Chapter 8

The nurse respected her wishes and relayed her message to Lu Qichuan. However, Lu Qichuan refused to back down and actually showed up outside her hospital room.

"Wanqing, I know you're still awake. I just found out about what my mom did! I swear, I had no idea she was going to see you. If she did anything out of line, I apologize to you."

He had been out of town for a few days and only just learned about this when he returned. Shocked, he rushed to the hospital to find Jiang Wanqing.

"Wanqing, please don't be mad, okay? I've already talked to my mom, and she won't bother you again. Can you open the door?"

Afraid of disturbing the other patients, Lu Qichuan kept his voice low as he gently knocked on the door. His anxious and worried demeanor caught the attention of several nurses nearby.

Seeing that he still wouldn't give up, a nurse approached to remind him, "Sir, Miss Jiang's surgery was very successful, but she also had a miscarriage. She needs to rest properly. Maybe you can come back in a few days?"

"A miscarriage?!" Lu Qichuan froze, and his expression immediately darkened. "D*mn it!"

The child could only be Huo Yan's!

That b*st*rd!

He stormed toward the elevator, frantically pressing the buttons, determined to confront Huo Yan. That scoundrel had to pay!

But when the elevator doors opened, he was met with Huo Yan's face.

Huo Yan looked coldly at the man outside the elevator. Behind him stood an assistant holding a thermal lunchbox.

For some reason, after finishing work that day, Huo Yan had been overwhelmed by thoughts of Jiang Wanqing.

Her desperate dash past him into the road, the fact that she could no longer conceive—these thoughts weighed heavily on his mind, stirring a sense of guilt he hadn't expected.

He immediately had his home kitchen prepare some nourishing soup and brought it to the hospital after work.

"You b*st*rd, how dare you show up here!"

Lu Qichuan snapped out of his daze, his anger flaring. He swung a fist directly at Huo Yan's face. "How much more do you want to hurt Wanqing before you're satisfied? Are you even a man? Taking your anger out on a woman and putting her in the hospital—you're a monster!"

With a dull thud, Huo Yan was knocked back against the wall.

The sharp pain on his face momentarily stunned him, but as Lu Qichuan prepared to swing again, Huo Yan quickly regained his composure, grabbed his arm, and pushed him away.

The two men soon began brawling, leaving the assistant completely dumbfounded. It wasn't until the nurses nearby screamed that others realized what was happening.

"Someone's fighting! Stop them, quick!"

The commotion outside the room grew louder, and Jiang Wanqing couldn't help but glance in that direction.

Just then, the door was knocked on again, and a nurse urgently called out, "Miss Jiang, please come out and see! These two gentlemen are fighting over you. Please come and calm them down!"

Jiang Wanqing frowned. Soon, Lu Qichuan's furious curses echoed from outside.

"Huo Yan, you're a scumbag! How can you treat a woman like this? Are you even human? Jiang Wanqing must have been blind to ever fall for a dog like you!"

Huo Yan sidestepped Lu Qichuan's punch, his tone cold and mocking. "What right do you have to say that? Everything you have was handed to you by your family. You can't even handle your own mother. What makes you think you can handle this?"

"You—"

Lu Qichuan froze, unable to deny the truth of that statement.

No one noticed that the door to the hospital room had quietly opened, and a slender figure slipped out unnoticed.

Nearly half an hour later, security finally intervened to separate Huo Yan and Lu Qichuan. The nurse who had gone to check on Jiang Wanqing was shocked to find her room empty!

"Miss Jiang has already checked out?!" the nurse asked, only to receive this unexpected news.

"What?"

Lu Qichuan was stunned. Ignoring his injuries, he rushed into the room to find it indeed empty.

He turned to Huo Yan, whose expression remained as cold as ever. Even upon hearing that Jiang Wanqing had suddenly disappeared, his eyes showed no change.

What a monster!

Suppressing his anger, Lu Qichuan pressed the nurse, "Where did she go after checking out?"

"I… I don't know," the nurse stammered, intimidated. "Maybe you could try calling her?"

Call her?

Lu Qichuan cursed under his breath. If Jiang Wanqing didn't want him to know where she was, why would she answer the phone?

"Huo Yan, I'm warning you. If anything happens to Wanqing, I won't let you off the hook!" He pointed at Huo Yan, then hurried off to search for her.

"Mr. Huo, should we get your injuries treated?" the assistant asked nervously, eyeing the blood still seeping from the corner of his lip.

"It's fine."

Huo Yan wiped the blood away with his hand, his gaze fixed on the hospital room. "Find her. She won't have gone far."

Indeed, with her father's passing, Jiang Wanqing was saddled with a mountain of debt and had nowhere to go.

After leaving the hospital, she glanced at her phone and saw countless messages from creditors demanding repayment, totaling tens of millions.

Jiang Wanqing sat on a park bench, her heart filled with desolation and self-mockery.

When her father was still alive, she had never imagined she would end up like this—homeless, like a stray dog.

Dark clouds gathered overhead, and rain began to fall, cold droplets landing on her skin.

The rain quickly intensified. Leaning on her crutches, Jiang Wanqing found a nearby shelter to wait out the storm.

"Miss, are you… do you need me to call an ambulance for you?"

A man in a suit, also taking shelter from the rain, looked at her cast-covered leg with concern.

Jiang Wanqing was surprised. Looking at the man's face, she found it oddly familiar.

She turned to look at the building behind her. Its opulent European-style architecture stood out even more in the overcast weather.

Jun Jue Hotel.

The gilded sign loomed before her.

"I think this job is most suitable for Miss Jiang."

Li Xi'er's words echoed in her mind. Jiang Wanqing clenched her fists, silently making a decision.

Whether it was because of Li Xi'er or Huo Yan, no company would be willing to hire her now.

With tens of millions in debt, there was no place left for her but here.

Her grip tightened, and a mix of hatred and determination flashed in her eyes.

She was a Jiang, the daughter of Jiang Zhenfeng!

No matter what hardships she faced, she would never give up!

Having made up her mind, Jiang Wanqing walked into the hotel on her crutches, her slender figure exuding an undeniable presence. "Hello, I'm here to apply for a job."

In the manager's office of Jun Jue Hotel, the manager sat on the sofa, thoughtfully observing the former wealthy heiress before her.

There were many women here, but none quite like this former socialite.

She had a feeling that keeping Jiang Wanqing here would bring her even greater benefits.

"Miss Jiang, are you sure about this? Once you sign the contract, you can't easily back out."

"Naturally," Jiang Wanqing smiled gracefully. "If I weren't sure, I wouldn't be here."

"Very well."

The manager handed her the contract. "Here's our agreement. If everything looks good to you, Miss Jiang, you can sign it."