Chapter Thirty-Two: Debts of Favor Can Be Repaid with Money
Jiang Sui must have heard it all, not missing a single word.
After countless analyses of the situation, Luo Yan was basically convinced of this fact. The next few days were agonizing; going to work felt like going to her execution. During every meeting, she tried to hide behind Liu Su, minimizing her presence, and constantly rehearsed in her mind various ways Jiang Sui might provoke her: Deliberately making things difficult at work? No way. Even the weakest client is still a client; Jiang Sui's intelligence wouldn't be swayed by a few private remarks. Would he use those cold eyes to freeze her to death? No way either; the weather was cold enough, and carbon-based beings are afraid of the cold. Or would he simply ignore her completely? That was the most likely, but no matter which one it was, just thinking about it made her scalp tingle and left her restless.
However, nothing happened.
Despite Luo Yan's almost obsessive observation of Jiang Sui, he remained completely normal, showing no abnormalities.
She speaks concisely and clearly during meetings, and her task assignments are well-organized. Her gaze is exactly the same as always – the perfectly normal attitude of a service provider towards a client.
Even after she gave her suggestions for revising the plan, she added, "The organization of our data needs improvement. Thank you for your corrections, Comrade Luo Yan."
That one sentence almost made Luo Yan bow ninety degrees and admit her mistake on the spot.
Days passed, and all was calm.
In Luo Yan's mind, a hundred versions of the farmer and the snake story had already played out, and she was the snake who repaid kindness with enmity.
The guilt snowballed and grew bigger and bigger, making it hard for her to breathe. Several times she mustered up the courage to tell Jiang Sui, "I'm sorry, I spoke without thinking that day," but when she saw his "I'm busy with my career, don't bother me" attitude, she swallowed the words back.
He did it on purpose! He deliberately acted as if nothing was wrong to make her feel guilty! He was retaliating against her in this subtle and insidious way!
That scoundrel! He probably hides under the covers every night, imagining her "I deserve to die" expression and laughing like that. He's so cunning! Even a honeycomb briquette isn't as shrewd as him!
Of course, these thoughts could only exist in Luo Yan's mind. Regardless of whether Jiang Sui's calmness was feigned or not, she was the one in the wrong.
We need to find an opportunity to formally apologize and then move on.
Soon, the year passed by in a chaotic and confused state.
After New Year's Day, the smart tourism project will soon enter the equipment debugging stage at various scenic spots. On the first day back to work after the holiday, Luo Yan was sent by Director Zheng to Cishou Temple to check on the progress and take some photos of the site to make New Year's promotional materials.
The winter sun shines through the branches of the ancient tree, bringing warmth.
Luo Yan held up the DSLR camera provided by her workplace, searching for a suitable angle to take a picture.
As I approached a flower bed, workers were installing equipment in mid-air. A ray of sunlight had just brushed past the treetops and the workers' shoulders, with a corner of the temple's main hall in the background—the angle was perfect.
So she crouched down to try and take a close-up shot from a low angle that combined movement and stillness, when suddenly a sharp cry of surprise came from above:
"Watch out, it slipped from your grasp!"
Luo Yan subconsciously looked up and saw a small piece of equipment falling straight down from the scaffolding above, rapidly magnifying in her pupils.
At the critical moment, Jiang Sui appeared out of nowhere and quickly reached out to pull her away.
A muffled thud.
Luo Yan staggered several steps before regaining her balance. Still shaken, she looked up and saw Jiang Sui standing where she had just been standing, his brows slightly furrowed. He raised his hand to brush the dust off the sleeve of his suit jacket, where the fallen piece had landed on the concrete ground not far from his feet.
"Mr. Jiang, are you alright?" The construction manager was terrified and rushed over.
Jiang Sui lowered her hand, her expression calm: "It's nothing. What happened? Were the safety measures in place?"
The person in charge broke out in a cold sweat, apologized repeatedly, and promised to conduct a thorough investigation immediately.
Luo Yan's heart was still pounding. She walked over, her voice trembling, "Thank...thank you."
If it weren't for him, he probably would have hit her on the head, and even if she didn't crack her skull, she would be disfigured.
Jiang Sui glanced at her sideways and said, "Stand back and take the picture. Don't get close to the construction area."
“Okay…” Luo Yan nodded hesitantly, her guilt soaring to its peak.
She speaks ill of people behind their backs, yet they repay evil with kindness... Luo Yan, Luo Yan, are you even human?
This apology is absolutely necessary, with interest!
While she was engaged in intense internal criticism, her gaze inadvertently swept over Jiang Sui's right wrist, and she keenly noticed that the cufflinks that should have been attached to his shirt were now empty.
Luo Yan's heart sank suddenly. Could it be that when she bumped into her earlier, it accidentally fell?
She instinctively looked down, searching the concrete, the piles of fallen leaves, the bushes. The incident happened so suddenly; she didn't know where it had flown off to.
"What are you looking for?" Jiang Sui noticed her movements.
"Did you just lose your cufflink?" Luo Yan pointed to his right hand, a little anxious. "I'll help you find it!"
Jiang Sui glanced at her wrist, but didn't seem to care. "Don't bother looking for it. It's okay if the little thing is lost."
He spoke casually, but Luo Yan knew that the cufflinks were definitely not "small things".
During the breaks in filming, she carefully searched the vicinity several times, even rummaging through several bushes without regard for her image, but still found nothing.
On the way back, Luo Yan felt a tightness in her chest whenever she thought about the missing cufflink.
Although Jiang Sui didn't care, she just couldn't get over this hurdle. If she didn't do something, she would live with the torment of her conscience for the rest of her life.
So, as soon as she got back to the office, she turned on her computer and searched online for the brand and style of those cufflinks, relying on her memory like looking for a needle in a haystack. Her hard work paid off, and after looking at dozens of styles, she finally found the same one.
But the string of numbers following the price made her dizzy.
One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand—the price of a pair of cufflinks is equivalent to half a year's salary for her! What's worse, the top of the page prominently displays the words "classic style," "discontinued," and "limited stock."
She quickly took out her phone to check her bank card balance, and it wasn't much different, just a round number off.
Luo Yan slumped into her chair in frustration.
That thing is only the size of a thumbnail. Even if it were made of pure gold, it wouldn't cost that much. Jiang Sui's refrigerator looks like a slum, so how come he's so extravagant when it comes to accessories?
What a cruel and uneven world! What a trap of consumerism! What an ugly face of capitalism!
Complaints aside, compensation still needs to be paid; this is a matter of principle and a matter of professional conduct for a civil servant.
After pondering for a long time with a worried expression, Luo Yan finally sent Zeng Rong a WeChat message with trembling fingers:
- Granny Rong, help!
Half an hour later, Zeng Rong drove over and met Luo Yan, who was in a daze, at the entrance of the Culture and Tourism Bureau.
"What?! You lost President Jiang's cufflinks?! How dare you?!"
"I know it's a classic model; I couldn't afford to lose money on it even if I sold myself..."
Luo Yan, with a mournful face, pitifully grabbed Zeng Rong, "I didn't want to either, it was an accident."
Zeng Rong's eyes widened in disbelief. "It's still that rare pair?! Yan Yan, the cost of your troubles is getting higher and higher!"
"Stop cursing, Granny Rong. You have a wide network of connections. Help me ask if there are any channels to get 80-90% new secondhand items? Or brand new stock? The price... is negotiable." Luo Yan said the last three words with great difficulty.
Zeng Rong looked at her miserable state and sighed, "I'll try to ask, but I can't guarantee it."
"Thank you, Granny Rong! You are my second parents!"
"Come on, don't give me such difficult tasks next time!"
With the supply of goods secured, the next issue is money.
Luo Yan looked at her bank card again at the pitiful balance. Borrowing money was the only option left. But who could she borrow from? It was no small amount. Who could immediately come up with a five-figure sum to lend her?
After much deliberation, she gritted her teeth and dialed Luo Muyang's number.
He answered the phone after it rang once, his voice full of energy: "Yanyan! Missing Daddy?"
"Old Luo, I'll be frank with you..." Luo Yan said in a heavy tone, "I... urgently need money."
"Oh my, my daughter has finally come to the point of wanting to live off her parents?" Luo Muyang was overjoyed, his voice trembling with excitement. "Has she set her sights on a bag? Or does she want to buy a car? We'll arrange it right away!"
"No, don't ask." Luo Yan said, forcing a smile. "But let me make this clear first, this money is a loan from you. I've already written the IOU, and I'll pay you back in monthly installments based on the bank's current loan interest rate."
"Yanyan..." Luo Muyang's voice turned serious, "Are you alright? Did you get into trouble? Were you scammed?"
"No, it's really nothing! It's just... I lost someone else's very valuable things, and I have to pay for them." Luo Yan's tone was firm. "If you don't lend me the money, I'll have to resort to online loans."
"You dare!" Luo Muyang roared immediately, then said helplessly, "Why are you talking to your father about lending money? You're my only daughter, won't all of this wealth be yours in the future?"
"Who wants your fortune? Even between father and daughter, accounts must be kept clear. It has to be a loan!" Luo Yan was unusually stubborn. "Otherwise, I don't want it."
"Alright, alright, as you say." Luo Muyang conceded, but was still uneasy. "Are you sure nothing happened?"
"Really, no, don't make things up, and don't tell Xu Jingfei, or I'll never speak to you again!"
"Okay, okay, I won't say. How much do you want?"
"five……"
"Hey, it's just 500,000. Give me your bank account number."
"fifty thousand."
"..."
Luo Muyang remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking: "You naughty child, you even went through so much trouble to make your father overthink things! Don't scare your father like that next time!"
"Okay, it's all my fault for scaring you. Alright, I'll hang up now... Thank you, Dad."
Luo Muyang was stunned for a long time before suddenly bursting into a gasp.
"Yanyan, she called me Dad?! After more than twenty years, she finally called me Dad! Hahahaha..."
After hanging up the phone, Luo Yan let out a long sigh of relief.
It's always better to owe money than to owe favors. Especially for someone as calculating as Jiang Sui, owing favors? What's the difference between that and slow suicide?
However, it seems this debt will take quite some time to repay.
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