“No need,” Xia Mian said as she waved the check with a smile. “This is just fine. But I think fifty thousand is not quite right.”
Zhou Qianqian showed an expression of “I knew it.”
The old lady also narrowed her eyes, a cold smile playing on her lips.
Xia Mian paid their reactions no mind and began analyzing, “Old Madam, if you want to use money to settle this matter, the value should not be calculated based on what you think I deserve, but rather on what Chenchen is worth.”
“For example, I found something of yours and returned it. You might think I don’t deserve to keep the item for my honesty, so you’d rather give me some money to settle the matter.”
“If the item were a piece of iron, you might give me twenty cents; but if it were a piece of gold, you couldn’t just say that because I come from the countryside, I don’t deserve two hundred yuan and give me just twenty cents, right?”
“Chenchen is the eldest grandson of your Huo family. No matter how we calculate, he can’t be considered a worthless piece of iron, can he?” Xia Mian said, “So let’s calculate his real value.”
“Given the current family planning policy, Chenchen won’t have any siblings in the future.” She glanced meaningfully at Zhou Qianqian and continued, “Unless Mr. Huo divorces and remarries, but even then, there’s no guarantee the child would be a boy, let alone as smart as Chenchen.”
“Based on that, it’s safe to infer that Chenchen is the only heir to the Huo family,” Xia Mian said. “Judging by the grandness I’ve seen so far, your family’s assets must be worth several tens of millions. Let’s conservatively estimate it at fifty million. I won’t bother with the more complicated calculations; I’m afraid even if I did, you wouldn’t understand.”
“Chenchen is worth fifty million, which means I rescued the Huo family from losing fifty million yuan,” Xia Mian explained. “When you retrieve this fifty million from my hands, you must pay a reward, and according to market rules, ten percent of the total value should be given to me, right?”
“So, the correct amount should be five million.”
The old lady’s expression changed drastically, and Zhou Qianqian yelled, “Xia Mian, you really dare to make such outrageous demands!”
“Wasn’t it the old madam who started talking about money with me first?” Xia Mian replied. “Well, since you’re saying it’s too expensive, I’ll give you a discount for Sister Ning’s sake. Instead of ten percent, I’ll take one percent—five hundred thousand, it’s final.”
The old lady clutched her chest, “You—you’re truly a scoundrel!” She glared at Ning Shaoyun, “Look at the kind of person you’ve brought into our home!”
Ning Shaoyun responded calmly, “Xia Mian is the one who saved Chenchen’s life. Besides, it was you, Mother, who insisted on inviting her here and offered the money. I already said this wasn’t appropriate.”
The old lady snapped angrily, “If you hadn’t run off with Chenchen, none of this would have happened!”
Ning Shaoyun coldly retorted, “You even went as far as to break into my room and steal my painting. How could I stay in such a den of thieves?”
“Who are you calling a thief?” the old lady shouted, “It was just a painting!”
“Old Madam Huo!” Xia Mian sneered, “If you don’t want to pay, just say so. You casually gave away a painting of Sister Ning’s worth millions, so why are you being stingy over a mere five hundred?”
Zhou Qianqian scoffed, “Stop exaggerating. How can that stupid painting be worth millions? It’s only valuable because Director Luo likes it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t take it even for a hundred yuan.”
Without hesitation, Xia Mian grabbed the cake from the table and shoved it into Zhou Qianqian’s mouth. “If you can’t speak properly, then shut your dog mouth! You think you’re so important, barking at every opportunity?”
Ignoring Zhou Qianqian, Xia Mian turned to the old lady with full mockery. “Old Madam, you were the one who offered to settle things with money, and now you’re the one who doesn’t want to pay. And you claim to be the matriarch of a prestigious family? This behavior is more like that of a village scoundrel. Don’t put on airs to glorify yourself—it’s just laughable.”
The old lady was so furious that she clutched her chest. “You, you…”
“Don’t pass out now,” Xia Mian warned, “or I’ll tell everyone that the old madam of the Huo family pretended to faint just to avoid paying a half million yuan.”
Zhou Qianqian, having wiped the cake off her face, rushed back to help the old lady calm down. She glared at Xia Mian, “Don’t go too far!” Then she pointed at Ning Shaoyun and threatened, “I’m going to tell Brother Xuewen about this!”
Ning Shaoyun raised her lips mockingly, “Go ahead.”
“So, Old Madam, what’s your decision? Are you going to pay or not?” Xia Mian asked as she tore the first check into pieces. “Sister Ning told me you value principles and honor, but it turns out you’re just after fame and reputation!”
Provoked by Xia Mian’s contemptuous attitude, the old lady angrily picked up her checkbook and hastily signed another check, handing it over to Xia Mian. However, as she did, it was clear that she regretted it—Xia Mian could feel her hand trembling as she passed the check.
It was obvious that this action really hurt her.
But when Xia Mian saw the amount, she laughed mockingly, “Two hundred thousand?”
“Chenchen’s worth is twenty million.”
“Oh,” Xia Mian replied with a puzzled look, “That doesn’t seem right. With the grandeur and extravagance I’ve seen here, even fifty million seems low; a hundred million would be more like it.”
The old lady’s stern face turned pale. “Whatever the case, this is all you’re getting. Take it or leave it.”
Xia Mian sighed with reluctance, “Fine, for Sister Ning’s sake.” She put away the check and said to Ning Shaoyun, “So this settles the life-saving debt for Chenchen.”
Ning Shaoyun couldn’t help but feel that whatever Xia Mian said next would infuriate the old lady—and she found herself looking forward to it.
Sure enough, Xia Mian then cheerfully added, “From now on, we’re just pure friends!” She continued, feigning modesty despite having gained the upper hand, “You see, Sister Ning, I feel so much lighter without the burden of being a life-saving benefactor. I did feel quite awkward whenever you or Mr. Huo treated me so politely. But now, everything’s good—we’re equals now!”
The old lady’s face changed dramatically, and Zhou Qianqian shouted angrily, “Y—you!! You actually dare…”
“What do I dare?” Xia Mian retorted. “Are you trying to control who I make friends with too? Now that I’m no longer Chenchen’s life-saving benefactor, you have no authority over me!”
At this point, the old lady couldn’t be bothered with etiquette and propriety anymore. She rose up, exploding with anger, “Xia Mian, don’t go too far! Believe it or not—I can make it impossible for you to stay in Yan City!”
Xia Mian pretended to be scared, “Oh no, I’m so terrified! You should probably issue a nationwide warrant for my arrest, huh? You see, with this 200,000 yuan, I can go anywhere I want!”
Of course, the old lady didn’t actually have the power to do that, and Zhou Qianqian, realizing they couldn’t out-argue Xia Mian, decided to direct her anger at Ning Shaoyun. “Auntie, she must have put her up to this! She’s still holding a grudge over you giving her painting to Director Luo, so she sent this country girl to get back at you.”
The old lady sneered coldly at Ning Shaoyun, “I knew it. Every day you pretend to be so pure and otherworldly, but your heart is darker than anyone’s.”
“Enough!” Ning Shaoyun shouted, covering Chenchen’s ears. She then turned to the old lady and said, “I know what you want.”
“I will divorce Huo Xuewen.”
Zhou Qianqian was overjoyed and blurted out, “You said it yourself!”
The old lady was skeptical, “What’s your condition?”
“No conditions,” Ning Shaoyun replied. “I’ll only take my dowry and Chenchen.”
The old lady didn’t care at all and didn’t even bother to hide her excitement, asking directly, “How can you guarantee you’ll divorce Xuewen?”
Ning Shaoyun took out a divorce paper from her bag. “I’ve already signed this. As soon as Huo Xuewen puts his sign, our divorce will be effective. I’m sure you’ll know how to make that happen.”
Zhou Qianqian eagerly took the agreement and scrutinized it. The old lady, not being very literate, waited for Zhou Qianqian’s confirmation.
Zhou Qianqian nodded enthusiastically, unable to hide her joy as if the position of the Huo family’s young madam was already within her grasp.
“We came here today to clarify things face to face for the last time, in order to bring a proper closure,” Ning Shaoyun said. “Now that everything is settled, we’ll be leaving. Let’s not interfere with each other’s lives from now on.”
With that, Ning Shaoyun took Chenchen’s hand, and Xia Mian picked up Xiao Feng, ready to leave.
But Zhou Qianqian, perhaps overly excited and letting her common sense fly out the window, or perhaps feeling victorious and wanting to rub it in, suddenly blocked Xia Mian’s way and shouted, “Stop!”
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I feel like a broken record at this point, but YES, FUCK ‘EM UP, XIANXIAN!
Holy crap, I got so stoked, I mistyped Mianmian as Xianxian lol
Thanks for the chapter ❣️🔥🔥
She’s such a sh*t-stirrer I love her so much!! And I’m sooo glad Shaoyun is getting tf out of there omg.
thus began Huo Xuewen’s wife casing crematorium.