115: Chapter 115 Don't worry, Su Ye, I will definitely pay you back.

Su Ye pulled out a tissue and handed it to her.

Deng Jiaqi wiped the tears from her face. No matter what, she had to explain clearly that she, Deng Jiaqi, was not like those who did this professionally; she simply had no other choice.

Her voice was slightly hoarse as she slowly began to speak:

"I came to Chang City to study because of my father's job transfer. He was a project manager at the Tianhai Group. Later, an accident occurred at the construction site, and my father was pushed out to take the blame. He was charged with major safety violations, bribery, accepting bribes, and falsifying safety reports, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison."

Su Ye looked at Deng Jiaqi with a complex expression. He remembered that her family had been quite well-off, and he had been wondering why things had changed so drastically. He never expected it to be like this.

While this situation might seem unreasonable, it was quite normal in that era before the strict crackdowns. Construction site management wasn't very strict, and anyone with even a shred of power would engage in corruption. How many construction sites back then could guarantee their safety was completely flawless? And if an accident occurred, who wouldn't try to cover it up or falsify the reports?

But that was only if it wasn't discovered. If it was, they naturally had to provide an explanation to society and the authorities. The person held accountable couldn't be too insignificant; that would lack sincerity. For example, an intern—would that work?

It also couldn't be anyone too senior, as they would be untouchable. For instance, a general manager—the cost of removing them would be too high, and the higher-ups wouldn't want to touch them. A project manager was just right.

Deng Jiaqi continued, "Back then, they promised that after my father went to prison, they would give my mother and me two million yuan, and then pull strings to get him released within ten years. My father agreed to it at the time."

Su Ye nodded. Such things were common, and they still happened today. However, he suspected that the other party hadn't fulfilled their end of the bargain; otherwise, Deng Jiaqi wouldn't be here. Two million yuan—it had only been eight or nine years. Even if they did nothing and spent ten thousand a month, they wouldn't have run out of money.

Sure enough, a hint of hatred appeared in Deng Jiaqi's eyes. She said, "After my father went to prison, a high-level executive from Tianhai approached my mother and me. He wanted my mother to sleep with him, and in exchange, he would leave our family with 500,000 yuan. According to him, the money had been approved by headquarters, but it had to pass through several hands above, leaving only one million by the time it reached him. If my mother played along, he would only take half."

"My mother kicked him out immediately. Afterward, no one helped with my father's case. Our family sold our house and car, and we reached out to some of my father's friends to finally get things sorted out—though, of course, that left us with no money. A while ago, my mother was diagnosed with mid-stage uremia, but we have no money for her treatment. I just graduated and can't earn much. Could I just watch my mother suffer and wait for death every day? That's why I thought about selling myself—to get her the treatment she needs."

"My father will be out in 685 days, and I hope we can still be a happy family together."

Hearing about Deng Jiaqi's ordeal, Su Ye felt a bitter taste in his heart. The Tianhai Group was truly despicable. They even embezzled the hush money for taking the fall? Not only that, they even wanted to sleep with someone else's wife. Thinking of this, Su Ye asked, "Did you tell your father about this?"

Deng Jiaqi shook her head with a bitter smile. "What would be the point? I consulted a lawyer, and Tianhai has already made this case airtight. Besides, the other party is powerful and wealthy; what does our family have to fight them with? Do we have the capital to challenge them?"

Su Ye fell silent. She was right. While the Tianhai Group wasn't a major real estate developer, it was still a company with a market value of several billion yuan. To ordinary people, it was clearly a behemoth. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it an ant trying to shake a tree.

Deng Jiaqi sniffed and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand. She smiled and asked Su Ye, "What's the matter? Do you regret helping this old classmate of yours? Do you look down on me now?"

Su Ye noticed that although Deng Jiaqi appeared nonchalant, her trembling eyelashes and lips, along with her fingernails digging deeply into her palms, told him that she wasn't as composed as she seemed.

Shaking his head, Su Ye pointed to the knuckles of his right hand and said with a serious look in his eyes, "You are the only girl who has ever put a bandage on me."

"Pfft!" Deng Jiaqi let out a laugh, but as she looked at Su Ye's sincere expression, tears began to stream down her face uncontrollably.

Su Ye didn't try to comfort her, because he knew that the girl in front of him was exhausted and had suffered so much, yet she had stubbornly held it all in for who knows how long.

After a full ten minutes, Deng Jiaqi's sobbing finally subsided, and she said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you."

Su Ye didn't say a word. He simply lit a cigarette, picked up Deng Jiaqi's phone from the table, and took her hand to unlock it. Without looking up, he asked, "What's your mobile banking password?"

Deng Jiaqi had a rough idea of what Su Ye wanted to do, but the refusal died on her lips. After all, this was money that could save her mother's life. "000810."

Su Ye's movements paused. Today was Deng Jiaqi's birthday.

He then took out his own phone and transferred 500,000 yuan to Deng Jiaqi. He had a relative who had suffered from uremia before; while a kidney transplant was partially covered by insurance, Su Ye knew that wouldn't leave much. Deng Jiaqi would also need to take time off work to care for her mother, and with subsequent medical expenses, 300,000 yuan definitely wouldn't be enough. He might as well see it through to the end. Besides, he wasn't short on 500,000 yuan right now.

After handing the phone back to Deng Jiaqi, Su Ye said directly, "Consider this money a loan. Pay me back when you have it. There's no need for an IOU; I trust you."

Deng Jiaqi took the phone and looked at the balance displayed: 502,152.63 yuan. For a moment, she didn't know what to say. Finally, she looked at Su Ye earnestly and said, "Don't worry, Su Ye, I will definitely pay you back."

Su Ye nodded and didn't pursue the topic further. Instead, he asked, "Where did you go to school before? What did you study?"

Perhaps it was because she now had the money and the heavy burden in her heart had been lifted, or perhaps it was because the subject played to her strengths, but Deng Jiaqi couldn't help but straighten her chest. It rose and fell, inadvertently catching Su Ye's eye.

"I just graduated from the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics with a Ph.D. in Financial Law." As she spoke, Deng Jiaqi noticed Su Ye's gaze and couldn't help but stand even straighter, head held high.

Upon hearing this, Su Ye couldn't help but ask, "A direct Ph.D. program?"

Deng Jiaqi nodded proudly, like a little phoenix. "Yes!"

Su Ye thought to himself that Deng Jiaqi should have had a bright future. Unfortunately, she ran into her mother's illness, which would be fatal if not treated immediately. Deng Jiaqi had likely considered this and realized she couldn't wait for her talents to pay off, which is why she had made such a decision.

After all, such high-level talent was relatively scarce; with the right recommendation, it wouldn't be difficult for her to find a job with an annual salary of 300,000 to 400,000 yuan.

Unfortunately, if uremia isn't treated in time, it can progress to the end stage in three to six months, and the patient might not survive beyond six to twelve months.