betray

Ding Wanqing walked out of the hospital, her face etched with exhaustion and despair, as the doctor's words echoed in her ears:

"Miss Ding, your mother's condition is not looking good. We strongly recommend surgery as soon as possible. There's a matching kidney available now, and if you can gather 200,000 yuan within two days, we'll prioritize your mother for treatment. Otherwise, we'll have to give it to another patient."

200,000 yuan?Where could she possibly find that kind of money?

Her mother had been ill for two years, and the alimony she had received when she left her family had long been used up. Should she go back and ask for help again? She had tried before, but every time, she was met with the cold mockery of that woman and her daughter. As for the man who fathered her, he didn't care at all!

But for her mother's sake, she had to try again.

Walking quickly into a nearby phone booth, she dialed a familiar number. "It's me..."

"What is it?" Ding Zhigang's impatient voice answered.

"Mom's not going to make it," she said angrily. "You abandoned us, and now you don't even care if she lives or dies? How can your conscience let you do this? It's just 200,000 yuan! You can't even give me that much?"

"Wanqing, calm down..." Ding Zhigang replied. He wasn't entirely indifferent; it was just that every time she came to the house, his current wife was there, and he didn't dare to give her money openly. Besides, his company had been facing issues lately—he was struggling to save even 20,000 yuan, let alone 200,000.

"Calm down?! My mother is dying! How am I supposed to calm down?!" Wanqing shouted. "If she dies, I'll die too, and we'll haunt you forever!"

"Alright, alright! Come to my office now," Ding Zhigang said hastily.

Wanqing hung up and rushed to his office. But when she arrived, she was told Ding Zhigang was in a meeting, and she had to wait outside.

After waiting for half an hour, just as her frustration peaked and she started suspecting she'd been tricked, the office door opened. She quickly stood up and rushed over, only to realize it wasn't Ding Zhigang.

But it was too late—she collided with someone.

"Ouch..." It hurt! Was this man made of steel?

"What are you doing?!" a voice shouted beside her.

Before she could react, she felt her wrist being grabbed and herself yanked to the side. Looking up, she realized it was Ding Zhigang, her biological father.

Ding Zhigang didn't look at her but instead turned to the man she had bumped into. "Mr. Mu, I deeply apologize. Are you alright?"

Wanqing was slightly startled by his obsequious tone. She realized she must have run into someone important; otherwise, Ding Zhigang wouldn't act like this.

She looked up and saw a young man dressed in a perfectly tailored three-piece Italian suit. He was tall, with a cold expression, exuding an aura of authority and intimidation. His gaze was sharp, like a predator's, causing her to instinctively step back in fear.

The man glanced at her casually, his eyes sweeping from her face to her feet, before turning and walking away without a word.

Ding Zhigang followed behind him, bowing and nodding like a servant, treating the man as if he were a god.

At the elevator, the young man turned around and said in an icy voice, "Chairman Ding, you may leave now. No need to see me off."

"Yes, yes, of course..." Ding Zhigang continued his flattery.

The man stepped into the elevator. As the doors closed, he turned to his assistant and said, "Look into that woman."

Ding Wanqing walked into the office with Ding Zhigang. The father and daughter had nothing to say to each other, so they got straight to the point.

Ding Zhigang took out a checkbook. "How much do you need?"

"The kidney and surgery alone will cost at least 200,000 yuan, not counting the post-operative treatment... You decide," Wanqing said.

Ding Zhigang glanced at her and helplessly signed a check for 500,000 yuan. "This should be enough. Recently, the company's been having problems, and I'm low on cash, so I can't give you more. In the future, if you have any problems, just call me directly. Don't go to the house; your aunt won't be happy."

Wanqing snatched the check. "I'll pay you back!" She said, then turned and left.

Half an hour later, the phone on Ding Zhigang's desk rang.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Ding," a steady voice came through the receiver.

"Mr. Mu!" Ding Zhigang jumped up in surprise. Even though he was just on the phone, he couldn't help but feel intimidated by the other party's presence. This was none other than Mu Tianyang, the current president of the Mu Group, a renowned real estate tycoon in the city!

Mu Tianyang casually asked, "Mr. Ding, are you still interested in signing that contract with me?"

"Of course." Ding Zhigang readily admitted. He had been working on this for months. Due to poor investments, his company had been going downhill, and bankruptcy seemed imminent. He was desperate to climb onto Mu Tianyang's powerful tree.

"Then let's have dinner tonight and discuss it further."

"Yes, yes..." Ding Zhigang could hardly believe it. Mu Tianyang had previously refused, so why the sudden change? But as long as the contract could be signed, he didn't care about the reasons!

Mu Tianyang smiled, then suddenly changed the topic, "I heard Mr. Ding has another daughter, besides the one named Ding Caiyan. A younger one, called Ding Wanqing?"

Ding Zhigang froze for a moment, quickly understanding the situation. "Yes, that's her. The one who bumped into you just now." It seemed Mu Tianyang had already done some research. He had managed to find this out in just half an hour—Mu's influence was certainly formidable.

"Well, why don't you bring her along tonight?" Mu Tianyang said. "I quite like her."

Ding Zhigang paused for a moment, then quickly agreed.

Mu Tianyang's "liking" was, of course, more than just casual. He was a man who had been in this world for many years, and he knew exactly what it meant. He had previously arranged for Caiyan to meet Mu Tianyang, but Mu had shown no interest. Who would have thought that he would take an interest in Wanqing instead? But everyone knew that Mu Tianyang was just looking for novelty, wanting to have some fun.

Was Ding Zhigang really going to sacrifice Wanqing?

After hanging up the phone, Ding Zhigang was lost in thought for a while before finally making a cold decision.

Wanqing didn't have a mobile phone, so he couldn't contact her. He could only wait for her to contact him. He called the bank and canceled the check.

Wanqing was already in line at the bank. When it was her turn, she was told the check was invalid. She stood frozen for a few minutes, then called Ding Zhigang: "The check can't be cashed..."

"Really?" Ding Zhigang feigned surprise. "It could be an issue with the account. My finances are a bit tight lately, so this kind of thing happens sometimes."

"What should we do?" Wanqing looked at the check in her hands, feeling utterly helpless. It's easy to get money once, but how likely is it to get more? What will happen to my mother...

Ding Zhigang said, "How about this, we'll have dinner tonight. Give me your account number, and I'll transfer the money directly to your card."

Wanqing paused for a moment before replying, "Okay."

After hanging up, she returned to the hospital to stay with her mother. At six o'clock, she called Ding Zhigang again, "Where should we meet for dinner?"

"I'll send the driver to pick you up," Ding Zhigang responded.

"I'm at the hospital."

There was a brief pause before Ding Zhigang hung up.

Wanqing sat on the bench outside the hospital, waiting for more than ten minutes before the driver arrived. She got in the car and closed her eyes, resting her head on the seat. After some time, the driver called her name. She thought they had arrived, but when she got out of the car, she realized the driver had brought her to a chic salon.

"What's this for?" she asked.

The driver replied, "The chairman has a reservation at a western restaurant. He specifically asked me to bring you here for a quick makeover."

Wanqing looked at her plain attire and felt a surge of frustration. But for the 500,000, she endured it.

Two hours later, she arrived at the restaurant, starving.

"Do you have a reservation?" the waiter asked.

"Ding Zhigang."

"Please follow me." The waiter glanced at her and led her forward.

The restaurant's air conditioning was turned up high, and she felt a chill on her shoulders. She wanted to rub her arms, but it would have been improper, so she had to bear with it.

As she neared Ding Zhigang's table, she noticed there was another person besides him—a man with his back to her.

She hesitated, then called out, "Dad..."

Ding Zhigang hurriedly stood up, smiling. "You're here, come on over."

She was startled. There was something off about his smile—it had an element of flattery! This was not normal! Absolutely not normal!

At that moment, the man who had been facing away turned around, his lazy eyes flashing with a gleam when he saw her. She immediately recognized him as the man she had bumped into earlier at the company.

"This is the CEO of Mu Group. Quickly, call him Mr. Mu," Ding Zhigang urged.

Wanqing froze in place, dazed, and then awkwardly greeted, "Mr. Mu."

Mu Tianyang smiled slightly, his eyes scanning her from head to toe.

She was wearing a light purple strapless dress, her hair styled to one side, and her makeup was delicate. Looking down, her well-defined collarbones were exposed, and a sparkling crystal necklace hung from her neck, drawing attention.

Nice appearance, he thought, curling his lips in satisfaction, then turned back to Ding Zhigang and said, "You'll come to my company to sign the contract tomorrow."

"Yes." Ding Zhigang was delighted and looked up at Wanqing, saying, "Wanqing, pour some wine for Mr. Mu!"

Wanqing gave him a wary glance before walking over to the table. She picked up the wine bottle and slowly poured it into the tall wine glass in front of Mu Tianyang. After finishing, she noticed he was looking at her. She awkwardly smiled and said, "Mr. Mu, please enjoy."

Just as she was about to leave, he suddenly grabbed her hand. She jumped in shock and was about to speak when his other hand grasped her chin, his thumb lightly tracing her lips. He said, "I don't like women who wear lipstick."

Wanqing was terrified. She hurriedly broke free from his grip and ran to Ding Zhigang's side, calling out, "Dad!"

Mu Tianyang lifted his glass and glanced at her indifferently.

Ding Zhigang pressed her back into her seat, saying, "Mr. Mu is just joking with you. I'll be right back, you go ahead and eat."

"No..." Wanqing tried to stop him, but he had already quickly walked away.

Wanqing saw he wasn't heading to the restroom but walking towards the exit of the restaurant. She realized she had been sold out. She jumped up and ran.

Mu Tianyang remained seated, pouring himself another glass of wine and sipping it slowly.

As Wanqing ran out of the restaurant, she was suddenly grabbed by two men. Dressed in black suits and wearing dark glasses, they looked like something out of a mafia movie. She struggled and screamed, "What are you doing? Let go of me!"

"We work for Mr. Mu," one of the men said. "Miss Ding, please wait here for Mr. Mu."

Wanqing froze, glancing back at the restaurant and seeing Mu Tianyang strolling leisurely toward her.

She struggled again, but it was useless.

Mu Tianyang reached her, waved his hand, and the two men immediately released her, disappearing quickly from sight.

He reached out and gently caressed her face, saying, "Your father sold you to me. A piece of land worth two hundred million. Don't you think you're worth a lot?"

"You... you b*st*rd!" she shouted.

"Do you want to save your mother?" he asked.

Wanqing froze, staring at him.

He continued, "Your father won't care about you anymore. If you listen to me, your mother can have surgery tomorrow. The best doctors, the best medicine—everything will be the best. Otherwise, she won't even have a hospital room tomorrow."

Wanqing stood there, staring at him, her body trembling as she silently lowered her head.

She didn't curse, didn't cause a scene, and didn't walk away. Mu Tianyang knew she had compromised. Satisfied, he said, "You're sensible. This way, you won't suffer."