The wife of the richest man, Andre Walker, in town needs blood desperately after suffering from complications in childbirth. Upon realizing that she has a rare blood type, which I share, I don't hesitate to lend her a helping hand.

In order to thank me properly, Andrew decides to gift me a villa located in the heart of the city as well as 30 million dollars in cash.

My roommate, Vera Hawthorn, who always rides the high horse of morality, is pissed off when she finds out about the rewards.

"Your blood is a part of your body! What's the difference between you selling your blood and selling your body? I can't imagine just how filthy and disgusting you are right now!

"That man already has a wife, and yet you still throw yourself at him! You're no different from a homewrecker!"

In my previous life, I was filled with shame after hearing Vera's brainwashing reasoning. Not only did I turn down Andre's rewards, but I also cut off all ties with all men in my life.

Since then, I never attended any classes conducted by male lecturers, which resulted in me flunking many subjects even though I was about to graduate. So, the head of my department decided to delay my graduation.

Left without a choice, I begged Vera to help tutor me in my studies, only for her to post my desperate visage on the Internet.

"What an idiot! Independent women must solve every hardship they come across in this era! Don't you feel ashamed for asking me for help?

"I can't believe you failed this many subjects! If I were you, I'd just kill myself!"

The video went viral on the Internet. My desperate expression was made into a meme, which circulated around the Internet like crazy. Meanwhile, Vera became a famous influencer because of this incident.

That night, I suffered from a mental breakdown and took my own life by overdosing on pills.

When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day I'm about to donate my blood.

At the hospital entrance, two men in loungewear stepped forward and blocked my path.

"Are you Ms. Cynthia Lawson?"

When I nodded, Andre Walker, the country's richest man, looked so shaken that he could hardly get the words out. "Ms. Lawson, my wife is an older expectant mother. Something went wrong during the surgery, and she urgently needs blood. You must already know about the situation!"

As he spoke of his wife struggling through a difficult delivery, his eyes turned red.

His eldest son, Sean Walker, also looked at me with gratitude. "Ms. Lawson, thank you so much for coming. We're counting on you to save my mother."

I immediately rolled up my sleeve. "Where do I donate blood? Take me there right away."

Just as we were about to leave, a sharp, piercing shout exploded from behind us.

"Stop! None of you are going anywhere!"

Vera Hawthorn rushed over in three quick strides and planted herself right in front of me. She glared at me like I was a hopeless case. "Have you lost your mind? Do you even realize what you're doing? Donating blood for them is no different from selling yourself! Have you no shame?"

Those familiar words sent a chill down my spine. Only then did I realize that I had been reborn.

In my previous life, she had stopped me the exact same way. At the time, all I could think about was that someone's life was on the line. Besides, I had already come here prepared to donate blood voluntarily.

I didn't agree with anything she said, so I followed the doctor to the blood donation room anyway.

What I never expected was for Andre to give me 30 million dollars and a villa as compensation after the donation.

When Vera found out, she cursed me out for being shameless, saying I had thrown myself at rich people and disgraced modern women. Under her relentless emotional manipulation, I rejected the Walker family's offer.

That careless decision eventually cost me my life.

The memory made my chest burn with anger.

"Vera, what are you talking about? I came here to save someone!"

She clearly didn't expect me to talk back, given that I was usually timid. Surprise flashed across her face.

Since everyone's attention had shifted to her, Vera lifted her chin slightly and looked ahead with a self-righteous expression. "Save someone? Don't make it sound so noble. This is all just a trap set by rich people!"

She sighed dramatically and whispered, "Cynthia, I'm saying this for your own good. Don't you know your blood type is rare? If you're not careful, these rich people will treat you like a walking blood bank!"

Andre immediately panicked when he heard that. He raised four fingers solemnly. "No, no, that would never happen! If Cynthia saves my wife, she will be our family's benefactor. How could we possibly harm the person who saved us?"

Sean quickly added, "If you don't trust us, we can sign an agreement. If this kind of situation comes up in the future, we will respect Ms. Lawson's decision if she chooses to refuse."

Vera let out a mocking laugh. "Do you really think we'd believe that? Let me tell you something. We might be poor students, but we still have dignity! Do you really think we'd sell ourselves to rich people like you? Dream on!"

With that, she grabbed my arm and tried to drag me away.

Fortunately, this time, I reacted quickly and shook her off.

"Mr. Walker, what I do with my body is my choice. Where do I donate? Take me there."

Sean immediately understood what I meant and signaled the nearby doctor to lead me inside.

Vera refused to give up and screamed furiously, "Cynthia, you're beyond saving! If your parents find out you're selling yourself like this, they'll die of anger!"

When I ignored her, she planted her hands on her hips and sneered at Sean. "Let me make this clear. Cynthia might be spineless enough to sell herself to you people, but I won't! I, Vera Hawthorn, live with pride. I would never do something so cheap!"

Sean and Andre had no interest in arguing with her. They had already turned and headed toward the operating room.

A few minutes later, I walked out, pressing a hand over the small wound where the needle had been inserted.

The sharp-eyed Vera immediately spotted my pale face, and she covered her mouth to hide a triumphant smirk.

"Cynthia, didn't I tell you? The rich see you as nothing more than a blood bank! As long as you don't die, they'll just keep taking your blood!"

Hearing that, Sean lowered his head in guilt and apologized to me. "I'm sorry, Ms. Lawson. It was an emergency, so we drew roughly 150 mL of your blood. How are you feeling now?"

Before he could finish, Andre hurriedly handed me some health supplements he had bought earlier. "Cynthia, pick anything you like and take a bit right away!"

I waved him off. "It's fine. I just got up too quickly and felt a bit dizzy, but I'm okay now."

Vera clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Cynthia, I'm telling you, don't push yourself in this situation." She sneered. "Do you really believe they only drew 150 mL? I don't! They're definitely lying to you!"

I stepped back slightly. "I know exactly how much they took. The measurement was clearly visible. Vera, don't get so caught up in conspiracy theories."

I wasn't denying that unusual situations could happen, but I knew the Walkers. Andre had built his empire from nothing. He was rich, but never reckless. Sean, the industry's rising talent, ran his company with honesty and integrity. People would do anything for a chance to work for him.

Andre approached me, looking apologetic, and held out a bank card and villa keys. "Cynthia, I truly appreciate what you've done for my wife. I know you donated your blood voluntarily. This isn't compensation. It's just a small token of appreciation from me."

Sean nodded sincerely. "Ms. Lawson, please, you must accept it."

Seeing this, Vera's eyes blazed red, just like they had in my previous life. "Don't take it!"

She swatted my hand away and hurled the keys and card straight at Andre's face. "Keep your filthy money! Do you think this will make us bow to you rich people? No way!"

Breathless, she faced me, her eyes blazing. "Cynthia, how can you have no shame? If you take this money, it's no different from selling yourself to an old man. Don't you find it disgusting?"

She took a few dramatic steps back. "I can't even picture how low you've stooped! What you're doing is no different from being a sugar baby. Don't you know how women like that end up? They'll be beaten and shamed in public!"

A grim smile spread across her face. "If you accept his money, you'll own that title. You'll be loathed like a rat in the streets, and your parents will be so ashamed that they could die!"

It would have been fine if she had kept quiet, but the moment she opened her mouth, I felt my teeth clench with rage.

After I died in my previous life, she profited from selling my reaction stickers and became an online star. Eventually, she joined an agency and livestreamed every night, pestering her older fans for gifts so loudly that the neighbors couldn't sleep.

If I didn't know her true nature, I might have been fooled, thinking that she actually despised wealth.

I took a deep breath and bent down to pick up the bank card and keys from the floor. "In that case, thank you for your generosity, Mr. Walker."

Why should I hold back when there was money right in front of me?

When he saw me take it, Andre breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Good, just take it. That's all that counts."

Sean nodded with a smile. "Ms. Lawson, do you feel any discomfort?"

I shook my head—and the next moment, the world went black as I fainted.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying in a hospital bed. As I looked up, I met Sean's worried gaze.

"Ms. Lawson, are you okay?" he asked hesitantly. "The doctors said you're malnourished. I'm sorry. If I had known your condition beforehand, I never would have let you donate blood."

I shook my head. "It's my own problem. It has nothing to do with you. I'm malnourished because—"

"See, I was right!" Vera interrupted gleefully before I could finish. "Cynthia, this is what happens when you don't listen to me! I warned you. These rich people just see you as a walking blood bag!"

She sneered. "It's not too late to regret it now!"

She lunged toward me, trying to pull out my IV.

Luckily, Sean's reflexes were faster. He grabbed her wrist just in time. That small action made Vera jump back in shock. "What are you doing? How dare you touch me! Don't tell me you think I'm as useless as Cynthia that I'd kiss up to rich people?"

I couldn't help laughing as I watched her lost in her own world. If I remembered correctly, this was her classic "play hard to get" move. She had learned it from that book, "Caught the Billionaire's Heart", which claimed that rich men liked fragile, delicate women. Vera was clearly trying to follow that path.

Sean frowned impatiently. "Ms. Hawthorn, if I'm not mistaken, this is a private ward. Cynthia needs rest. Please leave immediately."

Vera, stung by humiliation, crossed her arms and fixed me with a sharp look.

"Cynthia, did you hear that? This is a private ward. Do you know how much this costs per day? Did you earn this money yourself? Right now, you're no better than a worthless parasite. You've thrown away the dignity of a strong, independent woman."

As those words echoed in my ears, I felt my blood boil. If I hadn't taken her advice before, I wouldn't have refused my parents' money for tuition, juggled five jobs a day just to survive, or foolishly handed over three-quarters of my wages to her until I couldn't even afford a meal.

Back then, she had spoken with unwavering certainty about me becoming independent and taking control of my own life.

"I'm your teacher. Pay me every month, or I won't teach you how to thrive in the world! If you fail, your parents will be humiliated, and it'll be too late by then!"

The sheer ridiculousness of it was almost funny, yet I had listened to every word.

I shouted, "Out! This is my ward. You're not welcome here!"

Vera tilted her head and smirked. "Fine! I'm leaving. Don't regret it later! When people call you a sugar baby and a failure, don't think of coming back to me!"

With that, she stormed out. After Vera left, I finally told Sean the real reason I was malnourished. His eyes softened with concern. "Looks like the money I gave you wasn't enough."

I smiled, reaching into my pocket. "No way! This is more than enough for me!"

However, my left pocket was empty. Panic set in as I checked my right pocket, and there was nothing there either.

"My card's gone! And the keys too!"

Just then, the dean, Mr. Robert Harrison, called me.

"Cynthia, where are you?" he asked sharply. "The charity gala is about to start. Are you really going to make it this hard to find you? Vera went to get you herself, and you still didn't show up?"