Chapter 37: The Mistress Scorned by All

"I don’t need your reminder." Shen Ling felt a surge of humiliation rise within her. She gave a self-mocking smile, but refused to back down, lifting her head to meet his gaze with unwavering eyes.

"I never once thought that way, so you needn’t worry that I’d stoop to any means just to climb higher. Since you’re so fond of her, why not hurry up and marry her? Just one thing—surely you won’t mind giving me a severance fee, will you?"

With Bo Jinkan’s appearance, deep and lasting marks had already been branded into her life—marks she feared she could never wash away. If things were already so bad, let them get worse. When you’re covered in lice, what’s one more itch?

Bo Jinkan’s purpose was to warn her, but hearing her speak so straightforwardly, even taking the opportunity to ask for money, filled him with a suffocating anger that refused to dissipate.

He finally lost control, his voice as cold as ice. "You have no right to terminate the contract."

Shen Ling stared at him, her expression blank, her lips bitten so hard they’d turned white. "Are you really willing to see the one you love suffer? If we continue like this and Miss Wen gets hurt, don’t blame it on me."

Bo Jinkan looked at her coldly. "No one will know as long as you keep silent. Don’t resort to those despicable tricks."

Anger bubbled up in Shen Ling’s chest, and before she could hold herself back, the words tumbled out. "Don’t worry, I’d be glad if no one ever found out."

A flash of icy light gathered in Bo Jinkan’s eyes, chilling and formidable.

In a fit of fury, he grabbed Shen Ling and shoved her into the car.

She struggled with all her might, but how could she match his strength? He rammed her into the seat and slammed the door shut with a crisp click as the lock engaged. The man bore down on her.

Shen Ling, seething, had no intention of letting him touch her. She fought back desperately. In the struggle, her fingertips suddenly scratched his face, her long nails leaving a bloody line across his handsome cheek.

Bo Jinkan sucked in a breath, freezing in place, his gaze complicated as he looked at her.

Shen Ling was stunned too, biting her lip as she stared at the glaring red wound on his face.

"I…"

His eyes were mocking, fury seething beneath. "This is your duty. What, do you intend to remain chaste for someone else?"

She hadn’t expected him to say something so cruel. Swallowing her surge of anger, she shoved him away in silence, unlocked the door, and stepped out of the car.

Bo Jinkan did not follow.

Shen Ling’s mind was a tangled mess of conflicting emotions, her thoughts swirling in chaos.

Not long after, her phone rang. She answered it like a walking corpse, and the moment she saw the caller, her eyes flickered and anxiety took hold.

It was the hospital. Her heart sank as she picked up.

The nurse’s voice was urgent. "Your mother’s condition just took a turn. You need to come right away."

Shen Ling’s heart clenched tight. With no time for anything else, she ended the call and rushed to hail a cab to the hospital.

Only when she reached the top floor’s intensive care unit did she stop, catching her breath as she looked at the attending physician who had just stepped out. Gasping, she asked, "How is my mother?"

The doctor, knowing how many years she had persisted, felt a pang of sympathy, seeing how precarious her mother’s state was. But as a doctor, his first duty was to tell the truth. He kept his voice steady.

"Your mother needs surgery. Here’s the critical condition notice and the surgical consent form."

Taking them with trembling hands, she gripped the pen tightly. "Will she wake up after the surgery?"

"It’s hard to say," the doctor shook his head, regret heavy in his voice. "The odds of success are low. At best, the operation may only maintain her current state."

A chill settled in Shen Ling’s heart as she gazed toward the ICU, pain making it hard to breathe. Had all her years of effort been for nothing?

No. After all this time, she couldn’t give up now.

Weakly, she asked, "How much will it cost?"

"There’s not enough left in your account. You’ll need to pay at least eight hundred thousand up front—and that’s a conservative estimate. Post-op care could easily double that." The doctor sighed, wanting to advise her to stop treatment, but knowing it wasn’t his place.

Eight hundred thousand.

Shen Ling closed her eyes in despair. With no options left, she forced herself to ask, "Can you do the surgery first? I’ll pay as soon as I can."

The doctor shook his head, his tone gentle. "This surgery doesn’t qualify for hospital assistance, I’m sorry. That’s the policy. You need to raise the funds within three days."

Shen Ling fell silent for a moment. "I’ll find a way."

She looked at her mother through the glass one last time before leaving, reluctant to go.

Now, the only place she could get the money was from Bo Jinkan.

But she had just spoken so harshly to him.

Clenching her fists, Shen Ling knew she had no other path. No matter how unwilling, she had to do it. Her mother was all she had.

Swallowing her humiliation and grief, Shen Ling pulled out her phone and called Bo Jinkan.

He answered. There was a long silence, as if he was waiting for her to speak.

Taking a deep breath, Shen Ling’s voice softened, tinged with humility. "I’d like to request an advance of half a year’s payment."

Bo Jinkan let out a cold laugh, thick with mockery, as if ridiculing her for not knowing her place. "Shen Ling, do you think you’ve performed well these past two weeks? Why would I give you an advance?"

If she hadn’t been so desperate, Shen Ling would never have sacrificed her dignity, coming to him straight after a quarrel. But what else could she do? She could only endure his humiliation in silence.

No matter what, she had to find the money.

Hearing her silence, Bo Jinkan’s voice grew colder. "Why aren’t you speaking? Don’t you want the money anymore?"

Biting her lip, Shen Ling weighed her pride against her need. Pride meant nothing now. She softened her voice, trying to please the man she regarded as her enemy.

"I’m sorry. From now on, I’ll be whatever kind of lover you want me to be."

Her voice grew more and more subdued, a bitterness rising in her mouth, a metallic taste clogging her throat.

She loathed herself for this.

But she had no other choice.

Bo Jinkan laughed again, full of contempt. "Deep Blue Club. If you’re late, don’t bother coming."

He hung up. Shen Ling immediately hailed a cab. Catching sight of a supermarket ahead, she went in without hesitation.

Bo Jinkan was proud—this time, after she gave in, he would only torment her worse.

She bought a bottle of beer and a bottle of liquor. Once inside the cab, she began drinking heavily.

Better to be numb than endure humiliation while sober.

The driver kept glancing at her, worried she might do something drastic. After a few questions, he fell silent.

At the Deep Blue Club.

Shen Ling forced herself upstairs to the top floor and pushed open the door.

The man sat on a spacious leather sofa, his black shirt slightly unbuttoned, revealing his strong chest. He sat with his eyes lowered, watching her with a playful gaze.

"Take it off."

There was no warmth in his voice.

Shen Ling had known he wouldn’t let her off easily, but hearing that word, a fresh wave of humiliation suffocated her.

She walked into the private room and shut the door.

Blinking hard to hold back tears of shame, she clenched her trembling fists at her sides.

Turning to face Bo Jinkan, her complexion paled, her eyes misting over.

Seeing her standing still, Bo Jinkan grew irritated, his voice cold and laced with scorn. "Didn’t you want money? Five hundred thousand for each piece—take them off."