Chapter 84: Stingy Man

His face darkened: "This is an exception."

"Why is there an exception?" Zhuang Wan asked calmly, "We no longer have much affection for each other. To be frank, our relationship has broken down. Breaking up is not justified..."

"Zhuang Wan!" Pei Xingju glared at her with a serious look.

Here we go again! Here we go again! He gets mad at me when I mention breaking up!

Zhuang Wan endured it, suppressed her anger, and continued calmly: "Pei Xingju, let's talk about reason. I am not your private property. I have my own body..."

Having said this, she suddenly stopped.

The reason was simple: a door suddenly opened behind Pei Xingju, revealing a group of officials enjoying breakfast. They had overheard their conversation and were looking over with interest.

Zhuang Wan was dumbfounded.

How come...is there someone next door?

Pei Xingju knew without turning around that his colleagues behind him were laughing at him. He stood stiffly, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.

To say it wasn't embarrassing would be a lie.

Is there anything more frustrating than being rejected by a woman and having your colleagues snoop on you?

His face darkened for a moment, then he stood up and went out.

He walked to the door and gritted his teeth: "Come out!"

"oh."

Zhuang Wan followed him out weakly.

.

Zhuang Wan followed Pei Xingju out of the hall and came to the white jade arch bridge.

The surrounding mountains and rivers are beautiful, the trees are shady, and the sun is shining brightly, but Pei Xingju's face is very cold.

There seemed to be a layer of frost between his brows, and he seemed to be displeased with the way he looked at Zhuang Wan.

Zhuang Wan snapped her fingers and asked, "What's your stance on breaking up?"

"Don't mention it again." Pei Xingju said.

Zhuang Wan raised her eyes and said, "But that's not what you said on the way here. You said we could talk about it once we get to the palace. I've already given you two days of leniency. It's already the third day. When will you bring it up again?"

“…”

"I have my own personal freedom. I'm not your private property. We're just in a relationship. Do I have to be tied to you for life?"

Pei Xingju frowned, feeling annoyed by her noise.

"I'm talking to you calmly, without any arguments or noise. Can't we just part ways amicably? If we make a scene, not only will it hurt the relationship, but it'll also make you lose face."

“…”

"I want to ask you right now," Zhuang Wan raised her head, "Can you give me a reasonable and clear attitude towards this breakup?"

"Where are you going after breaking up?" Pei Xingju asked unhappily.

Zhuang Wan's heart trembled, as if he had seen through her. She stammered, "We've already broken up, why do you still care where I go?"

“What if I don’t agree?” he said.

Zhuang Wan was surprised and looked at him in confusion: "Why? You don't like me."

"Who said I..." Pei Xingju's Adam's apple moved, but he couldn't say what was in his heart.

Zhuang Wan waited suspiciously, but after a while, he still couldn't come up with anything. She spread her hands and said, "Look, there's no love between us anymore. Why keep us as enemies?"

"......" Pei Xingju said quietly, "You and I have a secret relationship, and everyone in the world knows it. Where else can you go without me?"

"That's none of your business. Just tell me whether you want to separate the hands or not."

Pei Xingju was so angry that his face turned black, but he couldn't think of anything to say after thinking for a long time, so he just said viciously:

"Zhuang Wan! You've been eating my food and using my things these days, and now you want to break up so easily? Do you think I'm stupid?"

Zhuang Wan was stunned when she heard this, and besides being stunned, she also felt a bit of contempt for the man as if he were a scumbag.

You see, whether in ancient times or modern times, there are always stingy men who start settling accounts clearly when breaking up.

Seeing that she was speechless for a moment, Pei Xingju felt a little better.

"If you want to leave, you can. Just return everything you've eaten and used in my house these days, as well as the things I gave you."

After saying this, he walked away gracefully.

Leaving Zhuang Wan stunned!

.

"Stingy man!"

"I knew he was stingy, but I didn't expect him to be so stingy!"

When Zhuang Wan returned, she was so angry she paced around the room. Pei Xingju had demanded that she return the gifts she had given him, but he also demanded that she return the food and things she had been eating and using at the mansion.

How can there be such a man in the world!

He's the male lead! It's embarrassing to tell anyone about it!

But what could she do? Paying the money and leaving was clearly a better option than staying here. The question was, how much would she have to pay back, and how would she raise the money?

After a while, she stood at the door with her hands on her hips and called out, "Qiutan, please get me an abacus and some paper and pen."

Since he wanted to settle the score, she would settle it for him.

She has been living in Pei's house these days and she has not been doing nothing. She makes meals and desserts for him all day long, serving him three meals a day like a nanny, and she has to be paid for it.

Zhuang Wan spent the better part of a day calculating at the table, compiling a thick account book that clearly spelled out how much he had to pay back and how much Pei Xingju should pay.

After writing it, she copied it for herself and then sent Lixia to deliver it to Pei Xingju.

Pei Xingju was handling chores in the temporary government office when he received Zhuang Wan's account book. He actually read through it with great interest. He had a photographic memory and was also very sharp-eyed and sharp-eared. After reading it all, he picked up his pen and marked several places with large crosses, annotating: "Data errors, recalculate!"

It was already dusk when Zhuang Wan finished her dinner. She was shocked to receive the account book rejected by Pei Xingju.

How stingy was this man? There were several discrepancies in the amount of just a few taels of silver, but he still asked her to recalculate.

How much silver! This kind of person...

But Pei Xingju held the initiative, so Zhuang Wan could only bear the brunt of the burden. So she had Qiu Tan light a few more candles, and recounted the figures overnight. The next morning, before dawn, she had Lixia deliver the notes to Pei Xingju.

But this time, I had to wait a little longer. The account book was not delivered until noon, and Pei Xingju did not reply.