Outside the private room, Lü Yunxu trotted in her high heels, weaving through the departing crowd. She rushed to close the door and squeezed into the elevator at the last second.
Her eyes met Li Zhonglou’s.
Breathing slightly, she opened her delicate mouth and said, “Master Li, I apologize for my earlier condescension.”
“The Lü Group owes you a favor. If you need any help with urgent matters, you can tell me.”
Li Zhonglou had barged into their private room, openly criticizing them.
He had also forced Elder Qin into a bet, taken three hundred thousand yuan, and left immediately.
This whole situation seemed abnormal.
It didn’t look like he was just passing by, but rather forced into it.
“I’ll keep the favor in mind,” Li Zhonglou said, nodding faintly as he saw the sincerity in Lü Yunxu’s eyes.
This woman was very shrewd, able to switch seamlessly from condescension to respect.
She had even put aside her pride to chase after him, showing genuine earnestness.
And he needed money, a lot of money.
His mother’s serious illness was one reason, and he would also need connections for future development.
Since the other party had extended an olive branch, there was no reason for him to refuse.
“Alright then.”
A flicker of joy crossed Lü Yunxu’s beautiful eyes. “If you don’t mind, can we exchange contact information? We can schedule a meeting when you’re free.”
Li Zhonglou left her with an impression of mystery and unpredictability.
Such a master, even if one wanted to befriend him, couldn’t force it.
Otherwise, it might backfire.
As long as they connected, planting a seed would suffice.
There was always tomorrow.
The elevator reached the first floor. The two exchanged numbers, and Lü Yunxu called a driver to take Li Zhonglou to the hospital.
Arriving at the hospital close to six in the afternoon, Li Zhonglou headed straight for the cashier.
“Someone has already paid fifteen thousand yuan. How much more is there?” the nurse asked, raising an eyebrow as she took his card.
“Who paid the money?” Li Zhonglou was slightly taken aback.
It didn’t make sense. His own relatives avoided him like the plague, they wouldn’t possibly pay for his mother without his consent.
The Jiang family wouldn’t have the foresight either.
He had only been out for half a day, how could fifteen thousand yuan suddenly appear?
The nurse checked the payment record. “It was a Ms. Jiang Yuxin. She paid not long ago.”
Jiang Yuxin?
Li Zhonglou’s heart skipped a beat.
Women were truly fickle. In the morning, she was full of misunderstandings towards him, angered by his unilateral decision to agree to a divorce.
Yet now, she had quietly paid the money.
As far as he knew, the Jiang family’s company was currently affected by the overall economic environment.
Funds were not being recovered, and with bank loans outstanding, they were outwardly strong but inwardly weak.
The reason Old Master Jiang was holding such a grand birthday banquet was to seek cooperation and find a way out.
Otherwise, Jiang Tao wouldn’t have been so desperate as to sell the master’s three-legged disc for cash.
At this juncture, she still came to the hospital to pay.
It was truly unexpected.
Thinking about this, Li Zhonglou couldn’t help but feel a surge of worry.
Since Jiang Yuxin had come to the hospital, would she say anything to his mother?
If his mother found out what had happened at the Jiang family’s at this time, the consequences would be unthinkable.
He quickly made up the remaining thirty thousand yuan for the surgery fee and turned to walk towards his mother’s ward.
In the ward.
Jiang Yuxin peeled an apple and handed it to Zheng Xiumei.
“Yuxin, it’s your good fortune from a past life that Zhonglou met you.”
Zheng Xiumei’s pale face was filled with gratitude, tears welling up in her eyes. “It’s all my fault, dragging you both down.”
“Mom, there’s no need to be so polite between family,” Jiang Yuxin said, her gaze slightly evasive. Her expression was a mixture of emotions as she lowered her head. “You rest well. I’ve already spoken to the doctor; the success rate for timely surgery is very high.”
“Since he won’t be back for a while, I’ll be leaving now…”
After saying that, she was about to get up and say goodbye.
The ward door was pushed open, and Li Zhonglou walked in.
Seeing his mother looking normal, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Clearly, Jiang Yuxin knew what was important and hadn’t told his mother about the events at the Jiang family’s.
“Son, it’s good that you’re back. Yuxin has something to discuss with you and has been waiting for half a day,” Zheng Xiumei said urgently.
“Why didn’t you send a text or make a call?” Li Zhonglou asked, nodding.
Jiang Yuxin’s expression made him feel uneasy.
She was forcing a smile.
It seemed like something had happened.
“It’s not convenient to talk on the phone. You can say it in person now that you’re back,” Jiang Yuxin said, getting up and walking towards the door.
Seeing his mother’s encouraging gaze, Li Zhonglou followed her out.
They walked to the parking lot behind the inpatient building.
Jiang Yuxin leaned against the car door, breaking the silence. She took out a file bag from her purse and said, “I’ve already paid fifteen thousand yuan for your mother. The remaining fifteen thousand will be transferred to you immediately after you sign this agreement.”
Li Zhonglou took the bag and pulled out a document, his eyebrows twitching.
A divorce agreement!
Jiang Yuxin’s attitude had done a complete 180-degree turn, from refusing to divorce to actively seeking him out.
In just half a day, her attitude had flipped entirely.
Jiang Yuxin was not a fickle woman; something must have happened after he left.
With her intelligence and ability, she couldn’t possibly not consider the consequences of divorce.
The Jiang family must have forced her to prioritize the bigger picture, to remarry for profit, and to be a tool for the rest of her life.
What could be more important than her own soul?
Could it be that Liu Zhiru threatened her with her life?
“Why have you agreed to a divorce?” Li Zhonglou asked calmly.
“You don’t need to know. Just sign it, and the money won’t be less than yours,” Jiang Yuxin replied coldly, her eyes downcast.
“I do need money, but I’m not a tool for you to manipulate.”
Li Zhonglou sneered, “Although our marriage is in name only, it is legal.”
“Without a valid reason, even if I wanted to divorce, the civil affairs bureau would have a cooling-off period.”
“Besides, if my mother were to find out about this, could she survive?”
“If you want a divorce, you must wait until my mother recovers from her illness.”
“You…”
Jiang Yuxin’s pretty face turned icy, her beautiful eyes filled with disappointment. “You keep mentioning your mother, but what about my father?”
“My father is being falsely accused of corruption and embezzlement in another city! An investigation has already begun.”
“If the charges are confirmed, he’ll be sentenced to at least five years!”
“Xu Tianhou had Jiang Tao pass on a message: if I divorce you, he will help save my father.”
“Li Zhonglou, we are both children. Three years ago, we were willful and reckless, but now we have no other choice.”
Upon hearing this, Li Zhonglou’s eyes grew cold.
Xu Tianhou!
He was the pervert to whom Jiang Yuxin remarried in his previous life.
The Jiang family’s biggest client, the chairman of Hongchang Group.
Anyone with half a brain could guess that Xu Tianhou was behind this.
After Jiang Tao’s attempt to frame him failed, he immediately followed up with another move,
forcing Jiang Yuxin to divorce.
Thinking of her suffering and humiliation after remarrying in his previous life, which led to her jumping off a building to commit suicide, a fierce rage ignited within Li Zhonglou.
Three years ago, if it weren’t for this woman, his mother would have died of illness.
This was a great kindness.
Although Jiang Yuxin had been cold to him these past few years, she hadn’t done anything excessive.
If he allowed her to divorce because of this, she would be doomed.
This divorce must not happen.
*Riiip!*
The divorce agreement in Li Zhonglou’s hand turned into fragments.
He replied lightly, “I cannot sign this. I’ve decided not to divorce.”
Jiang Yuxin didn’t have time to stop him and said angrily, her expression changing, “Li Zhonglou, you are incredibly selfish!”
“I paid the money. What else do you want from me?”