Chapter 49: 49

49 「Eighty-thousand-dollar skirt, turns out it's not waterproof either. 」

Tushan Jiu gave her two glances, then suddenly laughed.

「That's already far better than you, who destroys other people's families and occupies their nests, Auntie. Cherish this last satisfying meal of yours, for the one who will overcome you has already returned. 」

Her forehead is askew, her moral sense weak, her cheekbones are high and uneven, she's prone to fall for married people, her eyebrows are like swaying willows with a mole at the tip, she's licentious by nature, prone to thieving thoughts, her lower lip is overly thick and the corners of her mouth droop, she likes to get something for nothing—these are the facial traits that easily make one a mistress, and she has them all.

Moreover, when she uttered those harsh words, Tushan Jiu had already gotten over her.

She has a nemesis in her fate.

This nemesis is her current husband's son.

Oh, one could also say that her stepson doesn't just restrain her; he restrains every woman her husband has taken in, and she's merely one of them.

Han Linran stared in shock, "What do you mean? Who are you? Do you know Lu Cheng?"

Suddenly her face changed, "Could it be that the person you're involved with is Lu Cheng?"

Tushan Jiu: "...... A brain is a good thing."

Having said that, Tushan Jiu turned and left, not wanting to waste any more words with her.

That woman reached out, still wanting to pull Tushan Jiu.

But Tushan Jiu dodged, as if she had eyes in the back of her head.

Han Linran, having exerted too much force, was propelled forward by inertia; her high heels lost balance and she plunged headfirst into the small fountain's pool ahead.

Tushan Jiu snorted, "Eighty-thousand-dollar skirt, turns out it's not waterproof either."

"You!"

Tushan Jiu didn't even glance at the disheveled Han Linran as she lifted her foot and walked out of the restroom.

Just as she stepped out of the restroom here, her phone rang—it was Xie Shiyu.

He must have been worried because she'd been out too long.

She told Xie Shiyu she'd be back right away.

When she returned to the private room, Xie Shiyu gave her a careful look and asked, "Did something happen in the restroom just now?"

Tushan Jiu nodded: "Yeah, I ran into a snobbish auntie who looks down on people."

Xie Shiyu frowned; the fact that Tushan Jiu used that word meant her mood had definitely been affected.

He knew there was a strict rule in their line of work: one must not use spiritual techniques on ordinary people unless it's for protection.

It's actually akin to the saying, "Never point a gun at a crowd."

Because if mystic masters were allowed to use their techniques on ordinary people, the world would already be in chaos.

So he feared she'd suffer a loss and prepared to make a call to have someone investigate who had bullied her.

Seeing his move, Tushan Jiu guessed what he intended, she curled the corner of her lip and said, "Xie Shiyu, I haven't suffered a loss; nobody who could make me suffer a loss has even been born yet."

As she spoke, she also extended her arm, gave a pat, indicating that even without using mystic techniques she was still formidable.

Xie Shiyu looked at her smug expression and couldn't help but chuckle, "Alright, let's eat first; if it gets cold the texture will suffer. Come, try this baked snail dish—you'll probably like it."

Tushan Jiu was instantly drawn to the food, and the earlier little incident was completely tossed to the back of her mind.

After the appetizers and main course were finished, the final dish was a classic French macaron dessert; Tushan Jiu had eaten macarons in Yun Shi before, but this shop's were indeed better.

She was happily eating when Xie Shiyu across from her hesitated and said, "Xiao Jiu, I have two friends I've known since childhood—one is Lu Ze Yuan, the other is Qi Chen. We're getting together tonight; do you want to come?"

Tushan Jiu's chewing motion paused; she lifted her eyes, looking at him with a hint of bewilderment.

Xie Shiyu quickly said, "No problem, you don't need to feel any pressure; if you don't want to go, we won't. After dinner I'll drive you back to the old residence."

Tushan Jiu pressed her lips and said, "I never said I didn't want to go. Xie Shiyu, we're engaged; your friends will become my friends too, and we'll have to get along. I'm not particularly fond of socializing, but I trust your judgment—those who can be your friends must be of good character."

Just those words made Xie Shiyu's eyes light up; an unbidden smile spilled from his throat, and the corners of his mouth kept rising.

Tushan Jiu didn't know what he was laughing at, but she noticed that over the past few days, Xie Shiyu's smiles had become much more frequent than when she first arrived.

She continued eating her dessert, then thought of something and asked, "What time are you meeting? I'd like to go back to the old residence first to change clothes."

It's still better to dress a bit formally for the first meeting with his friends.

"Eight p. m., at Lu Ze Yuan's bar," Xie Shiyu replied.

Tushan Jiu nodded, popped the last macaron into her mouth, wiped her hands, and said, "Alright, I got it. I'll take this free moment to take care of something, then I'll head back to the old residence on my own later."

Seeing she had finished, Xie Shiyu also set down his coffee cup and said, "There's nothing much going on at the company this afternoon; would it be convenient for me to tag along? If so, I'll drive you there and then we'll head back to the old residence together."

Tushan Jiu pondered, wondering whether it would be bad if he saw her beating someone up.

But as soon as that thought arose, she felt she was being pretentious.

When she was beating Bai Yu, he was right there beside her; he knows exactly what she's like, and there's nothing he can't stand to see.

"Alright, let's go. I need to go to the Erlang Shen Small Loan Limited Company on Changhong Road Overpass Commercial Street."

Xie Shiyu's brows twitched slightly at hearing the company's name.

He wasn't unfamiliar with that company's name.

As for why a tiny loan company would leave an impression on him, it's because this loan company is outright notorious.

Their boss has a rather chuuni nickname, Erlang Shen; he's ruthless and cruel, and under him he's developed a small gang that can't operate openly, also called the Erlang Shen Gang, whose activities constantly skirt the edge of the law.

However, Xie Shiyu couldn't recall what the boss's name was; what is Xiao Jiu going there to do?

Carrying that doubt, he and Tushan Jiu went together to Overpass Commercial Street.

At that moment, in the chairman's office of the Erlang Shen Small Loan Company that Tushan Jiu had mentioned, a man wearing a floral shirt and red velvet trousers, with a thick gold chain around his neck, sat in the center of the sofa sipping tea.

He had a long scar on his brow bone that stretched all the way to his ear root, making him look fierce and menacing.

Opposite the tea table on the floor lay an unmoving middle-aged man, while on the sofa sat a trembling woman tear-streaked, her fingers reddened by the teacup but she dared not let go.

The man sneered, "Big sis, drink up—don't waste my good tea; I don't even brew it for ordinary folks."

The woman wept softly, some of the tea in her hand spilling out from fear.

The man clicked his tongue impatiently and gave a glance to the subordinate standing aside.

The few lackeys instantly understood, and the baseball bats in their hands struck the kneeling middle-aged man's leg with full force.

"Ah! My leg!" The man who had been unconscious was struck awake again, crying out in pain.