The first update,
...
Buzz buzz buzz~~
Just at that mont, the phone that Li Yuerong was clutching tightly in her hand suddenly began to vibrate, causing her already pale complexion to grow even more unnatural.
She stood up and walked over to the side before answering the call...
Only Li Yuerong knew the specific content of the conversation, but judging by the instantaneous pallor of her face, it was clear that the call had not delivered good news.
When the call ended, Li Yuerong's body swayed, as if she could collapse at any mont. It was only by leaning against the wall for support that she managed to stay on her feet.
Leaning there, tears uncontrollably stread down her face, painting a picture of tragic beauty...
Suddenly, she caught sight of Lan Yue, who was drinking with Qin Fang and Qiao Zhenfei nearby. A pained determination flashed in Li Yuerong's eyes. Wiping away her tears, she stood up and walked over to Lan Yue.
Lan Yue was truly no ordinary mature woman; Qin Fang realized after a few exchanges that a woman like her had the capability to stand her ground in the Capital City, and it wasn't just because of Qiao Zhenfei's protection.
However, Qin Fang didn't harbor any special thoughts about her. He simply admired her and regarded her as a friend. Thus, they continued to drink and enjoy their ti together...
As they drank rrily, Li Yuerong approached. Qin Fang and Qiao Zhenfei naturally saw her coming. Qiao Zhenfei threw a aningful glance at Qin Fang, but Qin Fang pretended not to see it. When his eyes t Li Yuerong's, he smiled kindly before continuing to drink.
"Rongrong, is sothing wrong?"
Lan Yue found it strange to see Li Yuerong approaching at this ti, which should have been her performance slot. Noticing that Li Yuerong was looking sowhat peaky, she asked with concern.
"Sister Lan, may I have a word with you in private?"
Li Yuerong didn't answer directly but glanced cautiously at Qiao Zhenfei and Qin Fang before carefully making her request.
"Sure!"
Lan Yue didn't think much of it, excused herself from Qin Fang and Qiao Zhenfei, and followed Li Yuerong to the side.
"Sister... Sister Lan..."
At this mont, Li Yuerong appeared extrely uneasy. Her already fair face had turned ghastly pale, and even talking to Lan Yue, she seed extrely nervous.
"Rongrong, what's the matter?"
Lan Yue had always taken good care of Li Yuerong and the other girls, treating them as if they were her own sisters. She even handled rowdy custors who had too much to drink and harassed them during performances, ensuring they never ended up at a disadvantage.
"Sister Lan, could you... could you help with sothing?"
Li Yuerong hesitated, but thinking of her predicant, she braced herself and spoke to Lan Yue, though her tone sounded off.
"From the way you're talking, when have I ever shortchanged you while you've been working here? If you've run into trouble, just tell Sister Lan..."
Having been in the business for so many years, especially in the bar industry, Lan Yue was adept at reading people. She had sensed sothing was off the mont Li Yuerong approached.
"I was hoping... I was hoping to borrow so money from you, Sister Lan..."
After a brief hesitation, Li Yuerong spoke in a whisper so soft that almost only she could hear it, revealing her true intention.
"Hm?"
Lan Yue was slightly taken aback, having not expected Li Yuerong to ask for money. "What happened? Did sothing co up at ho? How much do you need... just tell the amount!"
"Five... five hundred thousand!"
Grateful for Lan Yue's willingness to help, Li Yuerong grew even more thankful, but that gratitude was coupled with a deep sense of helplessness as she bit her lip and nad the sum.
"Half a million?"
But when that figure was spoken, even Lan Yue was shocked speechless.
Lan Yue knew a bit about the situation of Li Yuerong and the other girls' families. Truth be told, Li Yuerong's family might actually be considered the least fortunate.
Besides her, there was an older brother and a younger brother in her family. Her older brother was just an ordinary worker with a modest inco; already in his twenties and yet to find a romantic partner. As for her younger brother, he was only a year younger than Li Yuerong, but had already dropped out of school and was idling around at ho...
Their parents had originally worked for a state-owned enterprise, but the company's performance deteriorated, leading to her mother being laid off first. Later, her father stepped down to let his son take over his job, putting both of them out of work... Their inco was further reduced, so her parents barely managed to run a small breakfast stall, earning a ager inco to support their children.
The family of five all lived in the sa apartnt building funded by their factory years ago. The original two-bedroom apartnt had been converted into three, just so the family could manage to fit. Even the kitchen had to be moved into the hallway; the modesty of their living conditions was evident.
Despite this, Li Yuerong worked extrely hard in her studies and was admitted to Capital Normal University. To alleviate her family's financial burden, she spent almost all her ti outside of studying working part-ti jobs to earn money...
Knowing her circumstances, Lan Yue usually took special care of Li Yuerong, never expecting her to request such a large sum of money.
"Sister Lan, I know this is sudden, but... I really need it urgently! I will definitely pay you back; I can write you an IOU right now..."
Li Yuerong had run out of options, her face taut with tension and urgency. Especially when Sister Lan's face showed shock upon hearing the figure of half a million, Li Yuerong felt as if the sky was falling...
"Don't panic. Money is not an issue, what exactly happened?"
Seeing how distressed Li Yuerong was, Lan Yue knew sothing serious must have occurred, as Li Yuerong would never behave like this otherwise.
Half a million was indeed a significant amount for Li Yuerong, but for Lan Yue, it was much more manageable—her bar made a minimum profit of three to five hundred thousand a month. Half a million was rely the profit of a month or two, so she could afford it.
But Lan Yue had not reached her position today by being a fool who could be easily deceived. Without a clear understanding of the situation, she would not part with the money, not even for Li Yuerong, whom she usually liked...
Lan Yue had seen too many instances of betrayal and backstabbing. She wouldn't lend money without a word.
"This..."
Li Yuerong seed hesitant, but looking at Lan Yue's earnest face, she revealed everything that had happened to her.
The situation was quite simple. Li Yuerong's younger brother, Li Jun, had dropped out of school early to hang out with gangsters, bullying ordinary people and collecting protection fees behind a so-called boss.
Li Jun, with no legitimate inco, was at the rcy of his boss's whims, splurging the occasional handout on frivolous pleasures with his cronies, never saving a penny, and always asking for money from his parents.
The trouble also started with Li Jun. Although young, he was excessively handso—a trait evident in his sister Li Yuerong. Using his good looks, he had been with more won than Qin Fang could count...
Unfortunately, this ti he got involved with a woman from the local underworld boss and was caught red-handed in an affair. That was a serious problem...
A gang boss being made a cuckold is sothing no boss can tolerate. In a fit of anger, the boss had the woman 'taken care of.' Li Jun would have t the sa fate if not for a little hoodlum who usually got along with him, who tipped them off about his sister, Li Yuerong, being a beauty...
Thus, Li Jun's life was temporarily spared, but the boss made his terms clear: either Li Jun pays a million yuan as compensation for his emotional distress, or Li Yuerong becos his mistress—otherwise, the Li family would never see Li Jun again.
These terms effectively cornered the Li family into a dead end. They were already struggling financially, with the little they had saved up ant for their oldest son's marriage. Even if they gave everything, it wouldn't co close to a tenth of a million.
The only thing of value they had was their twenty-year-old house, which in today's rising property market, might fetch at most three to four hundred thousand yuan. Borrowing from relatives and friends, they could scrape together at most half a million yuan. But the remaining half a million... they would be dead before raising that sum.
Yet, to let their daughter beco a mistress for such a person... was even more unacceptable to the Li family, tornting them horribly.
Originally, the Li family kept Li Yuerong in the dark about the situation, but the boss sohow got hold of her number and contacted her directly, setting a deadline—the very next day at 5 pm. If the money wasn't in his account by then, Li Jun's life was forfeit...
Driven to desperation, Li Yuerong had no choice but to seek Lan Yue's help. Among the people she knew, it seed only Lan Yue had the ans...
If Lan Yue refused to help, her only option would be to beco the boss's mistress... She couldn't just watch her brother lose his life.
"So that's it... By the way, Rongrong, I rember your hotown is Ninghai City in Jiangnan Province, right?"
After hearing the whole truth, Lan Yue sighed softly. Then, unexpectedly, she asked a seemingly irrelevant question...(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to vote for recomndation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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