When Ji Xu answered Cheng Yue’s call, he had just gotten into the car, but he was surprised to hear a stranger’s voice on the other end.
The call was quickly disconnected before Ji Xu had a chance to say anything.
Frowning, Ji Xu pressed the accelerator and wondered how Cheng Yue had managed to rack up a debt of 500,000 in just a few hours.
But soon, he dismissed the thought. Although Cheng Yue seemed unreliable, he could distinguish right from wrong, and mainly, he lacked the guts to do something like this.
So, Ji Xu began to worry that Cheng Yue might have been deceived or scammed.
Tang Jing’s car was fast, but it still took them over two hours to get out of the small county. He had to drive as fast as the road would allow, and by the time they reached the city, it was already 8:30 in the evening.
When Ji Xu opened the car door and got out, he immediately spotted Cheng Yue standing inside the café. He had been worried all the way about Cheng Yue’s temper causing trouble, but seeing him standing there in one piece, he felt relieved.
However, as Ji Xu pushed open the café door and walked in, he noticed Cheng Yue’s face was very pale and his eyes were red.
Ji Xu furrowed his brows, quickened his pace towards Cheng Yue, and pulled him behind himself, eyeing the three men standing nearby with suspicion and coldness.
“You finally came! Hurry up and pay the money!” The three big men let out a sigh of relief, feeling a bit of relief for the kid.
Ji Xu gave them a cold glance and said nothing. Instead, he turned to Cheng Yue, examined his face closely, and gently wiped under his eyes with his fingertips.
“Did they hit you? Are you okay?”
Cheng Yue looked up, too afraid to blink as he stared at Ji Xu.
He had thought Ji Xu wouldn’t come. When the clock showed 8:00 on the wall, he had already given up hope, thinking Ji Xu wouldn’t make it. He had left himself a ten-minute window, which turned into another, until 8:00 sharp.
By 8:10, he had been contemplating going to Ji Xu’s place to pack his things and wondered where he would go alone from then on, how he would repay the debt.
As he thought about losing his home once again, Ji Xu suddenly appeared, like a dramatic entrance from an anime soundtrack.
Ji Xu frowned as he saw Cheng Yue’s eyes redden further and the large tear rolling down his cheek. Seeing Cheng Yue futilely trying to wipe it away, Ji Xu’s anger flared. He turned and grabbed one of the men by the collar, growling, “He’s only 16. You really have the guts to hit a kid.”
The man who was grabbed was momentarily stunned by Ji Xu’s imposing aura. He only reacted after the man next to him nudged him, retorting, “When did we hit him? We’re not those kinds of people. The kid ate a cake and had two juices while waiting for you, and I paid for everything!”
Cheng Yue glanced at the remnants of the cake he had eaten and the two empty glasses on the table. Embarrassed, he rubbed his nose and whispered, “They didn’t hit me.”
Ji Xu looked back at Cheng Yue, who seemed fine, and then at the aggrieved-looking big man. Reluctantly, he released the man, turned, and carefully checked Cheng Yue’s t-shirt collar.
Worried that Cheng Yue’s timid nature might have led him to endure something he didn’t dare mention, Ji Xu personally examined him.
“Hey!” Cheng Yue was startled by Ji Xu’s sudden action and pushed against his shoulder, feeling too timid to resist and allowing him to check.
Ji Xu inspected Cheng Yue’s thin torso down to his waist. Seeing no signs of bruising on his pale skin, he finally felt reassured.
“You two, stop being annoying. Let’s figure out how to settle the debt,” one of the big men said.
Ji Xu glanced at him, then tossed Cheng Yue onto a couch to sit. He then asked, “Who owes you this money?”
“The kid’s father,” the big man said quickly.
“Then why are you bothering him?” Ji Xu asked.
“His father owed me money. Since he’s dead, it should be his responsibility to pay it back. We have a debt note!”
The big man was anxious, nearly nine o’clock, and worried his wife would lock him out if he was any later.
Ji Xu looked at him with a blank expression and said coldly, “First, the principle of ‘debts inherited by children’ is legally incorrect. Second, our country’s laws state that if you don’t inherit the estate, you don’t inherit the debt. Third…”
After Ji Xu finished, the three big men were overwhelmed by his legal jargon, their eyes darkened. One of them stammered, “What does… that mean?”
“It means he can refuse to repay his father’s debt to you,” Ji Xu explained.
“Impossible! I have the debt note!” The big man struggled, still trying to play out the charade.
“Where’s the debt note?” Ji Xu asked.
The big man fumbled in his pocket for a long time, didn’t find it, and then searched his seat for it.
Then the first big man started searching the second big man.
“How could I have it! I just gave it to him!” the second big man shouted.
The third big man, having successfully dodged the blame thrown by the second big man, quickly protested, “I didn’t take it! I don’t know!”
As the three men began to hit each other, Ji Xu took out his wallet, threw 200 yuan and a business card onto the table, and said sternly, “I’ll cover the cost of the cake and drinks. If you have any questions about the 500,000, deal with me directly.”
When Cheng Yue was led out of the café by Ji Xu, he was still in a daze. Before he was pushed into the car, he glanced through the glass door at the three men who were now hitting each other.
“What’s wrong?” Ji Xu frowned as he noticed Cheng Yue’s pale face and reached out to feel his forehead.
Cheng Yue swallowed, then gently took Ji Xu’s hand off his forehead and slowly placed his hand in Ji Xu’s palm.
“What?” Ji Xu felt something soft and damp in his palm.
“The debt note,” Cheng Yue said, holding onto Ji Xu’s hand and smiling foolishly, “They were so stupid. They actually gave it to me from the start.”
Ji Xu looked at Cheng Yue’s profile illuminated by the car’s headlights, noting the similarity between his current appearance and the photo of him included in the will—his eyes like crescent moons and his slightly upturned, rosy lips.
“You…”
Cheng Yue was about to say something but flinched as a cold gust of wind blew past.
Ji Xu, frowning at Cheng Yue’s yellow hair, grew increasingly annoyed. After taking a handful of it, he decided, “You’re starting school tomorrow. You need to get your hair cut.”
Cheng Yue’s eyes widened in uncertainty as he asked, “Cut…?”
After the sports car drove away, the three men inside the café continued to beat each other.
“Did they leave? Do we need to keep waiting?”
“Let’s wait a bit longer. I can’t see, who has the debt note?”
“I gave it to that kid from the beginning! Stop talking and keep hitting… Damn it! You smashed my egg!”
