Before long, Mu Qingqing walked back in from outside, noticing the sadness on Lin Chen's face: "Mr. Lin, I need to ask for leave. My mom's condition has worsened, and I must hurry to the hospital."

"I'll go with you," Lin Chen said.

Mu Qingqing shook her head: "I'd better go by myself."

Lin Chen replied, "I happen to know some medical skills; maybe I can help."

"Really? But isn't that too much trouble for you?" Mu Qingqing said, blushing.

"Didn't I say before? Feel free to tell me if there's anything," Lin Chen smiled.

Saying that, Lin Chen stood up and walked toward the general manager's office.

He knocked on the door and a pleasant voice came from inside: "Come in."

Lin Chen pushed the door open, and Ai Ying was sipping coffee while looking at some documents.

Seeing Lin Chen, Ai Ying teased, "You really know how to stir up trouble wherever you go. I heard you beat up Qiao Ran today."

"He deserved it!" Lin Chen said indifferently.

Ai Ying looked seriously at Lin Chen, "Lin Chen, when I brought you into the company, I hoped you could help us, not cause trouble. Though Qiao Ran was wrong, your actions put the chairman in a difficult position."

"Difficult? Such rubbish should have been kicked out of the company long ago."

"Hmph, do you think it's that simple? Qiao Ran's father is Qiao's uncle, and they hold twenty percent of the shares. If the conflict escalates, the company will suffer greatly," Ai Ying frowned.

Lin Chen chuckled: "Indulging them endlessly will only make them more arrogant. Don't worry, as long as I'm around, their good days are numbered."

"You…" Ai Ying looked at Lin Chen, perplexed where his confidence came from.

"By the way, beautiful, can I borrow your car?" Lin Chen suddenly changed the subject.

"Where are you going?" Ai Ying asked.

"To take care of some matters," Lin Chen smiled.

Ai Ying tossed the keys to Lin Chen and said, "Lin Chen, Qiao Xue is my best friend. I hope you treat her sincerely."

Lin Chen paused, "Don't worry, I won't let anyone hurt her."

Saying that, Lin Chen quickly walked out of the office.

Watching Lin Chen's back, Ai Ying fell into contemplation.

This Lin Chen seemed enigmatic to her, impossible to see through or understand.

In the car, seeing Mu Qingqing looking worried, Lin Chen smiled slightly: "Don't worry, everything will be fine with me here."

"Mm!" Mu Qingqing nodded.

The Qiao Group was not far from the hospital, only twenty minutes away; the two hurriedly headed for the ward after arriving.

Inside the ward, a middle-aged woman lay groaning on a bed as a doctor spoke with a gray-haired middle-aged man.

Seeing Mu Qingqing enter, the middle-aged man hurriedly said, "Qingqing, you're finally here. The doctor says surgery is needed."

"Doctor, what's my mom's condition?" Mu Qingqing asked.

The doctor replied, "Your mom's condition is very bleak; surgery must be performed immediately or it will worsen."

"How much does the surgery cost?" Mu Qingqing asked with a grim look.

"About two hundred thousand," the doctor said flatly.

"Two hundred thousand!" Hearing this number, Mu Qingqing's face changed.

They had exhausted their savings to treat her mother and were deep in debt now; two hundred thousand was astronomical for their family.

"You should quickly gather the money, the patient's condition cannot be delayed," the doctor coldly said.

"But…" Mu Qingqing was about to say something when a figure walked in with a fruit basket.

"Isn't it just two hundred thousand? Qingqing, as long as you agree to be my girlfriend, I'll pay." A young man, dressed in international brands and looking fat-headed, walked in.

Seeing who came in, Mu Qingqing frowned: "Hu Feng, why are you here?"

Hu Feng smiled cheerfully: "How could I not come with Auntie being sick?"

Saying this, he walked up to Mu Qingqing's mother: "Auntie, don't worry, as long as Qingqing agrees to be my girlfriend, I'll send you to the best hospital in Xicheng, get the top experts, and guarantee your cure."

Hearing Hu Feng's words, Mu Qingqing's mother, Tian Yun, was already beaming.

"Qingqing, look how sensible Xiao Feng is. You can't judge people by their appearance. Since your school days, I felt Xiao Feng is a good kid. Don't let him down," Tian Yun said sincerely.

"Mom, I don't like him at all, and I won't be his girlfriend," Mu Qingqing said.

Mu Qingqing knew Hu Feng too well. Despite his honest appearance, he was very promiscuous, often involved with women.

Hu Feng pursued Mu Qingqing since high school but was rejected.

Recently, they met again at a class reunion, where this guy started pestering her.

Somehow, Hu Feng learned about her mother's illness and chased her to the hospital today.

Tian Yun's face suddenly changed upon hearing this and began to groan again: "Oh, you're killing your mother! Raising you is like raising an ingrate!"

"Mom, I'll find a way to get the money," Mu Qingqing said with a troubled look.

"Find a way? What way do you have? Who is willing to lend us money now? Just say you want me dead!" Tian Yun began to sob.

Hu Feng showed a sinister smile: "Qingqing, as long as you agree to be my girlfriend, I'll take care of your mother's illness."

Mu Qingqing looked at her wailing mother and then at the fat-headed Hu Feng, tears streamed down.

"Fine, I'll agree to be your girlfriend," Mu Qingqing said tearfully.

"Qingqing, you finally agreed." Hu Feng was excited and tried to pull Mu Qingqing into his arms.

However, Mu Qingqing was nowhere to be seen, and as Hu Feng turned his head, he was enraged. Mu Qingqing was indeed embraced, but not by him, by someone else.

"Damn it!" Seeing the prize snatched away made Hu Feng furious.

Seeing her daughter embraced by a stranger, Tian Yun's face changed too.

"Who are you to lay hands on my daughter?" In Tian Yun's eyes, Hu Feng was her ideal son-in-law, and seeing her daughter embraced by someone else naturally made her very angry.

Lin Chen held Mu Qingqing's hand and smiled lightly: "I'm Mu Qingqing's boyfriend."

"What, Qingqing's boyfriend?" Tian Yun frowned.

Mu Qingqing knew Lin Chen was acting for her and clung to his arm: "Mom, this is my colleague and also my boyfriend."

Tian Yun sized Lin Chen up with displeasure, knowing that Hu Feng was the heir to a famous local real estate company.

It was said that the company was worth billions, and being Hu Feng's girlfriend meant stepping into the upper echelons.

Lin Chen was nothing, just a worker, incomparable to Hu Feng.