The black Rolls-Royce Cullinan glided through the city streets like a silent predator. Inside, Lu Chen sat in the plush leather interior, a sharp contrast to the grime he had inhabited for three years.
"Young Master," Chen Bo, the family's head steward, said while looking at a tablet. "The Director of Central Hospital, Dr. Han, is currently overseeing the eviction of your sister, Lu Mei. He is doing so at the request of the Zhang family."
Lu Chen's eyes narrowed. "The Zhangs? My 'ex-fiancée's' family?"
"Yes. Zhang Yan is there now. She reportedly wants the VIP suite for her grandmother's minor cosmetic recovery."
"A minor surgery is worth more to them than my sister's life?" Lu Chen's voice was a low growl. "Speed up."
Central Hospital – VIP Wing
In the hallway of the hospital's top floor, a scene of chaos was unfolding. Nurses were nervously wheeling a bed out of a room. On the bed lay a pale, frail girl—Lu Mei—hooked up to a portable oxygen tank.
"You can't do this!" a young nurse protested. "Patient Lu is in critical condition. Moving her to the general ward hallway is a death sentence!"
"The general ward is too good for her," a sharp, high-pitched voice interrupted.
Zhang Yan stood there, dressed in a Chanel suit that cost more than a janitor's yearly salary. Beside her stood Director Han, who was bowing and scraping to her.
"Dr. Han, why is this trash still in my way?" Zhang Yan asked, checking her manicure. "My grandmother will be here in ten minutes. I don't want the smell of poverty lingering in her suite."
"Of course, Miss Zhang," Dr. Han said, turning to the nurses with a snarl. "Move her now! Her brother is a penniless janitor who hasn't paid the bill in weeks. This is a hospital, not a charity!"
"My brother... will pay..." Lu Mei whispered weakly from the bed, her hand trembling.
Zhang Yan laughed, a cold, mocking sound. "Your brother? Lu Chen? I just sent him a text telling him we're officially over. He's probably scrubbing a toilet right now, crying over my picture. He's a loser, and you're a burden."
Just as a security guard reached for the bed to push it toward the service elevator, the heavy double doors at the end of the hall swung open with a bang.
The sound of rhythmic, heavy footsteps echoed. A group of men in black suits flooded the hallway, pushing the hospital security aside like they were made of paper.
At the center of the formation was a man in a simple white shirt and dark trousers. He still wore his old sneakers, but the way he carried himself made the entire hallway feel small.
"Brother..." Lu Mei gasped.
"Lu Chen?" Zhang Yan squinted, then smirked. "How did you get up here? Guards! Throw this janitor out! He's probably here to beg for a loan."
Director Han stepped forward, pointing a finger. "You! You owe this hospital $50,000! If you don't have the cash, get your sister out of that bed and onto the floor!"
Lu Chen didn't look at them. He walked straight to his sister's side, taking her cold hand in his. "I'm here, Mei. No one will ever move you again."
"Are you deaf?" Zhang Yan stepped up to him, the scent of expensive perfume clashing with the sterile hospital air. "I bought this suite for the month. It's mine. You and your dying sister need to—"
SLAP!
The sound echoed like a gunshot. Zhang Yan's head snapped to the side, her cheek instantly turning a violent shade of red. She stumbled back, falling against a medicine cart.
"You... you hit me?" she gasped, her eyes wide with shock. "A janitor hit me?!"
"I didn't hit a lady," Lu Chen said coldly. "I hit a dog that forgot how to bark quietly."
"Guards! Kill him!" Director Han screamed.
Before the hospital guards could move, Chen Bo stepped forward, holding a black titanium briefcase. He opened it, revealing a stack of legal documents and a gleaming black card with a gold dragon emblem.
"Director Han," Chen Bo's voice was icy. "As of two minutes ago, the Lu Group has acquired 51% of this hospital's shares. You are no longer the Director. You are unemployed."
Han froze. "What? That's impossible! This hospital is worth billions!"
"To the Lu Family, it's the price of a lunch," Chen Bo replied. He then turned to the nurses. "Move Patient Lu back into the Presidential Suite. Prepare the Global Medical Team. If she so much as coughs uncomfortably, this entire wing will be demolished."
The nurses, sensing the shift in power, immediately began working with renewed vigor.
Lu Chen turned his gaze to Zhang Yan, who was shaking on the floor.
"You wanted this suite, Yan?" Lu Chen asked, looming over her. "You can have it. But only after you pay me back every cent I spent on you during our three years. The dinners, the gifts, the loyalty you threw away."
"Lu Chen... I... I didn't know..." she stammered, her voice trembling. "We can talk about this! I still love you!"
"Chen Bo," Lu Chen ignored her. "The Zhang family has a shipping contract with the Jade Tower, don't they?"
"Yes, Young Master. It accounts for 90% of their revenue."
"Cancel it," Lu Chen said, walking toward the suite. "By tomorrow, I want the Zhang family to know exactly what it feels like to be 'trash'."
As the doors to the Presidential Suite closed behind Lu Chen, Zhang Yan let out a blood-curdling scream of despair. In one minute, she had gone from the queen of the city to the daughter of a bankrupt ghost.