Capítulo 182: Chapter 182 The Wrong Path
Jiangcheng Tumor Hospital.
Jin Shuhan sat on a bench in the hallway, tightly gripping her phone after hanging up. She stared at the name "Mr. Chu" on the screen, biting her lip hard. Her eyes betrayed insecurity mixed with a hint of regret.
She should have spoken up earlier.
Lately, she had been overwhelmed, juggling her studies, participating in variety shows, and acting in dramas. All this left her little time to care for her paralyzed father. The other night, when she returned to her rented apartment after filming, she found her father vomiting blood beside the bed. There was already a palm-sized pool of blood and stomach acid on the floor.
Panicking, Jin Shuhan called an ambulance and rushed her father to the hospital. After a series of tests, the diagnosis was confirmed: stomach cancer, stage two.
It was treatable, but the total cost was estimated to be between 300,000 and 350,000 yuan.
When Chu Yuxuan took over Qingya Media, he established a welfare policy: the company would cover 60% of the medical expenses for employees' immediate family members in the case of severe illness. So far, no one had taken advantage of this benefit.
Jin Shuhan knew that Mr. Chu would honor this policy. But even with 60% covered, she couldn't afford the remaining amount. Although she was currently filming in Wang Long's crew, she was only playing a minor role, and the only reason she got the part was because of Chu Yuxuan. Her pay was a mere 30,000 yuan, which was already a fortune to her—after all, the opportunity itself was worth much more than the paycheck.
But that 30,000 yuan had already been completely spent in just the past two days on various tests and hospitalization procedures.
Moreover, she had joined the variety show hoping to make a name for herself. Many people would pay huge sums just to participate, let alone advance as far as she had (just look at the competition from other talent shows). Ultimately, she was just a background actor. The show's production team only paid her 10,000 yuan per episode as a courtesy to Qingya Media, but even then, she had to share that with the assistants who helped her. These assistants were assigned by Zhao Yanan on behalf of the company, so she couldn't be stingy and pretend not to notice. How else could she maintain her reputation in the company?
In the end, the money she received was around 3,000 yuan per episode.
This was more than enough to cover rent and daily expenses, but now, it was barely a drop in the bucket.
With no other options, she thought about asking Chu Yuxuan to lend her some money to cover the remaining 40%. But when the moment came, she couldn't bring herself to say it.
Since signing with Qingya, Zhao Yanan had always looked out for her, and Chu Yuxuan had been particularly kind, even getting into conflicts with Wang Long for her sake. The kindness they showed her was far beyond what any mentor could offer.
A person should know their place. She hadn't brought any value to the company yet, and repeatedly troubling them didn't feel right, whether in terms of pride or propriety.
"Just ask the company to advance that 60%," she thought to herself. "Mr. Chu will definitely agree, and that should cover the treatment costs. The remaining expenses for the targeted therapies aren't urgent, so I'll figure something out in the meantime. If I can't gather enough when the time comes... I'll ask Mr. Chu for a loan."
Jin Shuhan frowned deeply, calculating her next moves while silently cursing fate. Why did life have to be so cruel? Her father had suffered enough—why did he have to endure even more? Couldn't she have just a little more time? With enough effort and Qingya's backing, it wouldn't take long to make her famous. In a few years, 300,000 yuan would be nothing—three million wouldn't even be a problem.
While she wallowed in these thoughts, a familiar figure appeared beside her.
"Shuhan!"
Jin Shuhan looked up and saw her class monitor, Zhou Jie. She quickly stood up and forced a smile. "Zhou Jie, what brings you here?"
Zhou Jie smiled and handed her an envelope. "You requested leave from our class advisor because your father was hospitalized, so the advisor organized a donation drive. Here, this is 8,200 yuan. The advisor donated 3,000, and the rest is from our classmates. Please take it."
"What? This… so much?" Jin Shuhan was at a loss.
They were all still students, and this amount was incredibly generous.
Zhou Jie gently forced the envelope into her hands. "Take it. I'm just here to deliver it, don't make me return empty-handed."
Jin Shuhan thanked her profusely, accepted the money, and the two of them chatted for a while. When Zhou Jie learned that the medical expenses were estimated to be over 300,000 yuan, she was stunned. After a moment, she casually mentioned, "That's a lot of money. How will you, a girl, manage to raise that much?… I do know a way to make money quickly, but… never mind."
Jin Shuhan hesitated, then asked, "W-What way?"
Zhou Jie looked conflicted for a moment, then whispered, "Shuhan, my family's situation isn't great either, but as you can see, I'm dressed head to toe in luxury brands. This bag alone cost over 50,000 yuan… Honestly, I work part-time at a club as a hostess. I just sing and drink with the clients, and I can make several thousand yuan in a night. Don't misunderstand—it's just drinking, nothing else."
Jin Shuhan frowned and lowered her head, staying silent.
Zhou Jie sighed softly. "I'm just striving for a better life. Who cares what others think of me? Once we graduate, we'll all go our separate ways anyway. Who will remember? I have no regrets."
With that, she glanced at the hospital room and sighed again. "Forget it. You should ask the class advisor if the school can help out with some funds. But don't get your hopes up—the school's there to cultivate talent, not act as a charity."
Jin Shuhan remained silent, squeezing the envelope in her hands until it crinkled.
Seeing this, a sly glint flashed in Zhou Jie's eyes. "I'll be off then. Take care of your father, Shuhan."
She turned to leave, but Jin Shuhan suddenly called after her. "What you said… is it true? Just singing and drinking can make that much?"
Zhou Jie turned back, tilting her head with a sly smile on her heavily made-up face.
How many innocent university girls had been led astray by women like her?
Ten minutes later, Zhou Jie exited the hospital and made a phone call.
"Hey, darling, miss me?"
"I do, but don't you have classes?" A lazy voice answered, yawning. "Did you handle what I asked?"
"I just did. She's as pure as they come, and she's even been on TV."
"Oh? Send me a picture."
Zhou Jie pouted. "You said it was for your friend, but I think you're tired of me and looking for someone new."
The man chuckled. "Of course not. You know you're the only one for me… Truth is, I have a friend who got into a fight with his dad recently and is still in the hospital. I need a favor from him, so I want to treat him well. You have no idea—he's very picky. Ordinary girls won't catch his eye. Anyway, he's getting discharged tomorrow. I'll send you the location tonight. Bring her there."
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