Liu Renzhi reacted quickly, shoving Wang Meijuan away before her slap could land on Lin Wanyi.
She continued to scream:
"Give me back my son's leg, Lin Wanyi, give him back his leg!"
Lin Wanyi had no idea what was going on; she was completely baffled.
"Wang Meijuan, have you lost your mind? What do you mean 'give back your son's leg'? What does his leg have to do with me?
"It's the middle of the night, stop disturbing people's sleep."
Wang Meijuan cried hysterically:
"How is it not you? You were the one who forced us out of the house and made us homeless!
"Otherwise, why would my son be running around? Why would he get hit by a car and lose his leg?
"You are the culprit, Lin Wanyi, you are the sinner!"
Lin Wanyi still didn't quite grasp it, so Wang Hao chimed in:
"My sister is right. You were the one who insisted on selling the house and kicking them out.
"Otherwise, how could Ruirui have been hit by a car? Lin Wanyi, you can't escape responsibility for this."
Lin Wanyi finally understood.
She felt a pang of sadness too; after all, he was just a child, and it was a lost leg.
But for them to pin the blame on her, she absolutely refused to accept it.
Wang Meijuan was still sobbing:
"The child had to be amputated. He will never walk normally again for the rest of his life. Lin Wanyi, do you know how much trauma this has caused him?
"You have to take full responsibility. You must pay his current medical bills of one hundred thousand, plus another five hundred thousand in compensation."
Any trace of sympathy Lin Wanyi felt for Li Borui vanished into thin air.
She stared coldly at Wang Meijuan:
"You're delusional. He is your son. It was your failure to fulfill your duty as a guardian, your failure to watch him properly, that led to his leg being crushed.
"Wang Meijuan, you're just terrified of Li Jun questioning you, aren't you? You're afraid you can't give him an explanation, so you're trying to make me the scapegoat.
"Let me tell you, don't even think about it. This has absolutely nothing to do with me. Stop trying to pin your dirty mess on me."
Wang Meijuan refused to back down. She had to get money from Lin Wanyi, otherwise, she really would never see her son again.
She pushed past Lin Wanyi, barged into the room, and plopped down on the sofa:
"If you don't give me the money today, I'm not leaving."
Lin Wanyi laughed out of sheer exasperation:
"Six hundred thousand? Wang Meijuan, do you take me for a fool? You think you can just flap your lips and I'll hand over six hundred thousand?
"Get the hell out!"
Liu Renzhi, who had been standing to the side, called the hotel front desk.
The security guards quickly came up. Wang Meijuan clung desperately to the doorframe, refusing to leave as she screamed:
"Lin Wanyi, if you don't give me the money, I'll die right here in front of you!"
Lin Wanyi didn't even spare her a glance:
"If you want to die, find a quiet place. Don't disrupt other people's business."
Wang Hao glared at Lin Wanyi:
"How can you say something so heartless? She's my sister.
"Lin Wanyi, you've changed. You never used to be like this."
Lin Wanyi scoffed:
"That's right. I used to be kind and soft-hearted. I believed whatever you said, and gave you money whenever you asked.
"And what was the result? What good did it ever do me?
"Wang Hao, I told you a long time ago: that old Lin Wanyi is dead. She died a long time ago.
"She died the moment you people stopped me from visiting my own family."
The security guards dragged Wang Meijuan out of the room, but the moment they let go, she bolted up the stairs toward the rooftop.
It was eleven o'clock at night, and the cold wind on the rooftop was howling.
With a quick vault, she climbed over to the outside of the railing.
The security guards were terrified, and the hotel manager was breaking out in a cold sweat.
If Wang Meijuan actually jumped from here, his life would be ruined.
The hotel's business would likely go down the drain as well.
He hurriedly tried to persuade Wang Meijuan:
"Come down, you come down first. We can talk things out properly. We can't joke around with your life."
Wang Hao was also shouting:
"Sis, come inside! The wind is so strong, it might really blow you off.
"Ruirui is still lying in the hospital. He's waiting for you to visit him.
"Sis, hurry up and come inside."
The cold wind continued to howl. Hearing the commotion, Lin Jiajun brought a coat up for Lin Wanyi.
He told Lin Wanyi:
"Sis, ignore her. This has absolutely nothing to do with us. Whether she lives or dies is none of our business.
"Let her jump. I want to see if she actually has the guts."
"Lin Jiajun!"
Wang Hao roared. "What the hell are you saying? Are you still trying to provoke my sister at a time like this?
"You really are Lin Wanyi's biological brother. You're both so vicious."
Lin Jiajun didn't back down in the slightest:
"And you really are Wang Meijuan's biological brother. You're both so shameless."
Wang Hao was fuming with rage. Pointing at Lin Jiajun, he demanded:
"What gives you the right to say that about us? How are we shameless?"
Lin Jiajun slapped his finger away:
"I think you guys just regret giving my sister her share of the money, so you're ganging up to find a way to take it back.
"Otherwise, why wouldn't Wang Meijuan ask you for a loan? Don't you have six hundred thousand on you too?
"Why don't you give it to her for her emergency?"
"I..."
Wang Hao was left utterly speechless. He quickly changed the subject:
"Don't worry about me. Right now, my sister is looking for Lin Wanyi.
"Lin Wanyi, are you really going to watch my sister jump down right in front of your eyes? Are you truly that cold-hearted?
"Are you really going to disregard a human life just for money?"
Lin Wanyi stood there coldly, letting the freezing wind blow against her face.
Wang Hao was right. Right now, her heart really was as hard as a stone.
But why had it become like this?
Back when she had married so far away from home all by herself, her mother had urged her:
"You're going over there all alone. With no friends or family, you should treat Wang Hao's sister as your own.
"That way, you'll at least have some company over there."
She had taken those words to heart and acted accordingly. She took Wang Meijuan shopping for clothes and shoes, and frequently treated her to meals and milk tea.
Whenever she bought toys for her own daughter, she would conveniently buy one for Li Borui too. When buying clothes, she would also pick up a piece for him.
Whenever they went out to play, she would always bring Li Borui along.
But what did Wang Meijuan do? In all these years, Lin Wanyi had never seen a single cent in return from her.
She hadn't even given Wang Keke a single red envelope for the New Year.
But all of that could be overlooked. Lin Wanyi never really cared or fussed much about money.
However, Wang Meijuan would constantly return to her maiden home to fan the flames and sow discord.
She even conspired with Liu Chunlan to detain her daughter and try to steal her house.
These were things that Lin Wanyi could never get over, not for the rest of her life.
Now that she had divorced Wang Hao, she didn't even care about him anymore, so why would she care about Wang Meijuan?
If she wanted to die, let her die. Lin Wanyi wouldn't even blink an eye.
The hotel manager was still cautiously trying to persuade Wang Meijuan, and the police soon arrived at the scene.
Thick inflatable rescue cushions were being set up downstairs.
Wang Meijuan was so cold. The hands gripping the railing were freezing stiff. She didn't know how much longer she could hold on, or if she would suddenly fall.
She didn't want to die. She really didn't.
She just wanted money.
But despite everything, Lin Wanyi surprisingly still refused to yield.
She racked her brains, trying to figure out what to do next.
Having come this far, was she really supposed to just swallow her pride and walk in there all by herself?
How humiliating would that be?
Right when she was at the peak of her frustration, Liu Chunlan rushed over.
Without a single word, she slapped Lin Wanyi across the face...
