Zhang Mutian exclaimed in a low voice over the phone, "Mu Lingfeng doesn't like women?"
"You didn't know? He's gay!"
"I didn't know Mu Lingfeng was gay. A-Qing didn't want to go on a blind date with him because she looked down on him for growing up in the countryside, not because of his bad habits."
Zhang Mutian was telling the truth.
He really didn't know Mu Lingfeng was gay.
Even if he grew up in the countryside, he was still the eldest young master of the Mu Family. If A-Qing didn't want to marry him, they could just let the eldest daughter marry into the Mu Family instead. Forming a matrimonial alliance with the Mu Family would be beneficial to their Zhang Group and do no harm at all.
No wonder Ning Hao had agreed to play matchmaker; it turned out his eldest nephew was gay.
Zhang Mutian complained inwardly about Ning Hao, who was Mu Lingfeng's maternal uncle.
"Zhang Ling, did you two get your marriage certificate?"
Zhang Mutian pressed further.
"Dad told me to satisfy whatever demands the other party made. If he wanted to get a marriage certificate, I got one." Zhang Ling's tone was full of sarcasm; her father had sacrificed her lifelong happiness to curry favor with the Mu Family.
Zhang Mutian didn't know what to think. After a long moment, he said, "Mu Lingfeng is the eldest young master of the Mu Family after all, so marrying him won't wrong you. Come to think of it, you're marrying above your station. If you weren't Zhang Mutian's daughter, do you think you could marry Mu Lingfeng?"
"The Mu Family is A City's only hundred-billion-yuan wealthy family. The only reason you're able to marry in and become the eldest young mistress is because you're basking in my glory and A-Qing's glory. A-Qing yielded to you as an elder sister, which is why you have the blessing of becoming a young mistress."
Zhang Mutian had always been biased, partial to the children born to his second wife.
Clearly, it was he who had coerced Zhang Ling into taking her sister's place on the blind date, yet he turned around and claimed Zhang Ling had gotten the better end of the deal.
"Regardless of what Mu Lingfeng is like, since you've married him, you are his wife. You must fulfill a wife's responsibilities and take care of him. Even if he doesn't like you, you must remain loyal to your marriage and not cuckold him."
"I'll have my secretary transfer two million to your account shortly. That'll be enough to cover your mother's surgery and post-operative medication."
"As for the kidney source, you don't need to worry either. I promised you I would handle it, and I will."
"As for whether your mother's surgery will be successful, that I cannot guarantee."
Having lifted the heavy burden from his mind, Zhang Mutian didn't break his word after all, promising to give Zhang Ling a sum of money sufficient to cover her mother's surgery and post-operative medication.
"Transfer the money as soon as possible," Zhang Ling said coldly before hanging up the phone.
Because Zhang Qing looked down on Mu Lingfeng for growing up in the countryside and refused to marry him, her father had agreed.
Learning that Mu Lingfeng had no interest in women and was gay, her father felt not a shred of heartache that she would have to live like a widow in the future; instead, he lectured her about remaining loyal to her marriage and not cheating on Mu Lingfeng during it.
Zhang Ling shoved her phone back into her handbag and took a few deep breaths.
She told herself not to be upset.
Her father had ignored her for years, treating her as if she weren't his eldest daughter anymore—what else did she expect?
If her father had even a shred of conscience or regard for old times, she and her mother wouldn't have been driven to such a desperate pass, forced to sell their house and car to scrape together money for medical treatment.
After her parents divorced more than ten years ago, her mother had used that three hundred thousand to buy a small two-bedroom apartment, which became home for the two of them.
Her mother had been ill for several years, burning through all their savings. Zhang Ling had no choice but to sell their only home, and the car registered in her name was also sold off to someone else. Yet the money exchanged for it was just a drop in the bucket compared to her mother's medical expenses.
With no other way to raise money, she had been driven to ask her father for help.
The Zhang Group was flourishing at the height of its success, forming a stark contrast to the mother and daughter's plight.
Soon, Zhang Ling's phone chimed with a bank text message.
Two million had been deposited into her account.
With the money received, the stone hanging in Zhang Ling's heart finally dropped.
She had been genuinely afraid that she would sell herself and her father wouldn't actually cough up the money.
Zhang Ling hurried back to the hospital.
She accompanied her mother through her dialysis, then helped her back to the hospital room to rest.
"Mom, I'm going out to buy some food."
Zhang Ling prepared to go out and pack two takeout meals.
"Mom doesn't want to eat. Just buy one portion for yourself."
Mother Zhang was physically weak, lying on the hospital bed looking listless.
"Mom, you need to eat something. Don't worry, I still have money."
Zhang Ling knew her mother wanted to save money, which was why she always claimed she wasn't hungry; in truth, she just didn't want to spend anything.
Mother Zhang remained silent. After a brief pause, she said to her daughter, "Lingling, how about this—Mom won't get treatment anymore. Mom will check out and go home, and whatever happens, happens."
She didn't want to drag her daughter down anymore.
Her daughter was already twenty-six years old, yet she didn't dare fall in love or get married.
Because she had an ailing mother like her, she was afraid of being a burden to a prospective partner. Besides, knowing about her illness, those people wouldn't look favorably on her Lingling anyway.
Lingling was so exceptional and deserved a better man; she couldn't be dragged down by her.
"Mom!"
Zhang Ling sat down on the edge of the bed and said softly, "You don't need to worry about the money. I've already raised enough for your surgery, and there's even enough for your post-operative medication."
Hearing her daughter put it that way, Mother Zhang guessed the truth and asked, "Did you go find your dad?"
Before Zhang Ling could answer, Mother Zhang continued, "Your dad was willing to lend us money? His second wife keeps him on a tight leash, and your brother lives under her thumb, living a life worse than a dog's..."
Mentioning her son, Mother Zhang's eyes turned red.
At the time of the divorce, her husband had taken custody of their son, while their daughter had stayed with her.
She had thought her son would have a great life following her husband, but who could have expected that vicious woman to rise to the position of legitimate wife and proceed to torment and abuse her son?
With a stepmother comes a stepfather.
Zhang Mutian, a father who had once loved his son dearly, changed. Following the second wife's advice, he sent his eldest son abroad and forbade him from returning for years.
"Dad wasn't willing to lend me the money. He made me do one thing first, and only then gave me a sum of money—enough to pay for Mom's medical treatment."
If she needed more money down the line, her shoe store could reopen for business and make money; she wouldn't have to bow her head to Zhang Mutian again.
Mother Zhang asked anxiously, "What did your dad make you do? Don't let your dad use you—he's terribly cunning."
Back then, when they divorced, he lied to her by claiming the company's performance was poor. She believed it implicitly and walked away with three hundred thousand.
It wasn't until he high-profilely welcomed his mistress into the family that she realized she had been scammed.
As for her former husband, Zhang Mutian owed the start of his success largely to the help of her natal family, not to mention her accompanying him through the hard times. Yet after achieving success and renown, he had stabbed her in the back like this, leaving her heart completely dead.
If not for having her daughter by her side, she might not have survived that darkest of periods.
From then on, she harbored deep resentment toward her ex-husband, unable to let it go even after more than a decade.
Zhang Ling reached out to adjust the blanket over her mother and replied softly, "Mom, I got married."
"Married? You didn't even have a boyfriend—who did you marry? An arrangement your dad made for you?"
Mother Zhang's face darkened. "I knew he had no good intentions! Are you stupid, how could you agree to that? If there were a good match, would he arrange it for you? He would have arranged it for his precious darling daughter long ago."
Zhang Ling took hold of her mother's hand and said, "Mom, your son-in-law is very good-looking, and his family background is great too. He has a house in the downtown area, so we won't have to rent places to live in the future."
"Marrying him got us the money for Mom's treatment and solved my marriage problem all at once."
"Killing two birds with one stone, Mom. This is a good thing."
Mother Zhang: "..."
It was she who had dragged her daughter down.