Chapter 38 "I always thought you were a serious person who ran a company. I never imagined that after all this time, you'd come back to be a gigolo." Xu Zhuwen couldn't contain his anger and didn't bother to be polite.
When dealing with toxic people, decency is the least important thing.
Qian Song's face was stiff, as if all his expressions had been erased by an invisible hand.
After a moment, his expression quickly changed from shock to coldness.
"You investigated me?"
"Investigate you? You overestimate yourself."
Xu Zhuwen scoffed, practically slapping the words "You don't deserve it" across her face.
“It’s just a coincidence.” Xu Zhuwen looked him straight in the eye. “If you did fewer disgusting things, I wouldn’t have encountered so many coincidences.”
Qian Song was speechless for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out, "Wenwen, I can explain this..."
“There’s more to it.” Xu Zhuwen interrupted him, pulling out a document from her phone. “The three million yuan hole in the company’s books was a loan you asked me to take out in my personal capacity. But in reality, the company didn’t have any so-called ‘urgent working capital need,’ right?”
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Qian Song's forehead. "Who told you that?"
“Never mind how I found out, that money was meant to cover your company’s long-standing deficit, wasn’t it?” Xu Zhuwen’s voice began to tremble. “You made me take on your debts while you were having affairs. Qian Song, how dare you do this to me?”
The glass of lemonade was still full, but Xu Zhuwen didn't drink a drop.
Qian Song suddenly laughed, a laugh that Xu Zhuwen once found charming but now only felt chills to the bone.
“Okay, now that you know,” he shrugged, “let’s be frank. Breaking up is fine, but some things need to be settled.”
Xu Zhuwen narrowed her eyes. "What does that mean?"
“We’ve been together for three years. The gifts I gave you, the expenses for our trips, meals, and renting apartments together,” Qian Song pulled out a small booklet from his bag. “I’ve roughly calculated it, and it totals about 157,600 yuan. I don’t need the change, just give me back 150,000 yuan.”
"If you don't believe me, I have the ledger here." He seemed to get more and more excited as he spoke, his spirit carrying a twisted sense of excitement.
His fingers frantically flipped through the pages, making a jarring, rustling sound.
Stopping on a later page, he tapped the repeated records heavily with his index finger, like a hammer, his lips twitching into an extremely malicious smile. "Hotel room fees, when you came to Beijing and Chengdu to see me before, whenever we stayed in a hotel lower than four stars, you should at least pay half the room fee, right?"
"And this bag you're wearing! It was a birthday present for you, a Gi Marmont, lambskin, costing 24,000 yuan at the boutique! The receipt is still saved in my phone's photo album! Even if it gets damaged, it has to be returned as depreciation!" He practically roared at the end, the veins in his neck bulging, his eyes like poisoned needles, fixed on Xu Zhuwen's pale face, as if trying to nail her into the cafe's booth. "And that Valentine's Day bracelet, you insisted on buying it, 12,000 yuan! And..."
He recited them as if they were his own treasures, his tone growing more intense with each number, as if these cold numbers were his only weapons and armor at that moment.
The sidelong glances from the next table had turned into undisguised disgust and astonishment, and the shop assistant in the green apron in the distance stopped wiping the table and stood there awkwardly.
The stone in her stomach seemed to be burning, and the burning pain spread all the way to her throat, making it almost impossible for Xu Zhuwen to breathe.
She couldn't believe her ears. "You want me to pay for dating you?"
“It’s a fair trade,” Qian Song said, tilting his head. “Since you want to break up, these expenses should be split equally, shouldn’t they? Besides, those gifts were given to my ‘girlfriend’ by me, and now that you’re not, they should be returned.”
Xu Zhuwen, who had finally managed to hold back her emotions, completely exploded. She picked up the glass in front of her and splashed the entire glass of water in Qian Song's face. "Qian Song, you bastard! You gave those gifts willingly! You insisted on going on the trip! You rented the house because you thought it was too far and you didn't want to commute every day! Now you want me to pay? You're dreaming!"
Her voice drew the attention of those around her. Qian Song jumped up and bounced around like a jumping mouse.
He quickly wiped the water off his body, gritted his teeth and lowered his voice, "Xu Zhuwen, keep your voice down! You'll be in trouble if someone posts this online."
"So what if I post it online? Am I the one who's embarrassed?" Xu Zhuwen was trembling with anger. "You're dreaming! I won't give you a single penny! You even tried to saddle me with three million in debt, and I haven't settled accounts with you for that yet!"
"I'd scheme against you?!" Qian Song sneered. "What do you have that's worth scheming against? Your monthly salary of ten or twenty thousand isn't even enough for me to buy a piece of clothing!"
Xu Zhuwen suddenly calmed down. She sat down again, and one corner of her mouth slowly and clearly twitched upwards, forming an asymmetrical, sarcastic arc. "After selling yourself for money for so long, you naturally look down on my honest and upright monthly income of ten or twenty thousand."
"Watch your mouth. Don't think you can spread rumors just because you have two photos." Qian Song's face was flushed, and his lips twitched slightly. "Don't give me any nonsense. If you don't settle the money with me, we'll have to take legal action. You'll have to deal with it yourself!"
"I'm spreading rumors? Believe it or not, I can make sure you get the evidence you asked for right now!" Xu Zhuwen sneered. "Besides, I've already consulted a lawyer. I not only have evidence of your infidelity, but also evidence of your financial fraud. You want to sue me? I'll fight you to the bitter end!"
Qian Song's eyes flickered involuntarily, the fierceness in his eyes masked by a hint of unease. "You're threatening me?"
“Yes, that’s what I’m threatening you with.” Xu Zhuwen leaned forward, her voice low but each word clear. “But before that, I’ll make two copies of this exciting content and send them to your parents and my parents. I remember your mother has a heart condition. I wonder if seeing her son so ‘successful’ will ‘surprise’ her so much that she’ll be hospitalized?”
Cold sweat quickly beaded on Qian Song's forehead, gathering at his temples. His hand, resting on the table, instinctively clenched, his knuckles turning an unnatural white. "You...you can't do this..."
“I can.” Xu Zhuwen tilted her head slightly, the curve of her lips icy cold. “Gifts? Feasts? Rent? If you really want to settle everything with me, fine. Qian Song, I have far more of this ‘evidence’ on my phone, computer, and cloud storage than your tattered notebook. Recordings down to the second, screen recordings, transfer receipts, hotel surveillance videos… Should we also ask my parents, your parents, your aunt, your uncle, and your business partners to judge who should pay whose bill?”
Her speech was slow, deliberate, each word distinct, striking Qian Song's fragile nerves.
She paused for a moment, watching as the color drained from Qian Song's face inch by inch, even his lips turned ashen gray, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, landing on the table and leaving a tiny dark dot.
Are you sure you really want to settle this with me?
Qian Song remained silent for a long time, then finally waved his hand weakly, "Let's go."
He slumped against the back of the booth chair, as if his spine had been removed, his eyes unfocused, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a single word.
The aggressive and menacing man from just moments ago seemed to be nothing more than a fleeting illusion, leaving only an empty shell emptied of fear and helplessness.
But Xu Zhuwen could no longer feel any pity for him. Her voice was exceptionally clear and calm in the deathly silence, like a scalpel, “Two paths: shut your mouth and, now, immediately, disappear from my life forever. All debts, yours and mine, are wiped clean.”
Her cold, sharp gaze was fixed on Qian Song's unfocused pupils. "Or, I could make ten or twenty copies of these documents, package them up, and send them to the email addresses of everyone, relevant and unrelated. Including the risk control departments of major loan platforms. Which one do you choose, hmm?"
"Or perhaps, as you wish, we'll see each other in court, and by the way, let all our relatives and friends know what kind of person you, Qian Song, are."
Qian Song shuddered violently, his eyes filled with immense fear. "Xu Zhuwen, how can you be so disgusting, like the Black Widow? You won't be satisfied until you kill me, will you?"
His lips moved like a fish out of water.
"Am I the one who's going to kill you?" Xu Zhuwen stood up, picked up her bag, and said, "No zuo no die."
Qian Song struggled for a few seconds, perhaps less, or perhaps he had exhausted his last bit of strength. With difficulty and with very little movement, he nodded, squeezing out two broken syllables from his throat, "...break...break up."
His voice was low and hoarse, filled with humiliation and utter powerlessness.
Xu Zhuwen received the answer she expected and didn't want to waste any more time.
She quickly and deftly picked up her bag and phone, and stood up without hesitation.
"Qian Song. I hope we never have to see each other again."
The high heels that Gao Yinxi gave her clicked crisply on the marble floor, once, twice, and Xu Zhuwen's steps did not falter at all.
As I approached the café, the revolving door slowly turned, revealing the misty, neon-lit streets outside, completely isolating Qian Song's slumped figure in the booth from another world.
A cold wind mixed with damp moisture hit my face.
Xu Zhuwen took out her phone, the cold light of the screen illuminating her face.
With a vengeful ferocity, she long-pressed on Qian Song's profile picture on the home screen and deleted the contact.
Then open WeChat Contacts.
The name "Qian Song" crossed my mind.
confirm.
Block.
Two clean and efficient movements.
That name and all the chat logs that carried unbearable memories vanished instantly into the virtual cyberspace.
...
After leaving the coffee shop, Xu Zhuwen didn't go home; instead, she took a taxi directly to Li Chi'an's house.
When Li Chi'an opened the door, he was wearing home clothes and his hair was still half-dry, indicating that he had just taken a shower.
She saw Xu Zhuwen's red and swollen eyes, reached out, and hugged her tightly.
"Is it finally over?" Li Chian asked softly.
Xu Zhuwen nodded, then suddenly her legs went weak and she could barely stand.
Li Chian quickly helped her into the house and sat her down on the sofa.
“He admitted to everything, including cheating on me and lying to me about borrowing money,” Xu Zhuwen said mechanically. “The most ridiculous thing is that he actually wants me to pay back the expenses I incurred during our relationship, 150,000 yuan.”
Li Chi'an's eyes widened. "Has he gone mad?"
"Maybe so." Xu Zhuwen gave a wry smile. "I threatened to tell both sets of parents everything before he would stop."
Without saying a word, Li Chi'an got up and took out a bottle of red wine and two glasses from the wine cabinet. "Sis, this is worth celebrating! Let's have a good drink tonight. You drink the wine, and I'll have some tea. Congratulations on getting rid of that scumbag and starting a new life!"
"We should celebrate properly." Xu Zhuwen sniffed. "Let's invite Xixi and see if she's free."
“Send her a message,” Li Chi’an said. “You like to drink brewed red wine. I have oranges and cinnamon in my fridge. Do you want some? If so, you can go to the kitchen and brew it yourself.”
When it comes to drinking, Xu Zhuwen is an expert.
"Yes." Xu Zhuwen put down her phone. "Xixi said she's coming now."
Li Chi'an generously offered his kitchen, while raising his voice slightly, "Xi Xi, come to my house! My sister needs you!"
Less than half an hour later, Gao Yinxi rushed over, carrying a bag of beer and a bunch of snacks. "The essential supplies for the breakup party are in place! The sooner you throw away a trashy man, the longer you live."
The three women sat around the coffee table, chatting and laughing at first.
Before long, Xu Zhuwen finally broke down in tears, "How could I be so stupid? There were so many signs, why didn't I notice them sooner?"
Gao Yinxi put her arm around her shoulder, "Because you're love-struck."
“Not all love is like this,” Li Chian said, handing over a tissue. “You just happened to encounter trash.”
Xu Zhuwen wiped away her tears, took a big gulp of red wine, and the warm wine, after being cooked, made her feel strangely better.
“What saddens me the most is that I’ve given so much for him.” Xu Zhuwen’s voice was hoarse. “In the early stages of his business, I worked overtime every day to help him with his plans; when he was sick and hospitalized, I took a week off to take care of him; he didn’t even like me having too much contact with you, so I reduced the number of times we met… I even changed my style of dress for him, and what was the result?”
Gao Yinxi squeezed her hand, "But you woke up in time, didn't lend him money, and saved your money and house, plus you still have a job. Think about it, if you had quit your job like An'an to stay home full-time as a child, you might not even have a way out after discovering your husband's infidelity..."
The three remained silent for a moment.
They all know about Li Chi'an's experience; their divorce battle became known throughout the internet, and to this day, they still haven't received their divorce certificates.
Although he gained both fame and fortune, the immense damage caused cannot be easily forgotten.
“Xixi is right.” Li Chi’an poured more wine for everyone. “Fortunately, you’ve been working and are capable of taking good care of your life, so you’re not afraid to settle things with him.”
Xu Zhuwen suddenly sat up straight. "I've really seen something amazing today. He's like a completely different person. He's so unfamiliar to me that I don't recognize him at all."
“That’s how it is,” Li Chi’an said calmly. “Good men are one in a million, while scumbags are all the same.”
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