Chapter 32: The Next Plan, Mother and Daughter at Odds

In the private room of the café, a brief silence hung in the air before Wang Shanshan finally spoke up.

Looking pitifully at Bai Jing, she said, "Mom, that’s not what I meant. I never intended for you to carry this debt alone. You’re my mother, and I’ll certainly help you pay it back. It’s just that I can’t borrow that much money myself. Besides, he is my father after all—I can’t just stand by and watch him die, can I?"

Hearing this, Bai Jing wiped her eyes one last time and forced a smile onto her face.

"Mom knows, and Mom understands you. But Shanshan, you have to understand Mom, too. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life buried in debt, so I will not be borrowing money to save your father."

"Our family only has so much. If this money can save him, then so be it; if it can’t, then there’s nothing I can do."

"Besides, by doing this, I’ve already done all I could for your father and for you."

"After all, half of the 800,000 in family assets belongs to me, but now, for your sake, I’m giving it up. Take it all to save your father."

"Alright, I’m not feeling very well, so I’ll be heading back now."

With that, Bai Jing forced another smile at Wang Shanshan, stood up, and left.

Watching Bai Jing’s retreating figure, Wang Shanshan almost burst into tears. She could feel that as her mother finished those words, an invisible wall had risen between them—their relationship would never be the same again.

But what had she done wrong? As a daughter, was it a mistake to want to save her own father?

Cao Kun, watching everything silently, felt the corners of his mouth wanting to curl upward. The mother and daughter were already estranged; if he could push them to become bitter enemies, wouldn’t that be absolutely exhilarating? With her father in prison and mother and daughter turning against each other, the mere thought of such revenge was intoxicating to Cao Kun.

Just as his mind raced, trying to figure out how to make Wang Shanshan and Bai Jing turn into enemies, Wang Shanshan suddenly turned to look at him.

With tear-filled eyes and a look of utter vulnerability, she asked, "Cao Kun, is that really the kind of person you think I am?"

In the past, whenever Wang Shanshan wore this tearful, pathetic expression, no matter the circumstances, Cao Kun would invariably soften, admit fault, and buy her countless things to appease her.

But this time, he did not.

"Shanshan," Cao Kun said with a serious tone, "I didn't say you were that kind of person. But you have to realize that you were indeed using your family ties to emotionally manipulate Aunt Bai."

"You only thought about keeping your father alive, but have you considered what price Aunt Bai would have to pay for that?"

"Why should Aunt Bai have to pay for your attachment to your father?"

"Is that fair to her?"

Hearing these words, Wang Shanshan’s heart sank to the bottom. She hadn't expected Cao Kun to speak to her like this, even when they were alone in the room. It seemed that the extent of Cao Kun’s rebellion as her "simp" had exceeded her expectations.

She had to bring him back into her fold immediately. After all, he was the only useful simp she had left. If he ran off, she wouldn't have anyone left to serve her.

Thinking of this, Wang Shanshan pursed her lips and burst into tears. She threw herself into Cao Kun’s arms, sobbing, "W-w-what you said... sob..."

"I... I really didn't think of it that way. I... I just wanted to save my father... sob..."

Seeing her cry so movingly, Cao Kun followed the flow, pulling her into his embrace and saying softly, "Alright, alright. I didn't mean to criticize you. I just felt that what you were doing was putting Aunt Bai in a very difficult position. There, there..."

After a long period of comforting, Wang Shanshan finally stopped sobbing. She let him hold her, her voice still trembling as she asked, "Cao Kun, d-do you not like me anymore?"

*Hm?*

Cao Kun’s lips curled up slightly. *Damn it! Pulling this move again!*

In truth, during the three years he spent chasing Wang Shanshan, there were countless times he had wanted to give up. Yet, every time he reached that point, she would toss him a small sweet, giving him just enough hope to continue being her primary lackey. And now, she was clearly trying to repeat the same trick.

However, Cao Kun was no longer the simp he had been in his previous life. This time, one small sweet wouldn't be enough—he needed at least a whole melon!

"How could that be?" Cao Kun stroked her hair and said, "You know that you’re the one I love most in my heart..."

...

It was six o'clock in the evening before Cao Kun and Wang Shanshan finally walked out of the café.

"Cao Kun, what should I do now?" Wang Shanshan asked helplessly. "I really don't want to watch my father die like this, but I truly can't come up with 3.5 million. And with Mom refusing to help, I feel so helpless."

Cao Kun believed that Wang Shanshan’s feelings for Wang Yifu were genuine—at least, the surface-level version of them. Based on his understanding of her, her nature was ultimately selfish.

Take the money, for example: if Bai Jing were the one borrowing it to save Wang Yifu, she would applaud with both hands and feet. But if she were the one expected to shoulder the debt, she would abandon her father without a second thought. In short, she wanted her father saved, but she certainly didn't want to carry the debt. If forced to choose, she would choose to remain debt-free.

"Don't worry," Cao Kun said, holding her hand to comfort her. "I'll go talk to the victim's family about the letter of forgiveness."

"I'll see if I can get them to lower the compensation amount."

"Rest assured, I will definitely work with you and do my absolute best to keep Uncle Wang alive."