Chapter 36 Negotiation

The shop was mostly filled with students who had just finished their exams and were relaxing. Naturally, quite a few people knew Pu Xia and Qing Ling, since their feud had been so well-known that almost everyone knew about it back then.

Therefore, when the two appeared in the same frame at the same time, it caused a commotion.

Upon encountering Pu Xia, Qingling's smile froze. Her eyes flashed with anger as she coldly said, "You still dare to appear in front of me."

Pu Xia didn't want to cause any more trouble, so she just glanced at what she said and walked inside without saying anything.

But Qingling perceived her deliberate avoidance as arrogance and disregard.

She became even angrier and called out to the people around her. A group of people stepped forward and surrounded Pu Xia and his companions, blocking their path.

This sudden movement silenced the crowd that had been watching the spectacle.

Chen Yu instinctively hid behind Pu Xia. She was truly terrified; she was trembling and on the verge of tears just standing there.

Pu Xia glanced at her condition, then said to Qing Ling, "If you want to cause me trouble, you should choose a suitable place. If you do it here, you'll probably be in more trouble than I am."

"Okay, I'll go with you, you let her leave."

Chen Yu's eyes widened when she heard this. She tugged at Pu Xia's sleeve and shook her head frantically, expressing her disapproval with her eyes—Are you crazy? Go with them willingly!

Seeing this, Qingling put on an exaggerated smile. "What a touching friendship. Fine, come with us yourself, and I'll let her go."

Chen Yu was about to say something when Pu Xia interrupted her, "You'll only be a burden to me if you come along. Go home."

Chen Yu wanted to refute it, but the truth was indeed true.

She gritted her teeth, preparing to turn and leave, but before she could take a step, Qingling grabbed her arm. The red-haired girl revealed an unfriendly smile, conveying a sense of threat, "You'd better go home obediently. If you dare to meddle and call for help, you're dead."

Under Qingling's fierce gaze, Chen Yu couldn't help but shudder, nodded quickly, and staggered away as soon as Qingling let go of her hand.

Qingling then looked at Puxia, smiled, and said in a cheerful tone that made people extremely uneasy, "Alright, now it's our time."

Pu Xia shrugged expressionlessly, as if it didn't matter. "Lead the way."

This relaxed attitude, however, made Qingling uneasy.

If it weren't for the fact that she clearly had significantly more people on her side, she would have even suspected that it was actually Pu Xia who was causing them trouble.

Could it be that she has made some preparations?

Or has she already informed Xie Sheng?

Thinking of Xie Sheng, Qingling's heart felt like it was being burned on fire, both intense and painful—

The thought of seeing him made her heart race; but then she remembered his cold attitude towards her, and each beat added to her pain.

"Ling'er, surely we can't take on her alone, can we?"

There were eight of them, and Pu Xia, following their instructions, walked at the front. Looking at the girl's slender, tall figure, a boy walking next to Qing Ling couldn't help but ask...

Qingling scoffed inwardly but didn't reply.

Soon, they reached a dead end.

Pu Xia stopped in her tracks when she saw the high wall blocking her way, and the group of people behind her also stopped.

She flexed her wrists, turned around, and her previously calm aura underwent a dramatic change, radiating a chilling aura completely out of character for her age.

Along the way, she had thought it through very clearly: today she would either let Qingling vent her anger, or she would completely subdue her.

But there were seven people on the other side, and even though she had studied martial arts since childhood, she wasn't confident. She had never faced such a disparity in numbers before, and there were three boys on the other side as well.

But she still decided to choose the latter option.

Her pride, the education she received from childhood, and the style she developed later in life never taught her to surrender easily.

"It's settled then and there, right and wrong, grudges and debts."

“Okay,” Qingling said frankly, “I was worried you wouldn’t comply, so I even asked my uncle’s people. Since you’re willing to cooperate today, and I’m not completely unreasonable, let’s settle things between us today.”

Pu Xia chuckled, glanced at the difference in numbers on both sides, and thought to himself that it was quite reasonable.

-

After finishing his English listening comprehension test in the afternoon, Xie Sheng randomly filled in the blanks (A, B, C, D), handed in his paper early, and went straight home.

Before he even stepped inside, Pu Manli's loud voice rang out, "Weren't you taking an exam?! Are you back so early because you handed in a blank paper again?!"

"No, I came back after I finished filling it out."

Pu Manli, wearing an apron and holding a spatula, stood menacingly in the kitchen doorway. She listened to his words with suspicion, "The test papers are all filled out?!"

"Yeah, you'll see when the test results come out." Xie Sheng changed his shoes, took an apple from the table, took a bite, and lazily dragged his feet toward the sofa.

But before she could even take her second bite, Pu Manli yelled again, "Have you washed your hands?!"

He sighed, and before he could even settle into the sofa, he got up and headed to the kitchen.

Having not seen him for quite some time, Pu Manli took the opportunity while Xie Sheng was washing his hands to get a good look at him. He hadn't changed much, but he seemed to be in much better spirits.

At least his previous heavy sense of fatigue, as if from lack of sleep, had disappeared.

Pu Manli was satisfied, but then she remembered Xie Sheng saying on the phone that he had something to discuss with her, and her heart skipped a beat. Could he be planning something big?

Thinking of this, she immediately asked, "You said you had something to tell me, is it good news or bad news... Never mind, don't tell me yet, let me prepare myself mentally first."

"..." Xie Sheng glanced at her indifferently, somewhat speechless.

"Were you expelled from school?"

"no."

"Are you going to get into a fight and cause trouble, or are you going to be arrested?"

"...Then you're probably not here now, but in the detention center where you're meeting me."

"Then...did you get someone pregnant?"

Xie Sheng silently rubbed his forehead. "Auntie, what are you thinking?"

Hearing his repeated denials, Pu Manli breathed a sigh of relief and then smiled easily, "Oh, that's fine then, go ahead and say it."

Xie Sheng smiled helplessly, and then told Pu Manli about his desire to expand the bar business and the start-up capital he needed.

"Consider this a loan from me. How you want the interest calculated? As long as it's lower than loan sharking... Auntie?"

Xie Sheng looked at Pu Manli, who was wiping her nose with her head down, with some confusion. Seeing her like this, he roughly knew what she was thinking. Not wanting the atmosphere to become like this, he joked, "Seriously? I haven't even said how much I'm borrowing, and you're already crying because you feel sorry for me?"

"You brat, I don't care about the money! I'm just happy that you're finally making plans for your future. Don't even mention lending me any money, I'll give you as much as you want."

"No, I don't need it if you give it to me."

After the anger dissipated, Xie Sheng seemed to become more composed.

Pu Manli looked at him, her heart filled with many emotions. She got up and went back to her bedroom, returning with two cards in her hand, which she placed side by side on the table in front of Xie Sheng.

A bank card and a business card.

"This card contains some money I've saved over the years, about 400,000 yuan. You can decide what to do with it. You don't have to pay me back right away, but don't rush to do so either. I don't have many expenses, and I also have your uncle. Take your time and don't rush things."

After she finished speaking, she hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

"This business card belongs to... Pu Ming's lawyer. This lawyer came to us after he passed away, but you didn't want to see him at the time, and Xia Xia was still a minor, so I sent him back."

Pu Ming left behind a lot of money, mainly for you and Xiaxia, and also gave me two houses and a sum of money. But I told Attorney Li that he doesn't owe me anything; he owes you two, so I will give you this portion as well.

You're an adult now, and you're ready to build your career. You'll need money and connections in many places, so don't resist like you used to. Life goes on; you have to keep looking forward.

At this point, Pu Manli thought of her deceased younger brother and couldn't help but choke up.

No matter what, he is her only brother, and she is able to live the life she has now thanks to Pu Ming.

The atmosphere suddenly turned somber.

Even though Pu Ming is gone, the image he created will not disappear. His name is like a blade; it will leave scars when exposed to the light.

In the end, Xie Sheng only took the bank card and didn't touch the business card.

Seeing this, Pu Manli sighed, "Why are you so stubborn? Take it and ask Xiaxia what she thinks."

By the way, is Xiaxia coming back tonight? You two are the only remaining members of the Pu family's next generation. You mustn't let the grudges of the previous generation affect you.”

After a long pause, Xie Sheng finally hummed in agreement.

Just then, Pu Manli's phone rang. Xie Sheng looked over and, for some inexplicable reason, a feeling of unease instantly spread through him.

Pu Manli answered the phone, her face showing anxiety. She immediately looked at Xie Sheng and said, "Xiaxia is at the police station."

A "boom" sounded in Xie Sheng's mind.

He immediately stood up, bracing himself against the table to steady himself, and asked anxiously, "What happened to Xiaxia?!"

—————

Sorry, I had some writer's block before.