C7 7

The nurse looked up and saw Tong Qing, her eyes brimming with contempt. "You must be Shen Wanqiu's family, right? Good timing. Take your friend and your mother and leave. We don't need any more disturbances in the hospital." Tong Qing glanced at Shen Wanqiu, barely containing her anger. "Why are you asking us to leave?" "There are no 'whys' here. If you don't pay, no hospital will keep you," the nurse retorted with a dismissive eye roll, her voice dripping with scorn. "What's with people these days? Thinking they're entitled even when they can't pay." Chiang Nan couldn't believe what she was hearing. "We've only just arrived at this hospital. How could we possibly not have paid? After all, this is Dean Tong's hospital." The nurse huffed. "I wouldn't know about that." Maybe they were trying to scam the hospital. Fuming, Chiang Nan grabbed Tong Qing by the arm and blurted out, "Do you even know who she is? She's the biological daughter of Dean Tong." "Chiang Nan." Tong Qing cut her off, her face clouding over. Chiang Nan gave her a hurt look. Tong Qing offered a reassuring glance and addressed the nurse. "There has to be a misunderstanding. Please give us a moment to sort this out, okay?" The nurse pursed her lips. Tong Qing continued, "Rest assured, if the bill hasn't been settled, I'll take care of it." "Fine," the nurse conceded, not wanting to escalate the situation. "You have until this afternoon. If the payment isn't made by then, don't expect us to be accommodating." "Thank you," Tong Qing said. As they were leaving, the nurse shot Chiang Nan a stern look. "You..." Chiang Nan started, but Tong Qing gently pulled her back. Then Chiang Nan remembered the pressing issue. "Qing, what's happening here? Isn't this your dad's hospital? How come the bill hasn't been paid, and they're trying to kick you out?" Tong Qing felt a sense of foreboding and whispered, "I need to step out for a bit. Can you look after my mom?" Chiang Nan nodded. Tong Qing tried calling Tong Hongliang several times, but no one answered.

With a clenched jaw, Tong Qing put away her phone and hurried back to the Tong family. Tong Nianyu acted as though she had been expecting her all along, feigning surprise as she said, "Looking for Dad? He just left on a business trip yesterday and won't be back for several days." A business trip? How convenient. Tong Qing didn't have to think hard to guess what was happening. Her expression darkened as she confronted Nianyu, "Did you have someone throw my mother out of the hospital?" She was the only one capable of such an act. "I have no idea what you're talking about," Tong Nianyu huffed, attempting to go upstairs with a twist of her hips. Tong Qing grabbed her and demanded, "Stop right there. Explain yourself." Tong Nianyu slapped her hand away. "Don't touch me." The back of Tong Qing's hand stung, but her gaze on Tong Nianyu was icy. "Tong Nianyu, don't forget what you promised. You said that if I married Fu Chijing, you'd make sure my mother received treatment." Tong Nianyu laughed, her tone mocking. "Would you have willingly married Fu Chijing if we hadn't said that?" Tong Qing froze, then understood. "You tricked me?" "So what if we did?" Tong Nianyu sneered. "Dad even used the dowry the Tong family gave you to buy me a pearl necklace, to make up for the humiliation I suffered yesterday." She lifted her chin and flaunted it. "Look. Isn't it beautiful?" Tong Qing stared at the glaring strand of pearls, betrayal and fury surging in her chest. She couldn't hold back anymore. She reached out and yanked the necklace until it snapped. The pearls scattered across the floor with a sharp clatter. "Ah! My necklace." Tong Nianyu's face twisted with rage. "You bastard, how dare you hit me?" "Why wouldn't I?" Tong Qing shot back. Tong Nianyu cursed through clenched teeth. "If Fu Chijing hadn't been protecting you, you'd be nothing. Ah, ah, ah!"

For Shen Wanqiu's sake, Tong Qing had endured before, but not anymore. Seeing as they had reneged on their agreement, why should she afford them any respect? Tong Qing let out a cold laugh, mysteriously producing a silver needle and jabbing it into Tong Nianyu's hand several times. "You..." Tong Nianyu's pain was so intense that tears welled up in her eyes. "What have you done to me?" Tong Qing's response was laden with significance. "You'll find out soon enough." Initially, Tong Nianyu thought Tong Qing was merely posturing, so infuriated that she was about to summon the servants to throw her out. But before she could utter a word, her body erupted with a sensation akin to being swarmed by ants, an unbearable mix of itching and pain. It was an excruciating, soul-eating sensation. "Ah!" Tong Nianyu screamed in agony, collapsing to the floor and writhing. The pain and itch were unbearable, her eyes turning bloodshot as if she had lost her mind, ceaselessly scratching at her skin. Even as her fingernails filled with blood, she could not bring herself to stop. Tong Qing crouched before her, lifting her chin and observing her painful struggle with an indifferent gaze. Internally cursing Tong Qing, Tong Nianyu pleaded desperately. "Sister, I was wrong. Please... can you forgive me?" Tong Qing snorted, then delved into her pocket, retrieved a cellphone, and handed it to her. Tong Nianyu looked on, bewildered. With a benign smile that thinly veiled a potent threat, Tong Qing said, "If you want my mercy, get in touch with the hospital this instant and have my mother returned to her room."

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