The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 748 - 747: Borrowing Money

Chapter 748: Chapter 747: Borrowing Money

Hearing Qian Rong talk about the tragic state of Jiang Xinsheng, Pei Qiuxia felt a surge of satisfaction. The unfaithful deserved to swallow ten thousand needles.

"...Qiuxia, I think Xinsheng still can’t stop thinking about you."

Hearing this, Pei Qiuxia felt nauseous; she had wanted to tell Qian Rong to never mention her name alongside Jiang Xinsheng again.

But meeting Qian Rong’s inquisitive gaze, her heart suddenly skipped.

"Rong, don’t talk nonsense, Xinsheng and I are history."

Seeing her look melancholic and sorrowful, Qian Rong couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased: this girl, she still hasn’t forgotten Jiang Xinsheng!

"Really, Qiuxia, a couple of days ago Jiang Xinsheng got drunk and kept calling out your name, saying he was sorry to you, that he should have married you sooner."

Pei Qiuxia slowly asked, "How do you know all this?"

"Oh, that’s not important."

Qian Rong, linking arms with her, continued talking about Jiang Xinsheng, "I believe he definitely hasn’t gotten over you, otherwise he wouldn’t still be single..."

Bullshit, his reputation is in ruins, his job isn’t going well, and he’s drowning in debt. What blind woman could possibly want him?

Pei Qiuxia thought to herself, her gaze at Qian Rong now filled with more doubt.

Qian Rong didn’t notice the change in Pei Qiuxia’s mood, still talking on her own, "Tell me the truth, you haven’t really let go of him, have you? I understand, you were together for five years, and he was your first love."

"He’s in such a sad state now, even I can’t bear to see it, let alone you. Jiang Xinsheng is a capable man, if you’re willing to help him, he could make a comeback soon."

Pei Qiuxia wondered aloud, "How could I help him?"

"Don’t you have the wedding gift money right now? Jiang Xinsheng’s biggest problem is his debt, if those were paid off, he could start over and focus on his work."

Me, pay off his debts? In your dreams!

Pei Qiuxia barely stopped herself from cursing out loud, yet a thought jumped into her mind.

"How much does he owe?"

Hearing Pei Qiuxia ask this, Qian Rong was surprised, "You really want to pay off his debts?"

Jiang Xinsheng was probably really desperate, having approached her for a loan a few days earlier. Qian Rong, of course, refused to lend any money, conveniently suggested that Pei Qiuxia was wealthy.

Upon learning Pei Qiuxia had a substantial amount of wedding gift money, Jiang Xinsheng got as excited as a hungry dog smells food, and immediately asked Qian Rong to request a loan from Pei Qiuxia, promising her a finder’s fee.

When Qian Rong brought this up with Pei Qiuxia, she actually didn’t hold much hope.

From what she knew of Pei Qiuxia, it was good enough that she didn’t kick a person while down; there was no chance she would lend money to Jiang Xinsheng.

"After all, we all know each other, let’s help out where we can."

Qian Rong, already inclined to ease this process, quickly said when she sensed Pei Qiuxia’s hesitance, "It’s about fifty thousand."

Pei Qiuxia hesitated: "I can’t provide that much. I’ve spent quite a bit on renovations and furniture recently, I only have fifty thousand left, and need to keep some for further renovation expenses. I can only spare forty thousand."

"Forty thousand will do!" Qian Rong immediately responded.

Yet Pei Qiuxia looked at her, "How about you lend me some, and I’ll make it fifty thousand for him?"

Before Qian Rong could refuse, she added, "We’re best friends, you wouldn’t say no to helping me, right?"

Qian Rong was doubtful, "You’re really going to help Jiang Xinsheng pay off his debts?"

"If you’re willing to lend ten thousand, then I’ll help him."

Qian Rong didn’t ponder for long before agreeing.

Pei Qiuxia had a good income, and her cousins were wealthy – Qian Rong wasn’t worried about getting her money back.

Besides, Jiang Xinsheng had promised a finder’s fee.

What mattered most to her was her curiosity about how Pei Qiuxia would explain to her fiancé’s family after lending her wedding gift money to her ex.

With unspoken thoughts, Qian Rong withdrew all her savings from the bank and handed them over to Pei Qiuxia.

That evening, accompanied by Qian Rong, Pei Qiuxia met with Jiang Xinsheng.

They arrived outside the café for their meeting.

Watching Jiang Xinsheng already inside the coffee shop, Pei Qiuxia turned to Qian Rong and said, "Qian, wait outside for me. I’ll just give him the money and come out."

"I can accompany you, to witness the transaction. Fifty thousand is not a small amount, and we want to prevent him from denying it later."

"No need, he still has that much integrity."

She paused and then added, "I have a few words I’d like to discuss with him alone."

Hearing this, Qian Rong gave a "I understand" expression and said, "Then I’ll go across the street to get my hair washed. Take your time to talk."

"Okay."

After watching Qian Rong enter the hair salon across the street, Pei Qiuxia turned and entered the coffee shop.

Fifteen minutes later.

Pei Qiuxia came out of the coffee shop and headed to the hair salon across the street.

Qian Rong had already washed her hair and was sitting in the chair, getting her hair styled by the hairdresser.

On seeing Pei Qiuxia come in, she quickly asked, "Did you give him the money?"

"I did."

Upon receiving a definitive reply, Qian Rong silently calculated two things in her mind.

One was to let She Zheming know about this, and the other was to get some payoff from Jiang Xinsheng.

After parting with Pei Qiuxia, she immediately paged Jiang Xinsheng.

She paged him continuously for three days, but Jiang Xinsheng did not respond.

She suspected that Jiang Xinsheng was cutting her off after crossing the bridge, unwilling to pay her the payoff, which inevitably infuriated her.

Besides, whenever she was free, she would wander around the nearby detective squad.

Fortune favors the persistent, and she indeed ran into She Zheming returning from a case.

...

That evening, Pei Qiuxia and She Zheming had dinner at a newly opened Mongolian BBQ Restaurant.

"Do you still have enough money to spend?"

When She Zheming asked about the money, Pei Qiuxia slowly swallowed the food in her mouth before responding,

"Why do you suddenly ask that?"

She Zheming placed a freshly grilled lamb skewer, sizzling with oil, on her plate and replied, "I’ve spent quite a bit on renovations and buying furniture recently, and you’ve lent some out. I’m worried you might not have enough, but I still have some."

The two had already registered their marriage two days ago and were legally husband and wife.

However, since they hadn’t held a wedding ceremony and the marital home wasn’t ready, they were still living separately for the time being.

Pei Qiuxia looked at him while biting her chopsticks, "How did you know I lent money?"

She Zheming: "I ran into Qian yesterday when I went back to the squad."

"Oh."

Pei Qiuxia ate a piece of grilled lamb.

The doneness was perfect, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Biting into it, the juice infused with fragrant cumin spices exploded in her mouth, fully satisfying her taste buds.

"What do you think about me lending out money?"

She Zheming sipped his tea, "It’s quite upsetting to me."

Pei Qiuxia stared at him, "Why?"

"We’ve been together so long, and other than occasionally sneaking out to eat or drink with you, I haven’t been able to give you much else."

"Such a big thing as a wedding was mostly managed by you alone. Whenever there’s an issue, I can’t be relied upon, and you have to shoulder everything yourself."

In She Zheming’s view, lending money was a matter for both husband and wife, not just Pei Qiuxia alone.

Pei Qiuxia was silent for two seconds before speaking, "It’s not that I didn’t consult you, it’s because I didn’t lend money to Jiang Xinsheng."

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