Reborn: The Business Queen Returns

"Let's make a deal."

The cold, emotionless voice came from the patient lying in bed.

Well, it figured—people who came back from the dead always had cool voices.

Xinkan only just now realized his sister had woken up. He forced a smile and said sweetly, "Tiantian, you're finally awake. Why would you do something so silly as to try and take your own life? If anything's wrong, just tell your big brother. I'll fix it for you."

Tina didn't even acknowledge his fake concern. She stared at him dead-on and said flatly, "Let's make a deal. Take your people and leave now. Once I'm discharged, I'll earn money to help you pay off your debt. But if you keep making a scene, I've had enough of this life anyway. I'll die right here and now, and you'll be on your own."

Xinkan wasn't moved. People who really wanted to die didn't leave a chance to be rescued.

She could see exactly what he was thinking. Tina blinked and continued, "Think it through. If I live, I can still be your cash machine—feed you, clothe you, cover your gambling debts. But if you push me to death, Mom's got no one left. We die together, and no one will ever take care of you again."

Nobody seemed to notice, but Tina had quietly changed "our mom" to "your mom."

Her tone was icy. Her face said it all—cold, exhausted, one breath away from giving up.She looked exactly like someone who'd jump off a building just to prove a point.

Of course, she had zero plans to let her reborn self waste away supporting this human trash. But a few strategic lies could buy her time and peace. Let him weigh the pros and cons. She just needed to keep the drama out of the hospital for now.

"Tiantian, you're awake!"

Her "mom" rushed over, clearly shocked by her daughter's sharp new attitude, but too thrilled by her recovery to ask questions. She paused, then grabbed a giant pair of ugly black-rimmed glasses and placed them on Tina's face.

Tina flinched but was too slow to avoid them.

They weren't normal glasses meant to make someone look like a bookworm. These were cheap, tacky knockoffs from a street vendor—big, bulky, and brutally unflattering. A disaster for any pretty face. On an average woman? Catastrophic.

They were clear lenses too, meaning it wasn't about eyesight. It was deliberate.

Tina hesitated but resisted the urge to rip them off.

Xinkan, thoroughly intimidated by her earlier threat, stared at his fingers for a long moment, weighing his options.

Raising a hen was better than killing it for one egg, right?

His attitude shifted. He turned to the two fake gangsters and pleaded, "Big bros, you see how things are at home. If my mom and sister die, there's no way we can ever repay you. How about giving us a few more days?"

Unfortunately for him, the so-called gangsters weren't so easily swayed. One of them sneered, "No money? Fine. Cut off a finger. At least we've got something to show the boss."

Ah, now it was starting to feel like a proper underworld situation. Sharp, decisive.

Tina watched in anticipation as the two sunglass-wearing "thugs" pinned Xinkan's hand to the table and pulled out a shiny knife.

Her "mom" turned pale and was about to rush forward, sobbing.

Tina stealthily pinched her own thigh and let out a loud, dramatic wail as she threw herself into her "mother's" arms—locking her in place with a grip of steel so she couldn't move.

Just one finger. Compared to the long, miserable life ahead of him, it was nothing.

Some people had to suffer a little pain before they learned how to grow up.