She hesitated, unsure whether she should say anything.
Su Yuqing set down the apple, as if she had seen right through the nurse’s thoughts, and asked in a clear voice, “What happened?”
The nurse chose her words carefully. “Miss Su, have you gotten on someone’s bad side?”
“What?”
“This morning, when we were processing the hospital charges as usual, we found that neither of your cards worked. You’ve already fallen behind on your payments.”
“Neither of them works?”
One of the cards was the black card Huo Peiyan had given her; the other was her own platinum card.
“That’s right. Neither one works.”
Su Yuqing angrily punched the bed, and, for good measure, cursed the plants by the roadside.
Huo Peiyan, that bastard!
Not only had he locked the card he’d given her, he’d even suspended her own card.
What right did he have?
Su Yuqing clenched her teeth. She knew what Huo Peiyan was capable of. If he wanted to, he could use all kinds of heavy-handed tactics to make her come crawling back, humiliated, and admit she was wrong.
Did he think having a little money made him so great?
She wouldn’t go back.
She wouldn’t admit she was wrong.
Since she’d already decided to break up, she would draw a clear line between them. She absolutely would not go back to him!
The nurse watched Su Yuqing’s expression change dramatically.
One moment she was gritting her teeth; the next, her eyes were wide with anger.
Unable to help asking, the nurse said, “Would you like me to call the police?”
“No.”
Su Yuqing shook her head.
The police couldn’t do anything to Huo Peiyan. He had a thousand ways to prove himself innocent.
And if she angered him, she’d only end up in an even worse state.
After the nurse left, Su Yuqing couldn’t bring herself to eat the apple, either.
She lay in bed and sighed.
How had she managed to fall for a man like that for seven years?
The most urgent thing now was to get her own card unblocked and pay the hospital bill.
All these years, she’d spent every day by Huo Peiyan’s side. After graduating, she’d never held a job, so she had no savings of her own.
Her stingy father had married his mistress and then devoted himself entirely to the woman and her daughter. They’d nearly drained him dry.
She couldn’t count on him at all.
She’d once entered a few car races on a whim and won several championships, earning some prize money along the way.
Other than that, she was penniless.
This was ridiculous!
Only now did Su Yuqing realize how miserably she’d spent those seven years.
That bastard was absolutely not someone she could rely on.
Sure enough, having no money was ten thousand times more painful than having no man!
Waaah.
Now she finally understood.
Men could get lost, as far away as possible.
Once she was discharged, she’d work hard to make money— lots and lots of money— and become a billionaire heiress. No one would ever make her suffer through being broke again.
Su Yuqing silently vowed to herself.
But help from far away couldn’t solve the immediate problem; she couldn’t leave the medical bills unpaid.
She looked at the mere three-digit balance in her WeChat wallet and sighed to herself. With no other choice, she called her best friend, Tang Lemeng.
The call rang for nearly a minute before it was answered.
“Hello, Qingbao. What’s up?” Tang Lemeng mumbled sleepily, her voice a little hoarse.
“Were you sleeping?”
Su Yuqing was surprised.
“Sweetheart, it’s the middle of the night in America. What else would I be doing if not sleeping?”
“You went to America?”
There was a rustling sound on the other end, as if Tang Lemeng had rolled over. Her voice became a little clearer, though it carried a note of reproach. “Qingbao, I’ve been studying in America for a year. You awful woman, you care more about men than your friends. What made you think to call me? Did you have a fight with Huo Peiyan?”
“How did you know?”
“Bao’er, if you hadn’t fought, would you have time to call me?”
Tang Lemeng snorted. “So, what is it?”
Su Yuqing fell silent for two seconds.
All these years, she’d devoted all her attention to Huo Peiyan and really had neglected the people around her.
Thinking of why she’d called, Su Yuqing felt guilty and awkward.
Her voice turned hesitant. “Um, could you lend me some money?”
“What?”
“Could you lend me a hundred thousand?”
“Did I hear that right?” Tang Lemeng asked incredulously, her voice rising. “That bastard Huo Peiyan won’t even give you money? A hundred thousand? He could pull out a single hair from his leg and it’d be worth more than that! You’ve been with him for seven years, and this is how he treats you?”
Tang Lemeng’s words were like knives, stabbing Su Yuqing in the heart, making it ache with a sharp, piercing pain.
But Su Yuqing had no answer, because everything Tang Lemeng said was true.
Su Yuqing tightened her fingers around her phone and steadied her breathing.
“If it’s inconvenient—”
“Send me your account number.”
“Huh?”
“Give me your account number. If Huo Peiyan won’t support you, I will.” Tang Lemeng didn’t mince words. “That bastard has all that money, and what good is it if he won’t spend any on his girlfriend? Does he plan to take it all to the grave? I can’t stand men who mistreat women. I’ll beat up every one I see. Tell Huo Peiyan to watch himself when he goes out. Who knows, he might get hit by someone one of these days.”
Tang Lemeng was furious.
She knew better than anyone how Su Yuqing had felt about Huo Peiyan all these years.
No matter what kind of trouble they were having, he had no business suspending her cards. That was absolutely shameless.
Wasn’t he driving her into a dead end?
“That scumbag’s the richest man in Jing City, too. I hope he stays infertile for the rest of his life and has a houseful of descendants.”
After cursing him out, she generously transferred one million to Su Yuqing through WeChat.
“If you need more, tell me. When I come back, I’ll take you away with me.”
“Let him regret it!”
After hanging up, Su Yuqing wheeled herself off to pay the hospital bill. She had just reached the corridor when Assistant Zhang hurried over.
He spotted Su Yuqing from a distance and froze for a moment.
It wasn’t until he got closer that he noticed she was in a wheelchair. It looked like she really was injured.
No wonder she hadn’t been pestering Young Master Huo these past few days.
She couldn’t walk.
Assistant Zhang sneered inwardly, but put on a respectful expression.
“Miss Su, where are you going? I’ll help you.”
As he spoke, he reached out to push her wheelchair.
Startled by his sudden appearance, Su Yuqing looked up. Once she recognized him, her face instantly turned cold.
“Thank you. There’s no need.”
Without giving him so much as a glance, she wheeled herself forward.
Assistant Zhang stood behind her and clenched his fists.
Su Yuqing had actually snubbed him?
In the past, whenever she saw him, wasn’t she always smiling and deferential?
Who did she think she was, giving him the cold shoulder?
Did she really think she was Mrs. Huo?
Assistant Zhang kept his voice low, but his mocking words carried just far enough for Su Yuqing to hear.
“Miss Su, you ought to know your place. Like now—if someone gives you a way out, take it. Young Master Huo doesn’t have the patience to keep coaxing you.”
Usually, when Su Yuqing heard Assistant Zhang’s half-threatening, half-mocking remarks, she wouldn’t dare think of doing anything else.
Just as he said, if someone gave her a way out, she took it. She never dared to put on airs.
She was humble and cautious to a fault.
No matter how unpleasant the people around him were, she never answered back, afraid that if she said one word too many, it would get back to Huo Peiyan and make him unhappy.
Over time, even Huo Peiyan’s friends—and every Tom, Dick, and Harry around him—had dared to trample all over her.
She’d been such a pushover!
When it came down to it, she hadn’t loved herself. She’d put herself in a lowly position, and that was why they’d dared to treat her like dirt with impunity.
Su Yuqing clenched her teeth, wishing she could slap herself twice.
How could a person with a perfectly good life end up like this?
She turned the wheelchair around slowly and looked at Assistant Zhang’s scornful face.
The corner of her mouth lifted. She spoke slowly, one word at a time.
“You’re nothing but a dog at Huo Peiyan’s side. Who the hell are you to think you can talk to me?”