Chapter 523 - 177: The 80s Prima Donna, Forced to Act as a Top Student (12)
Chapter 523: Chapter 177: The 80s Prima Donna, Forced to Act as a Top Student (12)
Xiao Xuezhen’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He gritted his teeth and said, "I think *you’re* the one who’s robbing people!"
"So vicious and greedy at such a young age. Are you sure you’ll even live to grow up?"
Sheng Leyun clutched her chest as if terrified, her voice trembling and on the verge of tears. "I-I’m going to the police station to tell the officers you threatened me! That you want to kill me for my money! That way, if anything happens to me, the comrades at the station will have a prime suspect."
"At least I won’t die unjustly and become another cold case!"
Xiao Xuezhen slammed his fist on the table in frustration. ’How can this child be so infuriating?’
’Was she born just to be my bane?’
"Two thousand six hundred is way too much. Two hundred sixty, maybe," Xiao Xuezhen said, quickly composing himself and taking a deep breath. "We know you were frightened, but you’re exaggerating the situation."
"It’s better to be realistic than to demand a huge sum that no one can afford, no one will agree to, and you’ll never actually receive."
He added with what seemed like genuine sincerity, "Even if they don’t agree, I’ll make up the difference myself. How about that?"
Sheng Leyun scoffed. "Not good at all. You immediately tried to slash more than two thousand three hundred from the total. You might be satisfied, but I’m the victim here, and I feel wronged."
Xiao Xuezhen gritted his teeth. "Five hundred. That’s my limit. I really can’t go any higher. Otherwise... otherwise, if this ends up at the police station, you might only walk away with a hundred or eighty, if you’re lucky!"
Sheng Leyun snorted. "I have nothing to lose and fear no one. You’re the ones who have to worry about your reputations. If this really goes that far, you’ll be the ones crying and begging at my feet."
Xiao Xuezhen felt like a snake caught by its weak spot; he couldn’t act tough at all.
’How does every word out of this girl’s mouth hit me right where it hurts?’
"Besides," Sheng Leyun added with a light chuckle, speaking each word deliberately, "compared to not getting my two thousand six hundred, I’d be much happier to go through the official channels. I’d only get a hundred or eighty, but at least it’s peace of mind, right?"
’Peace of mind, my ass,’ Xiao Xuezhen thought, wanting to curse out loud.
Besides, there was another issue. If this went public, he would completely and utterly alienate the parents of Pang and Junzi.
To any outsider, it would look like he, the stepfather, was egging his daughter on to swindle the other families...
What nine-year-old country girl who’s never seen the world would have this kind of nerve?
People wouldn’t blame the child. They’d think it was the adult’s fault!
"One thousand three hundred. That’s my final offer. And at least a thousand of that will come from my own pocket," Xiao Xuezhen said through gritted teeth. "It was your brother and sister’s fault, so it’s only natural that I bear the brunt of it."
Sheng Leyun smiled and nodded. "That’s acceptable. But, Mr. Xiao, while you’re at it, please give me the pension from my father’s unit and the money his comrades collected for us."
"Let’s not beat around the bush. You don’t need to make excuses about me being too young or about where the money was spent."
"As long as you received the money and didn’t mail it to us, it’s your responsibility. I don’t care about the process, only the outcome."
"The one thousand three hundred is compensation. And because it’s arriving so late, after my mother has already remarried, none of it is for her. You can just give it all directly to me!"
"I like to take care of business cleanly and quickly. Don’t drag your feet. If I get annoyed, I might just let slip some of your... hidden ailments."
As she spoke, Sheng Leyun’s gaze slid pointedly over a certain part of his anatomy, and she shook her head with a TSK TSK.
Xiao Xuezhen shot to his feet and viciously kicked the dining table. He was furious! Absolutely furious!
’Please, God, take this little monster back.’
’Was he really supposed to argue with a little girl and tell her that he had great stamina, and that his body just had a natural, startled reaction to her?’
No matter how shameless he was, he could never bring himself to say that!
And right now, he was so angry he wanted to take a knife and just end her, but he couldn’t even touch a single hair on her head.
But she didn’t even look up, just kept talking in that infuriating tone. "Oh my, I’m so scared. What ever will I do? I’m afraid I’m going to be a victim of domestic abuse in the future. Tsk tsk, a person’s childhood is so very important."
"They say it takes a lifetime to heal from an unhappy childhood. Comrade Xiao Xuezhen, you frightened me. My heart is still racing. I think I might go into shock."
"So please add another hundred for emotional distress. I don’t care what you work out with Pang’s and Junzi’s parents. The amount I must have in hand is two thousand seven hundred!"
Only then did Sheng Leyun stand up. "My patience is limited. Please go raise the money right now. If I don’t see it when I wake up from my nap, I don’t mind charging interest. We can calculate it by the hour!"
Xiao Xuezhen was already sleep-deprived and sexually frustrated. Now, add in the sweltering heat, the dizzying pace of his work, and being pushed to the brink by his anger—his head started to spin.
’What had they even talked about? How did he end up agreeing to pay two thousand seven hundred?’
As if afraid he hadn’t gotten the message, Sheng Leyun summarized and re-emphasized her points. "If you don’t pay, the Armed Forces Department will get involved. You’ll be branded a heartless scoundrel, and losing your job will be the least of your worries."
"And another thing, I haven’t even asked for hush money yet. After all, a big girl like me seeing you two ’talking’ under the covers at night... I was worried I’d get a stye!"
Xiao Xuezhen gritted his teeth and snarled, "Fine, fine, fine! But you have to write a statement for me, promising that once you receive the money, you won’t bring this up again."
Sheng Leyun nodded. "Of course. I’m a person of principles, with my own code of conduct. Unlike *some people* who look decent enough but specialize in doing indecent things."
Xiao Xuezhen ground his teeth. "Please, go and rest. Don’t worry, I will have it all ready within two hours!"
Sheng Leyun stretched, then went back to her room to sleep.
The temperature on the enclosed balcony was high. The cheap fabric of the curtains did little to block the blazing sun’s heat, and the bedding felt almost scalding to the touch.
She frowned slightly. ’No air conditioning. This place isn’t fit for a human being!’
Sheng Leyun went straight to Ren Xingchen and said, "Go to the guesthouse and get me a room for my afternoon nap."
"There’s a place to sleep at home. Do you have so much money you’re just trying to waste it?" Ren Xingchen muttered, not moving from her spot on the bed.
"Why don’t you go try getting baked alive on my bed? Or would you rather I sleep with you? Or perhaps you’d like me to sleep in the bed of your troublesome stepchildren?"
Ren Xingchen was left speechless. She didn’t want either of those options.
"But... but you can’t just get a hotel room every single day, can you?" she said, gritting her teeth.
"Exactly," Sheng Leyun said with a light laugh. "So you can just rent an apartment for me. You can’t seriously expect me to skip my afternoon nap just because I don’t have a proper bed, can you?"
"I get very irritable when I don’t get enough sleep. My mood sours, and even I don’t know what kind of trouble I might stir up next."
The thought growing in Ren Xingchen’s mind became stronger and stronger.
She ground her teeth. "Fine. I’ll get you a room for one day. We’ll figure something out tomorrow!"