Chapter 1 For Sale

• My name is Lin Anan, an ordinary housewife. It has been three years since I married my husband, Liu Jun, and we have a two-year-old son. Life was hard, but we managed to get by.
• Everything changed when our son, who had just turned two, suddenly fainted last month, and was diagnosed with Nephrotic syndrome.
• The doctor told me that I would need a million for his treatment, which was a huge blow for a low-income family like ours.
• I nearly fainted from shock when I heard the cost, and was unsure of what to do.
• But my son was lying on the hospital bed, so I would do anything to get him treated. As soon as I left the hospital, I rushed over to Liu Jun's workplace to discuss the matter with him.
• However, his attitude was very indifferent. He told me he didn't have the money nor could he borrow it from anyone, and just told me to figure something out myself.
• I was so angry that I slapped him on the spot. With no time to lose, I started thinking of ways to borrow money. Unfortunately, the amount of loan I could get with my position as a salesperson at a shopping mall would only be able to get me a tiny amount. I fell into despair and cried myself to sleep for days.
• Right when I was driven to desperation, my friends at work came up with an idea for me. In the face of my child's life, I chose to sacrifice my dignity and agreed to the idea.
• Now, the bruises on my body remind me of how intense the sex was earlier, as I lay motionless and limp on the hotel bed.
• That's right. I sold myself to a stranger for the sake of affording my child's medical fees.
• The bathroom door opened, and the man walked toward another room in his shorts. I quickly picked my clothes up and put them back on.
• The man came back shortly after and sat lazily on the sofa next to him. He handed me a check and said in a playful tone, “The service today was very good. Here's your reward.”
• His words made me feel very ashamed, but relieved at the same time. I quickly took the check. However, I was dumbfounded when I saw that it was only two hundred thousand.
• My friends had told me that it would be a million! I got anxious from the desperation to save my child. “Mister, did you get the figure wrong? I thought the deal was one million?”
• The man had a surprised look on his face, then stood up and grabbed my chin. He was very tall and scary, so I didn't dare struggle. He then said in a mocking tone, “A million? Hehe, I've seen plenty of women like you! You should look in a mirror before asking for that amount. Now take the money and get out!”
• I felt hurt by his words, but I knew I might end up getting nothing if I angered him further, so I bolted out of the room as soon as he let go of me.
• Once I deposited the check, I rushed to the hospital as quickly as I could and handed all two hundred thousand to the staff at the payment counter. The doctor only started to hook my son up to an IV drip after confirming my payment.
• I sat by his hospital bed and looked at his pale face.
• Three years ago, my husband Liu Jun had courted me passionately, and I soon fell deeply in love with how caring and considerate he was.
• I had thought that our life after marriage would be happy, but his attitude turned cold and distant ever since we had a child. He would hit and scold us often, but I put up with it in order to give our child a complete family.
• This time, however, I could not tolerate him any longer. His actions had filled me with both anger and disappointment.
• “Mama, Mama!” My child's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I wiped my tears and forced a smile at him, “Baby, Mama's here.”
• “Mama, where's Papa? Why isn't Papa here to see me?” he asked weakly.
• I felt a sting in my heart and composed myself before saying, “Papa has to work. He'll come visit you later.”
• After comforting him, I had the nurse help look after him while I went home to get some daily essentials.
• When I opened the room door upstairs and was changing my shoes in the hallway, I heard Liu Jun talking to my mother-in-law in the kitchen. They hadn't noticed that I was home.
• I paused to hear what they were saying when I heard them mention my name and my son.
• What I heard shocked me completely.