijin…”

  Afraid that Zijin wouldn’t be able to hear her, Ding Jiayi knocked frantically on the door so much so that her knuckles turned red.

  Thankfully, Ding Jiayi had used enough strength, awakening the dazed Zijin from her sleep. Qiao Zijin opened her eyes, feeling as though she was being attacked by an entire army of soldiers. She crawled out of bed with much difficulty and opened the door.

  \r \r \r

  The moment she saw Ding Jiayi’s familiar face, Qiao Zijin’s tears fell uncontrollably. “Mom, I feel so miserable. Mom, am I dying?”

  “No, don’t spout nonsense. Oh, you’re so warm!” Ding Jiayi was taken aback by how high Qiao Zijin’s temperature was. “This won’t do, Zijin. Let’s go to the hospital now. You need to get an intravenous drip! Your fever is too high!”

  It wasn’t Ding Jiayi’s first time feeling such a high temperature. Qiao Nan had experienced such a high fever in the past too. Ding Jiayi had remembered it clearly because they had spent a lot of money on her at that time. “Sir, please hurry. My daughter’s burning up. Take us to the nearest hospital!”

  Because he had seen Qiao Zijin with his own eyes, the driver had lost all his suspicions and raced to the nearest hospital. “Hurry on in.”

  Because of all the paperwork and fees, Ding Jiayi had worked nonstop from the moment she entered the hospital. After going through all the paperwork, Qiao Zijin was finally pushed in for an examination. From the looks of it, Qiao Zijin’s fever had developed into pneumonia, and she needed to be hospitalized.

  Upon hearing that, Ding Jiayi felt as though she had been struck by lightning. “Is-is it really that serious? Isn’t it just a cold?”

  “Why didn’t you take care of the patient well? Don’t you know that colds in spring are very serious? If you had sent her in earlier to get an intravenous drip, her fever would have gone down. But you guys waited too long before sending her in. That’s why it’s developed into pneumonia.”

  “How-how much will that cost?” It wasn’t that she didn’t want to admit Qiao Zijin into the hospital for treatment. But Ding Jiayi had already spent most of the money that she had brought over. Ding Jiayi knew that the remaining money would definitely be insufficient to cover Qiao Zijin’s hospitalization bills.

  “You can head over to that counter to make payment first. The final bill will depend on the medications your daughter requires and how many days she’s hospitalized. Don’t worry. Our hospital doesn’t charge exorbitant prices. If we do, you’re always welcome to make a complaint.”

  “No, that’s not what I meant.” Ding Jiayi was embarrassed. “Alright, please take care of her. I’ll go make the payment now.”

  Although Ding Jiayi said that, she had no money left in her pockets. She had to make a payment of two thousand yuan for Qiao Zijin to be admitted, but she had only slightly more than a thousand left. Without any hesitation, Ding Jiayi made a call to the Zhai family. “Hello, I’m looking for Qiao Nan. Is she back?”

  “Oh, it’s you.” Knowing that Qiao Zijin was sick and that Ding Jiayi wouldn’t have any limits, Miao Jing had purposely sat by the phone to deal with Ding Jiayi. “Our Nan Nan is very busy. Not only does she have to study, but she also has to take care of her three children. What do you want?”

  “Her sister’s sick and lying in the hospital. Is she going to leave her only sister to die? Does she want her mom to die too?” Ding Jiayi flew into a rage. Who cared who Miao Jing’s husband was? How could Qiao Nan not stay by her side as kin but act like a stranger in such a difficult time instead?

  If Qiao Nan were in front of Ding Jiayi, she would definitely strangle Qiao Nan. She had truly never been wrong scolding that wretched girl!

  “Didn’t you say that she’s already in the hospital? Why do you have to worry then? If even the doctors can’t treat her, what can Nan Nan do? Stop pushing the blame to Nan Nan. Don’t be so shameless! Besides, is your brain working? What’s with the rest of the Qiao family? Is Nan Nan the only Qiao in the entire family?”

  “…” Ding Jiayi felt embarrassed being scolded by Miao Jing. The reason why she couldn’t even lift her head up high in front of her in-laws was Qiao Nan! Qiao Nan hadn’t coaxed her mother-in-law well enough! “Her sister’s fever developed into pneumonia and has to be hospitalized. We have to make a payment of two thousand yuan. I don’t want your money. Ask Qiao Nan to send ten thousand over to me.” She didn’t want the Zhai family’s money, just Qiao Nan’s.

  “Nope, she doesn’t have it. Even if she does, she won’t give you any. You guys can get her treated if you have the money. Otherwise, you can just wait and see if she dies.” These were the most vicious words Miao Jing had ever said. It was not that Miao Jing was being excessively brutal, but she couldn’t stand how shameless Qiao Zijin and Ding Jiayi were any longer.

  Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin were really at the end of their road. Even though they only needed two thousand yuan to pay for admission into the hospital, they had shamelessly asked for ten thousand yuan! But that didn’t matter. From what she knew, Qiao Zijin still had more than a million yuan in her pockets. Why would someone with a million yuan not be able to afford a hospitalization bill of merely two thousand yuan?

  They were even more demanding than pirates! Ding Jiayi had better rob a bank instead. If she succeeded, she wouldn’t just get mere ten thousand yuan. Ding Jiayi could take as much as she wanted for Qiao Zijin!

  “Hello? Hello!” Ding Jiayi was infuriated because the call had ended again! “The wealthy are always so stingy!” No wonder Zhai Sheng married Qiao Nan. They were birds of the same feather! To save that small sum of money, they didn’t even care about their relatives! Would the Zhai family get wealthy just because of ten thousand yuan?