Mengmeng was critically ill

Jin Xia returned to the private dining room and saw Song Li sitting in a chair as soon as she entered.

She looked forlorn, her hands clasped together as she glanced around anxiously. "My dad might be abroad on business. I can't reach him by phone either. What are we going to do?"

"How about we pool our money?"

Zhang Ru spoke very softly, sounding rather unsure of herself.

She pulled her wallet out of her pocket, took out her coins as well, and emptied them onto the table. "I bought supplies for school these past few days and paid for overnight sessions at an internet café. This 515 yuan is all I have left."

"I, I..."

Zhang Niannian started to speak but stopped, her face flushed bright red.

Every one of the roommates looked troubled.

Jin Xia said casually, "I've already paid. Let's go."

"What?"

"You paid all 4,600?"

The girls looked at Jin Xia with admiration and shock.

But Jin Xia simply walked over to her chair and picked up her jacket. "Song Li, are you free in a bit? I'd like to talk to you about something."

Seeing how serious Jin Xia looked, Song Li felt uncertain too.

Talk about what?

Was Jin Xia going to ask her to pay her share of the meal?

They parted ways downstairs at Dahui City. Song Li clutched her car keys nervously and trailed behind Jin Xia like a little shadow.

"Would it be convenient to talk in your car?"

Jin Xia glanced toward the parking lot.

Song Li was nervous and awkward. "Yes."

Inside the quiet car, Jin Xia could even clearly see that Song Li's hands were clenched into fists with nerves.

Song Li's claim that her father was away on business was just a cover.

Over the past few days, Jin Xia had been trying hard to recall what had happened in her previous life.

At this point in her previous life, Song Li's family had already been on the verge of bankruptcy.

After they went bankrupt, her father's whereabouts became unknown, and her brother had been forced to drop out of school and work to support their critically ill mother.

Although Song Li was far too pretentious, her brother Song Ming would make a name for himself across Wall Street ten years later.

"Has your dad gone missing?"

Jin Xia asked bluntly.

Those few words broke the silence in the car.

Song Li abruptly looked up at Jin Xia, her guard fully raised. "How do you know about my family? He... he hasn't gone missing. I just haven't been able to reach him for a while."

Her gaze shifted evasively toward the window as she muttered, "That old geezer said he was going to Myanmar to inspect some jade mine. There hasn't been a word from him since he went."

Jin Xia hesitated for a moment before asking again, "I heard your brother Song Ming is a science genius at your city's No. 1 High School?"

"What genius? He's just a bookworm. He's so boring!"

Song Li waved a hand and sighed. "His grades are only a tiny bit better than mine."

"I need an assistant, and you and your brother need money. If possible, please talk to him for me."

Jin Xia explained at an unhurried pace, "The hours are flexible. It won't interfere with his schooling."

"You're... you're a college student. What do you need an assistant for?"

Song Li was growing more and more confused. First, she couldn't understand why Jin Xia knew everything about her family.

Now she was even more shocked. Jin Xia was just a student. What could she hire an assistant to do?

Little did she know that Jin Xia had something else in mind. Jin Xia was not particularly familiar with the workings of the mainland A-share market.

A trader needed not only experience, but also accurate judgment of the market.

She wanted to make a fortune and pull out over the next few days, before the A-share market crashed. Of the people around her, Song Ming was the most suitable candidate.

After a moment's thought, Jin Xia looked up at Song Li. "The base salary is ten thousand yuan. Anything beyond that will depend on his abilities and profit sharing. You can pass that on to him. Of course, if your brother doesn't want to be my assistant, I won't force him."

"A base salary of ten thousand?"

Song Li stared blankly at Jin Xia, her eyes wide.

Even after Jin Xia got out of the car and left, she still couldn't calm down.

From Jin Xia volunteering to pay for their meal today, generously spending several thousand yuan, to the brief conversation they had just had.

Song Li was absolutely certain that Jin Xia was a genuine wealthy heiress from some big city!

After leaving Dahui City, Jin Xia went straight home.

She washed up and sat down in the study.

The computer screen displayed fluctuating data, but her heart was as still as stagnant water.

If she shorted the market now, she planned to put up five million yuan. The rest of the money still had to go toward the director's medical treatment.

Just then, Jin Xia's phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID. It was Teacher Bai from the orphanage.

Without the slightest hesitation, Jin Xia answered. "Hello, Teacher Bai. What is it?"

The woman on the other end sounded extremely urgent. "Xia, something's wrong... Mengmeng woke up this afternoon complaining that she felt dizzy. I thought it was just an ordinary cold, but her high fever wouldn't go down. After we took her to the hospital, the doctor said her condition had deteriorated even further."

She kept blaming herself. "It's all my fault. I was careless and didn't take good care of her."

"Teacher Bai, don't panic. I'm coming over now."

As Jin Xia spoke, she took her phone and quickly sent An He a text. She needed to go to the hospital now and urgently needed the car.

She remembered Mengmeng very clearly. When Mengmeng had been only a few months old, the director had carried her around seeking medical help. At the time, everyone had thought she simply had a weak constitution, until she was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of one, adding to the troubles of the already struggling orphanage.

Sitting in the car, Jin Xia's thoughts raced.

The college counselors had extensive connections and unconventional ways of getting things done. Whether it was the orphanage or the director she called Mom, with so many sick people, money alone couldn't restore their health. What mattered most was access to medical resources. Without that, even having money would be useless.

If she remembered correctly, Professor Wang Jian had been transferred here from Jingbei to teach. He had only stayed a few months before leaving.

But Professor Wang had an eccentric temper, and everyone called him a stubborn old man behind his back.

She had never heard of Professor Wang being close to any student, either.

"Xia, we're here."

An He's voice interrupted Jin Xia's thoughts.

Jin Xia pulled open the car door with one hand and walked out without looking back, not forgetting to tell An He, "I won't be going home tonight. You can finish work."

"All right."

An He nodded.

Following the information in the text message on her phone, Jin Xia found her way to the eighteenth floor of the inpatient building.

As soon as she stepped into the corridor outside the wards, she spotted Teacher Bai from far away, looking anxious and worried.

"Xia!"

Teacher Bai hurried toward her, waving as she looked at Jin Xia with slightly reddened eyes.

Jin Xia stepped forward and looked at the little figure sleeping soundly inside the ward. "How is Mengmeng doing now?"

"Her high fever still won't go down. The doctor suggested transferring her to a special ward. I've already applied for a special allocation, but the doctor told me there's very little hope. After all, even regular leukemia patients have trouble finding a bone marrow match for a transplant, let alone those from our orphanage."

Teacher Bai sighed, finally unable to hold back her tears. "Even if we find bone marrow and receive support under government policies, the treatment will still cost a huge amount of money. Several hundred thousand at the very least. Where would we get that kind of money?"