Chapter 3 You Asked for It

• When I returned home with my face marred by bruises, Alice hurriedly helped me over to the sofa and frantically asked me what had happened. I then told her briefly the events that’d transpired, upon which she appeared incensed. “How could Angelina do that? The money concerns a matter of life and death!” In the next instance, she went into her bedroom, took out her cell phone, and called Angelina. “Miss Holman, Sam’s father had truly met with an accident. Could you…”
• “Alice, you should worry about your debt first. The money you earn every day isn’t even enough to repay the interest you owe me!”
• After that, the disconnect tone sounded from the cell phone. One could tell that Alice was extremely embarrassed. She came and sat beside me, murmuring, “I’m sorry, Sam. I originally thought that this was at least a solution that’d work in a pinch, but I never thought that Angelina is such a horrible person who won’t even spare the money for a matter of life and death. I’m truly sorry.”
• I comforted her by saying that it was nothing, and she’d suggested it out of kindness anyway. All of a sudden, I recalled Angelina saying that Alice’s own debt had yet to be settled and the interest she was paying, so I asked her what her predicament was.
• Alice smiled bitterly. “What else could it be? I was tricked.” Then, she recounted her past. According to her, she was indeed once an accountant for a particular company, but she later had a boyfriend, and her boyfriend suggested that she use her company funds to try her hand at speculation. Naturally, she didn’t dare do it, but later, she could no longer resist her boyfriend’s urging and sweet talk, as well as the wonderful life he fabricated, so she relented. However, the events that transpired after that were tragic, for she lost all the company funds she used to speculate, while her company was urging her to hand over the accounts.
• Thus, her boyfriend brought her to Angelina and persuaded her to take out a loan with usury, taking out a principal loan of 500,000 to repay a total of 600,000 in three days. Naturally, Alice didn’t dare do so, but her boyfriend claimed that his family was already raising the funds and that they should have enough soon, so she could rest easy. Plus, her company was putting a lot of pressure on her, so she took out the loan.
• However, after taking out the loan, she then discovered that her boyfriend was gone, having disappeared without a trace. Meanwhile, Angelina coerced her to return the money, or else she’d have her stripped and placed at the mercy of beggars, even going so far as to take nude photographs of her and threaten to put them up in the entire village in her hometown within a single night. Having no choice, Alice then took this step and fell into the quagmire, sinking increasingly deeper and finding herself with no way of escaping.
• While I hadn’t seen much of the world, I wasn’t dumb, so after listening to Alice’s story, I knew that she’d been set up. What was more, this setup was a joint effort by her boyfriend and Angelina, for the money Angelina lent her was clearly the company funds she’d transferred. “Putting it plainly, your money wasn’t used for speculation at all but had gone to Angelina directly. Then, she exchanged it for an IOU with you, coercing and forcing you to return the money, making you her cash cow.”
• Mulling it over for a while, Alice instantly figured it out. Flying into a rage, she wanted to go and confront Angelina at once, but I held her back. “If you go and confront her, even if she does admit to it, what can you do to her?”
• Alice cried, growing increasingly anguished and helpless as she sobbed. Then, she slumped on my shoulder, bawling messily. Her generous bosom was tightly pressed against my body, warm and soft. I had the urge to reach out and knead them, but ultimately I didn’t do so since she was weeping heartbrokenly. I patted her back lightly and thought of saying something to comfort her, but then, who would be comforting me? After a long while, Alice finally left my embrace. Wiping her tears gently, she thanked me.
• That night, both of us were dejected, each having distinct disappointments, but both felt that the future was bleak as though we’d walked into an abyss.
• The next day, I rushed to the hospital early in the morning to visit my father. However, just as I entered the hospital lobby entrance, I bumped into the beauty who gave me 30,000 yesterday.
• “Oh wow, you’re a gigolo who can fight, coming to blows with someone early in the morning and rushing to the hospital with a face marred by bruises?”
• I flashed her a wry smile. “Nah, Angelina’s men beat me up.” Then, I told her about Angelina snatching the money from me and beating me up yesterday.
• After hearing that, she chuckled lightly. “You asked for it since you got in with her.”
• I knew that she’d misunderstood, but ultimately, I didn’t say anything. We went into the elevator together, and I pressed the button for the orthopedics department on the eighth floor.
• She was slightly puzzled. “You’re not that severely beaten up, so shouldn’t you be going to the outpatient department?”
• I shook my head. “I’m not here to seek medical help but to visit my father. He met with an accident and is hospitalized on the eighth floor.”
• She was slightly stunned before she nodded lightly, saying nothing else. When the elevator stopped on the eighth floor, she suddenly asked, “You went to Angelina for a loan because of your father?”
• I murmured in assent before I walked out of the elevator and bid her farewell. When I arrived at the hospital room, I visited with my father. Meanwhile, my mother’s eyes were all red, making it glaringly obvious that she’d cried a lot. After uttering a few comforting words, I then sought out the doctor on duty. The doctor told me that I no longer have to worry about his life, but I must raise the money needed for surgery immediately. Otherwise, he’d lose his legs, for they’d have to be amputated.
• I was stricken with panic, but I couldn’t figure out a solution. All the relatives my family had were poor, so while it was grudging possible for them to raise 18,000 each, that paltry sum just wasn’t enough when the medical fee was hundreds of thousands. Just as I was panicking, a call came in from Angelina. As soon as I answered the call, Angelina blurted ‘Wait for me at the hospital lobby entrance’ right away before I could say a single word and hung up on me.
• About half an hour later, Angelina came and dragged me to the cashier’s window without a word, swiping her card and advancing me hundreds of thousands in surgical fees.
• “Why, I helped to advance hundreds of thousands in processing fees. Shouldn’t you appear to be a tad more grateful?” Angelina teased, but I merely said a placid thanks before I went to arrange for my father’s surgery.
• However, just after I’d turned around, she grabbed me and brought me to a halt. “It’s in your best interests to serve the beauty yesterday well.” After saying that, she deliberately pushed out her bountiful bosom, her eyes seductive. “As long as you serve her well, who knows, when I’m happy one day, I might even allow you to bed me once, brat!”