Lu Jijun was somewhat vexed with Tianxin as he looked at her. “Tianxin, I’m your father.”
“No, you are not my father. You are Lu Qingxin’s father. The thought of accepting you as my father had never crossed my mind. In the future, please do not come to see my grandmother and me ever again. We don’t need your hypocritical and abject sympathy.”
Lu Jijun heaved a deep and sorrowful sigh. It was no wonder that Ye Tianxin treated him like a stranger.
She knew all that had happened in the past.
Even so, he couldn’t stand by idly and helplessly watch Ye Tianxin get close to a man born into a wealthy, aristocratic family. He feared that her entire life would be ruined.
“Tianxin, I know. I was once a void in your life. But from now on…”
Ye Tianxin cut Lu Jijun off midspeech. “I do not need that. I beg you. Please don’t ever see my grandmother again. I don’t know what my grandmother has told you. But it’s impossible for me to stay with you. I’m almost 18 years old. I’m an adult. I am sure of the decisions I make for myself. I don’t need you. I didn’t need you before, and I won’t need you in the future, either.”
“Tianxin, what a child you are. How can you be so stubborn? Your grandmother is so sick. Don’t you need money to see a doctor? Your grandmother is stubborn. Do you want to be like her and be equally stubborn? Don’t you want your grandmother to get better? I have the money for your grandmother’s treatment. There’s no need for you to trouble yourself with the other matters too. You need to put your mind at ease and focus on preparing for the college entrance exams.”
“No need. I have the money.”
Had the circumstance not changed, Ye Tianxin might have reacted differently. If she hadn’t had the money, she might have lowered her voice to a whisper. She might have humbly begged for Lu Jijun’s help to treat her grandmother’s illness.
Now she could justifiably and boldly stand up to Lu Jijun. She could tell him with righteous indignation that he need not bother himself at all. She and her grandmother don’t need his handout. She had the money.
Ye Tianxin knew within her heart that, as a newcomer, she could not expect high pay for her role in the movie. But she felt confident that she wouldn’t have any problems paying for her grandmother’s medical expenses.
“You have the money? Where are you going to find the money? Tianxin, I am your father. I will not harm you. If you don’t want your own father’s money, whose money do you want? His? Or do you want to sell yourself like those girls…”
Hearing the last bit was too much for Li Qingcang.
Infuriated, Li Qingcang strode over to Lu Jijun with his long legs. Without saying a word, Li Qingcang lifted Lu Jijun by his collar and threw him out of the patient’s ward. He then locked the door from the inside.
It all happened so quickly for a stunned Lu Jijun. He looked bewildered and helpless.
He had not offered any resistance, nor did he put up a struggle.
A dejected Lu Jijun stood outside the door of the patient’s ward. He sighed long and hard before striding away.
As he walked away, Lu Jijun took stock of what had transpired. He came to one conclusion. Tianxin would change her mind.
‘She will surely change her mind!’
“Tianxin, don’t get upset. I will lend you the money for your grandmother’s illness. We will get her treated ourselves.”
Ye Tianxin took comfort in Li Qingcang’s words. But, shaking her head, she declined. “Thank you for the kind thought. But there is no need for you to help me for the time being. I have promised Mother Du Juan that I will take on the part in the movie. I will get paid for the movie, and I will have the money to treat my grandmother.”
Li Qingcang frowned. Within his circle, the general opinion was that anyone appearing in movies and TV serials is an actor or an actress.
“Don’t act in the movie. The entertainment industry is a seriously messy business. Firstly, you have no background. Secondly, you have no power. Others would bully you if you set foot in there.”
Li Qingcang believed that the people engaged in the entertainment industry were all snobbish. Ye Tianxin was a naïve and innocent little girl. She might not even realize it if she fell prey to someone with ill-intent, and that was how she got her income.