Meng Jiuyi returned to the Meng residence at noon.

The Meng residence is located in a wealthy area of ​​Jiangnan. It is a European-style villa with bluestone paving the courtyard and flower beds planted with hydrangeas, which are Miss Meng's favorite.

When Meng Jiuyi entered, the maid softly called out "Second Miss".

Steam rose from the ceramic tea bowl in the kitchen. Meng Jiuyi guessed that Feng Ran, the matriarch of the Meng family, had a habit of drinking tea after her afternoon nap, and that she was probably already awake.

She didn't rush back to the annex; she went upstairs first.

Feng Ran was sitting in front of the dressing mirror, having her makeup done by a maid. Meng Jiuyi entered and said softly, "Auntie."

"You're back?"

Meng Jiuyi hummed in agreement, took the comb, and gently combed her hair.

Feng Ran said, "You're such a good child. Instead of visiting your mother after you came back, you came here to join in the fun."

Meng Jiuyi smiled insincerely, "Jiuyi is a grateful person. If it weren't for that old lady back then, my mother and I would still be wandering outside."

Feng Ran smiled.

"If only Yintong were as filial as you. She had barely settled back in when she heard that the Cen family had sent an invitation, and she rushed out to pick out a dress again."

"My sister has a romantic personality and loves lively atmospheres. She can make new friends at banquets, which is great."

"Speaking of making friends, why don't you come along tonight?"

Feng Ran gestured to the invitation on the table. The rose gold lettering on the sapphire blue invitation card exuded elegance at a glance.

"At your age, you should start thinking about yourself. Go see if there's a boy you like."

Meng Jiuyi's smile froze for a moment.

She had been there, and she knew exactly what kind of person she was in this circle.

High society is the most feudal place, where people wait for the highest bidder and are busy making connections with more useful people.

As for her illegitimate daughter, she's not even worthy of being called an embellishment; anyone who gets involved with her is lowering their status.

Meng Jiuyi has learned not to humiliate himself.

"I haven't thought about these things. It's enough that I can stay by my parents' and your side from now on."

Someone brought in tea, speaking cautiously.

"Madam, the tea is ready."

Out of the corner of his eye, Meng Jiuyi saw Mo Ruyue holding a cup of tea, standing nervously to the side.

Feng Ran took a sip and said calmly, "This kind of thing can be left to the servants."

"I can't stay idle."

Mo Ruyue smiled and said, "How about I comb your hair for you, Madam? Jiu Yi is still young, and I'm afraid he might hurt you without being careful."

"She's very skillful; she probably learned her massage techniques from you, right?"

"I'm glad I can help my wife."

Meng Jiuyi noticed that Mo Ruyue was looking at her, turned her face away, and then paused—Mo Ruyue's hand was red, probably from being burned while pouring tea.

Feng Ran said, "Alright, you two must have something to talk about, so don't stay here with me."

...

When Meng Jiuyi followed Mo Ruyue back to the annex building, there were many dishes on the table.

She wasn't hungry at all, but she still ate a little.

She lowered her head and casually asked, "Do you have any ointment for minor injuries at home?"

Mo Ruyue was taken aback.

"...Your hand."

Mo Ruyue was somewhat flattered. "This injury is nothing, it'll heal in a few days. Stay a little longer this time. Your voice sounds a bit dry, I'll make you something to eat later—"

Meng Jiuyi said, "Don't stay up any longer, I'll leave after I finish eating."

"You're just leaving like that?"

Mo Ruyue looked as bewildered as a child, and Meng Jiuyi hummed in response, pretending not to see it.

The steam from the pork rib soup rose to her eyelashes, but it couldn't warm her expression.

As she packed her things, Mo Ruyue carefully handed her an envelope. "Mom knows you've been taking care of your godmother. It's inconvenient for you to leave the Meng family home, otherwise I would definitely go to the hospital to see her. There's 20,000 yuan in here, you—"

Meng Jiuyi interrupted her, saying, "I have money, you can keep it for yourself."

After she finished speaking, she picked up her bag and left. Behind her, Mo Ruyue's longing figure was reflected in the glass window of the corridor, and she remained motionless for a long time.

---

On the way to the hospital in a taxi, Meng Jiuyi rolled down the window, and the hot air hit her face.

Certain thoughts crept in unexpectedly.

She suddenly remembered that many years ago when she first returned to the Meng family, because Meng Yintong didn't like her, no one cared about her thoughts and sent her to a boarding high school.

On weekends, she would peer out of the classroom window at the luxury cars that picked her up and dropped her off, hoping her mother would come to visit her.

But Mo Ruyue never came; she was busy taking care of her younger brother.

Longing for maternal love is like longing for a Barbie doll.

If you don't get what you want in childhood, you won't want it later.

She pulled herself back to reality, closed her eyes, and let the emotion slowly fade away.

Her phone vibrated, and she thought it was a message from someone, but it turned out to be an automatic news push. Just as she was about to delete it, another entertainment news popped up.

Meng Jiuyi frowned and clicked on it.

[Talking about the Third Young Master's enviable womanizing, first his rendezvous with actress Tang Ning, then his party in Los Angeles surrounded by beauties, suggests a possible cure for men's hidden pain!]

The accompanying photo was probably taken abroad. In the photo, there is a blue sea and sky, a luxurious white yacht, and several men sitting around a group of beautiful women.

Tan Yuchen Hao Ran was among them, still appearing from behind, but his hand was lazily resting on the chair next to him, and the brown watch strap on his wrist, with its starry dial, was clearly the same watch he had worn a few days ago.

This person is really busy.

Meng Jiuyi silently complained, realizing she had overthought things. The entertainment tabloids from a few days ago had no effect on him at all; he was already off having fun abroad.

She felt a little relieved, at least she didn't have to worry about him coming to her door.

May in Kyushu already carried a slight heat. After arriving at the hospital, Meng Jiuyi first went to see the attending physician.

The doctor said, "The patient has had a decreased appetite and a bad mood for the past two days. We performed an abdominal ultrasound and CT scan on her again. Given her condition, she should be in so much pain that she should be tossing and turning in bed."

Meng Jiuyi's expression froze.

"...You mean?"

“She already has fluid buildup in her abdomen, and the condition is deteriorating faster than I expected. She can’t wait until next month; I recommend surgery as soon as possible.”

Meng Jiuyi felt a sudden weightlessness beneath her feet and left, her mind heavy with worry.

She doesn't have enough money.

What should we do if we're still short 200,000?

Just give her another six months. Just six months! She'll definitely be able to raise the money.

She stood outside the ward, looking at the old man in the hospital bed through the window. The hardships of life had etched deep lines on his face. While others had dark and clear eyes, hers were gray and clouded, as if she had already cried herself blind.

Suddenly, I recalled her words, spoken with tenderness.

"You and Sui Sui are both my children."

Meng Jiuyi felt a lump in her throat and blinked hard.

The plump nurse who was taking care of her saw her when she came out and was about to speak when Meng Jiuyi put her hand to her lips, indicating that she should go to the restroom.

"Auntie Pang, there are six thousand yuan in here."

Meng Jiuyi gave her a card, "This is your nursing salary for this month."

"Miss Meng, you mustn't."

Aunt Pang said that the nursing home had already paid Aunt Zhang for the money she was owed for taking care of her.

"Listen to me."

Meng Jiuyi said, "Her condition has worsened, and I'd like to ask you to take care of her one more night so you can take turns. Also, she won't tell you directly what she wants to do, so you'll need to ask her. Could you please take her downstairs for walks more often? She likes the outdoors."

"Finally, I would really appreciate it if you could keep this a secret for me."

Aunt Pang was completely bewildered; this was the first time she had ever encountered someone doing a good deed anonymously.

I heard from the nursing home that even the money to send Aunt Zhang there was paid by Ms. Meng, who went to great lengths to keep it a secret and made it look like demolition compensation, showing the government's compassion for the elderly living alone.

"Miss Meng, if I may ask, what is your relationship with Aunt Zhang?"

Meng Jiuyi pursed her lips. "She is my best friend's mother and also my godmother."

Aunt Pang remembered that the nursing home had mentioned Aunt Zhang's daughter, who had passed away many years ago.

So Miss Meng is taking care of Aunt Zhang on her behalf?

"Why don't you go and see her? To be honest, she's an old woman and quite lonely."

The sparse sunlight fell on the camellia pendant on her chest. Although she was smiling, Aunt Pang could sense her sadness.

"She doesn't want to see me."

Afterwards, Meng Jiuyi took out his phone and found his father's number.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally dialed the number. When the other end answered, she called out a name she hadn't used in a long time.

"dad."

"Why are you calling at this hour?"

I want to find you—

"I'm busy. If you have any problems, go to your aunt. It's best if you can handle small things yourself. She's been taking care of herself lately, so don't bother her all the time."

He hung up the phone after saying that.

A cold beeping sound came from his ear, and Meng Jiuyi sneered.

She must be crazy to have any expectations of a father who sacrifices her whenever she's in trouble.

Thinking of the envelope Mo Ruyue had given her during the day, Meng Jiuyi hesitated for a long time but ultimately did not contact her.

She wasn't having an easy time in the Meng family either, and besides, 20,000 wouldn't be enough to solve her immediate problem.

With no one to turn to for help, Meng Jiuyi hesitated for a moment before joining groups of entertainment reporters to see if there were any tips he could earn.

Some of the big entertainment scandals on the market seem to be broken by reporters, but in reality, they are all based on information obtained by undercover agents who buy and sell information from each other.

The water here is incredibly deep.

Since she started doing this crooked and unethical thing, she set a rule for herself.

She planned to hide for half a month to close a big deal, but if something went wrong, she would have to hide for at least a month. A few days ago, she ran into trouble with Tan Yuchen, and her plan was to hide for two months, but she couldn't care less about that now.

Meng Jiuyi scrolled through many entertainment groups, but she didn't want to take on any of them because the prices were too low, and she didn't dare to take on any of them because the risks were too high.

She clicked into the group chat of top reporters, where many paparazzi were saying the price was good, but unfortunately, they couldn't join without an invitation.

Puzzled, she scrolled up and saw a request posted by a reporter surnamed Zhuo.

[The eldest son of the Cen family is hosting a wine tasting banquet at his mansion in Xining tonight. Reliable sources indicate that his arranged marriage partner will also be present. Anyone who manages to photograph the two of them will be offered 50,000 yuan.]

The price is quite good.

Meng Jiuyi's eyes lit up. She clicked on the picture, which was a sapphire blue invitation with elegant and precious rose gold lettering.

Wait a minute! Why does this invitation look so familiar?

She zoomed in on the picture and checked repeatedly. It was indeed the invitation card that Feng Ran had seen on her desk at noon!

Her heart suddenly pounded. Normally, she would have calmed down and observed the situation, but the surgery was still so expensive, Tan Yuchen had gone to the United States, and the mission wasn't very risky. She could sneak into the banquet and find out the news by taking advantage of the chaos.

Even if it's just for a few tens of thousands, she has to give it a try.

Meng Jiuyi dialed Feng Ran's number.

"Auntie, about the banquet you mentioned at noon, can my sister and I go together?"