Favoerd Thoughts

Chapter Three：He Thinks She’s a Gold Digger

Gong Chenye mistook her hesitation for shyness.

He leaned close to her ear, his voice low and reassuring. “This will help you relax.”

“No.” Nuonuo swallowed hard, struggling to get the words out. “I… I need to ask you for some money first.”

Chenye’s expression changed.

“I need it urgently,” she explained, her face full of embarrassment. “Could we… put this off until tomorrow night?”

It was as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over him.

Whatever desire he’d felt vanished instantly.

The corner of his mouth curled into a cold, mocking smile.

Asking him for money at a moment like this—after insisting she hadn’t married him for his wealth?

Unbelievable.

She certainly knew how to pick her moment.

“You really do understand men,” he said sarcastically. “You know exactly when their judgment is weakest.”

“That’s not what I’m—”

“How much?”

He cut her off before she could finish.

He had no interest in hearing her excuses. The warmth had disappeared from his eyes, replaced by a look so cold it made her skin prickle.

Nuonuo saw the disgust in his expression. She swallowed her pride and forced herself to answer.

“Fifty thousand yuan.”

Chenye said nothing.

He rose from the bed, walked to the nightstand, and retrieved his briefcase. From inside, he took out a bank card and held it between two fingers before extending it toward her.

“There’s a hundred thousand yuan in the account. Withdraw what you need. You don’t have to pay back the rest.”

His voice was cold, dripping with contempt.

Nuonuo knew exactly what he thought of her.

But she needed the money. She couldn’t afford to be offended by his attitude—not when her niece’s future depended on it.

She forced down the humiliation, accepted the card, and managed a strained smile.

“Thank you. I’ll pay you back when I—”

BANG!

Before she could finish, Chenye slammed the bedroom door behind him.

He was done with her.

A woman who saw him as nothing more than a source of money held no appeal for him.

His grandmother had praised Nuonuo endlessly, insisting she’d found him a beautiful, kindhearted young woman who was worthy of him.

Apparently, even his grandmother had been fooled by her pretty face.

A gold digger.

That was all she was.

If he slept with her, she might use it as an excuse to cling to him for the rest of his life.

But his grandmother wanted a great-grandchild…

Once he was back in his car, Chenye took out his phone and called his assistant, Luo Ming.

“Get in touch with Dr. Li at Enying Hospital.”

⸻

Early the next morning, Nuonuo went to the hospital to pay for Duoduo’s surgery.

As she passed through the garden leading to the inpatient building, she spotted her older sister, Ruan Man, standing with her husband, Zhang Hongming.

Ruan Man’s belly had begun to show. She was nearly four months pregnant.

Ever since Duoduo’s congenital heart condition had come to light, her mother-in-law and Hongming had been pressuring Ruan Man to have another child.

Ruan Man had wanted to wait until Duoduo’s surgery was over before even considering a second pregnancy.

But Hongming had deliberately gone without protection one night.

And now, she was pregnant.

Despite carrying his child, Ruan Man had seen no improvement in the way her husband treated her. Whatever affection he’d once felt for her had long since disappeared.

They must have just come from visiting Duoduo.

Hongming rarely bothered showing up at the hospital. Nuonuo couldn’t imagine what had suddenly inspired him to make an appearance today.

Judging by the expression on his face, it certainly wasn’t concern for his daughter.

“Do you have any idea how much money we’ve already wasted on that girl?” he snapped at Ruan Man. “And now we have to spend another hundred thousand or more on surgery. What difference will it make? She’ll probably need more operations down the road unless she gets a heart transplant.”

He scoffed.

“And even if she gets a new heart, how many years will she live? Every cent we spend on her is money down the drain.”

Ruan Man stared at him in disbelief, her eyes filling with tears.

“Zhang Hongming, she’s your own daughter! How can you say something so heartless?”

Her voice trembled, but she refused to back down.

“Even if the surgery only gave her a few more months, I’d still do it. She’s my daughter. I’ll do everything I can to give her a chance.”

“Then stop asking me for money!” Hongming snapped. “My business is tight right now. I don’t have cash to throw away on her.”

His gaze dropped to Ruan Man’s pregnant belly.

“You’d be better off focusing on the baby you’re carrying. Let’s hope it’s a boy this time. Your position in this family depends on it.”

Ruan Man felt a chill run through her.

“And what happens if it’s another girl?” she asked quietly.

Hongming fell silent for a moment.

“Then you’d better pray it’s a boy.”

“What’s this, does your family have a throne to pass down?” Nuonuo demanded, unable to hold back any longer.

Hongming turned toward her, a cold smile spreading across his face.

“Ah, Nuonuo. Perfect timing. Take your sister to her prenatal appointment for me. I’ve got business to attend to.”

Then he added, as casually as if he were discussing the weather, “And Duoduo is still short fifty thousand yuan for her surgery. You’re her aunt. Figure something out.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“After all, your sister gave up her future to marry me so you could afford college. She sacrificed plenty for you. The least you can do is repay that debt by helping her daughter.”

Nuonuo let out a bitter laugh.

“Don’t worry. I’ll sell everything I own if that’s what it takes to get Duoduo the surgery she needs. My sister did sacrifice a lot for me, and I’ll never forget it.”

Her gaze hardened.

“But unlike some people, I won’t turn my back on my own flesh and blood. I can’t imagine being so heartless that I wouldn’t even care whether my own child lived or died.”

Hongming’s expression darkened.

For a moment, it looked as though he might explode.

Then his gaze shifted to Nuonuo’s face and traveled down her figure. A sleazy smile crept across his lips.

“With looks like yours, you wouldn’t need to sell everything you own. All you’d have to do is sell…”

“Zhang Hongming!” Ruan Man cut him off sharply. “Can you stop talking like a disgusting pig for once?”

She knew exactly what he was about to say.

Hongming gave Nuonuo a derisive look.

“Just wait and see. It’s only a matter of time.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

Ruan Man was shaking with anger.

“How did he suddenly find the time to visit Duoduo?” Nuonuo asked.

“Because the hospital called and insisted both parents come in. He had no choice.” Ruan Man’s voice shook with frustration. “He didn’t even bother looking at Duoduo. The moment he heard we were still short fifty thousand yuan, he turned around and left.”

She clenched her fists, tears gathering in her eyes.

“What a heartless bastard.”

Then she looked at her younger sister.

“Nuonuo, don’t take what he said to heart. He never knows when to keep his mouth shut.”

“Of course I won’t.”

Nuonuo gently supported her sister by the arm.

“You can’t expect anything decent to come out of a filthy dog’s mouth. I’ll treat it as barking.”

Despite everything, her expression softened.

“But, Sis… you really didn’t deserve any of this. If you hadn’t sacrificed your future so I could go to college, you never would have ended up married to a man like him.”

Ruan Man’s expression softened, too.

“I’m your big sister. Even if I was only born a few minutes before you, I’ll always be your big sister.”

She reached over and squeezed Nuonuo’s hand.

“People say an older sister is like a second mother. You’re my little sister, and I’ll always look after you. That’s never going to change.”

Nuonuo’s eyes stung.

“I’m so lucky to have you.”

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Ruan Man.

“And I’m lucky to have you,” Ruan Man whispered, sniffing back her tears.

Then her expression grew troubled again.

“You’ve been the one paying for Duoduo’s treatment all this time. The Zhang family hasn’t contributed a single cent. I honestly don’t know how they can live with themselves.”

“Let’s stop talking about them.”

Nuonuo pulled back and took her sister’s hand.

“Come on. Let’s pay for Duoduo’s surgery first. Then I’ll go with you to your prenatal appointment.”

Ruan Man stared at her in surprise.

“Wait. Nuonuo, did you actually manage to find the other fifty thousand yuan?”

Nuonuo nodded.

“Duoduo can have Professor Ke perform the surgery now.”

Ruan Man’s eyes widened.

“Where did you get that kind of money?”

“I’ve been selling products online. I made a little money recently.”

Ruan Man didn’t look convinced.

“Nuonuo, I know livestream selling can be profitable, but you’ve barely been doing this for a month. You’re a new streamer with hardly any viewers. There’s no way you’ve made that much money already.”

She took her sister’s hand and searched her face.

“Nuonuo, where did the money really come from?”

Nuonuo’s smile faltered.

For a moment, she couldn’t bring herself to answer.

How could she tell her sister that she’d borrowed the money from the very husband she’d married for the sake of saving Duoduo?

A husband who now believed she was nothing but a gold digger.

And a man who might never understand why she’d done it.

End of Chapter Three