Chapter 5: Asking for Money Back from the Little White Face
The old master gave a number. It wasn't much, but at the moment, it was undoubtedly an astronomical figure for Su Hexi. She was now penniless.
Hope was like a balloon punctured by a needle, instantly deflated. But she was unwilling to give up. This was the only way out she could think of! But where could she find the money now?
A name suddenly popped into her mind: Zhao Wenbin! The greasy-haired, powdered-faced, swindler who had cheated her out of money and sex, and who had caused her to be beaten to a bloody pulp!
The money the original owner stuffed into him was Zhou Lin's hard-earned money! She must get it back!
Su Hexi's eyes became sharp. He asked about the location of Zhao Wenbin's office in the propaganda department of the textile factory. Without saying a word, he turned around and left.
Outside the propaganda department office of the textile factory, Su Hexi took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
Zhao Wenbin was the only one in the office, pretentiously reading a newspaper, his fingers subconsciously twirling his waxed hair. Seeing Su Hexi come in, he was startled at first, then his usual, hypocritical, gentle smile appeared on his face: "Xixi, why are you here? You... Oh, you've suffered so much. Come and sit down."
Su Hexi didn't move, she looked at him coldly and said directly: "Zhao Wenbin, give me back the money I gave you before!"
The smile on Zhao Wenbin's face froze instantly, becoming somewhat unnatural: "Xixi, look at you, what are you talking about? Why are you still talking about money between us? It hurts our feelings..."
"Feelings?" Su Hexi sneered, her voice quiet but as cold as ice. "Talking about feelings with a scumbag like you who specializes in fishing and scamming people? Zhao Wenbin, you and your wife are really good at playing a double act! One seduces her outside, the other catches her at home. Do you split the money you extort 30/70 or 40/60?"
Zhao Wenbin's face turned pale, his eyes instantly filled with fear, and his voice changed: "You! What nonsense are you talking about! Who... who is colluding to defraud money! Don't slander me!"
"Am I slandering you?" Su Hexi stepped closer. Despite the bandage on her forehead, her imposing presence forced Zhao Wenbin to retreat subconsciously. "Do you need me to go to the factory leadership, or even go directly to the Public Security Bureau, and have a good chat about how your wife was able to find that alley next to the cinema when she staged her adultery yesterday? Do you need me to list every time and place I paid you? Tell me, will the factory believe you, a crooked official, or me, the victim? Fraud and intentional injury—that's enough to get you two into trouble!"
With every word she said, Zhao Wenbin's face turned paler. He didn't expect that this woman, who was usually stupid, was like a different person today. She was so sharp-tongued and every word she said hit the nail on the head!
He had indeed called his wife over, intending to extort a large sum of money, or perhaps force Su Hexi and Zhou Lin to quarrel more fiercely so he could take advantage of her. Although Su Hexi was delicate and looked down on others, she was, to be honest, very pretty. However, Su Hexi was only cold and distant when they went shopping and watched movies together. Besides that, he had never even touched her tender hands, which made him extremely itchy.
"You...you have no evidence!" Zhao Wenbin was still trying hard, but his voice was weak.
"Evidence?" Su Hexi sneered. "Why do I need evidence? I'll just make a scene, make it known to everyone, and see if you can keep this leisurely job! Haven't you heard how Zhou Lin lost his job? Let's see how you and your tigress wife can hold your heads up high in the factory from now on! I can drown you with just a drop of spit! And let's see if you can keep this respectable job that only pays for food!"
Zhao Wenbin was completely panicked. He was a man who cared deeply about his reputation and this respectable job was extremely important. He looked into Su Hexi's cold and resolute eyes and had no doubt that she could really do it.
"Don't... don't make trouble!" His voice trembled as he frantically began to dig into his pockets, pulling out all the money in his wallet, even the banknotes. "Here you go! It's all yours! Take it now! Don't come to me again! We're even now!"
Su Hexi grabbed the wrinkled stack of money, which was obviously much less than what the original owner had given, and stuffed it into her pocket without even looking at it. She glanced at him coldly and said, "Rubbish!"
After saying that, he turned and left.
Su Hexi took the money she had recovered and hurried back to the tailor shop. The money was just enough, and she even had a little extra to buy some basic needlework and fabric.
She and the master quickly completed the simple transfer formalities and received the old yet heavy key. Looking at this small, though shabby, place that now belonged to her, Su Hexi breathed a long, deep sigh of relief.
She ignored the wound on her forehead and her fatigue and immediately started cleaning. She wiped the windows, swept the floor, cleaned the oil stains on the sewing machine, and sorted out the discarded scraps of cloth...
I was busy until dark and finally managed to tidy up the small shop into a presentable state.
She was so exhausted that she could barely straighten her back, yet she felt incredibly fulfilled. Tonight, she wasn't going back to that suffocating tube-shaped building; this was her new starting point!
She found a relatively clean piece of wood and planned to make a bed temporarily. Just as she finished cleaning and took a breath, she heard a burst of hurried footsteps coming from far away, and then the thin wooden door of the tailor shop was pushed open with a "bang"!
Zhou Lin's tall figure appeared at the door, panting, his forehead covered in sweat, his face full of anxiety and worry. He had returned to the dormitory after work and didn't see Su Hexi, so he asked around and finally found her.
He rushed in and saw Su Hexi standing there in good health. He breathed a sigh of relief at first, "Xiaoxi, why are you here? Why don't you go home?"
Su Hexi was not unmoved by the sight of him, frantically and sweating, but when she thought of his words last night, "Abort it," and of his conviction that she was pregnant with someone else's child, the humiliation and anger welled up again.
"This is the store I just bought. Why can't I be here?"
Zhou Lin was startled for a moment, then his eyes swept across the small shop that had obviously been cleaned and changed, as well as the pile of simple bedding on the table that obviously did not belong here. His brows furrowed tightly, "This shop... is it yours?"
His tone was filled with confusion and a hint of subtle nervousness. "Where did you get the money?"
"Money? Of course it was given by Zhao Wenbin." She wasn't the original owner, had no feelings for Zhou Lin, and didn't want to be trapped in this bizarre marriage. She just wanted to pursue her career in peace and quiet, and she had to divorce Zhou Lin.
She deliberately raised her chin, her face a mixture of scorn and despair, her tone frivolous and mean: "I'm pregnant with his child, shouldn't he give me money to raise the child?"
She patted her belly and said, "Zhou Lin, if you don't want to be a father, let's get a divorce right away. You'll be free too, and you won't have to look at us mother and daughter as an eyesore later."
Her words were like a poisoned knife, stabbing Zhou Lin fiercely.
Zhou Lin's body shook violently, and his face turned pale instantly, as if he had been punched in the face. He looked at Su Hexi in disbelief, seeing her nonchalant, even provocative expression. His heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and the pain was so severe that he could hardly breathe.
He was silent for a long, long time, so long that the air almost froze.
Finally, he took a deep breath, as if he had exhausted all his courage, and said word by word with difficulty: "This child... I am willing to raise him."
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