Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
5.
The car came to a steady stop downstairs. Qiu Feng, holding a gift for Phoebe, got out of the car. The box was too large, and Uncle Liu quickly stepped forward to help.
While waiting for the elevator, Uncle Liu casually remarked, "I can't believe this place has an elevator. It's so convenient! Sister Zhao must not have bought it cheaply!"
This clearly stung Qiu Feng's heart again. She forced a bitter smile and replied in a dull voice, "Don't you know? This is actually your family's house; I'm just a tenant!"
"Ah, I'm sorry!" Uncle Liu could naturally hear the displeasure in Qiu Feng's tone. He lowered his head and stopped talking.
Standing at Qiu Feng's door, she took the box from Uncle Liu with a sullen face, not uttering a single polite word.
Uncle Liu bowed slightly and quickly left. He honestly did not like this emotionally unstable woman; she was certainly not as friendly as Sister Qiufeng.
After Uncle Liu left, Qiu Feng slammed the door shut. The bright red wrapping paper pierced her eyes. She raised her foot and kicked the gift box with a loud "bang." The top box flew off due to the force, and the remaining two shifted slightly.
She vented all her anger towards Autumn Wind on the gift.
The wrapping paper was not very sturdy. When Qiu Feng kicked the box, the red paper tore open, revealing the box inside. She glanced at it and, upon seeing what was inside, her expression softened. She hurriedly picked up the gift and carefully checked for any damage.
This gift was a large "cooking set" that Phoebe had been hoping to get for some time. She had been asking for it repeatedly, but Qiu Feng had never been willing to buy it. After confirming there was no damage, Qiu Feng found some tape and rewrapped the gift.
However, her heart was filled with hatred—hatred for Autumn Wind and even more for herself, for not being able to throw away the gift that Autumn Wind had sent.
In her empty home, devoid of any vitality, Qiu Feng had already thrown away all of Yusha's belongings to prevent herself from feeling hurt, but the more she did this, the more sorrowful she became.
Her eyes swept over the calendar in front of the television; today’s date was circled in big red ink. A bolt of lightning struck her mind—today is...
While she was lost in thought, there came a loud knocking at the door. "Is anyone home? Qiu Feng, open the door! If you don’t open it soon, we’ll kick it down!" It was a woman's sharp roar.
That's right, today is the day to repay the loan shark—Xiao Yuan has gambled again. A week after Yusha's funeral, Xiao Yuan returned from the mainland, looking as if he had suffered a heavy blow. He was gloomy every day, and after staying at home for a few days, he slowly began to stay out all night again. It wasn't until the loan shark came knocking for repayment that Qiu Feng realized he had gambled again, and at that moment, Xiao Yuan had seemingly vanished.
Qiu Feng pleaded desperately, and the loan shark boss reluctantly agreed to delay the payment by a month. Before they knew it, the time to repay had arrived.
Where am I going to get the money?
The knocking grew louder, with the possibility of someone breaking down the door at any moment. Qiu Feng paced to the door, his voice trembling, "Coming, coming!"
When the door opened, the first person to appear was Xiao Yuan. Upon seeing Qiu Feng open the door, a burly man behind Xiao Yuan gently pushed him to the ground.
Qiu Feng stepped back in fear, clearing the doorway.
Two strong men entered and stood beside Xiao Yuan, who was sprawled on the floor. A short-haired woman dressed in leather walked in last and casually closed the door behind her.
She approached Qiu Feng, her cold gaze sweeping over his face. "You are Qiu Feng?"
"Yes!" he croaked out.
"Today is repayment day; do you remember?" She leaned closer to Qiu Feng, her tone leaving no room for doubt.
"Yes!"
"How have you prepared?" She extended her hand toward Qiu Feng.
"I... I haven't managed to gather any money!" Qiu Feng stammered in response. Her eyes scanned the woman's face before landing on the clock on the wall; there was still half an hour left before Phoebe would return on the school bus. He couldn't let her see this scene.
"Then that means you have no money to repay!" The woman's gaze instantly sharpened. She exchanged a look with the two strong men, and before Qiu Feng could react, one of them punched Xiao Yuan, and cries of anguish filled the air.
"I know you just lost your daughter, but there are rules in our line of work. As a woman, I naturally understand Sister Zhao's pain, but we can't let our sympathy for you prevent us from making a living!" The woman's tone suddenly softened as she reached out and lifted Qiu Feng's chin. "Our boss knows you can't come up with the money, so we have a plan for you! Want to hear it?"
A plan? Qiu Feng widened her eyes in disbelief, and at that moment, Xiao Yuan's desperate cries continued to echo, mixed with pleas, "You have to agree quickly; I'm going to die! Please agree!"
"Shut up!" the woman roared at Xiao Yuan. "If it weren't for the boss not allowing me to touch you, I would definitely slice your flesh piece by piece!" The woman's gaze was lethal enough to scare Xiao Yuan into silence, curling up in the corner without daring to make a sound.
But this cowardly demeanor only infuriated the woman more. "What a useless waste! Drag her out of here; I don't want to see her!"
"Yes!" The burly men who were ready to continue their assault on Xiao Yuan heard the woman's command and lifted Xiao Yuan off the ground like a chicken, carrying her out the door.
As Xiao Yuan's wails echoed again in the hallway, the woman turned back to look at Qiu Feng, her expression softening considerably. "I truly pity you."
She leaned closer to Qiu Feng, whispering with a light smile, "Our boss's birthday is next week, and he wants to invite you to host the celebration. As for payment, it will be the amount your husband owes us! What do you think?"
What? Such a good deal? Qiu Feng slightly parted her lips, looking incredulous.
"What? You don't believe such good fortune exists?" The woman squinted at Qiu Feng, sneering slightly. "I didn't believe it either, but our boss is just like that..."
The woman's addition made Qiu Feng exhale slightly in relief, but before she could calm down, the woman's voice rang out again. "Of course, there's one condition..."
The woman paused, causing Qiu Feng, who had been excited moments ago, to feel a tightening in her chest. What? There’s a condition?
Seeing Qiu Feng's panic-stricken face, the woman smiled slightly. "This isn't too difficult for you. Our boss is a fan of Qiu Ruolan and has always wanted her to spend a night with him on his birthday. I heard your relationship with her is quite good... Heh heh, fulfilling this request shouldn't be too hard!"
The woman reached out and patted Qiu Feng's shoulder. "Your husband's life is in your hands; whether you want to save him depends on your decision!" Outside the door, Xiao Yuan's heart-wrenching screams continued.
Qiu Feng's face turned ashen; she knew exactly what the woman wanted from Qiu Ruolan. Xiao Yuan's cries grew weaker and weaker.
The woman noticed Qiu Feng's hesitation and sneered, "If I were you, I definitely wouldn't save that kind of man. He got himself into trouble, and now he needs his wife to clean up after him! How ridiculous!"
What Qiu Feng was thinking was quite different. Was this pushing Qiu Ruolan into the fire? What would happen with Autumn Wind then? The image of Yusha's death flashed in his mind. Autumn Wind, oh Autumn Wind, Yusha died because of you, so don't blame me for going after your loved ones...
With that thought, Qiu Feng nodded vigorously. "Send me the time and place!"
The woman smiled lightly, said nothing, and left Qiu Feng's home. The sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway as a group of people departed.
A few seconds later, Xiao Yuan weakly straightened up from the floor just as the elevator dinged open. Phoebe bounced in with her backpack, and upon seeing Xiao Yuan standing against the wall with a bloodied face, she shrank back a little in fear.
Qiu Feng quickly stepped forward to comfort her. She took Phoebe's backpack and whispered, "Phoebe, it's okay!" Phoebe buried her head in her mother's embrace but turned her head curiously to look back. Suddenly, she brightened up and exclaimed, "Ah! I know! Daddy just came back from acting, right? He hasn't taken off his makeup yet?"
Phoebe blinked her eyes cheerfully. Hearing her daughter say this made Qiu Feng breathe a sigh of relief. "Yes, yes! Your daddy hasn't taken off his makeup yet! Hurry up and go; what if you scare your daughter?" Qiu Feng nudged Xiao Yuan with her hand, signaling him to go wash up.
Qiu Feng led Phoebe into her room and brought out the toy that Autumn Wind had sent for her. "Phoebe, sweetie, play by yourself for a bit!"
The red packaging box was placed in front of Phoebe. She opened it eagerly and saw her favorite toy inside. Her eyes instantly lit up as she looked up at Qiu Feng and murmured, "Is this a gift from Aunt Qiu Feng?"
Autumn Wind? Hearing Phoebe mention Autumn Wind's name made Qiu Feng suddenly realize how important Autumn Wind was in her life. She became alert; apart from Autumn Wind, she had no friends around her.
Qiu Feng foolishly leaned against the wall watching Phoebe play happily when Xiao Yuan pushed the door open after adjusting his hat. "Just now, did someone call to urge you to hurry up with your work?"
Biting her lower lip, Qiu Feng slowly took out her phone, scrolled through her contacts, and clicked on Autumn Wind and Qiu Ruolan's numbers one by one. After hesitating for a long time, she ultimately dialed Liu Jiajia's number.
Stepping out of Phoebe's room and walking toward the living room, Xiao Yuan followed closely behind like a shadow. Qiu Feng frowned in disgust and turned back into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.
"Hello, is this Jiajia? It's me, Qiu Feng!" After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Qiu Feng got straight to the point. "I have a commercial hosting gig next week; they really like Sister Sally and are offering a good price. I wonder if Sister Sally is interested?"
"This? Next week?" Liu Jiajia pondered for a moment. "The timing works! How about this, you let him contact me directly!"
"Okay, I'll have them call you!" Qiu Feng said nervously as she quickly hung up the phone.
As she opened the bathroom door, Xiao Yuan was leaning against it, eavesdropping on Qiu Feng's phone call. The sudden opening of the door startled Xiao Yuan, nearly causing her to fall.
However, she quickly regained her composure, hands in her pockets, and stammered, "Who are you calling?"
Qiu Feng didn't respond but extended her hand. "Give me your phone!"
Her voice was icy, making Xiao Yuan shiver. Trembling, she took out her phone and handed it over.
Qiu Feng took the phone and directly redialed Xiao Yuan's last call. On the other end, the woman's cold voice came through. "Hello!"
"Hello, I'm Qiu Feng, her manager. I would like to discuss the price with you privately!"
"Oh!" The woman replied. After a brief silence, she relayed the message to her boss. "Okay, send me the number, and I'll talk to her!"
Comment 0 Comment Count