Mu Ronyao slapped the bed in frustration and got up to take a walk downstairs to clear her mind. She went to the small garden, found a shaded spot, and sat down, staring blankly at the nearby flower bed. After a while, a mother and daughter sat down beside her. Mu Ronyao didn't pay them much attention and took out her phone to check work emails.
"Mom, I don't want to get married…"
"Don't want to get married? Do you want to fly to the moon? Let me tell you, Mom won't harm you! You're still young and don't understand many things. When you're old and no one wants you, you'll have to buy a man!"
"What are you talking about…"
Although the tone was unpleasant, the mother clearly cared about her daughter. As they talked, the topic suddenly shifted to something private.
"You know the woman in the next ward? I heard she has AIDS!"
"What?!" The daughter was shocked.
"Why not? Didn't you see her when she was admitted? Her body was covered in bruises from men! She must be fooling around outside!"
"That can't be right. I saw her she's so pretty. How could she not have a boyfriend?"
"Hehe, you don't understand these things. The prettier the woman, the more..."
"Oh, why are you telling me this? Anyway, you must get married soon! I don't want you to end up like that one day!"
"Mom…"
"Enough! Listen to me this is for your own good! Alright, let's stop sitting in the sun and go back."
After speaking, the mother pulled her daughter up and quickly walked away.
Mu Ronyao listened, feeling both amused and unsettled.
Playing around?
AIDS?
That was terrifying…
After sitting for a while longer, she felt tired and decided to go back to rest.
As she walked down the corridor, she passed the room next door and subconsciously glanced inside.
Coincidentally, it was the same mother and daughter.
Mu Ronyao smiled faintly, thinking it was just a coincidence. She returned to her room, lay down, and closed her eyes.
But just as she was about to fall asleep, her eyes snapped open.
Traces?
AIDS?
The room next door?!!!
Mu Ronyao sprang out of bed and rushed to the door, looking outside.
Her ward was in the middle of the floor. The girl's room was near the staircase.
That meant...
There was only one room next to theirs.
Mu Ronyao felt as though she had fallen into an ice cave.
How did the people next door know about her condition?
And… AIDS?
She staggered back into the room, collapsed onto the bed, and stared at the ceiling, her emotions in chaos.
She was only in her early twenties. She hadn't even truly lived yet and she was going to die?
AIDS was incurable. She…
Just as panic overwhelmed her, someone knocked sharply on the door.
"Who is it?"
There was no answer. The door was pushed open directly.
Mu Ronyao sat up abruptly. "Dad?"
She clearly hadn't notified her family so why…
Suppressing her nerves, Mu Ronyao quickly got out of bed and helped Mu Zhanghan sit down.
"Dad, why are you here?"
Mu Zhanghan's expression was dark. His aged eyes stared at her coldly, making her heart tremble.
"You tell me what exactly is going on here!"
The sudden scolding stunned Mu Ronyao.
Did the Mu family already know about her illness?
Her eyes reddened. "It's okay, Dad. I can handle it…"
At worst, she could hide somewhere and wait quietly for death. She would never burden the Mu family.
"You can handle it?" Mu Zhanghan grew angrier at her calm tone and slammed his cane hard against the floor. "How are you going to handle it?!"
"You're going to destroy the Mu family!"
Mu Ronyao wanted to explain that she had only been injured three days ago and hadn't infected anyone but before she could speak, Mu Zhanghan flung the file in his hand straight at her face.
"I've raised a white-eyed wolf all these years!"
His furious roar left her momentarily unable to react.
Even if she truly had AIDS, why was she a white-eyed wolf?
Mu Zhanghan pointed at her nose.
"I don't care how you did it! But right now, Aurora Tech Group has taken all of the Mu family's business!"
"You can beg or cause a scene I don't care! If you can't get our cooperation back, don't come back to the Mu family!"
Mu Ronyao was completely stunned.
She pieced together fragments of his words and finally realized...
He hadn't come because of her illness.
What did he mean by the Mu family's business being intercepted?
She hurriedly picked up the file from the floor and flipped through it. By the time she finished reading, her mind went blank.
"I… I didn't know…"
"You didn't know?" Mu Zhanghan's voice trembled with rage.
"Then why did Huangda Group contact Aurora Tech Group?!"
"For Lin Chengyi's sake, you spared no effort building his company! You knew everything from the beginning, yet you still diverted small contracts. And now?"
"Oh now your man has succeeded, found a powerful backer, and you don't intend to leave the Mu family a way out?"
"You're trying to anger me to death!"
Mu Zhanghan slammed his cane again. The sound struck Mu Ronyao's heart like a hammer.
The documents he brought were all termination agreements between Huangda Group and the Mu family along with copies of contracts signed with Aurora Tech Group.
Black and white.
Clear and merciless.
Huangda Group had cooperated with the Mu family for over ten years.
Back then, Mu Ronyao had transferred part of the Mu family's business to the Lin family to help Lin Chengyi open the market, enduring ridicule and criticism from everyone.
But now…
Looking at Mu Zhanghan's furious expression, regret and self-blame flooded her heart.
She regretted everything.