Yuxi walked into her tiny apartment, closing the door behind her with a soft click. The silence was suffocating, heavy with the weight of everything that had just happened. She didn't bother turning on the lights. The dim glow from the streetlamp outside cast eerie shadows across the room, stretching over the small dining table cluttered with unpaid bills.
Her gaze landed on the latest hospital invoice, stark white against the dark wood. The numbers blurred together, but she knew what they meant—another payment due, another deadline she couldn't meet.
Her body trembled as she slumped onto the old, creaking chair, her hands gripping the paper tightly. Her father's voice echoed in her mind.
"Either marry Gu Zeyan or watch your mother die."
A bitter laugh escaped her lips. How had it come to this?
She used to believe her father loved her, once upon a time when it was just the two of them and her mother. Back when she was his precious daughter, Yang Meilin entered their lives like a storm, bringing along her daughter, Jiang Ruolan, and shoving Yuxi to the side.
She could still remember the warmth in his eyes when he used to carry her on his shoulders, the way he would ruffle her hair and promise to protect her. But now, he didn't even hesitate to trade her away like some unwanted burden.
Her fingers clenched the invoice, crumpling the paper slightly.
There had to be another way.
Yuxi pulled out her phone, her fingers trembling as she dialed one number after another.
She called every hospital financial aid program she could think of, explaining her mother's situation, and pleading for more time.
"I'm sorry, Miss Jiang, but we can't extend the payments any further."
"We understand your situation, but we have policies to follow."
"Our program is already full. There are no open slots for financial assistance."
Rejection after rejection.
She tried calling the bank, asking about loans. But without a stable job or collateral, she was denied.
Desperation clawed at her.
Maybe she could ask for help from an old friend?
She scrolled through her contacts, but each name felt distant. The few people she had once been close to were either too busy with their own lives or had long since drifted away.
And then, there was Lin Cheng.
Her finger hovered over his name.
Lin Cheng, was the only man who had ever pursued her persistently despite her constant rejections. The man who thrived on control. If she went to him, he would help her—but at a price.
A price she wasn't willing to pay.
With a frustrated sigh, she dropped her phone onto the table, burying her face in her hands.
There was no way out.
The next morning, Yuxi made her way to the hospital, exhaustion weighing down her steps.
The scent of disinfectant filled the sterile air, the quiet beeping of machines a constant background noise.
She pushed open the door to her mother's room, stepping inside carefully.
Madam Jiang lay still, her face pale, her chest rising and falling with the aid of the ventilator.
Yuxi swallowed the lump in her throat as she sat beside the bed, taking her mother's cold hand into her own.
"Mom… I don't know what to do," she whispered, her voice breaking.
Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them away.
"Dad wants me to marry Gu Zeyan. If I don't, he'll stop paying for your treatment."
Her mother didn't respond.
She never did.
Yuxi's fingers tightened around her mother's hand as a single tear slid down her cheek.
"I don't want to do this… but I don't want to lose you."
Her mother's breathing remained steady, unaffected by her words.
Yuxi inhaled deeply, composing herself.
"I'll find a way," she promised, even though she already knew what she had to do.
She brushed a strand of hair from her mother's face before standing up.
It was time to make a choice.
Yuxi left the hospital in a daze, her feet carrying her to a nearby park without thinking.
She sat on a bench, staring at the people walking past. A mother held her child's hand, smiling as she spoke softly to them. A young couple laughed together, their happiness almost tangible.
And here she was, about to give up her freedom for a man she barely knew.
She had heard the rumors about Gu Zeyan—cold, calculating, ruthless.
A man who never loved or cared.
Would he treat her like an object, just as her father had?
Would he toss her aside when he no longer had use for her?
Her stomach churned at the thought.
But this wasn't about her anymore.
This was about her mother.
With a deep breath, she pulled out her phone and dialed her father's number.
The phone rang only once before he answered.
"You've made your decision," Jiang Haotian stated, his voice devoid of warmth.
Yuxi gripped the phone tightly.
"I'll do it," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
There was a pause. No sigh of relief, no hesitation—just silence.
Then, he spoke.
"Good. The wedding will be arranged soon."
Her nails dug into her palm. "That's all you have to say?"
"What else do you want?" he asked coldly. "You should be grateful. Do you think an ordinary girl like you could ever marry into a family like the Gu's otherwise?"
Yuxi felt a lump form in her throat.
"You're selling me off like I'm nothing," she whispered.
Jiang Haotian let out a low chuckle. "Don't be so dramatic. You should be thanking me. At least Gu Zeyan is wealthy. Your mother will have the best care possible."
Her heart twisted in pain.
"Don't forget, Yuxi. If you back out now, she's on her own."
And with that, he hung up.
Yuxi lowered the phone slowly, staring at the screen as if it would erase everything that had just happened.
She had no illusions about what kind of life awaited her now.
She would be marrying a man who would never love her.
A man who probably wouldn't even acknowledge her.
She was walking into a future where she would be nothing more than a pawn.
But it didn't matter.
Because her mother would live.
She looked up at the sky, feeling the weight of her choice settle heavily on her shoulders.
There was no turning back now.
A single thought echoed in her mind.
What kind of life awaits me as Gu Zeyan's wife?