Seven years ago.

"Knock, knock." "Knock, knock." "Mom, breakfast is ready. Get up and have breakfast!"

"What are you knocking for? It's not often your brother, sister-in-law, and younger brother aren't home. Can't you let me sleep a bit more?"

At seven-thirty in the morning, Emily had made breakfast and knocked on her mother, Lily's, bedroom door, only to be greeted with a tirade. Emily chuckled, used to such grumbling. "Alright, then you sleep a bit more. I'll keep your breakfast warm."

Lily gave Emily a look and then, while yawning and still in her pajamas, headed to the dining room and asked, "What did you make?"

"Nothing special, just some porridge with yesterday's leftovers, and steamed a few eggs and buns," Emily replied, following her.

"What are you thinking? Your brother and his wife and your younger brother aren't home, why are you making so much food? Do you think it's easy for your brother to earn money and support you? Yesterday, your younger brother took five thousand from me to travel with his classmates. Can't you save some for the family?" Seeing the four boiled eggs and four buns on the plate, Lily immediately became upset and reprimanded Emily.

"Well…" Emily shrunk her neck. "We can have the rest for lunch."

Lily glared at Emily. "You also want to have lunch at home? You're twenty years old, you'll be in the second year of your master's after this summer. Please, don't just think about studying and let your brother support you. Hurry up and find something to do instead of staying at home all the time. It annoys me to see you."

"Mom…" Seeing her mother's attitude, tears sprang into Emily's eyes.

Having not taken a cent from home since her father's death two years ago, she had been tutoring to pay for tuition and living expenses. The reason she was home today was because summer vacation had just started, and she hadn't been home for a long time.

"Don't play the sympathy card in front of me. I am not your damn dead father." Particularly annoyed, Lily waved her hand, didn't wash her face or brush her teeth, just sat down at the dining table, took an egg, and began to lightly tap it on the table.

"Ding, dong… Ding, dong… Ding, dong…"

Just then, the doorbell rang. Emily looked toward the door and then at Lily.

"What are you waiting for? Are you a corpse? Go open the door." Lily said, peeling an egg in her hand and side-eyeing Emily, her frustration growing.

"Okay." Emily replied and dashed over to the door.

Just as she opened the door, Emily froze at the sight of the three people standing outside.

"Hello, is this where Emily lives?" From outside the door, a man in his sixties with hints of white at his temples addressed Emily, his expression heavy.

Emily, caught off guard, stared at the stern yet authoritative elder, stumbled, frowning in surprise, as she nodded, "Yes, this is Emily's house! You... you are the Chairman of Apex Holdings."

"Right." The elder nodded, "I am William Scott, the Chairman of The Scott Group."

"Emily, who is that outside? Who are you speaking to?" Hearing the conversation but seeing no one enter, Lily, who was having her breakfast, yelled out in impatience.

"May I come in?" At the sound of Lily's voice, William Scott asked Emily.

Regaining her composure, Emily quickly nodded, stepping back to let William Scott and his people in.

"Who... who are you people? Who are you looking for?" Inside the dining room, Lily could only stare at William Scott.

Although old, he still had an impressive aura, not to mention the two people in suits and ties following behind him. For a moment, she choked on a half-eaten egg, neither able to swallow nor cough it up.

"Do you know Emily?" he said, looking at Lily, still in her sleepwear with her curly hair a mess and egg yolk on her mouth. Mr. William asked without any hint of disgust, his attitude serious.

"Do I…" Coming back to her senses, Lily quickly wiped off the egg yolk from her mouth, her fierce gaze moving to Emily near Mr. William Scott. She rushed over, grabbed Emily's long hair, and started scolding, "You brat, did you mess up something again, huh?"

"Mom, I didn't!" Emily cried out in pain, bent over, her hands reaching for her hair.

"Mrs. Lily, please calm down, and let me finish." Seeing Lily's demeanor, Mr. William was admittedly anxious and hurriedly tried to intercept her.

Lily looked at Emily suspiciously, then at William Scott, before finally letting go of Emily. Then, straightening her sleepwear, she asked, "My daughter didn't cause any trouble. You... who are you people, what do you want coming here?"

Mr. William glanced at Lily before shifting his gaze to the assistant by his side.

The assistant then understood, promptly placing the box he had held onto the nearby coffee table, and with a "snap" it was opened.

Seeing this, the moment the box was opened, Lily's eyes widened in shock, nearly popping out of their sockets.

"Mrs. Lily, here is a million in cash. If you and your daughter, Emily, are willing to donate two pints of blood for my son, this million cash will belong to you."

Looking at Lily, William Scott cut right to the chase because every minute, every second was precious as his son, Damian Scott, was lying in the hospital, waiting for his life to be saved.

"Don... donate blood?!" Lily was stunned. "Just donate blood and we can receive this million?!"

Beside her, Emily was also stunned, as she had never encountered such a situation in her life.

"Yes, I just need two pints of blood from your daughter. Once this is done, this million is yours. If you're not satisfied with the price, I can add more." William Scott confirmed, while looking at Lily.

At this moment, as long as her daughter's blood could save his son, he would willingly pay even if it cost a billion, or ten billion.

"Emily's blood?!" Lily froze for a moment before pointing at Emily by her side and asked, "Are you sure it's my daughter's blood?" William Scott nodded his head.

"Hmm…" Realizing that she was the one being asked for a favor, Lily immediately assumed a haughty attitude, lifting her head high with her arms folded across her chest and sizing up William Scott. "Who are you, and why do you need my daughter's blood?"

"I am the chairman of Scott Group, William Scott. My son had an accident and is undergoing urgent medical treatment at the hospital. He has a particular blood type, and only three people in the whole of Dongning City share his blood type. One is too old to donate blood anymore, another is overseas, so my only option is to seek help from your daughter Emily," William Scott explained, without any attempt to hide the truth, and with the utmost sincerity to gain Lily's cooperation to the best of her abilities, sympathizing with her as a parent.

"The chairman of Scott Group…" Looking at William Scott standing in front of her, Lily's eyes widened once more, and she couldn't hide her excitement, her eyes even gleaming greedily.

“My daughter's blood is so precious, and you... a dignified chairman of the Scott Group, are trying to rob us off with just a million?"

Once she realized the person standing in front of her was a tycoon, Lily had different ideas. Emily stood aside. Talking about her as if she were the topic of everyone's discussion, yet no one asked her if she was willing or not. They treated her, and her blood, like a commodity open for negotiation.

"So, Mrs. Lily, how much do you want?" William Scott was in no mood to negotiate with Lily.

In Scott's family, money was never the issue, but he only had one son.

Lily looked at William Scott, thought for a while, then raised her right index finger towards him.

"How much?" William Scott assumed she meant a hundred million.

"Ten million." Lily affirmed without faltering.

"Ten million for two pints of her blood?" Emily lowered her head, not daring to say a word.

"Alright, ten million it is. Andrew, notify finance immediately to transfer ten million to Mrs. Lily." William Scott nodded without hesitation.

"Understood, Chairman."

"Wait." Perhaps William Scott had agreed too swiftly, Lily quickly retracted her decision, "What I have said earlier doesn't count, I need to think it over."

"Mrs. Lily, you reconsidered your decision just like that, aren't you afraid something will happen to your two sons? Hmm—" William Scott narrowed his eyes dangerously at Lily.

Startled by William Scott, Lily shivered. However, she was very clear-headed. She pulled Emily to her side and boldly said, "Ten million, plus your son has to marry my daughter."

Ten million was a one-time payment.