Revenge

Judging from the attitude the doctor bore towards Mia, they should know each other well. Amanda sat across from him, her eyes
darting to the badge on his white coat. "Doctor in charge, Timmy Cheng." She put her handbag on her lab and clenched at the
tape not knowing what to say.
Timmy Cheng looked at her, smiled, and said in a gentle voice, "Don't be nervous, Mia. I know your situation. I have already paid
your mother's hospitalization expenses for you..."
Amanda looked up in surprise at him. What friendship was it between them when a doctor paid for a patient's hospital stay? And
why did he ask her to come over when he had already paid for her? He should have known she was still in class...
Amanda couldn't figure it out.
Timmy Cheng fiddled the pen in his right hands and laughed: "When you said that you have got money, I was surprised." He said
with a gloomy look: "Have you seen your mother today?"
Amanda shook her head.
Amanda waited quietly for Timmy Cheng to fill her in more information. Instead of continuing the conversation, Timmy Cheng
suddenly stood up, closed the folder on his desk, and smiled gently at Amanda. "Let's go together and it is time for me to go
check on your mother’s status by the way."
Amanda knew nothing about the situation of Mia’s mother; so she stayed quiet the whole time.
The 2# ward on the eighth floor was not as quiet as the other wards as it was closer to the stairs.
the nurse on duty opened the door of the ward to greet Timmy Cheng; he step into the ward and went for a patient straightly.
Noticing Amanda was still standing in the doorway, he added smiling with his head turning to the bed behind him: "Go see your
mother."
On the bed a woman with rarely any hair left on her head huddled under a thin blanket. She was extremely thin; her eyes rolled
vigilantly, telling Amanda that she was living person.
Bold as Amanda was, she felt intimidated by such a dying soul. Her feet was heavy as lead; her eyes tried so hard to avoid any
contact with hers.

The woman on the bed seemed to get pissed by her evasion; she craned out her body and grasped Amanda’s wrist so violently
with her eyes fixed at Amanda’s face....
The nature of the mother? She must have detected something unusual about her own daughter, right?
What about her mother? At the thought of her own mother, Amanda’s eyes was welled up with tears; witnessing the death of her
husband and daughter and unable to do anything, how was her mother now? What did Bill Fu do to her? If she stood in front of
her, would she be able to recognize her?
Thought Amanda; tears blurred her vision, falling down drop by drop; Mia’s mother let off her guard at the moment, gently patted
the back of her hand with her thin “claws”, and sang to Amanda," Mia, Mia, my little dancer...The great dancer......"
Her voice was hoarse and awful, but she kept repeating the words "dancer" over and over. Was that what she expected of Mia?
A large hand patted Amanda on the shoulder; Timmy Cheng stood behind her and this time, he was solemnly serious: "Let me
have a look at her”
Amanda stepped aside to give him the space. Timmy Cheng bent down and check on her patiently and meticulously. While the
nurse kept record of what Timmy Cheng instructed. From their conversation, Amanda soon came to a conclusion that Mia’s
mother was suffering from stomach cancer.
After the routine check, the nurse said to Amanda, "The patient needs rest. You should go now."
Amanda walked to the door; and when she looked over her shoulder, Mia's mother had turned her back on her and buried her
head in the blanket...
When the door of the ward closed, the elevator arrived at their floor; Amanda followed Timmy Cheng into the empty elevator.
He reached out his delicate fingers and pressed the number key "3"; Timmy Cheng grinned at the sight of Amanda on the mirror:
"Mia, you are surprisingly calm today; and also, you shed tears in front of your mother for the first time these years...your mother
seemed happy about that you are not pretending to be strong before her. I think she hates to see you acting strong.”
Amanda did not know how to respond to his speculation; instead, she reached her hands into the bag and took out a bundle of
cash: “Doctor Cheng, here you are ten thousand dollars...”
Timmy Cheng was surprised: "where did you get it from?"

It didn't seem like what doctors should care about; Amanda looked blankly into Cheng's eyes.
As if realizing his rudeness, Timmy Cheng looked away instantly. "Ding!"They had arrived at the third floor.
He did not take the money but strode out of the elevator, leaving Amanda wondering whether she should follow and go on her
own from here.
Timmy Cheng looked back at her wearing a slightly awkward smile on his slips: “Mia, come over here, I have a word with you.”
Amanda put the money back into the bag and followed up; what she should do now was to be a lamb and follow instructions;
besides this doctor seemed like a nice guy...at least to Mia.
He seated her and poured her a cup of tea; and after a second of hesitation, he said: “Mia, I know it could be harsh for you, but
as her daughter, you have the right to know the development of her disease...”
Amanda clutched at the paper cup, slightly apprehensive.
Timmy Cheng sighed and said, "The cancer cells have spread so fast that a surgery can't be postponed any longer. You mother
need to be operated immediately, and the cost of the operation is not what you can solve with the money that you have..."
Calamities came in succession.
Amanda walked out of Timmy Cheng's office and squinted into the harsh sunlight outside the glass windows of the hallway...She
had never knew that money could be so useful; it did not heal the disease but it gave people like Mia and her mother the hope.
There was no hope for Mia, whether she is alive or not.
What about Amanda?
What kinda of ending was waiting for her?
She's not the savior. She can't save anyone. Now she just wanted to save herself...
It was late when she got back to the dormitory. The other three girls had already come back and were ready for dinner and
evening class. Their dinner was very special. One girl was eating an apple, the second was eating the rice which was strictly
portioned and the third was steaming something in the pot, which turned out to be vegetables with no oil and salt...

This was the diet of dancers.
After seeing Amanda sitting on her bed, the three girls winked at each other; the apple-nibbling girl finally broke the silence
saying, "Where have you been this afternoon, Mia? You didn't even go to class. Rae Yan said... She saw you...Took money from
the President..."
"You can't really be a mistress of some rich people, can you?" The girl who was eating the rice blurted out.
The girl who was steaming the vegetable looked at Amanda in disgust and said, "My mother forbids me to live with sluts; Mia, if
you are really so filthy, move out and stay away from us!"
Words killed. One of the deadliest weapons nowadays in this world without war was people’s talk.
A bunch of ignorant girls...
Well, it was norm that people turned blind eyes and deaf ears to the others?
Amanda smiled wryly; if she was still that cocky lady Juan, that highly-respected designer, she would never have felt what she
was feeling as Mia right now.
Amanda’s mood was not affected by them at all; she picked up her bag and strode out of the room -- she could not care any less
about whatever was waiting for her in front at this moment; unlike these girls, she was going to have her first decent meal after
her resurrection.