Chapter 38 Voluntary【VIP】
Yu Yingying took the tissue, her fingers trembling slightly.
"I didn't expect Miaomiao to be so ignorant. She even hurt herself just to watch that star's concert." Yu Yingying looked at the closed door, her voice choked with sobs.
"My parents divorced when we were very young. I left City A with my mother. My father said he would take good care of her, but after my younger brother was born the following year, he abandoned her and sent her to live with my grandmother in the countryside. My grandmother passed away a few years later, so my father brought her back to the city. A few years ago, I returned to City A for work and visited Miaomiao at school. I found her starving, eating plain rice at school and hanging out with a bunch of hooligans."
"At first I thought her father didn't give her money for food, but later I found out that she used all her food money to buy celebrity merchandise! She was obviously very well-behaved and sensible when she was a child, and her academic performance was always stable, but after entering junior high school, she became obsessed with chasing stars. I didn't expect that she would do such a thing for money." Yu Yingying's mother passed away a few years ago. She returned to City A thinking about her only sister, but she didn't expect Yu Miaomiao to become what she is now.
Lin Zhihua knocked gently on the door. "Can I come in?"
The house was silent and there was no response.
"Miaomiao, I want to talk to you for a few minutes." Lin Zhihua raised her hand and knocked again, but Yu Miaomiao still said nothing.
Yu Yingying looked at Lin Zhihua with some worry. She knew her sister's temper. She would be so upset that she wouldn't be able to calm down for a while. She would lock herself in her room for a whole day until she calmed down.
Lin Zhihua smiled and deliberately raised her voice. "I guess Miaomiao signed the contract to raise tuition and living expenses, right?"
A few seconds later, the door lock clicked open a crack. As Yu Yingying stared in surprise, Lin Zhihua pushed the door open and walked in.
In the room, Yu Miaomiao curled up on the bed with red eyes and tissues scattered around her.
"Here." Lin Zhihua handed her a bottle of Coke and sat down beside her bed. "Your sister asked me to get it. Drinking something sweet when you're unhappy will make you feel much better."
Yu Miaomiao unscrewed the bottle cap, took a sip, and tears welled up in her eyes again. "Sister, you misunderstood me without asking anything! I clearly didn't think that way!"
Lin Zhihua placed the tissue box next to her and sighed, "Miaomiao, your sister isn't angry because you used your money to chase stars. She has always supported your hobbies, hasn't she?"
Yu Miaomiao sniffed, then wiped her face with a tissue for a long moment. Over the years, her sister had indeed given her a monthly allowance and fulfilled her promise to take her to a concert if she performed well on her monthly exams. Her sister had attended her parent-teacher conferences and covered many things for her. Over time, she began to come to her sister for any problems she encountered.
Lin Zhihua sat beside her, not rushing to ask questions, but just quietly accompanying her. After a long while, she spoke: "Half a month ago, when I came to see my sister, I happened to run into her friend."
Yu Miaomiao bit her lip, her fingers unconsciously tugging at the crumpled tissue. "I heard their conversation. She's right. My sister is just my sister. She has her own life and will get married in the future. There's no need for her to waste all her thoughts on me."
"I got my acceptance letter. It's to a very good private university, and it's my favorite major. But the tuition is 48,000 yuan a year, not including accommodation." Yu Miaomiao's shoulders slumped. "My dad said he won't care about me after I turn 18. He told me to figure out tuition and living expenses on my own."
"I thought about not going to school, but my sister disagreed, and I was unwilling to do so either." Her tears welled up again. "My sister has had stomachaches for a long time and she doesn't even want to go to the hospital. I can't be so selfish and ask her to help pay my tuition again."
Lin Zhihua hugged her and said softly, "Miaomiao, there are many ways to save for tuition. You can apply for a student loan, and you can do part-time jobs to pay for your living expenses. How can you impulsively become a surrogate mother? You are playing with your own life."
"I didn't. I did this to give those who can't have children the opportunity to become parents." Yu Miaomiao looked up and wiped her tears. "Not only do I help others, but I can also make money. I can get a 50,000 yuan deposit just for signing the contract, and 800,000 yuan after the child is successfully born! With the 50,000 yuan deposit, my tuition will be taken care of, and my sister won't have to work so hard every day."
"If the match is successful this month, I can safely prepare for the birth at the institution during winter break, and then take another month of maternity leave before school starts. It's totally fine!" Yu Miaomiao counted off the items on her fingers. It seemed that this girl had also arranged everything after the surrogacy. "Ruian Hospital will provide the best medical services, and we will have regular free prenatal checkups. When we are about to give birth, we can move into the best presidential suite. The whole process is safe and painless, and all nutritional expenses during pregnancy will be reimbursed. Not only is food and accommodation provided, but even postpartum care will be arranged!"
Listening to the little girl's innocent words, Lin said, "You said it so well, how come eight hundred thousand becomes..."
Yu Miaomiao covered her forehead and curled her lips: "Dr. Kexin is clearly taking advantage of both sides. Of course I have to run away.
"From your tone, it seems like you still have some regrets. Isn't it true that Zhihua narrowed her eyes slightly, and then used the deposit to implant the embryo. After a few months, you got the balance and spent it lavishly. Not only did you solve the tuition problem, but you also got... Am I right?"
She hesitated for a moment, "I, I don't think so, don't tell my sister!"
"Yu Miaomiao, I'm a little curious now. Who told you that you can get 800,000 for surrogacy? It couldn't be a friend who successfully got the money who told you that?" Lin Zhihua's fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of the phone, taking in her childish performance.
Yu Miaomiao blurted out, "No, I saw it online! 'Loving surrogacy, high returns, help others, achieve yourself!' That's what the slogan said. I was so tempted that I clicked on the private message window from the ad."
"If you don't tell the truth, I'll have your sister lock you up until school starts." Seeing how tough she was, Lin Zhihua said indifferently, "Yu Yingying works at the Yujing Club, right? With her education, it would be hard for her to find a job in City A that pays better than that, right?"
Understanding the threat in Lin Zhihua's words, she was silent for a long time before she said, "A classmate of mine told me about the surrogacy. Her brother was born through surrogacy, and her family gave the surrogate mother 800,000 yuan at the time."
"So, she introduced this 'job' to you?" Lin Zhihua asked.
She nodded: "I guess so. She told me the address of the hospital."
Lin Zhihua softened her voice and tried to guide her: "What's her name? What did she tell you? And why did you go to the hospital today?"
"Her name is Tian Weiyu, and she's my high school classmate. We came from very different backgrounds, so we didn't really talk to each other at first. But she and I both liked Brother Xingran, and after that, we became much closer. Later, when she found out I was looking for a summer job, she recommended me to Ruian Hospital." Yu Miaomiao raised her eyes, but couldn't read anything on Lin Zhihua's face. She pursed her lips and continued, "My pre-pregnancy checkup was acceptable, so I can take this job. The hospital called me today and said that a prospective parent had taken a liking to me and asked me to come back for an evaluation. If everything is OK, I can sign the contract."
"Then what is the market price? I see that the doors of each ward on the third floor have different colors. Does it have any meaning?" Lin Zhihua asked suddenly.
"I'm not entirely sure what the colors mean, but for someone like me under 22, we're considered high-quality 'seeds,' and the starting price is at least 500,000!" Yu Miaomiao snorted. "That unscrupulous doctor clearly thinks I don't understand the market and wants to rip me off. The surrogacy fee for mothers over 30 is only 200,000. For someone like me who's just reached adulthood and is having my first child, I deserve 600,000, not a penny less."
"Silly girl, how can eight hundred thousand be so easy to earn?" Lin Zhihua shook her head and showed her a few photos on her phone. "Let's not talk about the harm pregnancy and childbirth do to women. Surrogacy can cause serious damage to the uterus. The 'customer' has customized needs, and the agency promises to specify the gender. But how do they specify it? One time isn't enough, so try again with an abortion. If the employer isn't satisfied with the fetus, you won't get a penny of the balance. Will you raise this newborn?"
"The hospital won't even give you half a million. Do you think the preferential treatment it promises is real? If you sign a contract, it won't be easy to get out of it."
Yu Miaomiao's face turned pale.
Lin Zhihua put away her phone, looked at the struggle in her eyes and sighed, "Did you know that surrogacy is illegal?"
"However, surrogacy is legal in many areas abroad." Yu Miaomiao pursed her lower lip. "It's about having free control over your own body."
"But in our country, that's absolutely not allowed." Lin Zhihua stared at her, her expression more serious than ever before. "Miaomiao, 'freedom' may not be a choice in some situations."
"If this loophole is opened, more and more women will be 'voluntarily' offered because 'selling their wombs' can make money faster than going to college. Women are not reproductive machines, and our bodies should not be treated as commodities, priced out of the market. Some may think this will save them the pain of childbirth and allow those who want to have children to do so, but who can guarantee they will always be the one to do it?"
Yu Miaomiao shuddered. She vaguely realized something and sat even more tense. "I, I didn't expect the consequences would be so serious. I won't be a surrogate mother anymore. It doesn't matter if I can't learn. I'm an adult now. I can learn a skill and make money..."
At this moment, the door was gently pushed open. Yu Yingying stood at the door with tears on her face. She walked forward and hugged her tightly, her voice choked with sobs: "Miaomiao, I'm sorry..."
It turned out that she had been listening outside the door. Yu Miaomiao shook her head and said, "Sister, I should say sorry. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. I won't do anything to hurt myself again. Sister, I will find a proper job that can support myself and your sister."
Yu Yingying smiled with tears in her eyes: "My Miaomiao has grown up. I have saved a lot of money for your college education over the years. I can definitely support your studies. Just focus on your studies and don't worry."
Seeing the sisters hugging and crying, Lin Zhihua quietly left the room and closed the door behind her.
"How is it?" Fu Shengyan stood up and walked to her side. He Anwen and Zhuo Jing also looked over nervously.
"I've recorded the conversation and will send you a copy later." Lin Zhihua shook his phone and talked about the important things.
He Anwen was excited. He grabbed the documents and was about to leave. "What are you waiting for? We have witnesses and evidence. Let's quickly arrest the person in charge of Rui'an Hospital."
"You can't go yet." Fu Shengyan stopped him and explained seriously to his puzzled look, "We might be able to prevent one or two cases and save a few girls, but so what? If Rui'an Hospital is gone, there will be more Xiang'an and Tai'an. The people behind him are the culprits. Chopping off one of its tentacles won't hurt at all. Losing the big picture for the sake of a small gain will only cause more girls to suffer."
The hospital is just a shell with limited value. If you move it rashly, it will easily alert the enemy and the real beneficiaries behind it will try to help you escape.
He Anwen calmed down. Zhuo Jing patted him on the shoulder and said seriously, "Lawyer Fu is right. The most important thing for us right now is to find the mastermind behind this and uproot this network of interests."
He nodded at the two of them and said, "I will report to the city bureau leaders and request that more police officers be mobilized to investigate Rui'an Hospital. I hope you can actively cooperate with the police."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
