Chapter 47: Changing Sides Faster Than Turning a Page

Yu Wen Si was momentarily stunned. He had never expected that this girl, when she lost her temper, could be so fierce. The way she looked at him, it was as if she wanted to tear him apart and swallow him whole! But, how interesting!

Yu Wen Si propped his chin on his hand, absentmindedly rubbing it. If Shen Yanlie was truly interested in this girl, why shouldn’t he help him out, grant him this wish? After all, it wouldn’t cost him anything, and since the case between the Lu family and LOV was now completely settled, he had actually been worrying that he’d be bored for the next little while!

“Hey, listen—”

“Hand it over!” Shen Yanlie reached out to Mai Xijun, cutting off Yu Wen Si mid-sentence. Because he knew Yu Wen Si’s nature all too well—he was the very sort who thrived on chaos, the kind who would stir up trouble just because the world was too peaceful. Infuriating! And always making people want to hit him!

Now it was Mai Xijun’s turn to be confused. She had already given him the necklace—what else could he want from her? Was he suddenly going to ask for something outrageous? Or was he suspecting the necklace she gave him was a fake? She hadn’t even touched that necklace, honestly!

Yu Wen Si watched anxiously from the side, put down his tablet, and took a few steps forward. “Listen, girl, you treat me to a meal, and I’ll help you solve this problem!”

It seemed Yu Wen Si truly intended to get involved. Three black lines flashed across Shen Yanlie’s face. “Yu Wen Si, are you tired of living?”

“How could I be? I’m doing it for your own good! Look how worried I am for you! Why can’t you appreciate my kindness?” Yu Wen Si pleaded earnestly.

Shen Yanlie considered this, and though he seemed to accept the gesture, he nodded in silence, moving with the slow, elegant grace of a black panther. “Impatient.”

The moment Shen Yanlie finished speaking, Yu Wen Si’s previously excited expression instantly fell. The word “impatient” left him speechless! Look at Shen Yanlie, just sitting there, while the situation was like a eunuch worrying himself to death while the emperor remained unmoved!

But Yu Wen Si would swear! Aside from his own extreme boredom, he really was thinking of Shen Yanlie’s best interests.

Counting on his fingers, it had been six years since Xie Yunting left, and Shen Yanlie had been single for six years as well. Aside from a few regular companions for physical needs, his emotional life was a blank slate. Given that they’d been friends since childhood, and Shen Yanlie always cleaned up his messes in the business world, Yu Wen Si had decided to help him out, to end his single days for good! Even though there was never a shortage of women interested in Shen Yanlie!

“If you want to keep working at this company, then hurry up and hand over the money! One hundred yuan per minute, twenty-three minutes makes two thousand three hundred yuan, not a cent less! Move! I have other things to do later. Once you pay, get out of my sight immediately!”

Shen Yanlie signaled to Mai Xijun with a slight movement of his finger, showing his patience was wearing thin. The scene was no less tense than a debt collector demanding payment in full—like someone demanding every last cent of an emotional debt owed.

Damn it, Shen Yanlie! Aside from being devious, ruthless, and heartless, is there anything about you that resembles a decent person? How could I have been so blind back in Italy, helping you out at all? I should have let those burly men toss you straight into the Adriatic and feed you to the fish!

Yu Wen Si rubbed his forehead in resignation. What on earth was going on in Shen Yanlie’s mind? Was it really worth it? Two thousand three hundred yuan—hardly enough for a decent meal! Why get so hung up on a “poor” girl like her? Hopeless!

Mai Xijun bit the inside of her lip. Well done, Shen Yanlie. Whatever happened to that city you promised me in Venice? How can you turn your back on me so quickly, faster than flipping a page?

Fine, fine, fine! Shen Yanlie, you’re something else! Braver than brave!

Mai Xijun rifled through her wallet, straightening out each bill. All together, she barely scraped together a little over a hundred yuan. She strode forward and tossed the money onto Shen Yanlie’s desk. The coins clattered and rolled to a stop in front of him. Shen Yanlie, with his usual elegance, pressed down the few one-yuan coins, picked them up, and dropped them into his palm.

“Looks like you’re still missing quite a bit.” He lightly slid his fingers over the bills, as if actually checking the amount, making a rough estimate.

Only then, as she drew near, did Mai Xijun notice the bloodshot veins in his eyes. Though his hawk-like gaze was still sharp, it was clear he was weary. Such a devilishly handsome man, and yet seeing that trace of exhaustion in his eyes made her feel an unexpected pang of sympathy. But why did every single word he said still make her want to punch him, making it impossible to truly feel sorry for him?

“Wait here! I’ll go to the bank right now and get the rest, not a cent less!”

So it was just like that, turning his back on her completely?! Fine! If two thousand three hundred yuan could really draw a line between them, then so be it. She’d cut this piece of flesh from herself and consider the money as if it had been fed to the dogs!

Yu Wen Si shook his head as he watched Mai Xijun slam the door on her way out. Tsk, such a stubborn temper, such pride! Sooner or later, she was bound to fall hard at Shen Yanlie’s hands!

At this point, all Yu Wen Si could do was sigh inwardly—a fiery temper paired with a cold personality. The outcome of this clash was already obvious, but the real result? That remained to be seen...

The more Mai Xijun thought, the angrier she became. Why had her luck been so terrible lately? She really must have stepped in something! Now her trip to Paris was surely out of the question. Everything was ruined by this scoundrel!

She quickly withdrew the cash from the ATM and hurried back. If he left her alone, that would be best—she’d walk her own solitary path, and he’d stick to his own, never crossing again. But if he insisted on making trouble, she’d make sure to fight back, wide awake this time!

She threw the money onto his desk, not a cent missing. He, like a petty shopkeeper, counted each bill one by one, annoyingly holding one up every so often to the light, as if checking for counterfeits. Mai Xijun felt she was about to have a mental breakdown!

“Are you done?” She forced herself to swallow her anger as he finished counting and checking.

He gave a faint grunt, didn’t even look up at her, simply stuffed the stack of bills into the inner pocket of his suit jacket, then swiveled his chair to face the computer, picked up a stack of documents, and began to sign them.

Mai Xijun felt nothing but contempt, though all she could do was purse her lips. There was nothing she could say, and the frustration was suffocating. To be entangled with him was no blessing—it was cutting years off her life!