CHAPTER 181: CHAPTER 181: DO UNTO OTHERS AS THEY HAVE DONE

She struggled to keep her eyes off the money, forcibly shifting her gaze to Xia Liang’s face.

"I want to ask, how far do you need me to go?"

Although she was looking at Xia Liang, her peripheral vision still involuntarily darted to the case beside them.

"How far?" Xia Liang smiled, a cold light flashing in his eyes. "Of course, the more miserable you make him, the better."

He picked up his coffee and took a sip. "It’s obvious he loves you. He even comes to pick you up from work every single day. The first step I need you to take is to tell him you want to marry him."

"Marry him?" Kong Man’s eyes widened, a troubled look on her face. She had never once considered marrying Zheng He. But still, for five hundred thousand Yuan... and Zheng He really had been good to her. Gritting her teeth, she stomped her foot. "Fine, no problem."

"No, no, no." Xia Liang wagged a finger. "I’m just telling you to say it; whether you actually get married in the end is your business. All I want is for you to torment him. When his family comes to discuss the bride price, you will ask for two hundred thousand Yuan."

"Two hundred thousand Yuan? That’s not much," Kong Man blinked. After all, it wasn’t as if Zheng He hadn’t thought about marrying her before. But because Kong Man wasn’t interested, she had casually named a price of one million Yuan.

Xia Liang nodded slowly. "That’s right, it’s not much. But you can slowly raise the price. For instance, while his family is busy preparing the wedding, on the very day of the ceremony, you can demand more for the bride price. Something like five hundred thousand Yuan."

A sharp hiss of breath escaped her. Hearing Xia Liang’s words, Kong Man involuntarily shuddered. This handsome man before her was truly vicious. By that point, the groom’s side would have everything prepared. Friends and family would have been notified, and they would be just one step away from the marriage. To suddenly increase the bride price at that moment... That’s truly...

Kong Man swallowed hard, at a loss for words.

Luu Qi, who had been listening from the side, finally understood what Xia Liang meant by giving someone a taste of their own medicine. So Xia Liang wants to make Zheng He go through the exact same thing Luu Wenlin did!

She felt no sympathy for the fate that was about to befall the Zheng Family. Instead, she felt a sliver of anticipation. After all, if the Zheng Family hadn’t stirred up all this trouble and caused Luu Wenlin so much heartache, Xia Liang wouldn’t be doing this.

After a long moment, Kong Man, having finally processed it all, swallowed again. "Isn’t this... a bit too cruel?"

"Oh? Feeling sorry for him?" A playful smile appeared on Xia Liang’s face. "Then let’s just forget it." With that, he moved to close the case.

"Don’t, don’t, don’t..." Kong Man lunged forward, pressing her hands down on the lid. "You said it yourself, this is business. We should negotiate."

Seeing her reaction, Xia Liang released his hand. "Oh? Then how do you propose we negotiate?"

"Hehe." Kong Man smirked and licked her lips. "Well, I can do all those things you asked for. I can even think of crueler things, but..."

She trailed off, looking expectantly at Xia Liang. He didn’t reply, simply taking another sip of his coffee.

Kong Man was bewildered. Why isn’t this guy following the script? According to TV dramas, shouldn’t someone like Xia Liang be asking me what’s wrong right now?

An awkward silence filled the air. Luu Qi rolled her eyes from the side. Xia Liang really has a twisted sense of humor; he’s so hard to figure out. She decided to break the tension. "Just say what you want."

The awkwardness vanished. Kong Man shot Luu Qi a grateful look, then took a deep breath. "Zheng He is my dearly beloved boyfriend, so..." She had intended to build more suspense, but the memory of the recent silence made her quickly get to the point. "You’ll have to pay more."

Unbelievable! Brilliant! Luu Qi nearly applauded. To make a demand for more money sound so refined and righteous... she’s probably the only one who could pull that off.

Under Kong Man’s hopeful gaze, Xia Liang finally spoke again. "I have money. I’m not short on it."

With that, he brought out the second case.

CLICK.

As Xia Liang opened it, another case full of money was placed before Kong Man.

She gasped, her face an unconcealed mask of greed. She had seen Xia Liang arrive with two cases earlier. After he opened the first one and she saw it was full of cash, she had subconsciously guessed the other one was, too. That’s why she’d chanced asking for more money. But even though she had expected it, her heart couldn’t help but pound in her chest when Xia Liang actually opened it.

One million Yuan! This was a whole one million Yuan! Even ten years of her salary, earned without eating or drinking, wouldn’t amount to this much.

Seeing Kong Man’s eyes gradually turning red, Xia Liang closed the case. Watching the money vanish before her eyes, she felt a pang of loss.

Xia Liang then spoke softly, "If you agree, I’ll give you five hundred thousand Yuan immediately. If your performance later is stellar, satisfies me, and makes the other party regret everything, the other five hundred thousand will also be yours. So, what is your choice?"

"I... I... I agree!" Kong Man panted, her breathing ragged.

"Good. A wise choice." Xia Liang wasted no more words, pushing one case of money toward her.

"Huh?" Kong Man took it, completely baffled. "You’re giving this to me just like that? Aren’t we signing a contract? Aren’t you afraid I’ll just take the money and run?"

"No need." Xia Liang shook his head, then looked at Kong Man with an amused expression. "Run? Do you really think you could get away?"

...

It was only then that Kong Man truly understood. The man before her wore clothes that cost tens of thousands of Yuan. He could casually pull out a million Yuan just to deal with a loser... The power behind a person who treated money like this must be immense.

She could even imagine that if she refused, this man would simply use his money to hire some beautiful woman to seduce Zheng He away from her, then carry out the same plan. Choosing her was just a matter of convenience. How could a person like this possibly let her get away with his money?

Taking a deep breath, Kong Man nodded emphatically. "I understand. I’ll put on a good show."

Xia Liang nodded. "Very well. Memorize my phone number and keep me updated on your progress."

"No problem." Kong Man took out her phone and saved Xia Liang’s number.

With everything settled, Xia Liang made one final offer to dispel any lingering doubts she might have. "That’s a lot of cash. Do you need us to accompany you to the bank to deposit it?"

Kong Man was taken aback for a second, then nodded. "Thank you, Mister Xia."

Xia Liang waved his hand dismissively and paid for the coffee. The three of them then headed toward the bank.

Though both Xia Liang and Kong Man were carrying a case of money, their demeanors were worlds apart. Xia Liang was utterly composed, as if he were carrying something trivial. Kong Man, however, was a different story. Despite her attempts to appear calm, her forehead was slick with cold sweat, and her eyes kept flicking down to the case. She couldn’t help it; it’s a common symptom of getting rich overnight, always imagining someone is after your money.