Chapter 572 - 191: The 80s Drama Queen is Forced to Become a Top Student (26)
Chapter 572: Chapter 191: The 80s Drama Queen is Forced to Become a Top Student (26)
Ren Xingchen didn’t believe it.
Every child, especially one raised in a place like Xiahua, liked to trace their roots and learn about their ancestors. If people could get so invested in others’ gossip, who would possibly hold back from getting to the bottom of their own mysterious origins?
She preferred to believe the girl was just stubborn. Even if Sheng Leyun was curious, she’d never let Ren Xingchen see it.
"Fine. For the sake of the nine years we spent together as mother and daughter, I’ll give you a hint. Tsk, tsk. I saw your father at the Ink Fragrance Pavilion."
As she spoke, Ren Xingchen pulled a blurry, dated photograph from her purse.
It showed a beautiful young woman with her arm linked through that of a handsome, scholarly-looking man. Their heads were close, their deep affection for one another perfectly captured by the photographer.
Sheng Leyun only glanced at it, but the image was instantly seared into her memory, impossible to forget.
But to Ren Xingchen, it seemed the young woman had merely given it a careless glance, showing not a single shred of curiosity.
"Sheng Leyun, he lives in the Ink Fragrance Pavilion, and he’s quite well-off. If you just find him and acknowledge him as your father, you won’t have to live in this slum anymore."
Sheng Leyun chuckled and held out her hand. "Since you’re not short on cash, Mr. Ren, I’ll trouble you to pay me the four hundred yuan you owe me."
"I’m waiting on that money to get by, you know."
Ren Xingchen instinctively clutched her purse. "What four hundred yuan? We have no relationship whatsoever. What debt could there possibly be?"
Sheng Leyun scoffed. "I know you’re at the Ink Fragrance Pavilion, you know..."
Ren Xingchen froze. She suddenly realized how stupid she’d been. She had come here to flaunt her success in front of Sheng Leyun, and what happened?
Sheng Leyun hadn’t taken the bait at all. She hadn’t shown the slightest hint of envy that would have satisfied Ren Xingchen. Instead, she had turned the tables and was now threatening her!
Having this young woman around, who knew all her secrets, made Ren Xingchen feel deeply uneasy.
"Sheng Leyun, do you really think there’s nothing I can do to you?"
She lowered her voice. "You’d better not cause trouble for me. Otherwise, I’ll expose the fact that you’re an illegitimate child and we’ll see who’s truly ruined!"
"If you behave yourself, we can go our separate ways. If not, I guarantee you might end up as a child bride in some remote mountain village, battered and bruised. Or maybe you’ll be begging under an overpass with a missing arm or leg..."
Sheng Leyun kept her hand outstretched. "With all the years of interest, let’s call it eight hundred yuan. Give me the money, and we’ll be strangers who don’t bother each other."
"Otherwise, I’d rather we both go down together. I’ve survived hard times. I’m not delicate like you, unable to part with the comfortable life you have now."
"After all, a woman’s youth is fleeting. You, an old morning glory like you, should cherish your time. Go focus on raking in the cash instead of wasting your breath on me."
Ren Xingchen was so furious she stomped her foot. "You... you... you! Sheng Leyun!"
"Eight hundred yuan. A single cent less, and I’ll go to the Ink Fragrance Pavilion with a sign detailing every single one of your romantic conquests," Sheng Leyun said with a wide grin.
She had been running around a lot lately, and her skin had taken on a beautiful, wheat-colored tan, making her look vibrant and pretty.
Ren Xingchen ground her teeth. "Are you sure you’ll drop the matter after you get the money?"
"I’m not like you. Your words are just hot air, with zero credibility. When have I ever gone back on my word?" Sheng Leyun smiled sweetly, pursing her lips.
Ren Xingchen glared at her. "Eight hundred yuan is too much. Let’s stick with four hundred. I’m just a nanny, where would I get that kind of money?"
Sheng Leyun simply looked at her with clear, limpid eyes, saying nothing.
It was only then that Ren Xingchen remembered: Sheng Leyun had always been a person who meant what she said.
Xiao Xuezhen had suffered so miserably at her hands. Even though it had been a year, Ren Xingchen still shuddered at the memory.
’How could such a wicked child exist?’
Ren Xingchen felt even more unnerved by Sheng Leyun’s silence.
She had finally managed to build a good life for herself; how could she let this girl destroy it? She wouldn’t allow it, not even if there was only a one percent risk!
"Fine, eight hundred yuan it is," Ren Xingchen said, defeated. "But you have to give me a written pledge..."
Sheng Leyun couldn’t help but laugh. "And what kind of pledge did you have in mind?"
"What, something like: ’Sheng Leyun hereby acknowledges receipt of eight hundred yuan—covering service fees plus interest—from Comrade Ren Xingchen, and guarantees she will henceforth never speak of Ren Xingchen’s messy private life’?"
"If you don’t spell it out in crystal clear detail, how can I possibly meet your requirement to remain tight-lipped?"
Ren Xingchen was so furious she nearly fell over backward.
Trembling, she pulled out the cash she had been planning to deposit in her bank book. She counted out two hundred yuan for herself and stuffed the rest into Sheng Leyun’s hand.