After the divorce, he took care of his child and sold fried rice; his ex-wife was filled with regret

The father and daughter exchanged a glance, but neither of them spoke.

"Okay." Zhou Xiaoya yawned, stood up and walked towards the bedroom. "I'll go get some sleep first. I'll wake you up at 2:30 in the morning. Wear more clothes, it's getting cold outside."

"understood."

Zhou Zhengming watched his daughter close the bedroom door, then turned and went back to his study.

He glanced at the thermos on the table, silently took out his phone, and set the alarm for 2:20 a.m.

A hundred yuan for a cup of drinks, and you get a whole day of feeling refreshed and no neck pain—it's a worthwhile deal no matter how you look at it.

……

The night was deep, and the wind and snow were howling.

In the VIP care ward of Jiangcheng United Family Private Hospital, it was so quiet that only the faint dripping sound of the infusion pump could be heard.

Su Qing leaned against the raised hospital bed, her eyes unfocused as she stared at the ceiling.

The curtains were drawn tightly shut. The room temperature remained constant at twenty-five degrees Celsius, but she still felt cold all over. She was losing weight rapidly; the hospital gown that used to fit her perfectly now hung loosely on her, and the veins on the back of her hands had turned slightly blue from days of intravenous injections.

The stomach cramps came in waves.

It felt like someone was reaching into her stomach, squeezing it tightly, and pulling it down. She couldn't eat anything; just thinking about food would send an uncontrollable wave of acid reflux down her throat.

Time passed by, second by second.

The clock on the wall pointed to one o'clock in the morning.

The sound of the doorknob turning came from the ward.

Assistant Li pushed open the door and walked in, looking somewhat nervous. Behind him followed a burly man with a buzz cut, wearing a black leather jacket.

Ah Biao walked into the ward and looked around without any regard for others.

He walked to the bedside and threw a thick brown paper file folder he was holding onto Su Qing's bed with a "thud".

"President Su, all the information you requested about the First Municipal Hospital is in here." Ah Biao's voice was hoarse, and his tone was casual.

A glint flashed in Su Qing's eyes. Ignoring the IV needle on the back of her hand, she leaned forward and grabbed the brown paper bag.

Su Qing gripped the paper bag tightly, looked up at A Biao, and asked bluntly, "Who made this medicinal cuisine? Have you investigated their background?"

After listening, Ah Biao pulled over a chair and sat down with an air of authority.

"President Su, you're asking too much of me." Ah Biao leaned back in his chair, tapping his knee with his fingertip.

"The only thing you agreed upon with Brother Lei was to retrieve this document from the archives of the First Municipal Hospital. Now that I've brought it out for you, our mission is complete."

"As for who this person is and where he is, that's your own business." Ah Biao looked at her and chuckled. "We brothers are only responsible for doing things for money; we're not responsible for finding him for you."

Su Qing's expression darkened.

She had assumed Zhang Lei's men would investigate the chef's identity and address as well. But now it seemed they had only stolen the files.

However, upon further reflection, with specific patient information and the Su Group's connections, finding someone in Jiangcheng wouldn't be difficult. The immediate priority was to get rid of the person.

"OK."

Su Qing suppressed the cramping pain in her stomach and said in a cold tone, "I'll handle finding the person myself."

She turned to her assistant standing beside her: "Xiao Li, as soon as the bank opens tomorrow morning, go and do it. Transfer the agreed-upon ten million to the account designated by Boss Zhang."

"Yes, Mr. Su." Xiao Li nodded quickly.

Su Qing looked at A Biao: "The money will arrive tomorrow. Leave the file here, you can go."

Upon hearing this, Ah Biao remained seated firmly in his chair, his gaze fixed on Su Qing, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"President Su, you may have misunderstood."

Ah Biao spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice exceptionally clear in the quiet ward, "Not ten million. It's fifty million."

The ward fell into a deathly silence.

Xiao Li gasped, his eyes wide as he stared at A Biao: "Are you crazy?! Fifty million? We clearly agreed on ten million! This is robbery!"

Ah Biao gave Xiao Li a cold glance. The fierce look in his eyes, a look born from years of licking blood from the edge of a knife, made Xiao Li shut his mouth instantly and instinctively take two steps back.

Su Qing stared intently at A Biao.

Her originally pale face flushed an unnatural red from extreme anger.

"Fifty million?" Su Qing gritted her teeth and sneered. "Zhang Lei is really asking for an exorbitant amount. He dares to ask me for fifty million?"

"President Su, you can't say that." Ah Biao shrugged. "I don't need to elaborate on the risks of getting such top-secret information from the First Municipal Hospital's archives. Besides, this document might be worthless to others, but to you, it's your life."

Ah Biao leaned forward, his eyes sharpening:

"President Su, the news is spreading far and wide. The Su Group is going public in the US next month."

"If the news of your critical illness, as the CEO, gets out at this critical juncture, and the betting agreement fails, the stock price of the Su Group will immediately collapse."

"By then, you won't be able to come up with 5 billion, let alone 50 million. Our Brother Lei wants 50 million to buy your life and, incidentally, save your Su Group's listing. No matter how you look at it, you won't lose out."

These words struck at Su Qing's weak spot.

Zhang Lei knew her cards perfectly well. They not only knew she was seriously ill, but also about the gambling agreement and financial pressure she was under. This was blatant exploitation.

Su Qing's fingers gripped the corner of the blanket tightly, her knuckles turning white.

"I don't have that much money right now."

Su Qing's voice was hoarse, filled with suppressed anger, "The Su Group's cash reserves are all undergoing the audit process for listing, and not a single penny can be touched."

"I've already mortgaged all the funds under my personal name to fill the gap in overseas bridge financing. Let alone 50 million, I'll need several days to even raise 10 million in cash."

After hearing this, A Biao was not angry at all. Instead, he took out several folded A4 sheets of paper from the inside pocket of his leather jacket.

"No cash? No problem. Brother Lei has already thought of a solution."

Ah Biao pushed the papers onto Su Qing's hospital bed.

"This is a mortgage contract with a private lending company. Although you don't have cash, you still have five percent of the unpledged original shares of the Su Group."

Ah Biao pointed to the signature section of the contract: "As long as you sign here, using these five percent of the shares as collateral, the 50 million loan will take effect immediately. This life-saving document will be yours right away."

After Xiao Li carefully read the contents of the contract, his expression changed drastically:

"President Su, you can't sign! This is a loan shark's scheme of 'nine out, thirteen back'! If you can't repay on time, they have the right to transfer your shares directly and unconditionally!"

"Once these 5% of the original shares are listed, their value will be at least over one billion!"