After what had just happened, a crowd of gossip-loving coworkers had gathered around Xu Wantang, Sister Lin, and Sun Xiaofang, whispering among themselves about the whole affair.
"We're all family here—Xiao Xu really didn't handle this properly."
"What do you mean, not properly? If it were you, could you bear to give up 3,000 yuan?"
In the crowd, some were taking Sun Xiaofang's side, others Xu Wantang's.
Xu Wantang paid them no mind. Her eyes stayed fixed on Sun Xiaofang's face, and upon hearing her accusations, she first widened her beautiful almond-shaped eyes and exclaimed loudly in feigned surprise, "Sister-in-law, don't tell me you're trying to freeload off me again?"
Not giving Sun Xiaofang a chance to argue back, Xu Wantang furrowed her brow and, firing on all cylinders, began listing off one instance after another of Sun Xiaofang freeloading. "Sister-in-law, you can't just fleece me alone! A while back when I got married, you and my brother wanted to buy a house, and the 1,000 yuan of my betrothal money disappeared without a trace—my brother pocketed it. Sure, he left me an IOU, but after all this time, I haven't seen the slightest intention from you two to pay it back!"
At the words "1,000 yuan," quite a few coworkers sucked in a sharp breath.
Money was worth a lot these days—a decent two-bedroom apartment cost only about 1,000 yuan. So Sun Xiaofang and her husband had bought their house with Xiao Xu's money! The couple used someone else's money to handle their own affairs—what a shrewd pair they were!
Seeing Xu Wantang air the family's dirty laundry in public, Sun Xiaofang shot a panicked glance at the coworkers watching the show. Her earlier arrogance deflated considerably, and she winked and grimaced desperately at Xu Wantang, speaking in a rapid rush, "Xiao Tang, family matters should just—"
Xu Wantang wasn't about to be silenced. Before Sun Xiaofang could even finish, she cut her off mercilessly. "Oh, and by the way, Sister-in-law! When I first started working, you and Mom secretly took my first few months' wages and bought bicycles for my brother and yourself. When I found out, you said you'd pay me back the next month, but it's been almost two years now and I haven't heard a peep. I've been so strapped for cash I haven't even been willing to buy myself a single new piece of clothing."
Xu Wantang raised her arm, revealing a sleeve worn pale and frayed at the edges. Then her gaze landed on the fiery red silk scarf around Sun Xiaofang's neck, and her eyes lit up, brimming with envy.
She reached out as if cautiously, gently stroking Sun Xiaofang's red scarf. "Sister-in-law, this scarf feels so nice. It must have cost quite a bit, huh?"
Silk scarves were the most fashionable women's accessory of the day, and Sun Xiaofang's scarf felt exquisite—it definitely hadn't come cheap.
Xu Wantang withdrew her hand and crossed her arms over her chest, looking like a completely different person from moments before. Her eyes narrowed slightly, making her look thoroughly formidable. She was a full head taller than Sun Xiaofang, and as she looked down at the red scarf around her neck, she sneered, "You've got money for scarves but no money to pay me back? Fine, don't pay me back—but now you want me to hand over a job worth over a thousand yuan for free? What are you two, money-devouring beasts? Everything goes in and nothing comes out?"
She bent down, staring coldly into Sun Xiaofang's eyes. The sheer force of her presence made Sun Xiaofang instinctively take a step back. With every step Sun Xiaofang retreated, Xu Wantang advanced one, her cherry lips opening and closing as she spoke in a soft breath, "I've seen shameless people before, but never anyone as shameless as you. Pay back every cent you owe me, then get as far away from me as you can. I don't have bloodsucking family like you."
The moment Xu Wantang said this, the way her coworkers looked at Sun Xiaofang changed.
Perhaps a moment ago there were still a few peacemakers leaning toward Sun Xiaofang's side, but now everyone stood firmly against her.
"Family or not, Sun Xiaofang has gone too far!"
"Exactly. Even brothers keep clear accounts—how can she bully someone like this?"
"Just look at how Xiao Xu lives—her clothes are so worn the sleeves are frayed and she still won't replace them. Then look at how Sun Xiaofang carries herself, like the Empress Dowager herself. I bet she's tricked Xiao Xu out of every bit of her salary!"
Someone in the crowd called out softly, "She should pay Xiao Xu back, right…"
Immediately, voices demanding repayment rose up one after another.
"Pay it back!"
"Pay it back!"
Xu Wantang watched coldly as Sun Xiaofang stood surrounded by the coworkers, helpless and at a loss, finding it both novel and deeply satisfying.
In her past life, she had always been bound by so-called family duty and moral obligation—told to be selfless, to give without complaint, never to quibble with her own family, and especially never with her older and younger brothers. For the sake of her reputation and preserving those relationships, she had swallowed her grievances, grinding her teeth in silence. Thinking back on it now, it was laughable.
With someone like Sun Xiaofang—who never gave anything back and treated everyone else's sacrifices as her due—you shouldn't spare her a shred of dignity.
From what she knew of Sun Xiaofang, the woman cared deeply about how others saw her. And her brother and sister-in-law were hardly the type to shortchange themselves; they surely had savings to their name. So Xu Wantang was confident that today, nine times out of ten, she would get her money back.
Sure enough, Sun Xiaofang forced out a smile uglier than crying—no doubt from being provoked by Xu Wantang—and spoke with a slight tremor in her voice, "Xiao Tang, your sister-in-law and your brother didn't mean not to pay you back. We… we just got busy and forgot…"
Sun Xiaofang's eyes darted evasively, her expression stiff.
Sister Lin, who had been enjoying the show from the sidelines, seized the opening to help Xu Wantang press for the money. "Forgetting is no problem—you remember now, don't you?"
Sister Lin looked around and waved her hand grandly. "How about this—since all the coworkers are here today, let them be our witnesses. You hand over the money, Xiao Xu hands over the IOU, and this matter is settled!"
"Great!"
"We'll witness it!"
The crowd chimed in one after another.
Now Sun Xiaofang was trapped, caught between a tiger's jaws. She rolled her eyes and finally came up with a decent excuse, "I don't have that much money on me. How about this—tomorrow! First thing tomorrow morning, I'll give you the money!"
With that, Sun Xiaofang tried to scurry off toward the office, but Xu Wantang grabbed hold of that red silk scarf and yanked her back two full steps, dragging her right back to where she'd been standing.
Xu Wantang knew exactly what kind of person Sun Xiaofang was. As she'd just said, Sun Xiaofang and her brother were like the Taotie—everything in, nothing out. If she didn't get the money today, Sun Xiaofang would surely call in reinforcements tomorrow to make things harder for her.
Xu Wantang wasn't about to just watch the money that was nearly in her grasp fly away. She said considerately, "It's no problem, sister-in-law. Lunch break is about to start anyway, and our place is close by—there's a bank right next to the broadcasting station. I'll wait for you."
Xu Wantang smiled gently, but Sun Xiaofang felt a chill spread through her whole body.
Although her sister-in-law's smile curved no differently than usual, her face just as soft and warm as ever, Sun Xiaofang couldn't shake the feeling that there was something cold beneath that warmth—something that actually frightened her…