24. Life accidents

When she woke up the next day, it was already bright outside. Vivian saw the neatly folded blanket on the sofa, and only then did she confirm that last night wasn't just a strange dream. A man and a woman, alone in the same room, were surprisingly peaceful, and they slept through the night.

She didn't know how he slept, but she had a good night's sleep herself, not even noticing he'd left. On the coffee table lay a scribbled note: "Thanks for taking me in. I slept well last night. I wish I could always get such good sleep. PS: I guess you slept well too, and even snored."

Ah, Vivian covered her face with her hands. How embarrassing.

She is very particular about her sleeping environment, and that "environment" also includes the people around her. It seems the body understands human nature better than the brain.

She had a very considerate ex-boyfriend, but she never slept well around him, having trouble falling asleep and having constant nightmares. During that time, she was in a very bad mood, with her cheeks sunken and looking as ugly as a ghost.

It was a long time before she confirmed that the man was indeed a terrible person who was tireless in destroying others.

Last night, the two of them treated each other with respect and nothing happened, but Vivian slept very soundly, a rare occasion.

There was still no news from Qiu Fang, but his assistant Xiao Jia suddenly called and asked Vivian to meet him at the cafe downstairs from the apartment building: "Let's talk in person. It's hard to explain over the phone."

Of course she had to go, even though she was a complete stranger to Xiao Jia. No matter what happened, everything had to come to an end.

Xiao Jia was waiting at the entrance of the cafe. When he saw her jogging over, he said calmly, "Mrs. Qiu is at the table at the back."

Vivian was startled. It turned out to be a Hongmen Banquet. But since everyone was already at the door, she couldn't seem to turn around and run away.

There was a woman sitting in the shadows at the back of the cafe. She had no choice but to walk over and tentatively ask, "Hello?"

"Hi, please sit down. Just call me Joyce." She was the kind of middle-aged woman who was well-maintained and had very subtle facial expressions.

Vivian could only sit down nervously.

"I heard from Xiao Jia that you live upstairs here?"

"Yes, but I don't know..." Vivian chose her words carefully. She had never experienced such an awkward situation in her life.

"It's okay, no need to explain. I know what kind of person Old Qiu is."

"I... really don't know his situation. I'm sorry."

"Ms. Fang, I know you're a professional woman, so you should be easy to communicate with. Let me be frank. The money Lao Qiu spent is legally considered joint property. You understand that, right? It's okay. Just return it. Xiao Jia will discuss the follow-up with you."

This happened so suddenly, and the conversation was so strange, that Vivian couldn't react for a moment: "This... I really haven't calculated it."

"It's okay. Xiao Jia will make a list." Mrs. Qiu's eyes were sharp. "Of course, you don't have to worry about any problems later. I don't think you are a greedy person. But Old Qiu... no matter how many faults he has, he is always generous with money. Otherwise, I don't think you, Miss Fang, would like him as a person."

These words were like needles, and Vivian had no answer but to lower her head.

An awkward silence fell between them. Mrs. Qiu leaned forward and spoke earnestly, "Honestly, this little money isn't a big deal, but I can't get over this unless I do this. Your case is a small matter, but the internet celebrity Mr. Qiu once pursued, the money she took was enough to send her to jail. How can I not return this money?"

Vivian shuddered. She recalled the news story about a male star who had sent his lover to prison. At the time, she'd dismissed it as ordinary gossip. She had never imagined that, despite always being a law-abiding person, she would one day be sitting down with her ex-wife to negotiate terms. Even funnier, she didn't consider her an enemy at all.

This really sounds like the plot of a third-rate novel, even the other party's lines are very similar.

"I am an old acquaintance of your Mr. Zhang, but it's just a small matter and there's no need to let him know. Miss Fang, you are an educated person. It's not worth it to ruin your reputation for such a small matter, right?" Mrs. Qiu said slowly.

"Of course, of course. I didn't know about the situation before, but now... of course it's all as I should." Vivian had somewhat recovered her ability to speak.

"Okay, then I won't take up too much of your time. I'll contact you if you have anything." Mrs. Qiu smiled sweetly, as if she was in a good mood.

"Excuse me, may I ask... where is he now?" Vivian couldn't help but ask before leaving.

She wondered how cowardly and shameless a man must be to let his wife ask for money from all the cheating partners one by one.

"A married person living with another person for a long time under the name of husband and wife is committing bigamy. He's always been so confident, not hiding anything. Even his lawyer said it was too easy to obtain evidence." She smiled. "Old Qiu has been a philanderer for a long time. I didn't expect that at his age, he would lose his mind and spend millions on an internet celebrity in just six months. He can't blame me. If he wants to blame someone, blame some greedy people."

It turned out that the fire started in the backyard and affected everyone.

Xiao Jia leaned against the doorway, smoking a cigarette. He looked calm as he watched Vivian come out. "Is it settled? I'll send it to you later. Oh, and I'll send the rental agreement along with it. The landlord will contact you directly."

"Okay." Vivian walked away and never looked back.

Very good. I was so upset about paying the landlord half a year's rent, but I didn't expect that was just the appetizer.

At this moment, she didn't feel bad about the money she was about to pay; she felt relieved. This was what had happened to Qiu Fang. He probably never imagined that his wife, who had obeyed him like a harmless lamb for most of her life, could be so meticulous and decisive.

It's also his fault for being too arrogant.

After years of marriage, he thought he understood her perfectly, but he forgot that everyone has a bottom line that cannot be violated. She can tolerate him again and again above the bottom line, but once the limit is crossed, she will immediately turn from a sheep into a lioness.

Qiu Fang prides himself on being extremely smart, but he forgot this point.

This matter was extremely shameful, and with no one to tell, Vivian felt her whole body burning hot, as if she was about to have a high fever. She returned home, drew the curtains to block out the strong and scorching midday sunlight from the south window, put on an eye mask and fell into a deep sleep.

When she woke up, Xiao Jia had sent her a spreadsheet with every detail. The rows of numbers seemed to burn her eyes. She couldn't bear to read it and only scrolled to the bottom column for the total amount:

172034.

Accurate to the single digit.

Vivian didn't count them in detail, but she assumed they included the rent payments and the various gifts. Xiao Jia, worthy of his years of training with Qiu Fang, was so efficient and impeccable.

Vivian believed that with Yoyo's millions in debt as a prime example, Mrs. Qiu and Xiao Jia wouldn't go so far as to blackmail her. After all, given Mr. Qiu's wealth, it was worth it for Mrs. Qiu to put in the effort to distribute the property and compensate him. She was just a small fry, not a consumer.

Mrs. Qiu saw that she was a person who cared about her reputation. Indeed, unlike the carefree Yoyo, Vivian had always been cautious and frugal. How could she risk losing face by caring about such a thing?

She could only take out her mobile phone, redeem a financial product, and send a message to Xiao Jia: It will take 2 working days for the financial product to arrive, and the transfer will be completed before this Friday.

Xiao Jia replied immediately: Miss Fang, don’t worry :)

Xiao Jia is like a ruthless working machine. He used to cover up for Qiu Fang, but now he works diligently to help Mrs. Qiu regain the lost ground.

Qiu Fang prided himself on being smart, and he certainly never expected that he would encounter such a disaster in his middle age.

From then on, Qiu Fang would be completely deleted from Vivian's life.

What was left behind were meaningless Ecuadorian roses and worthless cultured pearls, each to be repaid at its exorbitant market value.

So, for the time being, she really didn't have the heart to pay attention to Eric and Yang Ziqi anymore. The story would probably continue like this, no hero saving the damsel in distress, no prince charming. He would happily serve the rich girl, while she would be a quiet office worker.

A screw who wears Jimmy Choo and drinks two cups of coffee a day to stay awake is still a screw.

A screw that needs to be worked hard to make up for the sudden decrease in bank deposits due to strange reasons.

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