Chapter 74. Negotiation. She had stabbed someone, and it was her father no less. ...
The sunken boat returned to Shanghai a week later.
He had called Xia Chan the night before, and the two of them arranged to meet at the apartment. As soon as he got off the plane, Chen Zhoudu rushed back to the apartment and hugged her tightly before he even put down his luggage.
He buried his head in the hair on her shoulder, his arms wrapped tightly around her, his travel-worn aura seeming to have been scorched, imprinting on her body until her body temperature gradually warmed up.
He chuckled and sighed as if he wanted to meld her into his body.
I miss you so much...
Xia Chan, her face expressionless, reached out and gently embraced him, her palm lightly touching his back.
In the sweltering heat of August, her palm felt as if it held a piece of ice.
It was so cold that his back felt slightly chilly.
Chen Zhoudu was somewhat surprised and slightly pulled away from her embrace, looking down at her face.
Her complexion was also somewhat pale, but not sickly. He unconsciously touched her cheek with his fingertips and asked, puzzled, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Xia Chan lowered her eyes and shook her head, hesitating for a moment. Finally, as if making a decision, she pursed her lips, steeled her resolve, and raised her eyes, "Crossing the Sunken Boat."
She met his eyes and said, "We agreed that no matter what happens in the future, I will never hide anything from you again."
Chen Zhoudu was also taken aback and straightened his expression.
“A week ago… I met someone,” Xia Chan said.
"who?"
"Zhang Guozhong".
The sunken boat ferryman frowned.
She recounted the events of that day to him. Chen Zhoudu listened with a startled expression, his hand instinctively pressing on her shoulder, checking her up and down for any injuries.
Xia Chan grasped his hand to reassure him and shook her head. "I'm fine. There are surveillance cameras everywhere in Shanghai. He wouldn't dare to do anything to me rashly. He... just wants money."
After stating her demand for three million, Xia Chan's emotions were completely unleashed. The feelings she had suppressed for several days finally poured out in front of him, "He's a beast!"
She cursed, "Beast...bastard! I shouldn't have stabbed him three times. I should have just killed him! Beast..."
"Xia Chan".
"Beast...beast!"
"Xia Chan!"
As she spoke, her anger grew, her eyes reddening slightly, and her body trembled subtly, as if a string stretched taut for days was about to snap. Chen Zhoudu placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down.
Under his comforting words, Xia Chan gradually calmed down, her eyes reddening as she closed them shyly.
Shen Zhoudu had vaguely realized something and turned to rummage through her bag.
Unsurprisingly, he pulled out a knife from among them.
The moment Chen Zhoudu saw that knife, his heart ached even more.
He tossed the knife aside, returned to her side, stared into her eyes, and said gently, "Xia Chan, look at me and listen to me. You've grown up now. You're no longer thirteen or seventeen."
Xia Chan looked at him with red eyes, and her nerves, which had been tense for several days, seemed to be gradually relaxing.
Chen Zhoudu smiled at him, "We don't need to be afraid of him anymore. Whether we try to settle things with money or call the police... we'll always find a better solution. But you have to promise me you won't do anything foolish... okay? Okay?"
He couldn't even imagine what would have happened if he had returned a few days later, if he had never known about this... the moment Zhang Guozhong pushed her to the brink.
Just imagining it sends chills down my spine.
“We can’t give him the money…” Xia Chan’s face was pale, and tears finally rolled down her cheeks. She covered her forehead with one hand and said, “Don’t you know what kind of person Zhang Guozhong is? If you and I really give him the money, he will only demand more and more. We can’t give him the money…”
"Then let's call the police."
“We can’t call the police yet…” Xia Chan closed her eyes in utter helplessness. “He… he really will expose this. I haven’t recorded any evidence of him extorting me yet. We can’t…”
He's at a crucial stage right now, and if this news gets out, who knows what kind of impact it will have on him.
Finding neither option feasible, Chen Zhoudu fell silent for a moment. Xia Chan's eyes were red and her mind was in turmoil. "I'm sorry, Zhoudu, I'm so sorry... It's because of me again this time..."
"Don't be afraid." Shen Zhoudu just smiled and pulled her into his arms, gently kissing her forehead and warming her up with his body. "I'm here for you."
-
Chenzhoudu ultimately decided to hold a negotiation with Zhang Guozhong.
Since Xia Chan didn't want Zhang Guozhong to disclose the matter, after much deliberation, he ultimately decided that the quickest and easiest solution was to resolve it with money. However, he couldn't accept three million, so he asked Xia Chan to mediate and arrange a negotiation with him.
Zhang Guozhong agreed.
Before the negotiations, Xia Chan and Shen Zhoudu did something else first—they quickly moved Siyi and Huang Mao to a new house.
Zhang Guozhong has been scouting almost every corner of Taoyuan Lane lately, claiming to the neighbors that he is her father, and even distributing so-called local specialties from his hometown to everyone.
This led the neighbors in Taoyuan Lane to believe that she had a gentle and caring father.
Although he hasn't appeared in front of Huang Mao and Si Yi yet, and Xia Chan hasn't told them about it, she's afraid he might pose a threat to them someday, so it's best to keep an eye on him just in case.
The new house is in a new residential complex with a great environment and an elevator.
Naturally, rents have also doubled.
The house was found through someone from Chenzhoudu. Because they were in a hurry, this was the only house they could find in the area that met Xia Chan and Pang Hu's commuting distance and security requirements.
Chenzhoudu paid three months' rent upfront.
When Huang Mao was dragged by Xia Chan to look at houses and memorize the way, he was quite surprised. "Sis, why did you suddenly decide to move? Our house in Taoyuan is still two months away..."
"Just move when I tell you to, stop with the nonsense." Xia Chan had to memorize the location of the surveillance cameras on every street. "We can't keep crammed into that small house forever, and Siyi's illness requires a lot of rest. This place is close to the hospital and convenient. Just move, and you don't need to worry about the rent or anything."
Huang Mao hesitated for a long time before finally asking, "Sister... is this house rented from Chenzhoudu?"
Xia Chan remained silent. He then pursed his lips and said, "Sister, although I know your relationship is different now, and it might be a bit presumptuous of me to say these things, I still want to say them."
“I know it’s natural for couples to spend money on each other, and he should be willing to spend money on you too, but you shouldn’t spend too much of his money. It’s not about anything else… it’s just that I still remember his father! I don’t want him to look down on us, and I especially don’t want him to look down on you! I don’t want them to say that you’re marrying up! That’s what you taught us, and I don’t want you to be the one who changes in the end…”
Xia Chan remained silent for a long time, then pursed her lips and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Negotiations with Zhang Guozhong were scheduled for the fourth day after the move.
Zhang Guozhong was very wary and made many demands during the meeting. He wanted cash, he wanted to choose the location himself, only the two of them should go at most, and no electronic devices were allowed...
The location was set in a private room at a restaurant in a busy downtown area.
On the day of the sunken boat crossing, he went there with Xia Chan, fully armed with hats and masks, and carrying a 14-inch suitcase.
Upon entering the private room and meeting Zhang Guozhong, he immediately opened the box in front of him, revealing neatly arranged 200,000 yuan inside.
Zhang Guozhong clicked his tongue and raised an eyebrow. Chen Zhoudu said calmly, "This is two hundred thousand."
“Mr. Zhang, I can’t come up with the three million you’re asking for, and I also think that amount is too high. If you just want alimony, then I think two hundred thousand is enough for your expenses. Considering that you are Xia Chan’s father, I’m willing to spend money to settle this matter, but I hope you won’t make an exorbitant demand and that you never appear in front of Xia Chan again.”
Zhang Guozhong refused the money, only glancing at it, thinking, "Is this some kind of beggar's money?"
"Mr. Zhang, you know perfectly well what you've done!" Chen Zhoudu's eyes flashed coldly. "If the real reason were to be revealed, I believe the public would have their own judgment. I don't want to escalate this matter, but I urge you to stop now!"
"I'm not afraid of people knowing what happened back then, nor am I afraid of being criticized," Zhang Guozhong laughed. "Anyway, I'm a scoundrel, and I can't get any worse. But even if I don't get away with it, I'll drag someone down with me. You're a big star... if everyone knew that your beloved girlfriend stabbed her own father and almost went to jail... which news story would be more explosive? Do you think it would affect you more or me more if these things were exposed?"
Xia Chan's face paled, and she gritted her teeth, nearly splashing a glass of water at him. Chen Zhoudu silently stopped her, holding her hand tightly under the table.
What do you want?
"Five million, not a penny less," Zhang Guozhong said. "I'll give you another week."
Both of them were momentarily shocked. Xia Chan exclaimed, "Wasn't it three million?!"
“That was the price that day,” Zhang Guozhong said with a more relaxed smile. “This is the current price. If you keep dragging this out, there will be a price later.”
Xia Chan gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing with fury; she practically wanted to devour him right then and there! She muttered "shameless" under her breath, grabbed her suitcase, dragged Chen Zhoudu along, and turned to leave.
After leaving the restaurant's private room, the two quickly went to the underground parking lot and got into Chenzhoudu's car. Xia Chan almost couldn't help but curse, "I told you, we can't give him a single penny!"
"That beast!"
"Let's call the police," Chen Zhoudu said.
Her initial anger gradually subsided, turning into a sense of helplessness and disorientation, and her gaze towards him softened with heartache.
"But if we call the police... he'll definitely tell all sorts of nonsense to the media. You've only just recovered, you've only just signed some new business deals and advertisements, what will happen to you if this gets out! You..."
Shen Zhoudu's eyes lit up unusually, and he stared at her intently, as if he had just realized something and was pleasantly surprised.
“Xia Chan, I think you’re afraid he’ll tell those things to the public because you’re afraid people will find out about you.”
This led to discussions about her and her being targeted, thus dragging her back into the vortex of controversy.
She has never been someone who wants to be in the spotlight or be discussed. The attention and criticism she received over the years because of this matter did not affect her, but she was not indifferent either.
After all, even if a scabbed wound no longer hurts, no one would want to expose it to others and invite criticism.
"What am I afraid of? I'm not a celebrity!" Xia Chan was almost in tears. "But what about you? The storm caused by Qu Yao's podcast just passed, and your reputation was finally starting to recover, but now..."
“I’m not afraid,” Chen Zhoudu said. “I’m only afraid that you’ll be sad.”
Suddenly, tears welled up in Xia Chan's eyes and fell.
She lowered her head, pursed her lips, and held back her sobs.
"Xia Chan, let's call the police." He gently wiped away her tears, and tried to pull her into his arms, so tightly, as if afraid of breaking something. He gently stroked the back of her neck and whispered, "We're not afraid of him anymore. No matter what happens, we'll face it together. As long as we're together, that's enough. Didn't Grandma say that everything will pass? We don't need to be afraid of anything."
Xia Chan finally burst into tears in his arms, silently, and then resolutely looked up at him, "Okay, let's call the police."
-
A few days later, two trending topics in the entertainment sector topped the charts, once again sparking a wave of discussion online.
#Xia Chan, the girlfriend of Chen Zhoudu, allegedly stabbed her biological father three times, but escaped criminal responsibility because she was under 14 years old#
#Xia Chan reportedly stabbed her biological father in anger, claiming she would refuse to support him#
On the day the trending topic quietly topped the charts, Xia Chan and several front office staff members were attending a large training session with several hotels under the Asia Ocean Group. At that time, Xia Chan was about to go on stage to speak.
The afternoon was humid and hot, and the entire conference hall felt as languid as a pickling jar. Then, someone in the back row noticed something, and a small commotion suddenly broke out.
Then the commotion surged forward like a wave, gradually spreading to every corner of the venue.
The entire venue seemed to vibrate as if countless flies had entered, buzzing and swarming.
Then, the moment Xia Chan stepped onto the stage, the discussion reached its climax—
"It's her! She's Xia Chan?"
"She stabbed someone, it was her father!"
"Really?"
"Really? This news has even broken! Three-knife! I never would have guessed!"
"She also refused to pay her father's alimony, and now her father's situation has been exposed in the media."
"You really can't judge a book by its cover..."
Xia Chan could naturally hear the whispers and murmurs, her face paling slightly and her body stiffening.
Despite having made thorough mental preparations, she still couldn't help but feel a chill when the moment actually arrived.
She felt as if she had returned to that late spring of that year, when she had just stabbed Zhang Guozhong, filled with despair and covered in blood, and her neighbors were so frightened that they called the police on the spot.
The police car lights illuminated the alleyway as if it were daytime, and countless passersby surrounded her, pointing and whispering. Even television reporters were alerted, flashing their cameras at her. She had thought she had already moved on.
But it turns out, she had never truly escaped that shadow.
—Such a young child, stabbed her father?
—I heard it was her father who was abusive.
—That's too ruthless to use a knife! Isn't that murder?!
—This child is something else! She probably has the same violent genes as her father.
—I guarantee it, she's so young and already dared to use a knife. She probably won't get a long sentence. I'll have to keep my son away from her from now on…
"What are you all saying! What nonsense are you talking about! Stop talking and looking at things randomly!"
Du Na and several girls from the front office couldn't hold back any longer and stood up to berate the crowd in the hall.
But the discussion and scrutiny below grew increasingly heated. Yu Lianxin, sitting in the front row, glanced at her phone, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Song Yalin, along with several store managers and supervisors, is already assessing the situation and maintaining order.
Du Na could only run helplessly to Xia Chan's side, hesitating whether to show her the phone, "Manager Xia..."
Xia Chan didn't need to look to know what had happened. Her expression was indifferent, as if nothing had happened, but her face was a little pale. She said in a low voice, "I'm going to calm down."
He hurriedly left the venue.
The moment I stepped out of the venue, my phone suddenly vibrated.
The caller was Huang Mao. Xia Chan initially wanted to hang up, but hesitated for a moment before answering, "Hello."
The blond guy on the other end of the phone had only said two sentences when her face suddenly turned deathly pale.
He didn't care about anything else and ran outside frantically.
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