Three seconds later, the phone rang again — for a second, then cut off.
Then twice more — the same back and forth.
Tao Ran typed out a message and sent it:
“It’s the middle of the night. Stop it.”
Xiao Ai: “How did you promise me?”
Tao Ran hissed under her breath. Promise? She really had no idea what the woman was talking about. But since this was all about baiting, naturally she had to make Xiao Ai spell it out herself.
So she replied: “Are you talking about the money, or…?”
Xiao Ai: “Of course it’s about the money — that has to be settled. You know how much I’ve fronted for you. But I’m still waiting for you at the same place. You promised to keep me company tonight. I have a lot to say to you.”
Tao Ran: “I really can’t make it tonight. It’s past midnight already. I can’t explain that away.”
Xiao Ai: “You don’t need to explain it to me? After all the money I’ve spent on you? I’ve been with you for over a year. Is there anything you wanted that I didn’t try to get for you? And now that something’s happened, you’re just going to hide behind your wife?”
Tao Ran: “Silly girl, don’t make a scene. Do I even need to say how I feel about you?”
Blah, blah, blah…
Tao Ran, imitating Fang Ming’s tone perfectly, continued chatting with Xiao Ai.
After leading her on long enough, she wrapped it up with one grand finale:
“I, Fang Ming, swear that after today, I will put Xiao Ai first in everything I do — her needs above all, her interests before mine. For the rest of my life, I will love only Xiao Ai. I’ll marry her as soon as possible and never leave or betray her. If I break this vow, may lightning strike me down; may I die without descendants; may my whole family meet a terrible end! Please, believe me, okay?”
Of course Xiao Ai said “yes.”
Shaken by that vicious oath, she finally stopped her barrage of messages.
Good — as long as Xiao Ai stayed put for a few hours, she wouldn’t come knocking.
Tao Ran shook her head in disbelief.
From that exchange alone, she could tell just how stingy the scumbag was. He clearly had money, yet he still conned two women at once. Even that new laptop of his had been “borrowed” with Xiao Ai’s money.
Typical. A man who’d rather go to court with Tang Ran than give up a cent of property — what generosity could you expect from him?
How amusing.
Now Xiao Ai was drowning in debt after covering Fang Ming’s medical expenses, and Fang Ming himself was flat broke.
Would the two of them keep conning people together — or turn on each other like enemies?
Tao Ran honestly couldn’t wait to find out.
Still, there was another show coming soon, one she would get to see.
That night passed quickly.
Fang Ming slept like the dead.
By the time Tao Ran finished packing her things and was ready to leave at six-thirty in the morning, he was still snoring like a pig.
This was the beginning of her final act in this country.
As usual, she greeted the landlady downstairs, who was watering her flowers.
But this time, Tao Ran hesitated for a moment.
The landlady quickly opened the door for her, invited her in for breakfast, and asked if something was wrong.
“I’d like to ask you for a favor.”
“Of course, dear — anything,” the landlady said, pouring her a cup of coffee.
Tao Ran hesitated for over ten seconds before saying, “My husband urgently needs two thousand dollars, but the bank isn’t open yet. I was hoping you could lend me some cash. Don’t worry — I’ll pay you back within three hours.”
Her face flushed red as she spoke.
She really did feel guilty. The landlady was a kind woman, and lying to someone good never felt right. But Tao Ran had already prepared compensation — the landlady wouldn’t suffer in the end.
“If you’re worried… here…” Tao Ran pulled out Fang Ming’s local ID, student card, and credit card.
“You can hold onto these as collateral.”
Fang Ming was studying here — he couldn’t run far even if he wanted to. These documents were far more reliable than any verbal promise.
“Oh, dear, don’t worry about it. It’s not a big deal,” the landlady said, immediately going to fetch a wad of cash.
“Here’s two thousand five hundred. Take it, just in case.”
Such genuine trust made Tao Ran’s conscience twist again. She had to make sure the woman wouldn’t suffer a loss.
“Let me write you an IOU.”
“That’s not necessary. Take the money, and these, too.”
She tried to hand back Fang Ming’s documents.
“No, please keep them. I won’t feel right otherwise.”
Tao Ran insisted, sincerely pleading. She left the documents with the landlady, writing a full IOU in Fang Ming’s name — complete with his signature.
“If my husband and I don’t pay you back, you can take these to his school and demand repayment.”
“All right then. I’ll hold onto them. Don’t worry about the money — use it first.” Get faster updates on g.com.
“Thank you. I’ll bring you a complete set of Chinese recipes next time.”
“That would be wonderful! Now go take care of your business, dear.”
Tao Ran smiled gratefully and, pretending to be Tang Ran, kissed the landlady on the cheek.
A minute later, she was in a taxi headed for the airport.
The landlady didn’t suspect a thing.
Who would imagine that a woman carrying only a cloth bag was actually leaving the country?
The truth was — ahem — the morning before, Tao Ran had gotten up early, not to pick Fang Ming up from the airport or to shop, but to deposit her already-packed suitcase in airport storage before the landlady woke up.
That was all part of her perfect setup — to stage this morning’s “emergency” and borrow a tidy sum from the kind-hearted landlady.
All so she could add one more debt to Fang Ming’s name.
Once she left, the landlady would naturally come after him for repayment. The lease was under his name, after all, and the IOU bore his signature.
If he loved money that much, she’d make sure he had to work hard for it!
Ha! With his ID and documents in the landlady’s hands, he’d have no choice but to pay up.
Tao Ran’s mood lifted. She hummed a little tune as the morning sunlight streamed through the window. For the first time, she could finally relax — she was going home.
Ever since her surgery crisis had been resolved, she’d wanted to return home.
Unlike Fang Ming, who had his school, classmates, friends, and flings, Tang Ran had no one abroad — not even a sense of security. Her visa was only as a dependent.
But she couldn’t just slink back in defeat. She needed a little “interest” first — something to make it worth it.
And now, she’d done it.
She had leverage, she had information, and she had money.
After calculating everything — what she’d taken from Fang Ming, what she’d earned through the clinic, what she’d borrowed from the landlady, plus her own savings — the total came close to two hundred thousand yuan.
At this point in the early 2000s, before China’s housing prices skyrocketed, that was enough to buy a small apartment in a mid-sized city.
Compared to the original Tang Ran, who’d gone home with less than ten thousand, the difference was enormous. With this financial cushion, her return home would be much easier.
The Fang family were all stingy misers — asking them for money was like cutting flesh from their bones. So when taking from them, she couldn’t afford to go soft.
Her revenge had already begun.
And Fang Ming… his first taste of punishment was just around the corner.