After replying, Xu Mu set his phone down on the table.
Right now, his priority was to gather more Fate Points and strengthen his power.
Four or five minutes later, his phone finally buzzed with another message.
"Can I call you?"
It was from Zhao Yingying.
Xu Mu frowned slightly, then initiated a voice call himself.
After just a second or two, the other side picked up.
"Hello, Young Master Xu. You probably don't remember me, I'm—"
"I remember you, Zhao Yingying." He interrupted her.
"Yes, thank you for remembering me. I... I..."
Her voice trembled, almost breaking into sobs. "Young Master Xu, I really have no other way. Please lend me some money. I swear I'll pay you back. I'll do anything you ask of me."
"What do you need the money for?" Xu Mu asked curiously.
"My mother's sick and needs surgery. I've taken a break from school to work part-time, but it's not nearly enough. If this goes on, she'll miss her best treatment window."
By now, Zhao Yingying was crying openly. "I've already borrowed from everyone I can."
"How much do you need?" Xu Mu asked.
"T-ten... fifteen thousand yuan."
She could barely bring herself to say the number.
To ask fifteen thousand from a man she'd only met once—unthinkable. But she truly had no other choice. Any glimmer of hope, she had to grab it.
"That's not a small amount," Xu Mu said calmly.
True, he used to throw around ten thousand casually in Feng Yue's bar, but he was no longer the same villainous Xu Mu.
"I know... but please, if you can just lend it to me—I'll do anything you ask! I'll pay you back, I promise!"
"Send me your location first," he said, then hung up.
He already knew Zhao Yingying was a heroine, and her Favorability toward him was positive.
Still, spending fifteen thousand just to earn a bit of favor didn't seem worth it.
After all, he could gain the same Favorability from Ye Tong in just one or two nights.
But after thinking it over, he decided to help anyway.
After all, his system was called the Righteousness System—helping others was building good karma.
The address she sent was Jiang City Second Hospital. Xu Mu left his office and headed there.
At that moment, Zhao Yingying stood at the hospital entrance, anxiously waiting.
Before long, she spotted Xu Mu approaching and ran over to him.
Xu Mu looked her over — today she wore a simple beige dress, her black hair cascading like a waterfall.
She didn't have Xu Ningbing's stunning beauty, but she carried a gentle, innocent charm — the kind of girl-next-door purity that disarmed people.
But today, the determination once shining in her eyes was gone.
All that was left was helplessness.
"Young Master Xu…"
Wiping her tears, she said softly, "I'm sorry. We hardly know each other, yet I'm asking for so much."
"Enough. Let's go see your mother first." Xu Mu patted her shoulder. "And just call me Xu Mu — 'Young Master' sounds too distant."
[Favorability +30]
"Then I'll call you Brother Mu. Come with me."
She led the way toward the inpatient wing.
Following behind her, Xu Mu looked at the expressions of the other families in the corridor and couldn't help feeling a bit somber.
People worked their whole lives, yet a single illness could drain them dry. Something about that was just... wrong.
On the sixth floor, Zhao Yingying opened the door to a ward.
"Mom…"
She froze, startled by the sight of a slick-haired young man in a suit. "Brother Fang Chu? What are you doing here?"
"I came to see your mom. Sorry, Yingying... I couldn't borrow the money."
Fang Chu looked embarrassed. Zhao Yingying had called him earlier asking for help. He'd asked his wife for the money — and got a furious scolding in return.
His wife accused him of growing bold enough to lend money to other women.
"It's okay. I already found someone to lend it," Zhao Yingying said as Xu Mu stepped inside.
Fang Chu's expression froze. "You again?"
Xu Mu was speechless. Was this what they called a "villain's physique"? Always running into the male lead.
"Huh? You two know each other?" Zhao Yingying asked, confused.
"Yingying, stay away from him," Fang Chu said coldly, glaring at Xu Mu. "He's not a good person."
He was certain this man was deliberately making his life difficult. Last time, he'd ruined things between him and Lu Xueyao.
He'd been messaging Lu Xueyao since yesterday, but she hadn't replied — clearly bewitched by this bastard.
And now, this guy had shown up again to ruin things with Zhao Yingying.
"Brother Fang Chu, how can you say that? Brother Mu is a good person." Zhao Yingying looked displeased.
From their first meeting, Xu Mu had treated her kindly — he'd bought so many clothes from her and helped her earn a commission. Now he'd come to lend her money — how could such a man be bad?
On the hospital bed, a woman slowly raised her head to look at them.
It was Zhao Yingying's mother, Li Yun.
She had shoulder-length hair and looked under forty, with a full, mature figure radiating a gentle charm.
Even sickly pale, her beauty was obvious — if she were healthy, she'd be stunning.
Xu Mu instinctively activated his Divine Eye:
Name: Li Yun
Role: Breakfast shop owner, delivery courier, The Strongest Son-in-Law heroine.
Favorability: 1
Fate Level: 7 (Max 10)
Xu Mu almost choked.
Holy crap.
Good grief—really, good grief.
That guy Fang Chu wasn't just with Zhao Yingying; he'd even taken her mother?!
Xu Mu regained his composure after a moment. Well, this kind of twisted plot wasn't uncommon in these worlds.
"Yingying, don't be fooled," Fang Chu said seriously. "He's only getting close to you because he wants your body."
"Brother Fang Chu, you've misunderstood him! Brother Mu never approached me — I went to him first!"
She explained everything — how they met, what happened today, and how he'd agreed to help her.
Since that day he bought the clothes, Xu Mu hadn't once contacted her.
Fang Chu's face darkened.
"We're not even close," Xu Mu said coolly. "I don't understand why you keep treating me like your enemy. If you and Yingying were together, I'd have turned around and left. I came to help, not to take insults."
"Please don't be angry, Brother Mu." Zhao Yingying grabbed his arm anxiously. "There must be some misunderstanding. Brother Fang Chu is a good person."
Xu Mu rolled his eyes. Yeah, sure. A real good guy — who'd taken both mother and daughter.
"Oh, he's a good person? How much did this 'good person' lend you, then?" Xu Mu asked dryly.
"H-he didn't…"She lowered her head.
"That's your 'good person'? A married man who can't spare a dime?" Xu Mu said flatly.
"Married? Brother Fang Chu… you're married?"
Zhao Yingying stared at him in disbelief.
Even Li Yun looked stunned. She'd never heard him mention it. She'd actually thought Fang Chu was a decent man — and was even considering matching him with her daughter.
Though he was several years older than Zhao Yingying, he seemed caring and reliable.
[Fate Power -20]
Fang Chu's expression grew darker and darker.