Chapter 10

I knew exactly what the "big gift" Mom had prepared was—it was all the bribe money Dad had taken over the years.

Ever since he met Denise, Dad had been buying her luxury goods, designer brands, and even a house.

Sure, Dad worked for a state-owned enterprise and had a decent salary, but we were a middle-class family, living paycheck to paycheck. I was born with a heart condition, and my medical bills were overwhelming, leaving us with no savings.

But Dad's lavish gifts to Denise didn't come from his salary—they came from bribes.

I remembered vividly how, during one of my worst health crises, Mom had tearfully begged Dad to fork out some money for my treatment. And what had Dad said? "The company's not doing well right now, we don't have any money."

In the end, it was my grandparents who sold their house to cover the cost of my surgery.

Yet, the same Dad who claimed we were too poor to pay for my life-saving operation had plenty of cash to spoil Denise with luxury handbags.