After losing his job, my husband Ethan insisted on franchising a trendy bubble tea shop. I refused, saying our daughter Lily had leukemia and urgently needed money for treatment. To my shock, he immediately went and took out a high-interest loan, sneering at me: “I don’t believe she’ll die tomorrow.” “The bubble tea shop will make over $10,000 a day. In just two months, we can cure any disease!” A few months after opening, Ethan was raking in money. He sent countless large red envelopes to relatives who fawned over him, but wouldn’t spend a penny on our sick daughter, believing she was blocking his path to wealth. When his business was booming, he asked me for a divorce, saying, “If you hadn’t always held me back, I would have made it big five years ago. You were born to bring bad luck to your husband!” Without tears or fuss, I signed the divorce papers and left with our daughter, taking nothing else. On the day of the Consumer Protection Program, the trendy bubble tea was exposed for using a “deadly formula,” and my ex-husband was taken away for investigation on the spot. In court, he cried that he was wronged, “I was just a franchisee, I knew nothing!” But what he didn’t know was that I was the undercover reporter who took down the trendy bubble tea brand, and I had the purchase order for the “deadly ingredients” with his personal signature.
“You short-sighted woman! You’re only fit to be a coward all your life!” Jack slammed his chopsticks onto the table, pointing at me as he yelled. “Tom has made it crystal clear. An initial investment of $50,000, and we’ll break even in just three months!” “This is a guaranteed money-maker. If I wasn’t his cousin, he wouldn’t have let me in on such an amazing opportunity!” I tried to reason with him anxiously, “Jack, you’ve just lost your job. The severance pay is only $10,000, nowhere near $50,000.” “Besides, countless bubble tea shops have gone bust in recent years. How can it be a sure thing?” “Emma is still in the hospital. We need money for her treatment. I don’t agree with you joining this bubble tea franchise!” Seeing my refusal, Jack swept all the dishes off the table in a fit of rage. “When I married you, you were so down-to-earth. When did you become such a money-grubber?” “Yes, I lost my job, but that’s because the manager felt threatened by me and bribed other colleagues to give me low scores! If it wasn’t for him, I’d have been promoted by now, with my salary doubled!” “I don’t have enough money on hand, but if we mortgage the house, won’t that be enough?” Our daughter had leukemia and needed money for treatment, yet he not only called me greedy but also wanted to mortgage the house. I felt my heart sink to the bottom. “The franchise fee is $30,000, equipment costs $10,000, and rent plus renovation is another $10,000. If the bubble tea shop doesn’t do well, all this money will go down the drain!” I tried to make him see reason. “We absolutely cannot mortgage the house. If Emma’s condition worsens, this will be our last lifeline!” Jack let out a cold laugh, “My shop hasn’t even opened yet, and you’re already cursing it. You really can’t stand to see me do well, can you? Afraid I’ll earn more than you!” “She’s already cost us over a hundred grand, and she’s still not better. Isn’t that money down the drain too?” His words stabbed at my heart. After having our daughter, I became a full-time housewife. He never missed a chance to remind me that I didn’t earn a penny and only knew how to spend. But the truth was, before we got married, both the house and car were bought outright with my salary. He was the one who moved in with just his bags. Back then, he proudly boasted to all our relatives, “My Olivia is beautiful and capable. Marrying her is the greatest fortune of my life.” But since I quit my job, all his gentleness and consideration vanished, replaced by tyranny and bullying. I had endured all of this, wanting only for our daughter to have a complete family. However, I never imagined he would think the money spent on our daughter’s treatment was a waste. Jack’s face turned red with anger, “Let me tell you, Olivia, I’ve researched this brand thoroughly. It’s the newest trending franchise in our city.” “They use only pure tea and milk for their bubble tea. From 3-year-old kids to 80-year-old seniors, everyone can drink it. How can a bubble tea that appeals to all ages not be successful?” “Stop trying to stop me. Tom said he’d help me run it. I’m definitely joining this franchise!” With that, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Not long after, he posted on SnapChat: “All in!” The image was a loan contract. In our family group chat, messages kept popping up. Tom complained, “Sister-in-law, you’re just too timid. You don’t have my brother’s guts. You’ll never make money like this!” I couldn’t help but send a message, “All I know is that right now, my daughter needs money to save her life!” Jack’s reply came quickly, “I don’t believe she’ll die tomorrow.” “The bubble tea shop will make over $10,000 a day. In just two months, we can cure any disease!” The relatives in the group chat chimed in, each supporting Jack, implying between the lines that I was overbearing and didn’t know how to support my husband. My in-laws even sent a voice message, cursing our daughter as a debt collector, not only causing her father to lose his job but also draining the family’s money for treatment. Looking at my daughter lying pale-faced in the hospital room, I couldn’t bear to read these heartless words anymore and turned off my phone. Since you’d rather take out a high-interest loan to open a bubble tea shop, I won’t try to persuade you anymore!
The bubble tea shop Jack franchised opened in just a month. He deliberately chose a location near an elementary school. Every day at dismissal time, students would rush into the shop to buy bubble tea. Because of the promotional slogans plastered all over the store, parents paid without hesitation. With low prices and claims of using only pure tea and milk, the shop’s turnover reached $500,000 in just a month of operation, with Jack guaranteed to pocket at least $100,000. At the celebration dinner, Jack proudly announced to the whole family that his business venture was a success, and he planned to become the city’s largest bubble tea franchisee in the future. My mother-in-law excitedly said, “I’ve always said that Jack was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was destined to be a big boss!” My father-in-law chimed in, “That’s right, Jack was never meant to be someone’s employee!” Jack smiled smugly, then looked at me with disdain, “It’s a pity some people don’t think so!” “People can’t earn money beyond their comprehension. She’s destined to be a poor wage earner, without any vision. All she knows is to cling to her measly earnings!” The relatives present all knew who he was referring to and looked at me scornfully, their eyes full of contempt as they sized me up from head to toe. Although I had long known they didn’t like me, I couldn’t help feeling hurt. “Now that it’s open, you need to manage it well. If…” I hadn’t finished speaking when I was interrupted. “There are no ‘ifs’! I can see you’re just jealous that I can make money!” Jack glared at me fiercely, “Your mouth never has anything good to say!” Being scolded in front of so many relatives, my heart turned cold. Tom stepped in to smooth things over. He took out his phone to show Jack, “Brother, this is my bank statement for one month.” “See? I didn’t lie to you! Opening a bubble tea shop is quick money!” Jack’s eyes widened, “How is your monthly turnover four times mine?” Tom smiled smugly, “I’ve opened three more bubble tea shops, and they’re all doing just as well. Of course I’m earning more!” “Let me give you some advice as your brother, the earlier you get in, the more you earn. Once others rent out all the good locations, you’ll only have regrets!” Jack furrowed his brow, deep in thought for a while. Then his eyes grew increasingly feverish, “You’re right, the earlier in, the more we earn. I’m going to open another shop!” “That’s more like it.” Tom smiled as he poured him a drink. Jack hadn’t even recouped his initial investment, and the high-interest loan wasn’t paid off, yet he was already thinking about a second shop. I felt uneasy. “This is too risky. If business isn’t good, with compound interest, the debt will keep growing. It’s better to pay off the loan first.” “When you’ve saved up enough capital for a second shop, then open one. There’s no rush!” As soon as I finished speaking, my mother-in-law splashed her red wine all over me. She angrily said, “When men are discussing important matters, you have no right to butt in!” “Didn’t you hear what Tom said? It’s guaranteed profit!” Jack looked at my disheveled state, his eyes devoid of any warmth. “I’ve already decided, and it’s not up to you to object!” “I’m the head of this family. You rely on me to support you, so you have no right to criticize me.” “Get out now. You’re not welcome in this family!” I looked at him in disbelief. I had merely advised him to consider carefully, yet he trampled on my dignity in front of everyone. My heart ached to the point of suffocation. I resolved never to ask him another word about the bubble tea shop. Over the next few days, I watched coldly as he sweet-talked relatives into giving him more money and franchised a second shop.
The hospital told me that Emma’s chances of recovery were high if she underwent a bone marrow transplant. Hearing this news, I was overjoyed. But the bone marrow transplant surgery required a large sum of money, and I had long since exhausted my savings from earlier years, leaving me in dire financial straits. Just as I was at a loss, my phone screen kept lighting up with notifications. When I opened them, I found that Jack was sending out red envelopes in the family group chat. He sent out over a dozen red envelopes, each containing $500. In just a few minutes, he had given away $5,000 or $6,000. The relatives in the group kept complimenting him, praising his generosity. Everyone was saying how generous and kind-hearted Boss Jack was, calling him the most successful person in the Lin family of this generation. But all I knew was that he was Emma’s father, and he should have stepped up when Emma needed money for medical treatment! I returned home from the hospital to find Jack already drunk. When I told him the news that Emma could be cured after surgery, he showed not a hint of joy, his expression very irritated. “When I wanted to join the bubble tea franchise, you didn’t give me a penny. Now that I’ve earned some money, you’re after it. I won’t give you a cent!” “I’ve opened another bubble tea shop and invested a lot of money. I don’t have any cash on hand now. You figure it out yourself!” I looked at him in disbelief. Emma’s surgery would cost only $150,000, much cheaper than opening a bubble tea shop. He had money to open another shop but was unwilling to pay for his own daughter’s treatment. Did he deserve to be a father? Disappointed, I left and called my best friend to borrow money. After learning about Emma’s situation, my friend transferred $100,000 to me without hesitation. She apologized, “That’s all I have on hand. Try to borrow more from others. Don’t delay Emma’s treatment.” With a mortgage and a child to raise, it was already a big deal for her to lend me $100,000. I felt deeply touched. For the remaining $50,000, I had no choice but to borrow from my parents. They had already given me a lot of money when Emma first fell ill. Having to ask them again made me feel very awkward. But my parents didn’t hesitate for a second and transferred the money right away. They even told me not to scrimp and save, and to take care of myself. I felt both moved and guilty. With this hard-earned money, I sent Emma into the operating room. But as I waited anxiously, my best friend called me. “I saw Jack with a woman inspecting the bubble tea shop. He even had the staff address her as the boss’s wife. The woman had a big belly, looked like she was pregnant!” “Jack said he was preparing to open his sixth branch, and then he wants to open even more, to dominate the bubble tea market in our city.” “Olivia, he has enough money to open a sixth store, his liquid assets must be at least a million dollars. He definitely lied to you when he said he had no money!” I gripped my phone tightly, feeling a surge of grief and anger. Not just because of his betrayal, but also because of his disregard for our daughter. Since you’re so heartless, I won’t show you any mercy! ———-This is the breakpoint———-
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