The rain came early that evening, soft and cold, blurring the faint lights of the countryside.
Xu Ling clutched the medicine bag to her chest as she rushed through the muddy path toward the hospital. Her grandmother's breathing had grown weaker again, and the doctors had already warned her — no payment, no treatment.
She had spent the day running from shop to shop, sewing until her fingers bled, begging for work that would buy another day of her grandmother's life.
All she had now was a handful of worn bills — not even enough for the next injection.
Her phone buzzed.
Xu Mei.
> "I can help you," her stepsister's message read. "I found someone who can lend you money. Come to the Phoenix Bar tonight."
Xu Ling hesitated. She never trusted Xu Mei completely — her smiles were too sweet, her words too polished. But desperation is a cruel thing; it makes hope sound like salvation.
And her grandmother's fragile voice still echoed in her head:
> "Ling'er, promise me… you'll live well."
So Xu Ling went.
---
The Phoenix Bar was a world far removed from hers — neon lights, laughter, perfume thick enough to choke on. She stood at the entrance, clutching her bag like a shield.
Her stepsister waved from the VIP lounge, dressed in silk and glitter, her smile dazzling.
"Over here! Don't be nervous, Ling'er," Xu Mei said warmly, guiding her in. "You'll just meet a businessman. Talk nicely, he'll help you."
Xu Ling frowned. "Businessman? I thought you said—"
"Relax," Xu Mei interrupted, forcing a drink into her hand. "You look too pale. Have this; it'll calm you down."
The drink was sweet — too sweet.
The room began to spin.
Voices blurred. Music grew distant.
She tried to stand, to ask what was happening, but Xu Mei's figure faded into shadows.
---
When Xu Ling woke, everything hurt.
She was in a strange room — silk sheets, soft lights, a scent she didn't recognize. Her head throbbed, and panic clawed its way through her chest. She tried to move, only to feel the ache between her legs.
Her trembling hands clutched the blanket, pulling it up to her chin.
And then she saw it — a man's cufflink on the table, engraved with two letters: L.W.
Her tears fell silently. She didn't know who he was, but she knew what had been taken.
By the time she stumbled out into the cold dawn, her world had already shattered.
---
Two days later, the whispers started.
Photos. Videos. Lies.
Her name splashed across social media — "cheap," "shameless," "gold-digger."
Xu Mei's perfect smile hid behind fake sympathy as she handed her a newspaper with her own face on it.
"Oh, Ling'er," she sighed. "Why didn't you think before doing something like this? Father's furious. Grandma must be ashamed."
Grandma.
Xu Ling dropped everything and ran.
But when she reached the hospital, the bed was empty.
Her grandmother — her only family, her only reason to live — was gone.
The nurse handed her a folded note, written in shaky handwriting.
> "Ling'er, don't cry. You did your best. I'll always be proud of you."
---
The world turned quiet after that.
For two weeks, she drifted through the days like a ghost — numb, hollow, lost. Until the morning she woke with nausea and trembling hands.
The doctor's words were soft, almost pitying.
> "Congratulations, Miss Xu. You're pregnant."
Her breath hitched. The world tilted again — only this time, there was something fragile inside her worth holding on to.
She pressed a hand to her stomach, tears spilling down her cheeks.
> "Don't worry," she whispered. "Mommy will protect you."
---
But when she went to the city — to find the man with the initials L.W., the only clue to her child's father — the guards outside the Lu Corporation barely let her in.
When she finally stood before him — tall, sharp-eyed, the embodiment of wealth and power — he didn't even remember her.
"Pregnant?" His voice was low, cutting. "Miss Xu, I don't pay women to trap me. Leave before I make you regret this."
The humiliation burned through her chest. "I'm not lying," she whispered. "You—You're their father."
He turned away, his tone ice.
> "Get out."
And that was the moment her last strength broke.
That night, under the pouring rain, Xu Ling stood by the riverbank — her hair soaked, her eyes empty. The water below churned and raged, calling her name.
She looked up at the sky one last time.
> "Grandma… I'm coming home."
Then she stepped forward.