It's been a while since Meng Meng had stepped foot out to public. With a scarf wrapped around her head and a pair of sunglasses to hide half her face, she cautiously paid the bank a visit.
She stood in front of the ATM, nervously inserting the credit card. She tapped her fingers against the keypad, scanning her surroundings to make sure nobody noticed her. As she navigated the screen, her fingers moved with a sense of urgency.
It was easy for her to remember the password for this card since her dad had mentioned it in front of her before. She might not be good in academics, but she was great in memorizing account information. Since she was five, she had long remembered all money related accounts in her head.
"Come on... hurry up.." She waited impatiently after selecting the withdrawal option.
"Cash withdrawals are not permitted for this card," the screen flashed. "Please contact customer service for further assistance."
"No, no, no, no, no! How could this be? How could -" Her heart raced as frustration took over. If the company finds out or receives an alert for her withdrawal request, then she will be exposed.
She stepped back from the machine and slowly calmed herself down. She checked the card details again. "Right, this kind of card usually does not allow cash withdrawals without alerting the company. If they catch anything suspicious, they'll make calls. Now what do I do?"
'I can't let this happen.'
Fumbling through her phone, she opened the banking app and scanned the options. And there it was - cash advance. She clicked onto it and read through the policies and possibility for using this to get her money. The cash advance function could give her access to the cash she needed without raising immediate suspicions. By the time they detect anything, she would already have gotten the money and left.
With that thought in mind, she felt more determined to do it. She quickly accessed the ATM and selected the function she wanted. Then, she entered the amount she needed and chewed her lips as the machine processed her request.
When the cash finally dispensed, she opened her bag and started stuffing the cash into her bag. Once the transaction was completed, she took back the card and left to go back home.
It was only when she safely returned home that she felt relieved.
---
Back at the hospital, Lily had woken up from her nap and found Lin Que working right next to her. He stayed by her side the whole time, making sure she felt safe.
"Awake? Are you hungry?" Lin Que closed his laptop the moment he felt a slight movement coming from behind him.
"Mm. I didn't eat yet." She rubbed her eyes. Her eyes were slightly swollen from crying earlier.
"I ordered some food earlier. I had someone bring some to Alan since he is staying with Ginny. I saw you sleeping so well, I didn't want to wake you up to eat. I'll heat up the food for us, and we can eat together." e reached out gently, his fingers brushing through her slightly messy hair, smoothing it back from her face.
"You haven't eaten either?" She looked at the time and was not surprised that it was past midnight already.
"I ate a little bit earlier." He said as he microwaved the dishes he bought.
While he heated up the food, Lily folded the blanket neatly on the couch and set up the table for their meal.
"How are you feeling now? Any better?" He knew how traumatizing the incident affected her and it would be normal for anyone to not be okay. However, he also wishes of her to tell him how she feels, in case she decides to bottle everything inside and deal with it herself.
"If I say I am okay, it will be a lie. I honestly felt like I was going to die, you know? I was desperately trying to survive, and his knife was digging into my chest. I kept thinking all the what-ifs in my head. What if you guys didn't arrive on time? What if that knife stabbed straight into my heart? What if it happens again? You know, all these thoughts still haunt me. But I can't get them out of my head and don't want to make anyone worried about me." She let out a sniffle. Her eyes reddened as she spoke her thoughts.
Lin Que sighed in relief. He walked over to the couch and held her to his chest. He reached out and stroked her back. "Lily, I'm so glad you're telling me these things. I would be more afraid if you kept these thoughts to yourself. You're safe now. You're okay. And it is normal to not be or feel okay after such a terrible thing happened to you."
He held her cheeks and locked his gaze with hers. "You won't face this alone. I will be by your side, protecting you and making sure that bastard won't run away. Whoever is behind this will reap what they sow. I've already arranged bodyguards to protect you. I'm going to be by your side as well. I won't leave you. We will face everything together."
He smiled softly, wiping away her tears.
"Thank you. I feel so weak. I just.." She choked on her words.
"It's okay. Everyone has their ups and downs. You are allowed to feel weak. You are human. You have feelings. So, don't be hard on yourself. What happened is not your fault, understand?" He whispered these words to her.
After letting out her emotions, her stomach grumbled once again to protest against the delayed meal. Lily let out a small laugh. "I'm hungry."
"The food is ready, my lady." He winked and turned around to bring the food over.
In the middle of their meal, the sudden sound of ringing pierced the air, and both of their phones lit up simultaneously. Startled, Lily and Lin exchanged glances.
"Who might be calling at this time?" Lily muttered.
"Let's check," Lin Que reached for his phone while she reached out for hers.