Aldoria General Hospital
Nina Donovan stared at her big toe, all swollen, red, and tightly wrapped, and wanted to cry but couldn't shed a tear.
Austin Sutton, dressed in a white coat, came forward. He looked at her with a helpless sigh. "Thankfully, it's not broken, but you did injure the bone. You'll have to use a crutch to get to school for a week."
After speaking, he gave a slight raise of his handsome brow, pushed up the silver-framed glasses on his nose, and couldn't resist teasing her. "Where'd you run off to stir up trouble this time? An injury this bad... should I give my aunt a call?"
Austin Sutton was her cousin; Nina's mother was his aunt. Although everyone in this book was just cannon fodder, both the Donovan and Sutton families loved to dote on Nina. This had cultivated her arrogant, overbearing, and spoiled personality, making her look down on everyone.
Nina had absorbed the original owner's memories, so she knew that Mrs. Donovan protected her like the apple of her eye. It was so extreme that if her own fraternal twin brother so much as touched a single hair on her head, he'd get a slap. If Mrs. Donovan found out about this, she would definitely investigate the injury to the very end, and that would lead her to discover Nina had been bullying Jasper Sherwood.
Of course, her family was fiercely protective of their own. They'd take her bullying as the baseline and, within a day, have Jasper Sherwood run out of Aldoria.
'Wouldn't that just derail the plot?'
'My hundred billion and my life would both be gone. What's the damn point of even trying then?'
So, Nina immediately grabbed Austin Sutton's arm, shaking it coaxingly. "Cousin, please don't tell my mom," she pleaded pitifully. "I just accidentally kicked a rock while walking. I don't want the family to worry."
Austin Sutton didn't answer, his gaze fixed on Nina. He stared so intently that it gave her goosebumps, and she feared he would realize the person in front of him had changed on the inside.
Fortunately, Austin simply chuckled, then raised a hand to ruffle Nina's hair. "You, huh? You actually know not to make the family worry. You're growing up. I won't say anything this time, but don't think you can pull a fast one on me next time."
Nina let out a soft sigh of relief. 'Thank goodness. The plot is still on track. It's not ruined.'
Misty's voice was filled with resentment. [Are you sure it's not ruined?]
Nina: "..."
She retorted, full of self-righteousness, [So what if there was a little mishap? My performance was still commendable.]
Misty: [...]
'Was it really just a *little* mishap?'
It had never seen someone try to bully another person only to land themselves in the hospital first.
Leaving Austin Sutton's office, Nina started walking out. The hallway ahead was noisy, with a crowd of people gathered in a circle.
Nina couldn't help but squeeze her way to the front.
An old woman with graying hair was blocking a hospital room doorway, refusing to move. "Please," she begged, her voice pleading. "My Holly will die if she leaves the hospital. My grandson is already raising the money. Can you just give us a few more days? We'll figure out a way to pay the medical bills."
The lead doctor looked troubled, his tone helpless as he tried to persuade her. "Ma'am, seeing your family's difficulties, we've already made an exception and given you three extra days. If you don't pay, we can only follow hospital regulations. How about this? You check out for now, and come back when you have the money."
"You know my Holly's condition! Can she leave the hospital? She'll die! Please, just one more day? I'll sell my own blood to pay the bills if I have to."
The white-haired old woman fell to her knees right there in the doorway, crying as she kowtowed to the lead doctor.
The onlookers looked on with pity, but ultimately, no one said anything.
In this day and age, everyone who came to the hospital needed money for treatment. They wanted to help, but they were powerless to do so.
Nina peeked through the crack in the door and saw a young girl lying on the hospital bed. Her face was pale, her body covered in tubes. She looked to be only twelve or thirteen. Her eyes were listless as she stared in the direction of the old woman, a single tear sliding from the corner of her eye.
Nina's heart clenched. She couldn't help but ask her system, [Misty, can I get involved in this?]
Misty, who was wallowing in the sorrow of being bound to a useless host, couldn't help but snark, [Oh, so you *do* have a heart.]
Nina: [Sigh. The Donovan Family is going bankrupt in a year anyway. I'm bound to meet a miserable end then. While I still can, I might as well do some good deeds. Maybe if I build up some good karma, it won't be so painful when the male lead finally does me in.]
She paused, her gaze shifting back to the little girl. [Besides, being sick is a painful thing.]
Misty snorted coldly. [...You're really planning ahead for yourself, aren't you? Why don't you go pick out a burial plot now? Buy it in advance?]
Nina pondered this, then nodded firmly. [That's not a bad idea.]
Misty was speechless. [Do whatever you want. Help or don't help, as long as you don't affect the main plot.]
Nina felt relieved. 'My hundred billion is still safe.'
She continued to squeeze her way forward.
The person in front, who had been annoyed by her pushing, turned around. Seeing that she was dressed in expensive clothes, they said nothing and made way for her.
"Can that girl's illness still be cured?"
Nina's clear, sweet voice suddenly rang out.
The lead doctor looked at the exquisitely beautiful Nina, thought for a moment, and answered truthfully, "As long as there's enough money, the girl's illness has a chance of being cured."
Nina breathed a sigh of relief. 'As long as there's a chance, that's good.'
"How much are they short on medical fees?"
The doctor glanced at the old woman and pursed his lips. "Five thousand, but that will only cover one month."
Nina understood. She bent down to help the old woman up, then extravagantly pulled a bank card from her purse and handed it to the doctor. "Charge it for two months of their medical fees."
The doctor was stunned. 'Wow, I've run into a real spendthrift.'
The old woman grew visibly flustered. "Young lady, that's—that's ten thousand for two months! I can't take it. My grandson is already raising the money."
"Distant water can't put out a nearby fire. Take this for now; it's an emergency. Just consider it a loan. You can pay me back when you have the money." Fearing the old woman would still refuse, Nina gave her her phone number. "When you have the money, can you have your grandson add me as a contact and pay me back then?"
"This..." The old woman hesitated.
Nina continued, "I can wait, but your granddaughter can't. This is a matter of life and death. Besides, I'm not short on this little bit of money."
The old woman glanced at the girl on the bed and wiped her tears. "Thank you, young lady. What's your name? We will definitely repay you."
Nina waved her hand and, propping herself up stylishly on her crutch, turned to leave. 'What kind of villainess leaves her name after doing a good deed?' she thought, leaving behind only one sentence: "If you run into trouble, you can call me. I'll help if I can."
Nina was finally getting a taste of what it felt like to be rich.
She felt like she was walking on air.
As she reached the outside of the hospital and was about to hail a cab, an explosive male voice called out from nearby, "Nina Donovan! What happened to your foot!"
Nina jumped, startled. She looked over and saw the newcomer: her fraternal twin brother, Ian Donovan.
The young man was wearing a red basketball jersey. He had short, neat hair and handsome features that bore a fifty-percent resemblance to Nina. His forehead was still beaded with sweat, looking as if he had just come from the basketball court.
But right now, his furious expression made him look like a hedgehog.
But in Nina's inherited memories, the original owner of this body had been even fiercer and more willful. Taking advantage of their parents' bottomless adoration, she had often taken pleasure in ordering Ian around. As a result, in the book, her relationship with her own brother was not good.