Seeing Gu Ting staring at the contract with a grim expression, Brother Chong guessed she was frightened by the exorbitant interest. He had seen this look too many times for it to be anything new. Nonetheless, he assumed a sympathetic tone to comfort her. “Miss Gu, it’s in black and white. You looked it over before signing back then. Nobody forced you, right?”
Gu Ting reined in her emotions instantly. She looked up and asked, “On the phone tonight, you said you had a way to help me. What do you want me to do?”
Such a calm and rational Gu Ting actually made Brother Chong look at her differently. He glanced behind him, then turned back and lowered his voice. “Miss Gu, you’re so beautiful. Finding an ordinary man would be an absolute waste of God’s gift! Let me introduce you to some rich men. They have fortunes and are incredibly generous. I guarantee that in just a few years, you’ll have a car, a house, savings, and live like royalty!”
A look of disgust crossed Gu Ting’s face. “You’re not talking about becoming a mistress to some old geezer, are you?”
“What’s wrong with old geezers? It’s precisely because he’s old and can’t play around anymore. You act as his comforting companion, and he gives you money. How easy is that? If you weren’t so good-looking, this kind of golden opportunity wouldn’t even come your way!”
“No way. What if people find out? How am I supposed to get married in the future?”
The shred of appreciation Brother Chong had just felt for Gu Ting vanished completely. She can’t even pay back 5 million, yet she’s thinking about getting married? What’s the difference between her and a pig-brained idiot?
He could only suppress his impatience and continue to persuade her. “What era are we living in? If men could be relied on, pigs could fly! Little sister, isn’t it great to just be beautiful and single? Why get married at all! Don’t worry, those rich men love having many children and grandchildren. They prefer children born to prestigious university graduates even more. Work hard to give him a son, and you’ll have something to depend on for the rest of your life. What will you have to worry about then? Just sit back and enjoy your blessings…”
Brother Chong was spitting saliva everywhere as he spoke excitedly, but he was suddenly and ruthlessly interrupted by Gu Ting. “Brother Chong, you should just send me your account number.”
Brother Chong couldn’t react for a moment. “What?”
“I can’t do the things you mentioned. I don’t like old geezers, I don’t like being a mistress to rich people, and I especially don’t like breeding and having children like livestock. The principal and interest total 5.5 million, right? I will pay you back all of it, at once!” Gu Ting said, enunciating every single word.
Brother Chong blurted out, “Where did you get the money? An hour ago, didn’t you say you couldn’t pay it back at all? And you said you drew a house, but you haven’t even sold it yet, right? Are you messing with me?”
Just now, Gu Ting had merely been watching the entertainment, wanting to see exactly what kind of dark path this Brother Chong wanted to lead her down. Now that the answer was revealed and her curiosity was satisfied, there was no need to keep playing along with him.
Thus, she looked at Brother Chong with a faint smile. “Brother Chong, hearing that I’m going to pay you 500,000 in interest, why don’t I see you looking happy? You even look a bit miserable. Could it be that you don’t want me to pay back the money at all? What good does that do you?”
Even if she really became a mistress to some rich old geezer and gave birth to seven or eight children, how much of a cut could Brother Chong actually get?
Brother Chong forced out a smile. “How is that possible? I’m happier than anyone that you can pay back the money. I’m just curious if you found some way to strike it rich. Tell your brother, and I won’t treat you poorly!”
Gu Ting took out her phone and replied calmly, “The ways to strike it rich are all written in the Criminal Law. Want one? I can buy a copy for you.”
Brother Chong: “…” Why hadn’t I noticed before that this dead girl has such a sharp tongue?
“The account number, Brother Chong. It seems you really don’t want me to return the money? Actually, even now, I haven’t figured out why you would lend 5 million to someone like me in the first place—someone with a poor family background, no backing, who graduated from university not long ago and couldn’t possibly pay back the money in a short time. Or rather, do I possess some special value that can provide you with benefits far exceeding 5 million?” Gu Ting asked seemingly casually, but her eyes never left Brother Chong’s face. “Tell me. If I make money, there will be benefits for you.”
Even for beauty loans or scams, one had to consider the costs. To scam a poor graduate, investing 5 million first didn’t make them a scammer; it made them look like a fool, right?
Brother Chong’s face suddenly changed. He glared at her sinisterly. “You little brat, go look in the mirror. What do you have besides a face?”
Seeing Brother Chong put up his guard, Gu Ting knew he was clearly unwilling to talk further. As soon as Brother Chong sent over the bank account number, she immediately transferred the 5.5 million. Once done, the loan contract naturally became null and void.
With the business settled, Gu Ting picked up her half-eaten, cold sausage and left. After taking two steps, she suddenly cried out in surprise, “Oh, how did I forget to take off the company’s recording lapel mic? It looks like I have to go back to the company.”
Behind her, Brother Chong’s face was so dark it could practically drip ink.
The recording equipment was naturally something Gu Ting had worn on purpose. Since childhood, she understood a truth: human hearts are sinister, and one must always be on guard. Especially when dealing with people who walk in gray areas, one must be extra careful just in case.
The two hundred meters from the grilled sausage shop to ChengGong Entertainment were the happiest two hundred meters she had ever walked in her life. Having a massive debt of 5 million cleared in one go felt like a chronically ill person being cured overnight. Her mind was clear, her body felt lighter than ever, and she felt so relaxed she could practically fly.
So, Gu Ting practically ran back to ChengGong Entertainment. By this time, it was already past midnight. The main doors of ChengGong Entertainment were not locked, but most of the lights inside had been turned off. Gu Ting unhurriedly climbed the stairs.
Since the debt was fully paid off, it felt as if the “tiger” chasing after her had vanished. What was there to be anxious about?
Gu Ting’s luck tonight might not have been very good. When she climbed to the second floor, the corridor door was already locked. She simply climbed to the third floor, planning to go back down to the second floor from there, but unexpectedly, the third-floor corridor door was also locked. Faced with the choice of climbing up another floor or walking down three floors, Gu Ting chose the latter. As a result, all the corridor doors in the company were locked…
Gu Ting could only accept her fate and go down from the fourth floor again. By the time she took the elevator to the second floor, twenty minutes had already passed. Before returning to the livestream room, Gu Ting first went to the restroom to relieve herself. When she came out, because it was dark, Gu Ting accidentally stepped in a puddle of water and fell flat on her backside. Her buttocks remained numb for quite a while.
Gu Ting: “…” This company jinxes me. When I get rich, I must change bosses! Why change bosses? Because if I were the boss of this company, the feng shui could absolutely never be this terrible!
If young people don’t even know how to dream, how can they achieve anything great?
“Trash Wan He, insisting that I come to the company to livestream in the middle of the night…” Gu Ting muttered and cursed while holding her backside. Just as she walked to the door of the livestream room, the door opened from the inside. Wan He walked out while straightening his clothes, and the two came face-to-face.
Gu Ting was struck with awkwardness: “…” One second I’m badmouthing the boss, and the next second the boss appears. Damn it, this broken company’s broken feng shui really clashes with her horoscope. It looks like she really needs to work hard while she’s young to strive to replace Wan He as the female Vice President.
What a joke. She had already shelled out 5.5 million. If she paid another 20 million for contract termination fees, she would truly have more money than sense. Since she couldn’t bear to part with 20 million, she could only part with Vice President Wan with tears in her eyes.
Wan He’s reaction was even bigger than Gu Ting’s. With speed unbefitting his age, he swiftly pulled the door shut. Then, knitting his brows, he questioned sternly, “Aren’t you off the air? What are you doing back at the company?”
Seeing Wan He’s terrible attitude, Gu Ting thought to herself that she was doomed. He must have heard the bad things I said just now. While pondering, she took out the recording lapel mic. “I forgot to take this off, Vice President Wan. Company property naturally cannot be taken home privately. I am a law-abiding citizen.” She would absolutely never admit that she was actually craving the sample snacks on the shelves in the livestream room.
Wan He cleared his throat and asked again, “How long… have you been back?”
Gu Ting answered honestly, “Half an hour.”
Wan He gasped, unable to speak for a good while. The way he looked at Gu Ting made it seem as if he wished he could stab her. He squeezed out a few words from between his teeth, full of threatening intent. “Half an hour… very well. Then did you hear any strange noises? Hmm?”
Gu Ting was embarrassed. Did this Wan He hear her falling in the restroom, or did he hear her badmouthing him? Or perhaps, he heard both?
What could Gu Ting do? She could only deny it to the death. “Vice President Wan, I really didn’t hear anything. If you don’t believe me, look into my sincere eyes.”
Wan He: “…” He finally understood what it meant to make a clumsy denial. Fortunately, Gu Ting was tactful enough to know when to play dumb.
“Alright, give me the thing. You can go back.” The skin on Wan He’s face, which had been as tense as a dried corpse, finally loosened a bit. He reached out and took the item.
Before coming back, Gu Ting had already used her phone to import the content from the recording lapel mic and deleted the original recording, so she handed it over without hesitation. It was just a pity that her snack night tonight was ruined.
On the way back, she could only hail a taxi. Once inside the car, Gu Ting browsed through her phone to keep herself from falling fast asleep. Not long after she got into the car, a notification from Wan He suddenly popped up on WeChat.
When Gu Ting clicked it open and saw clearly, she instantly perked up. It was actually a money transfer message for the amount of 80,000 yuan.
Utterly baffled, Gu Ting replied, “Vice President Wan, what is this?”
Wan He sent a voice message reply: “Little Gu, I just remembered that you had a bonus from last year that wasn’t distributed yet. Since I remembered it, I sent it to you. Just take it.”
Following that, he sent another sentence: “Remember, as long as you are sensible enough, the company won’t treat you poorly.”
Since it was a bonus, Gu Ting naturally accepted it gladly. Moreover, she did not forget to remind him: “Vice President Wan, you can’t delay sending bonuses for this long next time. A year’s interest on 80,000 yuan is enough for me to buy two pieces of clothing to wear.”
Wan He: “…” If not for the internet connection separating them, he really wished he could grab something to stuff her mouth!
There were few cars on the road at night, and she arrived at her neighborhood in less than twenty minutes. As Gu Ting navigated through the residential gardens, she inadvertently noticed someone seemingly lying down inside the meter-high bushes. Gu Ting turned on her phone’s flashlight to look over. As a result, she saw a small figure curled up on the ground, completely still.
Gu Ting quickened her movements and crawled inside, hurriedly lifting the child to check the situation. This was a little girl, around seven or eight years old, filthy from head to toe. However, judging by the child’s delicate and soft hands, as well as the texture of her clothes and shoes, she was definitely not a child begging on the streets.
More importantly, the little girl’s breathing was steady. She wasn’t injured or unconscious as Gu Ting had feared; she was merely asleep.
Seeing that the little girl was only wearing a thin, short-sleeved dress, her body curled up involuntarily, and with many mosquitoes around at night, Gu Ting decided to take the little girl home first to give her a warmer environment before contacting the neighborhood property management or reporting it to the police.