Chapter 74: How Wealthy Can One Be

The hospital room fell silent for a few moments. When Liang Jinshang heard Chao Jingyu speak, she immediately sided with him. “Li Jianguo! Dr. Chao is just a friend of mine. He is upright and honorable, and we obtained the kidney completely aboveboard. Don’t you dare slander us with such baseless accusations!”

She said this, of course, to distance Chao Jingyu from any suspicion, lest it affect his career.

Yet Chao Jingyu only lowered his head with a faint, silent laugh, his interest waning.

His denial was not for Liang Jinshang’s sake, but because he had started to care whether the title of “boyfriend” truly belonged to him. If it did not, then he would rather remain a friend than some backup option—he had his pride.

Li Jianguo, naturally, did not believe a word.

As he himself had said, he had waited five years for a transplant, his illness so advanced that he was already waiting for death. Yet now, witnessing Liang Yuanhan—whose condition was even more dire and whose family background was far less favorable—somehow “jump the queue” and receive a new kidney, how could he possibly accept it?

This time, he clung tightly to claims of hospital corruption, determined to force the hospital to perform the transplant for him, even if it meant resorting to threats!

“Then where did your kidney source come from? If you don’t give me a credible explanation today—my son works at the television station, and if the public takes up my case and it blows up, if the authorities investigate, I’ll see this hospital shut down for good!”

Of course, dealings on the black market could not be brought to light, but Liang Jinshang had no intention of enduring it any longer.

Li Jianguo had been sowing discord in front of Liang Yuanhan for days, and the little color that had returned to Liang Yuanhan’s face had faded once more. He was now in the most dangerous stage of acute rejection; his life had only just been clawed back from the edge. She could not let such a villain destroy him.

“The kidney was bought with our own money. If you have the money, go and get one yourself!” Liang Jinshang’s attitude was both proud and disdainful. “Let me tell you, social class is not just about money and power—it’s also about character. You and we are clearly not of the same class, so there’s really nothing more to say to you!”

“Bought it?” Li Jianguo, wounded in his pride, shot back with mocking scorn. “Look at your Liang family, as poor as church mice—where did you get the money to buy one? You haven’t managed to latch onto that rich kid Chao, so what, did you suddenly discover filial piety and go sell your body for it? You? Worth that much?”

Poverty breeds cunning, while wealth fosters conscience; the more wretched a person’s lot, the more likely their heart festers with filth.

Le Quan, who had been outside, finally couldn’t hold back any longer when he heard this. “What the hell!”

He barged in, jabbing a finger at Li Jianguo’s mottled face, his tone venomous. “Watch your filthy mouth! Say one more word and I’ll flatten you—drag you to the emergency room myself, believe it or not!”

Liang Yuanhan’s chest heaved violently. After smashing the teacup on the table, he slumped back, utterly spent.

To have his daughter publicly shamed with such vulgar, lewd insults—it was the cruelest blow a father could endure.

“Jinshang…” Liang Yuanhan struggled for breath. “I’ve always wanted to ask you—where did you get so much money?”

He still did not know that the kidney had been bought for a seven-figure sum; even the enormous cost of the surgery alone had sparked his suspicions.

But he had never dared to ask.

This feeble question left Liang Jinshang burning with shame.

With Shang Yucheng, the glaringly obvious “buyer,” standing right there, no matter how she dressed it up with words, the crude reality was exactly as Li Jianguo had said. How was she supposed to answer Liang Yuanhan?

Liang Jinshang’s gaze wandered, falling on Shang Yucheng, unable to discern whether his expression was mocking or contemptuous. But she could see that he was moving.

Shang Yucheng strode in, not stopping by Liang Yuanhan’s bedside, but heading straight for Li Jianguo, who was seated further in.

The air around him radiated a menacing aura, silent yet overwhelming. A single glance from him was enough to make Li Jianguo shrink back and fall silent.

“I’ll tell you where the Liang family’s money came from,” Shang Yucheng said, his eyes cold and scornful. “Liang Jinshang certainly didn’t latch onto that rich kid Chao. Her man is me.”

“As for me, my surname is Shang. And as for how much money I have…” Shang Yucheng’s gaze was chillingly indifferent, as if he were looking at an ant. “What I earn in a single minute could buy your life.”