Film and Television World Life Record

Li Mu nodded: "I see! What about the cost?"

The doctor said, "The entire surgery will cost about 100,000 yuan, but the cost will be even higher if you stay in the hospital and move into the rehabilitation center later."

"If we take the patient home, this part can be saved."

Li Mu nodded: "Okay, I understand, doctor, thank you."

The doctor had other patients to attend to, so he nodded and went into another ward.

No sooner had they finished speaking than Fan's mother rushed over and grabbed Li Mu's arm: "Young man, you're Xiaomei's friend, you must help us."

Li Mu said, "You need money, right?"

Mother Fan nodded hurriedly: "Yes! Yes! You just heard the doctor say that the surgery will cost 100,000 yuan. We don't have any money on hand, so we can only borrow from kind people."

"You have to help us!"

Li Mu nodded and said, "Okay."

Fan's mother immediately exclaimed happily, "Really? Young man, you're such a good person!"

He turned to Fan Shengmei with delight and said, "Xiaomei, look how nice your friend is! He agreed to lend us money!"

However, Li Mu's next words made her less happy.

"I can lend you money, but I need to discuss the interest and collateral with you." He said, taking out paper and pen from his briefcase and getting ready.

Fan's mother was stunned.

He said incredulously, "You want interest and collateral? Aren't you and Xiaomei friends?"

Li Mu said, “Miss Fan and I are friends, but just ordinary friends. I can help you with a small matter, but what you need this time is not a small amount. The surgery alone will cost 100,000 yuan, and we don’t know how much the follow-up treatment will cost. Judging from your appearance, you simply cannot come up with the money. How can I feel at ease without collateral?”

Fan's mother stammered, "You and Xiaomei are friends, isn't it only right that you help each other? Let Xiaomei pay you back the money she borrowed later."

Li Mu said, "Miss Fan and I do have some acquaintance, but that acquaintance is not enough for me to take the risk."

“I have a general understanding of your family’s situation. You rely entirely on your daughter’s income. I also know Miss Fan. Her income wasn’t high to begin with, and with her father in this state, it seems your family will have to depend on her for support in the future. With her meager salary, it’s uncertain whether it will be enough for daily expenses! I really don’t know if she can pay back the money she borrowed.”

"You're saying I can lend you a sum of money like this, money that I don't even think I can repay for several years, without collateral?"

Fan's mother was speechless for a moment, then looked at her daughter, gesturing for her to speak.

Chapter 161 Being the Villain

Fan Shengmei gave Li Mu a helpless look.

"Li Mu, I can pawn all my belongings to you. Could you lend us the money? We really need it urgently."

Fan's mother chimed in, "Yes! Yes! Xiaomei has been in Shanghai for so many years and has saved up a whole house full of things, all of which she has mortgaged to you."

Li Mu shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, I don't know what's in your room, but I only accept things that are easy to convert into cash, such as jewelry, cars, property deeds... Do you have any?"

The mother and daughter looked at each other in bewilderment. Fan's mother knew her daughter's financial situation and knew that she naturally didn't have any, but how could she give up? She stepped forward and hugged Li Mu's leg.

"Young man, please help us! You and Xiaomei are friends. Do you like Xiaomei? I don't mind. Please help us. Xiaomei will definitely pay you back the money you borrowed later."

Fan Shengmei was taken aback by her mother's actions and felt extremely embarrassed. She quickly pulled her away. Li Mu seized the opportunity to break free, took a few steps back, and said calmly, "I'm sorry, your family's situation is too complicated. As far as I know, your daughter simply doesn't have the ability to repay her debts. I'm sorry, without collateral, we can't lend you the money!"

Seeing that Li Mu remained unmoved, Fan's mother finally quieted down and began to sigh again.

Fan Shengmei then seemed to remember something and said, "Li Mu, is a property ownership certificate acceptable?"

Li Mu said, "Okay, you can mortgage the property certificate to me for a period of one year. If you can't repay it by the end of the year, I will sell the house and recover the principal and interest."

Upon hearing Li Mu's answer, Fan Shengmei immediately moved closer to her mother.

"Mom, I remember when we bought a house for my brother, you were worried that his wife would take half of it if he got divorced in the future, so the house he lived in has always been in your names."

“You brought all your important belongings with you to Shanghai this time, including the property ownership certificate.”

“I don’t really have anything of value that I can mortgage for so much money. Why don’t we mortgage the property certificate to Li Mu first, raise the money for my dad’s surgery, and get through this crisis?”

Upon hearing the property certificate, Fan's mother reacted as if a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and immediately became anxious.

"Xiaomei, no, it can't be mortgaged. Your brother's house can't be sold. If it is, your brother will get a divorce."

"Xiaomei, you've been in Shanghai for so many years, you must have other friends there. Just borrow more! If you're frugal, you can pay it back slowly. You'll definitely be able to borrow it. The house can't be mortgaged."

Fan Shengmei was on the verge of tears. Although she knew that there was no problem with her father's surgery fees, hearing her mother's words that she only thought of her son and did not consider her daughter at all made her heart feel even colder and colder!

Why can't they sell her brother's house? She basically paid for the house herself, and she's the one paying the mortgage. Why is there such favoritism? Why do they want her to bear all the debt alone? Does she, their daughter, really mean nothing to them?

Thinking about all this, and remembering Li Mu's words, her heart gradually hardened. She couldn't be soft-hearted; she had to be ruthless, she silently told herself.

"Mom, do you think I can still borrow money? I've solved so many problems our family has encountered over the years. My classmates and friends are all afraid of me borrowing money from them, and now how many of them are still willing to associate with me?"

"You only think about your son, can't you think about your daughter? She's already thirty-one, an old maid, and can't even get married because of this family, this mess. What man would marry me? Marrying me would be like supporting our whole family, the whole family sucking blood from him, who would want that!"

"Now, my family has already drained me dry, where am I supposed to borrow money from now on!"

Mother Fan's face stiffened for a moment: "But, Xiaomei...but, Xiaomei..."

Li Mu seemed completely unaffected by their presence, his expression indifferent, and continued, "You should discuss this matter carefully. I don't mind. However, although Miss Fan and I are friends, even brothers should keep clear accounts. Regardless of the loan period, the interest will be the same."

“We’ll follow the rules for private lending, with a monthly interest rate of 3%. If you borrow 100,000, the monthly interest will be 3,000, and you’ll have to pay back 136,000 including principal and interest by the end of the year. If you can’t pay it back, I’ll have to sell my house.”

"You two should discuss it carefully and decide whether to lend it or not."

Fan's mother was shocked when she heard Li Mu's words.

"Three thousand in interest a month? You're robbing me! I thought you were a good person, young man, but I didn't expect you to be taking advantage of my misfortune. How could you be so evil!"

Li Mu didn't care what she said at all, and shrugged, saying, "I wouldn't dare to be the good person you're talking about. Whether you lend me money or not is up to you; I don't care."

"And to be honest, at a time like this, let alone a 30% interest rate, even a 10% interest rate wouldn't be enough for your family to lend you money, given your circumstances."

"It's only because I'm friends with Miss Fan that I'm giving you this chance to help you out in your time of need. If you want to find a kind person to sponsor you for free, go ahead and look for one. I can't do that."

Fan's mother froze on the spot, grabbed Fan Shengmei, and started crying uncontrollably.

"Xiaomei, please beg him! You two are friends, and he's interested in you. Just plead with him, he'll agree. But whatever you do, don't mortgage your brother's house, or he'll get a divorce!"

Fan Shengmei's heart grew colder and harder.

"Mom, I really can't do it. We're just ordinary friends. They've already done enough by helping us. Why are they helping us fill this bottomless pit?"

"Mom, there are only two options now: one is to sell my brother's house to pay for Dad's surgery; the other is not to sell it and let Dad wait to die. You decide."

When Fan's mother saw the ball being thrown at her, she was stunned. What could she choose? She dared not choose either of them.

Fan Shengmei continued, "Mom, don't you want to save Dad? Are you planning to watch him die in front of you? Didn't you just desperately ask me to save Dad? He's in danger right now, and he can't wait that long. Mom, it's all up to you now."

Despite her quick wit, Mrs. Fan was just a woman who hadn't seen much of the world. Mr. Fan always made the decisions about important matters in the family, and she had never experienced anything like this before! She was completely dumbfounded.

Her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground, sobbing and muttering, "I can't make a decision, I'm just a woman, I can't make a decision... Your father would kill me if he found out, I can't make a decision, what am I going to do..."

Fan Shengmei said, "But if my dad doesn't have the surgery, he won't be able to hold on for the next few days. How can he hit you then? Even if the surgery is successful, he won't be able to move afterward and will depend entirely on you to take care of him. If he dares to hit you, how can he hit you then?"

Fan's mother just kept crying and didn't say a word.

Chapter 162: Did Fan's Mother Sell Her Daughter?

Li Mu suddenly leaned over and said, "Auntie, actually I have another plan. We don't need to mortgage the property, nor do we need to write an IOU or pay interest. I will pay for all the surgery expenses. I just don't know if you would be willing?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Fan's mother seemed to have grasped a lifeline, her eyes lit up, and she said excitedly, "I'm willing, I'm willing! I knew you were a good person, a really good person."

Li Mu chuckled lightly: "Auntie, don't speak so soon, you haven't heard my conditions yet!"

"After you hear my conditions, discuss them with Miss Fan before you agree."

Seeing the seriousness in Li Mu's words, and knowing that there's no such thing as a free lunch, Fan's mother's smile faded slightly, and she hesitated before asking, "What are the conditions?"

Li Mu smiled and said, "Miss Fan needs to excuse herself from this matter. It would be best if we could talk alone, and then you can make a decision."

Seeing this as a rare opportunity, Li Mu wanted to take the chance to put pressure on the Fan family and see what their true attitude was towards Fan Shengmei—whether they wanted money or their daughter, and whether they had any family affection left.

If there is something to be gained, then Fan Shengmei's efforts over the years will finally have some solace; if not, Fan Shengmei can give up hope, and the Fan family's affairs will no longer concern her.

……

The hospital corridor is probably the only relatively quiet place in the hospital.

Seeing that no one was around, Li Mu finally spoke.

"Auntie, to be honest, your daughter is quite pretty, and I've taken a liking to her."

Mrs. Fan was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed and said, "Ah! You've taken a liking to our Xiao Mei! That's wonderful! You're such an outstanding young man, I approve of you, and Xiao Mei will definitely agree too. If she doesn't agree, I'll teach her a lesson for you."

The more Fan's mother talked, the happier she became, wishing the two of them could get married immediately and marry a rich son-in-law.

After waiting for her to be happy for a while, Li Mu continued, "It's great that Auntie thinks that way. I met Miss Fan at a party a while ago and have admired her ever since. I'd like to develop a friendship with her and have more exchanges."

"Unfortunately, Miss Fan didn't quite agree and kept refusing the conditions I offered."

“If Miss Fan had agreed, there wouldn’t have been so much trouble today, and she wouldn’t be short of money for treatment. Not only will I cover the surgery fees, but I will also give Miss Fan a considerable amount of pocket money every month from now on.”

"Alas! It's a pity... I haven't been able to get what I wanted. It's great that Auntie is willing to help."

Fan's mother's eyes lit up. Look how generous the young man was! He would cover all the surgery costs and give her daughter a monthly allowance, which would be equivalent to the entire family's allowance. What a great deal!

With such a good catch, how could the daughter not agree? She must be blind. She has to persuade Xiaomei that she must seize this opportunity to marry such a wealthy son-in-law.

"Young man, don't worry. It's Xiaomei's good fortune that you've chosen her. She wouldn't dare disagree. Where can you find such a good son-in-law? Just wait and see what I say to her. My Xiaomei listens to me the most. I'll let you two get married this year..."