Chapter 11: Debt Collection Turns into a War of Words

As autumn arrived, the weather began to turn cool.

The Ice Love Shop opposite the Nanzhou City Intermediate People's Court saw fewer patrons drinking cold drinks, lending its originally tranquil setting an even more desolate atmosphere.

Lin Dongfan ordered two cups of iced mint water and chose a booth near the floor-to-ceiling window.

As expected.

Fang Xiaoqian, who had no sense of time, was late again; they had agreed to meet at two, but she didn't appear in Lin Dongfan's sight until half past two.

"How come it's you? Where's Su Yuhong?"

Fang Xiaoqian must have just come from the court, wearing a dignified and solemn professional outfit, her whole bearing exuding a cold, aloof aura, and her tone carried a hint of judicial authority.

"I had her call you; I wanted to talk to you about something private."

Lin Dongfan set down his cup of iced mint water and lit a cigarette.

Fang Xiaoqian sat down opposite him, showing no interest in the cheap iced water before her, and fixed her gaze on Lin Dongfan: "I have other things to do; speak quickly."

"When are you going to repay the 188,000?" Lin Dongfan got straight to the point.

Fang Xiaoqian replied indifferently:

"Do you have an IOU? An agreement? A transfer receipt? Mr. Lin, don't forget I'm a legal professional! You have nothing—on what basis do you demand 188,000 from me?"

"!!!"

Lin Dongfan, speechless with exasperation, stood there mute while a herd of grass‑mud horses galloped through his mind! Damn it, I never expected this lowlife to turn face and deny the debt.

Fang Xiaoqian gazed at the speechless Lin Dongfan.

She let out an arrogant, light laugh:

"Before you called me a good‑for‑nothing and refused to admit it. Now we've only been broken up a few days, and already someone's set you up, landing you in a suspension‑pending‑investigation situation. Without me, what do you think you could accomplish?"

"Don't just pat yourself on the back." Lin Dongfan said calmly: "If you really have the ability, just pay me back promptly."

Fang Xiaoqian countered confidently: "Who owes you money?"

"You've made up your mind not to pay, huh? Fine, you're ruthless—we'll see how it goes." Lin Dongfan, too lazy to say more, rose to leave.

Fang Xiaoqian then barked: "Sit down!"

"If you've got a fart, let it out quickly."

Lin Dongfan sat down again, took a drag of his cigarette, hoping for a turn of fortune; this sum was indeed important to him, whether pursuing Chu Lingxi or investing in the stock market, both required capital.

Seeing Lin Dongfan obediently sit down, Fang Xiaoqian's anger eased considerably.

Fang Xiaoqian confidently made her demand: "I haven't told my family about our breakup yet. If you kneel and apologize, I can let the past unpleasantness slide and proceed with the wedding as planned. I won't ignore your situation either—I'll have someone intercede with Director Wang to lift your penalty."

"You must not have slept enough?"

Lin Dongfan stared at Fang Xiaoqian in disbelief.

Whether the past or present Fang Xiaoqian, her overbearing nature never changed; wherever she went, she acted as if she were the judge in charge of striking the gavel.

Lin Dongfan puzzledly pressed: "You've been cheating on me behind my back, and now you want me to kneel and apologize—who gave you the confidence?"

"Watch your mouth!" Fang Xiaoqian snapped angrily: "Being trampled like an ant, yet you act all high and mighty here! If you weren't so useless, would I have slept with someone else? All this is because of your incompetence—your own doing! What right do you have to blame me?"

"Acting like a whore while putting up a memorial arch—you really are something." Lin Dongfan sneered.

Fang Xiaoqian suddenly rose, lifted the cup of iced mint water before her, and flung it at Lin Dongfan's face: "Someone as clueless and worthless as you will never eat four dishes in a lifetime!"

Caught off guard, Lin Dongfan was splashed with a bone‑chilling chill.

At the same time, the cigarette in his mouth was doused, and the anger in his heart was extinguished.

Lin Dongfan was now certain: the 188,000 would never be recovered; this woman before him was merely a toy of the system, utterly unworthy of his anger.

"Who says I can't eat four dishes?"

Lin Dongfan tossed away his cigarette, grabbed a few tissues, and wiped the water from his face.

He then flashed a faint smile: "Judge Fang, your information isn't up to date—don't you know Li Hengbo is lying in the hospital? I called 120 for him; tell me, is that aggravating or not?"

"What did you do to him?" Fang Xiaoqian exclaimed, stunned.

Lin Dongfan replied leisurely: "Judge Fang, that question puts me in a bind. Putting it bluntly, you'd grab my pigtail; if it's just scratching through a boot, it's not effective."

"Then go ahead and be smug—you don't need to say anything!" Fang Xiaoqian frowned: "When he strikes back, I doubt you'll still be smiling, you brainless idiot."

"I'm waiting for his counterattack."

Lin Dongfan left with a light, carefree smile, and as he rose to go, he tossed a gold‑plated ring at Fang Xiaoqian: "Thanks for sharing my bed for two years—consider this a tip."

That ring was their original engagement ring; throwing it down signified the formal cancellation of the wedding.

"Stop right there!!!"

Fang Xiaoqian still bore the imposing mien of a judge, as if she could command everything.

Only when she saw Lin Dongfan ignore her, stride away leisurely, did Fang Xiaoqian nearly break down, realizing she had become a laughingstock in others' eyes.

"On what grounds?"

"Even if we break off the engagement, it should be me calling it off!"

"On what basis does he call off our engagement?"

Fang Xiaoqian grew more resentful, hurried to the shop's entrance and looked left and right, but saw no trace of Lin Dongfan.

In her frustration, Fang Xiaoqian pulled out her phone to call Lin Dongfan, only then recalling that the bastard had already blacklisted her.

"Lin Dongfan!!! You bastard!!!"

Having broken down, the utterly distraught Fang Xiaoqian angrily flung her phone to the ground and stomped on it like a madwoman, kicking it over and over.

It felt as if she weren't stomping her own phone, but Lin Dongfan himself.

And Lin Dongfan…

…had already strode into the securities exchange, ready to open an account and trade stocks.

Now Fang Xiaoqian is determined not to return the 188,000; Lin Dongfan's bank balance is only four digits, so he's poor, but after setting aside five hundred for living expenses, the capital he can put into the stock market amounts to just eight thousand.

The sum may be small, but it can still accumulate capital—it just takes a little time.

Just finished opening the account and came out.

Lin Dongfan received a phone call from Shen Junlan.

Shen Junlan asked over the phone: "Dongfan, I heard you were suspended—is that true?"

"There is such a matter." Lin Dongfan thought, after all, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse; he didn't expect Teacher Shen to have received the news so quickly.

Shen Junlan's ashamed voice came over the phone: "I've let you suffer injustice; if it weren't for me asking you to pick up Lingxi at the airport, you wouldn't have offended anyone."

"Teacher Shen, please don't say that. I just had bad luck, happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Once this passes, there shouldn't be any punishment—don't worry." Lin Dongfan replied.

Shen Junlan gave an embarrassed laugh: "You kid, you've been wronged yet you're comforting me instead. Are you free tonight? I want to eat the dishes you cook, and Lingxi happens to be home as well."

"I'm free, I'll come over soon."

Lin Dongfan felt joy blossom in his heart, thinking that the title of the most beautiful mother-in-law in the world belongs to none other than Teacher Shen! With Teacher Shen's Divine Assistance Skill, chasing Chu Lingxi should get twice the result with half the effort.