At 4:57 PM, as per routine, Sarah tidies up her office desk preparing to call it a day, ignoring the ceaseless vibrations of her cell phone. She couldn't even be bothered to so much as lift her eyelid. It was her boyfriend, James, most likely regarding the matter of their marriage talks falling through yesterday.

At 5:00 PM sharp, Sarah picks up her cell phone to clock out from work and an incoming text message pops up. "Ms. Sarah, you owe a hospital bill of $23,000. Please go to the Hall of the 3rd Building on the first floor to make the payment as soon as possible. Thank you. If you have any questions, please call 8788888."

Sarah clenches her phone tightly, only to let it fall limply from her grasp. Not that she wouldn't pay, but rather, she really had no money left. The daily $1,500 critical care ward had truly emptied out all the money in her family, and yet, her mother's illness remained untreated. She was left with no other choice but to watch her mother await death.

Sarah, abandoned at birth and found only ten days later, was given a new lease on life by her adoptive parents. Her adoptive father's dying wish was for her to take good care of her mother. So how could she possibly stand by and watch her mother die?

Left with no other option, she asked her boyfriend, James, for a loan, but he flat-out refused, claiming he was broke. She didn't have the heart to push the matter any further. After all, James had only proposed to her, and they hadn't even gotten their marriage license yet. Just yesterday, however, he posted on his social media, flaunting his brand-new car that cost him over $45,000.

At that moment, Sarah stared at her boyfriend's post in a daze for over a minute. Once she snapped back to reality, she immediately dialed James's number. There were no explanations from his end, only a torrent of words instead. "Sarah, I bought this car just to marry you. This sum of over $45,000 should be considered as what I've spent for you. I paid a full $15,000, with a loan for the remaining $30,000. In the future, we'll repay it together."

"Sarah, once we're married, let's sell the small house of your parents and buy a larger one. My parents have always lived in the countryside; now it's time for them to enjoy city life. They've raised me with difficulties; as their daughter-in-law, please be considerate."

"By the way, with the high housing prices in Seaside City, how about I use my salary to pay the mortgage while you use yours for our family's expenses? Isn't that considerate of me?"

"After all, you won't have any relatives left in the future. Marrying me means you're becoming part of the Smith family. Women need to be sensible and avoid being too particular about things."

Upon hearing this, Sarah was shaking with anger. James could refuse to lend the money, but! Her mother was not dead yet! However, he was planning to wipe out her family resources! Even the arrangement of her house was crystal clear. His calculations were so obvious that anyone in the city could hear him.

It took Sarah three minutes to steady herself, and she decisively rejected James's poverty-alleviating-style marriage. "James, we're breaking up." They’d been together for three years; it’d be a lie to say she wasn't upset, but she wasn't a fool.

Let’s part on good terms. She was currently busy with her mother's medical expenses and truly had no time to wrangle with James. Pausing her thoughts, Sarah shook her head, trying to shake off these unpleasant feelings. As she walked out of the building, she noticed her colleagues looking at her with strange expressions. That is, until she heard James's voice coming from across the street.

"Sarah, I'm here to pick you up from work." Upon hearing the noise, Sarah looked over to see James dressed in a dashing suit, holding roses and leaning against a new car, appearing quite charming and gallant. Her colleagues around her couldn't help but feel envious as they looked at Sarah. However, she felt that the new car was too glaring, as if mocking her, implying that her emotions of more than three years weren't worth a car.

James, with a smile on his face, walked over and publicly handed the flowers to Sarah, provoking cheers from the crowd. "James, you're so romantic, making us single folks feel so helpless."

James, who always cared about maintaining face, deepened his smile on hearing the praises. "Sarah, I'm giving these flowers to you; let me take you to see the new car I bought for you. From now on, I'll be able to pick you up and drop you off at work every day."

There was a collective gasp of astonishment from the crowd. "Oh my god, Sarah, you're so lucky; James actually bought a car for you. I hope my future boyfriend can be this good to me."

"It's only natural, considering how much I love Sarah."

James's face was full of affection, but his gaze signaled Sarah to quickly accept the flowers, so he doesn't lose face in public. Sarah didn't respond; she didn't know what else to say besides her anger.

James was an outsider, and her mother had sympathy for his struggles in Haicheng, so she didn't require him to buy a house or a car and give a bridal gift for their marriage; she only asked him to treat her well. However, James, knowingly, didn't even offer a word of greeting to her sick mother, and yet still wanted to eat them out of house and home! Now he appeared, setting up a deep lover's persona, and unfairly assigned a $45,000 car to her. If people found out they had broken up, they would scold her for being unappreciative.

Sarah disregarded the commotion and sidestepped James. James's smile stiffened as he tightly gripped Sarah's wrist. "Sarah, stop being so moody. I personally came to apologize today; don't push your luck. Everyone is watching; isn't it embarrassing?" His underlying message was clear: he had humbled himself to present her flowers; she should accept them unconditionally.

Sarah looked at James, finding him to be much stranger than before. After her mother fell ill, he still insisted on marrying her. She even thought that she had lucked into finding a good man. Now, she only regretted not seeing through his true intentions sooner.

She glanced at the flowers in front of her and counter-asked, "James, is the car really for me?"

James thought she had softened up, smiling and said, "Of course, I'll be your exclusive driver from now on, no matter what the weather is like." Just as admiration shimmered in the eyes of the girls surrounding them, Sarah dropped a bombshell.

"Then bring out the documentation to show everyone whose name is on the car."

"…"

James kept his mouth shut. The crowd around them sensed something was off and urged, "James, isn't the car for Sarah? Bring it out and let us have a look." Instantly, James’s face turned ashen.

Sarah calmly said, "You claim you bought the car for me when it's clear you bought it for yourself. If that's the case, let's transfer the ownership tomorrow, how about it?" Upon hearing this, everyone finally understood James's intentions, and their gazes towards him changed.

James didn't want to lose face and gave an awkward laugh. "I was just joking. We had a minor dispute, and she's just being temperamental." After he finished speaking, he frowned and glared at Sarah, the subtext in his voice sounding like a warning. "Sarah, don't go too far. Who else would marry you with the baggage you carry?"

Sarah clenched her teeth, her almond eyes glossed over with a layer of coldness. "Don't worry; I'd rather marry anyone but you. Since you don't want to part on good terms, don't blame me for not giving you face."

"You..." Before James could respond, Sarah turned to their colleagues. "Everyone, James and I have broken up." With that said, Sarah walked away without looking back towards the intersection.

An angry James chased after Sarah and pulled her into the nearby parking lot. "Sarah! So just because I won't give you $15,000, you want to break up with me? Then what do our three years of feelings account for?" What did they account for? Bad luck, that's what.

"Right! That's the $15,000! Without money, I wouldn't marry you!" Sarah was in a hurry to go to the hospital to see her mother and didn't want to argue with him, so she simply went along with his words.

James was about to retort when a car honked near them, and the driver stuck his head out of the window. "Sorry, we have to go. Could you please move a bit?"

Us? Through the pitch-black side window, Sarah saw another tall figure in the back seat of the car, but the tinted windows made it impossible to see the person's face. The driver honked again, and she quickly made way.

As the car drove away, she saw the logo and license plate. A Maybach, 11111. Who could afford such a car? James was also drawn by the expensive car. Seizing the opportunity, Sarah turned around and left. If she didn't leave now, she would miss the subway in ten minutes.

But James still caught up with her, grasping Sarah’s hand and pleading with her. "Sarah, I know I was wrong for not telling you about buying the car in time, but you can use it later."

Sarah found his words laughable and flung off his hand forcefully. "Borrow? Didn't you just say you bought it for me? Have you gone back on your word so quickly? Do you really think I broke up with you just for money? It's because you were plotting against me! It's normal for you not to want to lend money. It's your money after all. But there's no need for you to charge the cost of the car to me! You can't have your cake and eat it too!"

The words of Sarah made James's face even more unpleasant to look at. "It seems my mother was right. You want money only to support your mother! Sarah, can you be more realistic? Your mother's illness will only drag you down. It would be better to let her die now. From then on, my parents will be your parents. You should treat them well; they will consider you as their own."

On hearing this, Sarah clenched her fists, holding back the revulsion that welled up within her, glaring at James. "Shut up! If anyone should die, it should be you! My mother will never die!"

"James, from the beginning to the end, I never forced you to marry me. You proposed to me on your own. If you think my mother is a burden, you can break up with me. I would even respect your honesty. But you don’t have to play two roles, one in front of people, one behind their backs."

"Do you have any idea how my mother has treated you? She lavishly treats you with good food and drink, discussed marriage without asking for a cent from your family, yet you guard against me while scheming about my mother's house! Wanting to reap without sowing? Your family's behavior is truly ugly!"

Sarah's words thoroughly angered James, who then revealed his true intentions. "Sarah, your mother is good to me because I am capable! If she doesn't butter up to me, can you find any good man based on your abilities?"

"No need for your concern." Sarah didn't even bother looking at him.

"You... forget it, I understand you are upset. Calm down first; find me and apologize when you are calm. Otherwise, once you miss me, you won't find a better man!"

With a haughty attitude, James forcefully put the flowers into Sarah's hands, turned around, got into the car, and left. A gust of cool wind blew, fully waking Sarah, who then threw the flowers into the trash and headed to the subway station.

On the way to the hospital, she struggled to maintain her spirits while thinking about how to solve her mother’s medical bills. Just as she was at a loss, her phone rang. It was her friend, Aunt Mo. Aunt Mo was someone Sarah met on the subway. When she was accused of scamming an old lady, Sarah came to her aid and proved her innocence.

They exchanged WeChat contacts and surprisingly hit it off well, occasionally having dinner and shopping together. People often mistook them for mother and daughter. In fact, Aunt Mo did treat her like a daughter and thought about her in everything. When Sarah answered the call, she heard Aunt Mo's urgent voice before she could even say anything. "Sarah, come and help me quickly."