Qiao Qilin crossed his arms.
“Don’t forget your younger brother is still in the hospital. Without the Qiao family’s funding, you can’t even afford a single day of his medical expenses.”
“As long as you come back obediently now, your brother can stay safe and properly treated. We guarantee we’ll cure him.”
“And that little child you keep protecting—Xiao Ze. Once the funding is cut off, who’s going to take care of a half-grown kid like that for you?!”
The “brother” he referred to was not Qiao Xi’s biological brother, but a child from her adoptive parents’ family.
Although her adoptive parents were not good people, the child had always treated her well.
Funding his treatment in the hospital had also been something the Qiao family once promised her—but now they were going back on their word.
Xiao Ze, on the other hand, was the child of a pregnant woman who had desperately tried to save her during a kidnapping three years ago.
That woman had taken a knife wound while trying to divert the kidnappers. Xiao Ze was the only child she left behind.
Her dying wish was for Qiao Xi to find the child’s father.
Even now, the kidnapping incident still haunted Qiao Xi like a nightmare.
Qiao Qilin thought he had firmly grasped her weaknesses, a hint of smugness in his eyes.
But Qiao Xi was almost laughing at his shamelessness.
“So when people are desperate, this is all you can use to threaten me?”
“If that’s the case, then I’ll just let everyone know what kind of person the refined and respectable Mr. Qiao Qilin really is when dealing with his own daughter!”
“Emotional coercion, verbal manipulation, double standards!”
A challenging smile appeared at the corner of her eyes, making Qiao Qilin feel a chill run down his spine.
He had seriously underestimated this daughter who came from the slums.
“What are you trying to do?!” he lowered his voice.
Qiao Xi simply snorted coldly, turned around, and opened the office door.
She called out loudly to the people outside:
“Everyone, please pause your work for a moment and help me judge this fairly. Mr. Qiao, as my father, has actually colluded…”
“Enough!!”
Qiao Qilin cared most about his public image. He couldn’t afford to let her continue and quickly dragged her back inside, slamming the door shut.
“Dad doesn’t want to fall out with you over something like this. Don’t push your luck! Since you’ve decided to leave, I won’t stop you—just consider it like I never had a daughter!”
He put on a heartbroken expression, but it only made Qiao Xi feel disgusted.
“It’s not me pushing my luck—it’s you who are going too far!”
“I won’t take a single draft from the company, but I must take my latest design submission to the competition.”
“After all, in your eyes, I’m just useless. If I don’t find a way out for myself, how am I supposed to survive outside the Qiao family?”
With that sarcastic remark, she no longer looked at Qiao Qilin’s darkening face and turned to leave.
Not long after leaving the company, she received a call from the hospital.
The message was simple: her account had no funds left, and they were about to stop medication unless payment was made immediately.
Over the years, Qiao Xi had worked diligently for the Qiao company, and all her earnings had been transferred directly to the hospital.
She had no savings left at all. As Qiao Qilin said, she likely couldn’t even sustain a single day of medical expenses.
After a brief pause, she got into a taxi without hesitation and told the driver to head to Xuan Sheng Group—the company of Nan Gong He.
At this point, the only person who could help her was Nan Gong He.
Besides, they had technically already been married in front of everyone.
The wedding had even trended online, and most people likely already knew her identity.
Meanwhile, on the top floor conference room of Xuan Sheng Group, Nan Gong He sat with a composed expression, listening to a report.
The massive conference room was nearly full, yet the atmosphere was so cold it felt frozen. Everyone spoke in extremely restrained tones.
At that moment, his assistant gently pushed open the door and leaned in to whisper:
“President… Mrs. Nan Gong… Miss Qiao is outside. She says she has an urgent request.”
Although the voice was soft, the room was too quiet—everyone heard it clearly.
A wave of curiosity instantly swept through the room. People strained their ears, afraid to miss a single detail.
Even the presenter stopped speaking, staring at them.
Nan Gong He slowly lifted his eyes, his gaze turning dangerous.
“Did I tell you to stop? Continue.”
The assistant broke into a cold sweat, unsure of what the order meant.
Just as he was about to leave, Nan Gong He spoke again.
“Let her wait.”
The assistant quickly nodded and went out to relay the message to Qiao Xi.