At this moment, Zhang Pu, who had been confident of his victory, finally lost his composure. His face darkened.  

“Song Zhining, don’t be ungrateful. You’ve resigned—do you even have the money to pay for your father’s medical bills now?”  

“That’s none of your concern.”  

With that, Song Zhining turned and walked away without hesitation. Behind her, Zhang Pu kicked over a chair with a loud bang.  

Song Zhining felt an overwhelming sense of relief. The suffocating anger she had been holding in for so long was finally released.  

When she stepped out, she saw Su Yue still waiting for her, along with colleagues from other offices—clearly there to witness the drama.  

As Song Zhining packed her belongings from her desk, Su Yue and the others realized she had quit.  

“Honestly, resigning might be for the best. It’s not like you’re short on money right now. And if you need more, I can lend you the 150,000 I earned.”  

“I have enough for now. Thank you, Sister Su Yue.”  

She placed her belongings one by one into a cardboard box. Soon, under Zhang Pu’s gloomy stare, Song Zhining carried the box and left the company.  

Standing outside the building, she couldn’t help but take a deep breath.  

The air out here is so fresh!

She had originally planned to wait until after work to go to the hospital and pay the medical fees, but now she had no choice but to head home first.  

When she arrived upstairs with her box, she found her belongings thrown outside the door. The landlady stood there, hands on her hips, barking orders.  

Frowning, Song Zhining stepped forward. “What are you doing?”  

“What does it look like? I gave you three days. If you couldn’t pay the rent, I was going to kick you out.”  

“I can pay the rent now.”  

“Of course you have to pay! But I’ve already rented this place to someone else. Hand over what you owe and get out!”  

The landlady eyed the cardboard box in Song Zhining’s arms—clearly, she had either quit or been fired. Without a job, how could she afford rent?  

Song Zhining knew she was in the wrong for owing rent. She had planned to pay it as soon as she got back and even prepay for six more months. But she hadn’t expected the landlady to go this far.  

“There’s a deposit for the rental. Since you’re not renting to me anymore, the deposit should cover the unpaid rent. I won’t ask for it back, but my belongings must be returned exactly as they were.”  

Song Zhining’s tone was firm.  

The landlady sneered. “Dream on! You’re the one who owes rent, and you still have the nerve to make demands?”  

Her eyes then gleamed as she studied Song Zhining’s pretty face. “Actually, I own plenty of properties. If you marry my brother, I’ll give the two of you a house as a wedding gift.”  

Song Zhining’s brows furrowed. “No, thanks,” she replied coldly. 

“Hmph, You are really ignorant. A country girl from Jinling like you—getting to marry into our Huaian family and wed my brother is a blessing earned from eight lifetimes of good karma! If not for my brother taking a fancy to your face, do you really think you’d have this chance?”  

Song Zhining certainly didn’t consider it a blessing. The landlady’s brother clearly had intellectual disabilities and seemed to suffer from violent tendencies—he had even been involved in assault incidents before. So, no, she would not be accepting this so-called “good fortune.”  

“Fine. Here’s the deal—either marry my brother, or pay up the rent you owe right now. If you can cough up the money, I’ll not only return your deposit but also put your things back where they belong.” The landlady changed tactics, smugly confident that Song Zhining couldn’t possibly scrape together a single cent.  

Song Zhining: “…Alright.”  

When Song Zhining pulled up her WeChat balance and showed the landlady the 10,000 yuan she had originally set aside for rent, the woman was stunned.  

Though inwardly shocked that Song Zhining still had that much money, the landlady gritted her teeth and ordered her lackeys to return the belongings and refund the deposit.  

By the time everything was settled, it was already evening. There was no way for Song Zhining to find a new rental place immediately, so she booked a hotel near the hospital and checked in.  

Thankfully, the extra hundred thousand or so in her bank account meant she wasn’t panicking—even after quitting her job and getting kicked out of her apartment.

After dropping her luggage in the hotel room, Song Zhining rushed straight to the hospital.  

Her first stop was the billing office.  

“Miss Song, Mr. Song Hemian currently has an outstanding medical bill of 82,367 yuan. Will you be paying by card?”  

Just as Song Zhining was about to respond, a shrill female voice cut in from behind.  

“Oh my, if it isn’t our campus belle, Song Zhining! Struggling to pay your dad’s medical bills, huh? Over 80,000 yuan—tsk tsk—how long has this been overdue? Bet you can’t even afford it.”  

Song Zhining turned around to see a man and a woman walking toward her—her former university classmates.  

The woman was Zhang Jiaxue, who, for some inexplicable reason, had always been at odds with her back in school.  

The man was Lu Feng—who, if she recalled correctly, had once confessed to her? Song Zhining wasn’t entirely sure. Ever since middle school, way too many guys had confessed to her, and she had rejected every single one without exception.  

When Lu Feng saw Song Zhining, a flicker of nostalgia passed through his eyes.

Even after half a year apart, Song Zhining was still just as stunning.  

Lu Feng tugged at Zhang Jiaxue’s sleeve, signaling her to stop. But Zhang Jiaxue only glared at him and raised her chin even higher.  

“Oh, you probably don’t know yet—Brother Feng is my boyfriend now.”  

“So?” Song Zhining replied coolly. What did that have to do with her?  

“You—!” Zhang Jiaxue fumed, ready to fire back, but Lu Feng pulled her back. He stepped forward instead, his gaze lingering on Song Zhining as he spoke softly, “Zhining, I heard about your father’s hospitalization. Is the medical bill still short? I have 20,000 yuan here—you can borrow it if you need.”  

“Lu Feng! How dare you lend her money? No!”  

“Song Zhining, if you can’t afford the medical fees, then just take your father and crawl back to Jinling!” She then turned to the hospital staff at the billing counter. “Is this hospital a charity? How long has this person’s bill been overdue? Shouldn’t you be forcing them to discharge?”  

Zhang Jiaxue was only at Kangning Hospital because her mother was hospitalized.  

Kangning Hospital was the most prestigious private hospital in Shanghai—no, in the entire country. It was always packed with patients, and the inpatient wards rarely had empty beds.  

Fortunately, Zhang Jiaxue’s aunt was a head nurse who had worked there for over twenty years, which was how she managed to secure a bed for her mother.  

Coincidentally, Zhang Jiaxue had overheard her aunt mention that Song Zhining’s father, Song Hemian, was in the neighboring ward—and that his medical bills were unpaid.  

Back in university, Zhang Jiaxue had been jealous of Song Zhining for being prettier than her. Even Lu Feng, the guy she liked, had pursued Song Zhining.  

If not for Song Zhining’s rejection, Lu Feng would never have become her boyfriend.  

So, Zhang Jiaxue had always resented Song Zhining. Now that she finally had the chance to humiliate her, she wasn’t about to hold back.  

“Jiaxue, stop it. Zhining, here—take this 20,000 yuan and at least pay part of the bill first—”  

“Lu Feng!” 

“No need.” Song Zhining frowned, rejecting him once again in that same detached tone. She turned back to the counter and pulled out her bank card, handing it to the staff.  

“Please process the payment. I’ll settle the entire outstanding balance.”