Chapter 1 Critical Condition
- In the deep of night, an alarm suddenly started blaring in the initially quiet ward.
- It was the sound from the vital signs monitor. Vivian William, who was groggily keeping watch by the hospital bed, abruptly jolted awake.
- She rushed out of the ward in a panic, only to see the nurses hurrying in her direction.
- As a group of medical staff bustled around, her mother was once again wheeled into the emergency room.
- Exhausted, Vivian slumped back in the chair. She wanted to take that opportunity to close her eyes and rest briefly, but a nurse who came out of the emergency room walked up to her.
- “Has her condition worsened?” After glancing at the nurse, Vivian could not help but shift her gaze to the closed doors of the emergency room.
- “Don't worry. The doctors are attending to her. But please be reminded that the payment for the medical and hospitalization fees for the previous month and the current month is due tomorrow,” the nurse reminded gently.
- Flashing her an embarrassed smile, Vivian nodded.
- In truth, she had long since run out of money.
- For the sake of treating her mother's illness, she had already sought out all her friends and relatives for a loan. At first, everyone had been willing to lend them a hand. Now, however, no one could help them anymore.
- The savings of an ordinary family were just insufficient to bear the cost of staying in the intensive care unit for a month.
- Vivian threw her head back and stared up at the ceiling. She was really at a loss right then.
- Should I give up on treating Mom? No, she's my only family now. No matter what, I've got to figure out a way to treat her!
- The urge to close her eyes and take a nap gripped her, but the fact that she had no money for her mother's treatment weighed heavily on her like a boulder crushing her chest.
- Over the past few days, her sleep quality had gone downhill.
- Out of the blue, Vivian's stomach rumbled. Only then did she realize that she had not eaten the entire day.
- In order to save money presently, she had been skipping meals on her off days as much as possible.
- Just when she was about to scroll through her phone to divert her attention, she saw an unread message she had received that morning.
- It read: You're a liar, Vivian! You're not a virgin and you have an ill hag at home! And now you want to marry me? Dream on! You merely want to rip my family off! What a b*tch!
- Vivian clutched her phone so hard that her knuckles went white. She wanted to text the man back to explain things.
- However, she didn't know what to explain when it was the truth.
- The contents of the message struck her heart like a thick cluster of needles, causing intense pain.
- The nightmare two years ago assailed her once again.
- She recalled the infinitely dark night and how she could not escape no matter how hard she tried.
- Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her face slowly drained of all color even as she trembled uncontrollably.
- She cradled her head in both hands and sobbed lowly. Just what should I do now?
- Early the following morning, Vivian was so hungry that she felt dizzy. With no other choice left, she could only visit the supermarket beside the hospital to buy a piece of bread to fill her stomach.
- Suddenly, her phone rang. Her relative's voice drifted out from the other end, and she recognized it as her mother's sister.
- “Vivian, well... didn't we lend you a sum of money before? My child will be attending school soon, and a fortune is needed for tuition fees and living expenses... Can you perhaps pay us back a little first?”
- Vivian understood that it was time for her to pay back these relatives.
- A splitting headache hit her, but she could only promise to repay part of the loan in half a month.
- Money, money, money! Where on earth am I going to get any money?
- Ultimately, she suppressed the bitterness with her. When she stepped into the supermarket, she abruptly hesitated. Never mind. I'll go back and have some water. Even a piece of bread costs about five, and that's far too expensive.
- “Can you believe it? The quality of advertisements in the matrimonial column is getting increasingly worse. Now, there's even an ad from a man in a wheelchair. Despite his disabilities, he's seeking a wife without disabilities,” the cashier complained.
- At that moment, Vivian was standing before a row of bread. Upon hearing the cashier's words, she reflexively looked over toward the cash register.
- The cashier was holding a newspaper in hand while still complaining, “What b*llshit! Such a person must be a swindler, looking to cheat some woman into marriage! The requirements are so low, and there's only a picture of his back. I dare say he must be unsightly! Who knows, he might even be a psychopath!”
- It was early in the morning, and Vivian was the only patron in the supermarket. However, it was evident that the cashier was not interacting with her but commenting aloud as he read the newspaper.
- In the end, Vivian decided to buy a piece of bread to fill her stomach. When she was paying, she asked the cashier for a newspaper.
- The matrimonial advertisement read: Due to the pressure from the elders in the family, I am now seeking marriage. All that is required of the woman is kindness and sincerity. A certain amount of allowance will be provided each month. Vivian stared at it and was beyond tempted.
- But then the cashier's criticism earlier wasn't entirely without merit. This matrimonial advertisement might be a scam.
- After taking a bite of the bread, she drank a sip of water before chewing slowly since doing so would make her feel full quickly.
- “To a certain extent, I'm actually tricking him into marriage as well.” Vivian started feeling somewhat conflicted.
- Who knows, the disabled man might be sincerely seeking to get married. If I were to respond with an ulterior motive, it'd indeed be a bit too much. But I really have no more money.
- Motivated by a sense of chance, she eventually submitted her resume to the individual advertising in the matrimonial column.
- Despite responding to a marriage proposition, she felt as if she was applying for a job. All that was left then was to wait for a reply.
- The next day, Vivian received a call from an unknown number while bustling around in the hospital.
- “Excuse me, but is this Ms. Vivian William?” The voice of a young man drifted out of the phone, upon which Vivian wondered who would be calling her. Due to her frequent calls to others seeking loans for medical expenses, nearly all her friends and relatives had blocked her phone number.
- “Yes.”
- “You're hired. Please come to City Hall at two o'clock in the afternoon today to complete the procedures to register your marriage. My client plans to have the wedding at two o'clock tomorrow afternoon.”
- “What?” Vivian was instantly bewildered. Subsequently, she remembered the matrimonial advertisement she had seen yesterday.
- “Is there a problem?” The young man's voice carried a hint of worry.
- “Uh, no, not at all.” Vivian wavered for a long moment. When she sensed that the person on the other end of the phone was about to hang up, she asked, “Is it true that I will be given a certain amount of allowance each month? Also, I'd like to ask if there is anything else I should be aware of.”
- “The allowance is fifty thousand per month. As for other matters, we can discuss them when we meet in the afternoon.”
- Listening to the man's brisk and professional tone, Vivian almost felt as if she was applying for a job and he was the one handling recruitment.
- Even after the phone call had ended, she remained in a daze.
- Vivian arrived at the entrance of City Hall right on the dot. From afar, she saw two men there, one standing and the other in a wheelchair.
- Seeing the two attractive men together, she suddenly perceived them as a couple and felt they should be the ones registering for marriage instead.