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Ma Shuer stood in the hospital corridor, her fingers tightly gripping the examination report, the paper making a slight rustling sound in her hand.

Her gaze swept over the medical terms again and again, as if seeing them a few more times would change the despairing words.

“Ms. Ma, Ji Mo’s condition is indeed not very optimistic.” Dr. Zhang pushed up his glasses, his voice low, though he was used to such human tragedies. “The previous treatment plan had limited effectiveness, and we suggest trying new targeted therapy.”

"Will the new treatment... be more effective?" Ma Shuer's voice trembled slightly.

She subconsciously touched her empty ring finger, where there used to be a wedding ring, a place she longed for to lean on during difficult times.

Unfortunately, the man she chose was irresponsible, and now she has to bear all the sorrow and disaster on her own.

Dr. Zhang sighed: "There is a 60% remission rate, but the cost may be very high."

"How much?" Ma Shuer asked directly, her nails digging into her palms.

"One course of treatment costs around 100,000 yuan, and at least three courses are needed."

One hundred thousand?

The number exploded in Mashuer's mind.

Since she was laid off from her former law firm, her reputation in the industry has been completely ruined, since no firm would hire a lawyer with a bad reputation.

She barely makes ends meet with her savings and occasional part-time jobs, but her son's medical expenses have already consumed most of it.

The money left in the account now isn't even a fraction of the cost of one course of treatment.

Stepping out of the hospital, the early summer sun stung Ma Shuer's eyes.

She mechanically took out her phone, scrolled to the name "Fang Yuan" in her contacts, hesitated for a moment, and then dialed the number.

"Hey! Fang Yuan, are you free tomorrow? I'd like to... I'd like to ask you to come with me to the used car market."

"Okay, I'll come to your house at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Thank you."

After hanging up the phone, Ma Shuer's shoulders slumped.

Ma Shuer knew that Su Ning would definitely figure something out; this man, who had worked as a domestic helper for three months, had an incredibly sharp eye for observation.

The next morning, when Ma Shuer led Ma Jiming downstairs, Su Ning was already waiting at the entrance of the residential area.

He wore a clean light blue shirt today and looked much more energetic than when he was doing housework.

"Hello, big brother!" Ma Jiming ran over happily, tugging at Su Ning's clothes with her little hand. "Mom said she's taking me to see big cars today!"

Su Ning crouched down, looking directly at the boy's pale smiling face: "Yes! What color car does Ji Mo like?"

"Red! Like Spider-Man!" the child exclaimed excitedly, but suddenly started coughing.

Ma Shuer quickly stepped forward and gently patted her son's back, a hint of pain flashing in her eyes.

Once her cough subsided, she forced a smile and said, "Ji Mo, how about we go to the park with Aunt Wang today? Your older brother and I will go look at cars and be back soon."

"Okay, Mom."

After seeing her son off, Ma Shuer got into her white luxury car, which she had driven for six years, and her fingers lingered on the steering wheel.

Su Ning sat in the passenger seat, his gaze sweeping over the neat interior and the worn marks on the child safety seats in the back.

“This car is well-maintained,” Su Ning said.

Ma Shuer twitched the corner of her mouth: "Yes! They've been with me for so many years, I'm really a little reluctant to let them go."

She started the car, her voice almost inaudible, "But some things... have to be done."

The hustle and bustle of the used car market is overwhelming.

Ma Shuer led Suning to several stores, and finally stopped at a car dealership that looked relatively large.

The boss was a lean, middle-aged man whose eyes darted around as he sized them up.

"This car..." The boss walked around the car, tapping and banging on it. "It's not young, and the mileage is high. I can only give you 100,000 at most."

Ma Shuer's face paled: "This is too low. I just replaced the engine last year, and the maintenance records are all complete..."

"Madam, that's how used cars are. No matter how well they're maintained, they can't withstand the passage of time." The shopkeeper shrugged, but his eyes kept glancing at Ma Shuer.

Su Ning suddenly stepped forward and blocked Ma Shuer's way: "Boss Zhang, right? My friend works at the vehicle management office and said that your industry has been cracking down hard lately, especially on cars with tampered odometers."

The boss's expression froze: "What do you mean, sir?"

"It's nothing," Su Ning said with a smile, her fingers lightly tracing the car's surface. "I just think that a well-maintained car like this, with no accident record, should cost at least 130,000 yuan on the market. What do you think?"

After a brief exchange of glances, the boss gave in first: "...125,000, that's the highest I can go."

“130,000, the transfer can be completed today.” Suning wouldn’t budge an inch. “Otherwise, we’ll visit a few more stores; the market is only so big anyway.”

"Alright! You win."

Ultimately, the car was sold for 130,000 yuan.

After signing the contract, Ma Shuer stood by the roadside, watching her beloved car being driven away, her eyes reddening.

"Thank you," she said softly.

This was the first time she had sincerely said those two words to Su Ning.

Su Ning shook his head: "It was nothing! Whether you admit it or not, we're friends."

Ma Shuer took a deep breath. "Oh, right! I might be going away for half a month starting next week, taking Ji Mo to Hainan. He... he's always wanted to see the sea."

Suning turned to look at her: "It's very hot in Hainan right now."

“The doctor said… the warm climate is good for his illness.” Ma Shuer avoided Su Ning’s probing gaze. “He doesn’t need to come to clean for a while, and I will pay him his wages as usual.”

Su Ning hesitated for a moment, then simply nodded: "If you need any help, feel free to contact me anytime."

"it is good."

"I've also heard of a very good traditional Chinese medicine that's very effective for chronic myeloid leukemia. Would you like to try it?"

"What? Traditional Chinese medicine?"

"Don't look down on traditional Chinese medicine! A system of medicine that has existed for thousands of years must have its reasons."

Let's talk about it later!

"I'll consider it as soon as possible! If you agree to give it a try, I'll get in touch."

"it is good."

Three days later, in the evening, Su Ning was watering the plants on Gao Yawen's balcony when her phone suddenly rang.

It was a text message from Ma Shuer: "The money has arrived. I'll take Ji Mo on a trip tomorrow. Thank you for your help."

Just as Su Ning was about to reply, a phone call came in, and it was Gao Yawen.

"What's up?"

"Fang Yuan, Daniel's in trouble again!" Her voice trembled slightly on the phone. "The school called to say he hit a classmate, and now he's locked himself in his room at home and won't come out no matter how much we call him!"

"Okay! I'll be right there."

"sorry to bother you."

When Su Ning arrived at Gao Yawen's house, he found it in complete disarray.

Outside Daniel's room, there were torn-up notebooks and a broken model airplane.

Suppressed sobs could be heard coming from inside the door.

"Daniel, Dad's home." Su Ning knocked gently on the door. "Can I come in? We can talk."

no respond.

"I'll count to three. If you don't open the door, I'll use the spare key," Gao Yawen said sternly, but Su Ning stopped her.

“Daniel,” Suning crouched down, her voice coming through the crack in the door, “I used to lock myself away a lot when I was a kid. Do you know why? Because I felt like nobody understood me.” There was a moment of silence inside the door.

“But then I realized that if I don’t say it out loud, no one will ever know what I’m thinking,” Su Ning continued. “Just like your model airplane, if you don’t assemble it, it will always just be a pile of parts.”

A few seconds later, the door lock clicked softly.

Suning pushed open the door and saw Daniel curled up in the corner of the bed, with tear stains on his face.

Gao Yawen wanted to step forward, but Su Ning shook her head, signaling her to go out first.

He gently closed the door and sat on the floor some distance from the bed.

“Daniel, can you tell me what happened?” Suning asked.

Daniel remained silent for a long time before saying in a low voice, "They say I don't have a father... that Mom hired you to pretend to be my father, is that true?"

Su Ning was shocked: "So you hit someone?"

“I didn’t mean to!” Daniel suddenly became agitated. “I just… I just pushed him, and then he fell down…”

His voice lowered again, "But what he said is true, isn't it? You're not my dad at all."

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating the child's face and outlining his stubborn features.

Su Ning suddenly realized that Daniel's eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar to her own.

“We’re not related by blood,” Suning said honestly, “but these past few months, I’ve really treated you like my own son.”

Daniel looked up, tears welling in his eyes: "Then why can't you be my dad forever? Mom said you're just here to work and will leave sooner or later."

“Listen, Daniel,” Su Ning moved closer. “Some things are beyond our control. But I can promise you one thing: I’ll always be there for you whenever you need me. We can make a deal: I’ll try to be a better dad, and you’ll try to be a better student, okay?”

The child stared at him for a long time, then suddenly threw himself into his arms and burst into tears.

Su Ning patted his back gently, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

That evening, Gao Yawen insisted on treating Su Ning to dinner to express her gratitude.

At the dinner table, Daniel was unusually lively, constantly telling stories about interesting things that happened at school.

“Fang Yuan, Daniel’s school has a parent-child activity next week…” Gao Yawen tentatively began.

“Mom!” Daniel suddenly interrupted her, “I don’t want to lie anymore.”

He lowered his head. "The students already know the truth. Pretending will only make things worse."

Gao Yawen's face turned pale instantly.

Su Ning noticed that her hands were trembling slightly under the table.

“Actually…” Su Ning carefully chose her words, “Ms. Gao, why not consider giving Daniel a real family? You’re still young, you can definitely…”

Gao Yawen abruptly interrupted him, "You don't understand! Everyone has their own suffering."

The atmosphere at the dinner table suddenly froze.

The light that had just appeared in Daniel's eyes dimmed again.

……

After a while, the fussy Daniel was finally put to sleep, and Gao Yawen finally showed a relaxed expression.

Just as Su Ning was about to leave, she suggested, "Why don't you take a few days off and take Daniel out for some fun? A change of scenery might be good for everyone."

After a long silence, Gao Yawen finally nodded: "Okay."

The three of them went to a resort in the suburbs over the weekend.

Daniel was like a different person, running on the grass and feeding ducks by the lake, his smile brighter than ever before Suning had known him.

As evening approached, a passing tourist offered to take a "family photo" for them.

"Move a little closer, sir, lean a little closer to your wife... Yes! That's it, smile!"

The moment the flash went off, Su Ning instinctively put his arm around Gao Yawen's shoulder and pulled Daniel into his arms at the same time.

In particular, Su Ning casually put his arm around Gao Yawen's shoulder, which made Gao Yawen stiffen uncomfortably.

The three people in the photo really look like a happy little family.

On the way back, Daniel was so tired that he fell asleep in the back seat.

While driving, Gao Yawen suddenly said, "Fang Yuan, I'd like to ask you to continue playing Daniel's father; the salary can be doubled."

Looking at the scenery rushing past the window, Su Ning slowly shook her head: "Ms. Gao, the truth will eventually come out. Either confess to the company and the police, or... take Daniel and leave this place."

Gao Yawen slammed on the brakes, and the car came to a sudden stop on the side of the road.

She turned her head, her eyes filled with terror: "What...what do you mean by this?"

“I’ve just seen your payslip,” Su Ning said calmly. “With your income, you can’t afford a villa like this, a private school, or my housekeeping fees.”

He looked directly into Gao Yawen's darting eyes. "You either embezzled company funds or sold company secrets, right?"

Gao Yawen's face instantly drained of color: "You...you investigated me?"

“No need for investigation.” Su Ning shook his head. “The way your files are arranged in your study, the phone calls you often take late at night, those encrypted folders on your computer… it’s too obvious.”

"Shut up!" Gao Yawen suddenly screamed hysterically. "You know nothing! Do you think I want this? I'm willing to do anything to give Daniel the best life!"

Daniel, who was in the back seat, was startled awake and stared blankly at the arguing adults.

Gao Yawen immediately fell silent and restarted the car, but the knuckles of her fingers gripping the steering wheel had turned white.

After arriving home, Gao Yawen quickly coaxed Daniel into bed, then dragged Su Ning into the study and locked the door.

“Listen,” she lowered her voice, a dangerous glint in her eyes, “if you dare say a word about what you said today, I promise you’ll regret it.”

Su Ning remained unmoved: "If I wanted to say something, I would have called the police already. I'm just advising you to stop now, for Daniel's sake."

Gao Yawen suddenly laughed, a laugh that sent chills down Su Ning's spine: "Too late! Fang Yuan, it's already too late."

“Then take Daniel and leave! If you really get caught, his biological father probably won’t even recognize you.”

"You...you even know this?"

"If you offer me such a high salary, I wouldn't be able to refuse without a legitimate reason."

"Can you keep this a secret?"

"Are you still clinging to wishful thinking?"

"It's okay! As long as my colleagues at the company know that I have a rich boyfriend, they won't suspect me."

So you want me to pretend to be your boyfriend?

Yes! Is that alright?

"No! Doing that will only attract more attention. The head office will then promote you, so they'll definitely investigate your situation beforehand. Do you think you can keep your secret any longer?"

"This……"

"Since you don't want to be honest, then take Daniel and leave. It would be best if you could take this money to Hong Kong Island. I can help you get legal documents."

"Why are you helping me?" Gao Yawen asked Su Ning with a look of surprise.

"You have to give me half of your ill-gotten gains." Now that he was penniless, Su Ning naturally made this demand.

"This……"

"Think it over carefully! Your time is running out."

"..."

...(End of chapter)