One Life, One Love

"Wang, I'm scared. Let's just go. I can't do this,"

Cecilia Song said as she clutched the hem of her dress. A trace of nervousness was written all over her delicate face.

"Cecilia, we're already here. Don't you think it's too late to go back? And think about your mother. If it weren't for that bad man who drove recklessly, she wouldn't be in the hospital right now," Yvonne Wang replied.

As Cecilia Song thought of her mother, her eyes darkened.

Her cousin was the one who found out that the careless driver was the manager of J Group. She must actually thank her cousin. She couldn't do anything without her cousin's help. That man had been making numerous excuses just to avoid meeting them. Thus, she had no choice but to listen to her cousin's advice.

The knuckles of Cecilia Song's hands turned pale as her grip in the hem of her dress tightened. After a while, she let out a deep sigh.

"Yvonne, I really can't do it," she stammered.

"Why? What are you afraid of?" Yvonne Wang glared at her. "Don't worry too much. I've taken enough people with me. You won't be taken advantage of. Besides, we should get the money we deserve."

Eventually, Cecilia Song nodded her head. Her face flushed with excitement.

"Yvonne, you are right. He must pay for what happened to my mother. No matter what it takes, we have to get money from him today."

Yvonne Wang patted her on the shoulder and said, "Go upstairs and talk to him. If he disagrees with your demand, call me. I'll bring my people up to teach him a lesson."

"Okay," Cecilia Song replied with a nod. She then walked to the elevator resolutely.

In a fit of anger, she went straight to the 16th floor. Before they came here, their reliable source made sure to them that the man had checked in here tonight, and he was in Room 1616.

They even confirmed it with the hotel receptionist, so there was no doubt that he was here.

Cecilia Song stood in front of the door for a while. After taking a deep breath, she gently knocked.

After a while, the magnetic voice of a man was heard from the inside.

"Come in."

Her heart skipped a beat. But she tried her best to suppress the fear in her heart and opened the door.

"I am-"

Before she could finish her words, she was interrupted.

"You don't need to introduce yourself. I'm not interested." Shaw Yang had never been kind to greedy women. He walked up to Cecilia Song, held her chin, and forced her to raise her head.

Because of this, he got the opportunity to study her facial features. She had a delicate face, with lovely eyes and thin red lips. Her skin was fair. He couldn't deny the fact that he found her beautiful.

Cecilia Song raised her head and met his gaze.

She then realized that the man in front of her was undeniably handsome. He smelled so fresh too. When she noticed the water that dripped from his hair, she thought that perhaps he had just taken a shower.

'Is he really the driver? Yvonne said that the man is in his forties. He doesn't look like forty at all, ' she thought inwardly.

Shaw Yang didn't mind the confused look on Cecilia Song's face. He rudely dragged her to the bed and ordered, "Take off your clothes quickly. Don't waste my time."

Cecilia Song got more baffled. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Are you dumb? I said, take off your clothes."

Shaw Yang narrowed his eyes. A trace of impatience flashed through them.

Cecilia Song swallowed nervously as she ran back to the door.

"Sir, you don't understand. It's not what you think it is. I'm here to-"

She wanted to explain, but she was interrupted again.

Shaw Yang snorted, "Cut the crap. You can take the money and leave after our play."

"Play? What do you mean?"

Cecilia Song was definitely clueless about what he was talking about. While she was racking her brain to understand the situation, he pulled the towel that wrapped his waist and threw it on the floor. He then walked up to her, totally naked.

"Ahhh!"

Cecilia Song shouted in fright as she covered her face reflexively. "What are you doing? Don't you dare come near me! Otherwise, I'll call for help."

Shaw Yang's face darkened. If he had more time to spare, he would have kicked this woman out. He had seen a lot of women pretending to be pure. She wouldn't be able to play tricks on him.

"You don't like taking off your clothes by yourself?" he sneered. "Let me help you then."

"No way! You're a freak!"

Cecilia Song yelled as she tried to open the door. However, Shaw Yang pulled her back so effortlessly.

"Woman, don't make me lose my patience. You will not like it,"

he threatened as he threw her on the bed.

Cecilia Song was already on the verge of breaking down, but she suddenly remembered her phone. She took it out and called her cousin.

But Shaw Yang grabbed her phone and threw it to the floor rudely.

"What tricks are you trying to play?"

He bent over and looked at her coldly. Looking at his furious eyes, Cecilia Song shivered. She crossed her arms and held her shoulders to protect herself.

As Shaw Yang's handsome face got closer and closer to her, she got more frightened that she subconsciously covered her face.

He quickly pulled her hands and pressed her on the bed. She tried to struggle, but he was too strong for her.

She felt his breath enter her nostrils and fill her senses. She went blank, losing all the ability to think.

At this moment, they heard a knock on the door.

'It must be my cousin, ' Cecilia Song thought.

She started to struggle again. Shaw Yang frowned slightly and held her more tightly.

The door swung open, and someone spoke up. "Shaw, what is the meaning of this? Is this why you asked me to come over?"

Cecilia Song got the chance to escape from Shaw Yang's grip and turned her head, only to see a strange woman.

The woman was dressed fashionably. She looked so beautiful except for her high cheekbones that slightly ruined the beauty of her face.

Shaw Yang looked at the woman indifferently and said, "Veronica, I've already told you, I treat you as my sister. I'm sorry, but she's the one I like."

He then put his arm around Cecilia Song's shoulder, gently kissed her on the forehead, and pulled the quilt to wrap themselves together.

"I don't believe you!" Veronica stomped her feet. "It's impossible. What's good about this woman? She doesn't deserve you, Shaw. I know you're just lying to me."

Cecilia Song didn't know the woman, but upon listening to their conversation, she somehow understood what was going on. There was a big misunderstanding here. She was not the woman he was waiting to arrive.

She was about to say something when the door was kicked open, and some people rushed in.

"Yvonne!"

Cecilia Song shouted. She was about to stand up, but Shaw Yang held her waist tightly. She couldn't move at all.

Yvonne Wang's eyes stared at his arm that was wrapped around Cecilia Song. There was a trace of shock on her face.

'What the hell is going on? Why does Shaw Yang get involved with Cecilia?' she thought, feeling a little dizzy.

Trembling with anger, Veronica sobbed and shouted, "Shaw, who is this woman? How disappointing! Do you really think that this kind of woman is comparable to me? No way! You just wait. I'll go and see your dad now."

She then turned and ran out of the door. But before she could finally leave, she stepped on Yvonne Wang's foot deliberately.

Shaw Yang just watched her leave. When she was gone, he turned to look at Yvonne Wang and the men with her.

"You have already seen enough. Get out of here now."

Although his voice was low, there was an unquestionable power.

Yvonne Wang came back to her senses and drove away all the men who came with her.

"Yvonne."

Cecilia Song pushed Shaw Yang away and jumped off the bed. This time, he didn't stop her.

When they were already outside the room, she burst into tears.

Yvonne Wang dragged her into the elevator.

"Cecilia, what happened? Why were you in bed with that man?"

Cecilia Song felt more aggrieved after hearing her cousin's question. She sobbed and asked, "Yvonne, who is that man? Is he really the one who hit my mother?"

"No, he isn't." Yvonne Wang knocked her on the head impatiently. "He is Shaw Yang, the CEO of J Group."

"What?" Cecilia Song exclaimed. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Are you saying that he is the man who is said to be worth more than 100 million?"

Yvonne Wang nodded. After confirming that it was really him, Cecilia Song remembered something. Just now, Shaw Yang said that he would give her money after they finished their play.

And when she thought of that scene when he kissed her, her face flushed.

"Cecilia, tell me what really happened. Why was his fiancee also there? Are you okay? Did they bully you?"

Cecilia Song felt warm in her heart. She lowered her head and said, "No, they didn't. But he asked me to act before that woman came."

To avoid her cousin from getting worried, Cecilia Song decided not to tell her the whole story. Yvonne Wang was so surprised by what she said. "Act what? To make that woman jealous?"

Cecilia Song nodded. Yvonne Wang couldn't help laughing when she commented, "That woman ran out of the room because of anger. Your play was indeed successful. And since Mr. Yang seemed satisfied with your performance, I think you'll get enough money for your mom's medical expenses."

"What do you mean?" Cecilia Song asked in confusion. Yvonne Wang knocked her on the head again and said, "Let's go. I'll tell you on our way."

It was almost dawn when they got out of the hotel. They took a taxi to the hospital.

On their way to the hospital, Yvonne Wang explained what she meant to Cecilia Song. It was only then that Cecilia Song realized that if Shaw Yang could help them, everything would be solved. After all, the person who hit her mother was working in J Group.

But the question was, would he help her?

They arrived at the hospital, but they got a piece of bad news from the doctor. Her mother needed to undergo surgery right away. Otherwise, she would be disabled for the rest of her life.

After talking to the doctor, Yvonne Wang pulled Cecilia Song aside.

"Cecilia, go and find Shaw. He is the only one who can help us right now."

"Yvonne, do you want me to find him by myself?" Cecilia Song asked, feeling uneasy.

Yvonne Wang rolled her eyes and said, "So what? I don't think Shaw will talk to you if I'm there. Besides, no one will take care of Aunt Nancy if we go together."

Cecilia Song knew that Yvonne Wang was right. She turned to look at her mother's pale face and said through clenched teeth, "Okay. I'll go to him alone. Please take care of my mother."

"Don't worry. I will stay with her all the time."

"Thank you."

Cecilia Song returned to the hotel to see Shaw Yang again. But much to her dismay, he had already checked out. She then called Yvonne Wang, asked for his company's address, and hailed a taxi.

Ten minutes later, the taxi stopped in front of the building of J Group. Cecilia got out of the car and looked up at the magnificent building. Her heartbeat went abnormally fast.

Since she came from a poor family, she was not able to go to college. She could never have a chance to enter such a big company. As she stared at the enormous building, a sense of self-abasement and fear surged up in her heart. She took a deep breath before she stepped forward and entered the building. Yvonne had already instructed her to tell the receptionist that she was here for business.

The receptionist was not convinced but still accompanied her to the floor where Shaw's office was located.

Cecilia was too tensed that she even forgot to knock on the door. She just turned the doorknob and entered.

This time, Shaw was dressed neatly. He casually leaned against the chair, with a steady cold aura in his eyes.

He seemed to notice that someone else was inside his office because he raised his head unhappily.

"Which department are you from? Don't you even know the basic courtesy?"

he snapped. But when he recognized who she was, the angry expression on his face changed into surprise.

"It's you!" His eyebrows raised as he looked at her sarcastically. "You are too desperate to get your money. But if my memory serves me right, you didn't even give me a satisfactory service."

Cecilia didn't know what service he meant, so she didn't mind it. After all, she had a different purpose for coming here. "I'm sorry for being impolite. I'll go out and knock again."

She was about to turn around when Shaw spoke up. "Do you think I will accept that?"

Looking at Cecilia, who looked like a frightened rabbit, he smiled surprisingly.

Actually, when he came out of the hotel, he already knew that there was a mistake. He was even thinking about how to find her. Unexpectedly, it was she who came to him.

"Then... what do you want me to do?" Cecilia stuttered in nervousness. She wished she could just bite off a part of her tongue.

"Finish your unfinished task. Otherwise, you won't get a single penny from me." Shaw stood up and walked to her side.

She was really frightened by him. But still, she managed to say, "Do whatever you want to do. But after that, let me tell you something."

The smile on Shaw's face deepened. "If you say so."

To Cecilia's surprise, Shaw's lips covered hers. His familiar scent penetrated her nostrils, and she felt dizzy again.

But when she came back to her senses, she struggled. "Mmph! Let me go. You can't do this to me."

She pushed Shaw with all her might, feeling aggrieved.

In her twenty years of existence in this world, Cecilia had never been kissed by any men. Even her boyfriend was only able to hold her hands.

Shaw raised his eyebrows discontentedly and held her tightly in his arms. It was the first time that a woman had resisted him this much.

"Don't you want money?" His cold eyes squinted at her.

Finally, Cecilia found the opportunity to speak up.

"I didn't come here for the money. I'm here to tell you something else."

"Oh?" Shaw let go of her. She then added in a hurry, "I'm here to see your general manager."

"Albert Li?" Shaw frowned but motioned for her to continue.

Cecilia didn't hesitate anymore and told him everything.

Shaw listened quietly. The frown on his face deepened.

"Are you telling the truth?" he asked in a low voice.

Cecilia nodded hard, but she was perturbed. She couldn't help but worry that Shaw might choose to believe his employee.

This time, Shaw's face darkened. He picked up the phone and called his secretary. "Come to my office and take this lady to the lounge."

Five seconds later, a tall and beautiful woman came in. With a smile on her face, she said, "Miss, please follow me."

Cecilia followed the secretary without any questions. The secretary gave her a glass of water before going back to her desk.

Cecilia had been waiting for a while now, but no one came to her. As she paced back and forth inside the lounge anxiously, she got more and more convinced that Shaw would cover for his employee. When she couldn't stand it anymore, she pushed the door and walked outside.

As soon as she stepped out of the lounge, she bumped into a man.

"Where are you going?"

Shaw reached out to stop her. Cecilia stepped back in panic.

"I'm going back," she said, rubbing her fingers.

"Are you really sure that you don't need the money?" He deliberately protracted his voice. All of a sudden, he felt like teasing her.

Cecilia raised her head and asked excitedly, "Is he willing to compensate my mother?"

Shaw took out a check and said, "One million. If this is not enough for your mother's treatment, you can come back to me."

Cecilia's eyes widened in shock. Shaw was giving her too much. The doctor told her that she only needed fifty thousand dollars for her mother's surgery.

"This is actually... too much," she stammered

as she took the check from him.

Shaw's lips curved into a satisfied smile. He had proven that Cecilia was not a greedy woman, and he liked it.

"Do you need more money?" He continued to tempt her.

This time, Cecilia played it smart. She asked vigilantly, "Do you want me to act with you again?"

Shaw snapped his fingers. "You get it right."

Cecilia blushed and shook her head. "Sorry, I'm not good at lying. You'd better find someone else."

When she remembered Veronica, who cried at the hotel, she couldn't help feeling sorry for her. If Shaw didn't like Veronica, he could have just said it directly. It was wrong to hurt Veronica this way. Besides, Cecilia had a boyfriend who would be back in a few days. If her boyfriend misunderstood, she didn't know how to explain the situation clearly.

Shaw didn't expect her answer, but he knew that she made sense.

But still, he wasn't about to give up. "Why don't you think about it carefully?" He was like a wolf, finding a way to catch his prey.

Cecilia shook her head and refused firmly, "No, thanks. If you'll excuse me, I need to see my mother in the hospital now."

However, before she could even make a move, Shaw raised his hands and pressed her on the wall.

With a playful smile on his face, he said, "I'll let you leave now. But make sure that you won't come back to me and cry."

Cecilia quickly got out of his arms and said, "Don't worry. I won't come to you again."

She then ran away as fast as she could. She felt like a bunch of mice were racing inside her heart. There were two reasons why she felt so nervous. First, she got so much money that she didn't expect. Second, Shaw was not as cold to her as yesterday, and she could sense danger in it.

Cecilia only felt relieved when she arrived at the hospital.

"Cecilia, you're back. How was it?" Yvonne asked upon seeing her.

"It went well. I got the money."

Cecilia shook the check in her hand, and Yvonne grabbed it quickly. When Yvonne saw the amount written in there, her mouth turned into an O shape.

"This is so much money. How did you make it?" Knowing how timid Cecilia was, Yvonne couldn't believe her eyes.

Cecilia couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed. "Actually, I didn't do anything. I just told Shaw the truth, then he gave me the money."

Yvonne patted her on the shoulder and said complacently, "See? I was right." She then pulled Cecilia and urged her, "Don't be stunned anymore. Go and look for the doctor."

Cecilia nodded and went to the doctor's office.

When the doctor found out that she had enough money for the surgery, he arranged everything and scheduled the surgery.

After waiting anxiously for a while, a nurse finally came out and asked Cecilia to get the medicine. Cecilia rushed downstairs to go to the pharmacy. She was about to go back upstairs when she heard someone yell, "Stop!" She turned to see who it was, and she saw a woman squinting at her, looking like a proud peacock.

The moment she saw the woman's face clearly, Cecilia's face turned pale at once. She didn't expect to see Veronica here. When she remembered what happened that night in the hotel, she lowered her head.

"Can I help you?" Cecilia asked politely. She held the paper bag in her hands tightly, feeling a little uneasy.

Veronica grabbed the paper bag, and the medicine fell to the floor.

"How do you think a bitch like you can help me?"

But Cecilia seemed not to hear Veronica at all. Her attention was all on the medicine as she exclaimed, "My medicine!" She hurriedly crouched to pick it up, but Veronica stepped on it rudely.

"You bitch! Don't pretend to be pitiful. You looked so proud when you slept with my man. What's wrong with you now? Are you suddenly scared of me?"

Veronica kicked the bottle hard, and the transparent liquid gushed out of it.

Cecilia rushed over, hoping to save the medicine. Unfortunately, Veronica kicked her and Cecelia fell to the floor.

"Tell me, how did you hook up with Shaw? Make sure that you tell me everything clearly. Otherwise, you won't be able to take your medicine back."

"No, you don't understand. Let me explain," Cecilia said as she climbed toward the bottle.

"What? Are you still going to deny it? I saw everything with my own eyes. Do you think I'm stupid?"

Veronica got more furious and stepped hard on Cecilia's hand.

Cecilia groaned in pain. She tried to pull her hand back, but Veronica stepped on it harder.

"You're a bitch." Veronica looked down at Cecilia with mockery. "You don't deserve Shaw."

This time, Cecilia couldn't contain her anger anymore. She replied, "No wonder Shaw doesn't like you. You are a shrew."

Veronica poked Cecilia's forehead angrily and said, "Who do you think you are to say that to me?" She lifted her leg and kicked the bottle aside.

When she saw that the bottle of medicine was almost empty, Cecilia got more furious. She was timid, but she also had a bottom line. And that was her mother, who depended on her.

She stood up and hit Veronica's belly with her head. She was filled with grief and indignation now.

"Miss, you've gone too far. You have to compensate for my mother's medicine that you've wasted."

Veronica didn't expect what Cecilia did, so she stumbled.

Enraged, she yelled, "How dare you hit me!" She held onto the railings to steady her feet. Her beauty was already ruined by the ferocious expression on her face.

When Veronica recovered from the shock, she stretched out her hand and pulled Cecilia's hair. She then raised her handbag and smashed it on Cecilia's head. "I'll show you how powerful I am, so you will learn to get scared of me. I'll beat you to death, shameless bitch."

Since Veronica hit her so hard, Cecilia lost the strength to fight back. So she just held her head tightly and retreated. The security guard on duty noticed the commotion. He rushed to them to mediate. When Veronica finally let go of her, Cecilia found out that Veronica had pulled a lot of her hair.

"Miss Li, why are you here? Are you hurt? Do you need to see a doctor?"

The hospital director was shocked when she found out about what happened. But it was too obvious that her attitude towards Veronica and Cecilia was totally different.

She looked at Cecilia with disgust.

"Are you a patient here or a family member of a patient? What's your name? Don't you know the rules of this hospital? Who gave you the courage to make trouble here?"

Cecilia pouted upon hearing the hospital director's series of questions.

However, she still wanted to apologize. "I-"

But before she could finish her words, she was interrupted by a familiar magnetic voice.

"It was me who gave her the courage. Do you have any problem with that, Director Zhang?"

"Shaw?"

"Mr. Yang?"

"It's you!"

Cecilia, Veronica, and Director Zhang turned their heads simultaneously. They had different expressions on their faces when they heard and saw Shaw.

But the most surprised one was Cecilia. She had never expected to see Shaw here in the hospital.

Shaw strode towards her and asked, "Are you hurt?"

He then hugged her affectionately in front of Veronica and Director Zhang with eyes full of tenderness.

Cecilia was in a trance. If she hadn't caught a glimpse of the medicine at her feet, she would have been fascinated by Shaw's gesture.

"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern,"

she replied and bent down to pick up the medicine. However, Shaw stopped her.

"Leave that there," he said. He then looked at the hospital director coldly and ordered, "Director Zhang, get the medicine that Cecilia needs right away."

Director Zhang smiled awkwardly and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Yang. I didn't know that this lady is a friend of yours. Please wait for a moment. I'll get it now."

She trotted to the pharmacy as if she was afraid to make any delay and annoy Shaw.

Cecilia wanted to leave too, but Shaw did not intend to let her go.

"Veronica, this will be the last. I hope you won't disturb her anymore from now on. If you keep on pestering her, it won't do you any good,"

Shaw warned as he looked at Veronica expressionlessly.

Veronica's eyes turned red in an instant. "Shaw, am I really worse than her in your eyes? Or you can't move on to a new relationship because of my sister?" Veronica yelled and glared at him. "She is dead now. You will never ever see her again. I am the only one left in the Li family who can marry you."

"Enough!" Shaw snapped, which startled Cecilia. When she raised her head and looked at him, she saw some blue veins that appeared on his forehead.

"If you dare to mention her again, don't blame me for being rude to you. Get out!"

Shaw roared like an injured beast. Veronica gave him a resentful look, covered her face, and ran away.

When she was gone, it was only then that Shaw let go of Cecilia.

"Call me if you need anything."

He handed her a business card, turned around, and left. Cecilia was stunned for a moment. But when she realized that he already walked away from her, she heaved a sigh of relief and went back to the operating room.

Yvonne was pacing back and forth in the corridor. The moment she saw Cecilia coming towards her, she approached her and asked, "Where have you been? The doctor has been looking for you several times. Where is the medicine?"

Cecilia looked at her empty hands absentmindedly.

"Wait. I'll get it." She turned and ran away.

When she arrived at the pharmacy, the staff member asked, "Are you Cecilia Song? Here is your medicine."

"Thank you so much."

Cecilia took it in a hurry and went back to the operating room. When she handed the medicine to the doctor, the doctor nodded and said, "Director Zhang said that if you need anything, just let us know. And don't worry about your mother. The best nurse of this hospital will be assigned to take care of her."

Cecilia was so grateful. "Thank you, doctor. And please, thank Director Zhang for me too."

The doctor smiled and said, "You should thank Mr. Yang."

Yvonne, who had been listening quietly to Cecilia and the doctor's conversation, got confused, so she couldn't help asking, "Who is Mr. Yang?"

Cecilia pulled her sleeve and said in a low voice, "Yvonne, I'll explain everything to you later."

When the doctor left, Yvonne looked at Cecilia. She got more confused when she saw Cecilia's disheveled hair. "Cecilia, what happened to your hair?"

Cecilia stroked her messy hair and said anxiously, "Yvonne, stop asking any more questions for now, okay? Our main concern is my mother's condition."

Yvonne coaxed, "Don't worry. Aunt Nancy's operation was successful. She will come out of the operating room in a while."

"I hope she won't have any complications," Cecilia said.

"Everything is fine. She just needs time to recover. And if nothing goes wrong, she will be discharged from the hospital after a month."

"That's great!" Cecilia was so happy that she hugged Yvonne tightly. Now that her mother was out of danger, she felt relieved.

They had been chatting for a while now when the operating room doors opened again. The doctor assured them that everything went well, and they had nothing to worry about. Nancy was then transferred to a private ward. Cecilia didn't say anything. She already knew that Shaw must have arranged everything for her mother.

In the evening, Cecilia didn't let Yvonne take care of her mother anymore. Yvonne had already asked for several days' leave to help her in the hospital. Now that her mother's condition was stable, she wanted Yvonne to get some rest before coming back to work.

Yvonne didn't refuse, so she left after making sure that Cecilia was okay. Looking at her mother's pale face, Cecilia didn't feel sleepy at all. She couldn't help crying when she remembered all her mother's efforts and sacrifices just to raise her up and send her to school.

Cecilia grew up without a father. She had never seen him all her life. Every time she asked her mother about him, her mother would just cry. Later on, she decided not to ask anymore. She knew that her mother had a hard time raising her alone, so she didn't want to add to her burden. She'd dropped out of school when she finished the first year in the university. She tried to find a job to help her mother. But because of her educational background, she couldn't find a good one. As a matter of fact, she just had an interview in a tea house when her mother had a car accident.

Cecilia couldn't help thinking about her future. However, she couldn't have a clear vision of it.

She felt like she was overwhelmed by helplessness. Tears streamed down her face as she bit her lips to restrain the sob in her throat.

She cried for a while. Then Veronica came to her mind. She thought that if only she had a good family background, Veronica wouldn't be able to humiliate her. If Shaw hadn't arrived on time earlier, she really didn't know what could have happened to her.

Thinking of Shaw, Cecilia finally stopped crying. She took out the business card and stared at it for a while. She then decided to call him to thank him for helping her today.

Her call was immediately answered, but there was silence on the other end of the line. After a while, she heard the familiar magnetic voice, "Hello?"

"It's me, Cecilia." Cecilia thought that Shaw might not recognize her voice, so she introduced herself. "I'm... the one whose mother was hit by a car and hospitalized."

She couldn't understand why she would always stammer every time she talked to him.

Shaw chuckled and said, "I know you. What's wrong? Do you miss me already?"

His frivolous tone made her blush.

"No. I just called to say thank you."

"I didn't expect you to thank me," Shaw teased.

Cecilia took a deep breath and said, "I'm not an ungrateful person."

"Really? I don't think so," Shaw said.

"What do you mean?" Cecilia's voice was full of confusion.

Shaw answered, "I helped you get so much money, but you are not willing to help me. Is that what you call grateful?"

"You didn't ask anything from me. How can I help you?"

"Oh?" Shaw smiled cunningly. "Does that mean, you promise to do anything I ask from you?"

Cecilia straightened up and answered at once, "Of course."

"Great!" Shaw laughed. "From now on, you will pretend to be my girlfriend."

"What?"

Cecilia was utterly shocked. She was about to say something, but Shaw had already hung up. As a result, she had the most sleepless night of her life. Shaw's laughter rang out in her ears the whole evening.

Wasn't he cold to her before? When she remembered the way he asked her to take off her clothes at the hotel, she actually couldn't help trembling. But all of a sudden, he changed. He was domineering but charming now. As she thought about it, mixed emotions surged up in her heart.

Cecilia was filled with various fancies and conjectures all night. She hadn't gotten a wink of sleep yet, but her mother was already awake.

"Mom, does your leg still hurt? Are you hungry? I'll buy you something to eat." She was so happy that she asked a lot of questions excitedly.

The corners of Nancy's mouth twitched, and she said, "I'm all right, Cecilia. Don't worry about me now. I know that you have suffered a lot these days."

Nancy reached out her hand. Cecilia quickly grabbed it and pressed her face on it. Feeling Nancy's thin fingers, Cecilia's heart ached again.

She tried her best to hold back her tears and said, "Mom, have a good rest. The doctor said that if you recover fast, we can go home soon."

Nancy smiled and said, "I will do my best to recover as soon as possible. I don't want to tire you so much. Otherwise, you will lose a lot of weight, and you will become ugly."

Cecilia nodded vigorously. She was glad that her mother could crack a joke now. After a while, Nancy suddenly asked, "Where did you get the money for my surgery? Did Yvonne help you borrow from someone?"

"No, Mom. The man who hit you compensated. He gave me one million," Cecilia answered at once.

"What? Why did he give you so much money?" Nancy didn't hide the surprise on her face.

"Maybe he feels guilty," Cecilia said vaguely. She didn't know how to explain everything to Nancy.

Nancy didn't ask any more questions, but she frowned.

After a moment of silence, she asked, "Where is Hiram? Is he back?"

Cecilia shook her head. Hiram Liu was her boyfriend. Half a year ago, he moved to B City because of his work. Since then, they hadn't seen each other yet. He was always busy with his work, so they could only communicate through phone calls. But these past two months, he had barely called her. She didn't mind it that much because she was optimistic that he would come back to see her if he had time.

Nancy sighed. "When I recover, you can go and find him. I will only feel relieved when you get married."

Cecilia pouted. "Mom, what are you talking about? I don't want to get married yet." She didn't want to dwell on the topic, so she quickly changed the subject. "Mom, you haven't eaten anything since you were hospitalized. I'll go and buy you some bone soup now. The doctor said that it's good for your health."

"No, I don't want bone soup. Just buy me some porridge. Cecilia, don't spend too much money."

Cecilia did not reply. She ran out of the ward in a hurry and didn't slow down until she reached the elevator.

Actually, she was thinking of Hiram Liu. He knew what happened to her mother. He even said that he would come to see Nancy. But he didn't show up. He didn't even call. Was he really that busy?

Cecilia held the phone in her hand tightly. She hesitated for a while before she finally decided to call him.

"Hello? Cecilia, what's up?"

She felt happy to hear his voice. But when she was about to speak, she heard a woman's voice from the other end of the line.

"Who's that? Why would someone call you so early in the morning?" asked the woman. It seemed that she was just very close to Hiram Liu.

Cecilia asked, "Who's with you? Why do I hear a woman talking?"

Hiram Liu yawned and said indifferently, "I worked overtime last night, so I slept in the office. My colleague is next to me now. Well, I have to go. I still have a pile of work to do. My boss will check it when he arrives."

Before Cecilia could say anything, Hiram Liu hung up the phone. He didn't even mention anything about Nancy. Cecilia felt a little disappointed. But she comforted herself by thinking that he might be having a hard time working alone in a different city, so she silently forgave him.

Soon enough, Cecilia reached the hospital canteen. She ordered a bowl of bone soup and then sat by the window in a daze. Suddenly, a tall figure came into her sight, with a large fruit basket in his hand.

'Huh? Shaw? Why is he here again?'

Cecilia thought inwardly as she covered her mouth to hide her sudden nervousness.