Chapter 57: Misjudgment
Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Misjudgment
After sending Xia Chu off, Fang Chen planned to visit Golden Lane.
Although his own match was tomorrow, today featured Cai Long against Sea Dog. Cai Long had promised him half the winnings if he won, so Fang Chen needed to keep an eye on things.
Making up his mind, he turned back toward the campus to fetch his bicycle. However, just as he neared the school gates, he spotted a figure waiting there—it was Xia Chu’s mother, Zhao Xinlan. It seemed the couple had divided the work: Xia Chu’s father took her home, while her mother came to speak with him.
Zhao Xinlan wore a highly appropriate off-white suit that gave her an elegant air. She looked at Fang Chen and spoke in a mild tone, "Fang Chen, I have something to discuss with you. Is it convenient to find a place to sit down?" Her eyes indicated a quiet, elegant teahouse not far outside the school gates.
Fang Chen paused in his tracks and nodded. "Yes."
The two walked into the teahouse one after the other and requested a quiet private room. After the waiter served the tea and left, a brief silence fell over the room.
Zhao Xinlan elegantly picked up her teacup, blew on it gently, and was the first to break the silence. "How have you been lately, Fang Chen? With your abilities, the martial exam shouldn’t be a difficult task, right?"
"Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Zhao." Fang Chen didn’t touch the teacup in front of him. He looked at her calmly. "If you have something to say, please just be direct. I have to go out in a bit. Is this about Xia Chu?"
Zhao Xinlan sighed softly and placed her teacup back on the table with a faint CLINK. A hint of pride eventually flashed in her eyes as she weighed her words and spoke slowly. "Please don’t blame Mr. Xia and me for being heartless about this matter. We truly have our own difficulties.
"Xia Chu’s father’s line was originally comprised of descendants of the Direct Lineage of the Xia Family in Jing’an City. But over several successive generations, lacking any cultivation talent, they were gradually marginalized into a branch family. By our generation, we received almost no support from the Zong Family. Later on, we simply separated from them and came to Jinchuan City.
"However, Xia Chu... underwent her Spirit Awakening and awakened a Tier 4 Superpower. The Zong Family found out about this. The condition they offered is that as long as we are willing to return, our line can be integrated back into the Direct Lineage. For our entire family, this is an opportunity we’ve waited far too long for."
Fang Chen listened quietly without responding, simply picking up his teacup and taking a sip.
Zhao Xinlan observed his reaction and felt it was time to get straight to the point. Her tone grew a bit heavier. "Fang Chen, I know there are... some feelings between you and Xia Chu. But you’re both still young, and you might not see matters of the heart clearly yet. We are very grateful for the way you’ve taken care of Xia Chu over the past few years, allowing her to peacefully get through high school.
"However, Xia Chu will be attending the Celestial Mist Royal Magic Academy. In the future, she’ll be interacting with the Royal Family, great clans, and top geniuses from all over the country. I don’t mean to discourage you, Fang Chen. You’re very talented, but in the future... the two of you are destined to walk different paths."
Fang Chen set down his teacup and nodded, his expression still calm. "You’re right, Mrs. Zhao."
His overly plain reaction completely exceeded Zhao Xinlan’s expectations. She had anticipated that a boy of his age, upon hearing such words, would either passionately argue back or beg in agony, proclaiming that love conquered all... How could he agree so calmly?
Still, Fang Chen being so tactful saved her a lot of breath. She gestured to the bodyguard standing nearby, who immediately handed over a black handbag. Zhao Xinlan placed the bag on the table and unzipped it, revealing several stacks of crisp new banknotes inside.
"Fang Chen, here is fifty thousand yuan." Zhao Xinlan pushed the bag toward him. "Consider it a token of gratitude for your care toward Xia Chu all these years. Please accept it. And I hope that in the future... you won’t disturb her anymore."
She looked at Fang Chen, her gaze complex and a hint of warning in her tone. "Do you know? After the Spirit Awakening concluded, we had originally planned to head straight to the Magic Academy in Celestial Mist City. It was Xia Chu who insisted on returning to Jinchuan, saying she wanted to... spend her eighteenth birthday with you.
"Sigh... As you know, traveling these days is extremely dangerous and difficult. We had to pay to hitch a ride on a military convoy just to get back.
"Fang Chen, consider it as me begging you. You absolutely cannot take advantage of this opportunity... After all, she trusts you so much. I’m afraid she might make a momentary mistake that will ruin her entire life..."
Hearing this, Fang Chen’s eyes flickered imperceptibly, but instantly returned to the stillness of an ancient well. He looked at the bag of money and slowly shook his head.
"She’s afraid I’ll cross the line and take things all the way? Am I that kind of person?" he thought.
Seeing him shake his head, Zhao Xinlan silently cursed herself for saying those last few sentences and sparking his lingering attachments. She hurriedly intensified her tone to persuade him. "Fang Chen, I know this might be a little hard for you to accept and that you must be sad. But... I hope you can consider Xia Chu’s future. This is what’s best for her..."
Fang Chen raised his eyes to look at Zhao Xinlan, a faint, cryptic smile suddenly appearing on his face as he interrupted her. Leaning forward slightly, his gaze landed on the bag of money. "Mrs. Zhao, you’ve misunderstood what I meant. Xia Chu and I have kept each other company through a significant period of our youth.
"What I mean is—
"You need to add more money."
Zhao Xinlan was utterly stunned. "...Huh?"
She had imagined that Fang Chen might refuse, get emotional, perhaps even throw the cash in her face, or writhe in agony as if his life were over... But out of all the possibilities she had calculated, she never expected to hear those words.
Add more money?
Seeing her frozen in shock, Fang Chen elaborated, "Mrs. Zhao, one hundred thousand Zhao Coinage. I guarantee that I will disappear from her world. Of course, you’d better keep an eye on her too, so she doesn’t keep coming to the school to look for me."
Zhao Xinlan remained dumbfounded for several seconds before recovering. The way she looked at Fang Chen grew incredibly complex, mixing astonishment, contempt, and an indignant anger on her daughter’s behalf. Ultimately, all these emotions morphed into a sneer full of ridicule, her tone carrying a biting chill. "Heh...
"I truly never expected this...
"That silly girl Xia Chu actually obsessed over running all the way back to Jinchuan City for someone like you. She was even so excited she couldn’t sleep... Right now, I truly feel she’s wasted her feelings!"
The more she spoke, the angrier she got. She abruptly raised her hand and slammed it hard against the table!
BANG!
The teacups on the table jolted, splashing tea everywhere.
She didn’t say another word. Moving with a vented fury, she immediately pulled five more stacks of cash from her purse and slammed them down next to the original fifty thousand yuan with a heavy SMACK.
"Here is a total of one hundred thousand! Count it carefully!" she spat out, practically gritting her teeth.
Fang Chen’s expression remained as usual, as if he hadn’t noticed her fiery glare. He actually reached out, picked up the cash, and began to carefully count it stack by stack, silently mouthing the numbers.
Watching his greedy display, Zhao Xinlan was so furious that her chest heaved violently. Taking a deep breath to forcefully suppress her anger, she pulled out a pre-prepared document from her bag and slapped it onto the table. It was a Severance of Contact Agreement. The terms were written out in black and white:
Party A, Fang Chen, promises not to initiate contact with Xia Chu in any form;
If Xia Chu initiates contact, he must explicitly refuse;
In the event of a violation, he must pay Party B a penalty ten times the amount of this compensation, equaling one million Zhao Coinage.
It was in duplicate.
Fang Chen picked it up and quickly skimmed the clauses, confirming there were no issues. "Pen."
Zhao Xinlan handed him a fountain pen with a dark expression. Taking it, Fang Chen swiftly signed his name at the bottom of both copies of the agreement. His handwriting was steady, showing not the slightest bit of hesitation, and he also pressed his fingerprint onto them.
Zhao Xinlan snatched back her copy and carefully put it away. Staring coldly at Fang Chen, she said, "I hope you remember what you signed today. If you violate this agreement, I will take this document to the Martial Arts Association for arbitration! I believe you know perfectly well how a record of untrustworthiness within the Association will affect your future in the Martial Dao!"
Having said her piece, she couldn’t be bothered to spare Fang Chen another glance. She picked up her bag, turned, and marched out, her high heels clicking furiously against the floor with sharp CLACK CLACK sounds.
Looking at Zhao Xinlan’s retreating, furious back, Fang Chen suddenly found it somewhat amusing. He muttered to himself in a low voice, "What a fuss... Weren’t you the one who wanted me to sever contact with Xia Chu? I agreed crisply and cleanly, and yet you’re somehow offended?" He shook his head, sighing, "Women are truly unfathomable."
Soon after, his smile faded as he thought of Xia Chu.
Since they were destined to part ways, it was better to rip the band-aid off. Being indecisive and overly affectionate would only cause greater harm to them both. Taking the money and leaving decisively like this severed all lingering hopes. For Xia Chu, although it was cruel, it might just be the fastest way to make her give up and move on.