C4 She tried to suicide, but...

"Oh."

A thin, cold smile crossed the man's lips, filled with mockery.

"So, it's about money. Well, what else could it be? It's not even a month yet; why the rush? Don't worry; your share won't be missing. Just wait. Can the Fu family, with all its wealth, really spare the crumbs for you?"

As an afterthought, he added, "In the future, don't bother calling me. If there's anything, I'll contact you."

The call ended, leaving Jisoo holding her phone, bewildered.

He despised her to this extent!

"Heh, hehe."

Jisoo, with a pallid face, felt the person who just asked him for money was extremely despicable!

She silently raised her hand, placing it on her still-flat lower abdomen... closing her eyes, tears streaming down.

...

Eight months later.

Philadelphia, the slums.

Jisoo lay in bed, asleep. Her belly had grown significantly, round and high.

Calculating the due date, it was these days. The doctor said her baby's position was not ideal and suggested early admission to the hospital.

Jisoo only smiled and said nothing.

Because she had no money.

Eight months ago, after the call with Reginald, who spoke cruel words, her living expenses...

Still hadn't arrived.

Jisoo depleted all her savings; the apartment was unaffordable. In the end, she had to move to the slums.

She didn't ask him for money again.

She couldn't face hearing him call her a parasite.

After settling into the slums, Jisoo found a part-time job while attending school.

Though she didn't earn much, saving a bit allowed her to fill her stomach.

In the midst of a sweet dream...

Suddenly, the surroundings erupted in clamorous shouts.

"It's not good!"

"There's a fire!"

"Run!"

Jisoo was awakened by the commotion, got out of bed, and opened the door. Outside, chaos reigned. Thick smoke billowed, flames reached the sky!

Instantly, her face turned pale.

"Sheng!"

A fellow student, also living in the area, saw her and rushed urgently.

"Why are you still here? There's a fire! Hurry, run!"

"Oh, okay!"

Jisoo rushed back anxiously, grabbing her backpack.

She still needed to go inside, but a neighbor caught her. "Are you crazy? Where are you going? Don't you run?"

"No! It's not okay!"

Jisoo stomped her foot in anxiety.

Her money was still inside—the savings she meticulously gathered, every penny, every dime, for her unborn child!

She relied on that money for future expenses—hospitalization, diapers, and formula!

"I have to go in!"

Just as she took a step forward, a beam broke off, falling from above!

"Ah!"

Jisoo reacted swiftly, retreating in time.

She was unharmed, but the way inside was now blocked.

"Jisoo! Quickly, go!"

"No!"

Jisoo shook her head vigorously; she couldn't leave! Pushing the neighbor aside, she charged inside.

"Ah!"

A stream of fire, pushed by the wind, rushed towards her. Jisoo turned her back, flames grazed her lower back, causing her to grimace in pain.

"Jisoo!"

The neighbor hastily pulled her. "Is it serious?"

"I'm fine. Cough, cough..."

She shook her head, but the thick smoke made her cough incessantly.

"Leave quickly!"

The neighbor held onto her, refusing to let go. "You can't go back in!"

"But..."

"Think about your child! This smoke can be deadly! If you persist, do you want to end up dead?!"

"Hurry, go!"

Half-dragged by the neighbor, Jisoo finally left the burning scene.

Now, her back was burnt, she couldn't retrieve the money, and she could only watch her shabby rented room being engulfed by flames, turning into ashes!

What was she going to do after this?

"Ah!"

Suddenly, pain struck, and Jisoo clutched her stomach.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?"

People rushed over.

"She's in labor!"

"Quick, call an ambulance! Take her to the hospital!"

...

"Ah!"

"Push harder!"

Jisoo was taken to the hospital, lying on the delivery bed, enduring through more than a dozen hours, a life-and-death struggle.

Finally, she gave birth.

The fair-skinned nurse handed the baby to her, and tears streamed down Jisoo's face, but she smiled.

This was her child...

Her family...

From now on, she wasn't alone anymore!

Closing her eyes, she fainted.

...

When she opened her eyes again, Jisoo held the baby, lowering her eyelids, saying nothing.

The fair-skinned nurse looked at her helplessly. She came to remind Jisoo to pay for the hospital stay. Jisoo paid, but it was far from enough.

Jisoo lowered her head, speechless.

She knew she was shameless, but she really had no money...

"Sigh."

The fair-skinned nurse, a soft-hearted person, looked at her. Seeing her so young, she guessed she had been abandoned by a heartless man.

"Don't you have any family or friends? Contact them and ask for help."

After saying this, she left without pressing too hard.

Jisoo raised her head, eyes filled with tears.

Family? Friends? She truly had none...

But she was a mother. She couldn't act like a scoundrel, owing money to the hospital!

Jisoo reached into her bag and pulled out her phone.

After eight months, she dialed Reginald's number again.

Ring... Ring... Ring...

After a long ring, it connected.

"Re..."

"Hello?"

She had just opened her mouth when a familiar female voice came from the other end – Emily!

"Is it Jisoo?" Emily smiled lightly. "Are you looking for Reginald? He's not convenient to talk right now, but you can tell me what you need."

Could she be this kind?

Hadn't she hated her to the core?

But Jisoo, at this moment, couldn't think about that.

She had run out of options!

She shamelessly said, "I, I wanted to ask if he... could lend me some money?"

She didn't dare to ask him directly. She would treat it as borrowing.

"Please, I'll repay him as soon as I have money! Thank you!"

"Oh."

Emily smiled and said, "Alright, I got it. I'll let him know. That's it."

"Thank you..."

Before Jisoo finished speaking, the call was already disconnected.

She held the phone, her heart pounding.

Would Reginald lend her the money? Perhaps he'd do it for her grandmother's sake, or maybe because they hadn't officially divorced yet...

However, days passed.

Jisoo didn't hear anything.

Two days later, she stood at the hospital gate with her bag and the baby.

Since she couldn't pay the hospitalization fee, she was kicked out.

Looking up at the sky, the winter sun pierced through Jisoo's closed eyes. Tears streamed down.

"Don't cry."

Jisoo gritted her teeth, silently warning herself.

"What right do you have to cry? You're a mother; you still have a child to raise! No crying!."

Yet, she was penniless, her slum house burned down, and she had nowhere to go...