In the hot summer holidays of July, the tarred roads exuded a pungent smell of lacquer under the scorching heat of the sun, as if they were melting.

The air above the ground shimmered as hot air evaporated under the heat.

On an extremely sunny day like this, the street was very quiet. Even the traffic flow was low. Everyone was in cooler places to avoid the heat.

Wearing a washed-out white shirt and pair of dull suit pants, a woman dashed towards the Second People’s Hospital.

Her hair was plastered to her sweaty face and her cheeks had an unusual flush. Obviously, she was badly scorched by the heat.

Her white shirt was wet due to sweating and she felt uncomfortable. But Qiao Nan had no time to worry about all that. She held tightly to her bag, where 100,000 yuan could be found.

She had sold all her valuables and painstakingly raised this sum of money. Her elder sister’s surgery cost 200,000 yuan. She would have to find a way to raise the remaining 100,000 yuan.

Headed straight to the ward, as Qiao Nan’s hands touched the doorknob, she overheard the conversation between the mother-daughter pair in the room.

Mom, it was all Qiao Nan’s fault. If not for her, Da Jun would not have divorced me.” This was the voice of Qiao Zijin, Qiao Nan’s sister.

“Stop crying, I’ve already disciplined Qiao Nan,” said Ding Jiayi, Qiao Nan’s mother, as she held her elder daughter’s head, as her heart ached.

Qiao Nan, who was standing outside the room, was shocked. Hasn’t her sister had an affair which resulted in Chen Jun divorcing her? But what did this have to do with her?

At the thought of Chen Jun, Qiao Nan felt a tinge of sadness.

Chen Jun was Qiao Nan’s boyfriend. However, Qiao Zijin became pregnant with his child. Ding Jiayi chastised Qiao Nan for this. She said that Qiao Nan had malicious intent and was a small brute with no conscience as she not only snatched her own sister’s boyfriend, but also forced her to abort the foetus.

Eventually, Qiao Nan had to give up the relationship with Chen Jun and allowed them to be together.

“Mom, Da Jun divorced me. My child is also not by my side and I have contracted this kind of illness. What should I do? Mom, I do not wish to die. I have not fulfilled my filial piety as a daughter to you. I really do not wish to die.”

In the ward, Qiao Zijin hugged Ding Jiayi and cried. She was still so young and had a bright future ahead of her. Qiao Zijin really did not wish to die.

Ding Jiayi was extremely touched when she heard her elder daughter’s intent to be filial to her despite being seriously ill.

Ding Jiayi patted Qiao Zijin’s back and said, “No. Mom will not let anything happen to you. Owing to Qiao Nan, that wretched girl, Mom has already raised the expenses for you. When we have 200,000 yuan, you will recover soon.”

Shortly after Qiao Zijin divorced Chen Jun, she had kidney failure and needed an immediate kidney transplant.

However, Qiao Zijin was in the wrong in this marriage as she had an extra-marital affair. Hence, she left the marriage without any maintenance or marital compensation. Now that she had contracted this illness, she had no means to pay for her medical bills.

Although Qiao Nan had been used to her mother’s favoritism, she could not help but feel hurt by this conversation.

She was already 40 years old. After she broke up with Chen Jun, she never had another relationship. It was not that she was not willing to, it was because her mother would not let her.

Over the years, she had given most of her income to her mother. Her mother used the money that she had earned and bought a 150 square-meter suite for her elder sister. She had to stay in a 90 square-meter rented apartment.

She paid all her parents’ household bills. Everytime her sister visited her parent’s home, her sister brought something but also took away more when she left.

At this age, she was still not married and had been teased by others as being left on the shelves. Qiao Nan knew that her mother would not let her get married as she wanted her to continue giving her household allowances.

But this was her own mother. Every time she planned to attend a match-making session, her mother would make a fuss and threaten to commit suicide. Qiao Nan had no choice.

All these efforts seemed to be in vain when she heard her mother calling her a wretched girl. Especially after she heard that Qiao Zijin was pushing the entire blame of her extra-marital affair and divorce to her, she held on tightly to the money in her hand. Suddenly, she did not feel like giving the money to Qiao Zijin.

Before Qiao Nan left, she heard the last conversation which left her in utter despair.

“Mom, it’s not so easy. What if I cannot find a compatible kidney even after Qiao Nan has raised the money? The doctor said that as long as my next-of-kin could donate a kidney to me, the match would be better and my body would not face rejection so easily.”

In the arms of Ding Jiayi, Qiao Zijin said pitifully, “If I could have a loved one’s kidney, most likely I would be able to reduce my medical treatment expenses.”

“It would not be so easy to find, some people died before the opportunity came!”

Qiao Zijin knew very well that money alone was not enough to solve her problem and allow her to continue to live on. She had to find other alternatives.

“Would you like me to go for the blood test?” Ding Jiayi asked with some hesitation.

Qiao Zijin shook her head again and again. Her mother was already old and her kidney was definitely not as good and healthy. Since she would be having a transplant, she might as well get a good one. “Mom, you gave birth to and raised me, I can’t bear to let you go under the knives. Same for Dad as well.”

“That...” Ding Jiayi thought for a moment, and her eyes lit up. “When the wretched girl comes, I’ll get her to do the blood test. She is your biological sister. I am sure it will be suitable!”

“Sounds good. But Qiao Nan may not agree. After all, this is a kidney.” Qiao Zijin had a scheming look in her eyes.

For the sake of survival and as a precautionary measure, she would never let Qiao Nan reject this.

“Miss Qiao, you came to see your sister. Why won’t you go in?” Qiao Zijin and Ding Jiayi heard the nurse’s voice at the door during the conversation.

Qiao Zijin’s face changed greatly. “Mom... was our earlier conversation overhead by Qiao Nan, that wretched girl?”

Without a word, Ding Jiayi got up and ran out. She saw Qiao Nan’s back and shouted her name loudly.

Qiao Nan heardDing Jiayi’s shouts. She refused to turn back or stop. Tears were rolling down uncontrollably. She was heartbroken.

For the sake of her mother and sister, she did not even have a home of her own. However, they not only schemed for her money, but also wanted her kidney.

Ding Jiayi might not have fully understood Qiao Zijin’s words, but Qiao Nan did. The more she did, the more she hated. She felt that even if she had owed the Qiao family, she had sacrificed enough!

Perhaps maternal love was indeed “noble”. Seeing that the younger daughter had run away, Ding Jiayi was afraid that the elder daughter’s illness would not be cured. Ding Jiayi’s steps quickened, caught up with Qiao Nan and fiercely grabbed Qiao Nan’s hair.

“You wretched girl! You obviously don’t have a conscience. You know that your sister is having such a serious illness, and you still want to leave her in the lurch. Come here...”

Qiao Nan’s head hurt and just as she tried to tell her mom that this was dangerous on the street, a car came towards her.

There was a deafening crash. Qiao Nan was in so much pain that she could not speak. She forced herself to open her eyes as she wanted to see how her mother was.

Having released her hand when she saw the incoming car, Ding Jiayi was really scared. Seeing her younger daughter lying in a pool of blood, she ran over and said, “Qiao Nan, you... if you were dead, it might be a good thing too. At least you can help your sister. Zijin would have both kidney and money!”

If her younger daughter was killed, the person who hit her must compensate them.

When she heard Ding Jiayi’s words, Qiao Nan gave Ding Jiayi a deadly stare. Before the ambulance arrived, she would have been driven to the grave by her!

It was so hot. Qiao Nan felt like she was on fire, as if her entire body was burning to ashes.

After a long struggle, Qiao Nan finally opened her eyes. She did not see a white ward, but an old and familiar room.

“Mom, Nan Nan is sick, is it alright that we leave her alone?”

“It’s fine. Your sister is very tough and used to a hard life. Such a minor illness will not take her life. Moreover, she will be starting school the day after. It is a good thing that she is sick, so that she can’t enroll in school.”

Concerned about matters related to her elder daughter, Ding Jiayi figured that if her younger daughter missed the opportunity to enrol for school due to the illness, she could then cajole the wretched girl to give up her studies and find a job to earn income.

“Mom, this watermelon is so sweet. Take a bite too.” Satisfied with what she had heard, Qiao Zijin smiled and fed Ding Jiayi a mouthful of watermelon.

When she heard the dialogue between the mother-daughter pair, Qiao Nan, who had a high fever, finally knew where she was.

Time had turned back to 25 years ago, and she was back at the house of the Qiao family. The then 15 Year-old Qiao Nan had a high fever and missed the school’s enrolment deadline. It was the year that she was cajoled by her mother to quit school and find a job to support Qiao Zijin.

That year, “You wretched girl, why did you kick the door. Who do you want to scare?” Ding Jiayi’s face, that displayed no sign of guilt, turned black. She pointed at Qiao Nan’s nose and started scolding.

Qiao Nan was hanging on despite her sickness, “I have a fever. Where is the fever medicine?”

“What fever medicine? You’ve already finished it. There isn’t any left.” Ding Jiayi’s eyes had a tinge of guilt as she said that.

Ignoring Ding Jiayi, Qiao Nan went to look for the medicine. In her previous life, she did not take any medicine and her fever worsened. She was not sent to the hospital in time and almost had meningitis.

Because of this, her family incurred extra medical expenses. This made her believe her mother’s words that she had depleted the family funds to cure her illness. That was the reason that she quit school and worked to support Qiao Zijin.

“You wretched girl, what are you looking for?!” Qiao Nan’s action angered Ding Jiayi. Ding Jiayi grabbed and pulled back Qiao Nan’s hair with her left hand, while she slapped Qiao Nan’s face with her right hand.

The sound of the slap was cold and deafening.

With the slap in her face, Qiao Nan’s ears were buzzing. Her face did not hurt but her nose was sore and painful. Her nose started bleeding uncontrollably, like an open faucet, staining the collar of her shirt.

“If you are sick, go and lie down. Stop being a devil!” Ding Jiayi gathered that Qiao Nan would not be physically strong enough. She wanted to drag Qiao Nan back into the room and let Qiao Nan continue to sleep. No matter what, she would not let Qiao Nan have her medicine.

If the wretched girl recovered, she would definitely enrol in school and waste their money.

Ding Jiayi intended to let Qiao Nan continue to be sick until a month after school commenced.

Want to have your medicine? Wishful thinking!

At this time, Qiao Nan saw through Ding Jiayi’s plan. She would not be willing to concede. She banged her head against Ding Jiayi’s body.

This move did not hurt but was too unexpected. Ding Jiayi was stunned and withdrew the hand that she used to pull Qiao Nan’s hair. Qiao Nan took the opportunity to run out of the house.

“The wretched girl!” Ding Jiayi, who was a few steps behind, stomped her feet and shouted, “If you have the guts, don’t ever come back!”

This was the first time that Qiao Zijin saw Qiao Nan rebelling. She was stunned. “Mom, what happened to Nan Nan? Didn’t she used to obey you on everything?”

Don't bother about her.” Ding Jiayi patted her elder daughter’s hand and did not seem affected. “Despite having a fever, she ran out and refused to rest at home. She is intentionally looking for death.”

Qiao Nan, whose head was burning, only wanted to run, but she had no idea what to do after that.

Qiao Nan bumped into someone. The nose that had not stopped bleeding felt more sore and her tears started to roll.

“Be careful.” It was a man with a deep and low voice. Compared to the hot June season, the voice that came to Qiao Nan’s ears was cool. Qiao Nan’s waist seemed to have fallen onto an arm that was as sturdy as steel.

As Qiao Nan regained her footing, she came to her senses only after shaking her head three times. When she looked up, he saw a pair of cool eyes that looked as sharp as a blade.

“You have a fever?” the man frowned when he came into contact with Qiao Nan’s body. When he saw the blood on Qiao Nan’s collar, his sharp lips turned straight. “Follow me,” he said.

Qiao Nan followed the man, feeling confused. It was only after she was seated on a soft sofa that she regained her senses.

“Fever medicine.” The man’s cold voice came, as he handed her the medicine in one hand and held a cup in the other.

Given her situation, Qiao Nan had no time to be shy about this. She took the medicine from the man’s hand and swallowed it. She then looked up at the man carefully.

The man was very handsome – a chiseled face, thick eyebrows that exuded a sense of justice, straight and upright nose, charming but forbidding eyes. His lips were pursed, like he was unhappy. Qiao Nan could not help feeling a little nervous.

“Zhai... Brother Zhai?” Qiao Nan called out to confirm the man’s identity.

“Yes,” Zhai Sheng replied coldly.

Upon confirming that she had not recognized the wrong person, Qiao Nan breathed a sigh of relief. Same as Qiao Nan, Zhai Sheng belonged to the group of children who stayed in the same quad. He was different to everyone else.

He had done well since he was a child. Not only had he studied well, he also had a good physique and joined the army early. Unlike others who simply gave up their studies to join the army, Zhai Sheng continued to study and juggled both. He had not only participated in various fitness regimes in the camp, but he had also attained a Higher Diploma.

Because Zhai Sheng had both qualifications and experience, he progressed very quickly in his career based on his own ability without relying on his family, until he had attained the highest position. Even Qiao Nan’s mother was often proud to have lived in the same quad as Zhai Sheng.

“Thank you, Brother Zhai.” After recognizing the prominent man in front of her, Qiao Nan realized that her nose had stopped bleeding and her hands were clean. However, her clothes were still red with stains in the chest area.

The person who had helped Qiao Nan to stop the nosebleed was, of course, Zhai Sheng.

“No worries. You just took the medicine and you need to rest. Sleep for a while.” Zhai Sheng nodded coldly and started reading the document, written fully in English, that was in his hand.

When Zhai Sheng has a heavy heart.

After the fever subsided, Qiao Nan’s head was more sober. She recollected the memories of that entire year.

Qiao Nan was born into a respected family.

It was just that her grandparents did not survive through the 1970s. After their death, her father joined the army with the help of her grandfather’s good friend, and married Ding Jiayi.

The older generation were usually patriarchal, especially Ding Jiayi. When she gave birth to her first child – Qiao Zijin, Ding Jiayi consoled herself that she would bear a son next.

When Ding Jiayi was preparing to have a second child, a national planning policy was launched.

In order to have a son, Qiao Dongliang and Ding Jiayi were expelled from the party and lost their cradle-to-grave jobs. They were pregnant with a second child but it was their younger daughter – Qiao Nan.

This year would be Qiao Nan’s third year at the high school. Qiao Zijin had taken the middle school examination and would be enrolled in high school soon.

Qiao Nan attended school earlier in the morning. Nevertheless, Qiao Nan had always performed well and was consistently ranked top in school. On the contrary, Qiao Zijin’s results in school were not good. Qiao Zijin was dissatisfied about this.

In the previous life, Ding Jiayi lied to Qiao Nan. She said the family’s money was depleted because she was sick. Even the money for Qiao Zijin’s school enrollment was borrowed.

But a few years later, Qiao Nan found out that their savings had not been used for her medical expenses. It was her mother who had taken it to use for bribery for Qiao Zijin’s sake.

Since her fever had subsided a lot, Qiao Nan breathed a sigh of relief. At least in this life, her mother could no longer hold her to ransom with her illness.

In this life, regardless of the situation, she would not quit her studies and work to support Qiao Zijin. She would lead a life of her own!

When Qiao Nan reached home, Qiao Dongliang was pushing his bicycle home as he was off-duty during this time.