Film and Television World Life Record

That afternoon, Fan Shengmei's mind was racing. She couldn't think of a solution to the problem, nor could she bear the immense pressure. She felt completely drowsy.

After get off work, I forced myself to stay alert and drove back to my apartment complex. There, I ran into Qu Xiaoxiao again.

Fan Shengmei was lost in thought. Qu Xiaoxiao called her name twice before she heard her. The two didn't get along well to begin with, and they were also rivals, so she just nodded indifferently.

Qu Xiaoxiao noticed that something was wrong with her; her eyes were gleaming. She wondered what had happened to Sister Fan again, and whether Sister Fan had found some dirt on her and was going to complain to Brother Li Mu.

Fan Shengmei didn't care about any of that. She went back to room 2202 and lay down in bed. She didn't want to go anywhere, not even to Li Mu's place. She was in such a bad state.

It was the dead of winter, and curled up in bed, she wanted to ignore everything and just go to sleep. However, after tossing and turning in bed for more than an hour, she still couldn't rest easy, so she called home in the dark.

As soon as the call was answered, several voices of men and women arguing came through, along with the sound of something being smashed. Then another voice joined in – it was my nephew Lei Lei crying.

Fan Shengmei panicked and shouted into the phone, but no one answered. She could only sit on the edge of the bed, helplessly listening to the various noises coming from the other end of the line, her heart growing increasingly agitated and worried.

After what seemed like several minutes, Fan's mother's voice finally came: "Xiaomei, Xiaomei, is that Xiaomei? Hurry up and raise the money, the family really can't wait any longer."

Fan Shengmei asked anxiously, "Mom, what happened? Did they hit you? Call the police! Call the police right now!"

Fan's mother said, "Xiaomei! They didn't hit me, but your brother will be released tomorrow. They said that if the money isn't raised by tomorrow, they will break your brother's leg."

"Xiaomei, what do you think we should do when your brother comes out tomorrow?!"

"You can't just stand by and watch your brother die! The fate of the Fan family is in your hands. You must raise money quickly to save your brother."

Fan Shengmei listened to the voice on the other end of the phone, panting heavily in the darkness, on the verge of tears. She wasn't stupid; judging from this family's behavior, this was just the beginning.

Since we're in the hospital, we should stay until we're satisfied. After all, my brother started it!

For Fan Shengmei, this door has been opened. Who knows how much compensation will be owed next? Will she pay it or not? Does she have the ability to clean up her bastard brother's mess again?

Outside, Guan Juer and Qiu Yingying were chatting quietly.

Guan Juer asked curiously, "Sister Fan doesn't usually go to bed early, why is she going to bed so early today? Could she have caught a cold? The weather has been cold lately, and several people in the company have caught colds."

Qiu Yingying said, "Our company has them too. I bought some chicken legs today, so I'll make some chicken soup for Sister Fan. I heard it helps with colds."

As Fan Shengmei lay in her warm bed, hearing that Qiu Yingying was going to make her chicken soup, her chaotic heart suddenly felt much warmer.

Fan Shengmei suddenly realized that she was just a weak woman, not a strong man, so why should she bear such a heavy burden? Faced with her brother's bottomless pit of debt, could she clean up his messes once, but forever? Did she even have the ability?

Every time she cleaned up her brother's messes in the past, she would mentally repent and promise herself she wouldn't do it again. Why did she act so foolishly again just now, wanting to take on the burden and fall into the mire?

But the thought of the debt collectors wreaking havoc in her home, and the thought of her parents, softened her heart. What could she do? What else could she do? If it really came to that, could she really bring herself to ignore it?

Fortunately, her brother, Fan Shengying, will be released tomorrow. Once he's out, the wronged will be righted and the debts will be settled, and her parents should no longer be harassed.

Fan Shengmei could only pray silently that her brother could shoulder this responsibility and stop causing her and their parents trouble!

Just, is this possible?

Fan Shengmei lay in bed lost in thought. In the stillness of the night, the conversation between the two people outside was exceptionally clear.

Hearing the comforting words, looking at the cramped room, and reflecting on the experiences of the past few years, I was overcome with sorrow, and tears streamed down my face again.

Her life is so hard!

The next day, in the morning.

Fan Shengmei's brother, Fan Shengying, was indeed released and immediately called Fan Shengmei.

"Xiaomei! You're my only sister, you have to help me."

“Right now, a group of people are pressuring me at home. They're saying I can either pay for their medical expenses or they'll break my leg. Xiaomei! They're going to break my leg! You have to help your brother.”

It was the same old cliché; she only remembered her sister when things went wrong. Fan Shengmei was already furious, and now her anger was burning even more intensely. She interrupted through gritted teeth, "You deserve it. You clean up your own messes. Why should I be the one to blame? Think about how much trouble you've caused over the years."

"Did you consider the consequences when you hit someone? Did you think about having your leg broken? Are the troublemakers here? Give them your phones, I have something to say."

Two seconds later, an unfamiliar male voice came from the phone: "Hello, you're Fan Shengying's sister, right?"

"Let me tell you, you've injured my family members, and you're not going to let this go so easily. My brother is still in the hospital!"

"Hospitalization fees, medical expenses, lost wages, compensation for emotional distress... get them ready for me right now. If you don't give me the money, I'm telling you, your brother's leg is going to be lost."

"Did you hear me? Hand over the money now!"

After her deep disappointment, Fan Shengmei was so angry she laughed. She said, "Fine! Hurry up and break his leg. Once it's broken, no one will bother me anymore, and no one will ask me for money. Thank you."

"Think of your family members lying in hospital beds. Calling now is interrupting my ability to pay medical bills."

"If you've got the guts, call me now!" Fan Shengmei shouted the last sentence with all her might, then hung up the phone, tears streaming down her face again.

Why is her life so difficult? Why does she have such a brother? Why does she have such a family?

Think of Guan Juer, Qu Xiaoxiao, Qiu Yingying... Which of her friends' parents didn't love and care for them dearly, afraid that they would suffer any grievances?

And what about her? Who has truly cared about her, worried about whether she's doing well in life, how her work is going, or how she's feeling...?

No, never. All they ever say is money, money... and more money.

Not only do they want money, but they also want her to find a job for her bastard brother and clean up his mess.

All of this made her feel extremely wronged and heartbroken. But her so-called self-esteem and her vanity as the pillar of the Fan family made it impossible for her to refuse these things, preventing her from escaping this vicious cycle.

However, as she got older and met Li Mu, her thoughts changed somewhat.

She is now terrified that Li Mu will find out she has such a family, think about what kind of life she has lived all these years, and think about what kind of life she is living now.

What would Li Mu's reaction be after he learned about her family's situation? Just thinking about that scenario filled her with apprehension and fear.

No man would like a family like that. If Li Mu knew she had such a quagmire-like family that constantly drained her resources, would he look at her differently, or would he abandon her?

Now, besides her pretty face, what appeal does she hold for Li Mu? Their relationship has only been maintained because of her constant flattery and obsequiousness. Countless young girls are watching from the sidelines, eyeing her with predatory intent, hoping to take her place.

If such a bizarre family were exposed, with the whole family groveling on her and sucking her blood, wouldn't Li Mu feel resentful? Would he choose such a woman as his girlfriend?

Fan Shengmei shook her head self-deprecatingly. She was already not good enough, and with such a family background, Li Mu would be a fool to choose her as his girlfriend.

Let alone a girlfriend, she might not even be able to maintain their current relationship. She would be brought back to her old ways and continue living her old life.

At this age, she has passed the age of dreaming and believing in love.

If possible, she would do everything in her power to prevent such a thing from happening, change her own situation, and let Li Mu see that she has a normal family, not a mess.

To escape this fate, to escape this bottomless pit, to escape being exploited her for a lifetime, she needed to harden her heart.

If she doesn't harden her heart now, she'll never escape the fate of being exploited. Li Mu will abandon her eventually, even if not now, because he'll eventually grow tired of her family.

Fan Shengmei became more and more heartbroken and saddened as she thought about it. She could be ruthless to her brother, but could she be ruthless to her parents?

Fan Shengmei didn't know!

However, the vicious cycle in her family didn't form overnight. It's like a car stuck in a mud pit. It's too difficult for her to break free on her own. Can Fan Shengmei really bring herself to do that?

At this point, she actually needs external forces to push her out of the vicious cycle and get her out of the circle to deal with the matter in a completely new way and with new methods.

Otherwise, relying solely on herself would be like a car stuck in a mud pit; without external help, she would only sink deeper and deeper.

Chapter 155 Running Away and Seeking Refuge

Two more days passed, and Fan Shengmei finally felt a little relieved. Those people went to bother her brother and stopped causing trouble at her parents' house.

Despite her brother calling her multiple times in the past two days, she hardened her heart and blocked him. Today, she even blocked his phone number to avoid being harassed by his constant calls.

Unbeknownst to Fan Shengmei, that morning, her brother Fan Shengying, taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, secretly slipped away with his wife, bought train tickets for their parents and son Leilei, and put them on the train to Shanghai. They then took all the family's savings and ran away together.

Fearing their son would suffer hardship, Mr. and Mrs. Fan gave him all their savings, leaving them penniless. They each had only a train ticket and came to Shanghai to stay with their daughter who lived in the big city.

In the evening, after getting off work, Fan Shengmei was in a rare good mood. After dinner, she planned to go downstairs to find Li Mu. These days, she had been preoccupied with family matters and hadn't been downstairs much.

However, before going downstairs, she made a phone call home, following her habit of the past two days, to ask her parents how things were going and to find out how her brother was doing.

However, unexpectedly, the phone at home went unanswered. Fan Shengmei immediately panicked, thinking something had happened. At this point, the only person she could contact was her brother.

She quickly pulled Fan Shengying's number from her blacklist and hurriedly dialed it, but to her surprise, the phone was switched off...

She couldn't get through to her family by phone, and her brother's phone was off. Thinking about the group of menacing-looking people they were facing, Fan Shengmei had a bad feeling and couldn't help but worry.

Clinging to a sliver of hope, I dialed my sister-in-law's phone number, but it was still switched off.

Fan Shengmei was completely terrified, thinking something terrible had happened at home. Just then, she saw an unread text message from her brother, Fan Shengying, sent in the morning.

Because her brother Fan Shengying's number had been blocked all day, she hadn't seen the text message until just now when she removed it from the blacklist.

Fan Shengmei quickly opened the text message, but the content shocked her.

"Your parents are taking Lei Lei on the 9:30 a.m. train to Shanghai to avoid trouble. You can pick them up at the train station; they don't have any money on them."

This text message struck Fan Shengmei like a thunderbolt. She realized that the distance from Nantong to Shanghai was already past that afternoon.

It's already past 9 PM, and my parents have no money. What will they eat? Where will they stay?

What if we get hungry or cold in this cold weather?

Fan Shengmei was in a state of panic. She wanted to contact her parents, but they didn't have their phones with them, so she couldn't reach them at all. And the train station in Shanghai was so big; how could she possibly find her parents in such a large crowd on her own?

She wanted to call on her friends on the 22nd floor to help her, thinking that many hands make light work, but she stopped herself from saying it.

If she did this, her deplorable family background would be exposed, which would be unacceptable to Fan Shengmei, who has a strong sense of self-esteem, is vain, and cares about her image.

She didn't want to be someone everyone pitied on the 22nd floor, and she didn't want to expose her most pathetic side to her girlfriends.

Moreover, once the people on the 22nd floor find out, Li Mu will naturally find out as well.

What troubled her was that if she didn't ask her friends on the 22nd floor for help, who else could she ask?