The Will of the Dragon King

"Please leave immediately. Even if we die, we don't want your Zhou family's dirty money!" Zhou Ling'er's mother suddenly issued an eviction order, and all the patients in the ward sighed in unison.

Those who shared the ward with Zhou Ling'er and her mother knew exactly how difficult their situation was.

Zhang San looked at Zhou Ling'er's mother in confusion and said with a grievance, "Zhou family? Which Zhou family? Ancestor, my living ancestor, my last name isn't even Zhou!"

Zhou Ling'er's mother hesitated for a moment. Judging from Zhang San's innocent and aggrieved expression, perhaps she had spoken too hastily?

"You're not here on behalf of the Zhou family?"

Zhang San quickly shook his head. "Of course not! It was Mr. Ye Chen who sent me. Mr. Ye said that Zhou Ling'er is his best friend. When he heard that you were ill and needed money urgently, he arranged for me to come and help!"

Hearing this, Zhou Ling'er's mother looked deeply at her daughter.

This girl... really hadn't lied to her.

Zhou Ling'er's mother took her daughter's hand, her face full of guilt. "Ling'er, I'm sorry. I misunderstood you just now. I never imagined you could make a friend as wealthy as Ye Chen..."

The more Zhang San listened, the more excited he became.

Isn't this perfect!?

He eagerly took out his phone, ready to transfer the money on the spot.

[As expected of the protagonist, Ye Chen. He sure knows how to win people over quickly. It seems Zhang San has become one of Ye Chen's loyal followers!]

[This move is brilliant. Without even showing up, Ye Chen leaves an excellent impression on Zhou Ling'er's mother. If they accept this money, the next time Ye Chen visits in person, her mother will only like him more!]

Upon hearing Tang Ao's thoughts, Zhou Ling'er's heart tightened, followed by a wave of inexplicable emotion and excitement.

Tang Ao was standing right at the door!

Not only did he not leave the hospital with Zhou Qiao'er, but he quietly followed and stayed by her side!

Zhou Ling'er felt an urge to rush out of the ward and hug Tang Ao tightly.

Since her mother fell ill, she had never felt this safe before. It was a strange feeling, as if as long as Tang Ao was there, even if the sky were to fall, it wouldn't be a big deal!

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Ling'er suppressed her urge to leave the ward and looked coldly at Zhang San. "You should go. Even if I die, I won't take Ye Chen's dirty money!"

When she said this, Zhou Ling'er's tone, expression, and demeanor were exactly like her mother's earlier refusal of the Zhou family's money.

Truly her mother's daughter!

[What the hell, Zhou Ling'er, what are you doing?]

[This is the money your future husband is giving you. How can you refuse it?]

Zhou Ling'er raised her head and turned her back on Zhang San, not giving him a chance to continue the conversation.

"Ancestor... You're my ancestor... You must accept this money. If you don't, I won't be able to explain it to Mr. Ye Chen..."

Zhang San was getting desperate. He could clearly feel that he was trying to be kind, but it was being rejected. He had no idea what the problem was.

But Ye Chen is the Dragon King!!!

How dare Zhou Ling'er defy the Dragon King's will?

If he couldn't even handle this small task...

How would others see him? What would his underlings think?

Most importantly, what would Ye Chen think of him?

No, he had to deliver this money today!

Zhang San put himself in Zhou Ling'er's shoes and thought for a moment. He figured she must be worried about her pride, fearing that accepting the money would make her feel indebted to Ye Chen, so she was resisting!

No wonder Ye Chen, the Dragon King, had such high standards!

"Don't worry, this money comes with no strings attached. I can sign an agreement—this is a voluntary gift, and no one will use this against you in the future. You can be at ease!"

Zhang San finished speaking and looked at Zhou Ling'er with confidence.

In his view, since Ye Chen had already paid Zhou Ling'er's five hundred thousand yuan medical bill, it meant that Zhou Ling'er...

Or rather, that Zhou Ling'er wasn't resistant to Ye Chen's money!

What Zhang San didn't know was that if Ye Chen had indeed paid for Zhou Ling'er's surgery, she would have returned it immediately, refusing to take a single penny!

She found Ye Chen disgusting, and his money even more so!

In Zhang San's mind, after what he had just said, there was no reason for Zhou Ling'er to refuse him.

Just as he was preparing to accept Zhou Ling'er and her mother's apologies and thanks, Zhou Ling'er's words struck him like a bolt of lightning:

"Enough! I will never take your money!"

"But why!?"

Zhang San felt like his brain wasn't working properly. He wondered if either he or Zhou Ling'er had something wrong with their heads.

Ignoring all external factors, just looking at the situation itself...

Zhang San had already made it clear—he was essentially giving Zhou Ling'er five hundred thousand yuan for free!

For free!!!

It didn't make sense!

Why would Zhou Ling'er refuse?

Zhang San couldn't understand. He even wondered if he was dreaming, as only in a dream could such an abnormal situation occur.

"Enough, stop talking. If my daughter doesn't want it, then just leave!"

Although Zhou Ling'er's mother didn't know what had happened between her daughter and Ye Chen, no one knows their child better than their mother. If Zhou Ling'er was speaking like this, it meant she harbored deep resentment toward Ye Chen!

It wasn't hard to guess that Ye Chen was pursuing Zhou Ling'er, but Zhou Ling'er didn't like him!

As a mother, of course, she would side with her daughter!

Moreover, seeing how resolute Zhou Ling'er was made her proud.

Her daughter hadn't been crushed by reality; she hadn't bowed down to money. There weren't many young women who could reject five hundred thousand yuan outright from a suitor!

But her daughter, Zhou Ling'er, could refuse it so decisively, without a moment's hesitation!

"Damn, you two are something else! It's a matter of life and death. If someone offers to pay your medical bills, why wouldn't you accept?"

An outspoken aunt in the neighboring bed couldn't stand it anymore. "Sister, in times like these, money in hand is the only real thing. Even if you weren't sick, if someone offered my daughter five hundred thousand yuan and she dared refuse it in front of me, I'd tear her mouth apart!"

Hearing the aunt criticize her daughter, Zhou Ling'er's mother also put on a stern face:

"If you think it's such a good thing, let your daughter take it. The man is still here."

"Your daughter must be better than my Ling'er!"

"..."

Seeing that Zhang San didn't even glance at her after hearing Zhou Ling'er's mother's words, the aunt fell silent.

The implication in Zhou Ling'er's mother's words was clear—if the conversation continued, she might start revealing her secrets!

Zhou Ling'er's mother clearly knew that the aunt's eldest daughter had already married and, after her mother fell ill, hadn't given a cent for medical expenses or even visited once. Over the phone, she had bluntly said she hoped her mother would die soon to save money, while her youngest daughter was only three years old and had to be cared for by relatives!

"Ungrateful wretches!"

After muttering that, the aunt retreated to her bed, no longer daring to provoke Zhou Ling'er's mother.

[Zhou Ling'er has a great mother. If only my future mother-in-law were half as upright as hers.]

Inside the ward, a smile appeared on Zhou Ling'er's face.

Outside the ward, Tang Ao couldn't help but sigh.

As Zhang San left dejectedly, Zhou Qiao'er, standing next to Tang Ao, discreetly tightened her grip on her phone.

It seemed... it was time to make a call home.

Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away, on the other side of the ocean, in the chairman's office of Zhou Pharmaceuticals, an emergency video conference was taking place.

Since the company's inception, Zhou's father had never felt so anxious.