Chapter 22022 Settlement
Xu Tingwan still brought Chi Du back home, but she was still angry.
They had prepared for the past few days and thought that something strange would appear in the house, but everything was back to normal and there was no change at home. She even suspected that Xu Tingyan was really lying to her.
After getting home and sending a message to Lin Leqi, she took the medicine box and sat on the sofa, lowering her head to look for the cotton swabs and band-aids inside. When she looked up, she saw him still standing there awkwardly. Xu Tingwan waved at her helplessly.
"Do you want me to come over or do you want me to come over?"
Her tone was a little cold, but she really couldn't suppress the anger in her heart.
Chi Du pursed his lips, took off his windbreaker and put it aside, then sat next to Xu Tingwan and let her treat his wound.
"What scratched it?" Xu Tingwan asked him while dealing with it.
Chi Du: "Maybe it's the nails?"
Xu Tingwan frowned after hearing this, "Does it hurt?"
Chi Du: “…It hurts…”
In fact, it didn't hurt, and he didn't feel anything at the time. It was only after he returned to school that his roommate asked him what happened to his face and he discovered that he was disfigured. But seeing Xu Tingwan so worried about him, Chi Du naturally acted a little pretentiously.
With the Band-Aid on his cheek, Xu Tingwan left. Apart from stuffing two Band-Aids into his hands, she did not do anything else.
Xu Tingwan didn't know what to do now, but she just didn't want to stop. She went to the kitchen and fiddled with it for a while, and unknowingly cut a fruit plate. She took the fruit plate and turned around to see Chi Du standing behind her. She was startled and didn't know how long Chi Du had been standing there.
Chi Du took the fruit plate from her and said, "Sister, I have something to tell you."
Xu Tingwan was angry and tried to break free from his strength, but the person in front of him didn't move at all. Then he narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at him. Chi Du immediately understood and let go.
Although the hand was put down, the person still followed.
He followed Xu Tingwan wherever he went, like a dog-skin plaster that couldn't be shaken off.
She was a little annoyed and turned around to say something to him, but Chi Du grabbed her waist and picked her up and put her on the locker with his hands skillfully and smoothly.
The locker was only piled with some books and outdated documents, which didn't take up much space, making it more convenient for him.
Before Xu Tingwan could react, her lips were held and gently bitten. No matter how she pushed, Chi Du just pinched her neck to make her get closer to him.
The struggling movements became smaller and smaller, and slowly even Xu Tingwan almost forgot why he was angry, and his head felt dizzy.
After an unknown amount of time, Chi Du leaned against her forehead and whispered, "The day before yesterday, Chi Canyang came to see me with that woman."
Xu Tingwan paused, raised her eyelashes slightly and looked at him.
Chi Du continued, "I only just found out. When he divorced my mom, he said he was leaving the house with nothing, but he had already transferred everything he deserved. The real estate and company were all transferred to that woman's name, leaving only one house for my mom."
At that time, he thought that Yu Nian didn't want it. He knew without thinking that it was because of him that he didn't want to fight for it, so he swallowed his anger.
Xu Tingwan was a little bit incredulous, "So Chi...he is cheating?"
Xu Tingwan changed his words halfway through his speech.
Chi Du nodded slightly.
Xu Tingwan thought of what he had said, and his heart was in a knot. He lowered his eyes and whispered: "I'm sorry, I... didn't mean it..."
Chi Du kissed the corner of her eyes and said softly, "It's my fault. I didn't tell you anything."
Xu Tingwan grabbed the hem of his T-shirt and asked him, "Why did they come to you?"
Chi Du: "The company has financial problems. They investigated me and found that I might have been quite prosperous in recent years, so they asked me to find a way to fill the gap."
Xu Tingwan looked at him, "You can't agree to this!"
Chi Du curled his lips slightly, "Well, I didn't agree. I'm not that stupid."
Xu Tingwan touched the edge of the bandage again, her eyes filled with heartache. Chi Du looked at her and couldn't help but add, "He gave me a cup of hot water before he left."
Xu Tingwan grabbed his arm tightly, "Did he splash you too? Where did he splash you?"
Chi Du kissed her hand and said, "He splashed it on me. At that height, he could only splash it on me."
Xu Tingwan patted him and said, "It's already this hour, and you're still in the mood to joke?"
Chi Du: "..."
Xu Tingwan was always uneasy. "Then how do you want to solve this matter? Since they are here to ask you for money, they will not give up until they get it."
Chi Du nodded, "I know, so I plan to make things difficult for them."
"what are you up to?"
Chi Du's mouth curled up slightly. "Ever since I found out Chi Canyang was cheating on me, I've been collecting evidence of his tax evasion and other illegal crimes in recent years. He's a coward but very good at currying favor with the powerful. He used to rely on supplying Shen's to expand his business. Originally, as long as he abided by the rules, he would have never lacked money for the rest of his life. But he ended up courting disaster by replacing high-quality materials with inferior ones and cutting corners. What do you think would happen if Shen took these materials to the construction site? Fortunately, the worker was only injured, but Shen will never use Chi Canyang's goods again."
"Shen is a real estate giant. If he doesn't use it, who will? Chi Canyang has really played himself to death. He has evaded a huge amount of taxes over the years. He will be sentenced and fined."
"He wasn't going to let me go, and I wasn't going to let him go."
"Chi Du..." Xu Tingwan held his hand, only to find that his hand was cold.
Chi Du pursed his lips and said, "I know what you are worried about, sister. I collected these just to protect myself, and I never thought that I would be able to take them out one day. If possible, I would rather have no intersection with him for the rest of my life. But he disturbed my mother and my current life. If he can investigate me, he can investigate the people around me. I don't want the people around me to go through this because of me. If I don't give him money, they will only keep pestering me and my mother until they suck all their blood. My mother has been hurt once, and I can't, and must never let her suffer a second time, so sister, I have to do this this time."
I once longed for my father's love, but reality dragged me into the abyss again. The only light was my mother and Xu Tingwan. I had to save myself and try hard to get close to them.
*
It's late at night.
Xu Tingwan slowly opened her eyes, listening to Chi Du's breathing in front of her, Xu Tingwan gently took his hand, and then got out of bed.
She closed the balcony door and sat on the hammock in the corner. The lighter flickered in her hand, making a "clicking" sound. She held the lady's cigarette between her index and middle fingers. The light changed. Xu Tingwan broke the cigarette and threw it into the trash can. She also threw the lighter on the table next to her.
She took out her cell phone and looked through the address book, finally stopping next to the name "Chen Zhinian" and dialed.
The call was slow to connect, and it was extremely noisy after it was connected. The dance music made Xu Tingwan uncomfortable and move the phone away from her ear.
But soon, the phone slowly fell silent, and then came a casual and low voice, "Hey, isn't this the academic master? Why are you calling me so late?"
Xu Tingwan lifted her hair and looked out the window, then said with a smile, "Chen Zhinian, help me check someone."
Shen Zhinian paused, and said in the same voice as before: "It will cost you a fee."
"It's up to you." Xu Tingwan frowned.
Shen Zhinian: "Really? Then I won't be polite."
“…”
Chen Zhinian was a childhood friend of hers and Lin Leqi. This guy had ill intentions towards Lin Leqi since he was a child. Outsiders could see it, Xu Tingwan could see it, and Chen Zhinian also thought that Lin Leqi could see it. But he didn't know that Lin Leqi was just a dull person. After the window paper was broken, the two of them never contacted each other again, and Xu Tingwan rarely contacted Chen Zhinian either.
The Shen family started out in real estate in North City. Shen Zhinian didn't suffer much since childhood, but he had strict family education. Later, he was sent abroad to study and developed as the heir of the company. After he returned to China, they rarely saw each other, but occasionally heard gossip about him changing girlfriends again and again.
He had established his reputation as a playboy and was considered a top figure in North City's business circles.
Xu Tingwan crossed her legs, trying hard to suppress the irritation in her heart, "I want to borrow your name."
Shen Zhinian: "It's up to you, sister. You will be my sister from now on. What's mine is yours. You can use it as you like without asking me."
Xu Tingwan: “…”
*
Through Shen Zhinian, it was not difficult for her to find information about Chi Canyang and his current wife Feng Manman, and because of Shen Zhinian's reputation, she successfully arranged a meeting opportunity.
The process went extremely smoothly.
Although Chi Du has already started to prepare the report materials, he still cannot swallow the loss that he does not deserve.
After finishing the meeting today, she went directly to the restaurant where they had made an appointment in advance. She still had her black suit on and her red-soled high heels gave her a nervous feeling as if she was facing a great enemy.
She had booked the restaurant in advance. Looking at the figure not far away, Xu Tingwan just raised her eyebrows and then slowly walked up to them.
She put down her bag first, then saw their flattering smiles before she extended her hand and said, "Hello, Xu Tingwan."
Chi Canyang shook her hand with an excited look on his face, "Hello, Ms. Xu, I'm Chi Canyang from Chaoyang Industry, and this is my lover."
Xu Tingwan just pursed her lips lightly and sat down. Perhaps she didn't expect her to be so arrogant, and the scene was not so good.
After sitting down, Chi Canyang began to introduce his company to her impatiently. To be honest, she could understand a little, but not much. Chi Canyang was talking until his mouth was dry and Feng Manman's eyes were looking at her as if she was piercing through him. Neither of them intended to let go of her as a life-saving straw.
Xu Tingwan felt a little sleepy as she listened, and yawned leisurely. This action made Chi Canyang a little embarrassed. He smiled and said, "Ms. Xu, you are here to represent Mr. Shen, right? So, the funds we agreed on -"
"What funds?" Xu Tingwan raised his eyebrows and shook the quilt in his hand.
Chi Canyang froze for a moment. "Ms. Xu, we agreed on this. You give me funds and I give you equity. It's a mutually beneficial deal between us and the Shen Group. Look, I've already drafted the contract..."
Xu Tingwan remained silent. He looked at Feng Manman across from him and said, "I heard that Mr. Chi has a wife who has been with him since the beginning of his business. I wonder—" Xu Tingwan paused deliberately, "—is this her?"
Feng Manman's delicate makeup revealed embarrassment. She tossed her hair and smiled, "Miss Xu, you're joking. Of course it was me, but our topic today seems to have nothing to do with this."
Xu Tingwan said calmly, "Why is it okay? If the person sitting across from me was a scumbag who cheated on his wife, do you think I would still dare to invest money?"
Feng Manman suddenly stood up and pointed at her, her eyes wide with anger. "What are you talking about! I'm the chairman's wife after all, who do you think you are?!" She crossed her arms over her chest and changed the subject. "You're so young, and I don't know how you got to this position. I don't even know how many men are behind you—"
A crisp slap interrupted her words.
Xu Tingwan shook his hands, his eyes sharp, "Let me introduce myself again, Chi Du is my boyfriend, I'll return this slap to you, but——"
Xu Tingwan paused, then suddenly picked up the cup she had been playing with and threw it at the two people opposite her. Seeing their angry and surprised faces, she simply knocked on the table with her knuckles and leaned forward slightly. "Although I don't have much power, by chance, I can make you and your family disappear from North City forever..." Xu Tingwan paused and scanned their expressions. "I have plenty of time to play with you. I wonder if Mr. Chi... has time to play with me?"
Chi Canyang was so angry that he was shaking all over, and suddenly slapped Feng Manman in the face.
Feng Manman covered her face and stared at him in disbelief. "You! You dare to hit me? Chi Canyang! You dare to hit me? What gives you the right to hit me?!"
Feng Manman's fists fell on Chi Canyang again and again. Finally, he yelled angrily, causing Feng Manman to sit down and cry.
Chi Canyang put on a smile to Xu Tingwan and begged her to give Chaoyang Industry a chance.
Xu Tingwan looked at all this and suddenly smiled.
From beginning to end, Chi Canyang did not try to stop Feng Manman's arrogance and outspokenness. In fact, he had been unable to speak any more, but considering Xu Tingwan's identity, he could only use his silent acquiescence and indulgence to let a woman charge forward for his little face, and finally pretend to be a good guy to end the matter perfectly.
Xu Tingwan restrained his expression and looked at Chi Canyang, "Don't come to Chi Du again, don't disturb his family and his life, otherwise I will keep my word."
After she finished speaking, she walked out with her bag. When she reached the front desk, she swiped her card, holding it between her index and middle fingers. She pointed it towards them and said to the restaurant where only two people were sitting behind her, "Take care of them."
The tone was playful and contemptuous. The voice was not loud, but it echoed in the empty restaurant. Every word was like a knife, piercing the hypocritical spine bit by bit.
*
After Xu Tingwan walked away, she leaned against the wall by the roadside and relaxed. It was already the busiest time of the night, and passers-by were in a hurry, but perhaps because Xu Tingwan's temperament was too outstanding, passers-by's eyes always stayed on her for a few seconds.
She closed her eyes. She hadn't had a moment's rest since the afternoon, and after seeing what a stage was like, she was so tired that she didn't even have the strength to walk.
Xu Tingwan took a deep breath and took out her cell phone from her bag. Her eyebrows jumped when she saw the missed call. She paused and was still hesitating whether to answer the call when the phone rang.
"Where?" Chi Du's voice was a little anxious.
Xu Tingwan pursed her lips and looked down at her feet. "What's the matter? You miss me after just two days of not seeing me."
"Xu Tingwan."
He called her name again, and this was the first time Xu Tingwan felt guilty.
After telling him the address, Xu Tingwan found a place with few people to sit down. He had previously doubted that such public benches built on the roadside were just for show but useless, but now Xu Tingwan was very grateful.
There was a hot pot restaurant right across the street. It was packed with people and there was even a queue at the door, but most of the people there were couples. Through the window, she saw a girl happily feeding her boyfriend. The two of them were laughing happily. Xu Tingwan was also a little stimulated when she saw this scene.
It would be great if Chi Du was here.
Her hair slowly fell down as she lowered her head. She closed her eyes and didn't want to do anything. She didn't know how long it took until she felt a slightly cool touch on her arm, which made her raise her head in a daze.
Chi Du was still dressed the same as always. She didn't know how many times she had seen him in black. His bangs were blown up. He must have been very anxious when he came. The tip of his nose was a little red. The moment he saw her, he frowned and asked her why she didn't answer the phone.
Seeing his worried look, Xu Tingwan sniffed and hugged him, muttering, "I want to go home."
Chi Du was also stunned, and the anxiety he had just felt was suppressed little by little. He patted her back and said softly -
"Okay, let's go home."
*
Chi Du came by car. He bought the car last month and it had been parked in the garage of Xu Tingwan's community. As he had a lot of things to do these two days, he drove the car directly to the school.
Xu Tingwan sat in the passenger seat and couldn't help but say, "Aren't you full of classes today? How come you have time to call me?"
Chi Du glanced at him and said, "I went home. Seeing that you didn't come home, I called you, but I didn't expect that no one answered."
His jaw was set, and he was obviously angry, but he kept it under control since he saw that she wasn't in the mood either.
Xu Tingwan looked straight ahead, his eyelashes trembling, "I have work today..."
"It's over at six o'clock." Chi Du said.
Xu Tingwan was surprised, "How did you know?"
"You told me that you had a meeting that would end at six o'clock today, and that you should go to dinner with me after that."
Xu Tingwan: “…”
Xu Tingwan bit her lip as she looked at the chat history. It really was like this. She looked at Chi Du and said softly, "I'm sorry. There were so many things going on this week that I forgot..."
No response.
Xu Tingwan: “…”
This is really angry.
After a long time, Chi Du finally spoke, his voice trembling, "Sister, I'm really worried about you."
*
Xu Tingwan opened the door in front, and Chi Du just waited for her quietly. When they heard a "beep", the two of them entered the house one after another.
After changing his shoes, Chi Du took the lead and walked to the front to get her a cup of warm water. Xu Tingwan took a sip and when she saw him about to leave, she quickly grabbed his wrist and said, "I have something to tell you."
Chi Du stopped and stood in front of her, blocking everything in front of him, so that Xu Tingwan could only see her.
Xu Tingwan pursed her lips and said slowly, "I went to see your father."
Chi Du's expression suddenly became flustered. He pinched her arm and looked back and forth, "Did he give you any trouble? Are you okay? Why didn't you tell me?"
Xu Tingwan held his hand and comforted him, "Don't worry, I'm not only fine, I slapped that woman and splashed water on them. You have no idea how ugly their faces were..."
Chi Du pursed his lips and said in a heavy tone, "How can you go to see them by yourself? Do you know that they are both crazy? What if something happens to you..."
Chi Du lowered his head and gradually became silent.
Xu Tingwan rubbed his head and hugged him. "I learned Taekwondo when I was a kid. If we really fight, who can beat whom? Besides, I have never suffered a loss since I was a child, and you are not allowed to suffer a loss either. You are mine, and you have to let them know that I have your back."
Chi Du was amused by her immature words, his shoulders shaking with the tone of her voice, "Sister, have you always been so immature?"
Xu Tingwan smiled awkwardly, "If you don't do something immature, you won't live your youth in vain, right..."
Chi Du chuckled softly and buried his head in her shoulder. Xu Tingwan was stunned for a moment when she felt the wetness on her shoulder, then slowly withdrew her hands from around his waist.
"I want to get into your heart. I can also protect you and Aunt Nian Nian. Chi Du, I want you to know that I am behind you. You are not alone."
Chi Du stood up and kissed her forehead, "I'm sorry, I won't do it again."
Xu Tingwan looked at him and smiled.
"Xu Tingwan."
"Um?"
"I love you."
*
In the following month, Chi Canyang never contacted her again, nor did he look for Chi Du. She only learned by chance during a phone call to thank Shen Zhinian that Chi Canyang had been detained and investigated because of a huge amount of tax evasion and being a repeat offender. He was bound to be sentenced and fined.
Seeing that her cash cow had collapsed, Feng Manman quickly found a new buyer, but that buyer was already in a relationship. The original wife was very strong and caused a lot of trouble. Later, gradually, she disappeared from the gossip world. After only a few days, Feng Manman disappeared without a trace.
But no one cares.
After Yu Nian learned about this, he fell seriously ill. Xu Tingwan's parents also went to Liancheng to visit Yu Nian. After a few days of recovery, he was fine. Having a good friend of many years around him always made him feel more comforted.
When Xu Tingwan saw that the time was right, she told everyone about her relationship with Chi Du. Unexpectedly, her parents had already known about it. Later, Xu Tingwan found out that it was Lin Leqi who started this chain of gossip.
Lin Leqi told Xu Tingyan about this matter. Xu Tingyan couldn't control her mouth and went back to Beicheng that night to tell about it. It turned out that from the beginning until now, she was the only one who was kept in the dark.
After knowing the truth, she couldn't help laughing.
But fortunately, the result was good, and life slowly got back on track. Chi Du had fewer classes as the finals were approaching, and the two of them had more and more time to spend together, which was something Xu Tingwan was happy to see.
That afternoon, Xu Tingwan was sitting on the carpet reading a document, while Chi Du was sitting cross-legged beside her reviewing. Xu Tingwan took in the rustling sound of flipping pages and the rustling sound of pen hitting paper. She found it interesting and lost focus on the boring document in front of her.
She put down the computer and lay on Chi Du. Xu Tingwan was wearing a soft cotton nightgown. When she got close to him, she felt like she was close to a stove, and her whole body was hot.
Xu Tingwan picked up his sweatshirt and joked, "Chi Du, you're not familiar with it, are you?"
Chi Du put down his pen and touched her arm. Seeing that she was not cold, he joked with her, "Well, it's almost cooked."
Xu Tingwan went to get the air conditioner remote and turned it down a few degrees. After a few presses, Chi Du snatched it away and turned it back up. Xu Tingwan blinked and asked, "Aren't you hot?"
"I didn't take it off because I was afraid you would be distracted."
Chi Du took off his sweatshirt directly, leaving only a short-sleeved shirt underneath, revealing his muscular arms. As he moved with force, Xu Tingwan could still vaguely see the protruding blue veins.
Xu Tingwan looked at him thoughtfully with her hair curled up, "Do you brothers all like to show off?"
Chi Du paused in putting away his sweatshirt, and put his arm around her waist, holding her close to him. "What do you mean, your brother? How many brothers do you have?"
Xu Tingwan's hand rested between them, looking a little bewildered. "Well... isn't it?"
Chi Du bit her lip and said, "Answer my question first."
Xu Tingwan was so uncomfortable with his kiss that her neck tilted back slightly, her breathing mixed with laughter, "No... I was just giving a general example, not that I have met many younger brothers."
Chi Du's lips continued to move downwards, causing a tingling pain wherever they touched. The straps of her nightgown gradually fell off, and the breathing in front of her became heavier. Xu Tingwan bit her lip, trying to regain Chi Du's sanity with the little bit of rationality she had. "Don't you have an exam tomorrow?"
Chi Du's lips slowly moved up again, close to her ear, bringing a tingling sensation, "No rush."
…
The wind gradually picked up outside the window, but only the fallen leaves lying quietly on the ground could sense it, carrying them away into the distance in waves.
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