The Only Choice

The path with Xia Muzhu was clearly a dead end.

Under these circumstances, Lin Yu didn’t even have the face to ask for help.

Rubbing her temples in frustration, Lin Yu stared at the list of missed calls on her phone. Each one made her headache worse.

Qing Mo, that damn woman!

When she wasn’t needed, she was everywhere—no matter how hard Lin Yu tried, she just couldn’t shake her off.

But now that she needed Qing Mo, she was nowhere to be found!

Lin Yu had called back countless numbers, only to find every single one disconnected.

It was infuriating!

Her head spun with anger.

In fact, before Lin Yu tried calling Xia Muzhu, she had already bombarded the third female lead, Qing Mo, with endless calls.

After all, Tang Qinqin’s condition was still uncertain. Even after the surgery, how much more money would they need for follow-up treatments? It was all unknown.

Getting some emergency cash from Xia Muzhu was one thing, but what if the ongoing medical expenses weren’t covered?

Wouldn’t she still have to negotiate with Qing Mo eventually?

Rather than going through all that trouble, it might be better to just find Qing Mo directly.

At this point, Lin Yu was genuinely starting to regret her earlier decisions.

Damn it.

She should have just stopped pretending and left at least one contact number behind.

Even a business card would have sufficed!

Wait!

A business card!

Lin Yu’s eyes lit up. Considering Qing Mo’s wealth, she must have been a frequent figure in the newspapers!

Why not just look her up online?

With a new plan in mind, Lin Yu sprang into action. She typed “Qing Mo” into her phone’s search bar and hit enter. Instantly, a flood of information appeared.

“H City’s most successful businesswoman!”

“Twenty-six years old! The youngest female CEO of a publicly listed company in history!”

“Qing Mo, the only daughter of the Qing family and sole heir to the Qing family’s business empire!”

“Beautiful CEO, both brains and looks!”

“Qing Mo’s birthday gift from the CEO: a supercar, one of only five in the world...”

“...”

Staring at the overwhelming stream of information on her phone, Lin Yu inhaled deeply, her feelings a complicated mix.

Along with envy and jealousy, she found herself understanding Qing Mo just a little bit.

Maybe, just as Qing Mo had said herself,

She had everything from the moment she was born.

So was it curiosity about new experiences she’d never had before that made her so obsessed?

Or were rich people just all into these kinds of twisted games?

Come to think of it, rich folks usually wield little whips, right?

Hmm.

Qing Mo was far wealthier than most.

It made sense that she played in even more twisted ways!

After scrolling through all the information, Lin Yu quickly found out where Qing Mo’s office was located.

Since the phone calls couldn’t get through, the only option was to show up in person.

Standing up from her chair, Lin Yu felt as if her head were filled with lead—heavy and dull. She knew she must be coming down with a cold.

First, she had drenched herself with water, then rushed from a blazing hot fire scene into the freezing cold outdoors. On top of that, she’d been driving in the snow for more than ten minutes while soaked through.

Yeah.

Her body was tougher than she thought.

She hadn’t frozen to death, at least.

What she didn’t know was how Tang Qinqin was doing.

Her condition was far worse than Lin Yu’s. After all she’d been through, this might have had a serious negative impact on her illness.

Exhaling heavily, Lin Yu rubbed her face and forced herself to stay alert.

Right now, the urgent priority was to get the money to pay for Tang Qinqin’s treatment.

If the medical bill isn’t paid by this afternoon, it’s going to be a real problem.

Turning around, Lin Yu prepared to head to the address listed in the news to negotiate with Qing Mo.

But just as he turned, Lin Yu froze.

Not far down the corridor stood Tang Manman, cautiously lingering there. Her face was streaked with tears, looking both wronged and deeply remorseful, as if she were responsible for the fire that had broken out.

His mind spun sluggishly.

Lin Yu couldn’t make sense of anything.

Time was tight, and Lin Yu didn’t have the luxury to overthink. Striding toward Tang Manman, he passed right by her, intending to get to Qing Mo quickly before anything else went wrong.

“Sorry.”

Huh?

Hearing Tang Manman’s inexplicable apology, Lin Yu stopped in his tracks, looking at her in utter confusion.

Tears welled in Tang Manman’s eyes. She glanced up at Lin Yu briefly, then quickly bowed her head in shame and guilt, whispering softly,

“Sorry for putting you in such a difficult spot…”

Lin Yu raised his eyebrows, puzzled at first, but soon it dawned on him.

This silly girl must have been standing there for a long time, watching him make countless phone calls to so many people.

His head still a bit foggy, Lin Yu didn’t dwell on it. He lifted his big hand and gently ruffled Tang Manman’s hair, softly comforting her,

“It’s okay.”

“I’m fine.”

“Your sister will be fine too.”

“Don’t worry.”

Tang Manman lifted her head, her lips pressed tightly together, beautiful eyes brimming with tears, looking even more vulnerable and on the verge of breaking down than before.

There wasn’t time to comfort her further. Lin Yu ruffled her hair once more, gave her a faint smile to reassure her, then turned and walked away briskly.

Outside the hospital, Lin Yu first stopped at the pharmacy next door to buy some cold medicine.

He really needed to replenish his strength.

Otherwise, it would be tough to make it all the way to Qing Mo.

At a nearby convenience store, he bought a bottle of mineral water. Drinking and taking his medicine, Lin Yu walked to the roadside and hailed a taxi.

The ride didn’t take long.

Lin Yu paid the fare and stepped out, staring up at the towering skyscraper before him—a building so tall that he had to crane his neck at a ninety-degree angle just to see the top.

He couldn’t help but feel a surge of awe.

Lin Yu knew Qing Mo was wealthy.

He knew she was far from ordinary rich.

He had steeled himself mentally.

But standing before this entire thirty- or forty-story building, wholly owned by her, Lin Yu still felt unprepared.

It was like someone showing you their bank account balance.

One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand—some money, quite a bit of money. You’re really rich. A billionaire. You’re truly wealthy. Rich, rich.

Numbers, however, never give the most direct impression.

When the amount reaches a certain scale, it can even numb you.

But what if a hundred million yuan in cash was laid out right in front of you?

Who wouldn’t feel their legs go weak, their eyes glaze over, and their mind spiral into guilty thoughts?

Forget a hundred million!

Even ten thousand yuan.

The tiny digits on a phone screen and a thick stack of crisp, red bills offer two completely different experiences.

Exhaling softly, Lin Yu steeled himself once more before stepping toward the office building.