Rapid Collapse (GL) - Chapter 45
Shen Fengmei looked at the two of them with difficulty, pressed her lips together, and let out a barely audible “hmm.”
Han Ning took a deep breath. Almost at the same time, Shen Xi slammed the table and stood up, craning her neck as she loudly questioned, “What exactly is going on?!”
The noise was loud. Shen Xi’s palm went numb, and Shen Fengmei was startled, her body trembling violently. She stammered, too afraid to speak.
“Baby, calm down. Let Auntie explain first.” Han Ning was also holding back her frustration, but since Shen Fengmei was Shen Xi’s biological mother, she didn’t want to interfere in their mother-daughter matters. She could only tug at Shen Xi’s sleeve, urging her to sit down. “If you look so aggressive, Auntie will be too scared to speak. What if she has her reasons?”
Shen Xi glanced at Han Ning, then at Shen Fengmei. She sat down, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and calmed herself before asking again, “Are you still not going to explain?”
Seeing her daughter so furious and watching Han Ning trying to mediate, Shen Fengmei silently got up, sat next to Han Ning, and held her hand. “I was deceived by that woman…
She pretended to be Xi’s friend, saying you two had been writing books together for years…” She sneaked a glance at Shen Xi and shrank her neck. “I don’t know how much Xi earns from writing books. I just knew she could afford to buy a house here, so she must be well-off. That woman also seemed rich, so I believed her…”
After hearing this, Han Ning turned her head mechanically to look at Shen Xi beside her.
Shen Xi bent down, burying her face in her hands, looking extremely troubled.
“You ask for me. I don’t want to talk to her…” Shen Xi kept her posture the same, her voice muffled.
Han Ning’s mouth twitched slightly. She turned back with a professional smile, trying her best to speak gently. “Auntie, can you tell us exactly what happened?”
“Ask her first—how much does she owe Nie Lan?”
Shen Xi rubbed her face, feeling her head buzzing and her chest tight with frustration.
Everything was unbearable!
“Ugh… Why don’t you ask?” Han Ning turned to look at her. Shen Xi, in a bad mood, shot her a sideways glance. The murderous look in her eyes made Han Ning shrink back a little.
“…Fine, fine, I’ll ask.” She gave in, then turned back to Shen Fengmei with a bright smile and softly asked, “Auntie, how much do you owe that Nie Lan?”
Shen Fengmei pursed her lips and was silent for a while. A bad feeling rose in Han Ning’s heart. Shen Xi perked up her ears, listening closely, but her mother remained motionless.
Sitting up straight, Shen Xi impatiently said, “Speak up! How much do you owe? You don’t remember?”
“…It should be… around 800,000 yuan…”
Before Shen Fengmei finished speaking, Han Ning closed her eyes, thinking, Good grief…
Before she could react, she suddenly felt herself being lifted. The next moment, she was sitting at the edge of the sofa. Shen Xi, like Popeye, had pulled her aside with one hand and was now sitting right in front of Shen Fengmei, shouting in utter disbelief, “800,000 yuan?! In just half a month?! Are you a god of wealth handing out money?!”
“I know I was wrong, Xi. At first, I really thought she was your friend… I was tricked too, Xi…” Shen Fengmei’s wrinkled face was covered in tears.
Shen Xi looked at Shen Fengmei, momentarily speechless, not knowing what to say…
“How did Nie Lan find you?” Han Ning asked from her spot at the edge of the sofa.
“Around half a month ago. I had just gotten home in the evening, hadn’t even washed up yet, and suddenly heard knocking on the door…”
Hearing the knocking, Shen Fengmei thought debt collectors had come. She remained silent for a long time before sneaking over to listen at the door. The knocking continued, followed by a woman’s voice. Shen Fengmei’s tension eased, and she opened the door to see a wealthy woman adorned in jewels standing outside.
Nie Lan smiled sweetly and told her she had been looking for her for a long time. She claimed to be Shen Xi’s friend, saying they had been writing books together and were very close.
“She also said that Xi often talked about me, her mother, and that Xi was stubborn but soft-hearted. She said Xi felt embarrassed to come herself, so she sent her instead. Then she treated me to a big meal, bought me several outfits, and even took me to a beauty salon… Oh my, it was so expensive! Just one treatment cost thousands…”
As Shen Fengmei spoke, her eyes sparkled. Shen Xi glared at her, slapped the table, and scolded, “Skip the nonsense! Get to the point!”
“A few days later, she came again…” Shen Fengmei continued recalling.
That time, Nie Lan arrived just as debt collectors were bothering Shen Fengmei. Without hesitation, she pulled out several stacks of hundred-yuan bills from her bag, handed them over expressionlessly, and sent the collectors away. She knew how to win people over, making Shen Fengmei believe that she had come on Shen Xi’s behalf to show filial piety.
Otherwise, why would she pay off so much debt for no reason?
That was the only thought in Shen Fengmei’s mind. She trusted Nie Lan completely. Nie Lan kept giving her money—starting with tens of thousands, then more and more. Before she realized it, she had spent 800,000 yuan in just two weeks…
Han Ning listened with a face full of disbelief. She couldn’t help but ask, “Auntie, didn’t you suspect anything? This was a trap!”
Shen Fengmei slapped her thigh. “Of course I suspected! I kept thinking, how could Xi have so much money to give me?”
“Then why did you still believe her?” Shen Xi sighed and asked.
“I did suspect… but it was too late… She came to me last night, and only then did I start doubting her…” Shen Fengmei lowered her head as she spoke. Tears fell onto her pants. She gripped Shen Xi’s hand tightly, her voice trembling. “Xi, what do we do now? How can I possibly pay back 800,000 yuan?”
“Don’t ask me. I still have a mortgage to pay…” Shen Xi closed her eyes, thinking that she must have done something terrible in her past life to deserve such a mother in this one.
She looked at Han Ning, who was deep in thought, her eyes filled with hesitation. She couldn’t help but overthink—would Han Ning dislike her because of this situation? Because she had a burdensome, gambling-addicted mother?
They had finally gotten together, and now this…
Shen Xi felt like crying. Why is it so hard to just have a peaceful and sweet romance?
Han Ning looked down at her phone, biting her fingernail. Her account balance was still decent. Even after paying off Shen Fengmei’s debt, there should be enough left. At most, she’d just work harder and take on more acting roles this year…
But…
Han Ning turned to look at the distressed Shen Xi, thinking, What Shen Xi has always wanted is a relationship built on equality, not dependence.
If she just paid off the debt, Shen Xi would only get angry, and it would make her feel humiliated. This had to be done secretly, without Shen Xi finding out…
Han Ning sent a message to her assistant, Coco: “Get me a super large suitcase. I need it!”
Coco immediately took care of it. The next day, she delivered the suitcase to Han Ning.
That evening, after wrapping up work, Han Ning pulled Coco aside and said, “Come with me to the bank.”
At the bank, Coco watched in shock as Han Ning withdrew over 800,000 yuan in cash and packed it into the suitcase. She gasped, “When this money was just numbers in the account, it didn’t feel like much. But seeing it in cash—wow! My working-class heart can’t handle it!”
Holding her chest with one hand and pinching the bridge of her nose with the other, she dramatically rolled her eyes.
Han Ning glanced at her. “You’re so dramatic… You’ve been with me long enough, and all you’ve learned is exaggerated acting?” She flicked Coco’s forehead.
Coco fixed her bangs and muttered, “Some of these small-time actors don’t even act as well as me…”
Han Ning zipped up the suitcase. Coco helped carry it down the steps and, unable to resist her curiosity, asked, “Ning-jie, why did you withdraw so much cash? Buying jewelry?”
Han Ning raised an eyebrow. “As the future backbone of the Shen family, the number one in command, I’m using it to pay off my future mother-in-law’s debt.”