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Chapter 72: Public Acting

Chapter 72: Public Acting

"Miss, something's not right. Someone has upset Master." Mrs. Chang's urgent footsteps hurriedly ascended the stairs. Her anxious voice reached ahead before she did.

Huayan hastily threw on a light jacket over her camisole and opened the door, asking, "Mrs. Chang, who has upset Dad?"

"It seems to be two people Master knows."

"Oh?" Standing at the top of the stairs, Huayan saw clearly a woman of similar age to her father emitting a green light, staring intently at the dazzling jade jewelry in the display case. Another man in his forties, wearing a second-hand suit, sat comfortably in the lounge area, sipping on her father's afternoon tea with his legs crossed. Her father wore a dark expression but remained silent.

How could these people enter someone else's place with such disregard? Were they here to collect debts from her father? Were they enemies from her father's past? As she walked down the stairs lost in thought, she asked her father, "Dad, who are these people?"

"Why did you come downstairs? I can handle this here, you go back upstairs," her father pushed her, not letting her linger.

Her father's actions only made Huayan more curious about what was happening. After a while of stubbornly standing her ground, her father sighed and said, "They're your elder aunt and third uncle."

At that moment, a noisy voice interrupted, "Hey, isn't this my divorced niece? How can you not even recognize your own elder aunt?" With a few clicks of her tongue, she circled around Huayan with chaotic eyes, then her eyes lit up, "Your elder aunt knows quite a few successful people. We'll find you a handsome and wealthy one, I guarantee it..."

Huayan looked at her sudden elder aunt, her thick lips constantly moving, resembling an ancient matchmaker. Suddenly, her father interrupted her, saying, "Big sister, your eldest daughter Beibei is almost thirty-seven and still unmarried! Yanyan has me to look after her, so there's no rush. You should hurry up and find someone for Beibei."

The elder aunt's smiling face immediately collapsed, and she swallowed the rest of her words.

"Alright, alright, big sister, don't forget why we came today! Big brother, are you going to help or not? I'm waiting for your money to stay alive," Huayan's third uncle, a gambler, said. His wife had run off with someone else, and since then, he had treated gambling as his main occupation. Not long ago, he lost over a million yuan in an underground gambling den. Somehow, he found out about her father's current address and came to borrow money.

"You're successful now, big brother, you can't just stand by and watch someone die!" Huayan's elder aunt chimed in quickly.

"I've said it before. I don't have any money to lend you," her father refused firmly.

"Big sister, third uncle, have some tea. Speaking of which, Dad, how much debt do you have left now? I was actually thinking of contacting you to help out, like using your property certificates and other real estate as collateral for Dad, so he can borrow money from the bank when he becomes successful. That way, you'll still benefit, won't you? Third uncle, your life-saving money is just a trifle once Dad becomes successful. Today, we came to talk about this matter together."

"What's there to talk about," muttered Huayan's elder aunt. Then, she forced a laugh and said, "Second brother, how can you still be in debt when you have so much jade jewelry? Besides, the men in my family don't let me handle money matters."

"That's right, second brother, how can you still owe money when you have so many good things? Is Yanyan making up stories because she doesn't want to lend money to third uncle?"

"Yanyan isn't making it up. These jade jewelry are from Feise Jiannian. Now, the bank and others add up to only three million in debt. Earlier, Yanyan asked me to find you to figure out how to repay this money. After all, we're still family, aren't we? I misunderstood you before, thinking that you avoided me when my company went bankrupt, as if you didn't consider me family. It seems I was wrong."

"Che, I'm still dodging creditors all over the streets. Bring the money to help you. And how did you, Second Brother, ruin such a good company, leaving me with no support?" The previously eloquent elder aunt was now playing with her teacup, pretending not to hear.

"Elder Aunt, Third Uncle, aren't you going to help? I've already had several creditors heading this way. Even if they worry that Dad and I might run away someday, isn't it still reassuring to have relatives like you around? It would prevent them from coming to check on us every now and then," Huayan pleaded.

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"Did you really make those calls, Yanyan? Aiya, what should we do now? No one can guarantee that they won't pressure your elder aunt and third uncle for money in the future. Their families are all well-known figures in the underworld," her father said, looking surprised at Huayan, though he was almost bursting with laughter inside.

Huayan said with a hint of grievance, "I was just happy to hear that my elder aunt and third uncle finally came to see us. I was even thinking of buying dozens of LV bags early."

On the other side, Huayan's elder aunt and third uncle went from disbelief to unease. Especially the third uncle, terrified by creditors chasing him, his legs trembling.

The elder aunt was both suspicious and cowardly, not daring to risk staying any longer. The siblings muttered something quietly, then quickly excused themselves, with the third uncle stumbling past Huayan, who subtly blocked him for a moment before retracting her foot. With a thud, the third uncle fell to the ground, causing both the first and second floors of the building to shake. Holding his bleeding nose, the third uncle left with his sister.

"Yanyan, they'll definitely be watching around the corner to see if any creditors show up. This is going to blow our cover!"

"I have a plan," Huayan said mysteriously.

Half an hour later, four or five men in black suits and large sunglasses rudely pushed open the door of Muyun Pavilion. A few minutes later, another group of men, with the first one having an imposing aura, followed by two others with dyed and flashy hair, kicked open the door and entered. Within a short time, four or five waves of people had entered.

Huayan's elder aunt and third uncle, hiding in the opposite alley and watching Muyun Pavilion, wiped their foreheads with cold sweat, extremely grateful that they had run away fast.

"That was scary," the third uncle lay on the ground and gasped.

"Something seems off, Third Brother. If Second Brother really owes money, why weren't those people taking his jade jewelry to settle the debt?"

"You don't know this, Big Sister. Feise Jiannian's arbitrator used to be someone from the underworld. Now that he's rich and powerful, which brother in the underworld wouldn't respect him? Second Brother used his connections to handle his jade jewelry, so he's protected by them. Damn, I wish I had that kind of luck!" The third uncle often frequented gambling dens and longed to become rich overnight through gambling.

"Should we just go back like this?" the elder aunt said, unwillingly.

"What else can we do? If you're brave enough, you can go find Second Brother again. I'm leaving, it's really unlucky. I was planning to go gambling tonight..." Huayan's third uncle pondered whether to go gambling again after being jinxed.

Inside Muyun Pavilion, when the men heard the first man pretending to be a big shot saying the other two had left, they took off their sunglasses. Among them were surprisingly Huayan's acquaintances: Gao Rushing's bodyguards, Hu Er, and his entourage.

With the audience gone, they had no reason to continue the act. Huayan invited them to sit upstairs and downstairs and enjoy the delicacies specially prepared by Mrs. Chang, including her famous pastries, various fried rice dishes, and Mr. Hua's secret grilled meat and chicken wings. The several men ate happily, repeatedly reminding Huayan that they should be the first to contact if such a thing happened again. For nothing else, the delicious food had won them over.

As they were about to leave, they once again became fierce and intimidating. Passers-by avoided them like the plague. The next day, rumors spread that Muyun Pavilion had offended people in the underworld, scaring away some timid customers. Upon hearing this, Shangguanning specifically called to inquire if they needed help, and Huayan explained before Shangguanning was relieved.

Huayan returned to her simple yet fulfilling life of attending classes during the day and nestling at home at night. Time flew by unnoticed until late autumn. Huayan and Cheng Qingqing walked on the campus path, with golden leaves fluttering in the wind. Huayan wore cropped jeans and a white cotton shirt, while Cheng Qingqing wore a little dress, drawing the envy of many young male and female classmates.

"Sister Huayan, there's something I've been wanting to ask you, if it's okay?"

"What's not okay, go ahead," Huayan pinched Cheng Qingqing's soft and cute face and smiled.

"Are you very familiar with Big Brother Shangguanning?"

"Just acquainted, but we've never been close. Why do you suddenly ask this?"

After stammering for a while, Cheng Qingqing finally said, "Yesterday, when I went to his company to find him, he was sleeping, but I heard him mentioning your name in his sleep... I don't mean anything else, but if it's true that you and Brother Shangguanning are getting together, I... I would offer my blessings."

Seeing Cheng Qingqing's painful struggle and fearing that she might misunderstand her, Huayan was almost in tears with anxiety. She hugged Cheng Qingqing solemnly and said, "Thank you for being so kind, but I won't choose Shangguanning. You don't have to give up your love for my sake. Understand?"

Tears streamed down Cheng Qingqing's face as she sobbed, "Why not? Isn't Brother Shangguanning good?"

Releasing Cheng Qingqing, Huayan explained, "I would unconsciously dislike people associated with the Cheng family."

"Fortunately, I haven't had any contact with them. But Huayan, are you speaking from your heart or just trying to comfort me?" Cheng Qingqing asked.

"I swear I'm speaking from my heart. Please don't cry anymore, or the autumn wind will start peeling your face layer by layer. By then, your Brother Shangguanning will truly belong to someone else."

Cheng Qingqing pouted, "Huayan, please don't curse me. I'm determined to win him over, unwavering like a rock." She raised her fist to show her determination, which amused Huayan and stirred in her a newfound anticipation and impulse for a beautiful love for the first time.

Meanwhile, Hu Er stood gazing at the exit, standing upright and waiting for his master, Hu Li, to arrive at the airport terminal.