Chapter 2: Marrying the Seriously Ill Rich Young Man (2)

As the night fell, their tiny home was invaded by a group of bald men, all tattooed with dragons and phoenixes.

Zhong Lingling had never seen these people before, and the frightening sight turned her face pale.

The gang entered without a word and immediately grabbed Wang Yaowen by the collar, pressing his head forcefully onto the table.

His face was almost deformed from the pressure.

"Who are you?" Zhong Lingling's voice trembled as she spoke.

Even though she already had an idea who these men were, she couldn't help but ask for clarity.

Despite being terrified, she still screamed desperately, "Please let go of my dad!"

"Hmph! Bring us three hundred thousand with interest, and we will let him go!" the leader said viciously to Zhong Lingling.

"What? Three hundred thousand?" Her eyes widened in shock.

Their family was so poor they barely had enough to eat; three hundred thousand was a fortune to the Zhong Family!

She knew her father had gambling debts, but she never imagined they were so large.

Three hundred thousand? Where was she, a girl with no special skills, supposed to get that kind of money?

"Dad, is it true? Do you really owe three hundred thousand?" Zhong Lingling still couldn't accept the reality.

Zhong Yaowen's face was filled with regret, but his mistake was made, and it was too late to undo it.

"Lingling, only you can save your dad now!" His beautiful daughter was his only hope for redemption.

"Stop wasting time with him, this kind doesn't shed tears until they see the coffin. Chop off one of his fingers first!" The most impatient-looking man in the group stepped forward swiftly, swinging the dagger in his hand, and aimed straight for Zhong Yaowen's hand pressed against the table.

Zhong Yaowen let out a ghostly scream while Zhong Lingling gasped for air, tears gushing out.

"Stop it! You must not hurt my dad!" She bellowed, both furious and heartbroken.

She also knew shouting these words meant she could no longer follow her heart in the future.

"Give me some time! I promise I can get the money for you! Just don't hurt my dad," Zhong Lingling said with courage she didn't know she had.

"Empty promises! Put it in writing! If you don't pay the three hundred thousand in three days, your dad's life is over!" The leader said viciously, throwing a piece of paper onto the table. "Press your thumbprint here!"

Zhong Lingling gave her father a helpless glance, bit her lip to death, and moved forward with heavy steps, her hand shaking uncontrollably, her whole body trembling.

"Hurry up! We don't have much time!" the leader urged impatiently.

With a hard heart, she dipped her thumb in the red ink and firmly pressed it onto the paper.

The father was temporarily spared from death, and the uninvited guests swaggered out the door, taking the signed paper with them.

Zhong Lingling then collapsed to the floor, her eyes vacant as she stared at the old door.

"Lingling, I'm so sorry! Dad is truly sorry!" Zhong Yaowen, terrified out of his wits, crawled over to her.

He reached out to embrace his daughter but was fiercely pushed away by Zhong Lingling.

"I hope that after this you will truly learn from your mistakes," she said, her indifferent eyes beginning to show resolve.

She looked so strong, yet it was incredibly heart-wrenching.

"Definitely, Dad will change, just help me this once!" Zhong Yaowen clung to Zhong Lingling's arm.

But he had not considered that his daughter was now paying off his debt with her entire life.

To not be in control of one's own fate is, indeed, one of life's greatest tragedies.