Chapter 17 Hysteria

Chapter 17 Hysteria

The bus arrived at the station. I went to visit my grandma and bought some fruit.

When Lin Mianmian pushed open the ward door, the smell of disinfectant hit her.

Grandma lay on the hospital bed by the window, so thin she was just skin and bones. Her cloudy eyes were half-open, staring at the ceiling. An oxygen mask covered her pale face, making a faint sound.

The room was relatively quiet, with only the regular beeping of the monitor.

Lin Mianmian had just put down the fruit basket she brought and hadn't even bent down to say a word to her grandmother when, with a bang, the door was kicked open again.

Her mother, Wang Shumei, rushed in like a whirlwind, followed by her younger brother, Lin Yaozu, who was as weak as mud and unable to move.

Wang Shumei, reeking of cheap perfume, her eyes wide open, rushed straight to Lin Mianmian, grabbed her wrist without a word, and dug her nails deep into her flesh: "Lin Mianmian! Quickly give me the money to save your brother, something terrible has happened to him!" Her voice was shrill and aggressive, making the ward buzz.

Lin Yaozu stood behind her, fresh bruises still on his arms, his face full of defiance. Yet, he didn't forget to give Lin Mianmian a disdainful look.

Wang Shumei spat on Lin Mianmian's face: "Yaozu lost money gambling outside and owes 200,000 yuan in high-interest loans! They said if he doesn't pay back the money today, they'll break his leg! You're his older sister, you have to give him money to save him!"

As she spoke, she suddenly pointed to her grandmother on the hospital bed, "Look at the old lady, she's so old and she still has to worry about her grandson. You, as her older sister, should have some conscience!"

"Moreover, if you pay off Yaozu's debt, I'll allow you to sit at the table for dinner." Wang Shumei believed she had offered an incredibly tempting deal.

Lin Mianmian thought that buying her brother an iPhone would stop them from causing trouble. It seems she underestimated them; she couldn't keep tolerating them, otherwise they would only become more and more unreasonable.

Lin Mianmian shook off her hand and retorted, "Lin Yaozu's gambling is his business, why should I cover for him? What does it have to do with me?"

"Just because you're his sister. Even if he commits murder and arson, you'll have to take the blame. He's our family's only son; how will he carry on the family line if he's gone?"

"I'm already being lenient by not asking you to buy a house for your brother, and you're still being picky?"

Lin Mianmian was filled with rage upon hearing her mother's outrageous remarks.

With a firm gaze and an uncompromising tone, he said, "I'm not taking this money. You'd better give up now."

Grandma shifted restlessly in her hospital bed, making muffled sobs. Her oxygen mask was askew, and Wang Shumei's loud voice made her breathing rapid.

Wang Shumei saw that Lin Mianmian remained unmoved and uncompromising.

She glanced sideways at the old woman, her eyes darting around, and suddenly reached out and roughly yanked the oxygen tube: "Stop pretending to be dead! Get up and say something to your grandson, make his sister pay up!"

Grandma coughed violently as she was pulled, her chest heaving, and the monitor immediately went off.

Lin Mianmian rushed over to protect her grandmother, her eyes red with tears: "What are you doing! Are you crazy?"

Lin Yaozu: "If you don't give me money, Mom said she'll bring me here every day to 'take care' of Grandma." It was a blatant threat.

"You know, Mom is incredibly attentive to people. She can spill food all over herself while feeding someone, and she can make someone fall off the bed when she turns over!"

Lin Yaozu deliberately kicked the chamber pot next to the bed, making a clanging sound, and the stench instantly spread.

Wang Shumei hummed in agreement: "That's right! I'll just pull out the oxygen tube, it's all your fault anyway! If you don't pay me, I won't have an easy time either, and I won't let you have an easy time either!"

That's utterly shameless.

Lin Mianmian dug her fingertips into her palm. She looked up and stared at Wang Shumei, whose greedy, twisted face was full of calculation, ferocity, and ugliness. Her words were aggressive, as if her grandmother's life was merely a bargaining chip.

This person was actually her biological mother.

They casually give birth to their children, without any responsibility, as if they were merely products for their own amusement.

It's utterly ridiculous! Is this what parents are like? Do they even deserve the word?

"Two hundred thousand, not a penny less!" Wang Shumei stood up and approached, spitting on Lin Mianmian. "Transfer the money now! Otherwise, I'll 'turn things around' for the old lady!" As she spoke, she pretended to grab her grandmother's arm.

Suddenly, a large hand grabbed Wang Shumei's wrist. It was Bai Xiulin, who came up with security guards and "invited" the troublemaking mother and son out.

Before leaving, Wang Shumei shouted loudly, "Lin Mianmian, you bitch! I will never let you go! You just wait!" Grandma was transferred to a VIP ward by Bai Xiulin, where security guards were on duty 24 hours a day, so they weren't afraid of them causing trouble. After settling Grandma in, the two of them left the ward.

"Are you alright, Mianmian?" Bai Xiulin asked gently.

"It's okay, thank you." Seeing the little girl in front of him, who was clearly wronged but pretending to be strong, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

"How much does it cost to stay in a VIP ward? I'll pay you." The girl said earnestly.

Bai Xiulin chuckled, looking at the young girl with doting eyes: "20,000 a night."

Lin Mianmian's pupils dilated in surprise, and she said with a hint of apology, "I can't come up with that much money right now, but I'll work hard and pay you back slowly, okay?"

"You don't need to pay me back, but you have to promise me one thing." "?" The little girl was full of doubt.

"I haven't decided yet. I'll tell you when I do." Bai Xiulin gently stroked Lin Mianmian's soft hair, his eyes filled with tenderness. "Let's go, I'll take you back to school. You still have one class left, don't you?"

How did he know? "I asked Xie Lin." To avoid making the girl overthink things, he made up a story.

Lin Mianmian, naive and clueless, actually believed it.

Lin Mianmian finished her class in the evening and headed to the cafeteria for dinner. She decided to try the cabbage from the cheapest stall. She found a table and sat down.

At dinner time, the restaurant was bustling with people and the atmosphere was lively.

Lin Mianmian sat alone in a corner by the window, taking small bites of her simple meal, trying to minimize her presence. However, trouble always seems to find its way in.

A commotion grew louder as it approached, and Bai Susu walked in, surrounded by a group of men and women. Today, she was wearing a Chanel suit, her makeup was exquisite, and her smile was gentle, like a princess surrounded by stars.

Most of these people came from humble backgrounds, and some of them were eager to curry favor with the Bai family.

The Bai family isn't exactly a wealthy and powerful family; they're nouveau riche who only became wealthy last year. Compared to established wealthy families like Xie Lin, Liang Cheng, and Bai Xiulin, they're worlds apart.

They chose a long table not far from Lin Mianmian and sat down, chatting and laughing without any restraint.

Soon, people noticed Lin Mianmian, who was all alone.

A guy dressed in trendy clothes with his hair dyed an exaggerated color spoke first, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the surrounding tables to hear: "Hey, isn't that Lin something, the one who's always following Xie Lin around?"

The girl B next to him immediately understood and replied in a low but clear voice with a flippant mockery: "Tsk tsk, look at what she's eating, just boiled cabbage? She can't compare to our Su Su."

Upon hearing this, Bai Susu gently furrowed her beautiful brows and softly advised, "Don't talk about Mianmian like that. Her family isn't well-off, and it's already quite an achievement for her to get into A University."

Her words, seemingly to help Lin Mianmian out of a predicament, actually reinforced her image as "poor" and "from the bottom class."

Girl B, who wanted to curry favor with Bai Susu, immediately said in a shrill voice, "Susu, you're just too kind! You're clearly the young master's fiancée, the victim. You're already so wronged, yet you're still taking the side of this mistress."

"Exactly, Su Su is just too kind." The boy scoffed, deliberately raising his voice, "Young Master Xie is just playing around with her, just looking for something new. Su Su is the real young mistress."

Girl B: "Look at her pretentious act, I wonder how shameless she is behind my back." Malicious glances and whispers were like fine needles piercing Lin Mianmian from all directions.

She could feel her face burning, and the knuckles of her fingers gripping the chopsticks turned white.

She lowered her head, trying to block out the noise, telling herself not to care, and to leave as soon as she finished eating.

However, those people had no intention of letting her go. The female Bilibili user stood up, swaying her hips as she walked to Lin Mianmian's table.

She asked insincerely, "Hey, Lin Mianmian, eating alone is so boring, why don't you come over and join us? It'll be fine if you have another pair of chopsticks." The condescension and insult in her words were extremely obvious.

A few suppressed snickers came from the surrounding area.

Lin Mianmian took a deep breath, raised her head, looked calmly at Woman B, and then glanced at Bai Susu, who seemed helpless but actually had a slight smile on her lips, and slowly said, "No need, I'm used to eating alone."

Her voice was clear and neither humble nor arrogant: "I feel at ease eating my own food."

Lin Mianmian's attitude provoked him, and the boy immediately slammed his hand on the table and stood up angrily: "Lin Mianmian, what do you mean by 'you're ungrateful'? Su Su kindly invited you, and this is your attitude!"

Bai Susu then stood up at the opportune moment, grabbed the boy, and began to act: "A-Jie, don't make things difficult for her. Mianmian is just insecure."

The more "kind and generous" she appeared, the more it highlighted Lin Mianmian's "ungratefulness" and "aloofness."

Lin Mianmian glanced at him, her face full of speechlessness. Seeing that Lin Mianmian was taking advantage of his kindness, the boy pointed at her nose and was about to start cursing.

A small commotion suddenly broke out at the restaurant entrance, and everyone instinctively looked over.