Chapter 10 — The Secret Pension

Thanh panted heavily as she spoke, her voice shaking with agitation. I told you all that those people were suspicious, but they brought documents with official stamps and insisted that every single procedure was completely in order. I bent down to examine the authorization form they had left behind. It was the same old despicable trick. Duc Hai had designated himself as the primary caregiver, fabricating the excuse that my father was too elderly and incapacitated to handle matters properly, while I was merely a daughter living far away for years, entirely incapable of providing care. The final sentence was the most glaring and infuriating of all. It stated that all subsequent medical expenses would be borne exclusively by Duc Hai, and the immediate family was strictly forbidden from interfering. A wave of cold numbness crept up to my fingertips. This was not a standard hospital transfer. This was an outright abduction of my mother, executed right before our eyes, using medical bills and hospital beds as levers to force us into total submission. The elevator bell chimed softly, and the doors glided open. Duc Hai stepped out, looking entirely composed. Qiao Yun followed closely behind him, carrying a plastic bag filled with fresh fruit. Upon catching sight of me, not a single trace of panic flickered across his face.

You came back remarkably fast.

I hurled the document straight at his chest.

Do you even have the audacity to lay a hand on my mother?

Duc Hai lowered his head, casually straightening the lapels of his jacket.

I am only doing this for the sake of your sister-in-law.

With the mountain of debts you have accumulated, how long do you honestly think you can hold out?

I have already arranged a spot at a private nursing facility, and I will be covering all the expenses.

My father hurried up from behind me, his entire body trembling violently upon hearing those cold words.

Duc Hai, are you even human anymore?

Duc Hai looked at him, his tone turning even frostier than before.

Brother, do you suddenly feel brave now that you think you have some money in your hands?

Do not forget whether that bank card can actually be kept will depend entirely on how the authorities officially classify this matter later on.

My father tightly gripped the newly reissued card, the veins on the back of his hand bulging with strain.

This money rightfully belonged to me from the very beginning.

Was taking it for a full twelve years still not enough for you people?

Qiao Yun immediately shrieked in shrill protest, Taking what?

We were simply managing it on your behalf.

Now that you are listening to your daughter instigation, are you truly going to be satisfied only after sending our entire family to prison?

I took a sharp step forward.

Your wretched family does not include us.

Viet walked out of the elevator at a leisurely pace, his expression dark and gloomy.

Sister, do you genuinely believe a single medical record can completely turn the tables around?

The bank card is registered under uncle name, and the funds were withdrawn directly from that account.

If you fail to produce concrete proof that he was coerced into doing so, this will forever remain nothing more than an internal family dispute.

I stared straight into his eyes.

If that is truly the case, then why were you all in such a desperate rush to transfer my mother away?

The corners of Viet mouth twitched slightly. I turned my gaze toward the nurse at the station. Please call security and immediately suspend all procedures initiated by anyone who is not an immediate family member. The nurse grabbed her phone without hesitation. Duc Hai suddenly lowered his voice, dropping his tone into a threatening murmur.

Thanh, your mother still needs to stay in the hospital for recovery, and she still needs her medication.

If you block me today, the hospital will be hounding you for payment tomorrow.

I let out a cold laugh.

You must not know yet.

My father has already gone and reissued the card.

There is still a balance of over two hundred and sixty-seven thousand yuan sitting right in that account.

The bag of fruit slipped from Qiao Yun hand, hitting the floor with a dull thud. Viet whipped his head around to stare at Duc Hai in shock. Finally, a crack appeared on Duc Hai impassive facade. He glared at my father, his voice sounding as though it were being forced out through clenched teeth.

Did you actually go to the bank?

My father met his gaze steadily.

I went.

I even saw the money used to buy your son car, pay for your house renovations, and cover your wedding deposit.

Viet face flushed bright red in an instant. The crowd of onlookers gathering in the hallway grew steadily larger. Several security guards had already rushed to the scene. The two men from the private ambulance service, realizing the situation had turned sour, attempted to quietly push their empty stretcher away and slip past us. I stepped forward and blocked their path.

You are not going anywhere.

Who contacted you, who is paying you, and who handed over the documents—start explaining right now.

One of the men immediately waved his hands defensively.

We only received the service order.

I demanded to know, Where did the order come from? He stammered for a few awkward seconds before reluctantly pulling out his phone. On the screen, the name of the client who booked the service was listed under just two characters. Viet. I turned my head to glare at Viet. He instinctively took a step back. At that exact moment, the heart monitor beside my mother bed suddenly emitted a sharp, ear-piercing alarm. Nurses rushed frantically into the ward. The doctor hurried in right behind them. My father legs went completely limp, and he nearly collapsed onto the floor. The doctor emerged from the room shortly after, his expression grim and unpleasant.

The patient has just undergone major surgery and must not be moved around arbitrarily.

After being subjected to such reckless disturbance just now, the surgical incision is at serious risk of reopening and bleeding.

I snapped my head around. Duc Hai entire family stood rigidly in the hallway, not a single one of them daring to cast even a fleeting glance toward my mother hospital room door. The doctor added one more devastating piece of information.

There is something else.

Someone has already submitted a formal request to cancel the out-of-pocket medications listed in the patient postoperative prescription regimen.

A loud ringing filled my head, making my ears buzz.

Who submitted that request?

The doctor gestured toward the nurses station.

The system records indicate it was done upon the instruction of the family.

I rushed over to the nurses station, and the on-duty nurse hurriedly pulled up the data page. The person who made the request was, once again, Duc Hai. The accompanying note claimed that the family was facing severe financial hardship and the relatives were requesting a reduction in medication costs. I stared fixedly at those merciless words, my chest feeling as though a massive boulder were crushing the life out of me. My mother had endured agonizing pain just to make it through this surgery. These monsters not only wanted to drag her away, but they also intended to tamper with her life-saving medications. My father leaned heavily against the wall, his lips drained of all color and turning a sickly purple.

She is your own sister-in-law.

Duc Hai stubbornly defended himself, refusing to back down. I already asked around; those medications are far too expensive, and it is not certain that they are strictly necessary. The doctor face darkened instantly, freezing the air around him.

The patient has just survived a high-risk operation, he stated coldly. This is not a vegetable market where you get to haggle over cheap ingredients.