“Nonsense! What do you take me for?”
Shui Miao was furious. He immediately grabbed Xiao Rong’s clothes and threw them at her. “I guess you’ve spent too much time in nightclubs and gone downhill. I treat you as a friend, so I want to help you. But what do you really think of me? Well, I don’t want to waste any more words. If you listen to me, go work at my friend’s small restaurant. Your father owes money to others—I can try to figure out a way to help. But if you insist on selling your body, then please leave. I don’t consider you a friend anymore.”
Xiao Rong put her clothes on. She didn’t leave; she seemed to have been awakened by Shui Miao’s scolding.
“Really, you’re willing to help me?” Xiao Rong said disbelievingly. “We’re not even really friends, let alone relatives. How can I possibly accept your help?”
“Then you’d rather sell your body?” Shui Miao’s words were sharp and unrelenting, determined to shock Xiao Rong into full awareness.
Innocent people aren’t scary, but stubborn innocent people are.
Xiao Rong was clearly the simple-minded type, but Shui Miao hadn’t expected her to be so dense. He had already said he would help her, yet she still clung stubbornly to her own thoughts.
“I didn’t want to do it either…”
Xiao Rong wiped her nose and started crying.
Seeing Xiao Rong moved, Shui Miao softened his tone slightly. “Alright then, tell me, how much does your family owe?”
“Te-ten thousand…”
Xiao Rong said this while secretly struggling inside. The gang leader had promised her ten thousand yuan for one night, and she was actually tempted.
“Only ten thousand? I’ll lend it to you.”
Shui Miao just happened to have ten thousand yuan on him—it was money Liu Hongmei had given him.
Without hesitation, Shui Miao placed the money directly in front of Xiao Rong.
※※※
“Wow, Shui Miao is really something. Ten thousand yuan—just handed it over so casually! And he himself is just a poor nobody,” Lin Xue suddenly exclaimed from an alley not far from Liu Hongmei’s house.
Chu Miaoyi also had an earpiece on and had heard the conversation. She sighed, “I know he’s a good person. If I were in his place, I probably would have helped too. But I doubt whether Xiao Rong is genuine.”
“Sis, you and I are thinking the same thing. I also suspect Xiao Rong might be a fraud. How could any normal girl just casually take off her clothes in front of a man? It’s not like her father is lying in a hospital bed needing surgery money. There must be something fishy going on,” Lin Xue rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “No way, we must investigate this thoroughly. We can’t let good people get taken advantage of. Besides, Shui Miao is my brother now.”
“Sis, you guys hadn’t even finished drinking yet, and all of a sudden you’re calling him your brother?”
Chu Miaoyi could see that Lin Xue had also developed a liking for Shui Miao.
“Forget about the drinking,” Lin Xue smiled as she put her arm around Chu Miaoyi’s shoulder. “I said that before, but just look at Shui Miao’s magnanimity. Such a kind-hearted young man must have good character!”
“That’s true!”
Chu Miaoyi nodded. “Alright then, since we both want to help Shui Miao, let’s make a plan.”
“Great! I was just thinking I wanted to teach that gang leader a lesson anyway…”
Lin Xue was all fired up. Helping was secondary—what she really wanted was to fight and eliminate the gangsters.
“I knew it…”
Chu Miaoyi shook her head helplessly. Lin Xue had always been bold and hot-tempered since childhood, and she probably would never change.
※※※
Xiao Rong accepted the money and wrote out an IOU.
Later, Shui Miao accompanied Xiao Rong to the bank to make the transfer. After the money was sent, Shui Miao took Xiao Rong to the small restaurant and introduced her to Chen Bing. However, Xiao Rong didn’t agree to start working immediately. She said she would come in a couple of days and wanted to go back to her hometown first to visit her father.
Shui Miao didn’t think much about it and agreed.
Chen Bing, seeing Xiao Rong’s good figure and pretty face, immediately liked her and offered to send her home, but she politely declined.
Xiao Rong said she wanted to buy some gifts for her father and left alone.
Shui Miao looked around the restaurant and saw that Chen Bing had been managing it well. He felt very pleased. Originally, Shui Miao had planned to bring his sister Chenxiang to help Chen Bing run the restaurant, but now that Xiao Rong had come, and business wasn’t too busy, he decided to go see his sister first and let her make her own decision.
“Brother, come sit down and have some tea…”
Chen Bing suddenly became very enthusiastic, pulling Shui Miao to sit and drink tea.
Shui Miao looked at Chen Bing for a moment and shook his head. “Don’t be in a hurry. The girl might not even like you.”
“Brother, you really are a worm in my gut!” Chen Bing gave Shui Miao a thumbs-up with a grin. “The moment I squat down, you know exactly what I’m about to do.”
“None of this worm talk. You’re a restaurant owner now—try to speak a bit more refined.” Shui Miao glanced out the window. It was the off-hour now, and the chefs and waiters Chen Bing had hired had all gone home. Shui Miao had been busy nonstop since arriving in Zhonghai, with little time to practice his Yin-Yang Five Elements Kung Fu. Now that he had lent the money to Xiao Rong, he only had a little over a thousand yuan left. He needed to find a way to earn more money and then settle down to practice his martial arts in peace.
Feng Shui was still his ultimate goal—his main focus remained on mastering the Yin-Yang Five Elements Kung Fu.
“Brother, do you think I have a chance?”
Chen Bing’s mind was full of Xiao Rong. He had noticed that Shui Miao wasn’t interested in her.
In Chen Bing’s mind, Shui Miao was already in the middle of a blossoming romance—both Chairman Lin and Xiao Tang had feelings for him. There was no way he would compete with Shui Miao for Xiao Rong.
“You can try your luck. I have something to do and need to go see Lin Haiyang. I wonder how convenient it is for Chenxiang there.” Shui Miao couldn’t sit still anymore. Thinking about all the big and small matters weighing on him, he had no time to chat idly. In fact, he was even beginning to miss his old days—after work, he would just rest in the dormitory, with plenty of time to practice his martial arts.
Upon hearing this, Chen Bing immediately grabbed Shui Miao. “Water Brother, you don’t need to go. I already thought about Chenxiang earlier. I called Lin Haiyang to ask for her, wanting Chenxiang to help me run the restaurant together. But that kid absolutely refused, saying Chenxiang is his now and no one can take her away. I suspect he might have feelings for her.”
“…”
Shui Miao sat back down heavily on the chair, thinking for a moment before murmuring to himself, “Lin Haiyang is a good guy. If he likes Chenxiang, I think it’s quite reliable. But I estimate Chenxiang might not like him. I still need to go there once, inform Chenxiang of the situation, and respect her choice.”
“Don’t go! Just call her, okay? Let’s talk more about Xiao Rong,” Chen Bing clung to Shui Miao, trying to get more information about Xiao Rong from him. Shui Miao smiled, shook his head, and told Chen Bing that Chenxiang was actually Xiao Rong’s friend. If they could invite Chenxiang to the restaurant, Xiao Rong would surely be delighted.
Upon hearing this, Chen Bing immediately locked the door and went with Shui Miao to find Lin Haiyang, determined to bring Chenxiang back by any means necessary.
Dog Breeding Farm
Lin Haiyang was in the yard explaining dog breeding techniques to Chenxiang.
When he saw Shui Miao and Chen Bing arrive, Chenxiang immediately ran out joyfully to greet them, while Lin Haiyang clearly looked tense.
“Ha ha, Lin Haiyang, you didn’t expect me to come so quickly to take Chenxiang back, did you? Now that Water Brother is here, I’d like to see if you dare not let her go,” Chen Bing used Shui Miao’s presence to pressure Lin Haiyang.
Lin Haiyang looked at Shui Miao. “Water Brother, you really aren’t going to take Chenxiang away, are you?”
“I didn’t say that,” Shui Miao smiled and pushed Chen Bing aside slightly. “If you want her, convince Chenxiang yourself. Don’t drag me into this. I’m fair—everything depends on Chenxiang’s own decision. If she doesn’t want to go with you to open the restaurant, then there’s nothing I can say.”
Chenxiang, confused about the situation, hurriedly asked what was going on—who had opened the restaurant.
In Chenxiang’s mind, if it was Shui Miao who opened it, she would definitely go back.
“I’m just a manager,” Chen Bing explained how he had taken over the restaurant from Guo Ming and Guo Liang with Shui Miao’s help. “Actually, the restaurant belongs to Water Brother. I’m just working for him. And Xiao Rong has promised to come help in a couple of days. If you don’t come help me, I’m doomed…”
“What are you babbling on about!” Shui Miao interrupted Chen Bing, who was dragging out the explanation annoyingly. “Chenxiang, this kid Chen Bing likes Xiao Rong and wants you to help him hook up with her. That’s all there is to it.”
Lin Haiyang had thought Chen Bing liked Chenxiang, but now that he understood the situation, he finally felt relieved. He immediately said, “Chen Bing, Chenxiang is the backbone of my dog breeding farm! I’ve shared all my dog breeding experience with her. It’s really not fair of you to poach her like this. In my opinion, you can’t rely entirely on others for your relationship with Xiao Rong—you need to work on it yourself.”
“Get lost! You’re the one being unfair!” Chen Bing pushed Lin Haiyang away. “Without Chenxiang, your dog breeding farm can still run fine. But without her, I’ll miss out on the most important thing in my life. Besides, I’m inviting Chenxiang to be my business partner. After we make profits, we’ll split them three ways—Water Brother, Chenxiang, and me each gets a share. At the very least, we can make seven or eight thousand yuan a month. Remember, our ingredients are supplied for free by a five-star hotel!” Chen Bing was determined to bring Chenxiang along. The reason was simple—he had fallen deeply for Xiao Rong and was already lovesick.
Chen Bing considered his relationship with Xiao Rong the most important matter of his life.
Seeing how serious Chen Bing was, everyone realized he was truly serious.
Lin Haiyang thought for a moment and looked at Chenxiang, then smiled. “Alright, a brother’s lifelong matters are important. I respect Chenxiang’s decision. If she wants to go, I won’t hold her back.”
“Great! You’re a real brother!” Chen Bing excitedly hugged Lin Haiyang, then whispered, “Actually, you have a car. You can come to the restaurant whenever you want, hang around, and get free meals. That would be awesome!”
“Ha ha, you said it!”
Lin Haiyang was reminded of this and suddenly had an idea. If he visited the restaurant often and talked more with Xiao Rong, with Chen Bing’s petty jealousy, he would probably surrender willingly.
“Alright, you guys are having fun talking, but my little sister hasn’t made up her mind yet,” Shui Miao noticed Chenxiang was hesitating and persuaded her again. “Little sister, don’t be too anxious. Do whatever you feel like. But me and Chen Bing have to be clear—once you come, you won’t have to do any chores. You just need to collect money and manage the finances.”
“Exactly! I really need someone to handle the accounts,” seeing Shui Miao finally supporting him, Chen Bing quickly chimed in.
Lin Haiyang smiled and added, “Chenxiang, don’t worry about me here. As you can see, I’m not that busy. I’ll call my parents to come help with the farm. We can stop cultivating those few acres of land anyway.”
“Alright then, I’ll go after Xiao Rong comes.”
Chenxiang looked at Shui Miao. “Brother, did you cancel the room you rented for me? I want to move back in a few days.”
“Uh…”
Upon hearing this, Shui Miao’s head suddenly buzzed. If his sister found out about his relationship with Liu Hongmei, where would he even put his face?
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