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Soon after, Qiao Nuo returned and had packed lunch for Qiao Chen.
"Sister, they sent Dad back to the ICU again. They said the hospital fees have been settled. Did you pay for it? Where did you get the money? Why aren’t you saying anything? Where did you get the money?" Qiao Chen grew increasingly anxious, but seeing that Qiao Nuo showed no reaction and simply placed the lunch box in front of him, his worry deepened.
How could Qiao Chen eat now? He was anxious without money, and he was just as anxious with it!
"Qiao Nuo, tell me! Otherwise, I’ll take Dad out of the ICU right now. He definitely wouldn’t want to see you sacrificing for his illness, and... and..."
"And what?" Qiao Nuo snapped back to reality, her clear eyes meeting Qiao Chen's. In her eighteen-year-old brother's gaze, she saw confusion and restraint.
"Sister, tell me where this money came from!" A seriousness unprecedented appeared on Qiao Chen's face.
The siblings stood frozen in the break room, staring at each other as if that would lead to a conclusion.
Finally, it was Qiao Nuo who broke the silence. "I sold the ring." She extended her hand, and indeed, the ring passed down from their mother was no longer on her finger.
That ring was their father's wedding gift to their mother—a compensation from years ago. After he became successful, he bought it back at a high price. Before their mother passed away, she had given it to Qiao Nuo, who had worn it ever since without taking it off.
"Sister, that was left by Mom..."
"Foolish child, these are just material possessions. If Mom were still here, she would have sold the ring long ago. Dad wouldn’t have been kicked out of the ICU. Now we have money to treat Dad’s illness, and we even have extra for rent. In a couple of days, I can help you find a school and get you out of that uniform..." As she spoke, tears welled up in Qiao Nuo's eyes.
Qiao Chen believed that Qiao Nuo was reluctant to part with the ring. Seeing her sister in such distress made him feel guilty for misunderstanding her earlier, and he pulled her into his embrace.
"Sister, I was wrong. I'm sorry. If I find a school, I will study hard, avoid trouble, and definitely get into the best university. I will make our family return to how it used to be—no, even better than before. I won’t let you suffer; I will make you the happiest woman in the world..."
Qiao Nuo cried silently in Qiao Chen's arms.
The ring was quietly resting in her pocket; she would never sell their mother's ring. It was the only memento their mother had left for them.
She always found a way to make money, no matter where it came from.
In the afternoon, Qiao Nuo told Qiao Chen that she had found a job. The boss understood their family's situation and allowed her to choose her working hours. She opted for the evening shift, which meant she wouldn’t have time to cook dinner for him. He would have to fend for himself and not wait up for her return; he should go to bed early. Even though she wasn’t attending school, she still needed to keep up with her studies and read every day!
Qiao Chen reassured Qiao Nuo that he wouldn’t be so thoughtless.
Then, Qiao Nuo went off to work.
The nightclub was quiet around three or four in the afternoon, but once night fell, it transformed into a dazzling display of lights and colors that could easily dazzle anyone.
A few days ago, Qiao Nuo had applied for any job she could find. When she saw an ad offering a monthly salary of over ten thousand as a waitress, she followed the address without realizing it led to Qin Cheng’s famous nightclub. She almost left on the spot; no matter how down on her luck she was, she didn’t want to earn money this way.
At that moment, the nightclub manager noticed that Qiao Nuo stood out among the applicants for waitress positions and assured her that it was just serving drinks—not a dirty job.
Qiao Nuo was indeed in need of money and seemed swayed by his words. However, after trying out the job that night, she found it unbearable. The manager didn’t force her to stay; instead, he paid her for the day and told her that if she changed her mind, she could come back.
Today, when Qiao Nuo saw her father being forcibly taken out of the ICU, she thought of that night at the nightclub and the kind-faced woman in her thirties.
She went there and asked for an advance on her salary. Although it wasn't as much as she had hoped, it was enough to relieve her immediate financial pressure.
That evening, she came to work.
She couldn't help but remember that Jin Chengyan had offered her a more tempting proposition: a four-year marriage where both parties could fulfill their needs.
But Qiao Nuo refused. The thought of Shen Fengye's infidelity made her unwilling to trade her belief in love for something so transactional. She always believed that the person she married should be the one she truly loved.
Those were convictions she held onto when things weren't so dire. Now, with the flames licking at her heels, how could she still care about such ideals or cherish love so dearly?
- End of Chapter -
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