Chapter 1: 100% Resentment Level, a Lucky Draw Wheel Appears!

(Brain storage area~~~ Please don't compare this to reality, babies~( ´ ▽ ` ʃ ♡ ƪ ) ( ´ ▽ ` ʃ ♡ ƪ ) ( ´ ▽ ` ʃ ♡ ƪ ))

The twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month. The cold wind was biting, and a light rain was falling.

Ling Yue walked out of the on-duty doctor's office. Her legs felt like they were filled with lead; every step she took was incredibly heavy.

Having just pulled an all-nighter, she felt as if a ghost had sucked away all her vitality. Looking like a withered husk, she collapsed powerlessly onto a cold chair, her bloodshot eyes staring in disbelief at the medical report she had crumpled in her grip.

She had cancer—early-stage stomach cancer.

Ling Yue exhaled and took out her phone to dial a familiar number.

"Beep, beep, beep..." It rang four times on the other end. After it connected, the noisy sound of a television blared from the other side. Her thoughts were stirred.

Vulnerable from her illness, Ling Yue choked up as soon as she spoke: "Mom..." This single word seemed to open the floodgates of her emotions. She... suddenly missed home so much!

A "hmph" came from the other end of the phone: "You still remember to call? You don't even come home for the New Year! Your brother's girlfriend's family officially visited yesterday. It's one thing that you didn't show up, but you didn't even send a gesture. Fortunately, the girl's side is reasonable and didn't mind."

Guan Xuemei's mouth was like a machine gun, completely unconcerned that her daughter, thousands of miles away, was spending the New Year alone.

Ling Yue's emotions caught in her throat, her chest feeling stifled. "There's triple pay for working overtime during the New Year... Mom, that's not why I'm calling."

Guan Xuemei's tone suddenly softened: "Then make sure to transfer the salary to me as soon as it comes in. I'll keep it in the card for you, so you don't spend it recklessly."

Ling Yue sighed. She didn't want to argue about the salary right now. "I know. Mom, please transfer 30,000 yuan to me from the card where I save my money."

"What? 30,000!" Guan Xuemei exclaimed first, her voice dropping sharply when she mentioned the 30,000 yuan. The noisy TV sound on the other end faded, and with the sound of a door closing, the other side went completely quiet. Ling Yue knew her mother had returned to her room. Immediately after, Guan Xuemei's dissatisfied voice came through: "Why do you need 30,000?"

Ling Yue's nose stung. "I'm sick, the doctor said..."

"You're as strong as an ox; it's impossible for you to be sick. Your dad and I are the ones with constant minor ailments! He coughs all day long. The doctor told him to stop smoking, but he won't listen! I can't be bothered to say anything anymore; let's see if he'll still smoke when he gets lung cancer! My back hurts too. I spent all day cleaning to welcome the girl's family the day before yesterday, and neither your dad nor your brother helped me! I cooked seven or eight dishes for lunch yesterday. The girl is a pampered miss, has no initiative, and doesn't lift a finger. I can tell she won't be diligent once she marries in. Sigh, I still can't straighten my back even now. Why is my life so bitter? I'm stuck with this family!"

After that long, rambling complaint, Ling Yue's head ached from listening.

She sniffled, rubbed her temples wearily, and forced herself to endure her discomfort. "I know. When I have time, I'll call Dad and my brother and tell them to help you more at home. But I'm not lying to you. They found early-stage stomach cancer, and the doctor wants me to have surgery as soon as possible. The cure rate for early-stage stomach cancer is extremely high, but delaying it will cause complications. I need to prepay a portion of the medical expenses. Please transfer 30,000 to me first. There should be some left over after using the employee medical insurance reimbursement."

"Money, money, money! Every time you open your mouth, it's about money! You Ling family members are all the same, all heartless ingrates! I am your mother! I already told you I'm feeling terrible right now, and you're still only concerned about your own illness! Your illness won't kill you if you don't treat it for a while, but your mother is about to be worked to death!"

After her outburst, Guan Xuemei started sobbing on the other end of the line. Being sick was already enough to break her, and the endless accusations made her even more agitated. "Is that my fault? When Dad and my brother make mistakes, why do I always have to be the one to solve them? Why are you always complaining to me every time you call? Why are you, Dad, and my brother the only things in your eyes? Didn't you hear me when I said I was sick? It's cancer! Stomach cancer! It's not a fever, a cold, or a sneeze!"

A few teardrops hit the cold floor, and the moisture gathering in her eyes blurred Ling Yue's vision. Under the cold fluorescent light, her helpless body trembled. However, the resistance of someone who is not valued ultimately carries no weight, like a single snowflake.

"Why are you yelling at me?!" Guan Xuemei's voice grew louder, full of resentment: "I haven't enjoyed a single day of happiness since I married your father, having just given birth to you and your brother, two infuriating things! I worked so hard to raise you, and now you're yelling at me! I know, you think I'm dragging you down, right? You have a boyfriend local to Hangzhou, so you're amazing, and you don't need your birth family's support anymore. Let me tell you, Ling Yue, you were born to me, so you should listen to everything I say! I have a hard life; don't you, as my daughter, have any responsibility for that?!"

It's always like this! She expresses her thoughts, she states her pain. The same tone, the same rhetoric. For twenty-five years, Ling Yue has been empathizing with her every day, occasionally having to act out scenes of deep mother-daughter affection. But now, she can no longer empathize. She is only twenty-five years old, and falling ill with cancer is undoubtedly the final straw that breaks the camel's back.

The more she broke down, the calmer Ling Yue became. In the end, even her tone became cold: "Whatever. Just pretend my conscience was eaten by a dog! The money I've saved with you over three years of working totals 80,000. You said you were keeping it as a dowry for when I get married. Now I need to take 30,000 from that dowry money for medical treatment. Transfer it to me immediately."

[resentment value 50%] [Lucky draw attempts: 0]

Ling Yue was focused on getting the money and didn't notice the numbers floating in the bottom right corner.

"Money, money, money! Where would I have money? Your brother's wedding betrothal gift alone costs 188,000! And my job doesn't pay much."

"What do you mean by that?" Ling Yue's lips trembled, a trace of unease rising in her heart. "You gave the money I earned from working as a betrothal gift?"

There was a second of silence on the other end of the phone. Then came Guan Xuemei's cold voice: "As an older sister, you should show some support for your brother's wedding. It's only 80,000, after all."

80,000... after all?

"That is my hard-earned money! I've given you money whenever you asked for it, but this time it's different. I need 30,000 yuan to save my life!"

The tears gathered in her eyes splattered everywhere with each question. Ling Yue's psychological defenses collapsed completely, and she burst into tears on the spot.

Since she was a child, everyone said her parents doted on her. At first, she firmly believed it. So much so that when she just graduated, her parents said they wanted to save money for her to use as a dowry when she got married, and she believed them. She only kept enough for rent and living expenses each month and gave the rest to her parents. Slowly, she realized that her parents only gave her verbal affection, while the actual benefits all went to her brother. She knew it was favoritism, a preference for sons over daughters. But she was afraid that exposing all of this would mean losing the warmth of her family and disappointing her parents. So, she pretended not to see it, carefully guarding the family affection.

But at this moment, Guan Xuemei poured a bucket of cold water that completely extinguished her wishful thinking. She finally saw clearly that her parents were feigning love just to better manipulate her money and suck her blood! Even the fact that she had cancer was not as important as her brother getting a wife.

Ling Yue was filled with hatred and resentment. "I don't care if you go and borrow it or get the betrothal money back. I'm not asking for much, just 30,000. I only need 30,000!"

Guan Xuemei spoke indifferently: "I've already borrowed from everyone to scrape together the betrothal gift for your brother; what relatives would still lend me money? Don't you have a boyfriend?"

Ling Yue's pupils constricted. "Wh-what?"

"You're going to get married sooner or later anyway, so it's only right for him to pay for your treatment. Consider it fulfilling his responsibilities in advance."

So, her own flesh and blood didn't care whether she lived or died, and even used emotional blackmail on a man with no blood relation to her.

Guan Xuemei said coldly: "I've done my duty by raising you until eighteen; that 80,000 can be considered as repayment for your upbringing. Ling Yue, one cannot be heartless. This money is what you ought to give. You don't need to feel aggrieved. An older sister must fulfill her responsibilities, and a child must share their parents' worries."

The betrothal gift was paid, and the daughter-in-law had one foot in the door of her family. Since she didn't need Ling Yue in the short term, Guan Xuemei couldn't be bothered to keep up the act.

"I'm tired. That's all." Beep, beep... "Hello? Hello!!"

Ling Yue tried to call back, but the call was hung up again and again. Heh. Honestly, Ling Yue really wanted to laugh. She laughed until she cried.

A passing Nurse saw her crying so pitifully, snot and tears streaming down her face, and thoughtfully handed her a pack of tissues. Ling Yue had a good cry. She saw her family clearly. She understood that getting medical treatment right now was more important than anything else.

She wiped her face messily with her sleeve, pulling herself back from her breakdown. The bank app showed there was 5,490 yuan left on the card. With a prepayment of 30,000 required, she was still short by 25,000.

Borrow from her boyfriend? No. This was the only pure relationship she had left; she couldn't bring herself to ask him. Borrow from friends? She was busy with work, hadn't been in contact with her college classmates for three years, and at work, she only had superficial colleague relationships with everyone. She had no friends.

After a brief moment of confusion, a look of determination appeared in Ling Yue's eyes. She opened the family group chat.

Ling Yue: @Guan Xuemei, @Ling Guofu. I've been sensible and obedient since I was a child. You said there was no money at home, so I took out loans for college. For three years after graduation, I gave you more than half of my salary, saving a full 80,000 yuan. You held onto this money saying it was for my dowry, but in reality, you gave it all to my brother as a betrothal gift. Now I am hospitalized with stomach cancer, in unbearable pain, and urgently need 30,000 yuan for medical treatment, yet I am met with your cold refusal. We are both your children; is my brother's marriage more important than my life? Are you really going to watch me die?

Ling Yue: @Aunt, @Aunt... Please help me persuade my mom. Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. I am only bothering everyone because I have no other options. Please, please.jpg Ling Yue: Remittance record.jpg Ling Yue: Medical report.jpg

She knew her mother; she loved to pretend and cared about face. Ling Yue still had some screenshots and hoped to use them to threaten Guan Xuemei into giving her money. This was her last resort. If there was really no other way, she would have to take out a loan. But even if it really came to taking out a loan, she didn't want to suffer in silence anymore.

Ten seconds later. The family group chat exploded.

Fourth Uncle: @Guan Xuemei. Second Sister-in-law, you can't do this! Third Sister: @Yue. Cancer? Oh my god! What's going on? Youngest Aunt: To be a mother to this extent, you might as well just bang your head against a wall and die. Aunt: @Guan Xuemei. The child is sick, why won't you give her money for treatment? Is it that you don't have it? Do you want me to lend you some? I won't charge you interest. Fourth Aunt: @Guan Xuemei. Oh, Second Sister-in-law, I heard you lost 2,000 playing cards with the in-laws yesterday? How come you can't even pull out 30,000 now? Don't blame me for not reminding you, as a mother, don't do things that break your children's hearts. ...

[resentment value 78%] [resentment value 94%] [resentment value 100%] [Lucky draw attempts: 1] [resentment value 20%]

"What is this?" This time, Ling Yue saw the string of words that appeared out of thin air. They popped up in front of her like a dialogue box, zooming in and out as if intentionally trying to attract her attention. She was about to reach out and touch it. Bang! A huge, colorful firework burst into bloom before her eyes! Ling Yue was startled. She realized belatedly that these fireworks had appeared out of thin air. The fireworks faded out like a PowerPoint slide, and then a large, colorful lucky draw wheel popped up!

Red triangular area: 1000x cashback; Purple triangular area: 100x cashback; Yellow triangular area: 50x cashback; Green triangular area: 10x cashback; Blue triangular area: 2x cashback; Silver triangular area: Mystery prize; On the wheel, the six colors were evenly distributed. Below the wheel was an orange button, and on the orange button was a line of small black text: [Lucky draw attempts: 1]

Thinking of something, Ling Yue's pupils shook!