The first update,

...

Buzz buzz buzz~~

Just at that moment, the phone that Li Yuerong was clutching tightly in her hand suddenly began to vibrate, causing her already pale complexion to grow even more unnatural.

She stood up and walked over to the side before answering the call...

Only Li Yuerong knew the specific content of the conversation, but judging by the instantaneous pallor of her face, it was clear that the call had not delivered good news.

When the call ended, Li Yuerong's body swayed, as if she could collapse at any moment. It was only by leaning against the wall for support that she managed to stay on her feet.

Leaning there, tears uncontrollably streamed down her face, painting a picture of tragic beauty...

Suddenly, she caught sight of Lan Yue, who was drinking with Qin Fang and Qiao Zhenfei nearby. A pained determination flashed in Li Yuerong's eyes. Wiping away her tears, she stood up and walked over to Lan Yue.

Lan Yue was truly no ordinary mature woman; Qin Fang realized after a few exchanges that a woman like her had the capability to stand her ground in the Capital City, and it wasn't just because of Qiao Zhenfei's protection.

However, Qin Fang didn't harbor any special thoughts about her. He simply admired her and regarded her as a friend. Thus, they continued to drink and enjoy their time together...

As they drank merrily, Li Yuerong approached. Qin Fang and Qiao Zhenfei naturally saw her coming. Qiao Zhenfei threw a meaningful glance at Qin Fang, but Qin Fang pretended not to see it. When his eyes met Li Yuerong's, he smiled kindly before continuing to drink.

"Rongrong, is something wrong?"

Lan Yue found it strange to see Li Yuerong approaching at this time, which should have been her performance slot. Noticing that Li Yuerong was looking somewhat peaky, she asked with concern.

"Sister Lan, may I have a word with you in private?"

Li Yuerong didn't answer directly but glanced cautiously at Qiao Zhenfei and Qin Fang before carefully making her request.

"Sure!"

Lan Yue didn't think much of it, excused herself from Qin Fang and Qiao Zhenfei, and followed Li Yuerong to the side.

"Sister... Sister Lan..."

At this moment, Li Yuerong appeared extremely uneasy. Her already fair face had turned ghastly pale, and even talking to Lan Yue, she seemed extremely nervous.

"Rongrong, what's the matter?"

Lan Yue had always taken good care of Li Yuerong and the other girls, treating them as if they were her own sisters. She even handled rowdy customers who had too much to drink and harassed them during performances, ensuring they never ended up at a disadvantage.

"Sister Lan, could you... could you help me with something?"

Li Yuerong hesitated, but thinking of her predicament, she braced herself and spoke to Lan Yue, though her tone sounded off.

"From the way you're talking, when have I ever shortchanged you while you've been working here? If you've run into trouble, just tell Sister Lan..."

Having been in the business for so many years, especially in the bar industry, Lan Yue was adept at reading people. She had sensed something was off the moment Li Yuerong approached.

"I was hoping... I was hoping to borrow some money from you, Sister Lan..."

After a brief hesitation, Li Yuerong spoke in a whisper so soft that almost only she could hear it, revealing her true intention.

"Hm?"

Lan Yue was slightly taken aback, having not expected Li Yuerong to ask for money. "What happened? Did something come up at home? How much do you need... just tell me the amount!"

"Five... five hundred thousand!"

Grateful for Lan Yue's willingness to help, Li Yuerong grew even more thankful, but that gratitude was coupled with a deep sense of helplessness as she bit her lip and named the sum.

"Half a million?"

But when that figure was spoken, even Lan Yue was shocked speechless.

Lan Yue knew a bit about the situation of Li Yuerong and the other girls' families. Truth be told, Li Yuerong's family might actually be considered the least fortunate.

Besides her, there was an older brother and a younger brother in her family. Her older brother was just an ordinary worker with a modest income; already in his twenties and yet to find a romantic partner. As for her younger brother, he was only a year younger than Li Yuerong, but had already dropped out of school and was idling around at home...

Their parents had originally worked for a state-owned enterprise, but the company's performance deteriorated, leading to her mother being laid off first. Later, her father stepped down to let his son take over his job, putting both of them out of work... Their income was further reduced, so her parents barely managed to run a small breakfast stall, earning a meager income to support their children.

The family of five all lived in the same apartment building funded by their factory years ago. The original two-bedroom apartment had been converted into three, just so the family could manage to fit. Even the kitchen had to be moved into the hallway; the modesty of their living conditions was evident.

Despite this, Li Yuerong worked extremely hard in her studies and was admitted to Capital Normal University. To alleviate her family's financial burden, she spent almost all her time outside of studying working part-time jobs to earn money...

Knowing her circumstances, Lan Yue usually took special care of Li Yuerong, never expecting her to request such a large sum of money.

"Sister Lan, I know this is sudden, but... I really need it urgently! I will definitely pay you back; I can write you an IOU right now..."

Li Yuerong had run out of options, her face taut with tension and urgency. Especially when Sister Lan's face showed shock upon hearing the figure of half a million, Li Yuerong felt as if the sky was falling...

"Don't panic. Money is not an issue, what exactly happened?"

Seeing how distressed Li Yuerong was, Lan Yue knew something serious must have occurred, as Li Yuerong would never behave like this otherwise.

Half a million was indeed a significant amount for Li Yuerong, but for Lan Yue, it was much more manageable—her bar made a minimum profit of three to five hundred thousand a month. Half a million was merely the profit of a month or two, so she could afford it.

But Lan Yue had not reached her position today by being a fool who could be easily deceived. Without a clear understanding of the situation, she would not part with the money, not even for Li Yuerong, whom she usually liked...

Lan Yue had seen too many instances of betrayal and backstabbing. She wouldn't lend money without a word.

"This..."

Li Yuerong seemed hesitant, but looking at Lan Yue's earnest face, she revealed everything that had happened to her.

The situation was quite simple. Li Yuerong's younger brother, Li Jun, had dropped out of school early to hang out with gangsters, bullying ordinary people and collecting protection fees behind a so-called boss.

Li Jun, with no legitimate income, was at the mercy of his boss's whims, splurging the occasional handout on frivolous pleasures with his cronies, never saving a penny, and always asking for money from his parents.

The trouble also started with Li Jun. Although young, he was excessively handsome—a trait evident in his sister Li Yuerong. Using his good looks, he had been with more women than Qin Fang could count...

Unfortunately, this time he got involved with a woman from the local underworld boss and was caught red-handed in an affair. That was a serious problem...

A gang boss being made a cuckold is something no boss can tolerate. In a fit of anger, the boss had the woman 'taken care of.' Li Jun would have met the same fate if not for a little hoodlum who usually got along with him, who tipped them off about his sister, Li Yuerong, being a beauty...

Thus, Li Jun's life was temporarily spared, but the boss made his terms clear: either Li Jun pays a million yuan as compensation for his emotional distress, or Li Yuerong becomes his mistress—otherwise, the Li family would never see Li Jun again.

These terms effectively cornered the Li family into a dead end. They were already struggling financially, with the little they had saved up meant for their oldest son's marriage. Even if they gave everything, it wouldn't come close to a tenth of a million.

The only thing of value they had was their twenty-year-old house, which in today's rising property market, might fetch at most three to four hundred thousand yuan. Borrowing from relatives and friends, they could scrape together at most half a million yuan. But the remaining half a million... they would be dead before raising that sum.

Yet, to let their daughter become a mistress for such a person... was even more unacceptable to the Li family, tormenting them horribly.

Originally, the Li family kept Li Yuerong in the dark about the situation, but the boss somehow got hold of her number and contacted her directly, setting a deadline—the very next day at 5 pm. If the money wasn't in his account by then, Li Jun's life was forfeit...

Driven to desperation, Li Yuerong had no choice but to seek Lan Yue's help. Among the people she knew, it seemed only Lan Yue had the means...

If Lan Yue refused to help, her only option would be to become the boss's mistress... She couldn't just watch her brother lose his life.

"So that's it... By the way, Rongrong, I remember your hometown is Ninghai City in Jiangnan Province, right?"

After hearing the whole truth, Lan Yue sighed softly. Then, unexpectedly, she asked a seemingly irrelevant question...(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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