Chapter 5
"What? Has Liu Weifeng changed his mind?"
Josh led Chen Zhiyu out of the villa, looking distracted.
The money that was swindled is most likely unrecoverable, but Liu Weifeng eventually agreed to their request to help pay off the remaining debts that Chen Zhibin owed to several other families before his death.
Before coming here, she asked Qiao Mai's friend to inquire about Liu Weifeng. Although Liu Weifeng's methods were indeed impressive, he had his bottom line.
The others were different; they had all resorted to any means to collect debts, and even if they appeared to be on the surface, they would inevitably sabotage each other behind the scenes.
So she mustered up her courage and went to Liu Weifeng for help.
When Liu Weifeng asked her to lend him 200,000 yuan, Qiao Xi was prepared to be kicked out. Unexpectedly, Liu Weifeng stared at her for a long time, then laughed and said meaningfully, "Well, you've got your hands on me."
She was essentially robbing Peter to pay Paul; she wanted to borrow money from him to pay off those people whose lives were uncertain.
Josh's little scheme couldn't possibly escape the notice of this old fox, so she readily admitted it.
To my surprise, he agreed, but he made a condition: "I can lend you money, but you have to provide something as collateral."
Liu Weifeng glanced at the two of them and said, "What if you take the money and run away with the child? Who am I supposed to ask for the money back?"
In fact, given his abilities, Liu Weifeng could definitely find someone if he wanted to. Since he said that, it meant he agreed to Josh's request.
The weight lifted from her chest, and Josh quickly said, "I have some, I'll get them for you another day." But then she added, "Could I borrow a few people from you?"
When repaying the money, you need to make a strong statement to prevent those people from defaulting on their debts.
Liu Weifeng raised an eyebrow in surprise, looking at her with a forced smile, "You're quite the schemer."
However, he nodded afterward and relented.
And so, Liu Weifeng became their only creditor. He agreed to postpone the payment for a few years until they started working, at which point he would pay off the debt. In the meantime, he would not bother them under the pretext of collecting the debt.
After leaving Liu Weifeng's residence, Josh was completely pale and her legs were still trembling. She turned around with lingering fear and cautiously looked at the villa, feeling that the place was eerie. Only when she was away from that natural barrier and the warm sunlight was blowing on her back did the warmth dispel her fear.
Once the building was no longer out of sight, she calmed down completely. Josh patted her chest, still shaken. Dealing with this kind of person was truly terrifying.
But in this kind of situation, it's absolutely impossible to get through just relying on Qiao Mai's friends to plead for him; only they can handle it.
Chen Zhiyu beside him was still wiping away tears and sobbing. His chest heaved violently with each sob, as if he was about to run out of breath.
"Alright, we're going far enough." Josh gently squeezed his hand and reminded him softly.
But he was still sobbing.
"Chen Zhiyu?"
The child must be terrified.
Josh quickly stopped, stood in front of him, pressed her hands against his cheeks, and forced him to look up and look directly at her.
Chen Zhiyu's little head was still nodding, her eyes were red, and she kept sobbing. Her expression was very aggrieved. She said in a voice with obvious sobs, "Sister, I can't control myself, I can't stop."
After saying that, he even let out a hiccup.
Before the "Wow!" could finish, Josh covered her mouth and silenced her.
Chen Zhiyu's eyes widened in confusion.
Seeing this, Josh finally couldn't help but laugh.
She laughed and patted his back to help him catch his breath. After a while, when he calmed down, she said, "I've already contacted the landlord to cancel the lease on that house. You just stay here with me for the next few days and don't wander off. The day after tomorrow, I'll go back with you to pack your things."
I absolutely cannot go back to that place until I've paid off all the debts I owe those people.
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhiyu stared at her blankly, momentarily forgetting to cry.
Josh was only eighteen years old, just stepping into adulthood, when he was met with a heavy blow.
As a young girl, she was forced to take on all the responsibilities and underwent a transformative process that forced her to grow up quickly.
One second, Josh was still a child nestled in her sister's arms; the next second, she took on the responsibility of becoming someone else's older sister.
Chen Zhiyu stared intently at Qiao Xi's retreating figure.
Josh wasn't very tall, and because of the hard work of the past few days, she had lost a lot of weight. Her shoulder blades were prominent, thin and obvious, as if tenacious branches grew from them, supporting her to straighten her spine. Lush green leaves grew from those branches, intertwining to form a huge protective shield in front of her.
Josh turned around and saw him still standing there, looking at him with a puzzled expression. "What are you standing there for? Come on, let's go."
"Oh!" Chen Zhiyu jogged after her, looked up, and smiled. "Sis, I'll pay back the money my brother owes when I grow up. I won't bother you."
Josh smiled and accepted, "Then I'll be waiting for you."
"Really, I'll give you an IOU."
"Stop talking nonsense, or we'll miss the train."
They are like two vines from different plants. From this moment on, they will grow together, relying on each other and intertwining with each other. With their wild and untamed spirit, they will stretch towards a higher and farther place, striving to extend outward and chasing after the light.
From this day forward, Chen Zhiyu once again firmly believed in that saying: life moves forward and gets better and better.
*
Liu Weifeng was very straightforward. He didn't even wait for Qiao Xi to deliver the collateral. The next day, he had someone bring the money over and sent someone to follow Qiao Xi to help her pay off the debts of the other families and retrieve the IOUs.
Now, Liu Weifeng is the only one left to bear the debt.
After this incident, Josh went to see Joe's good friend. The two talked a lot. The factory's equipment was all new, so it would be relatively easy to transfer the business.
Before leaving, her friend asked Josh if she would be willing to take over the business. She could try to find someone to manage it.
Josh refused. One reason was that she wasn't suited for business, and another was that the people at the factory might not be obedient to her. Even if she resigned and hired someone else, they might still harbor resentment and cause trouble for her.
She just wants a few years of peace and quiet to finish college, and most importantly, she wants to try following her own path.
So she laid off the factory workers, sold the goods cheaply, and pieced together the money she owed Liu Weifeng, hoping to pay back a small portion of it.
When she handed over the collateral and sent the money along with it, Liu Weifeng scoffed, "Save up more money before sending it over in the future. This little bit you sent this time is not worth my time and I'm too lazy to accept it."
Josh pursed his lips, not daring to say anything.
However, with the burden on the two of them slightly lifted, Josh felt relaxed. She didn't go out for the next few days because her college entrance exam scores came out, and they were about what she had expected. When filling out her college applications, she applied to all the local universities.
Chen Zhiyu hesitated to speak after seeing this.
Josh patted his little head. "Don't overthink it. My college application was decided before the accident, and besides, I have to stay here and protect this house."
This is the truth. Her condition during the college entrance examination was similar to usual, and she had already decided on these schools in advance.
When Josh paid back the first loan, Liu Weifeng did ask her about her college application choices.
Josh told him the truth, and Liu Weifeng was silent for a while before telling her that they could report it to a distant place, since the child couldn't escape anyway.
Josh didn't explain much to him.
After filling out his college application, Josh should start looking for a part-time job.
She had done some odd jobs in her early years, but when she went to high school, Qiao Mai wouldn't allow it anymore.
Josh has some savings, all given to her by Joe over the years, and she doesn't plan to touch them casually, just in case.
There are green channels for university admission, as well as annual scholarships for students from impoverished families. Given her family's circumstances, she should be able to apply.
Josh has been frequently contacting his classmates these past few days, asking those with work experience for advice, and starting to plan where to find a job.
Although the debt wasn't urgent, the couple still needed living expenses.
Not only her, Chen Zhiyu also has plans to work part-time.
Chen Zhiyu started school late and was going into the second year of junior high school after the summer vacation. When the accident happened, it was close to the final exams. After the funeral, he simply didn't go back and asked the school for leave, planning to go back to school after the summer vacation.
When he actually started planning to work, Chen Zhiyu realized his uselessness. He was too young and hadn't grown tall enough. At his current height, anyone could tell he was a child laborer without even looking at his age.
Chen Zhiyu had confidently promised to pay off the debt by working for him, but now he was stuck at a critical juncture. He spent the entire day in distress, barely speaking, curled up on the sofa, silent, worrying about his job and feeling utterly useless.
Josh mistakenly thought that Chen Zhiyu was still insecure about his height, and quickly comforted him, "Your brother, Chen Zhibin, is quite tall, and you won't be too short either, so don't worry."
While comforting her, he also scrolled through the job postings on his phone, noting down the addresses one by one. "Besides," he said, "good things come in small packages."
"And don't be discouraged. As the saying goes, 'At twenty-three, you leap up; at twenty-five, you drum up again; at twenty-eight, you're still...'"
"Sis, I'm going to cook."
Josh pushed himself to the brink of thirty, and Chen Zhiyu became even more dejected after hearing this. He shook his head sadly and went to the kitchen listlessly to prepare a meal.
Watching her child's somewhat sad, almost fleeing figure, Josh pouted, thinking that Chen Zhiyu might be going through a rebellious phase.
She tilted her head back, stretched her neck, and thought about whether she had gone through a rebellious phase. After thinking for a while, she gave up. Who could she possibly rebel against back then?
But I must say, although this child is not as tall as her, at least the food she cooks is better than hers. A few days ago, Josh went out a lot, and every time she came back, she could eat hot meals.
"Chen Zhiyu, what are we having for dinner today?" she called out.
But her response was a loud crash.
Then, the sound of shattering glass pierced the silence.
Startled, Josh immediately jumped off the sofa, panicking, "What happened? Did Liu Weifeng change his mind? Did he bring people to collect the debt?"
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